Blog Archives
A Dog in my Yard
Johnathan loves having his dog Millie around, but when she starts chewing up things, potty’s on the floor, and interrupts meetings, his parents think about finding the golden doodle a new home. Johnathan sets out to build a case for keeping the puppy. Through his efforts, readers learn that there is so much value and love that comes from having a dog in the house.
A Dog in my Yard is a vibrant and amusing children’s book that educates readers on the challenges of owning a puppy, like needing to take them for a walk, rain or shine. It also shows them all the wonderful things that come with having a dog in the family, like health, friends, and love. Young readers will learn all the little quirks puppies have, and Millie specifically, through fun and flowing rhyme.
Each page is beautifully illustrated with vibrant artwork that will capture every child’s attention. This will be a great picture book to read to toddlers or kindergarteners because they will love seeing Millie on the page as the story is read to them. I surely loved seeing all the different adorable dogs throughout the book, and I especially loved seeing Millie in different funny situations. And if you own a puppy, you’ll find this story relatable.
A Dog in my Yard follows a charming little boy and his rambunctious puppy and teaches valuable life skills along the way. This entertaining kids’ book is highly recommended as a fun bedtime story or as a teaching tool to inspire conversation about the responsibilities that come with having a puppy in the family.
Pages: 40 | ASIN: B0BLFKCM3C
Learning Can Be Fun
Alliteration Boosts Communication: The ABCs of Vocabulary teaches children interesting vocabulary words to improve their communication skills while entertaining them. What was the inspiration for writing this story?
My inspiration for writing this book was seeing and knowing that our students lack high level robust vocabulary. Studies show that children living in poverty only hear a total of 13 million words before the age of four. Compared to 45 million words compared to its counterpart. As an Educator this was unacceptable and I wanted to change this!
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Wheeler Lentz?
The collaboration process with Wheeler Lentz was smooth. He was easy to work with. I gave him my vision and he illustrated it. We made changes where we needed them. He also gave suggestions when needed. Wheeler was a constant professional.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
The idea that learning can be fun. I wanted dynamic illustrations that went with each word that was shown on the page. I wanted students and educators to be able to create their own stories (Alliterations) with the illustration. This book has language standards, Science standards, and Math standards connected.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
This book is a trilogy. The next one that will be released is Acronyms Bolsters Communities: The ABCs of Communities. The last book is Affirmations Build Characters: The ABCs of Positivity.
I do have a joint venture book entitled Hey, Black Boy! Coming out this Spring!
Author Links: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website
My goal is to boost our children’s vocabulary to improve their communication through words at an early age. Studies show that the earlier we boost a child’s vocabulary, the better they are with reading and comprehension. Vocabulary knowledge along with background knowledge provides our students with a better chance of understanding the text they read.
Living Green and the Smoke
A handy and helpful small tree and a smart and intelligent little flower meet up for their daily chat, but there’s something weird in the sky today. There is smoke covering the forest and making plants sick. The duo set out to find the smoke’s source and find it coming out of a mountain. They gather their friends, and together they work to close the hole and fix a problem that was affecting all of them.
This educational picture book takes the serious and complicated subject of climate change and distills it down into a creative adventure that children will be able to understand. This is the perfect book for young readers as the problem is easy to grasp, there’s smoke coming out of the mountain. How do they stop it? They have to work together to solve the problem, and their teamwork is also illustrated in an easy to understand manner. All of this makes this a perfect book for preschool or kindergarten children. This educational children’s book does a fantastic job of establishing this basic understanding in young readers. In many children’s books these ideas are often abstract, but author Florian Bushy is able to mix a serious issue with whimsical characters and create a fun and educational kid’s book.
The artwork throughout the book is colorful. The trees and plants come to life, and I loved seeing Mr. Florian’s cute character in different situations throughout the story.
Living Green and the Smoke is an educational children’s book that conveys an important lesson about air pollution, global warming, and how working as a team is critical to solving a problem that affects us all. I highly recommend this informative picture book to educators and parents who want to introduce their young children to the idea of climate change and teamwork.
Pages: 32 | ASIN: B09R7TNMZ5
No Cyberbullies
No Cyberbullies is a tremendously informative book for parents, educators, and adults who care about children’s well-being. The author, at length, writes about child bullying, discussing issues like the types of bullying, conditions that lead to bullying, and aspects like culture, religion, social conditioning, and appearance, among other central topics. In his book, author Brian Parkin brings to light the menace of bullying and gives a practical guide on handling bullied kids and their bullies.
One key point in this book is that we need more awareness about bullying to not just children but adults responsible for their care. Not every child that bullies others does it because they enjoy it; instead, it is a way of dealing with past or current traumas. The author does not in any way condone bullying, nor does he side with the vice. Instead, Brian Parkin educates and encourages parents, teachers, and guardians to investigate the root source of the problem.
How does bullying start? Even before writing about what makes bullies get into that behavior, the author started the book by writing about the history of bullying. He writes about how bullying has existed for centuries and how bullied children have endured the issue. The author mentioned the book Tom Brown’s Schooldays by Thomas Hughes as a good reference material with examples of school bullying, a book everyone should read.
This book is short, but the knowledge is immense. One of my favorite chapters is chapter 15. Parkin has notes to help you with what to do about cyberbullying in school. The author has well-written notes for victims of cyberbullying, the parents, school teachers, headmasters or principals, and cyber bullies themselves. Every message is well-packaged, and the text is concise and easy to follow. Chapter 16 was another great chapter, as the author brought a legal angle. There is plenty of advice on one’s legal rights if they are being bullied, and the author used simple language to cater to readers of all levels. Chapter 16 will be helpful to victims and their families as not many people are aware that one can take a legal approach when it comes to bullying.
No Cyberbullies is an eye-opening book that I recommend to all readers. Everyone needs to lend a hand to put a stop to this behavior. The anonymous effect of bullies online is a problem that needs to be dealt with, and this is why lawmakers should be among the first to stop cyberbullying witnessed in various parts of the world. This book can be a great starting point for policymakers and enforcers.
Pages: 90 | ASIN : B00I9FKOZE
Noise All Over
Liam wakes up one Sunday morning enjoying the peace and quiet as the rest of the house is still asleep. However, his quiet time is interrupted by the sound of fire trucks racing in his home and neighborhood. Unable to ignore the sounds, he hides under his pillow and covers, trying to make the sound bearable, but it still hurts his ears. That afternoon he has a special outing with his aunt and cousins. When he discovers that the outing is to a loud rock concert, he becomes concerned, and as soon as the music starts, the pain in his head from the sounds is too much, and he has to run away. It takes a quiet conversation with his uncle Harry to find a way to cope with the loud sounds that cause him pain.
Noise All Over by Tuula Pere is part of her Little Fears series for children. This beautifully written picture book tells the story of a child who struggles with loud sounds. This is a common issue for children with sensory processing disorders. The sounds are not just loud but physically painful; those without this issue may have trouble understanding the concept. This children’s book explains how it makes Liam feel and what can be done to help him when sounds get too overwhelming.
Noise All Over is an insightful children’s book that helps kids understand what it is like to have an aversion to loud noises. This is a beautiful story to share with classrooms to help classmates learn empathy and how to help one another. In addition, it is a great starting point for talking about how people process things differently, be it sounds, textures, or even how they think.
Pages: 36 | ISBN : 9523577816
Giant Legs (Little Fears)
Grandpa’s birthday is approaching, and a garden party has been arranged for the whole family. However, Elliot, one of the family members, is anxious about being in a large gathering. During the celebration, he retreats to his grandparents’ attic to escape the crowd. But Uncle Stephen comes up with an idea to entice Elliot back to the garden by encouraging him to walk on high wooden stilts, which alters his perspective of the world and the people below.
This is an entertaining and creative story that shows young readers that thinking outside the box can be a fun way to solve problems. I know the story title was Giant Legs, and I had guessed this had something to do with a child’s height, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the unusual but amusing way young Elliot get’s ‘giant legs.’
Children will be able to relate to Elliot’s concerns, as I’m sure many kids don’t like going to grownup parties. I enjoyed how an amiable uncle is the one that helps young Elliot overcome his concern. I feel that uncles rarely appear in children’s books, so this book is certainly unique in that aspect.
Delightful and encouraging, Giant Legs will help kids cope with the stress of feeling out of place by coming up with creative solutions and encouraging them to play, not hide away.
Pages: 34 | ISBN: 9523577875
Happy In your Skin
Rafa is a young boy who recently moved to the Midwest. He loves living in the U.S., but sometimes kids ask why his skin is brown. It makes Rafa feel weird, so he goes to grown-ups he trusts to ask for advice on how to answer this question. Rafa learns about self-love, his Indian heritage, and what makes him special and shares this with anyone that asks him why his skin is brown.
Author Erlin Kakkanad has created a captivating children’s book following a charming character as he learns how to answer awkward questions from children interested in why he looks different. I enjoyed how the story has Rafa looking for answers from respected adults, but the answers are hidden and then revealed at the end. This makes the book much more engaging as I wanted to know what each adult told him. Readers get to find out in a heartwarming at the end of the story.
The artwork throughout this marvelous picture book is vibrant, and the sharp graphic artwork and shading accentuate the story’s charm. There is a diverse cast of characters throughout the book, making this a perfect book for any teacher or parent educating their young ones about diversity and inclusion.
Happy in Your Own Skin is an empowering and educational children’s book that teaches children about India and that our differences makes the world a wonderful place to live.
Pages: 47 | ASIN: B0B8W7PHHX
LITERARY TITAN 