This children’s picture book does a wonderful job of describing a young man’s desire to turn his hobby into a career that would ultimately change the world through a combination of entertainment and education using the media tool of television. Puppetry is known to be a behind the scenes type of job. What I truly enjoyed about this book was the story of Jim Henson’s life as he evolved as a person and a trail blazer in the world of puppetry. Read the rest of this entry…
Ronnie Wilson’s Gift is a delightful children’s picture book written by Francis Chan. This book is a great way to reinforce faith building in families with young children. Ronnie Wilson becomes aware of the gift of eternal life that Jesus has given to each one of us. Once Ronnie understands what Jesus sacrificed for him (and for everyone), he wants to do something to honor him…he wants to give something to Jesus in return.
This desire to honor Jesus with a gift starts a whole chain reaction of gifts that Ronnie bestows on others simply by taking action. I love the fact that Francis Chan has written a book illustrating the fact that God can use each of us to achieve powerful, and helpful things; no matter our age. This is not a lesson that the world teaches our children. The world says take all that you can get and whine for more, Christian teachings says give, bless others and communicate the love of God.
Francis Chan is a pastor and a speaker who is known nationally and internationally. He lives what he preaches by serving those that God calls us to serve…those who are hurting, those who are poor and those who do have not learned of Jesus and his sacrifice. By writing this book, Francis Chan has brought that message to the children of the world. He has done that in a way that speaks to their hearts and their minds and encourages them to think of ways to serve others that they find in need. This opens their eyes to those people with hurts and needs in their everyday life…people they know and the random people that God puts in their path.
This particular children’s book was illustrated by Jim Madsen. His illustrated drawings are colorful and help to evoke a perfect emotional response to the words telling the story. The colors are beautiful and the character’s body language and facial expressions add layers of meaning to the story of giving and receiving. Combining the artistic visuals that Jim Madsen provides, along with the teaching that Francis Chan instills with the story of Ronnie Wilson’s Gift was a perfect pairing of talents.
Both children and their parents will enjoy this book. The values that it encourages, the teaching of the foundational idea of us being the hands and feet of Jesus here on Earth and the realistic character of Ronnie is a good way to open dialogue between children and their caregivers about how best to serve the Lord in their daily life.
It is easy to recommend this book to my readers. I think that this book would make a wonderful gift for those children in your life that you have the privilege of teaching and inspiring to acts of giving and helping others to understand the love of God.
I have to say that I won this particular book as one of 5 winners on a giveaway here: Parent Life Online thanks to the publisher David C. Cook . I was not obligated to give a review or to say that the book was great…EVEN though it IS great. Thank you to Parent Life Online and to David C. Cook for the opportunity to win this book and read a book that shines a light on such a wonderful book of faith building, for children and their families.
This book review of, Where Did My Good Mood Go is about an educational children’s picture book on emotion written by Ava Parnass and illustrated by Kate Kaminski. The illustrations are colorful and uplifting. This helpful as the subject matter is all about a child trying to find a positive mood.
Ava writes for young children who are struggling with their emotions and their behaviors. She has created a character in this story called Mushy. Mushy is a magical book online who helps kids understand their feelings. The illustration of Mushy is open and friendly. The idea behind Mushy is to have a trusted friend who helps a child understand their emotions and behaviors and to adjust them accordingly by opening the door to processing why they are feeling the way they do. Many times children feel alone…as if they are the only ones to ever feel the way that they do. After reading this book, I think that they will come to see that emotions can come and go without getting stuck in a destructive mode.
I think this works well in this book, Where Did My Good Mood Go. I believe the book will empower young children (and the adults who care for them) to see that they are the only ones in charge of how they handle challenges, as they come along. Mushy explains that everyone has bad days now and then. Mushy also encourages communication between adult and child to help foster supportive words and actions. I think young families will find this book helpful and enjoyable at the same time.
Ava has been a family psychotherapist for over 15 years. She believes strongly in helping to develop healthy relationships through communication between parents and children. Her books and her music are all about building up the healthy foundation of a child. If you are interested in learning more about Ava and her books & products you should visit her website: www.ListenToMePlease.com Make sure to tell her that you learned about her through Book In Review. I do need to tell you that I received a review copy; but that in no way guaranteed a positive review of her books or products. I hope you enjoy getting to know more about Ava and her company…and that the children in your life are the recipients of her efforts to bring healthy and happy into their everyday experiences.
It is a total pleasure to do a book review of this children’s book, Listen To Me Please, because it is a book that you can read with your child and reap the benefits of a deeper personal relationship with your child. Ava Parnass co-wrote the book with Dr. Ron Taffel. Kate Kaminski was in charge of the illustrations and the book production process. The end result is a book filled with colorful graphics, heartwarming visuals and parenting tips that will help the reader to navigate many of the pitfalls that parents and children fall into when challenges arise.
Open ended conversation starters allow valuable communication to help both parent and child to understand each other’s words and actions better, which can only help to improve the relationship on both ends. Starting out by focusing on the positive aspects of any given situation helps keeps the conversation proactive when it comes to problem solving.
I like the fact that the book gives the child permission to have a voice. Too often children are told to be quiet, sit down, and keep out of the way by the adults in their life. It is easy for a child to become overwhelmed when they do not feel valued or heard when they are upset, angry, or anxious about the things affecting them daily. A child that feels heard and validated emotionally is a child that is more open to instruction and guidance. That alone should help to eliminate many of the negative behaviors that parents often feel powerless to stop or control.
Listen To Me Please would be great as a baby shower gift, a birthday gift, or just as a way to encourage parents and children to grow and learn together. You can learn more about Listen To Me Please and the authors and discover where to purchase the book by going to their website here: www.ListenToMePlease.com .
Koi And The Kola Nuts is a children’s picture book that tells the African folklore story of a young son of a village Chief. The Chief passes away and all of his possessions are divided up amongst the Chief’s songs. Koi is the youngest of the sons and he is not present when the possessions are divided up. All of them are given to his brothers leaving him with nothing but the Kola Nut tree.
As you can imagine that does not sit well with young Koi as he feels that the “wise man” of the village cheated him of his equal share. He tells the village that they do not kn0w how to properly treat the son of a Chief. He takes as many of the Kola nuts as he can carry and he leaves on a journey to find his place in the world.
Those Kola nuts are used to help people and in the end they save young Koi’s life. I do have to warn you that the story refers often to Koi being cooked and eaten by his enemies. If you have a young sensitive reader or listener…then this book may not be for you. If however you can reassure the young listeners that Koi will be fine then the book teaches a great lesson about sharing your blessings with people in your life.
This book was published by Rabbit Ears Books in 1995. The book was illustrated by Reynold Ruffins. The book was written by Brian Gleeson.
This children’s picture book is about a difficult subject; however, I think the author handles the subject very gracefully and in a way that doesn’t talk down to a child. Jenevieve Fisher is the author of I’m A Kid Living With Cancer. She introduces the main character who talks about what cancer is and how a person who has cancer gets tested and treated. The explanations are honest, direct and simple.
In explaining these issues, in this way, she takes some of the fear of such procedures out of them; making it easy for an adult reading this story to their child to explain what may happen to them (if they are a pediatric cancer patient). There isn’t an emotional script in the book about how a child should feel…this leaves the job of exploring the child’s emotional reactions to any given treatment or procedure open to discussion between the reader and the patient. That is as it should be because it is hard to write the reality of treatments in a meaningful way without trivializing it or overwhelming a child with a pre-conceived idea of how it will feel. Read the rest of this entry…
Eleanor Roosevelt is a very good beginner biography published by ABDO Publishing Company, written by Sarah Tieck and copyrighted in 2010. What I enjoyed about this book is the multiple photos and the information that covered so many different areas of Eleanor Roosevelt’s life. I loved the way the book described the social changes that Eleanor was instrumental in bringing about in our country; as well as abroad, through her work in the United Nations.
For an interested reader in history this book was very informative. It talks about Eleanor’s family, her education, her life in the White House and her political and humanitarian works. Eleanor lived a very full life. She and FDR made a huge impact on the United States and we still are affected today by many of the changes that they were instrumental in setting into motion during their lives.
If you are interested in learning more about this book continue reading here: http://www.abdopublishing.com .
Abbie Against The Storm is a great children’s picture book that tells the story of a young girl who lives and trains with her father at a lighthouse in Maine. It is a true story of a time in history when sailors and people who traveled on the water depended on the lighthouses along the shores to keep them aware of the dangerous rocks and reefs that could damage their boats as they traveled the water ways.
Abbie’s mother becomes ill and her father must leave the lighthouse to get help. A storm is on the way and it is up to Abbie to keep the lights lit in the towers. The storm takes on a horrific power and the family must climb to a higher level than the lower living space due to the storm washing upon the rock where the lighthouse was built.
It is exhausting and a tremendous responsibility to keep the lights burning and bright. Abbie battles the storm and her own exhaustion performing the duties that her father normally was in charge of. This book was wonderfully written and illustrated. The pictures are rich in color and convey the urgency of the storm in the story. The author is Marcia Vaughan and the illustrator is Bill Farnsworth.