Book Review: 'A Sandy Grave' by Donna McDine

A Sandy Grave, by award-winning author, Donna McDine, is an inspiring story that chronicles the truth about poaching.  Leah, Nicole, and Haley are ready to start their beach summer vacation; they sprint to the beach only to come across a crowd of people buzzing like bees near a dead whale that has washed ashore.

The girls watched in horror as scientists from the Marine Biology Institute examine the whale, then make a startling discovery. Someone has removed teeth from the whale.
Leah had noticed two men, who dug into the sand with their feet, dropped a bag into the hole, and covered it up. Her instincts tell her that the men are up to no good.
Will Leah report what she saw?
Unfortunately, poaching goes on all the time and many people get away with it.
There are many lessons young people can learn from reading A Sandy Grave.  Here are two lessons that come to mind.

Doing the right thing: Leah and her friends help the authorities capture the two poachers. The girls do not allow fear to stop them even though it is a potentially dangerous situation. Below is my favorite section in the book:

They dropped down to their hands and knees and started to dig. They dug down about a foot, exposing a rope. Leah pulled on it, finding a burlap bag on the end of the rope. Curious, they opened it up, peered in, and saw huge teeth!

Teaching adult and kids about poaching: I love the way Ms. McDine related the truth about what can happen to poachers.  The passage below is clear and concise.

It’s also against the law to tamper with a dead marine mammal. “What happens to people who try and steal the teeth,” Leah asked. “If caught, they’re arrested and can be charged with jail time and thousands of dollars in fines if found guilty.”

 I love this well-written story.  The illustrations by Julie Hammond capture the true essence of the story and pull the reader into the story.

To learn more about award-winning author Donna McDine, please visit her website.

Penelope Anne Cole: "My Brother is My Best Friend," by Nicole Weaver,...

Great review of my newest book.  Check it out below.







Penelope Anne Cole: "My Brother is My Best Friend," by Nicole Weaver,...: My Brother is My Best Friend , by Nicole Weaver, with illustrations by Clara Batton Smith, is the second trilingual book in Ms. Weaver’s “...

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

My twin sisters shared their adventures, now it is our turn. My name is Blake. My twin brother Drake is my best friend. I’ll be writing about my adventures with my brother from time to time.

I’d also like to hear about you. Do you have a brother? Is he your best friend? Do you have a favorite book?

Now you know exactly what we look like. That’s us on the cover. Do you speak other languages? I do. In fact, I am trilingual. I can speak English, French, and Spanish. My brother Drake can also speak English, French, and Spanish. We want to help you learn some basic French and Spanish. We wrote a story about our adventures in English, French , and Spanish. We hope our trilingual book will inspire you to learn French and Spanish.

 We invite you to buy a copy of our book. Our book is available from the publisher’s site. You can also find the print edition at Amazon. Books make great birthday presents and gifts for best friends. Buy a copy for all your friends. Pick up one for yourself too.

Be sure to come back next Sunday for a fun lesson in French and Spanish.

Book Review: 'Silence' by K.C. Snider

K.C. Snider, an honors graduate from the School of Art in Eugene, Oregon, is an award-winning illustrator of over forty children’s books. Her Western Fine Art has won prestigious art awards and her illustrations for children’s books have won numerous literary awards.

Ms. Snider penned her first book titled Silence. The book is wordless. It takes the reader on the journey in the life of a golden mantled ground squirrel. We follow him through his daily life and adventures at Crater Lake National Park.

The lovely, colorful illustrations transport the reader to a world that is stunning. A world so well depicted through the illustrations you feel that you are part of it.

This masterpiece of a book can be a valuable resource that teachers and parents can use to help pre-readers develop and exercise their imaginations. Children can have fun coming up with their own stories for the illustrations.

As a foreign language teacher, I use illustrations that depict newly learned vocabulary and grammatical structures. Illustrations are a powerful tool that affords students and young kids an opportunity to speak freely.

Ms. Snider’s book can be useful in any classroom where the teacher is looking for ways to help students develop both their speaking and writing skills.

To learn more about K.C. Snider please visit her website.

Book Review: 'Count 1, 2, 3 with Me' by Connie Arnold

Count 1, 2, 3 with Me, by Connie Arnold is a must have for all children. I love the simple rhymes that will make it an enjoyable read aloud book for young children.

Introducing toddlers to reading at an early age has many advantages. It helps the toddler develop a love for printed words, even though he or she can’t yet recognize the words. Additionally, young children can develop their auditory skills by listening to an adult read to them.

As a parent and teacher, I fully understand the need to capture the imaginations of young children. The idea is to make learning fun, and Count 1, 2, 3 with Me does that in a captivating fashion. In the book, we see many happy, smiling children, playing games, walking and doing fun filled activities that all children love to engage in.

The rhyme is musical and so much fun to read. Here are some examples of the musical rhymes in the book:

Three little girls shop with their mother,
happy to be with one another.

Two ears listen so we can hear,
and two arms hug those who are dear.

Three small boys wrestle with their dad.
Playing with him makes them glad.

Four playful puppies jump and run,
excited to play outdoors in the sun.

The colorful artwork will easily draw the attention of toddlers. This is so important, since young children have a short attention span. I recommend Count 1,2, 3 with Me for every home and preschooler classroom.

To learn more about Connie Arnold you can visit her site.

Book Review: 'Magical Mea' by Penelope Anne Cole

Magical Mea is the sequel to Magical Matthew. In Magical Matthew, the author chronicles the importance of teaching children to use their talents to do good deeds. However, in Magical Meawe see what happens when children are set in their ways.

Unlike her brother, Mea decides to use her magic to play tricks on people. Unfortunately, as much as we dream about having well-behaved children who are kind and obedient, it does not always work out that way.

Mea represents the character that is a challenge for parents and teachers, a child who is obstinate and determined to be mischievous no matter what.

Does Mea have any redeeming qualities? Can she change? Is it too late? Should her Mom and Dad give up on her completely?

I am of the opinion that it is never too late to steer a child in the right direction. Too often parents take the easy way out, leaving it to society to teach children morals. Every child is a gift from above. It is up to the parents to help direct the path of the child. In the case of Mea, her brother Matthew and his best friend Lily do a wonderful job encouraging Mea to do what is right.

The one thing that shines through the story is sometimes children do foolish things because they are trying to get attention. They also do not like to be told what to do by a sibling.

“Lily, why doesn’t Mea listen to me? After all, I know what’s best. Why can’t she be like me and use her magic to do good?

“Yes, I know she really likes to hide things and later find them. That’s because she gets praise for being a good finder,” Lily said.

Magical Mea is a delightful story. It can be a great resource for parents to teach children the value of being kind. Kevin Collier’s artwork adds life to the story.

To learn more about Penelope Anne Cole visit her blog.

Book Review: 'Magical Matthew' by Penelope Anne Cole

Penelope Cole’s Magical Matthew is about a boy with magical powers.

There are many lessons young children can learn from reading Magical Matthew, but two stand out.

First, you can use your talents to make a difference. The author has Matthew cleaning up litter left by others. What a great lesson for young children to learn.

The second is the value of true friendship. Matthew’s best friend is Lily. Lily is handicapped, but her disability does not stop Matthew from playing and being friends with her. In fact, they do just about everything together.

In a world where bullying has become the norm, it was very refreshing to see how Matthew interacts with Lily.

My favorite part of the book is when Lily finds out that Matthew has magical powers. Lily talks Matthew into using his powers to do many good deeds.

Lily nodded. “But you can do a lot. Remember how the beach was all trashy last year, and how long it took for the city to clean it? You could clean it instantly.”

The two friends talked a long time about the things he could fix, and things they could do together. They would be on the look out for things that needed to be painted, cleaned up, or repaired. Then Matthew would do something each day. It would be like a good deed of the day.

Kevin Collier’s artwork enhances the story. The detailed images are outstanding and help the reader connect with what is going on in the story.

Magical Matthew is a great book that teachers and parents can use to teach children about friendship, trust, and the joy of doing good deeds. Children from all cultures will enjoy this delightful book.

To learn more about the book please visit the author’s blog.