Fall Into Fall! A Throwback Tuesday Flashback to Fancy Nancy and the Fall Foliage!

    

 The leaves are starting to turn into beautiful shades of rich reds and vibrant oranges.  The air is starting to feel crisper and cooler.  Summer has said it's fond farewell, and today, Autumn has finally arrived!  It is, at least for me, quite possibly is one of the most favorite times of the year.   I can think of no more perfect time to shine a spotlight on some special seasonal tales for you to share with your little ones.  Over the course of the coming weeks, you will find several tales that I look forward to sharing with you all so that you too, will fall right into the season.

      And, in honor of "Throwback Tuesday" let's take a trip back to a tales spotlight from 2014 about everyone's favorite little girl who just adores everything that's fancy, French and, well... Fall!  --- Fancy Nancy and the Fall Foliage! 

      As I read this latest Fancy Nancy tale from the New York Times best-selling team of author Jane O'Connor and illustrator Robin Preiss Glasser, I was happily taken back to my childhood.  I grew up in the Northeast in a town near the Long Island Sound, and I can remember the joy that I always felt while playing in the fallen leaves, and searching, quite like Fancy Nancy does in Fancy Nancy and the Fall Foliage, for those special leaves that just stand out among the rest.

     When she is busy collecting some of the most beautiful fallen leaves, she encounters a colorful purple leaf and decides that she really needs to do something unique with all that she has gathered. Although Mom and Dad offer Fancy Nancy lots of ideas, she really wants to do, "...something completely different.  It has to be spectacular--just like these leaves."  But what will she create?  With over 30 stickers that your little ones can use to create their very own fall scene, and lots of new vocabulary words found just as in each Fancy Nancy tale, Fancy Nancy and the Fall Foliage is an enjoyable read to welcome in the season!

Fancy Nancy and the Fall Foliage
Written by Jane O'Connor & Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser & Interior Illustrations by Carolyn Bracken
Publisher:  Harper Festival, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (2014)
Website:  www.harpercollinschildrens.com
ISBN: 978-0-06-208630-3
Retails for $4.79 (Paperback)

Tales to Welcome Your Little Ones Back to School Spotlight #4- Twindergarten

     The anticipation that the first day of school brings to our little ones is a time filled with emotions and big steps that are new to conquer.  But take a moment to imagine what it must be like for parents and caregivers of twins and triplets!  There's so much going on all at once for multiples that it can be overwhelming. They have their own best friend to lean on, which is so uniquely special. We see this in our next "Tales to Welcome Your Little Ones Back to School Spotlight #4- Twindergarten.

   As our tale begins, it's the night before they start Kindergarten, and twins Dax and Zoe are experiencing those all too familiar start of school jitters. Being so used to doing everything together, Dax and Zoe are worried as they will be placed in different classrooms away from each other.  Zoe's going to the "Awesome Alligators" class and Dax will be with the "Cool Cats" class. They look at their pins that will help them find their class with worry.  Their mother tries to reassure them that this will, "give them the chance to make your own new friends," but the idea of this doesn't ease their nervousness.

    Upon their arrival at school, despite feeling anxious, Dax and Zoe soon begin to realize that it's not so hard to make new friends and it might not be so bad at all for them to be across the hallway from each other after all. Despite their initial hesitation at being placed in separate classrooms, Zoe & Dax remain close and best of all, have that sense of security that helps them to see school in a positive way. The themes of adventure, love, family and friendship are evident throughout author Nikki Erhlich's story, which is complimented by the soft, soothing illustrations of Zoey Abbott.

 

Twindergarten

Written by Nikki Erlich & Illustrated by Zoey Abbott

Publisher:  Harper, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (2017)

Retails for $15.99 (Hardcover)

For Ages 4 thru 8

Tales to Welcome Your Little Ones Back to School Spotlight #3- A Tiger Tail (Or What Happened to Anya on Her First Day of School)

      The familiar anxiety that going "Back to School" brings to our little ones tends to reach an apex within a day or two before the actual start date.  It is vital for parents and caregivers alike to create an affirming, warm environment that will not only validate your little one's feelings of apprehension but helps them to see their individual uniqueness as strengths.   A Tiger Tale (Or What Happened to Anya on Her First Day of School) is an excellent story about overcoming their distress and celebrating what sets us apart.

     As our tale begins, Anya wakes up bright and early on a cloudy morning.  She sleepily walks to her bathroom to brush her teeth, when, to her utter astonishment, she sees that she has grown a tiger tail overnight! Running back under the safety of her covers, she hopes that she can stay and hide from everyone. Her mom comes smiling into her bedroom, pointing to the calendar on her wall with a day circled.... it's the First Day of School!!! Anya is mortified!  What will the other kids think?  Are girls with tiger tails like her even allowed to go to school? She tries to take it off, and that doesn't work.  She tries to hide it by raiding her closet and putting on all of her clothes.  It still peeks through. When her mother reassures her by telling her how funny she is, and that "the kids are going to love your sense of humor," and how she needed to hurry as she was going to miss her bus, Anya realizes that's the perfect thing to do.  She hides behind a bush while the bus passes by her stop.  But then, her father finds her and off in the car they go to school, much to Anya's dismay.

     When Anya arrives, she is heartbroken while her mind drifts off to thinking that the only place that a girl with a tiger tail belongs is the circus. Anya, distracted, crashes into a little boy who to her astonishment, has bunny ears.  They become fast friends, and Anya soon discovers that she's not the only one who's different. Every one of her classmates, including her teacher, has something that sets them apart and makes them an individual.  

     Mike Boldt's story is filled with humor that is highlighted by the bold and bright illustrations filled with color which is so fitting as it emphasizes of how our diversity is truly our strength and superpower. 

A Tiger Tail (Or What Happened to Anya on Her First Day of School)

Written & Illustrated by Mike Boldt

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (2016) 

For Ages 4 thru 8

Retails for $17.99 (Hardcover)

***A Modest Momma's Musings for Little Readers Note:  For further information about author/illustrator Mike Boldt, please visit his website at https://mikeboldt.ca/ ***

Tales to Welcome Your Little Ones Back to School- Spotlight #2- Otter Goes to School

      The first weeks of school are a wonderful time to share stories together with your children that will act as springboards to both their imagination as well as to discussion, most especially if your little ones are feeling nervous about the start of the school year. This sense of reluctance carries over to a little teddy bear found in the second of our " Tales to Welcome Your Little Ones Back to School" spotlight -- Otter Goes to School. 

     As our tale begins, inquisitive little Otter asks her Otter Keeper how he became so smart. He tells Otter that he went to a "super-fun place called school" and Otter was immediately in awe and inspired.  So, Otter quickly sets about creating his own "school" where he gathers all of his friends Bear, Pig, Worm, Giraffe, Robot and Teddy together so they can learn all of those things that has made Otter Keeper so smart- the friends, now schoolmates, learn songs, math, have story time and music sing alongs.   They all seem to be enjoying school with Otter as their teacher, and Otter rewards them with gold stars.  All except Bear. After coming back to class from lunch, Otter sees his friend Bear looking sad.  Teddy explains that he is not liking school very much, as all the other friends seem to be good at everything that he's not. Otter is left not knowing what to do to change Teddy's mind. So he turns to Otter Keeper for help.  He explains to "Teacher Otter" that everyone is good at something, and that you just have to take the time to show them the way to what it may be.  

     I have long been a fan of the "Otter" series of books by author/illustrator Sam Garton, and this adorable tale did not disappoint. Filled with whimsical illustrations on every page, your little ones with big imaginations will be able to relate to little Otter's delight in "playing school".  The message from this tale is both poignant and timeless-everyone is good at something, and the journey to find out exactly what that is can be amazing.

Otter Goes to School

Written & illustrated by Sam Garton

Publisher:  Balzer + Bray (an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) 2016

Retails for $17.99 (Hardcover)

***A Modest Mommas Musings for Little Readers Note: For further fun with "Otter" and friends, please visit his website at https://www.iamotter.co.uk/  ***

Tales to Welcome Your Little Ones to School Spotlight #1- Biscuit Loves the Library

     As we welcome the month of September, the countdown to the days before the start of a new school year for our little ones has begun.  Now is an absolutely perfect time for you and your little ones to read stories together that are guaranteed to bring a smile to their understandably nervous faces as they prepare to embark on a new journey that will be filled with lots of adventure, knowledge and imagination.  

      Over the course of the next two weeks, I'll be shining a spotlight on some of the latest as well as those familiar classic "Back-to-School" tales that will provide your little ones (and, well, let's face it, you too!) with a comforting sense of reassurance as they begin the start of a brand-new school year. For this "Throwback Tuesday", let's take another look at a tale that I featured a while back, Biscuit Loves the Library. 

       The sweet adventures of Biscuit, the cuddly little Golden Retriever puppy continue with beloved author Alyssa Satin Capucilli's Biscuit Loves the Library.  As our tale begins, it's "Read to Your Pet Day" at the library and the curious puppy and his best friend, the little girl, are so excited as they join other  two and four-legged furry friends to explore all the many things that the library has to offer.

     As our duo searches for what we liked to call in the library at the elementary school I used to work in, as that, "just right book," Biscuit, just like most puppies, is very inquisitive and easily distracted by so many new things around him--- the straw basket filled to the brim with soft, snugly puppets, to not quite getting a grasp on why he can't get a nibble of the big, juicy looking bone on the cover of a book on dinosaurs. But, just when their search for that special book seems to be heading nowhere, along comes a friendly, helpful librarian to show the way with a very touching surprise guaranteed to bring smiles.
    Alyssa Satin Capucilli's text is filled with easy, repetitive words designed for building early recognition skills, and it is just right for beginning readers to handle. A simple tale that is perfect for sharing at nighttime story time, not only provides your little ones with a perfect introduction of libraries (much to my joy!) but gives them a gentle lesson on the power of kindness.

Biscuit Loves the Library (I Can Read!-Shared My First Reading)
Written by Alyssa Satin Capucilli & Illustrations by Pat Schories
Publisher: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (2014)
Website: www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Retails for $16.99 (Hardcover)
For ages 4 thru 8
ISBN: 978-0-06-193507-7

Rest in Peace, Dolly Parton

There are no words really that can truly express how sad I am to hear about the passing of the legend that is Dolly Parton. Obviously known for paving the way for generations of women in the music industry, Dolly accomplished all of this with a mixture of determination, guts and remained so humble and so kind to all who were so lucky to be inspired by her. This is a true rarity today.

She never forgot where she came from, and it is her work through establishing the Imagination Library that I have the utmost admiration for. Dolly’s tireless work to help countless generations of children to have access to books and develop a love of reading that she had as a child, started in the hills of her beloved home state of Tennessee. Thirty years later, the Imagination Library has now grown not only nationwide but across four countries. “Because books my friends, are true magic bound between two covers,” she stated. 

I am comforted knowing that she is reunited with her beloved husband, and I know most certainly that the heavens choir of angels now has a beautiful soloist in their midst. You were my Uncle Bill’s favorite, Dolly. Please say hello to him in heaven. 

Dolly truly was a beautiful light in a very broken world. Rest in Peace.

Flashback Friday- Sam's Birthmark

     For my very first Flashback Friday post,  I am shining a new spotlight on Martha & Grant Griffin's What Makes Me Shine: Sam's Birthmark which was published in 2012. Martha and Grant and my family share several things in common--- both of our sons were born on a very warm day; both of us exclaimed that are boys were, "just perfect" moments after their births, and both of our sons share something that makes them very special---they were born with a vascular birthmark (Barron was born with a Port-Wine Stain and our son was diagnosed with a Hemangioma when he was four weeks-old).

     "It's unique to be different.  Unique is a good thing," said Martha Griffin during our recent phone conversation.  They are the words that have not only helped to sustain and comfort both her and her husband; they have been instilled in their little boy who approaches his birthmark with a very matter-of-fact reasoning that it's, "only his birthmark, and it's no big deal," and are the driving force behind their very first book, What Makes Me Shine:  Sam's Birthmark.

     As our tale begins, little Sam delights in all those favorite activities as other little boy's do---playing with trucks, running in the park and chasing after his dog, Shakespeare.  Life seems typically ordinary for Sam until one day, while playing in the playground, a little girl points at his face and asks, "What is that big red mark you have on your head?"
        "It's my birthmark," replied Sam, I've had it from day one."  But, when the little girl bluntly tells Sam, "Well," said Amy, "it makes you different from everyone!" Sam asks his mother if this was true.  Gently, and with calm honesty, Sam's mother explains that when he looks around at all of the people in his life, there are many things that make them all different.  "Will's red freckles and Elise's curly hair make them one-of-a-kind."
         Filled with lovely illustrations by Mary Anne Smiley, the Griffin's simple, refreshingly honest tale warmed my heart.  As the mother of a child with a vascular birthmark, I too, faced many of the same questions, unwanted comments and stares when my son was a baby, and I longed for a book that would also help to reinforce the same advice that my husband and I instilled in our son.  I am extremely grateful that the Griffin's saw this need and have created a beautiful story for all of the families like my own to share with their children.
     As for the Griffin's literary future, Martha revealed that they plan on following up with a series of books in the future that will, "embrace all that makes our children unique." Whether you are looking for a story that promotes tolerance and acceptance of others as part of an anti-bullying lesson for your class, or if you are just interested in a story that celebrates what makes our children one-of-a-kind, What Makes Me Shine:  Sam's Birthmark will be a perfect fit.

     What Makes Me Shine:  Sam's Birthmark is available on Amazon.com 


Momma's Side Note:
     For those of you who are unfamiliar with the various types of vascular birthmarks, here's a little bit of info: The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) states that of the nearly four million children born in the United States each year, nearly 1 in ten infants, or 400,000 are born with a vascular birthmark. 
     The Nemours Foundation, based in Wilmington, Delaware, explains that Port-wine stains occur in about three out of every 1,000 births and are diagnosed equally among males and females.  Port-wine stains develop when an area of skin doesn't receive an adequate supply of nerve fibers to assist in keeping the blood vessels contracted.  When there is a lack of nerve fibers, capillaries (small blood vessels) continue to expand, allowing a large amount of blood to flow into the blood vessels, causing a stain to appear under the skin. 
      Port-wine stains are commonly found on the face, but they can also appear anywhere on an infant's body.  Port-wine stains appear flat in shape and are commonly pink/red in color at birth, and they will darken to a reddish-purple color as a child grows.  Laser therapy has made a tremendous impact on treatment, as this is the only method available that not only has the capability to destroy the tiny blood vessels in the skin, but also causes the least amount of significant damage to a child's overlying skin.
     For further information about vascular birthmarks, please visit the Vascular Birthmark Foundation's website at: www.birthmarks.org