The Power of Acceptance and Belonging---Little Sweet Potato by Amy Beth Bloom

     Everyone, most especially young children, want to experience the feeling that they are accepted; that they feel like they are connected to someone or someplace.  There are so many ways that we as parents/educators can teach our young to learn that everyone is different, beautiful and special in their own unique way.  A simple walk outside to the park; watching a television show together or through sharing and reading stories together, like author Amy Beth Bloom's latest tale, Little Sweet Potato, can gently encourage young children to learn not to reject one another based on someones outside appearances, but rather to look to what's inside each of us because that is what truly makes us all unique.

      As our tale begins, one day, Little Sweet Potato rolls out of his comfortable, lush green patch, and is forced to find a new home.  He rolls from patch to patch, encounters some pretty mean flowers and vegetables, but he cannot find a new patch to call home.  Just when Little Sweet Potato thinks all is lost after a rainstorm, he comes across Hodge Podge Patch, where all different types of vegetables, flowers and fruits all live happily together.  Finally, Little Sweet Potato has a new patch where he belongs.
     Almost immediately, Amy Beth Bloom's lighthearted storyline was very reminiscent to the popular 1960 classic by P.D Eastman, Are You My Mother, with an underlying moral lesson similar to those given by the lovable characters from Veggie Tales.  With delightful illustrations by Noah Z. Jones, this picture book about acceptance is a lovely way to introduce the fact to children that, just like Little Sweet Potato, they too, will come across moments of animosity in their life; times where there is seemingly no reason for it to occur.  Bloom gently reminds her little readers that they will be able to find their very own patch that will be welcoming and provide them with a sense of peace and security in a world filled with uncertainty.

Little Sweet Potato
Written by Amy Beth Bloom & Illustrated by Noah Z. Jones
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Website:www.harpercollins.com
Retails for $16.99 (Hardcover)
Accelerated Reader Book Level:  3.3
For ages 4 thru 8

Respecting and Returning the Beauty of the Ocean....Treasures by Susan and David Shane

     There is an old saying---the sea giveth and the sea taketh away.  Living by the sea, the young family that we are introduced to in the beginning of Susan and David Shane's story, Treasures,  knows this phrase all too well, as they enjoy the beauty and the wonders of the ocean and all that it brings and let's you hold on to, at least for a little while.  Their young children collect stones, shells and driftwood throughout the years, putting their natural beauty on display for all to see in the comfort of their home. 

     Fast forward to the future, and our tale picks up where the young couple are now old and unable to live in their home along the water by themselves.  Their daughter, now an adult, brings along her son to her childhood home to help her parents pack their belongings.  The young boy comes across his mother's collection of seashells, and while he is admiring them, his mother tells him that the time has come for him to return the collection back to the ocean.
      While standing along the gray waters edge, the young boy's feet begin to settle into the sandy shoreline as he suddenly hears a voice.  The voice beckons from the waters in front of him, imploring that, "it took years for my waves to shape those beautiful stones.  I need my treasures back.  I need them back for other children to gather."  Reminiscent of his mother when she was young, the boy sits down into the sand, loosens the cap off of the jar, and with one last look, he gives the ocean her wish.
       As I read this lovely short story to my class of first graders last week, I was instantly transported back to my own childhood, having grown up minutes away from the Long Island Sound on Long Island, New York's North Shore.  I too, like the young children featured in this tale, collected mussel, clam and discarded miniature snail shells along the rocky shoreline.  I too, collected various sizes of driftwood to act as a natural border in our backyard vegetable garden.  But, unlike the boy in this story, I never returned my collection of treasures back to the waters of the Sound. Until now.  Let me explain...
          Last year, my family and I returned from a scenic cruise to the Bahamas, where we were lucky enough to enjoy a private island called Castaway Cay.  As we departed the ship, our cruise director asked us all to just leave footprints behind when we departed the island.  At first, it didn't dawn on me, and while enjoying the beauty of the white sand and crystal clear turquoise shore, I gathered a few little shells to take back with me to place around a frame I wanted to make marking our trip.  As I returned the ship, I remembered what our cruise director said, and I felt instantly guilty as I looked at my tiny collection of ocean treasures.  Later that evening, I decided to take a solitary walk on the deck as our ship returned back to the United States.  As the spray off of the dark Atlantic below gently hit my face, I clutched these few little shells to my heart; made a silent, single wish to myself and gently let the shells fall through my fingers to their rest on the ocean floor below.  Somehow, after reading this sentimental tale, it too, would be my hope that my treasures will someday be able to delight a young child somewhere, and that they too, will return them back to the sea that they call home.

Treasures
Written by Susan and David Shane & Illustrated by Paul Casale
Publisher:  Richard C. Owen Publishers, Inc.
Website:  www.RCOwen.com
ISBN: 1-57274-285-2
Retails for $5.75 (on Amazon.com)

Never Say Die by Will Hobbs

  From the author of the popular Far North and Ghost Canoe books comes this latest suspenseful adventure that I am sure will be an must-read page-turner for your pre-teen/teenager.  Will Hobbs' Never Say Die tells the story of Nick Thrasher, a half white, half Inuit young fifteen year-old, who already at his young age, has learned to become an accomplished hunter in the Inuit style.  Nick lives with his mother in a small village just north of the Arctic Circle, but not everything in Nick's life is stable--- his grandfather, Jonas, is dying of cancer; large herds of once plentiful caribou are now quickly disappearing due to the effects of the abnormally warm temperatures.  While hunting, Nick is attacked by a never before-seen creature known as a, 'grolar', a bear that, although it first resembles a grizzly, it also bears a striking physical and temperamental similarities to a polar bear.

      After recovering from his encounter with the 'grolar', Nick receives an offer from his half-brother, Ryan, who offers to take Nick along on a run down the Firth River.  A wildlife photographer, Ryan wants to take and document photos of the migrating caribou herds.  Despite some initial apprehension, Nick takes Ryan up on his offer, and decides to join Ryan.  The brothers head off for the remote area, but sure enough, starting on the very first day of their trip, disaster begins to strike the duo, and the two young men are forced to figure out how to survive without food or protection from some very aggressive bears.
     Despite the numerous obstacles the brothers faced, they still managed to work together as a team to overcome the many difficulties, and at the same time, they learn valuable lessons from the ability to see first hand how the affects of climate change are having on this isolated part of our world.  This extremely well-researched adventure story is filled with plenty of action, and will quickly capture young readers' attention right from the first few pages.  I appreciated the fact that Hobbs used his storyline as a means to bring about a worthwhile discussion not only about a culture that not many children have had the opportunity to learn about, but as a springboard to further dialogue on the damaging affects of climate change on our environment and for the animal/human population.

Never Say Die
Written by Will Hobbs
Publisher:  HarperCollins Childrens
ISBN:  9780061708787
Retails for $16.99 (Hardcover)
For ages 8 thru 12

A Lesson on the Importance of Good Manners--- P.K. Hallinan's Let's Be Polite

    

Hold the door open for others.  Remember to always say "Please" and "Thank You."  Many of us can recall these very same words being told to us as we grew up, as our parents were teaching us the importance of good manners.  Today, many of us, my husband and I included, try to teach the same thing to our children (as well as to my students), as at the heart of good manners is a respect for yourself and for others.
     The author and illustrator of more than 80 books,  P.K. Hallinan has strived to create tales that teach children valuable life lessons that will last them for generations to come.  With my recent search for stories to use in an upcoming lesson for my PreK classes about the importance of having good manners, I was delighted to recently receive a copy of Hallinan's charmingly delightful 2008 story, Let's Be Polite, from Ideals Publications, a Guideposts Company.

       Hallinan's illustrations are bright and cheerful, and the text is written in a catchy rhyme form that young children enjoy.  What I appreciated is the fact that Hallinan avoids the trap of being preachy given the subject matter by writing in the first person, from the child's point of view.  For example, a young boy misses a throw in the baseball field, and despite the disappointment, his friend, and Hallinan's readers can relate, with the following verse:
 "And I try not to laugh
   At a playmate's mistake,
   When numbers of blunders
    Are what we all make!"
  
     The sentences in Let's Be Polite are short, which are perfect for young children, like my Pre-K students, and messages throughout this lovely book are simple and truly precious.

Let's Be Polite
Written & Illustrated by P.K. Hallinan
Publisher:  Ideals Children's Books, an imprint of Ideals Publications (a Guideposts Company)
Website: www.idealsbooks.com
ISBN: 978-0-8249-5579-3
Retails for $8.99
For ages 2 and up

      

Amelia Bedelia Hits the Trail

     When his aunt Peggy Parrish began writing her classic Amelia Bedelia children's series, Herman Parrish was a fourth grade student.  After the death of his aunt in 1988, Herman decided that he had to bring the lovable yet literal minded housekeeper back for a whole new generation to discover.  In 1995, Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia debuted to much acclaim, and a new audience, as well as longtime fans like myself, welcomed the return of Amelia in all new adventures.
     Since 1995, Herman Parrish has written sixteen books about the grown-up Amelia Bedelia, and starting in 2009, Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, published Herman's first Amelia Bedelia picture book, Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School, which introduced little readers to an Amelia that is just like them--a child.  Four more young Amelia books soon followed, and recently, Herman began writing stories for the Level 1 I Can Read series (beginning readers), and his latest debut in this foray is Amelia Bedelia Hits the Trail.

     Amelia Bedelia and her classmates hit the trails on a school trip that is set up for exploring the wonders and natural beauty of the great outdoors. In typical "Amelia Bedelia" fashion, when her teacher tells the class to, "Pick up your snail's pace," the literal minded Amelia hits the ground below in search of snails with, "a pace to pick up." This charmingly amusing, and downright delightful story with colorful illustrations by veteran children's illustrator Lynne Avril, is just the perfect selection for beginning readers who will be able to read the simple sentences in this story either by themselves or with very little assistance on your part.

Amelia Bedelia Hits the Trail (Level 1 I Can Read)
By Herman Parrish
Illustrated by Lynne Avril
Publisher:  Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Website:  www.harpercollinschildrens.com
ISBN: 978-0062095268
For ages 4 to 8

Tales That Celebrate the Special Love of Mother's and Grandmother's on Mother's Day

    

One of the very first countries that set aside a day to honor mothers was England.  During the eighteenth century, many men and women worked as servants in rich households throughout the country.  "Mothering Sunday" began as a day reserved for these workers to return to their home to be with their mothers.
     On May 12, 1907, Anna Jarvis, the daughter of Anna Jarvis, who founded the Mothers' Day Work Clubs (which fought to improve the sanitary and health conditions that existed in her town.  Mrs. Jarvis firmly believed that these unsanitary conditions were a direct result of the high mortality rate of children in her area) held a memorial to honor her late mother.  A year later, Anna set out on a national campaign to make Mother's Day a recognized holiday.  Anna Jarvis succeeded in her mission in 1915, when Mother's Day became an official holiday in the United States.
     There is nothing more sweeter than to be able to celebrate Mother's Day than with a lovely snuggle with your special little ones, made even more sweeter by sharing a good book like some of these selections below.  They each celebrate mothers and grandmothers and honor the unique ties that bind us all together.
     Happy Mother's Day to you all!


The Berenstain Bears: We Love Our Mom!
     My family, like so many of yours, have been longtime fans of the lovable Berenstain Bears family collection of stories (okay, we'll I'll just come right out now and admit it--I love ANYTHING with bears!).  When my son was a baby, I cherished the times that we cuddled together on the living room couch or in my rocking chair at bedtime, reading so many of Jan and Stan Berenstain's bear family adventures. And, as a parent, I appreciated all of the morals and lesson's that my little boy learned along the way through reading their many lovable tales.
     Jan, and her son Mike Berenstain do not disappoint in this latest tale, where we find Brother, Sister and little Honey Bear are on the hunt for ideas for what they can do to honor their beloved Mama Bear on Mother's Day.  Your little readers will clearly see from the delightful and comforting illustrations just how truly selfless Mama Bear is, as she does everything to make her family of little (and big) cubs happy.  Flashbacks from the young cubs show Mama Bear tending to Brother's scraped knee; sewing popped buttons back on their shirts and always making their favorite, yummy, bear-shaped pancakes for breakfast.  When recalling all of these wonderful things that their Mama Bear does for them all each and every day, they soon realize that they just have to do something truly special for her, but they just don't know what to do.  And, just when you think that the bears will not be able to come up with anything, inspiration strikes while on a visit to their Grizzly Gran and Gramps house, and the creativity and the fun begins!
     An added bonus to this sweet book is the do-it-yourself, "My Mama's Book" where you and your children can create their very own scrapbook for their special moms just like Brother, Sister and Honey Bear did.

The Berenstain Bears:  We Love Our Mom!
Written & Illustrated by Jan Berenstain
Publisher: Harper Festival, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Website: www.harpercollinschildrens.com
ISBN: 9780062075475
Retails for $3.99 (Softcover)
For ages 4 thru 8
Accelerated Reader Book Level: 3.0


A Special Gift for Grammy
     Newbery Medal award-winning author Jean Craighead George wrote more than one hundred books for children and young adults during her long, esteemed career.  In her heartwarming picture book published after her death in 2012, A Special Gift for Grammy celebrates and truly captures the special relationship between a grandmother and her grandchild.
      After saying their goodbyes, Grammy notices a small pile of stones that Hunter, her grandson, collected and placed on her porch during his visit.  "What do I do with a pile of stone?", she asked Hunter.  "What everyone does with a pile of stones," he answered.  Grammy replies with a gentle and knowing, "Of course."  When Hunter departs, the stones are slowly noticed as the days go by from several people who pay his Grammy a visit.  The mail carrier, seeing a potential letter holder, picks up one of Hunter's stones and uses it as a weight to keep the mail from flying away in the steady, strong wind.  A little Brownie, on her way to deliver her cookie order to Grammy, picks up three of the stones from the pile and stacks them in a way so that her friends would know the right way to turn on their walk. 
     One by one, the stones are all put to good use, until Hunter returns to visit his Grammy.  He notices that only six stones remain in his pile.  And now, the tables are turned as Hunter does not know what to do with these six remaining stones until inspiration strikes.  He excitedly tells his Grammy that each of the stones represent something special to him---one reminds him of his baby shoe, while another resembles his rubber duck.  Grammy decides to take all of these special, "Hunter" stones and with some help, reworks the stones into a necklace for her to wear and to remember all of those special milestones in her grandson's life.

A Special Gift for Grammy
Written by Jean Craighead George & Illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher
Publisher: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Website:www.harpercollinschildrens.com
ISBN: 978006053176
Retails for $17.99 (Hardcover)
For ages 4 thru 8

Fancy Nancy Hits the Road

   

     Since it's debut back in December of 2005, Jane O'Connor's Fancy Nancy has quickly become one of the best-selling series, with more than 22 million books sold, and has spend an astonishing 100 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list.  In April of 2012, Fancy Nancy was featured in her very first chapter book, Nancy Clancy:  Super Sleuth, and there was even a musical, Fancy Nancy:  The Musical, produced by the Vital Theater Company of New York city. 
    Now, Nancy's hitting the road---well, sort of!   Starting on May 1, 2013, illustrator Robin Preiss Glasser will depart on a 15 day nationwide tour in a tricked out Fancy Nancy RV that will include stops in:

1. Albuquerque, New Mexico
2. Amarillo, Texas
3. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
4. Tulsa, Oklahoma
5. Little Rock, Arkansas
6. Oxford, Mississippi
7. Fairhope, Alabama

     You and your little ones can follow along with Robin on her road trip across country on the Fancy Nancy Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/fancynancybooks