National Readathon Day is Fast Approaching!

     Get ready to make #timetoread with your little ones on Saturday, January 24th for National Readathon Day.  Please click and share on the link to learn more on how you can participate!  bit.ly/1y5Z7ru

New Year, New Changes, and New Little One's.... A New Chick for Chickies by Janee Trasler

     Hello 2015!  It's so hard to believe how quickly another new year has come upon us all once again!  A new year that is filled with the promise of new beginnings, and for many people in my life, new little additions that will soon  make their anxiously awaited arrivals in the coming months.  If you are expecting new additions to your family, where there are older siblings involved, it is important to take the time leading up to your new baby's arrival to help make the adjustment a little bit easier for everyone involved.
      Stories, such as author/illustrator Janee Trasler latest "Chickies" picture/board book, A New Chick for Chickies, can help to provide your soon-to-be little 'big' ones with an outlet to ask questions, voice their concerns and open the doors to express their feelings, just as the lovable little chickies do in this sweet story.

     As our tale begins, life was going very good for the chickies, until one very fateful day when a small little egg  decided to crack.  Instantly, the little chickies are introduced to their new baby brother, and they soon learn from the adult critters in their lives (the pig joyfully can now add on to his conga line, and the sheep is thrilled to add another player to her band) that having a new chick join the family can bring many new adventures and a lot of joy.
     With a cute twist of an ending, and filled with engaging rhymes and adorable illustrations, A New Chick for Chickies is not only a welcome addition to Trasler's delightful series, but it would make a lovely gift for anyone expecting a new arrival to their family.


A New Chick for Chickies
Written and Illustrated by Janee Trasler
Publisher:  Harper Festival, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (2014)
Website:  www.harpercollinschildres.com
Retails for $8.99
ISBN: 978-0-06-227471-7

Tales of Tradition, Thanks and yes, Turkey!

   

It's that time of year again---- Thanksgiving is truly a special time where your little ones can learn all about the importance of sharing, showing compassion for others and gratitude.  The stories like the ones spotlighted below hopefully will act as the springboard for discussions on a whole host of Thanksgiving subjects--the importance of our country's history, responsibility and the strength of family.
       Wishing you and your little ones everywhere a Happy Thanksgiving!

Sarah Morton's Day:  A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl
      Join a young Pilgrim girl throughout the course of her day, which your little ones will soon see is very unlike their life.  Sarah Morton was a real life Pilgrim who was born in Holland during 1618.   At the age of five, Sarah, her mother, father, sister and two brothers traveled from England to America, landing on the shores of Plymouth, Massachusetts during the summer of 1623.  
     Sarah Morton's Day, as well as the accompanying books in this series which include Samuel Eaton's Day (which follows the life of a Pilgrim boy), On the Mayflower and Tapenum's Day (a day in the life of a young Native American boy) are truly well-researched, with photographic depictions of the children wearing authentic clothing, living in a historic reproduction of the style of homes, furniture and other items of that time which makes children feel as if they are actually right there alongside Sarah as she goes about her life in our nation's first colony.  As your little ones will see, life was extremely difficult for all the Pilgrims, most especially for young Sarah, between helping to prepare all of the daily meals, milking the cows, churning for hours to make butter, school work and cleaning. Each of these four stories in this series are ones that we turn to every year at school to provide our Third, Fourth and Fifth graders with a "day-in-the-life" depiction.

Sarah Morton's Day:  A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl
Written by Kate Waters & Photographs by Russ Kendall
Publisher:  Scholastic Bookshelf (Reprint, 2008)
ISBN: 978-0439812207
For grades 1 thru 5
Retails for $5.71 (Softcover)

Balloons Over Broadway-The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade
     Being born and raised on Long Island, New York, Thanksgiving morning meant two things--- the joy that my senses felt waking up to the sounds of my grandmother cooking in the kitchen, with the delicious combination of the scent of roasting turkey and stuffing coming upstairs, and the thrill of turning on WNBC Channel 4 to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade to check out all the familiar and new balloons that have become a hallmark of this 90 year-old tradition.
      Author/Illustrator Melissa Sweet's Balloons Over Broadway, recently brought all my childhood memories back while on a search of our bookshelves for Thanksgiving-themed books to display on our front desk in the media center.  This delightful tale tells the story of Tony Sarg, the developer of the majestic balloons that have graced the parade since their debut back in 1928.  While working for the famous retailer Macy's, Tony's artistic talents were put to good use for their decorative window displays.  One day, when parade organizers realized that the live animals that were featured in the annual parade were scaring some of the children, Tony put his creative experience designing marionettes together to help to come up with a new feature for the parade.  Collaborating with a balloon blimp company, the aerial floats were born!  Balloons Over Broadway will show your little ones just how far the power of persistence and imagination can take them in life.

Balloons Over Broadway
Written & Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers (2011)
ISBN: 9780547199450
For ages 4 to 8
Retails for $15.00 (Hardcover)

The Berenstain Bears Thanksgiving All Around (A Lift-The-Flap Book!)
     I couldn't let my Thanksgiving spotlight pass without including this newest book featuring my all-time favorite bear family, The Berenstain Bears!  Thanksgiving time has arrived once again in Bear Country, and as our tale begins, Papa, Mama, Sister, Brother and Honey Bear are taking advantage of the cool, crisp Fall air to discover all the signs of the season around them during a family walk.  Cleverly designed with lift-the-flaps, your little ones will delight in joining along with the Berenstain family as they follow the tracks left by a large turkey which lead to Farmer Ben's farm.  Bright autumn colored leaves guide the path towards the deliciously yummy smells of pumpkin pie drifting from Mrs. Ben's kitchen.  All of the sights, sounds and smells of Thanksgiving delight the family as they search for Mr. Turkey.  Will they finally catch up with him?

The Berenstain Bears Thanskgiving All Around (A Lift-The-Flap Book!)
Written & Illustrated by Mike Berenstain
Publisher:  HarperFestival, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Website:  www.harpercollinschildren.com
ISBN: 9780062075611
For ages 4 to 8
Retails for $6.99 (Softcover)

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Rediscovering a Childhood Classic....HarperCollins Publishers Re-Releases Newly Updated Paddington Bear Tales

   

      Almost fifty years ago, a tiny little bear who resided in the Darkest Peru, captured our imaginations and set a claim on our hearts as he set out on an adventure.  Clad only in a floppy red hat and a blue raincoat with a tag that kindly asks those who come across the cuddly bear to, "Please look after this Bear.  Thank you." , and clutching a small light brown suitcase, the little brown bear found passage on a ship destined for England, all the while securing a special place in the hearts of little readers across the world.
     As beloved author Michael Bond's Paddington Bear will soon hit big screens across the globe with his first ever, live action film set to debut  in the United Kingdom where our sweet bear originally began, followed by a premiere in the United States set for December 25th, 2014,  HarperCollins Publishers has re-released five newly updated editions of Paddington's classic tales so fans young and old (such as I, well, I'm not too old!) will re-discover this kind, whimsical  bear.

     Paddington, the heartwarming classic book that started it all, features updated artwork by the original illustrator R.W. Alley.  For your older, little readers, perhaps A Bear Called Paddington , the first Paddington Bear novel, may be a perfect fit.  A simple, lovely written tale first published in 1958, is fitting for beginning chapter book reading children in grades 3 thru 5.

The Paddington Treasury, a beautiful hard-covered collection, features six classic stories: Paddington, Paddington at the Zoo, Paddington at the Palace, Paddington in the Garden, Paddington and the Marmalade Maze, Paddington the Artist. 

   

   Last, but most certainly not least, are two sweetly illustrated hard-covered board books, Paddington Bear All Day, where our bear gets to eat plenty of his favorite orange marmalade and sets out to do lots of things and meet new people.  And, in Paddington Goes to Market, join along as our favorite bear ventures over to the Portobello Market.

      And, with more Paddington adventures soon to be released in the near future, I'm so thrilled that this classic story of a sweet little bear who always ends up experiencing silly misadventures, will be rediscovered by a whole new generation of little ones.

Get Ready for National Read-a-thon Day!

   

      Mark Your Calendars and Get Ready!  The time is getting closer to the annual National Read-a-thon Day!  Scheduled for Sunday, January 24th, 2015 from Noon until 4 p.m., families everywhere can share in your love of books while at the same time, help to support programs that promote reading by pledging to read and help through fundraising for the National Book Foundation.  For further information, please check out this link:

http://www.nationalbook.org/2015_readathon.html#.VGlIpTCJOuZ

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio by Jonah Winter

     This September, it seemed as if the entire nation came together to honor the twenty year career of New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter during his final game at Yankee Stadium.  Hailed for conducting his storied career and life in an distinguished manner, he was a throwback to an era of players gone by.  A time where our nation was in the midst of a Great Depression and another World War tragically loomed in the distance.  A time when a set of shoes worn by another Yankee (who had to overcome ethnic barriers), went on to become THE definition of a consummate gentleman both on and off the field, set foot on hallowed grounds and ignited the spirits of legions of fans with his quiet determination and dignity. Fans like my maternal grandparents, who undoubtedly felt tremendous pride in knowing that another child born from Italian immigrant parents like themselves, was on his way to achieving the American dream right in their hometown of The Bronx, New York.

     I am so pleased to know that a new generation will soon become familiar with the life of the legendary Joe DiMaggio with the release of author Jonah Winter's captivating Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.  As our tale begins, the year was 1934, and a young nineteen year-old son of Italian immigrants from San Francisco was signed by the New York Yankees after playing for a minor baseball team called the San Francisco Seals.  The pressure that the young DiMaggio was under when he was signed by the New York Yankees was enormous---drafted at a time when the legendary Babe Ruth recently retired, he was being brought in to fill some very large shoes.  Any person could have easily succumbed by the strain, but, while on the mound,  we see how he bounced back from a weak grounder, and he "..drove home a run and wound up on second base his first hit as a Yankee!  And so began Joe DiMaggio's life with the New York Yankees."
       And, what a career he had, as young readers will travel along with the "Yankee Clipper" and his teammates as they played teams in Pennsylvania and Washington, with Joe breaking records left and right.  Author Jonah Winter put a great deal of thought in this extremely informative book filled with rich details (including the"Author's Note & Stats" which contains further biographical and career stats) that are well-adapted for young readers to understand and appreciate.  Award-winning illustrator James E. Ransome's watercolor drawings add a warm, humble touch to Winter's descriptive tale.
     Ultimately,  young readers will see how the quiet, unassuming Giuseppe Paolo Di Maggio Jr, maintained a steady grace under the often crushing glare of media spotlight on his every move, throughout this storied career and personal life, which included his famous, yet all too brief marriage to another legendary star, the late Marilyn Monroe, until his passing on March 8, 1999 in Hollywood, Florida at the age of 85.

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio
Written by Jonah Winter & Illustrated by James E. Ransome
Publisher:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers (September, 2014)
Website: KIDS.SimonandSchuster.com
ISBN: 978-1416940807
Retails for $17.99 (Hardcover)
For ages 4 thru 8

A Modest Momma's Musings Halloween Tales Spotlight #4-- Splat the Cat and the Pumpkin-Picking Plan

   

       The well-meaning, but slightly wacky popular kitty is back in this Fall inspired story.  After an attempt to help his mother rake up a pile of leaves in the yard with his best friend Seymour the mouse (our duo becomes overwhelmed by temptation and end up jumping in and rearranging the leaf pile!), Splat's mom sends him out on a quest to bring home a pumpkin to decorate.  Splat and Seymour set out to, "Farmer Patch's Pumpkin Patch" and they enjoy sampling yummy apple and fish cider, get lost on a hale maze and search through a sea of pumpkins to find that just right gourd to bring home to mom. And, when they finally find that perfect pumpkin, Splat and Seymour face an unexpected sea of hilarious trouble ahead while trying to get the "Perfect Pumpkin" back home!





Splat the Cat and the Pumpkin-Picking Plan
Based on the creation of Rob Scotton with Cover art by Rick Farley and Text by Catherine Hapka and Interior Illustrations by Loryn Brantz
Publisher:  HarperFestival, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (2014)
Website:  www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Retails for $4.99 (Soft-Cover)
For ages 4 thru 8
ISBN: 978-0-06-211586-7
Accelerated Reader Book Level: 2.1
Accelerated Reader Points:  0.5