Friday, November 30, 2012

Stocking Stuffer Alert! Winning Wonderland Event: Thermal-Aid Zoo Animals & The Nutcracker Music Game


 

Welcome to the Winner Wonderland Giveaway Event. This event is hosted by Blog It ForwardTaking Time For MommyAnd The Little Ones TooPut A Little Umbrella In Your Drink, and My Mommy's World. This event features giveaways with a value of $25 or more at each of the participating blogs! Be sure to visit each blog from the linky below and enter for your chance to win! This event will close on December 15th at 11:59 pm EST. Good Luck and have a winning holiday season!

A note from Tina @ Classic Children's Books (CCB):

Thanks for visiting us! I have 2 giveaway packages available - 1 here on CCB and GivingNSharing has a 2 items to giveaway away (click here) - Keep reading....

Thermal-Aid® 100% Natural Heating and Cooling Plush Animals 

Thermal-Aid & The Nutcracker Music Game are sponsoring CCB's Winning Wonderland Giveaway this month. 1 lucky family will WIN a Thermal-Aid Zoo Animal of their choice & also a copy of The Nutcracker Music Game for their kids (age 4-10'ish) - Value: $40 appr., another 4 people will each WIN a Zoo Animal of their choice (value $19.95 each)!

CLICK HERE to read my review and you can also visit Thermal-Aid's website to learn more or you can order if you don't want to wait for the giveaway and need a Monkey or two on YOUR back!

WIN IT: This giveaway will start @ Midnight 12/1 and end 12/15 @ 11:59 pm. There will be 5 winners total & your choice of Zoo Animal must be stated with your address/contact information or I will draw another winner. This avoids a long delay while I try to contact the winner - and the giveaway can be closed in a timely fashion.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Note re - Address Requirement: All entrants MUST provide their complete address so when I draw the winner I can forward it to the company and they can fulfill the winner's prize immediately. If you do not wish to leave your full contact information please do not enter this giveaway. I am the only one that sees your information unless you are the winner & then it's forwarded to my contact for shipping purposes only. This enables me to complete the giveaway right away and not have to wait for someone to respond to their email - and I don't have to keep drawing names until someone responds.


What? You want MORE Giveaways? Check these out:

Disclaimer: Please understand that Blog It Forward, along with the "Winner Wonderland Event" bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. However, we are responsible for contacting our sponsors regarding the winner's prize at the close of the giveaway. We expect that our sponsors will fulfill their prize agreement and ship them to the winners in a timely manner.

Thermal-Aid Zoo Animals ~ Review & Giveaway Announcement


Stocking Stuffer Alert!

Thermal-Aid® 100% Natural Heating and Cooling Plush Animals

Thermal-Aid Zoo Animals & Bears are designed for kids of all ages (not just the little ones - but big ones too). I have JoJo the Monkey and he's adorable. The kids love him in the morning when it is so cold - we take him in the car to keep them warm and they also love to cuddle up with him while watching their morning video. He's very comforting and cute!

The Zoo Animals (and the bears too) are ideal for kids to use when they aren't feeling that great - you can heat him up in the microwave or pop him in the freezer to help bring down fevers or relieve twisted ankles or various "owies". We haven't had any major "owies" in my daycare - so the kids have been using him to warm themselves up in the morning. I have 2 girls who come before 7 am and the little one especially seems to think it's "freezing" out there. She loves JoJo and hates it when big sister tries to claim him.

Real quick here is a little break down about Thermal-Aid. Thermal-Aid products are specially engineered to eliminate pain and swelling from arthritis, sports injuries, and more. These products range in size and can be used as hot or cold therapy packs. Holds heat longer and it's clinically proven to relieve: fever, sunburn, earaches, back and neck pain, flu symptoms, sprains, bee stings, headaches, sore muscles, growing pains, insomnia and much more! Read my review of the Medium Sectional here.

Best of All - the Zoo Animals, Bears and even the sectionals (larger heating/cooling packs in various sizes) are washable, reduces fever and pain naturally.

Buy Thermal-Aid Zoo Animals (and Bears too):
You can find Thermal-Aid Zoo Animals and Bears in your community at retailers like Walgreens, CVS, Amazon and Costco or you can purchase them online at http://thermal-aid.com/store/zoo-animals/ for $19.95. They are really soft & squeezable (sorta like a Beany Baby) and sized just right for little hands (JoJo is about 12" tall) and little ones as young as 9 to 12 months will want to drag him along in the car (he's perfect for cold mornings). He's all natural and made up of Natural cotton and a heating and cooling element composed of a specially engineered corn.

Disclaimer: I was given a Thermal-Aid Zoo Monkey to use and review on CCB. I was not required to write a positive review and no money exchanged hands.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

The Nutcracker Music Game




The Nutcracker Computer Game
Games, Puzzles & Much More
by Art & Music Games
Awards: Parent's Choice Gold Award, NAPPA Gold Awad, Parenting Seal of Approval & others

A magical adventure that celebrates music by challenging kids through interactive participation and exciting game play.

My Thoughts:
Recently I installed The Nutcracker Music Game which is a computer game that challenges kids through interactive puzzles, musical tones and the use of music that our kids are familiar with. The interactive games are accessed through a variety of "rooms and each room must be completed in order to earn one of several keys used to complete the game. 


I run a daycare and one of my 7 year old's in particular was interested in this game. In fact, I can't get her to play other computer games for as long as she'll sit and play with this one. I don't think she has been exposed to the classics much yet. Hailey must use both visual and auditory clues in each different segment and while she doesn't really know many of the instruments nor the sounds they make I could see her gaining confidence and understanding. (It doesn't help that she is a little off key either.) 

I played it a bit after Hailey went home and although I grew up playing several instruments (cello, bass and piano) and was exposed to a strong musical program at school & church I didn't do to badly. I did have some issues with some of the tones (I have a very old computer and the sound is a bit off) but managed to get a couple of the keys fairly fast. I loved the instrument matching game where you match the sound an instrument makes and the shape of the instrument. As you correctly match them up the instrument and the artist appear on the stage and play their portion of The Nutcracker. The trivia game was another of my favorites. I managed to get quite a lot of those correct. The only one I didn't care for was the distortion room which was similar to the "funny" mirror in the circus only this time it's portions of songs that are distorted and you have to figure out which song it matches.

All in all - I loved this game and I would of loved playing it as a kid. They have several other games available and I'd love to invest in them for the daycare (yeah right). I'd particularly love to see these: Mozart's Magic Flute Music Game and Discover Bach! 




You can purchase The Nutcracker Game online for $19.95 (click here). It's a great overview of the different instruments in the Orchestra, children learn about different composers and the music they created and also how different parts make whole within the score. I give it several thumbs up!

There are different packages you might be interested in for stocking stuffers:
  • Misha's Nutcracker  book by Roman Yakub    $15.95
  • Misha's Nutcracker  book + FREE Nutcracker Music Game $22.95
  • Misha's Nutcracker  book + Nutcracker Music Game + FREE London Symphony's Nutcracker Ballet Music CD $29.95
WIN IT:
Enter the giveaway for The Nutcracker Music Game starting 12/1/12 right here on CCB

Disclaimer: I received a copy of The Nutcracker Music Game to use on my computer. I was not required to have a positive review and no money exchanged hands. I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Turkey Hunt Blog Hop & Giveaway Hop ~ School Zone


Today I and several other bloggers have joined together for a Holiday Turkey Hunt Giveaway Hop! What does that mean? It means that all of us will have Giveaways and as you hop around you also have the chance to WIN the Grand Prize of an Amazon Gift Card valued at over $100 (at this time) - it just might go up who knows?

I have 2 giveaways coming up - 1 right here on CCB and GivingNSharing has a Giveaway Package that will help with your Kitchen Chores and Household Budgeting. You can click on this link to go to GivingNSharing's giveaway post.

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The giveaway here on CCB is sponsored by School Zone and Sierra wanted to include a copy of Scissor Skills for your little one to enjoy just like she did so that will come packaged separately from us along with a handy package of scissors and a few other goodies from Sierra & I to round out your preschool fun package.  You will receive:

bedtimealphabetcards sightwordscombopack  

Enter Here:






Want MORE giveaways? Check these out:


Address Request All entrants MUST provide their complete address so when I draw the winner I can forward it to the company and they can fulfill the winner's prize immediately. If you do not wish to leave your full contact information please do not enter this giveaway. I am the only one that sees your information unless you are the winner & then it's forwarded to my contact for shipping purposes only. This enables me to complete the giveaway right away and not have to wait for someone to respond to their email - and I don't have to keep drawing names until someone responds.

Disclosure: The WiC Project and the Holiday Turkey Hunt Blog Hop bloggers are not responsible for prize distribution or for sponsors who do not fulfill their prizes unless it is noted that they are self-sponsoring the prize(s).

Kidzone - Stocking Stuffer Ideas

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Recently I found a company called School Zone Publishing at Walgreens in the children's book section. They had a workbook called Scissor Skills which I thought would be a great addition to the preschool curriculum I had invested in & that Sierra just didn't seem to be ready for. It was heavy on the Pre-Reading and Math Activities along with Crafts - she loved the crafts but didn't want anything to do with the letter & number tracing and she doesn't have the small motor skills for the tracing yet anyway (she is SUPERB at making short lines and circles though) . Sierra LOVES cutting and pasting. Turns out the book also included some  Pre-Reading Skills, colors, numbers and other activities and for Sierra it was just the right amount of "Preschool Stuff" for her.

I contacted Kidzone to see if they would like to sponsor a giveaway on the Turkey Hunt Blog Hop this week and they sent me 2 different sets of flashcards - which Sierra LOVES by the way - and I think we are set for a Preschool Curriculum company at this point in time.

             Write On Learning

Part of their NEW Interactive Flashcards line this set would be ideal for kids 4+ who have some control in small motor skills. At the bottom of each laminated card is a section where kids can trace the word and includes an area for them to practice writing it on their own as well. Each set includes 2 wipe off pens and the ink wipes off beautifully with a paper towel.

Other cards in this category are Bedtime Alphabet which includes a flashlight which you shine through the cards onto the ceiling at bedtime (this is uber cool!) and the Peek A Boo Learning Cards where you peek through a clever cut-out and the use the catchy rhymes to answer questions - the other side of the cards can be use to review shapes, colors & numbers. 

These cards are not your everyday flashcards which promote memory work and use pictures to trigger a memory or give clues - they promote reading readiness, word recognition, thinking skills & vocabulary usage.

Purchase it: You can purchase the NEW Interactive cards at Costco and Sam's Club while quantities last - they are a limited edition and would make for great birthday party gifts , stocking stuffers, car games and just because.

You can also purchase them online as a set THIS WEEKEND - $32.00 or $12.99 each

sightwordscombopack
The Sight Words Combo Pack is for a little older child and includes 55 sight word flashcards, a skill pad and a pencil. The skill pad is designed to extend what they are learning visually to practice the skills they just did with the flashcards cognitively by reading, writing and tracing the word. This set is ideal for kids starting to read, needing extra practice with sight words and word recognition. $6.99. 

The 32 page Skill Pad helps:
* kids strengthen their focus  
* build comparison and recognition skills
* Increase reading fluency
* Rhyming words and completing sentences reinforces & 
   expands vocabulary
* Your child will master over 100 common sight words
* Following Directions, tracing, word recognition, writing, 
   printing and fine motor skills 

Other combo packs available are: Addition and Multiplication

Purchase it: $6.99 each - includes an access code for Golden Scholar which is an online gift. 


Answer this question for an entry in the Turkey Hunt Giveaway Hop (click here) in the comment section (please leave your username & the date you posted on the PromoSimple Gadget on the giveaway)

(Pls lv your username & date commented on the entry gadget here)
You may need to add it in the comments area under the post

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the 3 letter words flash card set and the sight words combo pack to review on CCB. I was not required to post a positive review and no money exchanged hands. 

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Happy Holidays Giveaway Hop - Thomas Nelson Gift Package, 11/29

Happy Holidays Button

Welcome to the Happy Holidays Giveaway Hop hosted by Mom to Bed by 8 and Life With Two Boys!

The holidays will be before you know it so to make things a little easier on you and your wallet we decided to give you an opportunity to WIN your gifts this year! Several awesome blogs have to come together to bring you some amazing prizes that will look great sitting under your tree Christmas morning. After you enter our giveaway make sure you hop around to the rest of the participating blogs for more chances to win!

Along with all of the individual prizes we also have TONS of awesome Grand Prizes for everyone on your list including Baby, Kids (boys and girls), Teens, and Adults. The Grand Prizes include a Babyhome Emotion Stroller, Little Tikes Classic Castle, Pillow Pets Dream Lites, Pillow Racers, Furby, $50 The Children's Place Gift Card, Nokia Lumia 900, and a Keurig Elite Brewing System!


A Note From Tina:

Hi! Thanks for joining in the Happy Holidays Giveaway Hop with CCB! I have a phenomenal giveaway on BOTH of my blogs for this event - be sure to enter here and then visit GivingNSharing for a Giveaway for the grown ups (Click Here - heck grown ups have stocking too!! Santa can make anything fit in 'em!)


Princess Bible - Tiara, Thomas Nelson One Wintry Night, Ruth Bell Graham 

On CCB, you have the opportunity to WIN a beautiful Bible, a set of 3 Children's DVD's and the wonderful NEW Classic One Wintry Night ~ Read my review here

Thomas Nelson is sponsoring this awesome giveaway during the Happy Holidays Giveaway Hop! I have 1 big giveaway of all 3 items for your family. They will make great stocking stuffers & I know your kids are going to love them as much mine do.

Mandatory Entries: (This is extremely important)
***To enter this giveaway you need to do ALL 3 mandatory entries. After that you have the choice of doing the extra entries. The first mandatory entry you will Read & Agree to the rules of the giveaway as well as leave me your contact information (I am the only one that sees this unless you win) - If I draw your name as the winning entry - I will forward your address & phone number directly to Thomas Nelson so your prize can be shipped out. If you did not add this information I will automatically draw another winner.***

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer: I was offered all these items to review on CCB by www.thomasnelson.com  I was not required to have a positive review and no money exchanged hands. Please note that the Happy Holidays Giveaway Hop hosts and participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prize. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation that they will fulfill their prize in a timely manner. While we are not responsible, we will make every effort to assist the winner in obtaining their prize. Please read the terms & conditions on the rafflecopter for further details

WHAT? You want MORE Giveaways? Check these out:
Visit the other blogs participating in the Happy Holidays Giveaway Hop ~ here is a handy linky so you can work your way down. =D

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Thomas Nelson has GREAT Stocking Stuffer Ideas!


Vintage Little Boy and Girl Hanging Their Christmas Stockings by the Fire

Do you have trouble coming up with FUN ideas for stocking stuffers? Well, Thomas Nelson is coming to the rescue this year on Classic Children's Books. I received a package of several items and thought I'd share them with you....

Princess Bible - Tiara, Thomas NelsonPrincess Bible 
ISBN: 9781400320639
$24.99

My Thoughts: 
The Princess Bible is perfect for any little girl who loves all things Princessy, glittery and has pretty jewels on it. It's hardback for sturdiness, contains a flap that holds it closed which helps keep the pages neat and hopefully helps them not get bent up as easily. It contains the full-text of the International Children's Bible as well as a 24-page, four-color insert which includes maps, timelines, and other Bible knowledge. My only concern about this bible is the tiny print which might make it difficult for beginning readers to read - but other than that it will definitely be a hit! More details here.

One Wintry Night, Ruth Bell GrahamOne Wintry Night
by Ruth Bell Graham
ISBN: 9781400321162
$14.99 (hardcover)

My thoughts:
One Wintery Night is a classic story about a boy who is hiking up in the mountains and ends up staying to long and needs to find refuge for the night. He ends up stumbling on the house where his grandfather lived at one time and stays with the woman who lives there. The story the lady tells him is the Christmas Story beginning with the world God created, the original fall and the reason Jesus was born and died for us. Beautifully told, this book will have a place on my shelves for a long time. 

I've been reading this story to my 5 year old in the car while we wait for my 7 year old to get out of school. I'm thinking he's not quite ready for the message the book has to share - but he is enjoying the descriptive text that paints a picture of the world and the gift Jesus gave us. More details here.

The Jesus Series is a series of 3 movies that teach children about the birth, life and death of Jesus. The first movie is the Story of Christmas, animated straight from the popular Read & Share Bible for children, the 2nd movie is about the life and miracles of Jesus and the final DVD covers The Easter Story. Each video is an uninterrupted half-hour presentation of Jesus' life which is animated in an enchanting art style, warm narration, and gentle musical underscore to help children will experience the Christmas story in a powerful way. (More information)

This series is also available as 1 long movie on The Jesus Movie ($12.99) which is 80 minutes long. 

Sierra & Connor are only 3 and 5 and I didn't feel they were ready for the 80 minute movie yet so we watched the smaller movies and the kids loved them. The animation held their interest and I've been hearing them make little comments as they play about Jesus loving them which is really cute. I couldn't ask for a better way to introduce the Life of Jesus to my kids.

Note:
Since this post is so long I haven't included the descriptions of each item - you can click on the links in each area and read the full description if you'd like. =D You can also order each item from Thomas Nelson. They are very prompt about shipping your order out and everything came in perfect condition.

You can purchase each of these books & videos, along with bibles, young adult & middle grade fiction & non-fiction, devotionals, baby books and lots more on http://www.thomasnelson.com. They have so many things I really had a hard time picking just a few to review on CCB. I'm planning on giving the bible to my almost 6 year old niece Jenna - I know she's going to love it. The videos are already a hit in my daycare.

Happy Holidays ButtonWIN IT:
You also have the option of entering a giveaway during the Happy Holidays Giveaway Hop which starts this Thursday. One lucky person will WIN all of the above for their family to enjoy!

Enter the giveaway here: Click

Enter the giveaway for an Imprint Mat on GivingNSharing here: Click


Disclaimer: I received a package of goodies from Thomas Nelson Publishing and was not required to write a positive review and no money exchanged hands.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Bible Detective A Puzzle Search Book ~ Book Tour


cover image
Bible Detective
A Puzzle Search Book 

by Peter Martin
ISBN: 978-0-7459-6276-4 
$10.79 (hardback)
Age 7+, 48 pages

About the book:

Young detectives will never tire of this picture-search puzzle book. Readers can pore over 17 cleverly illustrated scenes of Bible events to find the answers to the questions posed on each page. Some puzzles involve looking for details of everyday life, others highlight things that happened in the Bible stories--offering hours of fun to readers as they search for the answers.
 
With lots to find, this kind of picture book is particularly great for reluctant readers and visual learners, helping all children get an overview of the Bible's history and content as they super-sleuth their way through the book. Warning: may be addictive!

My thoughts:
I have always been interested in how other cultures throughout the centuries have lived and found this book very interesting. It's a great introduction to Sociology and Anthropology and for kids who aren't ready for learning about either of those studies - it's also great for learning about everyday life in Egypt, Jerusalem, and other towns and locations mentioned in the Bible. You will find scenes that show how the Isrealite slaves were treated complete with overseers beating slaves, how to make bricks, what kinds of houses they lived in, how children played and more.

Personally I would say this book is for kids who are very detailed oriented, approximately 6 or 7+ just because of the level of detail and how busy the scenes are. The drawings look like they are hand drawn and there are mini descriptions of what is happening in each two page spread and then your child is given a direction: Find two camels, find an man making bricks, and so on. At the top of each page is a suggested Bible Reference so kids can find it in the Bible and read how or what happened in history. An example two page spread shows what time period the scene is from and where you'll read about a scene like the one in the book:  See an example.

I like how educational the book is - it's interactive, detailed, answers lots of little questions with little answers and you'll always see something new. This would be a great book to put in your church bag, keep in the car or have available at rest time for kids that don't nap. It's also great for reluctant readers because it's so interactive kids don't feel like their reading.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Bible Detective to read and review on CCB from Kregel Publications. I was not required to have a positive review and no money exchanged hands. 

Black Friday is Book Friday!



Black Friday is Book Friday w/ Usborne Books & More! Signup for Advance Notice of Sales & Newsletter @ http://MyUsborneBooks.com/ (Rt column)

Select Books are at discount and it can be as much as 60% off. As they run out of books they add more. Sale  is from Black Friday to the following Monday. =D

  

Advent Calendars & the Advent Puzzle Books, Christmas Stencil Cards, Activity Books are available now - they may not be after Thanksgiving. Some holiday books are already out. http://su.pr/8CNpjr


**Please support small business - Saturday November 24th**
_______________________________________

Stay Tuned for Stocking Stuffer Ideas!

Friday, November 9, 2012

Carrie A Pearson ~ Closing of Author Event

bookpage.php?id=WarmWinterA Warm Winter Tail
by Carrie A Pearson
$ 9.95   (paperback)
$ 17.95 (hardback)
Click here to Order


We are closing out our Sylvan Dell Publishing & Carrie A Pearson week on CCB. Be sure to read my review of Long Winters Tail and the interview I had with her. Today Sylvan Dell has provided a couple of fun activities and a link to even MORE activities for you to extend you lesson into migration and Winter Life.

Remember each book published through Sylvan Dell provides 4-5 pages of Fun activities in the back of the book to extend what your children are learning in the book. You can also go online and find another 40 pages of puzzles, math & science activities (matching, charting, experiments, etc) and more. 

Click here for the Learning Activities for Long Winters Tail.

To close out our week, Sylvan Dell is offering to FREE activities for kids to do. One is a coloring sheet for the younger kids and the other is a math activity about the migration of monarch butterflies. 


 



Thursday, November 8, 2012

Author Interview: Carrie A Pearson

bookpage.php?id=WarmWinter

A Warm Winter Tail
by Carrie A Pearson

This week we are featuring the NEW Titles from Sylvan Dell Publishing & especially one author in particular. Carrie A Pearson is a NEW author to the Children's Book genre. She is a former elementary school teacher, active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is the winner of the coveted SCBWI-Michigan Picture Book Mentorship Award. Her nonfiction work has appeared in Michigan History Magazine. Currently she is working on several picture book manuscripts as well as an historical novel for middle grade readers set in an abandoned orphanage (I am really looking forward to this one!).

After I read A Warm Winter Tail I had a few questions for Carrie & I thought you might be interested in the answers....

1. Tell me about your book. How did you come up with that (story, angle, idea)?

A Warm Winter Tail is a nature story about how animals adapt to cold. The science information is true, but it is told in a style more in keeping with fiction. There are rhyming elements, alliterations, and images that I hope are unique – mostly because it is told from the animals’ perspective. The idea came to me on a snowshoe hike in the woods. It was a very cold day and I was bundled from nose to toes. I noticed a deer watching me and the look in her eyes wasn’t fear, it was curiosity. I decided I must look strange to her and that’s when I thought of the idea of animals wondering how humans stay warm in the winter.

2. What should a parent keep in mind when they are choosing books for their children?

I let their interests drive my search. Children are fun because they get completely absorbed in a topic and want to live and breathe it. When that happens, they are open to many different kinds of information on that topic. It could be animals or machinery or pyramids; whatever the interest is, we explore it every way possible (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, museum exhibits, visual media, etc.) As you know, this multi-dimensional exploration is the intention of the Common Core Standards.

3. What kind of research did you do for this book? Did you do any?

Research was a crucial aspect of this book. I wanted the facts about each animal’s adaptation to be accurate so I spent a lot of time on research-oriented and nature-based websites and in the library reading nature books. The depth of research on the topic was extensive. The harder part was finding the right words to tell an accurate story in a more rhythmic, narrative way. Sylvan Dell Publishing is a stickler for accuracy and vets each book with experts. I am happy to say we had only one minor change to make in this manuscript.

4. How did you get interested in writing this particular genre?

I’ve always been and will always be a nature geek. People around me can tell when I haven’t been able to get out in the woods – and it’s not pretty! Writing about it was second nature. Pun intended.

5. What’s the best thing about being an author?

It is hard to pinpoint the best thing about being an author. I love when I find the right words to tell the story I have in my head. I love sharing a new image with readers --particularly children -- because I can see their minds expand. And, I love the independence of a profession where I can work anywhere and mostly on my timeline. This fits my busy life as a wife and mom of three teenaged daughters and two enthusiastic dogs.

6. What are you working on now?

Sylvan Dell Publishing just purchased a new manuscript as a companion to A Warm Winter Tail. This time, we are telling the story of how animals adapt to heat and I am waiting to hear about any necessary revisions. I’ve completed a middle grade historical novel and am submitting it now. I’ve started research on two additional nature-oriented picture books including one about what happens to animals after death. It wouldn’t be a spiritual treatment of the topic, but rather a scientific look at decomposition and the role this process plays in keeping environments healthy. Wish me luck on that one!

Thanks so much Carrie -

I was wondering how you would research a book like this. I found it interesting that you did so much research and in different ways to get your facts ~ and that you got all but one tiny part accurate from the start is amazing! You are a very gifted writer and I'm looking forward to reading your other books & featuring them on CCB!

Now that book on decomposition should be interesting. Can't you just see all the little boys (and a few girls) pouring over that book, wrinkling their noses, checking out all the little bugs and how they aid in decomposing? Might be a good time to start up a compost pile - it's not quite the same thing but they would still learn about decomposition! I most definitely wish you luck on that one ~ hopefully you won't have to touch to many dead things!


Enter the Giveaway for 1 of 3 copies of 
Long Winters Tail by Carrie A Pearson!

Tomorrow come back for a FUN activity for you to do with your kids based on the book "A Warm Winters Tail" by Carrie A Pearson. I promise it's going to be a lot of fun and your kids are going to love it!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Why read to your kids after they have learned how to read.....


Literacy Tip:
As kids become better readers, continue reading aloud to them - only choose more difficult books to help your child learn new vocabulary words, concepts, and ways of telling stories.


A few more thoughts....
Be sure to introduce your children to books prior to the 1940's to expose your children to proper sentence structure, descriptive text and to new words that aren't used in many current children's books - they will learn to focus more, listen closer, and hear the high quality of writing that is as prevalent in today's books.

Many of my favorite authors are from the 1700's to late 1800's: George McDonald, Louisa May Alcott, Horatio Alger, Jr., Mark Twain, Shakespeare, Rudyard Kipling, Charles Dickens and Robert Louis Stevenson.

Bring back the old family reading hour in the evening - it'll open up new worlds to your children & draw you all much closer!

Princess and the Goblin.jpgRagged Dick: Or, Street Life in New York With the Bootblacks (Works of Horatio Alger)1st edition book cover  Cover has stylized drawings of mountain peaks with snow on the tops and trees at the bottom. Front Cover

What are your favorite Classics for kids to read?
Try and come up with as many from the 1780 - 1940
period as you can!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

A Warm Winter's Tale ~ Author Week: Carrie A. Pearson

The next few days we are focusing on a NEW Children's Author on CCB. Carrie A Pearson has written a wonderful book "A Warm Winter Tail" and published it through one of my favorite publishers: Sylvan Dell Publishing. Be sure to visit this week - we'll have a fun activity or two for your family or classroom to enjoy, a mini interview with Carrie and possibly a giveaway. Read on:
bookpage.php?id=WarmWinterA Warm Winter's Week
by Carrie A. Pearson
Illustrated by Christina Wald
$9.95 (softcover) 9781607185383
$17.95 (hardcover) 9781607186809
(Click title to order)

About the Book:
Do you ever wonder how animals stay warm in the winter? Well, they wonder how humans do too! In a twist of perspective, wild creatures question if humans use the same winter adaptation strategies that they do. Do they cuddle together in a tree or fly south to Mexico? Take a look through an animal’s eyes and discover the interesting ways animals cope with the cold in this rhythmic story.

My Thoughts:
A Warm Winter's Tale begins with a very important question:

"How do humans keep warm in the winter, Mama?"

and goes on to describe how various animals keep warm in the winter. Your child will learn about red foxes, box turtles, black capped chickadees, black bears, deer, honeybees, squirrels, monarch butterflies, mice, frogs, hummingbirds, and humans. The pictures are descriptive, interpretive and encourage conversation and learning about the world animals live in. It's a wonderful opportunity to extend the lesson in the book and talk about how God created each animal to protect itself from it's environment, keep it warm in the winter and even what they eat. Each page also includes a small vignette showing a human child trying to stay warm like the animal on that page. An example would be: a human mother and 2 kids cuddled up in a nest to stay warm while the family of squirrels who live in a drey cuddle up in a nest of leaves.

At the end of the book is a wonderful section about animals and how they adapt in the winter. Full of fun facts hibernation, what kind of food they eat & do they gather nuts to eat in the winter, do they grow thicker fur or do their bodies freeze up under the water? There is also a great animal matching and also another 40 pages or so online that you can download. Teaching Activities

This book is wonderful for kids 3 and up. The text is easy to read and even catches the younger 3 year olds attention with it's simplicity. Older children are able to look for details and discuss what they see and hear and even use what they've learned during their play. It would be really cute as a play for children to do.

About the Author:
Carrie A. (Ann) Pearson is originally from Hillsdale, Michigan, and now lives in Marquette, Michigan on the sandy shore of Lake Superior. A former early elementary teacher, she is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is the winner of the coveted SCBWI-Michigan Picture Book Mentorship Award. Her nonfiction work has appeared in Michigan History Magazine. Currently she is working on several picture book manuscripts as well as an historical novel for middle grade readers set in an abandoned orphanage. Along with her husband and their three daughters (and their two Labradoodles), she hikes, bikes, runs, and skis in the woods, windsurfs, kayaks, stand-up paddles, and swims in the chilly water and writes about what she experiences around her. The idea for A Warm Winter Tail, her debut picture book, came from an encounter with a whitetail deer on a wintry day. Stop by Carrie’s website www.carriepearsonbooks.com to learn about her school and library visits or view her school visit flyer.


WIN 1 of 3 Copies of A Warm Winter Tail!

Today we are starting our Author Section featuring Carrie A Pearson & Sylvan Dell is offering a copy of A Warm Winter Tail to 3 of our readers! Are you ready? This giveaway will run until Sunday night (Nov 11) @ Midnight - Good luck!

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Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of A Warm Winter Tail to read and review on CCB. I was not required to write a positive review and no money exchanged hands.