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**

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Stay Tuned for Stocking Stuffer Ideas!

The Happiness Tree

 ~ Book Review

The Happiness Tree

by Andrea Alban Gosline

Illustrated by Lisa Burnett Bossi

ISBN: 978-0312370176

$10.91

About the book:

"Everything good begins with me, 

the acorn told it's mother tree,

and drifted on the dancing breeze,

to find a cloak of golden leaves...."

So begins the magical journey from seed of hope to forest of happiness! Andrea Gosline invites tree lovers of all ages to discover life's treu gifts - peace, courage, compassion, gratitude, love, tolerance... Lisa Bossi's "gorgeous jewel-toned illustrations featuring anthropomorphized trees are sure to be pored over by young readers, who will be taken in by their fairy-forest quality." (Kirkus Reviews) Included are lyrical tree bios, an index of state trees, and a pledge to care for our precious forest friends.

My thoughts:

This book is for older preschoolers to readers who are comfortable reading on their own. You child will learn about 10 different trees and watch them grow from seed to full grown tree throughout many seasons. Each of the trees tale is told in lyrical verse beginning with the fall of one acorn before winter, through the long winter's sleep and then as the seed begins to grow above the ground in the spring. From there we learn about each tree's gift ~ there's hope, love, courage, gratitude, peace, compassion, tolerance, generosity, honesty and happiness. Each of these gifts is a character trait that parents attempt to teach their child as they grow up and hope to see some part of as they become adults.


Teaching ideas:
I was looking at The Happiness Tree from a viewpoint of teaching these character traits and also trying to come up with a way to help children remember each trait through art. 


1) Break down each tree's verse and work on memorizing it's verse during the week. As an example for the Oak Tree ~ you will learn about Hope. Talk about what Hope means with your child. Learn the verse associated with this tree ~ quote it as you wake your child in the morning and after their nap. Encourage them to memorize it and quote it with you.

"I welcome morning's ringing light,

dream with crescent moons at night,

expect the joy that rainbows bring,

anticipate unfurling spring."

I begin.

2) Go for a walk and look for acorns and oak trees. Bring home a few oak leaves and put them around your house to decorate. Preserve them between wax paper, let your child cut them out (or you do it if their to little) and help them create a mobile to hang in their room using a couple of oak twigs.

You can break down a verse and learn about a tree and the character trait associated with it each week. Begin to teach younger children to memorize verses (just like you do nursery rhymes) and quote them throughout the day. If you see your child being courageous, compassionate (kind) quote the verse as an encouragement to them. 

Learning to quote verses in preschool will also help your child as they begin to need to start memorizing spelling words, math tables, history facts - that part of their brain will already be strengthened for these kinds of tasks.

Other activities you can do ~ use found objects in nature to collage. put a big branch on your wall and use string, yarn and netting to display seeds, flowers, leaves, nests (I'd make sure there aren't any bugs, etc), pods, etc - try to find items that tie into the different trees you are studying each week. 


Autumn Leaves are Falling (scroll down)
Fall Activities - Rubbings, printing, a sock walk
Parable of the Sower Envelope Book - Mark 4:1-9 w/ questions

Loved this book ~ loved the illustrations. The website is an awesome tool for parents and teachers to use for ideas on how to use these books as learning tools. I personally would recommend using it for kids Kindergarten and up ~ but you can also use it as I mentioned above for kids 3+. Just break it down so it's not to much in a setting. You'll find at the back of the book an explanation of the 10 different trees and the character trait they each stand for. You'll find a comprehensive list of state trees, a pledge and encouragement to plant a Happiness Tree of your own on Arbor Day.

Visit the author's website and take time to explore. You'll find a store with prints from their books, parenting & children's books, teaching guides, and more.

I received a copy of The Happiness Tree from the author in exchange for a review. I was not required to have a positive review and no money exchange hands. Thanks!

A Voice for Kanzas ~ Debra McArthur

A Voice for Kanzas

by Debra McArthur

ISBN: 978-1-61067-044-9

Age 9+, 384 pages, $15.99


About the book:
Kansas Territory in 1855 is a difficult place to settle, particularly for a thirteen-year-old poet like Lucy Thomkins, the plucky and determined heroine of A Voice for Kanzas. Between the proslavery Border Ruffians and Insiders like her father who are determined to make Kansas a free state, it's hard to be heard, no matter your age. But after Lucy makes two new friends - a local Indian boy and a girl whose family helps runaway slaves - she makes choices to prove to herself (and others) that words and poems are meaningless without action behind them. Through their struggle to help a slave girl to freedom, Lucy ultimately finds her voice. A voice for Kansas.

Writing the book:

Debra claims, if truth be told, that it took about 25 years for A Voice for Kanzas to be written.

She explains, "In the mid-1980s, I taught high school language arts in Kansas. I did a cooperative unit with the history teacher in which our students studied Kansas history and then created an imaginary pioneer community. Each student played the role of a citizen of the town and wrote stories from the point of view of that character. During the project, I also created characters and wrote along with the students. I enjoyed imagining life in those tumultuous days, and I liked seeing it through the eyes of a character I'd created. But the time was not right yet for me to write a novel.

"In 2001, I wrote a nonfiction book for young readers about the 'Bleeding Kansas' years, and I rediscovered my fascination with the period. By the time I finished the nonfiction book, I wanted to try my hand at a novel for kids.

"Historical accuracy was important to me, and I have used many primary documents in the text of the book. But I also needed to portray a character whose inner struggle would resonate with young readers. Like most children, thirteen-year-old Lucy has little power over most aspects of her life. She expresses herself through her poetry, but she is struggling to be heard. As she grows to understand the bigger issues around her, Lucy uses her words to expose the atrocities of slavery and to support the cause of freedom. More importantly, she dares to validate her words with her actions. And that can be a dangerous thing in Kansas Territory."

Lucy's words and actions are influential in affecting the society of 1855. We asked Debra if she believes that young people today have such opportunities.  "It begins with respect for ourselves and others," she says. "When we purposefully make the choice to be honest, respectful, and moral we will effect change and make the world a better place."

Debra currently lives in Missouri where she teaches writing at Park University. She is available to speak to schools and other groups about Kansas history, A Voice for Kanzas and the writing process, or even lead writing activities.

You can purchase A Voice for Kanzas on MyUsborneBooks.com for $15.99 and learn more about Debra McArthur on her website here.

Sharing Jesus during the holidays...

Do you have a tradition of including Jesus in the holidays? There are many ways to share the amazing Gift of Jesus with your children through prayers, bible readings, family activities like a Birthday Party for Jesus, the Nativity and more.

This year Advent is from  

November 27th until December 24th 

Do you have any traditions that your family does each year? Every year since I was about 10 our family has opened presents on Christmas Eve but before we did that we always had the youngest child who could read read the story of the Birth of Christ from Luke 2. 

The Gospel Story Bible

by Marty Machouiski

Illustrated by A.E. Macha

$19.79 on Amazon

Hardback

The Gospel Story Bible is an ideal tool for families to use during devotions, holidays, bedtime stories, etc. With 158 stories presenting God's plan of Salvation in Christ with stories from Genesis to Revelation The Gospel Story Bible is written for children preschool to high school and even adults will enjoy it too.

One of the things I like is that they take different chapters of the Bible and combine them into one story. For instance, the birth of Jesus is Story 80 and they have combined Matthew 1:18-2:15 and Luke 2:1-21 into one story. There are little vignettes with questions to encourage talking about what you've read and big beautiful pictures that are vibrant and eye catching and many of the discussion questions are designed to get your kids to talk about what they're seeing and hearing. You're kids will love studying this book.

There are many other stories that are part of this storybook ~ here are just a few:

Old Testament:

God Creates the World, Adam & Eve, God Chooses Noah

The Tower of Babel, God Gives Abram a New Name, 

God Rescues Lot, Isaac & Ishmael, Jacob & Rachel, 

God Provides for the Israelites in Famine, 

Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers, Moses

God Parts the Red Sea, David & Goliath, The Ark of God

The Kingdom is Divided, Jonah & Ninevah, The Exiles Return

New Testament:

The Birth of Jesus, Nicodemus, The Miraculous Catch

The Sermon on the Mount ~ The Beatitudes

The Soils, Jesus Calms the Storm, Jesus Walks on the Water

The Transfiguration, Jesus Claims to Be God

Lazarus, Jesus & Zacchaeus, The Widow's Offering

The Last Supper, Peter Denies Jesus, The Death of Christ

The Resurrection, the Ascension, Pentecost

New Believers

This easy-to-read storybook introduces your family to many captivating people, places, and events from the Bible's Old and New Testaments, showing how each one ultimately points to Jesus.  As you share these Bible stories together, you and your family will meet Jesus and learn a new, life-changing way of recognizing Christ as the hero of every story. 

The Gospel Story Bible is also a companion to Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God and the forthcoming Gospel Story Sunday School curriculum.

Purchase on Amazon for $19.79 & eligible for FREE Shipping with a $25 order.

About the Author:

Marty Machowski is a Family Life Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church, a Sovereign Grace Ministries church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, where he has served on the pastoral staff for twenty-three years. Marty leads Promise Kingdom, the children's ministry of Covenant Fellowship. He is the author of Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God and the forthcoming Gospel Story Sunday school curriculum. He and his wife Lois and their six children reside in West Chester, Pennsylvania.  

I received a copy of The Gospel Story Bible from B&B Media Group to review on CCB. No money exchanged hands and I was not asked to write a positive review. The above review is my honest opinion.