Butterflies and Winners!

Good Day! Yesterday I promised I'd give you more Sylvan Dell book reviews. The other night it was exceedingly windy here in Taos, but I'd been writing at my computer most of the day, so I went out for a walk anyway! Walking along against the wind, not even the neighbor's dogs who are always out walking, were to be seen. Then I looked down and there was the most perfect butterfly on the road. It was stunningly beautiful, yellow with an iridescence blue spot on its tail. It must have just died, I hope with old age and not by the wind. It was amazing that the wind hadn't roughed it up in any way. I have carefully saved it to show, when school starts again, the little children in the preschool where I help out. It reminds me of the creatures the Sylvan Dell authors and illustrators write about.
On a fun note I've been avidly following the World Cup Soccer Finals. England has made it into the quarter finals! I lived in England for 12 years, and my son lives there now, so we are cheering England all the way! Enjoy your day and enjoy your 4th July celebrations!



Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean
Did you know that sea otters sleep with kelp strands around their tummies to anchor themselves from drifting away? You'll find out about how sea otters and other sea mammals sleep in this sweet, gentle book which describes how different groups of sea mammals sleep in the ocean. In this story a little boy copies the mammals' sleep stances in just the way young children like to act out what they see and imagine.
The dynamic illustrations by Connie McLennan are a perfect mirror to the informative, well-researched, yet flowing narrative by Gail Langer Karwoski. Parents, teachers, and children will not only make this a nap and bed-time story, but will also enjoy the extra facts and activities at the end. In a classroom a unit could be extrapolated from this book which could include art, movement, drama, science, and literacy. This book is highly recommended for young readers, ages 3-8.



How the Moon Regained Her Shape
This illuminating book is cast in a folktale format as it tells the tale of the phases of the moon. Moon is happy until the Sun intimidates her. She shrinks until she is nearly faded away. How will she recover her former self? This book tells how in a way that is at once a story we can relate to in our dealings with others and informative in explaining the waxing and waning of the moon.
Author Janet Ruth Heller tells the story very well. The collage illustrations, done in a Sountwestern style create a good partnership with the text. Ben Hodson uses soft, low tone pastel colors to depict the seeming fragility of the moon. The information and activities at the back are a treasure trove for a seven or eight year old creating a report on the moon. This book is a welcome addition to any home or classroom library.


Loon Chase
Will the baby loon chicks be safe from Miles the pet spaniel whose nature it is to swim after water birds? A young boy and his mother paddle their canoe hard across the lake to see if they or Miles will reach the chicks first. Who will?
This dramatic story introduces young readers to loons, a water bird found in North America. The pastel paintings by Kathryn Freeman have a luscious quality with many perspectives, which well illustrate the text by Jean Heilprin Diehl. Ms. Diehl shows the reader the characteristics of the dog and birds as well as of caring humans. The information and activities at the end are a must at home and in the classroom. This book is highly recommended for children ages 4 – 8,


Pieces of Another World
Jody wonders why her daddy is waking her up in the middle of the night to go out with him. He only says, "I’ve got a sight for you to see." And, he smiles mysteriously. They drive to an empty field so quiet that they can see and hear the night animals. As they look up into the sky they see a meteor shower, pieces from another world!
The story is intimate, a never to be forgotten moment in a child’s life. Yet, it is also informative so that young readers can understand the nature of our sky and its meteors. Watercolor illustrations by Salima Alikhan add to the loveliness of the nighttime setting with a deep richness. Included with all the other information and activities in the back is a yummy recipe for Comet Cookies. This book is well done by author Mara Rockliff and is a must for young readers 3 – 8 years old, as well as for their parents and teachers.

Sylvan Dell - Winners Again

We all like to win things. Of course we do, yet somehow we all think we never do. How many times have I heard at events where there is to be a doorprize "I never win anything." I've won doorprizes and usually they weren't all that useful. They'd end up in the box for white elephants or Goodwill.
I was pondering this morning as I planted out some strawflower seeds that my friend had brought to me from Hungary, Now, I'll be a big winner if these flowers come up! It was a special gesture to receive a packet of seeds from so far away. We win in all these little ways everyday. I remember each of my children's first steps as if it was yesterday. Those were two of the best winning days of my life. These are gifts bigger in heart than the biggest lottery win.
Nature too with it's countless ways to delight and inform us creates myriad little gifts as we spend time outdoors. That's what I love about the books from Sylvan Dell. The books point out the gifts nature offers our young children from insects to whales. And they do it in a way that tells a story rather than a dry science lecture. Here are three books I just reviewed yesterday. Tomorrow, I promise, I'll post four more of their books, which I've previously reviewed. Enjoy.

Tudley Didn’t Know
Young children love to play imaginative games, pretending they are being made into a pizza, knowing they can fly to the moon, or that they can fight dragons. In the moment of the game what they are pretending is reality. Of course they can! The same goes for young Tudley the turtle. Of course he can hop like a frog, glow like a firefly, fly like a hummingbird, and sing like a katydid. When he accidentally lands on his back, which is a most difficult predicament for any turtle, Tudley is afraid. Will his ever-lasting confidence pull him through to safety?
John Himmelman has created a special, delightful book, which will spark a deeper sense of imagination in his young readers. The story hums along and the illustrations follow in a fascinating, animating style. To make it even better readers are introduced to variety of small, engaging creatures and their behaviors in story form, the best way to absorb nature next to being out in it. The animal facts and activities at the end are not to be missed. Children will love to make the hopping turtle in art. Highly, highly recommended for preschool through early elementary years!



Happy Birthday To Whooo?
Who doesn’t love babies! Even the most jealous two to three year old new sibling can’t get in enough play about babies in the preschool house corner. Those new siblings, and indeed all children, will adore this book about baby animals. They will be bound to pour over the illustrations and animal facts.
Kudos to the author-illustrator combo, Doris Fisher and Lisa Downey, for creating such an endearing picture book. Lisa Downey’s pastel illustrations are as soft as the baby animals they depict. It’s always amazing how adept pastel artists are at painting so fully in this seeming elusive medium. Doris Fisher is able to present animal facts in a clever, guessing game way. Children will have fun guessing who the new little baby is, either with their parents or in circle time at school. The animal information at the end of the book will be a wonderful jumping off point for a delightful lesson plan on baby animals. Toddlers will enjoy identifying and mimicking the baby animals, while older children up to seven or eight years old will have fun making up their own guessing game about these and other animals. A recommended read for sure.




The Giraffe Who Was Afraid Of Heights
Can you believe that a tall young giraffe is afraid of heights? Or, that a hippo is afraid of water? Or that a monkey is afraid of climbing trees? "That’s silly," you say. "Giraffe’s are supposed to reach their long necks up high for food. Monkeys climb trees ever so quickly for safety. And, hippos need water to play in and stay cool." Yet, in this adorable story these animals are afraid; and, when they meet each other on their way to the doctor for help, they find a way to help one another overcome their fears instead. A crocodile unwittingly helps.
Author David A. Ufer adeptly combines fiction and facts about animal behavior and habitats. He gently lets children know they can overcome their fears too, just like their animal friends. Kirsten Carlson’s lively illustrations bring this sweet story alive with both humor and compassion. The fun facts and activities at the back of the book will delight children and classroom teachers alike. Highly recommended for young preschool and early elementary children, classrooms, and libraries.

What Girls Get Up to In Summer

I can't believe I haven't posted a blog in nearly two months! Ouch. The good news is I got swamped with writing lots of articles for my local newspaper, The Taos News. My favorites to write are about local houses and artists. I meet some mighty interesting houses and their owners!

One of these articles last year got me digging into local history. Taos has had it's share of the famous, infamous, and downright notorious from the mountain man Kit Carson, to D.H. Lawrence, the artist R.C. Gorman, and yes Julia Roberts. One of the notorious was a swindler named Arthur Rochford Manby. He came here in 1883 to seek his fortune. He made it and lost it, losing his head in the end. Manby was obsessed with gaining land and made dubious deals to buy as much of Taos Valley as he could lay his hands on. He wasn't above gypping poor farmers and widows out of their land. Did he make enemies? Yes! One hot summer morning, much like the one here today, in 1929 his body was found without its head. No one ever found out who did it, or if it wasn't another one of Manby's tricks to foil people. They say his ghost haunts the now Taos Inn and Manby Hot Springs. Others say they saw him in Europe in the 1930's.

This week I hiked down to Manby Hot Springs with Tanya, my 7 year old friend, whom I babysit a few times a month. We didn't see a ghost, just a trio of friendly squirrels, some more cautious chipmunks, and a few bugs. The Hot Springs is where Manby used to go to soak in the waters and relieve his tormented mind. Today the buildings are in ruins, but the lukewarm pools settled right next to the rushing Rio Grande have clear, peaceful water and a view straight up the sheer rock cliffs of the Rio Grande Gorge ~ 400' up! It was worth the adventure, but I'm not sure I'd do it again on such a hot day.

Sabrina Hofkin's first young adult novel, like a hike to Manby Hot Springs, is an adventure not to be missed. I can't wait for the sequel, which will be coming out most likely next year.

Magnolia
Author: Sabrina Hofkin
Manzanita Falls Publishers
Redding, California, 2005
ISBN 0-9763916-0-0
info@manzanitafallspublishers.com
www.manzanitafallspublishers.com

It's a jam-packed, adventurous summer for plucky, energetic Magnolia. She's not only determined to get her pilot's license by her seventeenth birthday, but she also organizes her family and friends into saving bears from land developers in the local state park. To complicate matters she nearly loses her best friend Rainy when Ross, a new boy in town, not only dates Rainy but also declares his feelings for Magnolia. Magnolia and Ross also compete for who will be the first to get their pilot license.
Magnolia is a breakthrough Young Adult novel. It dares to make teenager Magnolia Holden an aviatrix. While there are many non-fiction books written for young people about renowned aviatrixes, such as Amelia Earhart, Beryl Markham, Bessie "Queen Bess" Coleman, and Katherine Stinson, there does not seem to be any novels about women pilots, especially for teenagers.
This is author Sabrina Hofkin's first novel. She plans to create a sequel. The book is well plotted with the interweaving of the sub-plots nicely executed. The switching of scenes between flying, tracking down the mystery behind the threatened bears and environment, Magnolia's friendship with Ross and Rainy, and the worry about her mother's archaeological dig in unstable Colombia could get bogged down, however it flows successfully.
While some of the aviation terms and descriptions may be technical, there is enough action and tension to carry the reader easily through these scenes. For example, while Magnolia is flying solo, a storm comes up. By describing Magnolia's reaction as well as how she technically lands the plane, the reader is kept going, on the edge of her chair.
This book will entertain young girls, and it will also inspire them to become more than the usual roles ascribed for them.