Adventures in song (and England)

Hello! I'm in London visiting my son and doing some research on my own books! I lived here for 12 years in the 70's, so it really is more like coming home for me. I'll only be traveling out of London once this time, to do some research in Stratford upon Avon & to visit a writer friend in Suffolk. My artist friend, my best friend here, Elly, will come up to London to visit with me & we'll spend the day chattering away & visiting the Summer Show at the Royal Academy of Art!

My very first blog featured a delightful book called Hello, I'm Sir Frettirick! Now I have the great pleasure of reviewing the CD that Lou Stratten created to accompany the book! I wished I had the set when I was teaching. I know my little students would have loved singing along while the read the book. I'm not that much of a musician, but I think Lou has a terrific, clear singing voice. How can you not want to join in singing with her!

Hello, I’m Sir Frettirick! CD

The Hello, I’m Sir Frettirick! book now has a delightful CD to accompany it. All young readers will enjoy this addition and will follow the words in the book as Lou Stratten sings the very clear and understandable lyrics to them on the CD. The rhythm is so enthusiastic that one wants to immediately tap one’s foot and sing along.

The book written by Lou Stratten and illustrated by Lou and Sal Denaro has delightful multi-colored text with vivacious collage pictures. The characters, Fretti, Lion, Mama Bear, and Skunkooney in collage are as friendly and cuddly as their counterpart puppets are in person.

Lou Stratten’s talents have a wide range aimed not only to entertain young children, but also to educate. In the book and on the CD the young child learns part of the alphabet and about under water creatures, sounds, musical instruments, and recycling. All home and preschools would welcome the book and CD set for their young readers and listeners, ages 2 to 7.

Helping Children

My passion is helping children, and my goal is to do that through my own writing and art. It stems from my being abused as a child. Like many children I was made to be quiet, so quiet I didn't even know I had been abused. As an adult fragments of memories came to the surface, memories I can't even prove, but they were so strong I know they are real. And, the perpetrator, a relative has long ago passed away. As a teacher too I saw many cases of abuse and neglect in the children I taught, some I could help directly, others I just had to hope and pray that they would be helped at some point. That's why when this excellent book about a parrot who saves children came through my mailbox I was eager to review it. I've spoken with Officer Mike, a soft-spoken man, also with passion in his voice for catching the "baddies." I am so thankful he cares so much. Don't you wish there were more super hero parrots out there saving each and every child in this world from emotional, mental, and physical abuse as well as neglect, homelessness, starvation, and lack of medical help? I do!

The Adventures of Officer Byrd, Get Help!

How can a macaw (parrot) from the rainforest of South America become a police officer in Los Angeles? You’ll enjoy reading this exciting, helpful book about Officer Byrd to discover how and why. Office Byrd’s mission and passion is to help kids. Oh, yes, he also has super powers! Like a true super hero, he uses his powers for good to catch the bad guys, especially those who harm children.

Author Mike Simonsen, Officer Mike in the book, has the same passion as his pet macaw. His goal is to stop abusers of children. As a result, he has written this first in a planned series of books about Officer Mike and Officer Byrd in the L.A.P.D. In real life, they present programs to schoolchildren through their Officer Byrd Non-profit organization.

Accompanying the Mike’s suspenseful text are detailed, action-oriented illustrations created by Stephanus Dharma. The pictures are fun and informative, adding much to the text. Readers will enjoy seeing the computer generated illustrations from photos. You feel like you are not only right in the rain forest and Los Angeles, but that you know the main characters as friends and protectors.

This is a much-needed and highly important book for children of any school age from pre-school through upper grades. As well parents, grandparents, teacher, caregivers, counselors, and authorities in law and law enforcement, indeed anyone connected with children, will be well informed by this book. Units in the class and discussions with children can be based on it. Kudos to Michael Simonsen and Stephanus Dharma for helping our children through this book and their presentations! Extra applause to the real Officer Byrd! (See link for Officer Byrd's website)

Cool Summer Reading!

It's hot here in Taos. We are in the middle of the Southwest heat wave with not a sign yet of our usual monsoons. So it was an extra pleasure to be able to review two of Sylvan-Dell's latest books about the ocean, and receiving the impression of coolness. Yet, I can't complain as my adobe house stays cool inside! Hooray for natural building materials!
As always I'm having fun reviewing the books for Sylvan, and hope you can read them for your summer reading fun too.

In My Backyard

Children will have fun reading this book, probably not even realizing that at the same time they are learning about the animals they can see close by their homes. They will also have fun counting the baby animals. In My Backyard presents ten different animals in their backyard habitat. Author Valerie Giogas uses rhyming and some alliteration in her pleasurable and informative text.

Katherine Zecca’s illustrations entrance the eye not only with lifelike renderings of the animals up close, but also with their habitats. For instance the squirrels are snuggled in their tree trunk nest or the moles move about in their burrows. The activities in the book will keep a child or classroom busy and happy while learning. One engrossing thing a child or preschool class can do is look for the “signs” that animals leave to show they are around. What a treasure hunt that will be! Recommended for children two years through seven years.

A Day in the Salt Marsh

Why are salt marshes important? This question is posed on one of the activity pages. This beautiful books answers just that query. A salt marsh can stretch for miles with a seeming simplicity, yet this book points to the teeming symbiotic salt marsh life nearly hidden out of sight. A Day in the Salt Marsh takes the young reader hour by hour through the day, watching the changes as the tide goes in and out.

Author Kevin Kurtz has compiled a vast array, in rhyme, of fascinating information about life in the salt marsh. Illustrator Consie Powell perfectly matches the text with her triads of illustrations of every foldout page. Each one shows a different aspect of the highlighted animal or plant, such as the dolphin close up, dolphins breaking water in the distance, and the above and below water life nearby! Each section of illustration flows into the other. The book will create in young readers who live inland from coasts and the Gulf a desire to visit them someday. In the meantime, a great unit can be formed with just the information presented here. A fascinating read for children 3 – 7.

Burro’s Tortillas

If children like the nursery tale “Little Red Hen,” they will love Terri Field’s Spanish version in Burro’s Tortillas! This humorous tale of a burro who works hard to pick his corn and takes it through the process until the corn kernels becomes delicious tortillas. Yet, his friends bobcat, coyote, and jackrabbit aren’t interested in helping with the hard work until it comes time to eat the tortillas! The book introduces Spanish words like “tortilla”, “metate”, “yo no”, and “mis amigos”. What a delightful way to learn aspects of another culture and language. In addition, there is a recipe for tortillas in the activity section.

Sherry Rogers’ entertaining illustrations are back with Sylvan Dell in this welcomed book. Children will eagerly spot baby burro in each spread, though he is not mentioned in the text. A preschool or early elementary class will have fun with a corn-growing unit, ending with the making of tortillas. A delightful, must have book for home and school libraries.

Ocean Seasons

Accurately sweet illustrations and edifying text pull the reader into Ocean Seasons. The book travels through the seasons in the ocean, particularly the northern Pacific ocean. It highlights animals, their habits, habitats, and their particular place in the food chain. As an example larger fish dine on smaller fish that dine on shiny plankton.

There is a lyricism in author Ron Hirschi’s prose, while Kirsten Carlson’s illustrations have a soft movement to match. Children will enjoying copying and playing with the food cards in the activity section while parents and teachers can lead children into deeper study with the mini-encyclopedic pages to follow. This book is highly recommended for children 3 – 7.