Book Giveaway: TRAVEL GUIDE FOR MONSTERS by Lori Degman

This looks like a perfect book for “travel” while staying at home.

Writing and Illustrating

Lori Degman has a new picture book, TRAVEL GUIDE FOR MONSTERS, illustrated by Dave Szalay and published by Sleeping Bear Press. Lori has agreed to share a copy with one lucky winner. All you have to do to get in the running is leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know the other things you do to share the good news, so I can put in the right amount of tickets in my basket for you.

Sharing on Facebook, Twitter, reblogging really helps spread the word for a new book. Thanks for helping Lori and Dave, especially at this stressful time when authors and illustrators need to promote their books completely online.

If you have signed up to follow my blog and it is delivered to you everyday, please let me know…

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Cooking With Kids 101.

Since we’re all indoors and the kids are virtual students, one skill you can teach them now that you have some time is cooking. Cooking is a life skill and something important we can share with our children. From my experience as a parent and teacher, kids love to mix, stir, beat eggs, chop, slice, and dice vegetables and bake muffins and cookies. Children are also more likely to eat foods they’ve helped make.

So, roll up your sleeves and get started with some of these kid-friendly sites filled with recipes and tips for every taste.  Make some cooking memories!

https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/15-fun-and-healthy-recipes-for-parents-cook-with-their-kids.html

https://www.parents.com/recipes/cooking/with-kids/

https://www.justonecookbook.com/easy-recipes-to-cook-with-kids/

https://www.parents.com/recipes/cooking/with-kids/21-ways-to-make-cooking-with-kids-more-fun/

 

Baseball Opening Day: Celebrate With Baseball Themed Books.

While this virus keeps us indoors, we can still get excited about the upcoming  summer when hopefully, things will be much better.  Today is the official opening day of the 2020 baseball season. I thought I’d recognize that with a couple of my favorite baseball themed books and with a poem from my new book, WISHES, DARES, AND HOW TO STAND UP TO A BULLY  (Creston April 2020).

GOODBYE, MR. SPALDING, by Jennifer Robin Barr is a thoughtful and heart-warming middle grade tale of friendship, family and baseball set in Philadelphia in the early 1930’s.

Twelve-year-old Jimmy Frank and his best friend Lola have lived next door to each other since they were babies. Their houses overlook Shibe Park which happens to be the home of the Philadelphia Athletics baseball team. They and their families enjoy cheering on their favorite team from the rooftop bleachers of their 20^th Street homes. The small admission fees charged to the folks that fill up the bleacher seats goes a long way toward making ends meet during difficult times. And, every so often an A’s player – like Jimmie Foxx – hits a right field home run right over the fence and onto their rooftop.

At the end of the 1934 season, the neighborhood gets news of a wall that is planned to be built to block their view and make the rooftop bleachers obsolete. This “spite wall” will take away a source of income for the families and erase a beloved tradition. Jimmy sets out to try and stop the wall. With Lola’s help, they try one scheme after another and only succeed in causing trouble for themselves and the community. Will Jimmy’s obsession with the wall ruin his chances of being bat boy for the A’s? Will it ruin his friendship with Lola? Will the Polinski brothers – AKA the neighborhood bullies succeed in ruining Jimmy?  Reader’s will eagerly turn pages to find out.

This delightful story is solidly grounded in the 1930’s with enough local and historical details to fix the depression-era time period. Hopeful, heart-felt and a celebration of teamwork and sportsmanship, it is sure to become a classroom favorite. It knocked me out of the park. Rule # 1934: Goodbye, Mr. Spalding is a home run!

THE EVERYTHING KIDS’ BASEBALL BOOK by Greg Jacobs has…everything.

“Everything you want in a kid’s book” (Associated Press) this informative and accessible guide to America’s favorite pastime covers everything from baseball’s history to today’s favorite players—with lots of home run fun in between.

WHO GOT GAME: BASEBALL By Derrick D. Barnes

Illustrated by John John Bajet

Celebrate the unheralded people and stories that helped shape the game of baseball!

Meet unsung pioneers, like John “Bud” Fowler, William Edward White, and brothers Moses Fleetwood Walker and Weld Walker, four African Americans who integrated white teams decades before Jackie Robinson.

Discover unforgettable moments, like the time a 17-year old girl named Jackie Mtchell struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Marvel at records. Did you know that Japanese superstar Sadaharu Oh has a whopping 113 more career homers than Hank Aaron?

Finally, here’s a poem from my book, WISHES, DARES, AND HOW TO STAND UP TO A BULLY, where Jack and his grandpa attend a baseball game together in the summer of 1964.

TEAM

A day at the ballpark with Pops
and my two favorite teams feels like
a dream you never want to wake up from.

Four rows behind home plate,
the grass is so green it hurts my eyes.
So much noise, Pops and me
have to yell at each other to be heard.

Smell of hotdogs, warm and
dripping with mustard,
tastes better than any hotdog
I ever ate. Even the seats,
sticky with spilled soda and beer
feel solid under me. Only one thing
would make this one-of-a-kind day better.

A team of three.

Where are you, Dad? Do you remember
our Little League team
that never won a game our first year?
That didn’t stop us from playing hard, so hard
that the second season we were 6-6.

Team work.
Thinking about Jill and her family team
that may not win every game, but they will be together.
Things work out better when
you work together, like we learned
in Little League.

Yankees beat the Red Sox 9-3.

So, hunker down, make some hotdogs and read about America’s favorite past time.

WAY PAST HAPPY To Announce the Winner of a Swag Package For WAY PAST MAD!

It gives me great pleasure to announce the winner of a swag package for the book WAY PAST MAD, by Hallee Adelman

Congratulations to WENDY GREENLEY. Please send me you address so I can let Halle know.

Thanks to all who shared their comments about how to get Way Past Mad.

WISHES, DARES, AND HOW TO STAND UP TO A BULLY

Wanted to share this post from Roseanne Kurstedt’s blog highlighting a poem from my new book and 3 ways to stop bullying.Feel free to share.

Rosanne L. Kurstedt's

I’m super excited to have Darlene Beck Jacobson, author of Wheels of Changeand the NEW Wishes, Dares, & How to Stand Up to a Bully. Hoping everyone is healthy and safe.

I am so happy to be here today Rosanne. I am also thrilled to be talking a bit about my new book WISHES, DARES, AND HOW TO STAND UP TO A BULLY.  It’s a middle grade novel written in verse that includes a fish who grants wishes.

Eleven year old Jack misses his Dad who is MIA in Vietnam. It’s been months since he and his family had word of his whereabouts. The last thing Jack wants to do is spend summer with his grandparents. Mom believes it will be good for them all – Jack, his sister Katy, Mom, Gran and Pops – to be together while they wait for word about…

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Just in Time For Spring…THE BOLD BRAVE BUNNY, a New PB by Beth Ferry + A Bunny Bookmark Craft and Give-away.

It’s always a joy when a new picture book comes out by New York Times bestselling author BETH FERRY.

Her Latest THE BOLD, BRAVE BUNNY is a delightful addition to her growing roster of picture books.

Here is my review of this book:

A delightful story of determination, imagination, and realization as Teetu the bunny learns what it means to belong. Clever illustrations of the “wilderness” outside Teetu’s burrow reflect his wonder and imagination as he embarks on his first solo adventure of discovery.  Reinforces the idea that no matter how far we roam, and no matter what the world has in store, it’s comforting to know that family is waiting for us when we return.

I am giving away a copy of this book to one lucky winner who leaves a comment naming his or her favorite childhood bunny story. (Mine is THE RUNAWAY BUNNY by Margaret Wise Brown, a book I read to my kids over and over again) Your name will be entered in the random drawing and the winner will be announced on this blog.

For the bunny loving, book loving kids in your house, here’s a nifty and EASY origami bunny bookmark they can make by watching the step-by-step directions on the Red Ted Art site.

https://www.redtedart.com/easy-paper-bunny-bookmark/

You might want to check out some other great “Bunny” stories:

BUNNY’S BOOK CLUB by Annie Silvestro  and BUNNY’S BOOK CLUB GOES TO SCHOOL

KNUFFLE BUNNY by Mo Willems   

MR. REGINALD AND THE BUNNIES by Paula Wallace

Author Hallee Adelman Presents: WAY PAST MAD + Give-away.

Today it is my pleasure and delight to spotlight a new picture book from author HALLEE ADELMAN titled WAY PAST MAD.

 

Here’s my review for the book:

A simple tale filled with complex emotions. Young readers will discover how sometimes, when we may not realize it, emotions can make us do things we regret. A reminder that even when we mess up, saying we’re sorry makes things better. Colorful illustrations, and Keya’s imagination add whimsy and humor to the tale.  This book is a great way to introduce kids to emotions and how to express them and share them in safe and appropriate ways. Delightful! 

Hallee will be giving away a signed copy and a whole lot of swag to go with it…a perfect teacher pack with a card game, stickers, and much more. Just leave a comment below and share what you do, when you’re at your wits end, to get WAY PAST MAD. One winner will be selected at random and announced later this month.

 

National Pancake Day…Make Pancakes For Supper!

Tomorrow (March 12) is National Pancake Day, so why not celebrate this iconic food by serving it up for dinner? Give the kids a thrill from the ordinary dinner time menu and make pancakes for supper. There are many recipes out there, and Aunt Jemima makes a mix that passes the YUM test.

In my new book WISHES, DARES, AND HOW TO STAND UP TO A BULLY, 11 year-old Jack takes his 4 year-old sister Katy fishing for the first time. When they catch a one-eyed fish,  Jack tells Katy it’s a magic fish that grants wishes. Read the poems to find out what this has to do with PANCAKES:

FRED
After lunch I’m ready to leave.
No fish today, let’s go, I say.

Maybe the fish don’t like worms.
Maybe they’re veterinarians, Katy says.
She means vegetarians because
she hands me a grape and says
put it on the hook, Jack, please?
Can you sit without making a sound,
quiet as a stone?
She puts a finger to her lips, Shhhhh.
I hook the grape, toss the line,
hand the rod to Katy.
Before I settle onto the grass,
the line gives a tug.
Too heavy for me, I can’t do it, Jack.
I grab the rod and pull a fish out,
a fish with one eye.
It’s Fred, I tell her.
Katy strokes Fred’s tail with a pinkie.
A special fish, I say.
Like magic special?
Katy’s two eyes as wide as Fred’s one.
Don’t know, I say.
Katy frowns, so I say,
make a wish, quick before Fred goes back.
Pancakes for supper! she wishes,
kissing Fred on the tail.
Pancakes, I agree. As I slip
Fred into the water, he seems to
wink his eye before he swims away.

TRUE
It’s true, it’s true,
Katy sings when we sit down to eat
towers of pancakes, stacked on plates,
waiting for butter and syrup.
What’s true? Mom asks.
Fred
Is
Magic.
Katy says each word
licking syrup off a spoon,
eyes closed like she is having the
best
day
ever.

As I tell them about the one-eyed
fish and Katy’s wish, can they hear
my heart banging? Do they see
the zinging jolts of electricity
running through me?
Gran smiles and says,
I woke up wondering what to cook
for supper today, and right after lunch
a little voice in my head
told me to make pancakes.
Isn’t that funny?
Funny, says Pops.
Funny, agrees Mom.

There’s something
funny
strange
weird
that makes me wonder,
did Fred the one-eyed fish
grant Katy’s wish?
And if he did,
do I
can I
why shouldn’t I
make a wish?
The only wish worth wishing.
First I need to find out
how this wishing thing works.

 

You don’t have to wish for pancakes. Here’s one of my favorite scratch recipes:

MULTIGRAIN PANCAKES

1/4 c FLOUR        1/4 c WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR       1/4 c OATS

1 T BROWN SUGAR        1 T WHEAT GERM              1 tsp BAKING POWDER

1 EGG, beaten               1/2 c + 2 T MILK            2 T VEGETABLE OIL

Combine dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until moist. Pour onto greased griddle. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Happy Pancake Day!  Everyone loves pancakes, right?

 

 

 

Book Giveaway: One Earth by Eileen Spinelli

As we get close to Earth Day and focusing on the environment, I wanted to share this lovely new PB about how kids can make a difference by Eileen Spinelli

Writing and Illustrating

Eileen Spinelli has written a new picture book titled, ONE EARTH, Illustrated by Rogério Coelho and published by Worthy Kids. Eileen has agreed to share a copy with one lucky winner. All you have to do to get in the running is to leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know the other things you do to share the good news, so I can put in the right amount of tickets in my basket for you.

Sharing on Facebook, Twitter, reblogging really helps spread the word for a new book. Thanks for helping Eileen and Rogério!

If you have signed up to follow my blog and it is delivered to you everyday, please let me know when you leave a comment and I will give you an extra ticket. Thanks!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

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Celebrate National Reading Month With Two Great Picture Books For Reading Aloud.

As we celebrate READ ACROSS AMERICA and reading aloud this week – thanks to the wonderful-to-read-aloud books by Dr. Suess – I wanted to share some other great picture books that lend themselves well to reading aloud in the classroom and beyond. I chose these because of their lovely language, lively and energetic illustrations, and positive message that it’s okay and wonderful TO BE YOURSELF. I hope you enjoy them.

1. 1. REMARKABLY YOU by Pat Zietlow Miller: 
      A delightful and joyous celebration of all the things that make each of us unique and memorable. I love the positive message painted on every page with words and pictures. A spirited and gentle reminder to be ourselves, no matter what our passions may be, to share our talents, and to spread our sunshine wherever we go.Here is a sample from the book: “No matter your volume, your age, or your size, you have the power to be a surprise.
3. 2. QUINCY THE CHAMELEON WHO COULDN’T BLEND IN: by Barbara DiLorenzo (Little Bee Books 2018) is a sweet and delightful picture book about a chameleon who wants to like school and tries hard to blend in. But, unlike other chameleons, Quincy can’t hide his thoughts or feelings. Everything he thinks about or gets excited about shows up on his skin. It isn’t until he discovers art class, where self-expression is expected, that he realizes he can be happy just being himself.
   The illustrations add whimsy and humor to a story that readers of all ages will find themselves reading over and over again. Quincy is destined to become a new classroom favorite.  

What books are among your favorite Read Alouds?