All posts filed under: Books on Monday

Written by a nurse, illustrated by a 15-year old, and sung by a quartet of musicians, THE TEENSY WEENSY VIRUS is a fun, hands-on way to talk with children about the pandemic

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By Leslie Lindsay  Embracing the latest science, The Teensy Weensy Virus pairs simple, kid-friendly explanations with bright, colorful illustrations. ~BOOKS ON MONDAY | ALWAYS WITH A BOOK~ Children‘s literature COVID-19 is a big deal—but with all that adults have to worry about, it’s easy to overlook the pandemic’s impact on children. This book provides a great way for parents and caregivers to introduce and reinforce the importance of safety measures to children, while giving kids the opportunity to ask questions and share their feelings. Written and designed by a pediatric nurse practitioner with expertise on the other end of the spectrum: palliative care, Sherri Rose is well-versed in health, medicine, and children. Plus, what I really love is how THE TEENSY WEENSY VIRUS offers additional resources for adults and an informative song. This helps lighten the mood as families engage with this serious topic. I love the bright, bold illustrations, the sing-song-y lilt of this story, plus the playful nature and child-adult bonding that’s sure to happen. For all of those reasons, THE TEENSY WEENSY VIRUS …

Author/Illustrator Janice Hechter talks about her new children’s book, ADVENTURE GIRL: Dabi Digs in Israel, exploring archaeology as a career, digging up history, more

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By Leslie Lindsay  A little girl visits Israel with her parents and discovers more than she ever realized at her fingertips, but also about her ancestry. ~Writers Interviewing Writers|Always with a Book~ Spotlight: Children‘s Literature Whether digging in the dirt, crafting mud figures, or playing with worms, Dabi loves exploring nature and using it to learn about the world around her. ADVENTURE GIRL: Dabi Digs in Israel is a heartwarming family-centered tale of a visit to Israel to visit grandparents. Her parents insist she dress and ‘act like a lady,’ and Dabi reluctantly agrees, but soon finds a kindred spirit in her aunt, who takes her on a new adventure, at the Beit Guvrin National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where children can join an archaeological dig, crawl through caves, and explore ancient ruins. Dabi relishes in this experience, but soon discovers not everything can be taken home. Written and illustrated by Janice Hechter, this darling book exemplifies curiosity, discovery, science, culture, and more. Plus, it shows that girls can do anything–even if it means getting a little dirty. …

Author-illustrator duo talk about their new children’s book, LET LIBERTY RISE, which is darling–about coming together for the collective good, the immigrant experience, color palettes, more

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By Leslie Lindsay  Fascinating and inspiring tale of how the American people came together to crowd-fund one of America’s biggest icons, the Statue of Liberty. ~BOOKS ON MONDAY|ALWAYS WITH A BOOK~ Writers Interviewing Writers March Spotlight: Historical (Children’s) Fiction I LOVED this book! LET LIBERRTY RISE: How America’s Schoolchildren Helped Save the Statue of Liberty (Scholastic, March 2 2021) by Chana Stiefel (with warm, tender illustrations by Chuck Groenink) is an equally gorgeous, inspiring tale rooted in history and goodwill. I seriously cannot love this book any more. This book is a gem. The writing is smart and thoughtful, with obvious research and attention-to-detail, as are the illustrations. I learned so much about the American icon in this children’s book than I think I’ve learned about it through the course of my life. Seriously. I knew it was a gift from the people of France, but I didn’t realize it came to America in so many pieces (350, to be exact), that it weighed more than 40 elephants, and that the pedestal was to be created by the people of …

APRAXIA MONDAY: Dr. T shares her super-fun, hands-on activity kits to supplement her lift-the-flap book, LOLA KOALA’S TRAVEL ADVENTURES

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By Leslie Lindsay Adorable lift-the-flap books designed by a pediatric SLP helping developspeech and communication skills in children, plus the added adventure oftravel. ~APRAXIA MONDAY|ALWAYS WITH A BOOK~ Spotlight: Dr. Tinita Kearney LOLA KOALA ADVENTURE KITS: EGYPT  2020 National Parenting Products Award Winner It’s hard to believe that we are in month eleven of this pandemic. Whilehope—in the form of a vaccine—is on the horizon, many of us have been confined to our homes (and our local region). If you’re anything like me, you might be feeling a little stir-crazy. And kids are no exception! I spoke with Dr. T back in September 2020 and wanted to invite her backbecause she has a new product that pairs nicely with her LOLA KOALA’S TRAVEL ADVENTURES book #1: Egypt—themed Koala Kits! But first a bit about the book– Lola Koala is an explorer who loves to travel the world. Join her on manyadventures as she helps your child to develop foundational language skills along the way! Hi! I’m Lola Koala and I LOVE to have fun learning new …

THE LOVELY & TALENTED ESTELI MEZA on natural disasters, homelessness, rebuilding; how children need to process feelings & be supported by loving, caring friends/adults + her artisic process

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By Leslie Lindsay  Kind words, good cheer, and yet…Conejo is sad, restless, and just wants to find ‘home’ in this illustrated children’s picture book. ~WRITERS INTERVIEWING WRITERS|ALWAYS WITH A BOOK~ CHILDREN’S LITERATURE  Kind words, good cheer, and yet…Conejo is sad, restless, and just wants to find ‘home’ in this illustrated children’s picture book. Children’s author-illustrators are my heart. I think it’s because as a child reader, this is what shaped me, made me want to write. Here, in FINDING HOME (forthcoming from Scholastic, Jan 5 2021), Esteli Meza poetically and lyrically tells the story of Conejo, a little rabbit whose home blows away in fall storms. Off he goes seeking a new home. At each turn, he is met with a group of kind, caring friends–all forest animals–who offer insight and distraction…maybe they have a picnic or reminisce, play music, have a cup of tea. All of this is lovely and wonderful, but Conejo is not satisfied. Still, no home. Eventually, the story ends with Conejo in a new home, one which he has filled with recent memories of kindness and …

MALCOLM MITCHELL’S FABULOUS CHILDREN’S BOOK–MY VERY FAVORITE BOOK IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, plus reading struggles, being a literacy crusader, more

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By Leslie Lindsay  Have you ever struggled to find the perfect book? I know I have! And I’m a ‘reader.’ How about a child in your life? I’m betting so. This darling children’s book–with bold, bright illustrations–by football champion Malcolm Mitchell is sure to delight.  ~BOOKS ON MONDAY|ALWAYS WITH A BOOK~ CHILDREN’S LITERACY  Henley hates to read. When Henley is supposed to be reading before bed, he builds a castle with his sheets. Henley hates reading so much, he took a wagon full of books to the town swimming pool to find out how well they could swim. MY VERY FAVORITE BOOK IN THE WORLD (Scholastic, December 29) is super-adorable–the words, the illustrations–all of it, is so heartfelt and moving. It’s about being a kid who hates to read, but all of his classmates seem to thrive with a book in hand. It’s based on the real-life experience of football star Malcolm Mitchell, who says, “When I was a kid, reading was my biggest challenge. It was the thing that scared me most, because it …

THE GRINNY GRANNY DONKEY GREAT FOR RHYTHM, REPETITION, LAUGHS, SPEECH DEVELOPMENT, plus an activity

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By Leslie Lindsay Fun-loving, silly story incorporates repetition and rhyme for an endearing tale about grandparents and the children they love.  ~FUN Friday|ALWAYS WITH A BOOK~ Children’s Literature with Activity Another sequel to the laugh-out-loud viral sensation, THE WONKY DONKEY is here–just in time for the holidays from the internationally bestselling creators of The Wonky Donkey comes a third member of the family! There was a sweet donkey who lived on the heath.She was so funny with her false teeth…Hee Haw! This time, readers will meet Dinky Donkey’s grandma: a grinny granky plunky-plinky swanky clinky-clanky zonky dunky-drinky clunky donkey! Brought to life by Craig Smith’s signature playful verses and Katz Cowley’s charming illustrations, THE GRINNY GRANNY DONKEY (Scholastic, November 10; ages 3-5years) is just as fun as her off-spring. SPEECH-RICH ACTIVITY TO TRY:  Grab a little person in your life and read THE GRINNY GRANNY DONKEY together. Giggle and laugh and heck, read it again. Pay special attention to the silly, rhyming words, but also the repetition. Both rhyming and repetition are keys to driving home …

Mom and Speech-language pathologist talks about how you can make the most of the morning routine with your kids, speech devlopment, more

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By Leslie Lindsay  Super-cute board book for use with toddlers in a home or clinic setting to help with early language development, plus kids will delight in the lift-the-flap feature. ~Books on Monday, Part 2|Always with a Book~ Last week, we chatted with Dr. T. about her hands-on, practical, and FUN board book for kids–and their caregivers to read and manipulate. Today, she presents some fab ways to use your morning routine to increase your child’s language skills. I love these ideas because they are accessible, plus children will delight in collaborating with you. The key here is to make it feel natural, as if it’s part of your normal day-to-day routine, not a ‘sit and learn’ or another ‘chore’ on your to-do list. Kids are smart, they pick up on this stuff. Best to ‘sneak it in’ in a way that makes it feel like fun and play.  5 ways to use your morning routine to increase your toddler’s language skills by Tinita Kearney, Ph.D., CCC-SLP As a wife, mother of two children under …

Dr. Tinita Kearney talks about her new lift-the-flap book designed to help kids with yes/no Questions, WHO+WHAT+WHERE and speech development

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By Leslie Lindsay  Darling lift-the-flap board book for toddlers and their caregivers to teach basics of yes/no questions, receptive language skills, asking questions, more.  ~Books on Monday, Part 1|Always with a Book~ I’m so jazzed about this book! Not only did I love, love reading to my two when they were babies (even in utero!) and afterward, I love working with them on lift-the-flap books, too. The surprise and delight is such a fun way to bring a story to life, to give it a tactile approach and bring the world of the story a little more in grasp…quite literally! When I learned about Dr. Tinita Kearney’s new book, LOLA THE KOALA’S TRAVEL ADVENTURES, I knew I had to get in on the action–and share it with you, too!  The illustrations are bright and engaging. Plus, this is just the first in a series of Lola Koala travels. Join her as she treks across the globe…you and your little explorer will undercover fun developmental concepts and foundational language skills along the way! Each “Lola Koala’s …

Chad Otis talks about his debut children’s book–OLIVER THE CURIOUS OWL–about his artistic process, living in a school bus as a kid, exploring the big wide world, curiosity, imagination, and being an over-caffeinated uncle.

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By Leslie Lindsay  Darling children’s picture book about a little owl who goes on an adventure far from his home, asking more that just whoo-whoo. ~BOOKS ON MONDAY|ALWAYS WITH A BOOK~ Every child–especially those around ages 2-4 love to ask ‘wh-‘ questions: who, what, when, where, and why. Especially why. Here, author/illustrator Chad Otis, brings to life the adorable owl, Oliver, in this charmingly sweet and funny tale of curiosity, OLIVER THE CURIOUS OWL (Little, Brown Young Readers, August 11 2020). Oliver lives in a tree in the woods with his mother and father and siblings…but they only ask ‘who?’ Oliver needs more. He wants to know: who lives in the faraway woods? Where does the river go? Why can’t I leave our tree? So one day, he and his little friend, Bug, go. They leave the safety of their nest and meet new friends–bats and beavers, alligators and seals, too. They try new things and eat new foods and maybe they get a little scared. But it all turns out okay in the end. OLIVER THE CURIOUS OWL is about getting …