Tiny Treasury

Lately, Maegan has been obsessed with Puerto Rico. She saw some houses on an HGTV show called “House Hunters International”. Now she is totally convinced that Puerta Rico is THE PLACE TO BE.

So, with that in mind, I found these books at the library:

Product Description
The popular Rookie Books expand their horizons - to all corners of the globe! With this series all about geography, emergent readers will take off on adventures to cities, nations, waterways, and habitats around the world…and right in their own backyards.

About the Author
Elizabeth Zapata is the author of several nonfiction books for children.

Product Description
This country series offers information on culture, geography, history, economy, and government, all in one. Organized by topic, each book will allows young readers to experience a world beyond their own, while making cross-country comparisons. Sections like “Keepsakes”, “Windows to the Past”, and “X-tra Special Things” focus on elements unique to the featured country. Also featured are maps, language and fun fact sidebars, a glossary, books for further reading, and websites.

About the Author
Jeff Reynolds is the author of several nonfiction books for children.

Product Description Provides an overview of the geography, people, language, customs, religion, lifestyle, and culture of Puerto Rico

About the Author JoAnn Milivojevic has written several cultural geography books for Scholastic.

Maegan loved them all. I think I may have shot myself in the foot with these books. I was hoping to convince her that Puerto Rico wasn’t the only place in the world that was nice to live. Complete and utter failure on my part.

What was I thinking?

…Young People’s Guide to Understanding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Cover of Putting on the Brakes

All you need to know about attention deficit disorder, with or without hyperactivity: what it is and what to do about it. This is a classic resource for young people, their parents, and professionals  covering:

• What is going on in the brain?
• What are you feeling?
• Getting support
• Getting organized
• Making friends
• Understanding medication

The first page describes a speeding race car with no brakes, and how it might go off the road or even crash. Page two goes on to draw a parellel between this race car and someone with ADHD,  and explains that having ADHD is a lot like being a race car with no brakes, ‘You have a great engine with lots of thinking power, and a good, strong body, but no brakes’. I wanted to cry after reading this - it was like finally getting inside my child’s head and knowing how she feels and why she just doesn’t seem to know when to quit. We’ve been struggling for over a year since her initial diagnosis. This book was the first time it felt like we were both on the same page and finally truly understanding what ADHD is and how it affects us all. We still have a ways to go, but this book was a huge help in figuring out ways to cope. A big thank you to the authors, Patricia Quinn and Judith Stern.

Praise for the first edition:

“This is the book that so many parents and professionals have asked for. Down-to-earth in style and upbeat in tone, it contains a wealth of important information about ADHD along with practical suggestions for coping with the problems ADHD presents.”
—Barbara D. Ingersoll, Ph.D.
Author, Your Hyperactive Child: A Parent’s Guide To Coping With Attention Deficit Disorder

“Required reading for hyperactive children of all ages and their parents, teachers, and practitioners. This book is superb in every aspect.”
—Alan Zametkin, M.D.
Senior Staff Psychiatrist, National Institute of Mental Health

“Putting on the Brakes does a marvelous job addressing the issues likely to arise in counseling children ages 8 to 13 about ADHD, its nature, and its treatment. I am sure it will prove of value to those who counsel this age group and to these children themselves in their pursuit to better understand their disorder.”
—Russell A. Barkley, Ph.D.
Author of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment

“Shows parents how to help children help themselves.”
—Detroit Free Press

Related Books:
The “Putting On the Brakes” Activity Book for Young People with ADHD
The Best of “BRAKES”: An activity book for kids with ADD

A Lakota Story

A traditional Native American character gets a modern update in this charming Christmas tale.

On Christmas Eve on Standing Rock Indian Reservation, Coyote wants to find some people to trick out of a hot meal. Sneaky Coyote is known in the Native American tradition as the Trickster. He knows that there’s one character people can’t refuse on Christmas Eve: Santa Claus!

Using straw for a jolly belly and wool for his Santa’s beard, the Trickster fools a family into welcoming him to their Christmas meal. But just when he thinks he’s gotten away with his ruse, taking their food and leaving the family with nothing, he’s
foiled by a strange occurrence.

Could it be a Christmas miracle?

Coyote’s antics, beautifully told and illustrated by S. D. Nelson,
will delight readers, and his eventual comeuppance just in time for Christmas makes this a perfect holiday tale.

S. D. Nelson is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in the Dakotas. He is the author of two previous children’s books, Gift Horse and Star People. School Library Journal called Gift Horse “fluid in both narrative and illustrations,” and Kirkus called Star People “an exemplary offering.” He lives in Flagstaff, Arizona. Check out his work at www.sdnelson.net.

…and illustrated by Jane Dyer.

Cover of Amy Krause Rosenthal's "Christmas Cookies"

This scrumptious follow-up to the bestselling Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons captures the spirit of the holiday season. From making the same kind of cookies at the same time each year (tradition) to decorating them with lots of sprinkles (celebrate), youngsters will gobble up vocabulary words and holiday lessons in this charming dictionary of sorts.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s timeless morsels of wisdom paired with Jane Dyer’s cozy illustrations are as irresistible as the aroma of cookies fresh from the oven. Go ahead, take another bite!

We love this book, and the simple sugar cookie recipe included in the back of the book is easily made with your little ones. I love the simple explanations for sometimes difficult to explain concepts like charity.

Charitable means setting a big batch aside to give to people who maybe don’t have any cookies at all.

Moderation means at the party not having twenty cookies, and not having zero cookies, but having just enough cookies.

Perseverance means, We tried and tried and tried, and finally we made the perfect not-burned batch.

Sharing means, Thanks for giving me a taste. Would you like a bite of mine?

And my absolute favorite has to be:

Peace means no one is worried about anyone else’s cookie… in this moment we are all quietly content with the cookies we have.

If only the world were like a child’s book…

or at least it should be.

…is a phrase my daughter is very familiar with and thinks is totally impossible. Until she read this wonderful book by David Shannon.

Too Many Toys by David Shannon

Spencer has too many toys! He has robots, puzzles, board games, stuffed animals, and plastic action figures. Toys spill out of every drawer and closet and clutter the floor of every room.  Have you ever tried to get to your kitchen and tripped over a race car?

His father trips over them, his mother falls over them, and the house is overflowing with junk. Spencer’s house has become hazardous. Something has to be done!

Now its time to give some of the mountain of goodies away, but Spencer finds it hard. Come along as Spencer tries to persuade his mother to keep them all—because every single toy is his favorite.  In the end, it’s not a store-bought toy but the give-away box itself that captures Spencer’s attention.  Once again, award-winner David Shannon proves that an entertaining story and your own imagination are the very best toys of all!

Too many toys is a serious understatement. My daughter is just like Spencer, toys everywhere and she can’t bear to part with any of them. Broken, missing parts, or unplayed-with for months, it doesn’t matter to Maegan, every toy is a favorite and not to be parted with at any cost.

When we’ve all reached our limit of tripping over dolls and stepping on legos, the bargaining begins. “You can keep this one if you get rid of that one,” is how it usually goes, with Maegan bartering like mad to keep as many toys as possible.

The one thing Spencer/Maegan won’t part with?

Best toy ever?

It doesn’t look like much there, but after Spencer is done…

Too Many Toys by David Shannon

…it’s the Best Toy Ever!

JUNIE B. JONES
by Barbara Park

Junie B. Jones just can’t help getting into all kinds of scrapes. After all, going to school, and having to ride the smelly old school bus, and making new friends isn’t easy. She really can’t help it when she shouts out loud in class. After all, if that dumb May, the class tattletale, wasn’t always calling attention to Junie B.’s behavior, she wouldn’t have to yell at her, would she? Then there’s that meanie kid, Jim, who is always teasing her and making life miserable. And it’s really hard to follow the rules, when there seem to be so many of them.

She does her best, but life just has so many interesting possibilities, which often land her in trouble with the teacher and her parents. No matter how mixed-up things get, one thing’s for sure — you’ll have a good laugh reading about Junie’s adventures in kindergarten and first grade. And, by the way — that’s Junie “B.”  just the B and nothing else— as she will firmly remind you, if you happen to forget.

My daughter is halfway through second grade now and still loves Junie B.. After all, Junie B. gets into just as much trouble as my Maegan does, through absolutely no fault of her own. If people would just stop being gross and bugging her, she wouldn’t be in trouble at all!

We love Junie B. so much, we no longer get upset stomachs or nervous tummies. Instead, our bellies get all “squeezy” now!

If you haven’t read any of the wonderful books in the Junie B. Jones series following Junie B. through kindergarten and first grade, find one as soon as possible. We can’t get enough and reread old books repeatedly while eagerly awaiting each new story.

The Newest Release:

Dumb Bunny

It’s an Easter Egg-stravaganza!

Lucille is having an Easter Egg Hunt at her rich expensive mansion! Will Junie B. end up with egg on her face? Or will the day deliver some very uneggspected results?

Unless you’ve been media deprived the past few days you’ve probably heard that J.K. Rowling outed everyone’s favorite wizard, Albus Dumbledore. Frankly, I’m a bit underwhelmed by the news. Since the series has been completed and Dumbledore’s sexuality never came into play, why does it matter now?

Here’s an article from the Harry Potter Fan Zone:

You can read more from Stacey, the new blogger at Hogwarts Herald.

I just picked up Judy Blume’s new book “Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One” from the library and I’m looking forward to reading it this weekend. I haven’t read a new Judy Blume book since Just As Long As We’re Together was published in 1987, but Fudge’s 35th birthday made me feel a bit nostalgic. I’ll let you know how I like it.

Judy Blume’s Tale’s of a Fourth Grade Nothing published 35 years ago still remains a classic. Younger readers from all generations can connect with poor Peter Hatcher who is completely overshadowed by his little brother Fudge. Fudge was so popular with young readers that Blume wrote four more books about him.

To celebrate the anniversary the complete set of Fudge books are being released in a box set with a new look. The set will be available in October. You can pre-order at Amazon.

Read more about Fudge and Peter at Judy Blume’s website.

Judy Blume, Fudge books, box set, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, young readers

Today marks the release of Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man Pop Up book, which is the first in a series of four. The series features original excerpts with new metallic pop-ups and slide-out character fact files.

Marvel invites you to get acquainted (again) with Spider-Man as he meets up with his seven deadliest foes, including Doctor Octopus, the Green Goblin, and Sandman.

Spider-Man, Marvel

Candlewick Press has announced the paperback release of Martin Handford’s Where’s Waldo? book on today, April 10. This special edition has “lots of eye-boggling extras” including Woof, Wenda, Wizard Whitebeard and Odlaw.

Martin Handford, Where’s Waldo?, Candlewick Press

In the US, there’s really no such thing as real princesses. Since we don’t have royalty, we create our own. We elevate celebs like Paris Hilton and Ivanka Trump (my mother would argue that Elizabeth Taylor is a better choice) to nearly royal status due to their money and position in life. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed. In fact, some dictionaries actually now define “princess” beyond being descendants of royalty to “a woman considered to have the qualities or characteristics of a princess.” So, if you think like a princess and act like a princess, apparently you can be a princess.

But what does it mean to think or act like a princess? If you asked ten people to define the characteristics of a princess, you’d probably get ten different answers.

In one of my favorite books of all time, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess,the underlying theme is just that: what really makes a princess a princess?

The heroine of the story is a little girl named Sara. She is the daughter of a wealthy father (her mother is dead) who dotes on her. While her father chases his fortune, he enrolls Sara in a boarding school in England. Sara has everything that she could ever want in terms of material things - she is, in that regard, a little princess.

When tragedy hits home, little Sara is no longer a princess in the eyes of the headmistress, who condemns Sara to the attic to live and work in poverty. However, those that Sara had always been kind to remember her thoughtfulness and remain her friends when everyone else abandons her. Sara and her friends create a fantasy world in the attic above the boarding school. But little by little, the fantasy seems real.

Sara finally regains her fortune and her place as a little princess. But this time, being a princess is more about kindness and graciousness than money or treasures.

The ending, while “happy” isn’t a fairytale ending. Everything isn’t magically okay at the end. And perhaps that’s why my pink, paperback copy of The Little Princess was so well worn. Life is not always easy. Bad things happen. Even children understand this concept, though admittedly in a relative way. But this notion of being kind to others, keeping your spirit even when things seem darkest, believing in the good in other people are the traits of a true princess, I loved this as a child. I still do as an adult.

It’s easy to be jaded nowadays and to watch whom the media regards as princesses and wonder what kinds of messages we’re sending our children. A book like “A Little Princess” is just the answer. It reminds us - kids and adults alike - that kindness has its own rewards and that there is magic all around us in our everyday lives. It’s a nice lesson to remember.

And speaking of remembering, don’t forget to sign your own child up to be princess for a day on Tiny Treasury!

A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett, princess

I am soooo a child of the 80s. I wore rubber bracelets. I wore crinoline skirts with high tops. I had about a zillion brightly colored scarves strategically tied around my wrists, in my hair, you name it. Neon colors popped out of my closet. My earrings never matched. I wanted to be Madonna.

At the age of 30-something, I still want to be Madonna. And not pop star Madonna. I want to be self-assured, business-woman, mother, successfully published author Madonna. That’s right, Madonna has gone all respectable on us.

I realize, on some level, this is “old news”. But not really. When The English Roses came out about three years ago, I thought it was a flash in the pan. I figured that it was Madonna re-inventing herself and that this new “children’s book author Madonna” would fade away. I was wrong.

Madonna has gone on to author several more children’s books (the English Roses Collection consists of five: The English Roses, Mr. Peabody’s Apples, Yakov and the Seven Thieves, The Adventures of Abdi, and Lotsa de Casha) and has a website dedicated to promoting the books. I have to say, the web site is extremely cute. Like the illustrations in the books, the website illustrations are very 60s fashion pop in nature. There’s an About page, which explains why Madonna wrote the books in the first place, information about the characters in the books and a fun and games section with coloring pages and more. And of course, it would be the Material Girl’s site without a shop where you can buy books, fashion items and more.

In 2006, Madonna updated the original English Roses book with the version, The English Roses: Too Good to Be True. In keeping with her international stature, the book was translated into several languages including Chichewa, the national language of Malawi. Malawi is, of course, the country where Madonna visited last fall to adopt a child, one year old David Banda.

Last year was also the first time that I took a peek at the books. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Did I love them? No. Did I hate them? No. The illustrations are delightful - Jeffrey Fulvimari is really very talented. The characters are cute and the dialogue is well done. And the stories do have a point, the overreaching theme in each book is a moral. In The English Roses, the moral is “… in the future, you might think twice before grumbling that someone else has a better life than you” no doubt geared at those folks who think that Madonna and daughter Lourdes have a picture-perfect life. I think the moral comes across as a little preachy - and maybe it’s because it’s Madonna. I’m willing to admit that I have a hard time believing that Lourdes leads anything but a pretty cushy life, and that taints my view of the book. A fair assessment? Of course not - but it’s kind of like if I read a romance novel from Steven King - I’d totally be expecting one of the protagonists to be revealed as an axe murderer. And with Madonna? Well expecting tolerance and humility from a woman who, as a tween, I watched reveal that her goal was to “rule the world” is kind of difficult. A little ironic, considering the whole point of her book is about not being so judgmental. Maybe I should read up a bit? At any rate, my view of the book, like that of many, is tainted by her celebrity. On the other hand, I suspect that her celebrity was directly responsible for the book being published. Quite the catch-22.

All of that said, the books are an enjoyable outing. If your kids are looking for a sweet story, beautifully drawn, you might want to take a peek. It’s not great literature but I suspect the kids won’t complain.

Madonna, The English Roses, Mr. Peabody’s Apples, The Adventures of Abdi, Lotsa de Casha, Yakov and the Seven Thieves, The English Roses: Too Good to be True, Jeffrey Fulvimari, Chichewa

I love crafts. I always have. As a kid, I loved any excuse to create a little something out of paper, glue and some embellishments (I still do, which is why I love Kari’s paper blog!). I didn’t want to wait for Christmas and Easter to be crafty - and why should you? St. Patrick’s is a great holiday to be crafty - lots of color, lots of pageantry, lots of fantasy.

You can find cute and eminently do-able crafts in Kathy Ross’ Crafts for St. Patrick’s Day. Crafts include a host of shamrock-related projects, jewelry and an Irish magic wand (we have one of those in my house right now). It’s the perfect book for days like today in Philadelphia - cold and snowy out.

S. Patrick’s Day, crafts, shamrocks, paper

It’s been a difficult couple of weeks at my house. My father-in-law was admitted into hospital about a week and a half ago and required two emergency surgeries; he was subsequently admitted to ICU. He is, thankfully, officially now “out of the woods” - whatever that means.

My husband handled it very well. This is my father in law’s second serious health scare within the last five or so years (the last was a quintuple bypass) and this one was resolved much more quickly. It did not help my husband, however, that right now my kids are really into Josephine Nobisso’s book, Grandpa Loved.

The book is really lovely. The illustrations by Maureen Hyde are soft water colors which lends a nice tone to the book overall. The theme of the book is grief and how a child might reconcile their own grief. You don’t so much pick up on the theme early on in the book. The story focuses on the relationship between the narrator (a grandson) and his grandfather. Throughout the story, the child tells of the wonderful things that he learned from his grandfather. At the end of the story, however, the child reveals that his grandfather is deceased.

This is such a difficult concept, this idea of death, to convey to children. I know, I’ve tried to do it before. I like the idea of introducing the concept of death gently, as in this book. There’s no point in dancing around it, especially when it involves people that we know and love. But there’s no need to be in your face or overly explanatory either. It’s a delicate balance. I think that Ms. Nobisso “gets it” - and I’m not the only one who thinks so. Parents magazine has previously selected it as one of the “Best Children’s Books of the Year.”

I hope you’ll check it out.

grief, death, grandparents, Josephine Nobisso, Parents magazine