Grandpa Green

Title: Grandpa Green
Author/Illustrator: Lane Smith
Publisher: Roaring Books Press
Publication Date: August 30, 2011
Rating: 4 stars


"He was born a really long time ago..."

Grandpa Green, that is.  The narrator is a young boy frolicking through his grandfather's garden.  The bushes tell the story of grandpa's life, from his infancy through his marriage through the friendship he now shares with his grandson.  The illustrations are largely green (as the title suggests) and make you wish that you could visit a garden like that.  This garden would far surpass Callaway Gardens!

Positive elements: The boy honors his grandfather by telling his story.  Grandpa and Grandma are said to "never argue, at least to hear [grandpa] tell it." Grandpa sets aside his own desires and serves his country in the military.


Negative elements: On page 14, there is a bush statue of his grandparents meeting in France during the war.  I feel that the statue of the grandmother is a bit too curvaceous and defined for a children's book.

Grandpa Green is one boy's sweet tribute to his grandfather. As readers join him in his respect, they will remember different things about their grandparents and wish to talk about them. This would be a great book to read as a family!

What do you remember about your grandfather that endured you to him?

Amazing Animals: Elephants and Cheetahs

Title: Amazing Animals: Elephants
Author: Kate Riggs
Publisher: The Creative Company
Publication Date: April 15, 2011
Rating: 5 stars


This fairly new series of books explores many animals from the world in a way that even young readers will love.  Every few sentences is accompanied by a full-page picture.  Children learn how much the animals weigh, what they eat, where and how they live, who their predators are, and other basics.  There is also a short fable included in the back of the book about some aspect of the animal.  For example, in the elephant title, readers enjoy the Rudyard Kipling tale about how the elephant got his long nose.  Also included at the bottoms of the pages are definitions of big words. For example, in the Cheetahs books, there is a definition of cubs ("baby cheetahs").  Also, there is no discussion of origin, so parents need not worry about the ideas of creation vs. evolution that are presented within the book.

I look forward to seeing more of this series.

Title: Amazing Animals: Cheetahs
Author: Kate Riggs
Publisher: The Creative Company
Publication Date: April 15, 2011
Rating: 4 stars

Did you know that the oldest female elephants are the leaders of the herd? Or that a cheetah' tail is about 30 inches long?

Mr. Sam: How Sam Walton Built Walmart and Became America's Richest Man

I've had a few parents asking me to review more non-fiction titles. While these are not my specialty nor my favorite, I am going to try to throw one in here and there. I read this title in Kindle edition (which, regrettably, does not allow me to include page numbers for anything mentioned below), but it is also available in hardcover.

Title: Mr. Sam: How Sam Walton Built Walmart and Became America's Richest Man
Author: Karen Blumenthal
Publisher: Viking Press
Publication Date: July 7, 2011

This is the story of Sam Walton, the man who started the business that makes $800,000 a minute.  But Sam wasn't always wealthy; when he was in grade school, he milked cows and sold magazines door-to-door to help his family survive during the Depression.

Starting off as a recent college graduate working for $75 dollars a week at J.C. Penny, Sam began to understand new things about business, such as the essence of discounting and selling in bulk.

After marrying Helen and serving state-side during WWII, Sam Walton bought a small five-and-dime store in a small town.  Even in the face of adversity, Sam did not ever give up. He would one day own both Walmart and Sam's Club and be known worldwide.

Positive Elements: Throughout the book, readers see Mr. Walton being a leader in various ways, from his high school football team to his family to his business efforts.  Sam wisely listens to others' advice and concerns, including his wife, Helen, and his father-in-law. Helen is presented as a wonderful mother.  Sam Walton teaches his children to be frugal at early ages. Sam hired black workers even when it was not popular in the 1950s and 60s and others mocked him for it. Walton says of money, "It's paper, anyway. It was paper when we started, and it's paper afterward." Helen is quoted as saying, "It isn't what you gather in life; it's what you share that tells the kind of life you lived." Sam keeps his head high in the midst of fighting cancer.

Extra tidbits of information are strewn throughout the book in the form of short stories, such as how the shopping cart came to be and a brief biography of J.C. Penny. Pictures from Sam Walton's personal and corporate life are spread throughout the text. There are also "Our Money" charts that explain different concepts about money from the days of the Depression through today. For example, there is a graph of how money would have been spent on average in a typical family at the end of each chapter to show how spending has changed.

Negative Elements: In the first chapter, the author discusses what is important to Sam Walton.  She states, "Money might not be that meaningful to him, but winning certainly was."  While there is nothing wrong with winning, there is a large emphasis on this theme throughout the book, to the point where parents may wish to discuss how there are sometimes things that are more important.   At one point in order to win, Sam was paying his employees less than minimum wage.

Also, Sam Walton's home life growing up wasn't the best one, with his parents fighting constantly.  This isn't dwelt on within the book, just mentioned.

The word "damned" is included in a quote in the third chapter. "Ass" is used in chapter five. "Heck" is found in chapter six.

There is a quote of a sexual nature about selling women's lingerie in chapter four.

Parents may or may not agree with the political views expressed in the Epilogue when discussing the more recent lawsuits that Walmart has faced or causes to which they have donated money.

~ ~ ~

This book would be great as an addition to an economics course for a middle grade or high school student. In the book's conclusion, young people are encouraged to aspire to their own business pursuits and live frugally and selflessly no matter how much money they may acquire. 

How much do you know about the biggest company in the world and the man behind it?

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Sing, Dance, Shout: 30 Days of Praise

While I realize that not all of my followers consider themselves to be of the Christian faith, I have decided to expand my blog to cover some Christian books for my 2-12-year-old age range. Every few Sundays, I will post a review of a book that is Christian in nature for those parents who may be interested.

I am grateful to Doraine for the opportunity to review her newest children's devotional:

Title: Sing, Dance, Shout: 30 Days of Praise
Author: Doraine Bennett
Illustrator: Kim Shaw
Publisher: Christian Focus Publishing
Publication Date: July 11, 2011

This new devotional book will help your child discover what praise really is and get to know the incredible, awesome, ever-faithful God Who is worthy of our praise every single day.

In the first part of the book, readers form a basic definition of praise and understand what happens when they choose to praise.

In the second part, they build on that basic definition to cover ten different ways to praise, exploring ten different Hebrew words: Yadah (to throw up your hands), Halal (to boast), Gadal (to magnify), Towdah (to be thankful), Tehillah (to sing a new song), Zamar (to make music with instruments), Ruwa (to shout), Shabach (to commend), Barak(to bless),  and Raqad (to dance, skip and leap).

In the third section of the book, readers enjoy the stories of six different Bible characters including Hannah, Jehoshaphat, Daniel, the shepherds in Bethlehem, the healed Lame Man, and Paul. 

Section four covers the reasons that readers should praise their heavenly Father--because He is Awesome, because He loves them, because He chose them, because He created them, because He provides for them, because He rescues them, because He comforts them, and because He is faithful to them.  This section, especially, applies praise to the everyday life of children very effectively.

The fifth and final section discusses not only how we were made to praise but how the creation and angels offer up praise, as well. 

At the end of each day's reading, there are praise projects to try--everything from singing a hymn to walking around in creation praising Him for His marvelous wonders.

Most scripture quotations were taken from the NIV. Other versions included KJV, NKJV, ESV, and The Message.  There is not a ton of scripture reading that goes along with this book, as that day's Bible story is accurately re-told in the author's own words.  However, a scripture verse is always highlighted at the beginning of each day and serves as a springboard for the rest of the devotion.

Color-book-style illustrations make this text one that could be implemented in a Sunday School environment or used with younger readers if a parent reads the devotional aloud.

While the target age for this devotional is labeled as 4th-8th graders, I feel that Sing, Dance, Shout: 30 Days of Praise would be most enjoyed by readers in 3rd-6th grade. Although the older students could certainly learn something (I did!), many older students will want a little bit more depth in their Bible study. And although even 1st and 2nd grade students could enjoy this book, the word choice is a bit difficult at times for a child that age to read alone.

How will your child's view of God change after reading

Sing, Dance, Shout: 30 Days of Praise?

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I also received the products mentioned above for free in hopes that I would review it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Five Favorite Books on Writing

Because I am participating in the WordCount Blogathon (see link at left), I am veering from my normal children's book's posts to join others who are writing today on the topic "My Five Favorite Books about Writing."  Besides book blogging, I am a poet and a children's writer.  Therefore, I thought I'd keep with the children's theme and recommend five books on writing for children that I enjoy using.

I reference From Inspiration to Publication: How to Succeed as a Children's Writer: Advice from 15 Award Winning Writers quite often.  It contains fifteen chapters (all from different award winning children's writers on topics such as determining your readership age, developing your characters, plotting a great story, maintaining point of view, bringing non-fiction to life for young readers, and more.  If I'm stuck in my children's writing, From Inspiration to Publication is usually where I turn.

Best of the Children's Market (A Collection of Over 80 Articles and Stories Published By Leading Children's Magazines) is another one of my favorites. Not only does it contain instructional articles to help writers develop their craft, but it also contains examples that have actually been published by children's magazines across the country.  There are also examples of stories from all age groups and reading levels, as well as all religious and cultural backgrounds.

The 2011 Children's Writer's And Illustrator's Market is a bible to children's writers.  Containing updated information about magazine and books markets around the world, this book is a great guide to what particular publishers are looking for more of, what they do not accept, how they want submissions to be sent, what their basic payment terms are, and who to address a cover letter or queries to.

Essentials of English: A Practical Handbook Covering All the Rules of English Grammar and Writing Style (Barron's Essentials of English) may seem like a incredible boring book to recommend, but I'm a nerd so I'm doing it.  I love this book and turn to it's pages when I have a grammar, tone, or word usage question.

My last favorite book about writing is not exactly a book I can give you an Amazon link for.  My other book is The Instruction Manual for the Institute in Children's Literature class that you can find more information about here:  http://www.institutechildrenslit.com/  I took their "Writing for Children and Teenagers" course under Daphne Hogstrom (author of What Will We See?, one of my favorite books as a child).  I highly recommend it!  It gives you a chance to have a published children's author look over your work and make suggestions on how to improve your craft.  You should definitely check it out! 

What are your favorite books on writing and why?

Hello!

Welcome to The Twenty-Six Letter Imagination! As a children's book lover and a writer for children, I hope that you and your child will find many enjoyable books to discover together through my blog. I plan to cover fiction and nonfiction: new releases, old reprints, and classics. Along the way, I plan on have some giveaways. My focus will be children's books ages 2-12, but I may include some board books, teen books, or books that the whole family can enjoy together from time to time. Come and join the fun of exploring what the twenty-six letters can do to your imagination!