Tuesday, September 9, 2014

September 9 is National Teddy Bear Day

Have you ever had a special teddy bear? If you did, today is the day to celebrate him. September 9 is National Teddy Bear Day.

National Teddy Bear Day

Check out these teddy bear books:

The Legend of the Teddy Bear (Myths, Legends, Fairy and Folktales)Hardcover – August 29, 2000

by Frank Murphy  (Author), Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen (Illustrator)

Legend of the Teddy Bear

Corduroy Paperback – September 30, 1976

by Don Freeman (Author)


A Pocket for Corduroy Paperback – May 1, 2008

by Don Freeman (Author, Illustrator)


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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

April 30 is International Jazz Day

Today, April 30, is International Jazz Day! Share your favorite jazz music with your kids and find books about your favorite jazz artists. Here are a couple good titles:


Jazz Paperback

by Walter Dean Myers  (Author), Christopher Myers (Illustrator)



The Jazz Fly (book w/ audio CD) Hardcover

by Matthew Gollub  (Author), Karen Hanke (Illustrator)


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Wednesday, April 9, 2014

April 9th is Winston Churchill Day

Today is Winston Churchill Day. Your children may enjoy reading these books:


History for Kids: An Illustrated Biography of Winston Churchill for Children [Kindle Edition]
Charles River Editors (Author)



Winston Churchill (Children of History) [Library Binding]
Brian Williams (Author), Martin Salisbury (Author)
 
 
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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

February 4, 2014 Is Rosa Parks Day

Numerous books have been written about Rosa Parks, but this one was written by her! Check it out because today, 2/4/14, is her day.

Rosa Parks: My Story Paperback
by Rosa Parks (Author) , Jim Haskins (Author)

http://www.amazon.com/Rosa-Parks-My-Story/dp/0141301201/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391513623&sr=1-3&keywords=rosa+parks

                   
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Thursday, January 9, 2014

New Early Reader Series ONE STORY A DAY

Just released--ONE STORY A DAY for Early Readers...
at http://www.dc-canada.ca/books_new_early.html

It's for sale as a set with a cd and as individual books. I'm a contributing author. Check it out!
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Friday, December 6, 2013

Books about St. Nicholas' Day

December 6 is St. Nicholas' Day. Check out the following children's books about this legendary man.

A Special St. Nicholas Day Paperback – December 6, 2011

by Heidi Lee Jackson-Houck (Author) , Serap Deliorman (Illustrator)
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Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Holiday Picture Book Reading List

Check out this great collection of holiday picture books. Thanks, Kimberly!
http://kimberlykunkel.com/read-your-way-to-christmas-day/#comment-10


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Monday, December 2, 2013

Cinnamon Baker by Jennifer S. Burrows

My latest e-picture book is for sale today at MeeGenius. Click the link below for a sample of the story.



http://www.meegenius.com/readers/1/d7f7a59c60efeea2071275c921e15d99


 Cinnamon Baker 
Cinnamon is the youngest Baker and she can't wait to find out what her specialty 
baked item will be. But when her bread is harder than rocks and her bagels are 
tougher than cardboard, will Cinnamon ever feel like a real Baker? 
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Saturday, November 2, 2013

Rochester Children's Book Festival 2013

17th Annual Rochester Children’s Book Festival

Saturday, November 16, 2013

10am – 4pm

Click on link below for details.
http://www.rochesterchildrensbookfestival.com/


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Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Most Beautiful Available as a Digital Book

Most Beautiful is now available on iBooks as a digital book at http://www.rfwp.com/ or by searching "Royal Fireworks Publishing" into iBooks in iTunes. Yay!

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Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Publishing News...

I have a couple pieces of news to report about my writing career.

The Neon Tiki Tribe (recent winners of the Mom's Choice Award) asked me to join their team as a writer. I’m thrilled to be a part of what they’re doing! Their stories are action packed with a positive moral message. Check them out at http://neontikitribe.com/. They’re offering a free app right now. Get it while you can!


One of my picture book manuscripts has been accepted for e-publication by MeeGenius, http://www.meegenius.com/. The book should be out by Christmas. I'll keep you posted.

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Saturday, August 3, 2013

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

This month I read a mid-grade novel that was made into a movie. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine is a fantastical story based on the Cinderella story. The book garnered a nomination for the Newbery Award in 1998. It didn’t win, but I bet it was a close second. The story is clever and witty and digs deep into the classic Cinderella story, answering the question: why did Cinderella obey her step-mother and step-sisters.



The day Ella was born, a fairy named Lucinda gave her the gift of obedience. Lucinda did not intend for the gift to be a curse, but it was. Ella had no choice but to obey any command given to her. “Stop crying.” “Go to bed.” “Hop on one foot.”

After Ella’s mother dies, her father sends her to finishing school, where Ella is tormented by her future step-sisters. Ella embarks on a quest to find Lucinda and break the curse. In the end, she finds out that she had the power to break the curse all along. She just needed love, a power greater than the curse.

I recommend this book to 4th graders and fairy tale lovers of all ages.

List of Recommended Books by Grade:
Picture books
Alphabet Puke—Monsters’ Medicine A-Z by Quinn Cole

2nd grade –
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Miss Holly Is Too Jolly, by Dan Gutman
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
Time Warp Trio #1: Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka
Time Warp Trio #2: The Not-So-Jolly Roger by Jon Scieszka

3rd grade –
Who Is J.K. Rowling? By Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Among the Impostors by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

4th grade –
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
The Book of Think (Or How to Solve a Problem Twice Your Size) by Marilyn Burns
Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
Louisiana's Song by Kerry Madden
The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
The Golly Whopper Games by Jody Feldman

5th grade –
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Benjamin Pratt & The Keeper of the School by Andrew Clements
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

6th grade –
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
Dewey, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

7th grade and up –
Holes by Louis Sachar
The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byers
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Pendragon Book One: The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Seventeen Second Miracle, by Jason F. Wright
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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

The Book of Think by Marilyn Burns


This month I read a nonfiction book for mid-grade readers. The Book of Think (Or How to Solve a Problem Twice Your Size) written by Marilyn Burns and published by Little Brown and Company is a book about stimulating your brain and thinking outside the box.
 

Are your kids sitting on the couch playing video games or watching TV too much this summer? Do you need some activities to get them moving and thinking? Marilyn Burns’ book is just what you need. The book is full of activities about getting to know yourself and your brain that will inspire deep cognitive processes. The kids will have fun and you’ll know that their brains are getting some exercise over the summer.

I recommend this book to 4th and 5th graders and thinkers of all ages.

List of Recommended Books by Grade:

Picture books
Alphabet Puke—Monsters’ Medicine A-Z by Quinn Cole
 
2nd grade –
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Miss Holly Is Too Jolly, by Dan Gutman
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
Time Warp Trio #1: Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka
Time Warp Trio #2: The Not-So-Jolly Roger by Jon Scieszka

3rd grade –
Who Is J.K. Rowling? By Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Among the Impostors by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

4th grade –
The Book of Think (Or How to Solve a Problem Twice Your Size) by Marilyn Burns
Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
Louisiana's Song by Kerry Madden
The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
The Golly Whopper Games by Jody Feldman

5th grade –
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Benjamin Pratt & The Keeper of the School by Andrew Clements
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

6th grade –
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
Dewey, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

7th grade and up –
Holes by Louis Sachar
The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byers
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Pendragon Book One: The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Seventeen Second Miracle, by Jason F. Wright
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Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Who Is J.K. Rowling? By Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso

This month I read a nonfiction book for young readers. The Who Was…? series, published by Grosset & Dunlap, has a few Who Is…? books featuring people who are still alive. I read Who Is J.K. Rowling? by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso.



The story tells about Ms. Rowlings’ childhood, personal life, writing life, and Harry Potter, of course. The book is nonfiction, but it’s a modern day Cinderella story. Ms. Rowling struggled to make ends meet and then a decade later she was richer than the Queen of England. Ms. Rowling is not only a gifted writer, she is also a benevolent woman. She gives to charity and lends her support to many organizations that help single mothers and underprivileged people. J. K. Rowling is a fascinating woman living a fascinating life.

I recommend this book to 3rd graders and Harry Potter fans of all ages.

List of Recommended Books by Grade:
Picture books
Alphabet Puke—Monsters’ Medicine A-Z by Quinn Cole

2nd grade –
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Miss Holly Is Too Jolly, by Dan Gutman
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
Time Warp Trio #1: Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka
Time Warp Trio #2: The Not-So-Jolly Roger by Jon Scieszka

3rd grade –
Who Is J.K. Rowling? By Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Among the Impostors by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

4th grade –
Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
Louisiana's Song by Kerry Madden
The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
The Golly Whopper Games by Jody Feldman

5th grade –
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Benjamin Pratt & The Keeper of the School by Andrew Clements
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

6th grade –
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
Dewey, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

7th grade and up –
Holes by Louis Sachar
The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byers
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Pendragon Book One: The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Seventeen Second Miracle, by Jason F. Wright



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