Freedom's Gifts: A Juneteenth Story

Set in 1943 Texas on a hot summer day, Freedom's Gifts: A Juneteenth Story, by acclaimed author Valerie Wesley, tells the story of two young girls, June and her cousin Lillie celebrating Juneteenth, an African-American celebration that commemorates  when Texas slaves were freed on June 19, 1865 (2 years after President Abe Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation).

Lillie, a pre-teen from New York, is none to pleased to be visiting family in Texas to celebrate Juneteenth, a holiday she describes as an "old timey" holiday. Lillie changes her tune however after hearing her great Aunt Marshall tell the story of how her sister Sophie was taken from her when they were both slaves, and how Sophie then found Aunt Marshall when Texas slaves were finally set free.

The book gives a realistic portrayal of children's rebellious nature as well as the southern lifestyle of respecting one's elders. And i'ts honest portrayal of living the pain of living through slavery, as described by Aunt Marshall's character is realistic without being over-dramatic. The story also shines with watercolor illustrations by Sharon Wilson, whose pictures colorfully depict the south.

This story is one that every child should read, regardless of their race, because children and teenagers are so far removed today from the struggles of African-American's of the past, that they are unaware of the significance of a holiday like Juneteenth.  Freedom's Gifts: A Juneteenth Story was released in 1997, and can be found in local libraries and online at Amazon.com

NOTE: Juneteenth is no longer just celebrated in Texas, but also throughout the United States, including our own nation's capital, which hosts many Juneteenth celebrations this year along with its neighboring suburban communities. Information for Washington, DC Juneteenth events can be found at www.nationaljuneteenth.com/Calendar.html. To find Juneteenth celebrations in your state, visit http://www.juneteenth.us/events/. For more information about the Juneteenth holiday, visit http://www.nationaljuneteenth.com/.

Look with Me

I lost my shoe and I don't know what to do.

Where do I look to find my shoe? 

Will it be with my socks? 

Or will I find it in the toy box?

Look with Me by Sandra Williams is a wonderful book broken up into three sections, with three mini stories, all encouraging using your sight, touch, and hearing senses.

Have you ever tried to get a child to focus on something you wanted to show them, like a plane in the sky or a bird singing? This is the situation in the first mini story What do You See? which is reminiscent of the children's game "I Spy." The story encourages children to notice what is around them - including planes flying, the wind blowing, the sun shining and even the laughter of neighbors.

You know how kids like to lose things? This is the predicament in the second mini story My Lost Shoe, where a young boy loses his shoe and looks everywhere for it in his room. It's a great story for teaching children to think of solutions to a problem told in a humorous way, with fun rhyme and an ending that encourages helping one another.

In Looking Together, the last of the mini stories in Look with Me, the story encourages children to sing, read, and to see (feel) things with your heart by closing your eyes, and listening to what you hear around you. For example, using your senses to feel the sun on your skin.

Look with Me is a great for young children or children with short attention spans, as all three stories are fun, quick reads, but also ones that encourage children to think. The illustrations by Wendell L. Washington and Isia N. Washington are colorful and make the book even more enjoyable. Look with Me be purchased on the author's website or on bookstore.authorhouse.com or at Amazon.com.

Fall Rain by Pat Moore

Fall Rain is a fun story of a child's journey through the seasons, and his mother's tender advice on dressing for the changing weather.

It is a great book for very young children ages 2-7 years of age, and may be too simplistic for older children. It's perfect however for young children who enjoy rhyming prose and colorful illustrations.

An example of Fall Rain's fun prose is: "In the summer, Mom says whacck! Don't forget your cap!" which shows an illustration of a boy playing baseball. As the writer goes through the seasons, she gives children examples of activities they can enjoy during each season.

Fall Rain is great book to read to your little one as a It starting point for teaching an appreciation of the environment, and especially great for parents who want to encourage their children to take part in activities that don't involve video games, TV, or being on a computer. It is a great book to encourage creative ways to have fun as well as having a love of the changing seasons.

Fall Rain can be purchased online at http://www.atmyown-pace.com/Books.html or www.amazon.com.

Flower Garden

Garden in a shopping cart -

Garden on a bus -

Garden going up the stairs -

Can you guess what's next?

In Flower Garden, by Eve Bunting, a little girl goes from bus to store and more to create a window garden for her mother's birthday. What a great idea for a Mother's Day gift!

In this delightful story, a father takes his daughter to the local market where they buy a variety of flowers that he and the little girl take home and turn into a window garden. The two ride the bus to the market then hop back on the bus to go home where they go to work cutting and trimming the flowers, putting the potting soil in pots, getting the flowers all ready to set in their apartment window. The mother is surprised with her beautiful gift and birthday cake.

Flower Garden has beautiful illustrations and wonderful rhythmic prose. It's a shows the love a daughter has for her mother, while also showing the love a man has for his wife and daughter by involving his daughter in getting a gift for his wife's birthday. It is a positive family story without trying to be, all while showing gifts don't have to be grandiose and fancy as long as it comes from the heart, a lesson lost upon a lot of today's children.

My Friend Has Autism

My Friend Has Autism by Amanda Doering Tourville, is a book about a kid named Nick and his friend Zack. Zack doesn't always respond when Nick talks to him and he can even walk away when Nick is talking to Zack. The book explains that when Zack does those types of things, it is because of his Autism, and that Zack doesn't mean to be rude, it's just something in his brain doesn't grow the way that it should, which is why Autistic children can have behaviors that are odd to others. Some Autistic children don't talk, or only talk about their own interests.

Another aspect of Autism that the book explains is how Autistic children are more sensitive to sound than those without Autism, and how they don't like to be touched. It's not because they aren't friendly, they just have sensory overload which makes them that way.

Nick thinks Zack is a great friend, and despite his Autistic oddities,  likes him better than all his other friends because like Zack likes to play with model airplanes with Nick, and they play video games together. The best part of the book is that Nick realized Zack isn't that much different than other kids his age. He just has a few quirks. And that's okay.

My Friend Has Autism is a great book to read to children who have questions about Autism. It's also a great book to read to your child if you want to make sure your child grows up to be sensitive to special needs children; this book will will help them understand the quirks of Autistic children around them. It's a great book for children and adults alike. By buying this book, you will help dispel myths and educate others on Autism. And education is a beautiful thing!

We're Roaming in the Rainforest!

Its bright illustrations mesmerize! 

Its poetic text dances off the pages! 

The story will delight you and its ending will leave you wanting more.

In honor of Earth Day today, I'm reviewing We're Roaming in the Rainforest, a wonderful and beautifully illustrated book that celebrates one of the world's greatest environmental treasures, the South American rainforest. We're Roaming in the Rainforest begins with a sunrise that greets three children on their adventure through the rainforest. From the first page, the illustrations take your breath away with bright colorful drawings of butterflies, palm trees, lizards and other species of the rainforest.

The story explains of how ants store food, how spiders spin their webs and how alligators and cougars hunt prey, all in a wonderful rhyme that ends with the children listening to the rainforest "lullabies" - the night sounds that take place in the rainforest when the sun sets. I can't say enough good things about this book! From its wonderful ability to teach without being boring, to its bright and beautiful illustrations, the story leaves you refreshed, with a happy, hopeful feeling.

After telling of the rainforest’s wonders, the learning continues with a beautifully illustrated map of South America, summaries of the people and animals of the rainforest, and facts on how the rainforest is being destroyed and the need for conservation. I love this aspect of the book because it encourages discussion between parents and children to learn more about the rainforest and the planet in general.

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children

Miss More Thought Otherwise," How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children is a story of how one woman made it her life's mission to make libraries a place where children were included, and had a place in libraries for themselves.

Anne Moore grew up at a time where unmarried women usually tended house, but Anne Moore didn't want to "Stay inside and do quiet things such as sewing and embroidery." She dreamt of  becoming a lawyer like her father, and when she heard that New York libraries were hiring female librarians, Anne moved to the big city of New York and enrolled in the Pratt Institute library school.

In New York Anne helped changed the way kids books were handled in libraries. She developed a children's room at her library where children could check out books - something that had not been done in libraries before, because libraries feared children would destroy books if they were allowed to take them home. In order to make sure that books were taken care of while checked out, Anne developed a system where children would sign a pledge in a special book where they promised to obey the rules of the library and take care of the books while checked out.

People began to talk about Anne Moore's special kid's section of the library and she became head of children's sections of all branches of New York Public Library. In order to make it so that all libraries allowed children to check out books, she convinced librarians in all of New York's public libraries to adopt the pledge.

In 1911, she was instrumental in making Central library on 5th and 42nd streets the best children's room that anyone had ever seen. Even President Taft showed up for the opening of the Central branch of the New York Public Library.

From then on she continued making the library great by replacing dull books with those that were more interesting to children. She made book lists to help parents, teachers and other librarians find good books for kids, and she organized reading clubs and brought special guests to the Central branch of the library that included Dr. Seuss. Anne Moore continued to make a difference for libraries even after she stop working at age 70, she traveled across America to teach others how to make libraries great for children.

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children is a great book to read for National Library Week which has is celebrated this week. Celebrate books by going to the library and reading with your child this library week! For more information on events celebrating the event, visit http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek

Lola at the Library

Every week Lola goes to the library to find a new book

She loves it so much now she's hooked!

Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinnn, is a delightful little story about a toddler and her weekly ritual of going to the library. It is the perfect book to celebrate National Library Week, celebrated this year from April 13-19th.

Narrated in the voice of little Lola, she starts her day excited to go to the library and loads her backpack with books to return without her mother's direction. Once Lola is all packed, she gets her library card, and it's on to the library where she participates in story time in the special section for children.

After storytime, Lola looks around and finds books on a range of subjects; so many that she has trouble deciding which ones to check out! Should she check out the book with bears on the cover or the one about shoes? It's so hard to choose! Eventually Lola makes her choice and then goes back home to enjoy a snack with her mommy. Later that evening, Lola enjoys a bed time that her mother reads to her.

Lola at the Library is a great book for your little one for two reasons: it promotes a love of books, and it shows the importance of sharing the love of reading with your child by taking them to the library and reading at bedtime.

Celebrate books by going to the library and reading with your child this library week! For more information on events celebrating the event, visit http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek