Tuesday Tales

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Tuesday Tales – Another Library Card

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012

I love books. Perhaps it is the teacher in me, but it is the truth. We own a lot of books. The boys have a bookshelf that is bursting at the seems, we have one that is packed, and I have boxes of books that were bought for my classroom. I enjoy keeping up on multiple genres of literature. Unfortunately, the reality is I can not afford to buy every single book that we want to read in our house. It isn’t just about money though, it is also lack of space to keep the collection of books growing. These days I am much more selective.

As a home owner, I take full advantage of our local library. The boys and I went to a lot of events last summer, we take DVDs out, books are borrowed, and most recently I get audio and Kindle books. A while back, I wrote about looking to see if your library has eBook lending. Our library has a nice selection, but I was getting frustrated with lack of availability and strange search ability.

A friend of mine mentioned that she uses The New York Public Library to take out audio and Kindle books. I was intrigued and finally went to search how to get my own card (thank you J). If you are a resident of New York State, you can sign up to get your own card. Last Tuesday, I went to their website and filled out the simple online form. Yesterday, this arrived in the mail:

Once I opened the envelope, took a photo, and thanked my friend – I went right to the eBook loan page. On this page, you can borrow eBooks, Audio Books, Music, and Video. What I liked was the search seemed to work better than my local library’s page. Of course, since the NYPL is larger, they had tons more copies of many of the books that I was interested in. A book that I had been waiting for for quite some time had 3 copies available and 25 in the system for Kindle. I am in heaven!

So now I have a new book to read on the go with my Kindle App or Kimberly Kindle – and can sit back at home to read my latest traditional book:

What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Update: Please be sure to read over the Terms and Conditions for the NYPL Card. The card that you apply for online will only be temporary. The one that I just received is only good until September. You must validate your card to have it extended for the typical three years. For those outside of the NYC area the instructions are simple (copied from their website):

Cardholders from areas of NY State outside of the Metro NY area as defined above may e-mail scans or copies of the required forms of identification listed to circ@nypl.org. Alternatively, this information may be faxed to (212) 621-0278.

New library card applicants from these areas who applied for their card online and elected to receive it in the mail must first e-mail the above-mentioned form(s) of identification after receiving their card to validate it before full cardholder privileges can be extended. Both the library card number and required identification must be included with any renewal/validation request. Incomplete and/or unreadable information will not be accepted and will delay the continued use of your card.

Tuesday Tales – Meeting Ridley Pearson in Walt Disney World

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

It’s time to jump around on my timeline from events at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration to share something related to literacy, reading, and books. Nothing could fit in more perfectly than meeting NY Times Bestselling author Ridley Pearson. Since I signed up for his session on Saturday, I knew that Ellen and I would be front and center for his presentation. What I didn’t know is something magical would happen before that.

After the conference session on Friday, TechyDad and I met back up with my parents and the boys. Once back in the room, we debated what to do before the party in DinoLand at Animal Kingdom. We were told that we could head to the Animal Kingdom and exit the park to wait for the group while they finished setting up the area. This seemed like a good plan. On the way out of the Yacht Club to catch a bus to the Animal Kingdom, a person caught my eye. I shrugged it off until I got to the bus area and happened to bump into Ellen and her daughter. I told her that I was pretty sure I had just seen Ridley Pearson in the lobby, but was doubting myself.

After wandering around Animal Kingdom for a few hours, we waited outside the gates, for the rest of the families to arrive. I nudged Ellen and told her Ridley Pearson was walking in with everyone. This is when I mentioned something to my son and reminded him I was going to Mr. Pearson’s session in the morning.

NHL was busy going on ride after ride before eating dinner. Thanks to this, I had to force him to stop to get at least a little something. NHL and I were at one of the then empty buffet lines when I noticed someone come over on my left. I peeked and noted that it was Ridley Pearson. I said hello and wanted to make sure he was Mr. Pearson. He said he was and then I mentioned I was going to his session the next day. Then, I turned things over to NHL. I mentioned that NHL was a fan of the Kingdom Keepers. Without missing a beat, Mr. Pearson started to talk to NHL. He asked him about his favorite part of the book. NHL explained that he loved the scene in Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark when things happen in It’s a Small World. This is when I knew that Ridley Pearson gets his audience. He made small talk with NHL about how that really happened and he liked it as well. FYI, video coming soon from the session about this scene.

The next morning before the session began, I thanked Mr. Pearson. Thanks to this encounter, NHL wants to get back to reading the Kingdom Keeper series. He was excited to let his teacher know that he had met the author and kept chatting all night about the Small World Ride chat. Yes, once again, Ridley Pearson showed how a little magic from him could inspire a reluctant reader to jump back into reading. While others were asking for autographs, I knew that I had to get one for my son (little did I know my almost five year old would be jealous of this – ooops). I even took photos to share with NHL later.

More about the session and tour of Epcot with Ridley Pearson coming soon. Have you ever met an author? Please feel free to share your experience below. What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we were given an incredible deal from Disney. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan, it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event. Meeting Ridley Pearson was just another BIG perk from the festivities. One Amazon Affiliate link is included in this post for the book mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy any of the books through my links.

Tuesday Tales – Disney World Post-Pearson

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

While at Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, I had the opportunity to select a breakout session. When I saw that author Ridley Pearson was going to be there, it was an easy choice.

Just over a year ago, while at Walt Disney World, I walked off Pirates of the Caribbean and noticed some books. I took a photo so I could check them out at a later date. The books were called Kingdom Keepers and they intrigued me. One year later, I have read all of the books, save for one which was just published, and I am an even bigger fan.

Now that I have read all but the latest book in the series, I look at things differently when in the parks. I imagine the characters, the places, and events. More coming soon from this day soon.

Tuesday Tales – The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

Growing up as a child that went to Walt Disney World a lot, we always had the latest tour books and guides. Of course, back in the day there were not a lot of choices. These days, there are a lot of books, but most Disney people agree that the king of all books are the line from The Unofficial Guide series. Since 1985, these books have been carted from near and far to Walt Disney World.

Reality check time. The giant Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2012 is not the only published item these days. No, now you have multiple options. Wiley Publishing sent me the three books seen above to help us to prepare for our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World. Although I knew the other items existed, I had never owned them before. We bought several of the big books in the past, but now we had these other books.

The Mini Mickey is a great source of information wrapped up into a handy dandy size. As it states, it is the pocket-sized Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. Within the book, there are maps, ratings, and even some of the beloved touring plans for the parks.

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids 2012 really breaks items down based on how children may react to rides, shows, restaurants, resorts, and more. I love that they have more helpful hints about noise level and extreme darkness that could scare some children. I still need to get to know this book more since it is not one that I have used before.

The giant Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is still the mega go to book according to most of my other Disney loving friends. What everyone adores are the attention to detail, notes from other guests, and of course their detailed plans to maximize your park time. One item that seemed to be missing from the books was color photos. Check out the latest book that arrived after I took the photos and started this post:

It’s great to hear all of the wonderful things about say the Yacht Club Resort, but how about some photos inside the room Have no fear. You will also see pictures of rides, parades, and more. The Unofficial Guide: The Color Companion to Walt Disney World is officially coming out May 1!

Another great item to know – the Unofficial Guides are also online. Yes, the official home of the Unofficial Guide is TouringPlans.com and there is also an app. On their website, if you get their all access option there is even more magic from the magical writers that keep everyone up to date on all things related to Walt Disney World. For die hard fans, they even suggest which park is best to go to on a given day based on past history. This is huge when you are limited on time.

I know that these books will be heading to this years Disney Social Media Moms Celebration and we will use them when on the plane, in the resort, and on the go.

Do you have thoughts on the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. Let me know and/or ask questions that you have below.

Disclosure: I received these four books complimentary of Wiley in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. Four Amazon Affiliate links are included in this post for the books mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy any of the books through my links.

Tuesday Tales – The Cupcake Club

Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

It’s no secret, we like cupcakes in our house. There are several cupcake specialty bakeries in our area and we feel that it is our duty to check them all out. Just doing a cupcake search on my blog will give you a lot of items to look at on the topic. I also like to make cupcakes as part of birthday celebrations for the boys, including the most recent Lion Cupcakes.

When I heard that Sourcebooks had a new series out that worked around cupcakes, I was excited to receive an advanced copy of the book that just came out last week.

About The Cupcake Club:

Meet Kylie Carson.

She’s a fourth grader with a big problem. How will she make friends at her new school? Should she tell her classmates she loves monster movies? Forget it. Play the part of a turnip in the school play? Disaster! Then Kylie comes up with a delicious idea: What if she starts a cupcake club?

Soon Kylie’s club is spinning out tasty treats with the help of her fellow bakers and new friends. But when Meredith tries to sabotage the girls’ big cupcake party, will it be the end of the Cupcake Club?

The Cupcake Club: Peace, Love, and Cupcakes – Written by Sheryl Berk and Carrie Berk – Sourcebooks Jabberwocky – On sale April 2012 – ISBN 9781402264498 – Paperback 208 pages – Ages 9+ – $6.99

What I Thought:

The cover of this book made me drop what I was reading to start reading. I was especially intrigued since I knew that it was written by a mother and daughter team. What I don’t think I really realized (too distracted with Passover preparations) was a bit more about the pair. Carrie Berk is the 9 year old author that wrote The Cupcake Club with her mother Sheryl Berk. Sheryl Berk is a New York Times bestselling co-author of Soul Surfer (on my to read list since my students always had my copy out). Carrie is a seasoned cupcake reviewer. She has traveled all over the world and written about the cupcakes on her website called Carrie’s Cupcakes Critique. Carrie is also on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter (all found on her website).

As soon as I started reading the story, I became attached to Kylie Carson. This four grader is still struggling to be accepted in her new school. She likes different things than most of her peers and struggles with keeping troubles to herself. What troubles? Well, Kylie is the victim of a bully and her name is Meredith. Meredith gets great joy in the world when she humiliates Kylie in any way. Kylie is afraid that if she tells an adult what is going on that it will only get worse.

Thankfully, when Juliette, the drama teacher steps in to mentor Kylie her world quickly changes. Juliette tells her about the way she was picked on as a child and how she took up baking to help. This is when The Cupcake Club was born. We follow along on the adventure to recruit three more members and watch how they befriend each other.

Will Kylie stand up to the bully? Read the first book in this new series to find out!

I really enjoyed The Cupcake Club. It read quickly and brought up some great discussion topics like bullying, building self esteem, not giving up, making friends, forgiving, and more. My only small criticism of the book is that I have a hard time visualizing fourth graders taking on so much. As the mother of an almost fourth grader, I think the kids should have been a bit older to be doing so much on their own. Once you read the book and learn about the success of their business, you will understand. Even with this little item, I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. I also love that at the end of the book Carrie and Sheryl include the recipes that they talk about within the story. They sound delicious and will have to be tested after Passover.

I know I look forward to reading more adventures of Peace, Love, and Cupcakes. Now, I am going to share a fun video of Carrie making some fun cupcakes.

BTW – A giveaway for this book will be coming soon on The Angel Forever thanks to Sourcebook, so stay tuned!

Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sourcebooks in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. An Amazon Affiliate link is included in this post for the book mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the book through that link.

Tuesday Tales – The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

Have you ever heard of the PJ Library? I have written about it before, but it really is an amazing program available in some areas of the country.

Basically, Jewish families within the area with children can sign them up to receive a new book, music CD, or other item each month. Our boys are lucky and have been getting PJ Library items for several years now. As an educator, I love seeing all of the new books and authors that I have never experienced before. As a Jewish mother, I adore reading about holidays, people, and places that mean a lot to our religion. To see if your community participates, head over to the PJ Library website.

With Passover coming right around the corner, JSL received a new to him book.

Holiday House Books — ISBN: 9780823423279 — Paperback Picture Book $6.95

The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah is a great picture book for families to read together. The book takes a cute spin on a familiar tale. We meet the Little Red Hen as she begins to think about Passover. She knows that soon she will need to make matzah, which will mean planting wheat.

Adults and older children will quickly notice the attention to detail that author Leslie Gimmelman includes in the book. The Little Red Hen often uses Yiddish as she kvetches about the chutzpah that her friends who keep denying her assistance as she asks. Over and over, we see how The Little Red Hen keeps working toward her matzah making goal to get done in time for the Passover Seder. Her friends refusing to assist does not stop her from pushing forward.

When JSL and I were reading he adored the illustrations from Paul Meisel. Meisel’s art helps to further bring The Little Red Hen’s Passover tale alive. We can see how hard she works to make the matzah in the 18 minutes and then set her beautiful Seder table.

Of course, when you read the story you will see how The Little Red Hen becomes a mensch. Children of all ages can see how perfectly this word matches her actions given the story.

I highly recommend this book for all children and families to learn about Passover. The Little Red Hen gives some great details in a fun story that is perfect for readers of all ages.

Are you a member of the PJ Library? I would love to hear about books that you have received from them. As always, please share what you have read recently. Be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Disclosure: My son received this book as a member of the PJ Library. Membership in our area is free and we are never expected to review/write about this, I simply wanted to share a great book. An Amazon Affiliate link is included in this post for the book mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the book through that link.

Tuesday Tales – I’m Not Tired Yet!

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

Raise your hand if you are tired from lack of sleep thanks to the clocks springing forward. . .

Imagine me sitting here waving my hands wildly! Although extra hours of sunlight are a wonderful thing, they wreck havoc on the sleep cycles of the kids in the house, which transfers over to the adults. Their bodies still think it is earlier, the sun is out, and they do not want to settle to get ready for bed. The timing on a rerelease of a book written and illustrated by Marianne Richmond could not have been more perfect.

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; ISBN: 978-1-4022-6878-6; Picture Book; $16.99 March 2012

As the mother of an eight and almost five year old, I have heard a lot of excuses from my boys on why they are not tired and/or do not want to go to bed. I have to admit that NHL and JSL have very active imaginations, but nothing quite like Ralphie.

Ralphie is a six year old little boy who is the star character of I’m Not Tired Yet! He and his mother allow us to watch as they participate in their sweet bedtime routine. As we see from the start, Ralphie is not interested in going to bed. Although his mother is aware of his strategy to prolong his wake time, she engages in an adorable play with words with her young son. Together, they imagine multiple animal visits while allowing for time to kiss, hug, poke, and play before finally settling down for the night.

One example of Ralphie’s favorite animal is the polar bear. When he says that he can’t sleep because of a mosquito buzzing in his ear, she quickly suggests polar bear cuddle time. Sure enough the beautiful illustrations from Richmond allow us to see the sweet embrace of mother and son as polar bears.

Of course, children will see the repetitive nature of Ralphie’s mother saying good night to him and something cropping up soon after. Then, as his mother is about to leave, something seems to come to Ralphie’s little mind that requires his mother to stay a little longer.

When I read this book with JSL (4), he curled up next to me to listen to the story. He loved that Ralphie was young, but not too little. What I really liked was how JSL immediately wanted to try the fun items that Ralphie and his mother were doing in the book. We were apes, we did fish kisses, and other adorable items that did not get my little guy too amped up before his bedtime.

I believe this may have been the first time we have read one of Marianne Richmond’s books, but will not be the last. JSL has already asked to check into some of her other titles to read together. Ending the day with some laughs was a definite plus for us.

Tuesday Tales – It’s a Big World, Little Pig!

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

When we first got our Kindle, we wanted to try a picture book on it. That is when we met Poppy the Pig in Dream Big, Little Pig! The book was an adorable tale written by figure skating gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi. In it, Poppy wants to be a star and learns that she has to work hard, be persistent, and believe in herself. When I was contacted by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky to let me know that Poppy was back, we immediately wanted to read about her new adventure.

It’s a Big World, Little Pig! is available in stores today. Poppy returns in this book following her dreams of going to a special competition in Paris. The heroine gets nervous about traveling from New York City all the way to Paris. She is especially worried about not making new friends in this far off location. Tim Bowers illustrations whisk us away from Poppy’s home in New York City to the competition village in Paris.

Through the book, Poppy meets and makes friends with competitors from different countries. She waits on line to register and meets a panda from China named Li. They talk, look at a map of the village, and share some of their own language with each other. This learning adventure continues as Poppy meets more friends and they help each other to be less nervous along the way.

As a parent, I love this book and how Kristi Yamaguchi helps to show that fears are normal when you do something new and different. She also shows that by being brave and meeting new people, you can help each other with these situations. We may not all look the same, or speak the same language, but kindness and smiles are understood by everyone. In addition to this, I adore how supportive Poppy’s parents are and how they continue to encourage her to reach her goals and then travel to view things in Paris with her after the event.

The educator in me adores how this book could convert to many teachable moments with older children. Not only can you talk about the concept of following your dreams, but you learn about new cultures, new places, and new languages with Poppy’s new friends. A lot of fun activities with passports. There are even activity kits that you can download for free from the first book that would be fun for children to try.

Another great perk about purchasing the book is that Kristi Yamaguchi is donating 100% of her profits from the book to early childhood literacy programs supported by her Always Dream Foundation.

Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sourcebooks in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. Two Amazon Affiliate links are included in this post for the two books mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the book through that link.

Tuesday Tales – Hunger Games Mania

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

In September 2008, author Suzanne Collins wrote a book that would quickly become a fan favorite. Now, almost three and a half years later, The Hunger Games has sold over 23.5 million copies in the United States. The book has spent more than 160 consecutive weeks on The New York Times bestseller list.

Hunger Games Trilogy on Kimberly Kindle

I have to admit, I have heard people raving about the book for a long time, but never stopped long enough to read it. Then more and more came out about the book being made into a major motion picture from Lionsgate. I was definitely more intrigued as friend after friend mentioned reading it. In addition to this, many teacher friends have used the book within their classrooms as a unit of study. Scholastic has even made pages on their website to help fans of all ages to connect to the trilogy and learn more.

When we got our Kindle, we selected The Hunger Games Trilogy as part of our prize. Last week, I finished reading some other books and sat down to start The Hunger Games. After the initial chapter, the pages were turning faster than I could imagine. Suddenly, I was swept away in the world of Katniss Everdeen. My mind was racing as the book reminded me of some novels that I read in High School, only I adored this SO much more. I quickly finished book and am now almost finished with Catching Fire. I have put my knitting down and can’t stop reading every chance that I have.

On March 23, The Hunger Game will blast onto the screen in theaters across the country. We will be able to watch Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Haymitch, Effie, Cinna, and all of the other characters that captivate their audience. Here is the trailer for the movie:

Are you a fan of The Hunger Games Trilogy? Are you looking forward to seeing the movie coming out in less than a month? Let me know your thoughts on another book to movie event.

Disclosure: Three Amazon Affiliate links are included in this post for the items mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the book through that link. We bought this book on our own from Scholastic and know it is on our gift list for other children.

Tuesday Tales – Isabella: Girl on the Go

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

Last year, I read a blog post about a book called My Name Is Not Isabella: Just How Big Can a Little Girl Dream? It was not just any book. It was about inspiring children, especially girls, to dream big. The spunky little character within the story is Isabella. Author Jennifer Fosberry introduces us to this fun child who did not simply want to be herself, she wanted to be famous women in history. I fell in love with the New York Times bestselling book and was so excited to hear that Fosberry and illustrator Mike Litwin teamed up again for the new sourcebook about Isabella. The book is being released today.

In the first book, Isabella uses her imagination to showcase to her mother the amazing scientific women that she is pretending to become. She learns that the sky is the limit if she follows her dreams. In Isabella: Girl on the Go, we watch as Isabella sits in her backyard and talks to her father.

Once again, Isabella’s imagination takes her from her yard and propels her into the adventure of a lifetime. Each time her father asks her who she is, we are whisked off to a new city where we see a famous structure.

Thanks to Isabella, we are able to see that everything in the world is just a dream away. We learn about new careers like being an archeologist, artist, astronomer, and more while traveling to places like Paris, London, China, and beyond. The playful words from Fosberry allow readers to see where Isabella has gone in her imagination. They are paired perfectly with the gorgeous illustrations from Litwin.

The book really could be for multiple age levels. Younger children will marvel at Isabella’s silly imagination and talks with her father while in her own yard. Older children can use the tale as a starting point to do more research about the places and structures that Isabella sees within her vivid imagination. At the end of the book, there is even more information about the places and structures that we visit.

I know that I highly recommend this book and hope to use it for gifts in the future. More information about the book, a downloadable Isabella Girl on the Go Passport and activity kit, and book tour can be found on Sourcebooks website. I know I will be printing these out to try with my kids soon. They look like a fun addition to a book study in a classroom, or something to try at home on a snowy or rainy day.

Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sourcebooks in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. Two Amazon Affiliate links are included in this post for the two books mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the book through that link.

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