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Tuesday Tales – Picnic at Camp Shalom

Posted on June 7, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As a child, I have many memories of going to camp during the summer. I went to a JCC camp, Girl Scout Camp, a local nature/crafting camp, and some others over the years. These days, the options of camps are even more extensive if you know where to look. Summer vacation in our area does not begin until the end of June. I have been so busy with other items, that I have not secured camp for the boys yet. I know; I need to get cracking on that.

While reading Picnic at Camp Shalom, a new book out from Kar-Ben Publishing, it made me think back on my camp experiences. I remember being in a summer play that was a spoof of The Wizard of Oz with a Purim theme. I dressed up and recall singing “Follow the Hamantaschen Road” with my friends. I need to dig around to find the photos to show my boys as I investigate camps for them.

More about Picnic at Camp Shalom:

When Carly makes fun of Sara’s last name at mail call, her bunkmate at Camp Shalom thinks she’s just being mean and refuses to be consoled. Little does Sara know that Carly had a reason for her outburst. When their mutual love of music brings harmony to Shabbat dinner as well as to their friendship, Carly finally gets the chance to reveal her secret.

Here is a trailer from the author about the book:

Picnic at Camp Shalom – Written by Jacqueline Jules – Illustrated by Deborah Melmon - Kar-Ben Publishing – March 2011 – ISBN 978-0-7613-6662-1 – $7.95 (paperback) – Ages 5-9

What I Thought:

Summer camp is a milestone that most children will eventually participate in. Making new friends and getting to know them is part of the excitement of the experience. Of course, when you do not know someone well, you could easily hurt their feelings. Jacqueline Jules shows us how Carly makes an honest mistake that results in Sara pulling away from her new friend. We watch as Carly learns from her mistake and explains to Sara that she is sorry for upsetting her. The beautiful illustrations from Deborah Melmon take us into the world of Camp Shalom and let us go on the flag hunt and join in Shabbat dinner with the campers. Traditions of summers at camp, being Jewish, and making new friends are strong themes in the book.

As a teacher and parent, I really like another aspect of Picnic at Camp Shalom. Children often act in an impulsive fashion. Without even thinking, they can say words that sting and hurt their friends and others in their lives. This book would be great to use with children to show them why it is so important to stop and think before saying something too quickly. Take time to discuss what happened to Carly as a result of what she said to Sara. How could she have done things differently? What would you do if you were in that situation? Do you think your feeling would be hurt if someone did that to you? As you can see there are a lot of questions you could generate from this. I can not wait to share this book with my almost eight year old son. Lots of lessons to be learned from it.

What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your Book Posts, and/or leave a comment 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: I received this book complimentary of Kar-Ben Publishing in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. One widget within the review is for my Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.

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Tuesday Tales–The Scrambled States of America Talent Show

Posted on May 31, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

People always think that the only trips I went on as a child were to Walt Disney World. The truth is that we did a lot more than that. We used to drive up and down the east coast to fun destinations. My mother always made sure that each trip had at least one education component. We went to places like:

Fort McHenry – National Anthem written there
Monticello – Estate of Thomas Jefferson
Colonial Williamsburg
Washington DC
Mount Vernon – George Washington’s estate
Philadelphia, PA – To see the Liberty Bell among other items

Memories of touring different states, cities, and historic areas were amazing. When I learned about them in school, they meant so much more to me. This is something I would love to do with our boys.

The other day NHL had a connect at home activity to do. Apparently, a story in their reading book had something to do about traveling in the United States. One of the items for home was to read The Scrambled States of America. We had already read that with NHL. For Chanukah, one year, he received that book by Laurie Keller, along with a puzzle. I recalled that I had purchased the follow up book from Scholastic and decided it would be a great substitution.

About The Scrambled States of America Talent Show:

From Laurie Keller’s website:

THOSE WACKY SCRAMBLED STATES ARE AT IT AGAIN! This time they’ve come together for a spectacular show featuring their many goofball talents. But just when Indiana (the director) is about to call SHOWTIME!, Georgia gets a bad case of stage fright. Will the show go on or will it be curtains?

In this sequel to The Scrambled States of America, young readers will get another dose of madcap adventure and silly antics while learning interesting facts about the states and geography.

The Scrambled States of America Talent Show – Written and Illustrated by Laurie Keller – First Scholastic printing 2009 (released in 2008 by Henry Holt and Co.) – ISBN 978-0-545-22108-5 – Ages 9-12 – 40 pages

Not only are there the two scrambled states books, there is also a puzzle w/book (we have this), Scrambled States of America Board Game, Card Game, and even a Scrambled States of America DVD. Here’s a preview of the DVD that I found:

What We Thought:

NHL loved this book. He laughed and learned with every page that we turned. The details within the text and chatter of the states is amazing. Even if you had not read the original Scrambled States of America you could easily pick this up and read it. Yes, it is a picture book and this is an amazing example of the power of this genre of books even with older children. The illustrations and facts that are packed into them will keep these items in your child’s head. Almost a week after reading the story, NHL keeps talking about going to see the Liberty Bell in Pennsylvania and laughing about Georgia’s state fright.

Here is a view inside the book:

Laurie Keller’s illustrations keep readers moving and wanting to learn more. If we had time, I can imagine sitting down to start a mini-research project on items that were intriguing to him.

As a parent and teacher, I adore this book. United States history, geography, and state facts are learned in an entertaining fashion. When Georgia goes to see Dr. Globe, he runs some tests. The x-ray shows her cities, and them they zoom out a bit to see counties. I could see this book being used as an introduction to items to include in a state report or more. I highly recommend this to use within a classroom setting, while homeschooling, or just as a fun book for a family read aloud. Laurie Keller even has a page on her website to use with this book. This includes a matching sheet, meet your state, unscramble storyline, word find, and teacher’s guide.

I know that we will be gifting this book for kids that we know in the future. No doubt we will also be reading other books by Laurie Keller this summer.

Disclosure: I purchased this book from a Scholastic Book order form that my son had sent home a while back. One widget within the review is for my Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.

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Tuesday Tales – Kingdom Keepers Series

Posted on May 24, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Last week, I wrote about a new to me author that I found while in Disney World in March. I have to admit, I am quite addicted to Ridley Pearson and his amazing books. Today, I had planned on writing a review of Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark, but a sick little Buzz Lightyear has changed those plans.

I finished reading the first in Kingdom Keepers book solo. We are probably 2/3 finished as a family for read aloud and NHL really has been into it. Last night, I started to read the second book and am also doing research for a Kingdom Keepers post on The Disney Driven Life. I guess you could say I really like these books. They keep me on my toes, involve my love for Walt Disney World, and are genuinely entertaining.

Here is a video that Disney made for the recent release of the fourth book in the Kingdom Keepers series. As you will see, Pearson will be taking the next book outside of the Disney parks to the seas and has stated there will be seven books in the final series.

Yes, there is a Kingdom Keepers field trip opportunity for students. Can I go back to school now? I would love this not only as a student, but as a teacher. I would love to hear from anyone that has done one of these experiences.

Disclosure: One widget within this post is for my Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.

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Tuesday Tales – Ridley Pearson Books

Posted on May 17, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Back in March, while at Walt Disney World, something caught my eye in one of the gift stores. We had just finished our adventure on Pirates of the Caribbean, so the boys were looking at all of the pirate goodies. Some books on display made me stop and look. The covers had Disney items on them, but they reminded me of the Harry Potter series. I took a photo of the books to research when I got home.

Yes, this was my introduction to the Ridley Pearson Kingdom Keepers series. Just a week or so later, Pearson was at Walt Disney World for the release of the fourth book in the series. I knew that I had to get my hands on the first one. I read about it and told NHL and TechyDad the general premise. We decided to do a read aloud of the book.

Yes, we have been reading The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark together. I have a confession. I could not stop reading and have been anxiously reading ahead so I can move onto the second and third books that are already here from the library.

So, please excuse me. I have about 40 pages of my book left and really want to finish to tease the boys. Then, next week, I will be back with my review of this fun filled Disney series.

Disclosure: One widget within this post is for my Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned

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Tuesday Tales – The Case of the Crooked Carnival

Posted on May 10, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away I was a teacher. I wore many different hats as a teacher. Having three areas of certification, I am able to teach a lot of areas. One year, the school I worked for needed a sixth grade language arts teacher. I jumped at the opportunity. That meant I was able to work on combining language arts and science together. It was tricky, but able to be accomplished with projects and technology integration.

What I would have loved would have been more trade books (that’s teacher talk for novels used in a classroom) to read with the kids. Luckily, more authors are now writing fiction books for children with a scientific twist. A while back, Sterling Children’s Books sent me one of their Doyle and Fossey, Science Detective books by Michele Torrey.

I had never heard of this series, so I decided to read it solo before trying it with my reluctant chapter book reading second grader.

More about The Case of the Crooked Carnival:

From Sterling – Science super-sleuths Drake Doyle and Nell Fossey are back—this time in a never-before-published addition to the popular series! They’ve got an exciting collection of cases, too: Are ghosts and ghouls keeping Edgar Glum awake? Have aliens invaded Mossy Swamp? What’s the crooked game everyone’s losing at the carnival? And why is the town bridge going bananas? Kids will have fun following the clues—and learning about such real scientific principles as amplification, ecosystems, magnetic fields, and more. Plus, budding Doyles and Fosseys will find actual experiments to try!

Michele Torrey holds a degree in microbiology and immunology. In addition to the Doyle & Fossey mysteries she has written the critically acclaimed Voyage of Midnight (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2006), To the Edge of the World (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2003), and many other books for young people. Barbara Johansen Newman wrote and illustrated Sterling’s critically praised Tex & Sugar (2007). School Library Journal noted that her “Rich, vibrant illustrations, like an explosion of color, capture the sights of the city, while meticulous detail depicts the all-animal cast and a wide range of expressions.” Her work has been featured in national magazines, newspapers, calendars, cards, and more than a dozen children’s books.

The Case of the Crooked Carnival – Written by Michele Torrey – Illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman – Sterling Children’s Books– June 2010 – ISBN 978-1-4027-4965-0 – $6.95 – Ages 9-12 – 96 pages

What I Thought:

As I sat devouring The Case of the Crooked Carnival, I kept thinking about how perfect it would have been to use in a classroom. Within the language arts curriculum, a teacher could use it in a mystery genre study. There were many opportunities to make predictions and utilize a dialogue journal. My teacher brain kept running a mile a minute thinking about different items. Of course, the science teacher in me adored the scientific details within the book. The four mysteries incorporated a great deal of science facts for students of all ages. Doyle and Fossey take the readers into their world and carefully explain how they used their knowledge of science principals to solve each case.

The book also had a section after the cases about creating your own lab, describing the Scientific Method, and five experiments to try on your own. I loved how the Michele Torrey explained to young scientists the items that are contained in a good lab notebook. Once again, this could be combined with the start of more formalized science labs within a curriculum. Here are some view from within The Case of the Crooked Carnival:

As I was looking online, I was thrilled to see that there are also items for educators to use with the Doyle and Fossey books. Michele Torrey has an Educator’s Corner that includes teacher guides. The guide for The Case of the Crooked Carnival is 40 pages and includes:

Character Analyses
Mystery Genre – antagonist/protagonist
Alliteration
Read-aloud connections
Vocabulary
Science Study with a lot of connectors to the reading extension on the science – Sound, Amplification, Ecosystems, Magnets, and Resonance.
9 Reproducible sheets to use with students

I can not wait to read this book with my son. He loves science and solving mysteries. I think this will be a great read for over the summer so we can add some science enrichment activities and do our own lab experiments. Of course, I also want to get more of the Doyle and Fossey books – lucky for us there are five additional titles to select from. I definitely recommend these books to others and will be gifting them in the future.

Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sterling Children’s Books in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. One widget within the review is for my Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.