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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.

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 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.

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Tuesday Tales – Hitler’s Will

Posted on April 26, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

We will never forget. Over 6 million lives lost just because of their religious identity. Never will it happen again, yet it has. Together as a human race we must stop, think, teach, and read as much as we can about the topic.

What am I talking about?

I am referring to the Holocaust. Last year, I wrote about Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. I explained about fears that I had as a child growing up Jewish in a world that still is hateful. I also teased about writing a book review that I have never done. Today, I am doing that since Yom HaShoah is this coming Sunday, May 1.

When TechyDad and I were married, almost ten years ago, we had to select people to sign our ketubah (marriage license). This was a rather big deal. We decided that each of us would pick someone from our side to give this honor. To complicate matters, we wanted these people to be shomer shabbos and they could not be direct relatives.

My extended family is rather close. Even people that are not blood relatives were people that I grew up with, admired, and part of many holiday celebrations and events. My Aunt is British and we knew that we wanted her parents to be part of our celebration. The minute we heard that they were coming to our wedding, we knew we were going to ask Hermi to sign our ketubah.

Growing up, everyone mentioned that Hermi had lived through the Holocaust. I was always intrigued by this statement, but never brave enough to ask more. We were married, years went by, and then in November 2009 Hermi published a book about his experience during World War II.

About Hitler’s Will:

This is a synopsis of the book from the publisher:

Herman Rothman arrived in Britain from Germany as a Jewish refugee in the early years of WWII. He joined the British Army and in 1945 was posted to Westertimke and Fallingbostel PoW camps to interrogate high-ranking Nazi war criminals. When papers were discovered sewn into the shoulders of a jacket belonging to Heinz Lorenz, who had been Goebbels’ press secretary, he and a team of four others were charged with translating under conditions of the deepest secrecy. The documents turned out to be the originals of Hitler’s personal and political wills, and Goebbels’ addendum. Later on, in Rottenburg hospital, Rothman interrogated Hermann Karnau, who had been Hitler’s valet, to establish information about the Fuhrer’s death in the bunker.

Hitler’s Will is the amazing true story of Herman Rothman’s remarkable life, including how he managed to escape from Nazi Germany before the war began, and his role in bringing to light Hitler’s personal and political testaments, which shed important light on his final thoughts.

Hitler’s Will – Written by Herman Rothman – Edited by Helen Fry – Publishers: The History Press – November 2009 – ISBN 978-0752448343

What I thought:

Since I read The Diary of Anne Frank in fifth grade, I have read any book that I can find about this time period. I am a firm believer that we need to learn from the Holocaust and teach our children about the atrocities. Soon, there will be no survivors around to tell about their experiences.

I read Hitler’s Will in just over two days. It would have been less if I had more time to simply read. Even if I did not know Hermi, this book was fascinating. Hermi explains about his life in Germany under Hitler. Then, he takes us along on his journey from Germany to England where we learn about life in a new world. The book goes into a lot of detail about how he enlisted in the British army and served in the intelligence area doing a lot of interrogation. Readers find out how Hitler’s Will was found, translated, and used.

I have to admit, one of my favorite parts of biographical books are when photos are included. Hitler’s Will is no different.

I sat there looking at Hermi over the years in far off places, and then with his beautiful wife Shirley and their family. It really hit home.

Trying to summarize my feelings about this book is hard. It really was a unique look at one man’s life will to survive, work during World War II, and pledge to learn from history. The items in this book made me even more proud to call Herman Rothman a part of my family. TechyDad and I always look at our ketubah on our wall and smile knowing what an honor it is to have Hermi’s signature on our precious ketubah that started our married life together.

Disclosure: I snagged this book out of my mother’s house – thanks Mom! The opinions expressed in the review are my own and were in no way influenced by my relationship with the author. The widget within the review is an Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.