Here is the fourth review of the 2011 Colorado Children's Book Award Nominees.
Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle by Major Brian Dennis, Kirby Larson, Mary Nethery
Ages: 0-Adult
Good Luck reading this picture book with dry eyes!!
Nubs tells the story of the friendship between an Iraqi homeless dog and U.S. Major Brian Dennis. Abused and abandoned, the dog Major Dennis named Nubs was the leader of his own pack of soldiers, many of them puppies. Befriended by Major Dennis, Nubs leads readers on his miraculous journey that ended in San Diego, CA.
Heart-wrenching are the scenes of Nubs running to catch up with Major Dennis’ departed Humvee and team. Heart-warming is the bond that immediately developed and continued between Major Dennis and Nubs. A sure reminder that little kindnesses are rewarded.
An added extra are the journal pages and pictures of Major Brian Dennis.
A brief explanation: I put the age level of zero on a lot of books because most are suitable for reading out loud to young people and that includes babies. If we don’t read to them from day 1, then we are depriving them of the enjoyment of words.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Live Internet Interview
Mark your calendar and tune in Monday August 9, 2010 at 6:30pm MDT for my internet interview on the Voices of Reality Kids show. We will be talking about my Medieval writing workshops for kids and, of course, "Guinevere." If you can't make it, look for it in the Archives. The show is hosted by Denver child actor Jonah Lujan.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Review of 2011 Colorado Children's Book Award Nominee
Here is the third review of the 2011 Colorado Children's Book Award Nominees. The age range: 0-adult.
14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah and illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez.
Memories of this event came back to me as I read. The story of the Maasai’s gift to the American people after 9/11 is not only beautiful, it is as Kimeli says for “all the little children who read this book. You are the peace the world has been waiting for. May you grow to be compassionate diplomats.”
Even the youngest will be enthralled with the generous gift of life from the Maasai people. It is a simple story of hope and compassion that brought tears to my eyes as I read.
Illustrator Thomas Gonzalez brings the Maasai people, the cows, and the country of Kenya to life on the pages of 14 Cows for America with his rich colors and detailed drawings.
14 Cows for America inspires hope when the reader realizes that the Maasai’s gift was not just 14 Cows, but life.
Read 14 Cows for America on your own or with your family and marvel at the Maasai's generosity. Visit the 14 Cows website to learn more about this story.
14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah and illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez.
Memories of this event came back to me as I read. The story of the Maasai’s gift to the American people after 9/11 is not only beautiful, it is as Kimeli says for “all the little children who read this book. You are the peace the world has been waiting for. May you grow to be compassionate diplomats.”
Even the youngest will be enthralled with the generous gift of life from the Maasai people. It is a simple story of hope and compassion that brought tears to my eyes as I read.
Illustrator Thomas Gonzalez brings the Maasai people, the cows, and the country of Kenya to life on the pages of 14 Cows for America with his rich colors and detailed drawings.
14 Cows for America inspires hope when the reader realizes that the Maasai’s gift was not just 14 Cows, but life.
Read 14 Cows for America on your own or with your family and marvel at the Maasai's generosity. Visit the 14 Cows website to learn more about this story.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Review of Rick Riordan's The Red Pyramid
Along with lots of Riordan fans, I eagerly awaited the debut of his new series The Kane Chronicles. The first book is The Red Pyramid.
As with his Percy Jackson series, Riordan introduces modern day characters with ties to an ancient civilization and mythology. In The Red Pyramid, siblings Carter and Sadie find out they have the blood of Egyptian pharaohs and are descended from powerful Egyptian magicians. How they come to terms with this is spread out over the course of the plot as they scramble to save their father, uncle and themselves from Egyptian gods long forgotten but brought back to life and now focused on destroying the world.
Riordan’s combination of action and Egyptian mythology keeps the story moving along with a couple of mummies. Readers shift back and forth between today’s world and ancient Egypt easily enough, but other concerns distracted me.
The story is told from the point of view of Carter and Sadie. To accomplish this, Riordan alternates viewpoints every two chapters. Even halfway through, I still found myself unable to remember which character was telling the story. Thankfully, at the top of each right-hand page was the name of the current storyteller.
Another concern is the lack of information on Egyptian mythology to let readers become familiar with the many gods and customs. Unlike Greek mythology which is taught in some degree is schools usually through Greek literature, Egyptian mythology is not well known. It is only through my research over the last year of Egyptian mythology and life that I understood the terms ba and maat which play major roles in the story.
Riordan does his young readers a disservice by not helping them understand this fascinating culture. I understand wanting to encourage readers to branch out and learn new ideas, but this may backfire and turn readers away.
Hopefully, Riordan’s loyal followers will give him another chance to engulf them in Egyptian mythology. I await the next book with that hope in mind.
As with his Percy Jackson series, Riordan introduces modern day characters with ties to an ancient civilization and mythology. In The Red Pyramid, siblings Carter and Sadie find out they have the blood of Egyptian pharaohs and are descended from powerful Egyptian magicians. How they come to terms with this is spread out over the course of the plot as they scramble to save their father, uncle and themselves from Egyptian gods long forgotten but brought back to life and now focused on destroying the world.
Riordan’s combination of action and Egyptian mythology keeps the story moving along with a couple of mummies. Readers shift back and forth between today’s world and ancient Egypt easily enough, but other concerns distracted me.
The story is told from the point of view of Carter and Sadie. To accomplish this, Riordan alternates viewpoints every two chapters. Even halfway through, I still found myself unable to remember which character was telling the story. Thankfully, at the top of each right-hand page was the name of the current storyteller.
Another concern is the lack of information on Egyptian mythology to let readers become familiar with the many gods and customs. Unlike Greek mythology which is taught in some degree is schools usually through Greek literature, Egyptian mythology is not well known. It is only through my research over the last year of Egyptian mythology and life that I understood the terms ba and maat which play major roles in the story.
Riordan does his young readers a disservice by not helping them understand this fascinating culture. I understand wanting to encourage readers to branch out and learn new ideas, but this may backfire and turn readers away.
Hopefully, Riordan’s loyal followers will give him another chance to engulf them in Egyptian mythology. I await the next book with that hope in mind.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)