Kid Lit Blog Hop 17

Please see our NEW RULES below!

Welcome to the 17th Kid Lit Blog Hop. The Kid Lit Blog Hop takes place on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. We have managed to create a dynamic and engaged community of children’s books bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists, as well as parents seeking out their next great read. So, you are more than welcome to link in and take some time to make some new friends.

Please join me in welcoming a new permanent hostess, Reshama at Stacking Books – a wonderful blog with many recommendations for the best children’s books. We are also pleased to have Fiona Ingram, the author of The Secret of the Sacred Scarab (click for my review of this FABULOUS middle grade book) and a blogger as well, joining us this week as co-hostess of the Hop. Welcome Reshama and Fiona! Please be sure to give each of our hostesses a visit to say a quick hello!

Happy Hopping everyone and enjoy the Hop!

<div align="center"><a href="http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/category/kid-lit-blog-hops/" title="Kid Lit Blog Hop"><img src="http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Kid-Lit-Blog-Hop-Button-Sep-2012-e1349976901756.jpg" alt="Kid Lit Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Kid Lit Blog Hop Rules *NEW*:

1. *NEW* Please follow your hostesses and co-hostesses. You can follow us any way you choose. Make sure to leave us a message (i.e., on Twitter or Facebook or on our websites) and we will be sure to follow you back. Thanks!

Hostesses:

Renee @ Mother Daughter Book Reviews Twitter * Goodreads

Jaymie @ Snacks for Max Twitter * Facebook

Heidi @ Geo Librarian Twitter * Facebook

Sue @ Kid Lit Reviews Twitter * Facebook

Katie @ Youth Literature Reviews Twitter * Facebook

Julie Grasso, Author of Escape From the Forbidden Planet/Blogger Twitter * Facebook

Cheryl Carpinello, Author of Guinevere & The King’s Ransom / Blogger Twitter * Facebook

Reshama @ Stacking Books Twitter * Facebook

Co-Hostesses:

Fiona Ingram, Author of The Secret of the Sacred Scarab / Blogger Twitter * Pinterest

2. Link up any Kid Lit related post. This can be a link to a children’s book review, a discussion about children’s literature/literacy, or a post on a recently-read children’s book or one that you love from your childhood.

* Don’t link directly to your blog, it must be a specific post*

* For Authors, we prefer you to link to your blog if you have one *

* Make sure you include an image relevant to the POST (e.g., book cover), not your blog button or photo of yourself.*

* Feel free to link more than one post.*

3. *NEW* Please visit AT LEAST the TWO LINKS directly ahead of your own and leave them some love in the form of a comment. We are trying to build a community of bloggers, readers, parents, authors, and others who are as passionate about children’s literature as we are so please CONNECT and follow any or all of the blogs that interest you!

4. If you like, grab the button above and put it somewhere on your blog, preferably the post you’re linking up. If you’d prefer, you can just add a text link back to this Hop so that others can find it and check out all these great book links!

5. It would really help us get the word out about the Kid Lit Blog Hop if you would be so kind as to tweet, share, and spread the word about the Hop!

Interested in co-hosting the Kid Lit Blog Hop? Please email renee @ motherdaughterbookreviews (dot) com and put Co-Hosting Blog Hop in the subject line.

Happy Hopping!

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7 Ways to Celebrate Reading With Your Child

“A great nation is a reading nation,” according to Frederic Melcher, editor of Publishers Weekly in the early 1900s. I agree!

Reading offers so many benefits: larger vocabularies, wider knowledge of people and places otherwise out of reach, creativity, and so much more. The information age calls for leaders with these characteristics. When all children love to read and develop these skills, we will have a brighter future.

According to the official website of Children’s Book Week, Franklin K. Matthiews, the librarian of the Boy Scouts of America, toured the country in 1913 promoting higher standards for children’s books, resulting in the founding of Children’s Book Week, an annual week-long celebration of books and the joy of reading.

Fifty cities around the United States hosted official celebrations for Children’s Book Week from May 13-19, and many other cities saw their citizens celebrating at home. How can you celebrate in your home every day?

Were there any Children’s Book Week events in your area this year? If not, lobby to get some for 2014! Each official event features published authors and illustrators. Visitors meet the authors and illustrators, get free swag, and can even take books to have signed! Tweet to @CBCBook, post on their Facebook page, and offer suggestions of authors who either write about your state or come from your state.

Get your child to the library. Our library offers weekly crafts for kids on Saturday mornings, fun events for teenagers like murder mysteries and glow-in-the-dark paint parties, scavenger hunt events, reading times, and more. Visit your library’s website to check out the schedule and find a fun event for your child.

Download an e-book for your child. Even if you prefer physical books, there’s no doubt your child will encounter e-books in school and later at work. Let them choose an e-book to explore on your computer or e-reader, and give them a leg up. Many e-books offer extras, like links to supplemental information and author interview clips. We Give Books by Penguin is a great site for free e-books.

Read a book that has been adapted to the screen, then rent the movie. Talk about the differences and what they add to or take away from the story. Some great books/films are The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Hugo is the film), Where the Wild Things Are, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and of course Harry Potter.

Join Virtual Book Club for Kids. Each month this group of bloggers reads the works of a different kid lit author and shares the experiments, crafts, and other activities they create to go along with the books. The Virtual Book Club is hosted by Mommy and Me Book Club, Toddler Approved, and The Educators’ Spin On It.

Visit the Kid Lit Blog Hop and enter to win of free books! The Kid Lit Blog Hop had a special Hop to celebrate Children’s Book Week hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Mother Daughter Book Reviews. Mother Daughter Book Reviews also hosts the Kid Lit Blog Hop on the first and third Wednesday of every month, along with Snacks for Max (that’s me!), Geo Librarian, Kid Lit Reviews, Youth Literature Reviews, and Julie Grasso.

Read everything!

*This post was originally written as a guestpost for Totsy to publish during Children’s Book Week, but as it has still not been published through that blog, I wanted to share what I had written with my regular readers. I’ll let you know if it is ever posted to Totsy!

Kid Lit Blog Hop #16

Welcome to the 16th Kid Lit Blog Hop!

The Kid Lit Blog Hop takes place on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. We have managed to create a dynamic and engaged community of children’s books bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists, as well as parents seeking out their next great read. So link in and take some time to make some new friends!

Before we get on with the Hop I want to make sure that you are all aware of the on-going Kid Lit Giveaway Hop, co-hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews and Youth Literature Reviews. The Kid Lit Giveaway Hop is taking place to honor Children’s Book Week (May 13 to 19, 2013). For the Kid Lit Giveaway Hop, children’s book or teen literature bloggers, authors, publishers, or publicists are sharing copies of fabulous children/teen’s books, gift cards, cash, or other prizes. What better way to celebrate Children’s Book Week? Click on the poster below to go to the Kid Lit Giveaway Hop.

Happy Hopping everyone and enjoy the Hop!

<div align="center"><a href="http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/category/kid-lit-blog-hops/" title="Kid Lit Blog Hop"><img src="http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Kid-Lit-Blog-Hop-Button-Sep-2012-e1349976901756.jpg" alt="Kid Lit Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Kid Lit Blog Hop Rules *NEW*:

1. *NEW* We ask that you kindly follow your hostesses and co-hostesses. You can follow us any way you choose (Email, GFC, Twitter, Facebook, G+, Pinterest, etc.).

Hostesses:

Renee @ Mother Daughter Book Reviews Twitter * Facebook

Jaymie @ Snacks for Max Twitter * Facebook

Heidi @ Geo Librarian Twitter * Facebook

Sue @ Kid Lit Reviews Twitter * Facebook

Katie @ Youth Literature Reviews Twitter * Facebook

Julie Grasso, Author of Escape From the Forbidden Planet/Blogger Twitter * Facebook

Cheryl Carpinello, Author of Guinevere & The King’s Ransom / Blogger Twitter * Facebook

Co-Hostesses:

Wendy Laharnar, Author of The Unhewn Stone / Blogger Twitter * Facebook

2. Link up any Kid Lit related post. This can be a link to a children’s book review, a discussion about children’s literature/literacy, or a post on a recently-read children’s book or one that you love from your childhood.

* Don’t link directly to your blog, it must be a specific post*

* Authors, link to your blog if you have one *

* Make sure you include an image relevant to the POST (e.g., book cover), not your blog button or photo of yourself.*

* Feel free to link more than one post.*

3. *NEW* Please visit the two links directly ahead of your own and leave them some love in the form of a comment. We are trying to build a community of bloggers, readers, parents, authors, and others who are as passionate about children’s literature as we are so please CONNECT and follow any or all of the blogs that interest you!

4. If you like, grab the button above and put it somewhere on your blog, preferably the post you’re linking up. If you’d prefer, you can just add a text link back to this Hop so that others can find it and check out all these great book links!

5. It would really help us get the word out about the Kid Lit Blog Hop if you would be so kind as to tweet, share, and spread the word about the Hop!

Interested in co-hosting the Kid Lit Blog Hop? Please email renee @ motherdaughterbookreviews (dot) com and put Co-Hosting Blog Hop in the subject line.

Happy Hopping!

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Kid Lit Giveaway Hop: It’s Children’s Book Week!

Since 1919, the United States has celebrated literacy during Children’s Book Week. According to the event’s website:

“In 1913, Franklin K. Matthiews, the librarian of the Boy Scouts of America, began touring the country to promote higher standards in children’s books. He proposed creating a Children’s Book Week, which would be supported by all interested groups: publishers, booksellers, and librarians.

“Mathiews enlisted two important allies: Frederic G. Melcher, the visionary editor of Publishers Weekly, and Anne Carroll Moore, the Superintendent of Children’s Works at the New York Public Library and a major figure in the library world. With the help of Melcher and Moore, in 1916, the American Booksellers Association and the American Library Association sponsored a Good Book Week with the Boy Scouts of America.”

In my mind, this is a truly imperative event to stress to your children because of the places reading can take them. Not only does reading allow us to learn from others’ mistakes, gain insight into people and places we would never have otherwise been able to meet or visit, and get away from our own problems for awhile, but it also expands our vocabularies and imaginations.

To share these thoughts on Children’s Book Week, I am guestposting for Totsy on Tuesday, May 14, and am also hosting a giveaway with author Janet Halfmann. Halfmann’s book Home in the Cave is a wonderful example of an entertaining and educational book that children benefit from reading.

In fact, Home in the Cave is one of those books for which my mom, a teacher, is always looking.

The story has a main character you care for from the start – a little bat living with his mother in a cave who is afraid to grow up – and is chock full of facts about animals and nature.

Halmann presents the facts about the ecosystem of a cave as a fun journey for the character, so it isn’t as if your little one is sitting at a desk in the classroom. Your child learns and retains more from the book than he or she might from reading a textbook. Home in the Cave is the difference between assigned reading and getting to go on a field trip.

Author Janet Halfmann will send a signed hard copy of Home in the Cave to the winner (US only). Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please be sure to visit Totsy for my guestpost on Tuesday, May 14 on children’s literature and parenting. Also, be sure to visit all the other Kid Lit Giveaway Hop links in the list below!

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Shel Mooseclumps

When I was little, I adored the Shel Silverstein poem collections. The rhyming, the silly ideas, and just the different way of looking at ordinary things drew me in. And then there was The Giving Tree, which simply took my breath away. I still cry when I read it.

Mooseclumps by Ryan T. Bliss is very reminiscent to me of Shel Silverstein, both from the structure of the book – it is a collection of poems – and from the whimsy involved in the content. The topics of the poems range from a grumpy cat with a crown to a nice monster with a teddy bear, to a knight being defeated by a magnet, to the ailing seasons.

When we first received the book in the mail from author Ryan T. Bliss, Max had just woken up from a nap. I opened the package and set the book on his lap. He glared at me. Then he threw the book.

So I read some poems to myself, and when I got to “Mooseclumps”, the titular poem about the grumpy cat, I had to laugh and tell Max that this book was perfect for him. You can see the page using the link above, but here’s the poem:

Mooseclumps is lazy.

Mooseclumps is fat.

Mooseclumps believes

he’s the King of all cats.

Mooseclumps is fuzzy.

Mooseclumps is gray.

Mooseclumps is grumpy,

so please go away.

Perfect, right?!

Since then, Max has chilled out and loves the illustrations in Mooseclumps. I’m very stingy as to rhyming in children’s books, but Bliss does a fantastic job with the cadence, so the rhyming worked for me.

We love the whimsy, the perspective, the illustration, and the cadence of Mooseclumps so much that it deserves 5 snacks:

Kid Lit Blog Hop #15

Welcome to the 15th Kid Lit Blog Hop.

The Kid Lit Blog Hop takes place on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. We have managed to create a dynamic and engaged community of children’s books bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists, as well as parents seeking out their next great read. You are more than welcome to link in and take some time to make some new friends.

We have a new permanent hostess on the Hop: Cheryl Carpinello. Cheryl is the author of Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend and The King’s Ransom (The Young Knights of the Round Table) and she also blogs over at Carpinello’s Writing Pages. Welcome, Cheryl!

Before we get on with the Hop, sign-ups for the Kid Lit Giveaway Hop, co-hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews and Youth Literature Reviews is NOW OPEN but they will close May 10th. The Kid Lit Giveaway Hop is taking place to honor Children’s Book Week (May 13 to 19, 2013). Children’s book or teen literature bloggers, authors, publishers, or publicists looking to share copies of a fabulous book are welcome to link in a giveaway for fabulous children/teen’s books, gift cards, cash, or other prizes. What better way to celebrate Children’s Book Week? Click on the poster below for more information.

Happy Hopping everyone and enjoy the Hop!

<div align="center"><a href="http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/category/kid-lit-blog-hops/" title="Kid Lit Blog Hop"><img src="http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Kid-Lit-Blog-Hop-Button-Sep-2012-e1349976901756.jpg" alt="Kid Lit Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Suggestions For How to Participate:

1. Please follow your hostesses and co-hostesses any way you choose (Email, GFC, Twitter, Facebook, G+, Pinterest, etc.). We appreciate all “follows” and “likes”! Make sure to leave us a message if you are following us (i.e., on Twitter or Facebook or on our websites) and we will be sure to follow you back.

Hostesses:

Renee @ Mother Daughter Book Reviews Twitter * Facebook

Jaymie @ Snacks for Max Twitter * Facebook

Heidi @ Geo Librarian Twitter * Facebook

Sue @ Kid Lit Reviews Twitter * Facebook

Katie @ Youth Literature Reviews Twitter * Facebook

Julie Grasso, Author of Escape From the Forbidden Planet/Blogger Twitter * Facebook

Cheryl Carpinello, Author of Guinevere & The King’s Ransom / Blogger Twitter * Facebook

Co-Hostesses:

Ang @ Juggling Act Mama Twitter * Facebook

2. Link up any Kid Lit related post. This can be a link to a children’s book review, a discussion about children’s literature/literacy, or a post on a recently-read children’s book or one that you love from your childhood.

* Don’t link directly to your blog: it must be a specific post*

* Authors: link to somewhere we can leave comments, such as your blog *

* Include an image relevant to the POST (e.g., book cover), not your blog button or photo of yourself.*

* Feel free to link more than one post.*

3. Check out some other books. Don’t be a stranger, go see what books other families are checking out, and leave them some love in the form of a comment. We are trying to build a community of bloggers, readers, parents, authors, and others who are as passionate about children’s literature as we are so please CONNECT and follow any or all of the blogs that interest you!

4. If you like, grab the button above and put it somewhere on your blog, preferably the post you’re linking up. If you’d prefer, you can just add a text link back to this Hop so that others can find it and check out all these great book links!

5. It would really help us get the word out about the Kid Lit Blog Hop if you would be so kind as to tweet, share, and spread the word about the Hop!

Interested in co-hosting the Kid Lit Blog Hop? Please email renee @ motherdaughterbookreviews (dot) com and put Co-Hosting Blog Hop in the subject line.

Happy Hopping!

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Star Wars Meets The Land Before Time

For the longest time, the only thing Max would watch on TV was Dora. You might be thinking Hey, that’s great! Well, it would be, except it’s been raining a lot here in Indiana, and I have to keep little man occupied while I work from home. He’ll only color and play with Play-Doh so long!

So, I was thrilled when he started branching out and requesting some of the movies he opened at Christmas: All Dogs Go To Heaven, The Land Before Time, and The Lorax.

I was reminded of The Land Before Time when we read through Bluey and The Great Spirit Moon. The main character’s environment is changing, and he goes on a quest with several friends to find his mother by following the voice of his father, which he hears in his dreams. It was also reminiscent of Star Wars, to me, because of all the crazy characters and names involved.

Bluey is a blue Rinothorus who hatches from an egg and is adopted by a Hipotot named Shee. He spends his early years in bliss with a loving parent and friends. As the author explains we all come from innocence. An idyllic childhood is how Hanson portrays this innocence for Bluey.

Meeting the many, many, many characters along Bluey’s journey showed a loss of innocence. In one dramatic turn of events, plant-eating animals run out of food and become carnivorous. Treachery shows the evil with which the land has become overrun.

As you can probably already tell, Bluey and The Great Spirit Moon is very dense with action, characters, and emotion. As I read through it, I thought it was too much for one book; it made much more sense once I learned that the author had adapted the book from his animated feature film project.

Hanson has already written the screenplay, drawn the artwork, and composed and recorded the soundtrack. If you visit his website, you can listen to the music and see Bluey’s live video of “Somebody Like Me”.

The book was much too old for my 2 year old, but I could see it being a good read for a 10 year old with a love for dinosaurs and a certain star-visiting cast of characters. The lessons of love and friendship are ones we all want our children to learn.

Bluey and The Great Spirit Moon deserves 3 snacks:

Kid Lit Blog Hop #14

Welcome to the 14th Kid Lit Blog Hop. If you’re new to the Hop, here is what we are all about:

• The Kid Lit Blog Hop takes place on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month.
• We decided to start up this Hop to develop a dynamic and engaged community of children’s books bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists, as well as parents seeking out their next great read.

Please link in and take some time to make some new friends. Happy Hopping everyone and enjoy the Hop!

Sign-ups for the Kid Lit Giveaway Hop, co-hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews and Youth Literature Reviews is NOW OPEN. The Kid Lit Giveaway Hop is taking place to honor Children’s Book Week (May 13 to 19, 2013).

Children’s book or teen literature bloggers, authors, publishers, or publicists looking to share copies of a fabulous book are welcome to link in a giveaway for fabulous children/teen’s books, gift cards, cash, or other prizes. What better way to celebrate Children’s Book Week? Click on the poster below for more information.

<div align="center"><a href="http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/category/kid-lit-blog-hops/" title="Kid Lit Blog Hop"><img src="http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Kid-Lit-Blog-Hop-Button-Sep-2012-e1349976901756.jpg" alt="Kid Lit Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Suggestions For How to Participate:

1. Kindly follow your hostesses and co-hostesses. Make sure to leave us a message if you are following us (i.e., on Twitter or Facebook or on our websites) and we will be sure to follow you back. Thanks!

Hostesses:

• Renee @ Mother Daughter Book ReviewsTwitter * Facebook
• Jaymie @ Snacks for MaxTwitter * Facebook
• Heidi @ Geo LibrarianTwitter * Facebook
• Sue @ Kid Lit ReviewsTwitter * Facebook
• Katie @ Youth Literature ReviewsTwitter * Facebook
• Julie Grasso, Author of Escape From the Forbidden Planet/BloggerTwitter * Facebook

Co-Hostesses:

• Reshama @ Stacking BooksTwitter * Facebook
• Ramona @ Create With JoyTwitter * Facebook

2. Link up any Kid Lit related post. This can be a link to a children’s book review, a discussion about children’s literature/literacy, or a post on a recently-read children’s book or one that you love from your childhood.

• Link directly to a post, rather than the homepage of your blog.
• Authors, link to your blog or somewhere else we can leave comments.
• Make sure you include an image relevant to the POST (e.g., book cover), not your blog button or photo of yourself.
• Feel free to link more than one post.

3. Check out some other books. Don’t be a stranger, go see what books other families are checking out, and leave them some love in the form of a comment. We are trying to build a community of bloggers, readers, parents, authors, and others who are as passionate about children’s literature as we are so please CONNECT and follow any or all of the blogs that interest you!

4. If you like, grab the button above and put it somewhere on your blog, preferably the post you’re linking up. If you’d prefer, you can just add a text link back to this Hop so that others can find it and check out all these great book links!

5. It would really help us get the word out about the Kid Lit Blog Hop if you would be so kind as to tweet, share, and spread the word about the Hop!

Interested in co-hosting the Kid Lit Blog Hop? Please email renee @ motherdaughterbookreviews (dot) com and put Co-Hosting Blog Hop in the subject line.

Happy Hopping!

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National D.E.A.R. Day, once again

April 12 is National D.E.A.R. Day! I wrote a post last year for the Authors Lounge blog that still applies today. What will you read to celebrate?

I am the girl who got to the end of the lunch line in 3^rd grade and looked up from my book to the cafeteria lady’s “ahem”, completely oblivious to the fact that I’d gone the whole way through the line without picking up a single item of food.

I am the girl who appeared in family videos as only the top of a head peeking out from above Anne of Green Gables while the rest of the cousins played flashlight tag.

So I might be a little biased toward reading.

Then again, I’m also the girl who scored well on the SAT and the GRE, who writes stories for her son, and who holds intelligent conversations with people about things she’s never experienced, but rather only read about.

So reading worked out for me!

And it can work out for your kids too. You just might have to nudge them toward it. As James Patterson said to CNN, “Sorry, moms and dads, but it’s your job — not the schools’ — to find books to get your kids reading and to make sure they read them.”

You can get started by joining in April 12 for National D.E.A.R. Day, a day to Drop Everything And Read.

Do you remember this day from when you were in school? It was a day that you got to read whatever you wanted, all day long (my version of heaven on Earth).

This year on D.E.A.R. Day, families are encouraged to celebrate together – take a half an hour out of your day to sit and read with your kids. Your children will see from your example that reading is important.

Boys, especially, need to read with their male role model and see him read on his own. According to studies done on literacy, boys who are read to “by their fathers scored significantly higher in reading achievement, and when fathers read recreationally, their sons read more and scored higher than did boys whose fathers did little or no recreational reading.”

As an author, you can both promote reading with D.E.A.R. and keep working on publicity for your books.

Write a blog post about your D.E.A.R. Day memories, mentioning some of your favorite books. Tell your readers how you’ll celebrate this year.

Send a tweet about National D.E.A.R. Day. If you use the hashtag #dearday on Twitter, all those people following the term to find out more about it will be able to find you and follow you.

Comment on Facebook Fan Pages about D.E.A.R. Day. You’ll catch the administrators’ attention with the subject, and hopefully they’ll recommend your Fan Page to their fans.

Above all, the theme behind D.E.A.R. Day is that reading is important. For authors, that can only be a good thing to go viral.

Tippy the Raindrop must live near Indiana

Yesterday, Max turned 2! We celebrated over the weekend, with a birthday party at our house. Max’s cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and friends joined us for his Very Hungry Caterpillar birthday party.

Max stood on the pool table to open his presents; giggled like crazy throwing crumpled balls of wrapping paper at Great-Grandpa Lewis; cried when everyone sang him happy birthday over his Caterpillar ice cream cake; and acted like a baseball player throwing snowballs from a mound of as-yet-unmelted snow near our driveway.

This got me thinking of Tippy the Raindrop, a drop of water that is the main character in a children’s book Max and I read. At different points in the book Tippy is a raindrop, then a snowflake, then back to a raindrop. He wants to stay a raindrop so he can help flowers grow, but someone tricks him into a cold cloud that changes him to a snowflake.