Tuesday, December 10, 2019

~ CEDAR FORT 30% OFF PROMO ~

~ 30% OFF PROMOTION FROM
CEDAR FORT PUBLISHING ~

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Holiday Greetings, Friends ~

My first book, 'A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom' is an inspirational Christmas story about how a community works together to help a family in need. There's a dash of romance in the story, too.

As an author at Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, I have been given an exclusive 30% off coupon to share with my friends and family for their use on Cedar Fort's website.

Just log in and use the promotional code: EXCLUSIVE30 at check-out to get 30% off your entire order. Enjoy!




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THANK YOU!
 


Sunday, December 8, 2019

~ MMGM S.T.E.A.M. THE OCEAN CRAFT BOOK ~


~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE
MONDAY S.T.E.A.M. FEATURE ~
-- 'READ, LEARN & CREATE:
THE OCEAN CRAFT BOOK'  -- 
AUTHORS CLARE BEATON & RUDI HAIG
ILLUSTRATOR CLARE BEATON


 LEARN MORE ON GOODREADS 

ABOUT THE BOOK {from Goodreads}:

With topics sure to stimulate creative thinking and artistic prowess, these fun ocean crafts will motivate little ones to venture outside for inspiration.
Perfect for your preK explorers and your elementary artists. Make a craft inspired by ocean--and learn something, too!

What can you create with just a cardboard box and some construction paper? Your very own coral reef! Use easy-to-follow directions to make thirteen crafts (and one recipe), each one focused on the ocean. Crafts include fun facts and additional resources, giving covert learning opportunities for your little explorer and reducing screen time.

PRAISE FOR THIS BOOK:
"Young makers will learn ways to use (and reuse) everyday items in craft projects based on various kinds of ocean life, but this book goes above and beyond, also teaching about those creatures and the waters they call home. The double-page spreads are well organized, keeping all informational text about the given subject on the left-hand page, while placing all instructions for a related craft on the right-hand page. Beaton’s illustrations of the animals, such as dolphins and sharks, are colorful, and they are accompanied by helpful templates as well as an image of the finished craft. Steps are clearly described and can be completed by children with little to no adult supervision. Interesting facts about each animal will help children understand more about marine life, the dangers of pollution, and what they can do to help. Written in a knowledgeable voice and combining fun facts with creative ideas, this informative craft book is a must for any nonfiction children’s collection."
—Booklist 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR {from Goodreads}:
Clare Beaton illustrates in felt, pen and ink, and paper collage.

MY THOUGHTS:
This colorful craft book is a treasure trove of fun and appealing projects for primary-grade and middle-grade learners. 

The book kicks off with an introduction about Earth's five oceans and two of Earth's seven seas. Readers learn the difference between ocean plants and animals and freshwater plants and animals. The authors warn that oceans "are all under threat from pollution created by people." (page 1)  

A brief section entitled, 'Activities', gives an overview of materials to use for the projects and how to use the templates in the book. Readers are encouraged to use as many recycled items as possible when making their projects.

Next come the delightful projects including Paper Cup Penguins, Crafty Sea Turtles, Amazing Sea Creatures Paintings, Starfish Cookies {recipe}, Toilet-Paper Tube Crab, Your Own Coral Reef, and several more. 

What makes this a S.T.E.A.M. book in my opinion instead of an arts and crafts book is that the authors include a non-fiction narrative about the subject of each project before they present the instructions for the particular project.

Stepped-out instructions include a 'What you Will Need' materials list and detailed instructions. Instead of photos of each completed project, the illustrator has provided labeled illustrations for the ocean creatures and the projects. 

There is even a section on Beachcombing and Ocean Boats with suggestions for craft projects. I'm not too sure about the suggestion to have children to collect plastic and other trash on the beach and take it home to use it for art because of safety concerns and also environmental protection regulations about not taking anything from a protected seashore, but the recycling crafts and boat hat they present look like fun for kids.

The final section was really unique, in my opinion. It's entitled, 'Nautical Flags', and includes drawings of the twenty-six flags which represent the alphabet used to allow ships and boats communicate with each other and/or people on shore. 

Quoting from this book:  "Ships can use the flags to spell out a message or use a single flag that stands for an entire message. For example, the flag for the letter A--alpha--tells other ships to keep clear because there is a diver underwater." This was all news to me, and I was glad to learn about this communication system!

Highly-recommended for primary and middle-grade students, librarians, teachers, parents/grandparents, and youth/camp/scout leaders.

I borrowed this book from the non-fiction 'new book' shelf in the children's section of the local public library.

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Find the links to read more great Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts from middle-grade authors and bloggers at Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' Blog.

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Sunday, December 1, 2019

~ MMGM HOLIDAY PICTURE BOOK DASHER ~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE
MONDAY HOLIDAY PICTURE
BOOK FEATURE ~
--  'DASHER'  --
AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR MATT TAVARES



ABOUT THE BOOK {from Goodreads}:
From the celebrated creator of Red and Lulu comes the story of a brave little doe who meets Santa and changes Christmas forever.

Dasher is an adventurous young reindeer with a wish in her heart.

She spends her days with her family under the hot sun in a traveling circus, but she longs for a different life -- one where there is snow beneath her hooves and the North Star above her head. One day, when the opportunity arises, Dasher seizes her destiny and takes off in pursuit of the life she wants to live. It's not long before she meets a nice man in a red suit with a horse-drawn sleigh -- a man named Santa. And soon, with the help of a powerful Christmas wish, nothing will be the same.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR {from Goodreads}:  

Matt Tavares was born in Boston, and grew up surrounded by books and reading. From the time he was very young, his mother read to him every night, and his family made countless trips to the public library. Years later, as a studio art major at Bates College, he rediscovered his love for picture books, and decided to try to make his own.

For his senior thesis project, Matt wrote and illustrated a story called Sebastian's Ball, which eventually became Zachary's Ball, Matt's first published picture book. Zachary's Ball went on to win a Massachusetts Book Award Honor, and was named one of Yankee Magazine's 40 Classic New England Children's Books.

Since then, Matt has published eighteen more books and has won several awards, including three Parents' Choice Gold Awards, an Orbis Pictus Honor, and two ALA Notable books. His artwork has been exhibited at the Museum of American Illustration, the Brandywine River Museum, and the Mazza Museum of Picture Book Art.

When Matt's not working in his studio on his latest book project, he travels the country speaking (and drawing) at schools, libraries, conferences, and bookstores. He has presented at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Eric Carle Museum, the White House Easter Egg Roll, and he's even done a few book signings at Fenway Park.

Matt lives in Maine with his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters.


MY THOUGHTS:
Beautiful picture books and the holiday season have always complemented each other in my life. As a child, I treasured books. As a classroom teacher, I shared my love of books with my eager students. As an adult, author, and blogger, my passion for beautifully-written and illustrated books knows no end.

'Dasher', written and illustrated by award-willing author-illustrator Matt Tavares, can best be described using two of my favorite words--exquisite and extraordinary.

This story is told from the perspective of a young reindeer doe named Dasher. She and her family were members of a traveling circus in the late nineteenth century. Nowhere is it stated that this is the time period of the story, but the illustrations depict the dress and realia from that era.

Dasher loves her family, and she especially loves the stories her mother tells her at night about days gone by and the magic of the North Star. These stories become meaningful later on in the book as Dasher strikes out on her own in search of freedom and happiness.

Younger children will enjoy the story because of the adventure and surprises Dasher finds along the way. Middle-graders will enjoy the story because of the deeper meanings threaded throughout the narrative about yearning for a dream to come true, family, love, freedom, hope, and joy.

I highly recommend this beautiful book to children and families alike. I found it to be a unique, inspiring tale about some common Christmas icons.


I borrowed this book from the new book shelf in the children's collection at the local public library.


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Find the links to read more great Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts from middle-grade authors and bloggers at Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' Blog.



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📚📚📚  A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT  📚📚📚
I AM PARTICIPATING IN A 'BLACK FRIDAY' WEEKEND E-BOOK SALE WITH OTHER CLEAN INDIE AUTHORS. THE SALE ENDS ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3RD, AT MIDNIGHT PST 
{or possibly sooner depending on what time zone the author selected for their sale period}.
ALL BOOKS LISTED WILL BE PRICED AT 99¢!

THE SALE INCLUDES MULTIPLE GENRES, MULTIPLE AGE GROUPS, AND MULTIPLE AUTHORS.

GREAT SAVINGS ON SOME GREAT BOOKS! 
 
 **** MY MIDDLE-GRADE HISTORICAL ADVENTURE, 'RES-Q TYLER STOP', IS PART OF THE SALE AS ARE MY TWO CHRISTIAN ROMANCES FOR ADULTS--'ROBIN'S REWARD' AND 'HANDMADE HEARTS'.
 VISIT MY AMAZON AUTHOR'S PAGE TO PURCHASE
THESE BOOKS AT THIS SALE PRICE BEFORE THE
SALE ENDS ON DECEMBER 3RD AT MIDNIGHT PST!
  LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SALE BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK:
   BLACK FRIDAY CLEAN INDIE AUTHOR BOOK SALE
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~ NEW SEWING PATTERN FABRIC FLOWER TOWELS ~

~ NEW SEWING PATTERN FABRIC FLOWER TOWELS ~