The Children's Book Review

Chaff n' Skaffs: Mai and the Lost Moskivvy: Luke Feldman

By Bianca Schulze, The Children's Book Review
Published: July 10, 2009



Chaff n' Skaffs: Mai and the Lost Moskivvy

by Amanda Chin (Author), Luke Feldman (Author & Illustrator)

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Hardcover: 36 pages

Publisher: Immedium (June 1, 2009)

What to expect: Self-confidence, Voyages and travels, Fantasy

This is a modernistic and pleasing tale of courage and adventure. Mai, a young girl, helps a lost "Moskivvy" find its way home, but not without some much needed encouragement that she receives from some good friends. It's definitely the vibrant illustrations that win me over and bring this dreamworld to life. Feldman's art style has been desrcibed by Andrew Farago (Curator, Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco, CA) as blends of the classic stylings of 1950's Disney with a modern design sensibility, which creates something both cutting edge and timeless. I appreciate that Feldman and Chin play homage to Feldman's Australian heritage, by including some colloquial language and native animals. Chaff n' Skaffs: Mai and the Lost Moskivvy will have lift imaginations, and is certainly an alluring feast for the eyes.

Publisher's synopsis: When a lost mosquito interrupts young Mai’s sleep, her friend Chaff suggests they escort Moskivvy home. So begins a courageous girl’s voyage into a fantastic, colorful world. Guided by Chaff, Mai’s incredible journey will kindle readers’ imaginations.

About Luke Feldman: Luke Feldman is an Australian artist, based in California, who creates for a multitude of platforms. His uniquely alluring characters, "Skaffs", have appeared on stickers, vinyl toys, custom skateboards and sneakers, and limited edition art prints. His clients include Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and galleries worldwide.

Add this book to your collection: Chaff n' Skaffs: Mai and the Lost Moskivvy

Additional information: http://www.skaffs.com/chaff/, Find coloring pages here.

You may also like this book: The Octonauts & The Frown Fish

I Love You Stinky, Face & Yummiest Love

By Bianca Schulze, The Children's Book Review
Published: July 9, 2009

Lisa McCourt is well-known for her cheeky Stinky Face titles, but whether you have a stinky face or a snugly bear for a child, she has stories that will draw a crowd, wild or tame.



I Love You, Stinky Face

by Lisa McCourt (Author), Cyd Moore (Illustrator)

Reading level: Ages 0-6

Board book: 16 pages

Publisher: Scholastic (March 2004)

What to expect: Love, Animals, Parent and child, Fiction

McCourt has masterfully managed to be playful and energizing in this distinguished bedtime story. How can you put playfulness and energy into a bedtime story? By using a soothing and reassuring tone.

Mama, what if I were a big, scary ape? Would you still love me then?

"If you were a big, scary ape, I would make your birthday cake out of banana, and I would tell you, 'I love you, my big, scary ape.' "

A great way to wind down from a busy day of play is to smile, giggle, snuggle, and read. This book offers all of that and more. Unconditional love is one of the most important parts of developing a secure, and emotionally healthy child; I Love You, Stinky Face delivers that message loud and clear. While this is a book that both boys and girls enjoy, it will certainly strike a chord with the dudes. It's a winner!

Add this book to your collection: I Love You, Stinky Face



Yummiest Love

by Lisa McCourt (Author), Laura J. Bryant (Illustrator)

Reading level: Ages 0-6

Hardcover: 32 pages

Publisher: Cartwheel Books (January 1, 2009)

What to expect: Love, Bears, Parent and child, Fiction

Yummiest Bear is delightfully sweet, just as its title depicts. The book beholds the wonderful magic of love that is created by the natural foundations of a parent-child relationship that strengthens on an everyday basis. McCourt's writing is energetic without being loud, and captures regular moments and makes them all special by proclaiming a parents unconditional love. The illustrations have a gentle, angelic charm, and re-enforce the mutual admiration between parent and child. The pictures are fairly gender neutral, which makes the book work for any family combinations. I believe this book also helps parents to be able to laugh at the more mundane situations that are a part of parenting.

"I love your never-ending surprises.
Like when you hate broccoli.
Then it's your favorite.
Then you hate it.
Then it's your favorite."

Slightly more mellow than I Love You, Stinky Face, Yummiest Bear is a calm and expressive book for the sentimental -- sure to produce sweet dreams.

Add this book to your collection: Yummiest Love

You may also like: It's Time for School, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt, Would They Love A Lion? by Kady McDonald Denton, and Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown.

Early Moments: A Children's Book Club

By Tiffany Hamilton, Early Moments
Published: July 8, 2009

The Children's Book Review presents a guest post by Early Moments. You can read more about how they share the gift of reading, at their website: http://www.earlymoments.com/

Early Moments is a children’s book club that is devoted to helping parents introduce their children to the joys of reading at an early age.  This unique book club has been in business since 1965 and has always been grounded in the belief that reading is one of the most important things you can do with your kids.

The book club encourages parents to make reading to their children part of their everyday routine in order to improve early childhood literacy.  Childhood Early Moments’ education experts purposefully organize the book club to make reading fun and easy for your kids. Many of the books they offer will have familiar faces such as Dr. Seuss & friends, Disney characters, and many more that children will enjoy.

 Early Moments wants to make it as easy as possible for you and others to share that precious one on one time reading. Everything is already prepared and personalized for you and sent to your door.  Reading to a child is one of the most important experiences you can give them. It helps build vocabulary, communication skills, and overall love of learning and storytelling.

Whether it be for you and your child or as a gift, Early Moments is a great tool to add to a child’s life.

Adventures of Riley: Amanda Lumry & Laura Hurwitz

By Bianca Schulze, The Children's Book Review
Published: July 7, 2009

What to expect: Science, Animal conservation, Environmental awareness

The wonderful Adventures of Riley series is a smooth combination of fiction and non-fiction that is perfect for curious minds, young or old. Riley, who is perhaps 8- or 10-years-old, visits unique locations around the world with extended family members: Uncle Max, Aunt Martha, and his cousin Alice. At the beginning of each book Riley receives a letter from his Uncle Max; a scientist that studies animals, their habitats, and the environmental issues that impact them. The letter is always an invitation to study a particular animal and experience a different culture or way of living -- an adventure that most young boys would jump at the chance for!

Like all good series, Amanda Lumry and Laura Hurwitz follow a great format. For each story, they combine a believable fictitious story-line with real scientific facts. The likable characters are a wonderful medium to share and create a learning experience for the reader. Every book contains fascinating fact boxes, a glossary of terms, additional information at the back of the book, and a smart blend of illustration and "real-life" photography. The intelligent layout of this series means that it can be read and enjoyed by children with varied reading skills: younger readers can enjoy the adventure with a simple reading of the story with out being overwhelmed by too many facts, while older readers can enjoy the full experience with all of the additional facts and information. The books can be read over-and-over again and you'll learn something new each time. This is a series that can only have admirable impact on our children. Fun, educational, and environmentally aware -- a must for all schools and libraries, including your home library!

The Adventures of Riley website is an additional resource that adds value to the series. Digital media is a sure-fire way to capture the attention of kids and reinforce that reading can be cool. Check it out: http://www.adventuresofriley.com/

Below you will find the publisher's synopsis of Riddle of the Reef, the latest edition to the series, and a few others:

Riddle of the Reef

by Amanda Lumry (Author and Photographer), Laura Hurwitz (Author)

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Hardcover: 48 pages

Publisher: Scholastic Press (July 1, 2009)

Publisher's synopsis: Journey to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef with Riley and his family as they see what’s up down under! Large areas of the coral reef are dying and they need to find out why. Joined by world-renowned marine artist and conservationist, Wyland, the crew faces giant starfish, great white sharks, and even poachers in their search for answers.

Add this book to your collection: Riddle of the Reef




Outback Odyssey

by Amanda Lumry (Author and Photographer), Laura Hurwitz (Author)

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Hardcover: 48 pages

Publisher: Scholastic Press (May 1, 2009)

Publisher's synopsis: Riley, Cousin Alice, Aunt Martha, and Uncle Max visit the Australian Outback where they research the local koala population, which has scattered and shrunk due to increased drought, brush fires, and farming in the Outback. While staying at a working sheep station, they see kangaroos, a platypus, Ayers Rock, and much more. Riley becomes an official Jackaroo (Australian cowboy) and helps save the sheep from a wild dingo, but can he find a way to save the koalas and the Outback?

Add this book to your collection: Outback Odyssey

Tigers in Terai

by Amanda Lumry (Author and Photographer), Laura Hurwitz (Author)

Reading level: Ages 9-12

Hardcover: 48 pages

Publisher: Scholastic Press (April 1, 2009)

Publisher's synopsis: Riley journeys to the Terai Arc region of India and Nepal in search of the elusive Bengal tiger. Riley's research leads to exciting encounters with some weird and wild indigenous animals (an Asian rhino, a king cobra, langur monkeys and more!) as well as a better understanding of the local culture.

Add this book to your collection: Tigers in Terai

Dolphins in Danger

by Amanda Lumry (Author and Photographer), Laura Hurwitz (Author)

Reading level: Ages 9-12

Hardcover: 48 pages

Publisher: Scholastic Press (February 1, 2009)

Publisher's synopsis: Riley travels to the South Pacific island of Moorea with his Uncle Max, Aunt Martha, and Cousin Alice. Their mission is to study spinner dolphins while basking in the warmth and charm of Polynesian culture. However, things take a turn for the worse when several dolphins become trapped in a local lagoon! Riley holds the key to their survival, but between surfing lessons and close encounters with humpback whales, will he realize it in time?

Add this book to your collection: Dolphins in Danger

Project Panda

by Amanda Lumry (Author and Photographer), Laura Hurwitz (Author)

Paperback: 40 pages

Publisher: Scholastic Press (July 1, 2009)

Publisher's synopsis: It's "Panda-monium" in China when a rare giant panda mysteriously disappears from the world's largest panda reserve! Riley and family must face remote mountain forests, snow leopards, red pandas, and more in their desperate search for clues. When disaster strikes, Riley must act fast to save the day, and the missing panda.

Add this book to your collection: Project Panda

South pole Penguins

by Amanda Lumry (Author and Photographer), Laura Hurwitz (Author)

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Paperback: 40 pages

Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (September 1, 2009)

Publisher's synopsis: Are the penguins of Antarctica getting their fill of krill, or has climate change reshaped the Antarctic food web? Riley joins Uncle Max on a voyage to the South Pole to find out! Home to whales, seals, penguins, and 90% of the world's ice, Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth. Will Riley be trapped by the fierce Antarctic winds? It's an adventure like no other as Riley learns valuable lessons about survival and cooperation.

Add this book to your collection: South pole Penguins

What Can Families Do to Keep Children Reading During the Summer?

By Laura J. Colker, Ed. D., Source: RIF Exchange Show #407, Reading Is Fundamental
Published: July 6, 2009

As children's first and most important teachers, families have a major role to play in motivating children to read during the summer months. There are many strategies families might employ to encourage summertime reading. Here are tips offered by Reading Is Fundamental:

• Combine activities with books.
  Summer leaves lots of time for kids to enjoy fun activities, such as going to the park, seeing a movie, or going to the beach. Why not also encourage them to read a book about the activity? If you're going to a baseball game, suggest your child read a book about a favorite player beforehand. In the car or over a hot dog, you'll have lots of time to talk about the book and the game.

• Visit the library.
  If your child doesn't have a library card, summer is a great time to sign up. In addition to a wide selection of books to borrow, many libraries have fun, child-friendly summer reading programs.

• Lead by example.
  Read the newspaper at breakfast, pick up a magazine at the doctor's office, and stuff a paperback in your beach bag. If kids see the adults around them reading often, they will understand that literature can be a fun and important part of their summer days.

• Talk it up.
  Talking with your kids about what you have read also lets them know that reading is an important part of your life. Tell them why you liked a book, what you learned from it, or how it helped you—soon they might start doing the same.

• Help kids find time to read.
  Summer camp, music lessons, baseball games, and videos are all fun things kids like to do during the summer. However, by the end of the day, children may be too tired to pick up a book. When planning summer activities with children, remember to leave some time in their schedules for reading. Some convenient times may be before bedtime or over breakfast.

• Relax the rules for summer.
  During the school year, children have busy schedules and often have required reading for classes. Summer is a time when children can read what, when, and how they please. Don't set daily minute requirements or determine the number of pages they should read. Instead, make sure they pick up books for fun and help find ways for them to choose to read on their own. You may even want to make bedtime a little bit later if you find that your child can't put down a book.

• Have plenty of reading material around.
  Storybooks aren't the only thing that kids can read for fun. Be sure to have newspapers, magazines, and informational material on hand that might spark the interest of a young reader.

• Use books to break the boredom.
  Without the regular school regimen, adults and kids need more activities to fill the hours. Books that teach kids how to make or do something are a great way to get kids reading and keep them occupied. Don't forget to take your kids' favorite reading series along on long road trips.

• Read aloud with kids.
  Take your children to see a local storyteller or be one yourself. The summer months leave extra time for enthusiastic read-alouds with children, no matter what their age. Don't forget to improvise different voices or wear a silly hat to make the story that much more interesting!

The Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities has developed its own list of tips for parents to make summer reading enjoyable, particularly for children with learning disabilities. Like RIF's suggestions, CCLD's recommendations include reading aloud, setting a good example, and going to the library regularly. In addition, they have a few other helpful ideas:

• Read the same book your child is reading and discuss it. This is a great way to use books as a bonding tool.

• Let kids choose what they want to read, and don't turn your nose up at popular fiction. A bad attitude toward certain books will only discourage the reading habit.

• Buy books on tape, especially for a child with a learning disability. Listen to tapes in the car, or turn off the TV and have the family listen to them together.

• Subscribe, in your child's name, to magazines like Sports Illustrated for Kids, Highlights for Children, or National Geographic Kids. Encourage older children to read the newspaper and current events magazines, in order to keep up the reading habit over the summer and develop vocabulary. Ask them what they think about what they've read, and listen to what they say.

• Ease disappointment over summer separation from a favorite school friend by encouraging them to become pen pals. Present both children with postcards or envelopes that are already addressed and stamped. If both children have access to the Internet, e-mail is another option.

• Make trips a way to encourage reading by reading aloud traffic signs, billboards, and notices. Show your children how to read a map, and once you are on the road, let them take turns being the navigator.

• Encourage children to keep a summer scrapbook. Tape in souvenirs of your family's summer activities, postcards, ticket stubs, photos, etc. Have your children write the captions and read them aloud as you look at the book together.

Other suggestions for encouraging summer reading include:

• Setting aside a family bookshelf for library books.

• Starting a mother/daughter or family book club.

• Making a "story pack" out of an old backpack. Fill it with books for children or books to read aloud. Take the story pack wherever you go to provide entertainment when children are tired or bored.

• Writing a play together.

• Composing and singing songs together.

• Sharing parents' childhood favorite books with children.

• Creating an author list to take to the library, so that children don't just check out the books on the display shelves.

• Reading things around the house other than books.

• Keeping a reading journal.

• Creating a reading festival by reading aloud several books by one particular author.

• Using recipes to cook family favorites and treats.

• Reading maps while driving together or on vacation.

• Encouraging children to read the book on which their favorite movies are based.

• Consulting books to enhance children's favorite activities and interests. For example, using Disney's FamilyFun Crafts: 500 Creative Activities For You and Your Kids by Deanna F. Cook or Great Big Book of Children's Games by Debra Wise to introduce things children like to do.

To put this all together, experts feel that reading shouldn't be imposed on children. Rather than trying to sneak reading into children's activities, it's best to broach the subject directly. Lynne Vallone of Texas A&M University advises parents to "Ask [children] what goals they have for reading this summer. The parent and child can together set goals, and then the parent can reward the child for reaching those goals."

Vallone believes the best rewards are ones connected to the reading project. She suggests setting aside a small budget for children to buy books. Having books in the home shows children they are valued.

Another suggestion is for parents and children to participate in activities that complement reading. If there is access to a computer, children can write and submit online book reviews to places such as RIF's Reading Planet, Scholastic, Book Reviews by Kids.

Perhaps the most crucial part of reading with children over the summer is locating books that will appeal to children and motivate them to want to read. While this task may seem daunting, there are numerous organizations and experts who have done an excellent job of nominating books for summer reading. In fact, the Internet abounds with such lists. To illustrate, running a search on Google of recommended summer reading children unearthed 282,000 entries! Click here for a sampling of sources for recommended reading.

In addition to recommended reading lists, another avenue for selecting titles is to look to the children's book award winners for guidance. Click here for a list of websites that provide an overview of award-winning children's books.

In addition to locating books of interest, the second and equally important factor is to find books that are appropriate to the child's reading level. Most booklists and publishers provide age appropriate information on reading levels. Being unique individuals, though, it's likely that many children's reading levels will be above or below this estimated gauge. Parents ought to consult with their child's teacher before summer begins to gain insight into appropriate reading levels. In addition, parents can make use of a simple five finger exercise to determine if a book is at an appropriate reading level. Ask a child to read aloud a page from a book. Every time he stumbles or skips a word, have him put down a finger. If all of a child's fingers are down by the end of the page, this book is probably too difficult. If the child wants to read it, though, turn this into a shared reading experience. Challenges are one of the great joys of summertime reading, since there's no grading attached. Motivation is the key.

Visit RIF.org for more tips and information on helping children discover the joy of reading.

Keeping Kids Off the Summer Slide

By Reading Is Fundamental
Published: July 1, 2009

Something is waiting for many children this summer, and their parents don’t even know it’s out there. It's called the "summer slide," and it describes what happens when young minds sit idle for three months.

As parents approach the summer break, many are thinking about the family vacation, trips to the pool, how to keep children engaged in activities at home, the abrupt changes to everyone's schedule—and how to juggle it all. What they might not be focusing on is how much educational ground their children could lose during the three-month break from school, particularly when it comes to reading. Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the nation's oldest and largest children's literacy organization,  believes there is no better time than this summer to begin helping our children bridge the gap in learning between the end of one school year and the beginning of the next one. "Motivating children to read throughout the year is essential to building lifelong readers," says Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of RIF. "And reading is the doorway to all other learning."

Experts agree that children who read during the summer gain reading skills, while those who do not often slide backward. According to the authors of a November 2002 report from Johns Hopkins Center for Summer Learning: "A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year.... It's common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills." Furthermore, they note that family income plays a significant role in determining the magnitude of this summer slide. Students from low-income families "...experience an average summer learning loss in reading achievement of over two months."

Not only do these students suffer greater sliding during the summer, they also experience cumulative effects of greater learning loss each summer. Sociologists Karl Alexander and Doris Entwisle have shown that the cumulative effect of summer learning differences is a primary cause of widening achievement gaps between students of lower and higher socioeconomic levels. Research demonstrates that while student achievement for both middle- and lower-income students improves at similar rates during the school year, low-income students experience cumulative summer learning losses throughout their elementary school years.

Summer slide affects millions of children each year in this country—but it doesn't have to. To help prevent children from losing ground to summer slide, RIF has compiled a variety of activities that parents, caregivers, and members of community organizations can use to keep learning fun throughout the summer break.

• Summer Reading Tips for Families
• Summer Reading Tips for Kids
• Tips for Keeping Kids Reading This Summer—Take Them to the Library

Visit RIF.org for more tips and information on helping children discover the joy of reading.

Giveaway: The Sluggers Series (4 Books)

By Bianca Schulze, The Children's Book Review
Published: July 2, 2009

Calling all baseball fans! Hold on to your caps because the Sluggers series contains so much adventure, mystery, magic, and baseball, that it might be blown away. It holds all the right ingredients to satisfy even the biggest baseball fans; including collectible baseball cards. A fantastic family read -- a definite four-bagger! Check out TCBR's full review here.

Thanks to the publisher of Sluggers, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, I have two sets of the four book series (the series will be a six book series when completed) by Loren Long (Author & Illustrator) and Phil Bildner (Author) to give away to two individual lucky winners.

Here is what you have to do to enter (maximum entries, 5):

• Visit our interview with Loren Long and find out the name that the Sluggers series was previously published under. Hint: Read it all, or just interview question 4. Once you have the answer, keep it to yourself and leave your name and a message in the comments field below. If you are one of the lucky winners, I will contact you directly and you will need to tell me the old series title before the mailman will deliver the book.
• An extra entry will be given for each time you twitter about the giveaway and/or blog about it. Be sure to let me know if you do so by pasting a link in a separate comment. Click here to follow me on Twitter. 
• Don't forget to leave me your contact information with your comment -- a valid e-mail address is a must.
• The giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only.
• The contest will run July 2, 2009 - July 12, 2009, with the winners being drawn July 13th.  Administrator's computer is the official time keeping device for the Giveaway. Winners will be picked at random using a random sequence generator (your comments are numbered in the order they are received and the numbers are like raffle tickets drawn from a hat). Winners have 72hrs to claim their prize. Unclaimed prizes will be awarded to an alternate winner.
• Comment away!

Disclaimer: Names, e-mail address and physical addresses of all winners will be used solely for the purpose of fulfillment of the giveaway.