By Sonya Kimble-Ellis, for The Children’s Book Review
Published: May 25, 2011
New Children’s Book Highlights Fantasy, Education, and Fun
In the first installment of a children’s picture book series written by Union, NJ author Sonya Kimble-Ellis, the Kids go on an odyssey to Central Peten. The Sandcastle Kids: A Mayan Adventure is a vibrant and colorful text for children age 6 and older. In it, the characters travel back to 420 AD after building a sandcastle on a beach near their homes in Southern California.
Once the Kids are magically whisked away and land in a Mayan rain forest, they are greeted by Chamula, a tall and friendly young man who teaches them about life in his Mayan village. Hieroglyphic writings and statues are just the beginning of their introduction to Chamula’s world. Richard, Daisy, Kamal, and Rosa learn about the Mayan system of trade, the importance of hard work, and how their role in it can help to better the lives of their new Mayan friends.
The Sandcastle Kids: A Mayan Adventure celebrates friendship, history, inventions, cultural contributions to society, and more. In addition, the end of the text contains discussion questions that are ideal for use in the home or classroom.
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About the author: Sonya Kimble-Ellis is a freelance writer, author, and editor who writes about education, business, entertainment, human interest, and interior design. Her work has appeared in Scholastic’s classroom magazines, Black Enterprise, The New York Daily News, Celebrity Hairstyles, Kitchen Solutions, Matters, Upscale and other publications and Web sites (www.Patch.com, www.Atlantapost.com and www.CharlesandHudson.com). She has worked as an editor at the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), Scholastic, and Short Styles magazine. She is the author of the children’s activity books Math Puzzlers (Scholastic) and Traditional African American Arts & Activities (John Wiley & Sons). She also recently authored a biography for teens titled Bill Cosby: Entertainer & Activist (Chelsea House).
32 pages / 10” x 8” / soft cover / ISBN: 978-1-61623-664-9 / Write on Time Books/ Publication date: May 2011
$10.95 Available online at www.thesandcastlekids.com
Illustrated by Matthew Hebert
Cover art & design by Keith Garletts
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