Cahoots by Karla Oceanak and Illustrated by Kendra Spanjer

Published by Bailiwick Press

Pages: 160

Ages: 7-13

Publishers Summary: Summer is drawing to a close, and the Zelnicks travel to the family farm in Minnesota for their vacation. Aldo’s mom is eager for him to experience the things she loved as a girl…shucking sweet corn, milking cows, gathering eggs. A week of FRESH AIR and living off the land!

But Aldo suspects that farm life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be…and it’s worse than he feared. The rooster wakes him at dawn, the chores nearly do him in, and Timothy and the cousins—identical twin pranksters—are in cahoots against him. Plus, the creepy, old portrait of his great-grandfather Aldo (the very one he’s named after) seems to be watching him from his frame on the wall…

All this without the comforts of TV or computer—because the Anderson farm is (gasp!) technology-free.

Aldo Zelnick is back again with another hilarious story that will leave readers anxious for even more! In Cahoots the Zelnick family takes off on a spur-of-the-moment vacation to a place with just “the basics.” Aldo’s mother grew up on a farm and now it’s owned by her older brother who lives there with his wife and Aldo’s twin cousins. Little does Aldo know when setting off for this adventure on the farm, but his entire family as well as his friends are in cahoots against him, leaving him stranded for days without his beloved technology. What’s a computer farm-building fiend to do? Find out as Aldo spends a week without technology all while being haunted by a ghost to boot!

Cahoots is yet another installment in the Aldo Zelnick comic novel series I couldn’t resist. From the moment I finished Bogus I was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the next in the series, Cahoots, and now am anxious to read Dumbstruck. What I discovered for the first time though while reading Cahoots was how much I really thoroughly enjoyed the “word” aspect of the series. For those of you not yet familiar with this great series, it’s based around each letter of the alphabet and each book is chock full of words that start with that letter including an entire word “Gallery” to cover each. Prior to reading this book in the series I’ve really enjoyed it overall, but this time around I found myself soaking in the words. This might also have something to do with the fact that the Turkeybird (my four year old son) was constantly asking me to explain the words to him while we were reading it together. I loved every minute of it and now I’m excited for him to eventually get to the point where he can read the series entirely on his own.

This series is absolutely perfect for young readers, but I’m positive adults will fall in love with Aldo as well. His true-to-life behavior is something you cannot resist. How many of us have technology obsessed children? Even myself, with only a two and four year old have problems regulating the amount of time each kiddos spends in front of a screen of some sort. Aldo’s constant need to be “connected” to an electronic gadget is something kids everywhere will relate to and hopefully through his story be inspired to spend a little more time with the family members we love. Not only that, but I’m positive they’ll learn something, even if it’s only a single new word to add to their dictionary.

Without a doubt, The Aldo Zelnick comic series is one to look for! From adults to young children all who open the pages and peer into Aldo’s world will discover something to love, laugh at and learn from. In Cahoots watch as Aldo gets reacquainted with family he hasn’t seen in some time, not only because of distance but because of his lack of time away from any piece of technology. He braves the elements and learns that life on a technology-free farm with cantankerous twin cousins and conniving family may be less copacetic than he thought it was going to be. A hilariously illustrated graphic novel that should be enjoyed by all, Cahoots is the best of The Aldo Zelnick series to date!

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 3 and up! Early readers will love Aldo’s cooky ways and older readers will thoroughly enjoy humor & educational aspects. A must read series for all!

Cahoots Coloring Pages

Find Cahoots by Karla Oceanak at the following spots:

Amazon
Powell’s Books
Indiebound
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads

Thank you so much to the publisher, Bailiwick Press, for providing a copy of Cahoots for review!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationships.

Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods and Heroes by Matthew Reinhart and Illustrated by Robert Sabuda

Published by Candlewick Press

Pages:

Ages: 5 and up

Publishers Summary: For all of recorded history, humans have sought to understand Earth’s mysteries in the realm of the divine — and aspired to conduct themselves as heroes. Only gods, of course, could push the sun across the sky,forge entire continents, and impel mountains to touch the clouds. In this stunning volume, the incomparable team of Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda take us to Ra-Atum’s land in Ancient Egypt; above the Grecian clouds to Zeus’s Mount Olympus; up to Norse god Odin’s frozen north; to the Far East, where the Jade Emperor sits in the heavens; into the wilds of Oceania, where Pele’s volcanic rage simmers below the earth; and to many more lands and times, all rich with sacred myths and legends.
The creators of the New York Times best-selling Encyclopedia Prehistorica series offer a mythic look at the mysteries of the past with an entire pantheon of remarkable pop-ups.

In ancient times it was the Gods and Heroes that ruled over the people. With their powerful and illusive ways they offered life and death to those who chose to follow them or not. From Ancient Egypt to Rome to Asia and even the Americas, these powerful beings have changed the way the people went about their lives and often affected their every move. Take a tour of these incredible beings and times in a whole new way, a pop-up book you’ve never experienced before.

When I say “pop-up book”, what comes to mind? For me the first thing that comes to mind are the simple “lift and flap” books that young toddlers sometimes enjoy with their parents; numbers and small pictures hidden behind each flap. There’s also the more elaborate “pop-up books” for an older child, say maybe four years old and up, that has a few pop-up pictures scattered throughout. I also think of the recent influx of book app “pop-up/3-D” books for iPhones and iPads, which I adore. Well, the Encyclopedia Mythological series of pop-up books is an entirely different “hands on” experience. This is absolutely not a book series for very little ones, but perfect for the eight or nine year old who loves to see history come to life before their eyes. Specifically, the Gods and Heroes edition tells of the ancient stories behind the most fascinating characters in history, but in an incredible and visual way. It’s a gorgeous book that no doubt young readers would love to scour through, as there are numerous flaps with pop-up after pop-up to investigate and learn from.

With it’s combination of carefully crafted visual pop-ups and educational information, Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods and Heroes is a welcome addition to not only a home library, but also perfect for the classroom. It’s no wonder to me why it’s recently been nominated for a Children’s Choice Book Award this year in the Grade 3-4 level. With page after page focused on Gods and Heroes like Zeus, Hercules, Aphrodite, Hades, Imhotep and more young learners will no doubt find numerous stories to read and investigate time and time again. This is definitely a series we will keep in our home for some time to come, especially as the kiddos get older I can see it being a wonderful source of information and entertainment; not to mention incredibly beautiful for even adults to look at!

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 7 and up. A brilliant educational pop-up book for young readers.

Find Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods and Heroes by Matthew Reinhart at the following spots:
Goodreads
Amazon
Powell’s Books
Indiebound
Barnes & Noble

Go vote!

Also, did you know it’s almost Children’s Book Week? I can hardly believe it myself, but it will be here before you know it! And before the week happens you need to make sure to vote for your favorites, including Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods and Heroes by Matthew Reinhart and Illustrated by Robert Sabuda in the 3rd-4th grade category!

Also, make sure to get a second opinion by checking out Teresa’s Reading Corner’s review of Gods and Heroes by Matthew Reinhart!

Giveaway!

Thanks to the publisher, Candlewick Press, I have a fantastic giveaway to share with There’s A Book readers with two winners! One winner will receive the entire Encyclopedia Mythologica library including: Gods & Heroes, Fairies & Magical Creatures, and Dragons & Monsters AND One winner will receive one copy of Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods and Heroes. Pretty exciting, right?! Fill out the form below to be entered to win and good luck!

Details: Two winners will be chosen at random after the contest closes. (One winner receiving the Encyclopedia Mythologica library including: Gods & Heroes, Fairies & Magical Creatures, and Dragons & Monsters AND One winner will receive one copy of Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods and Heroes.) You MUST fill out the form below, comments will not count as entries. Only one entry per household. Giveaway is open to US/Canadian Residents only. The giveaway will run from April 20, 2011 until May 07, 2011 midnight EST.

Thank you to Candlewick Press for providing this book for review! Find Candlewick Press on Twitter and Facebook!
Also, get to know Candlewick Press a little bit better through our Book Publishers 101 feature we did with them in February!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

This giveaway is now closed. Please check back soon for more great giveaways and thank you to all who entered!

In the first book of the series, Voyage with the Vikings, cousins Patrick and Beth are visiting Mr. Whittaker at Whit’s Soda Shoppe when they find a mysterious letter in the Imagination Station requesting a Viking sunstone. The letter is old and says that someone named Albert will be imprisoned if the sunstone isn’t found. Whit sends Patrick and Beth to Greenland circa 1000, where they meet Vikings Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson–and find the sunstone as they join Leif on his first voyage to North America. But the adventure is just beginning, for when they return to Mr. Whittaker’s workshop with the sunstone, there is another note waiting for them.

Voyage with the Vikings and Attack at the Arena
by Paul McCusker and Marianne Hering
Published by Tyndale House Publishers
Pages: 128
Ages: Middle Grade

The adventures continue in Attack at the Arena. Patrick and Beth learn that Mr. Whittaker’s fancy ring can be seen inside the Imagination Station but not outside of the machine. A second mysterious letter leads the cousins to fifth-century Rome in search of a special cup that belongs to a monk. If they find the cup it could keep the mysterious Albert out of prison. At the Roman Colosseum, Emperor Honorius is hosting a gladiator battle in celebration of a war victory. Beth attends the event as the emperor’s slave; Patrick attends as a monk’s apprentice but is taken prisoner and sent to fight in the arena. During their adventure, the cousins meet Telemachus (a true historical figure), a monk who believes that fighting is wrong. Telemachus is willing to risk everything—even his life—to stop the killing.

An adventure awaits Patrick and Beth as they step inside the mysterious time traveling machine called “The Imagination Station.” From the days of the Vikings to Ancient Rome, each place holds an education that is more exciting than any read in a normal history book. Patrick and Beth are chased by tigers, fight with Vikings and learn that there is more to accomplishing a task than simply setting out on a quest. Each will learn to rely on each other, about the time and place they visit and possibly even gain a little bit more faith along the way in this fantastic new adventure series.

What an incredible series of books! This series is meant to be read primarily for ages 7 to 12, but I actually spent most of my time reading these outloud to Turkeybird. He couldn’t get enough of the adventure, especially the parts when Beth and Patrick were being chased or were fighting with an adversary. Definitely a boy. What was truly enjoyable, for me at least, was being able to stop at points to tell him a little more about the time, people and places that were part of the story. I’m not sure it all stuck, but it was nice to have an adventure series to read with him that I wasn’t afraid would be too graphic but still held his attention. That being said, I absolutely believe this would be a series older readers would love reading on their own as well.

Now, as many of you know, Tyndale House is primarily a publisher of Christian based books, both non-fiction and fiction. When I originally heard about the series I was intrigued but not convinced I’d love it. Yes, I’m Christian, but I’m not always a fan of Christian books. Why? Because, in my experience I’ve found it difficult to enjoy a fiction book without feeling like I’m being preached at or being given a Sunday School lesson. For me personally, if I’m looking for that I’d choose a non-fiction book. Well, I was pleasantly surprised with The Imagination Station series. It does have mentions of things like prayer, God and faith but not to a point where I felt the books were pushing some sort of agenda. It was incredibly well done and balanced! So much so that I’d recommend the series to people who may not be practicing Christians or even religious at all, but perhaps just looking for a clean adventure for their young children.

The Imagination Station series, particularly Voyage with the Vikings and Attack at the Arena, is the beginning of a fantastic set of books I know we will be continuing in our home. Not only will middle grade age children enjoy the adventure and educational aspects without feeling like they’re sitting in a history class, but young children will also love having them read out-loud to them. Perfect for practicing and non-practicing religious homes, this is a series you can be sure will keep your children’s attention without blurring the lines with too much graphic content. An absolutely wonderful beginning to a great series, make sure to check them out as soon as possible!

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 7-12 and earlier with a parent reading out-loud. This series has adventure, education and more! Perfect for middle grade readers and early readers who want to be read to by a parent.

Giveaway!

Thanks to the publisher, Tyndale House Publishers, I have the wonderful opportunity of giving away one set of these fantastic middle grade books! One winner will receive: One copy of Voyage with the Vikings and One copy of Attack at the Arena.
Details: One winner will be chosen at random after the contest closes. You MUST fill out the form below, comments will not count as entries. Only one entry per household. Giveaway is open to US/Canadian Residents only. The giveaway will run from April 5, 2011 until April 24, 2011 midnight EST.

Find The Imagination Station book series at the following spots:
Goodreads
Amazon
Powell’s Books
Indiebound
Barnes & Noble

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tyndale House Publishers, for providing these books for review and giveaway!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

This giveaway is now closed please check back soon for more giveaways!

Coming up in May of this year is the next book in a series I’ve really fallen in love with, Aldo-Zelnick. It’s all about a typical technology loving boy and his capers around town with his two friends. Not only that, but each book in the series focuses on a letter of the alphabet. So far they are up to “C” with Cahoots coming out in May and “D” with Dumbstruck coming out in the Fall of 2011. I’ve recently received my copy of Cahoots and I’ll just tell you, it’ll make you Chortle all the way to the last page!

They’ve recently released a book trailer for the series and I couldn’t resist posting about it! It’s fabulous! Take a look below the synopsis for Cahoots and then stop by Goodreads to add the series to your to-read pile! If you’ve got a young boy in your life, who may be a fan of series like Captin Underpants and Diary of a Whimpy Kid, I have no doubt he’ll love Aldo-Zelnick and his friends!

Summer is drawing to a close, and the Zelnicks travel to the family farm in Minnesota for their vacation. Aldo’s mom is eager for him to experience the things she loved as a girl…shucking sweet corn, milking cows, gathering eggs. A week of FRESH AIR and living off the land!

But Aldo suspects that farm life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be…and it’s worse than he feared. The rooster wakes him at dawn, the chores nearly do him in, and Timothy and the cousins—identical twin pranksters—are in cahoots against him. Plus, the creepy, old portrait of his great-grandfather Aldo (the very one he’s named after) seems to be watching him from his frame on the wall…

All this without the comforts of TV or computer—because the Anderson farm is (gasp!) technology-free.

How and why would we want to incorporate activity and sticker books into our family reading rituals? Activity and sticker books are often used by parents as “babysitters”, but when used appropriately they may help a beginning reader make connections between visual images and words on a page with reality. In fact, these valuable resources can be an excellent teaching tool when used in conjunction with reading daily, especially for children who may struggle with some form of a learning disability.

Turkeybird’s Struggle
Our sweet Turkeybird was an early reader, but a late talker. He was diagnosed with a form of Autism called “Hyperlexia” at just around 20 months of age. It basically boils down to him reading by the time he was just older than a year old, but not being able to communicate verbally or interact socially until he was a bit older. I know you’re thinking, “he couldn’t talk, but he could read???” Yes, he would literally read words off of pages but hardly say hello when greeted by another family member or friend.

We sought the aid of a speech therapist and children’s counselor not knowing how else to help him. They used evaluations and problem solving games to help him express visually the words he was struggling to connect verbally. This continued for a few months and shortly thereafter our sweet Littlebug was born. For some reason, maybe a lack of attention, triggered in him a greater desire to communicate with us, but he still struggled to connect the “truck” on the page with the truck in his bedroom.

Soon, we moved across country and no longer had the aid of outside therapists and counselors. I decided there had to be something else that I could do as a parent to help him make those little connections. While looking through some “teaching” books and materials on the internet one day I came across some sticker books. The Turkeybird has always been a huge fan of sticker and activity books. What kid doesn’t love a sticker as a reward for a trip to the doctor or for a job well done? This was it, I thought! I ordered some and the work began.

Work Together!!!
Working with The Turkeybird was the key to progression. Children learn the most when they are read to or when they are taught directly.* Starting with the above pictured Sticker Activity book and moving on to many others, we worked together.Every day, while Littlebug slept, we sat down together at the table and went through the pages of the books one at a time. The first book focused on numbers, but also used “real” life objects to illustrate the numerals. Even from the beginning I tried to allow him to place the stickers in the appropriate places and verbally tell me what each was. After this we would go on excursions, be them around the house or to different venues (the park, petting zoo, etc.), and we would point out the different things he found in his activity books. Soon, he began to connect the dots.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat
To this day we still use the sticker books on a daily basis. We read on a daily basis. And we play together on a daily basis. It’s important to create routines in all children’s lives, but especially in those that struggle with some form of learning disability. Even as adults we benefit from a daily routine and continued persistence with a difficult task. Why would it be different with a child?

Everyday the Turkeybird looks forward to our “mini-school” sessions and asks for the next task. This shows me that he is making connections and learning more everyday. He loves to learn and I can tell when I see his face light up at the mention of crayons, stickers and books.

The End Result
The Turkeybird is talking more now, carrying on long conversations with non-family members and can now connect the words on the pages in his books to real life objects.  His social skills have progressed far beyond what was originally thought he would be capable of at this age. He continues to love reading and learning and his mom continues to love to read to and teach him.

I’m not saying that sticker and activity books will solve all your learning/teaching dilemmas, but if done right they can’t hurt. I’m not a professional, just a mom, and I make no presumptions about how effective these activity books may be in your own child’s life. Make sure to use them with your son, daughter or student; this is where you will find the best result. Children love to be taught, they love attention and exultation when they’ve accomplished something they’d never been able to do before. Interact and show you care about the outcome. And then, do it all over again.

This post was presented as part of the Share A Story Shape A Future Day Two. Make sure to stop by The Book Chook’s site for more posts pertaining to Literacy My Way/Literacy Your Way!

Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.

*Referenced & paraphrased from: On the Road to Reading: A Guide for Community Partners – December 1997

Colors & Counting by Emily Bolam

Published by Tiger Tales

Pages: 10

Ages: Baby-Preschool

Publishers Summary: Colors: A delightful introduction to colors for the very young springs to life in this vibrantly illustrated board book that features an embossed bumpy texture on the cover and throughout! Touch the textures to reinforce recognition, look at the pictures and words, and learn a rainbow of colors!
Counting: A delightful introduction to numbers for the very young springs to life in this vibrantly illustrated board book that features an embossed bumpy texture on the cover and throughout! Touch the textures to reinforce recognition, look at the pictures and words, and learn to count from one to five!

Littlebug Speaks: “These books are so much fun! I’m just starting to speak up and tell my mom exactly which books I want to read and these are always first on the list. My favorite pages are a bumpy read strawberry and the smiling giraffe with the number one next to him. Every page is so much fun to feel and I love all of the colors, they’re so bright! Even the outside cover of each of these books is covered in bumpy rising colors and numbers!

“My mom bought these for me because I’m definitely a touchy-feely kind of girl. I like to hold onto things and the more bumps and lumps the better! She still won’t let me get them in my mouth though, but I’m going to keep trying. These are great books and I highly recommend them!”

Mom’s Two Cents: “She’s right, I bought these books because my Littlebug (who’s not looking so little recently) loves textures and colors. Since she was a very small baby she enjoyed cuddling up with a soft cozy blanket and always had to have socks on her feet. The Turkeybird was/is quite different and definitely enjoys more technical analytical things. So, when I saw these books in the new Tiger Tales catalog, I knew I had to get them for her.

“Each of these books teach basic beginning concepts – colors and numbers – five in each. In the counting book it not only shows an actual numeral representation, but a physical representation ie. five fish. The colors book has pages the help even a little reader connect actual ‘real life’ images (an ocean with sailboats) with the words on the page. All of the pages are covered in textured goodness and beautiful colors. These books are for the kiddo in your life who loves touching, snuggling, smooshing, and just about anything tactile. Wonderful beginning books for beginning readers and learners!”

For the Comments: Do you have a favorite counting or ABC book from your youth? Or do you remember how you learned to count/say your ABC’s?

These books were purchased for our home library.
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.