A Little Book of Alliterations by Felix Arthur and Illustrated by Jenny Capon
Published by Inside Pocket Publishing (An imprint of Lerner Publishing Group)
Pages: 64
Ages: 5 and up.
Publishers Summmary:

Jenny Capon’s marvellous interpretation of Felix Arthur’s alphabetical and phonetic tongue-twisters represents a leap in visual literacy, offering something totally unique. An entertaining journey through the alphabet which is fun for parents and children alike. Poetic vampire bats, speaking sea urchins, piano playing penguins, champion carrot-crunching cockroaches… All is not as it seems!

The Turkeybird Gets Tongue Tied: “Trying to talk to my mom today in all Ts is tough! Haha! When we were writing my review I kept wiggling and giggling. It’s super silly to speak in the same letters but it’s super fun too!

“I’m still trying to work on it, but this book was so funny. I really liked the ‘CH’ page:

Chunky Charlie
cheerily chewed
chips and cheddar cheese
(p. 10 of A Little Book of Alliterations by Felix Arthur)

“Isn’t that the funniest thing ever! The monkeys on the page next to it are even more funny. The best is trying to say it so fast that you get all goofy. Not all of them are super funny, but there are some I like the very best that I keep having my mom read over and over.”

Mom’s Two Cents: “Filled with silly sayings that have little ones in stitches over the smallest things, A Little Book of Alliterations by Felix Arthur and illustrated by Jenny Capon is a book to be enjoyed and learned from. From A to Z (and even a few in between) young readers are exposed to new words and a variety of ways to use them to create what quite often turn out to be realistic but hilarious situations. In addition to the use of alliteration on each page there are also accompanying illustrations that may or may not have anything to do with the alliterations themselves, but are quirky just as the words are.

“This was a really fun read! Not only did the Turkeybird enjoy learning new words, but it was fun to see how giggly he got by just listening to the combinations. Being someone who struggled with rhyming and alliteration as a child it’s nice to have entertaining yet educational books to share with my children that I know they’ll enjoy and that I will be able to teach from. A Little Book of Alliterations was quirky with some very unique illustrations by Jenny Capon that often also had the Turkeybird chuckling. Obviously, not every page was a huge hit (he’s still a bit young), but I’m positive that with time and age he’ll be able to appreciate each alliteration as a way of learning about each letter of the alphabet in an enjoyable way.

“A Little Book of Alliterations by Felix Arthur is a fantastic addition to any young learners’ library. With quirky illustrations and an alphabet directory filled with hilarious alliterations it’s sure to be a book kiddos will appreciate for quite some time. Our family has thoroughly enjoyed learning all of the new words for each of the letters and spent quite a bit of time laughing over the combinations the author created. Educational and entertaining all in one book, A Little Book of Alliterations by Felix Arthur is the perfect book to appreciate over time with little minds looking longing for learning.”

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 4 to 8. An educational yet fun book filled with quirky illustrations that young readers will truly enjoy.

Make sure to take a look at the micro-site for A Little Book of Alliterations for some fantastic coloring pages and more about the book!

Find A Little Book of Alliterations by Felix Arthur and Illustrated by Jenny Capon at the following spots:
Amazon
Powell’s Books
Indiebound
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads

Today’s post is part of our month long celebration of Lerner Publishing Group for our monthly feature “Book Publishers 101“. Make sure to stop by the Lerner Publishing Group Site for more information about this title and more. For more information about our Book Publishers 101 feature take a look at this month’s opening post.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Inside Pocket, for providing a copy of this book for review! Connect with them on their Blog, Twitter and on Facebook!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

Sunday {App}etizers is a new feature where we take our absolute favorite Book Apps for the iPad and iPhone and serve them up for you to enjoy! We may feature one or half a dozen each week, it all depends on how many {app}etizers we think you need that week. This week’s feature…

Bob Books #2 – Reading Magic By Learning Touch

Publishers Summary: Millions of kids have learned to read with Bob Books. Now Bob Books is coming to the iPhone with Bob Books Reading Magic!

Bob Books Reading Magic Set #2 is here!

Parents and educators have raved about Bob Books #1 – Reading Magic. Now set #2 is here with twelve new scenes and over 50 words!

Start your child reading with this phonics-based interactive game. Your favorite Bob Books characters and full-color animations encourage kids along the path of learning to read.

About eight months ago we had the opportunity of reviewing the first set of iPhone Bob Books, Reading Magic Set #1, and we loved it. The Turkeybird was in the beginning stages of connecting the fact that letters form words and can be mixed up to make more words where he only had previously seen them as “solid” words. The first set in the series was instrumental in his current ability to spell his own name as well as sound out other words by placing letters together. So needless to say, we were excited for a second in the series.

This time it’s Littlebug that is absolutely in love with the series, but that’s not a surprise as she also loves the other Learning Touch literacy apps as well. In this second in the series though there is more interaction, more ways to learn and additional scenes not in the previous book. It starts out with the basic level where your child can drop in the letters at random to fill the scenes with color as you complete words. From that level forward it adds a series of difficulty from placing the letters in order to no visual aids and then picking the letters on their own. It’s progression and interaction level is perfect for beginning to more advanced learners which is exactly what we need in our home with a two and four year old.

Bob Books have long been a wonderful resource for parents and teachers alike. Their basic format and approach make learning a fun and enjoyable experience for young learners. With the addition of two iPhone/iPad versions of the Bob Books series Learning Touch has taken it to another level making it a superior literacy tool. I’ve no doubt seen a huge difference in the Turkeybird’s ability to form words on his own and Littlebug has already begun to recognize words by the letters they are made up of. This is the perfect addition to any parent’s app library and one I’d highly recommend!

The Sweet and Savory Sum-up: Ages 2-5. Perfect for toddlers & pre-schoolers learning to read! An enjoyable literacy tool that both parents and children will love.

Available for the iPad in HD as well as for the iPhone/iPod Touch.

Giveaway!

As an added bonus, thanks to the generosity of Learning Touch, I have the opportunity to giveaway four (4) app codes for their iPhone version of this app to and one (1) for their iPad version of the app to There’s A Book readers! To enter all I’m asking is that you leave a comment below with a valid email address and which version you’d prefer. That’s it! These codes will expire on Monday September 4th, 2011 and so this is going to be a short giveaway so that you can download the apps before the code expires! The giveaway will only be open until Wednesday August 31st, 2011 at Midnight EST. I’ll announce the winners the following morning in this post. Good luck all!

This Giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered! Below are listed the winners of the Bob Books #2 Reading Magic App codes. Congratulations!
Tea – iPad
Helena – iPhone
Julie – iPhone
Kaya H. – iPhone
Teri C. – iPhone

Thank you so much to Learning Touch for providing this book app for review! Connect with them on Twitter and Facebook!

Each week the Broke and Bookish host this fantastic weekly feature that poses different bookish questions. It’s been a while since I’ve participated in this weekly event and I thought I needed to get back into the swing of things book community-wise. Also, I’m extremely excited about this week’s topic, which happens to be…

Top Ten Bookish Websites/Organizations/Apps, etc. (aside from book blogs — things like Goodreads, Project Night Night, Paperbackswap, etc.)

1. Goodreads – This has to be the one site that without fail, I go to every single day. It could be to update my reading, add a review, find a new book, enter a giveaway, find an author & their books, and much more. I love it!

2. Library Thing – Very similar to Goodreads and I think it all depends on your preferences. I like that it has a more “independent” feel to it and that I can almost always find new original info about books & their authors there.

3. Digital Storytime – Carisa happens to be a good friend of mine and we first “met” through her site. It’s fantastic! Especially if you’re a parent needing to know which book apps are the best for your kiddos, there are over 225 reviews to choose from. But it’s more than a review site, it’s actually quite different, more of a database. She also has a “Daily Deals” page that highlights the best book app deals available for your iPhone or iPad, it’s great! I know I’ve personally found a number of new books to read and literacy tools for my own kiddos through her site. Go check it out!

4. Reading Is Fundamental – This site has so much for everyone in the book community. It provides the ability to support donations and literacy programs to those less fortunate, tips and programs for use in classrooms & homes, volunteer opportunities and so much more. It’s perfect for book lovers, regardless of whether you have kiddos because you can still help no matter who you are.

5. First Book – The place I go when I am looking to help promote reading to those less fortunate than myself. It’s a fabulous site that puts you in a position to truly help put books in the hands of children in need everywhere.

6. Overdrive – Where I get all of my library eBooks and Audiobooks. Love it!

7. KidLitosphere Central – A an amazing gathering place for book bloggers from picture book reviewers all the way up to young adult reviewers. There are tons of resources including a blogger database, book review database, events, an upcoming conference, and more.

8. Cybils – This is actually an annual event much like the ALA’s various awards, but what I like about Cybils is that they are blogger decided awards. People just like the bloggers we read every day. I’ve found some of my favorite books by looking through their lists, definitely worth checking out!

9. Shelf Awareness/Publishers Weekly – I use both of these sites on a daily basis as a source of news for what’s going on in the industry. Both send daily emails that keep me in the “know” which helps tremendously when I’m looking for new books & authors to research. Also, Shelf Awareness just started a “Reader” based newsletter that’s been featuring reviews of quite a few of my blogger friends, yay! Publishers Weekly also shares a great Children’s edition that is full of great info!

10. Publisher’s Websites – There are so many of them. Check out my favorites page for the ones I frequent most often. But seriously, these sites are an endless stream of great info and can also put you in contact with authors and illustrators you may never had been aware of otherwise. Love it!

So, what about you? Is there a site you use or an app you love to help you locate and/or share fantastic books?

If you’re participating this week, share your post link in the comments and I’ll make a point of stopping by!

As some of you may know, our family is incredibly interested in technology. Both my hubby and I are avid internet users and gamers plus the Turkeybird and Littlebug are also very interested as well. We try to limit our time using these things and when possible with the kiddos we try to gear them towards educational & learning applications. So when we were initially introduced to Learning Touch via their BOB Books – Reading Magic app you can imagine how excited we were. Since that time we’ve tried nearly every one of their apps from FirstWords Deluxe to FirstWords Shapes and have loved every one of them. They are currently Littlebug’s go-to app on my iPhone!

Today I have some very exciting news direct from Learning Touch to share with There’s A Book readers! Learning Touch has reached their one millionth app download!!! Congratulations! As part of the celebration their providing a few benefits to iPhone and iPad users, take a look…

All editions of FirstWords will be on sale in the iTunes App Store for 24-hours at $.99 cents each! Just stop by the FirstWords App Store on iTunes to add some or all of these following apps to your literacy library!

As an added bonus, thanks to the generosity of Learning Touch and this huge celebration, I have the opportunity to giveaway three (3) app codes for their “FirstWords Vehicles” app to There’s A Book readers! To enter all I’m asking is that you leave a comment below with a valid email address. That’s it! The giveaway will be open until tonight at Midnight PST on May 04, 2011.

I also happen to know that Digital Storytime is also giving away a few apps via their Facebook page! So go check it all out and enjoy!

To follow the celebration and maybe get a promocode, like us on Facebook, follow us at Twitter, or search for the hash tag #FirstWordsParty.

Last year I had the privilege of participating in the literacy event Share A Story Shape A Future. It was a wonderful time for me, I was a fairly new person in the world of literacy and blogging which made it the perfect place to dip my feet in and get to know some of the “heavy hitters” on a very personal level. It also gave me the opportunity to share with the book blogging world the story of my son, The Turkeybird, and his early struggles with Autism. So, needless to say, as this time of year was approaching again I was eager to jump in full swing and participate in whatever way I could!

This year I have the wonderful opportunity of hosting today’s topic, Literacy 2.0 – Taking the Gift of Literacy Into the Future. This form of literacy is by far the most exciting for me, though encouraging literacy on any level is something to be celebrated. Technology is changing by the second and the way in which we approach literacy while using technology has the power to enhance the learning experience exponentially. Much of it is about incorporating and adapting to that ever-changing technology and using it as a force for good.

Today’s participants range from teachers to parents to authors and more. Each has their own unique way of incorporating the technology we have available to us in a way that enhances and improves the lives of the children around them. It’s an incredible honor to be hosting and I’m extremely excited about this group of bloggers/teachers/parents/etc.! Just take a look at the line up…

Carisa Kluver from Digital Storytime
With iPad books that look more like toys and entertainment how likely are they to be used as tools for literacy and how does it affect the reader, children?

Eric Van Raepenbusch from Happy Birthday Author
Using video to extend the meaning of a book beyond its pages, teach basic skills, entertain, and provide primary sources of information. The post includes examples of all these ideas, plus ideas to produce your own video as a literacy activity. And that’s not all….there are links to the sources of video I have used to write my blog.

Chris Singer from Book Dads
When the Color Nook was released I just wasn’t able to resist getting one. However, I wasn’t just going to buy one for myself, but also for my daughter Tessa (now 23 months old). Although it didn’t stop me from buying one, I admit I was a little bit worried about Tessa becoming mesmerized with the Nook, and not wanting to look at her picture books any more. In our particular case and I think for other kids as well, it was a needless worry. Check out the rest of my post on Book Dads to read more of my thoughts on the value of using the Color Nook with toddlers.

Pam van Hylckama Vlieg from Bookalicio.us
Using technology to foster a love of reading in the home.

Holly Slotkin from LitLad
Using the iPad/iPod Touch to complement, not replace, the printed word. iPad/iPod Touch apps (book apps & other reading-related apps) that help promote literacy.

Susan Stephenson from The Book Chook
Online Resources for Reading and Writing
The cyber world has wonderful web spaces that encourage kids to respond creatively, and to develop important skills for literacy development. Here are some Book Chook favourites for reading and writing.

Melissa Taylor from Imagination Soup
Reading On the Go!
Reading in the Car, at the Doctor’s Office, at Grandma’s House . . . Books, eBooks, Playaways and more!

Jonathan Auxier from The Scop
Hasta la Vista, Hardy Boys: No e-reader can compare to the beauty of a book on a shelf, ready to be re-opened at any time … but what about books you don’t want on your shelf forever?

Paul W. Hankins from Mr. Hankins is Reading and Writing in Kentuckiana
Digitizing the classroom. How digital media can be used in a classroom setting to enhance the literacy experience.

Mary Ann Scheuer from Great Kid Books
E-books for children, tweens and young adults.

Jennifer Vincent from Teach Mentor Texts
Using technology to encourage kids to read. Specifically by having a blog for students and offering books in different formats like on the Nook and as audiobooks.

Miss Remmers from Miss Remmers’ Reviews
Taking a classroom into the digital realm with limited funding. Stop by to see which teaching tools Miss Remmers uses on a daily basis.

If you’re still eager to throw your voice into the group, please comment on any number of the blogs participating and possibly even take a few minutes to post about your feelings on today’s topic on your own blog using the writing prompts on the main Share A Story Shape A Future site. (All those who comment today (on any of the posts listed above, as well as here) will have the opportunity of possibly winning one of 10 iPad/iPhone apps from PicPocket books! For more details, please see my previous post, Share A Story Shape A Future: Sponsor – PicPocket Books.)

As I end my post I’d like to share a short video from a mother whose son Leo was recently featured during the launch of the iPad 2, Shannon Des Roches Rosa. Leo has a form of Autism and Shannon says in her own words, “the iPad gives Leo so much leisure- and learning-time independence and encourages so much self-direction.” This mother and her son have truly inspired me. Our own Turkeybird has a very mild form of Autism, but even still, it’s incredible the ways in which technology has been able to help him on so many levels and it’s wonderful to see that being recognized.

Take a look at the video below, Leo appears at about the 4:40 mark, but there are some other amazing stories in there to pay attention to including the way iPads are used in Chicago Public Schools and at Children’s Hospital in Boston with Autistic children.

Powerful things are happening in the world around us and there is so much we can do to improve literacy by using the technology that’s at our fingertips! Through eReaders, Skype, Blogs, Book Trailers, iPads & Tablet computers, Audiobooks and more we are reaching children in ways we never thought possible. Again, this is such an incredible topic and I hope you all find something you can use to improve your lives and the lives of the children you love.

Today’s topic for Share A Story Shape A Future is Literacy 2.0 – Taking the Gift of Literacy Into the Future and the wonderful PicPocket Books has stepped up to sponsor the day! My next post will go into the day’s discussions, but for now I wanted to talk a bit about PicPocket Books.

PicPocket Books has kindly offered 10 App codes for today’s event and I couldn’t be happier about it! One of the first books we “tried out” on my iPhone was a PicPocket Book app called Big Stuff: Tractors by Robert Gould. The Turkeybird instantly fell in love with the sounds, sites and stories about all the incredible machines and tractors. It’s an educational and entertaining book that to this day I’m happy to say is used regularly on the phone.

After our first experience with these fantastic books, it just went on from there. Every book we’ve tried has been excellent. With beautiful illustrations, educational material and fun ways to interact & listen kids can’t resist them!

Take a look at a couple of the reviews from the PicPocket Books site:

“From a parental perspective, I love the integration of art, technology and literacy in PicPocket Books.”
— Dr. Venus E. Evans-Winters, Illinois State University, Department of Educational Administration & Foundations

“I am the principal at Madison Elementary School. We use iTouches in our instruction daily and are constantly on the lookout for great apps for all levels of learners. I found Penelope the Purple Pirate an entertaining story that engaged our students while encouraging them to follow along with the words as the story was read. This high-interest story and interactive format makes this app a winner!”
— Michelle Hayes, Principal
Madison Elementary School

So, needless to say, if you have an iPhone/iPad and a young reader/learner you will want these books! What do you have to do to qualify? Read and comment on the posts for Literacy 2.0 – Taking the Gift of Literacy Into the Future (click to find the list of blogs participating). That’s pretty much it! Make sure you leave your email address with your comment and tomorrow evening the 10 winners will be selected out of the comments.

Thank you again to PicPocket Books for sponsoring this incredible event!

To find out more about Share A Story Shape A Future and get involved in encouraging literacy, please visit the main site.