Interesting article in the Washington Post about the reading habits of children. It may surprise you. There's also a PDF'd 56-page report on the study. Very interesting reading, indeed.
The article in the Post is here.
Joy the Jellyfish has a very serious problem. More than anything, he wants to make friends. But how on earth can he make friends when he's nearly invisible!
He tries to get the attention of the other Great Barrier Reef creatures--Amy Anemone, a school of sea horses, Gantian the Great White Shark, Bogart the Blowfish, Daphne the Dolphin--but because of his near-invisible nature, he's mostly ignored.
"My only wish is to have a friend," says Joy the Jellyfish. Then, as he keeps traveling deeper into the ocean, and the waters become icier and darker, he meets Bella Beluga the Whale, who teaches him the secret of friendship and how friendship itself has nothing to do with his nearly-invisible physical nature. Thanks to Bella, Joy learns how to overcome shyness and make friends. More confident, he swims back to the reef, this time powered with the knowledge of true friendship.
Joy the Jellyfish is a sweet story about friendship and about how to overcome shyness in order to make friends. The prose and dialogue are engaging and the brightly colored illustrations captivating. This is a book that will make a fine, delightful gift to any child, not only because of its beautiful artwork and engaging plot, but also because it teaches the different animals which inhabit the great barrier reefs. This book is the second collaboration between talented illustrator Kevin Scott Scollier and his author wife, Kristen. I hope this book will not be their last and I certainly look forward to more children's picture books from this winning team.
*****
JOY THE JELLYFISH
Written by Kristen Collier
Illustrated by Kevin Collier
Dragonfly Publishing
October 2007
24 pages
Paperback: $12.99
Hardcover: $25
JOY THE JELLYFISH
24 pages,
Written by Kristen Collier
Illustrated by Kevin Collier
Dragonfly Publishing,
October 2007
24 pages
Paperback: $12.99
Hardcover: $25
I just finished reading this truly delightful children's picture book about a little Jellyfish named Joy and her search for true friendship. I read it to my ten-year old daughter and she loved it and found the illustrations charming! You can always count on a child for an honest review :-)
I'll be posting my review in a few days, so stay tuned!
Best,
Mayra
Children’s author Kristen Collier is today’s guest on Book Bites for Kids, LIVE on blogtalkradio.com at 2:00 central. She’ll talk about her new book, Joy the Jellyfish.
Listen to Book Bites for Kids here and call in to ask a question or make a comment during the LIVE show at 1-646-716-9239.
author interview,
blogtalkradio,
Book Bites for Kids,
childrens books,
Joy the Jellyfish,
Kristen Collier
How odd. Kids are reading at or above grade level (on average) but they begin to flatten out at seventh grade and, overall, by high school are choosing to read books well below their level.
Have we made YA readers too comfortable in the children's room? I know I was over on the adult side of the library by seventh grade, but YA didn't really exist when I was hormonal.
I agree with you. It's very odd. I, too was on the adult side of the library by seventh grade. I'm 46 so there weren't YA books for me either. You've got me thinking David!