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By Lezlie Evans, for The Children’s Book Review
Published: October 12, 2010

Children’s Book Author and Mother of Six, Demonstrates Unconditional Love In Who Loves the Little Lamb

Ashburn, VA – Lezlie Evans reflects her love of children’s literature, family values and appreciation for different cultures in every book she releases.  Whether it is learning phrases in different languages or a family picnic, the nine-time published, award winning children’s book author, and mother of six, portrays the significance of communication in problem solving between parents and their children.  Lezlie’s latest title Who Loves the Little Lamb, exemplifies the effects of a mother’s calm reassurance, as she guides her misbehaving little one to better choices.

Who Loves the Little Lamb, published on the Disney/Hyperion label, and illustrated by Award Winning illustrator, David McPhail, has garnered wide spread interest from highly ranked blogs and praise industry review sites.  The Children’s Book Guide states:

“Who Loves the Little Lamb will be a favorite for your kids for years to come. It’s the kind of story that your children will ask to hear over and over. The tone and colors of the book will give them a sense of security. This tale of unconditional love will become a classic in your home.”

Lezlie, a winner of the prestigious Gold Oppenheim Award, has created a book not only appropriate for reading every day of the year, but especially timely for the upcoming Mother’s Day.

“I believe mothers will relate to the experiences depicted in the book.  I am hopeful that Who Loves the Little Lamb will become a treasured book, and serve as a special reminder of much mother’s love their little ones,” says Lezlie.

Lezlie will serve as Co-Chair of Programs for the Washington D.C. Children’s Book Guild beginning in June. She is also an educational advocate for home based literacy in youth, as a preventative measure for combating texting and electronic trends of upcoming tweens and teens.  As electronic and texting issues receive increased amounts of press, Lezlie is scheduling opportunities to share her message with the media on how literacy at home can help encourage imagination and open opportunities for expression in youth.  Lezlie is available for interviews and panel discussions per request.  Most recently Evans was a guest author at the re-known King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, UT where she was invited to read from her newest book Who Loves the Little Lamb and featured on Virginia’s

By Phoebe Vreeland, The Children’s Book Review
Published: September 27, 2010

Confessions of a Former Bully

by Trudy Ludwig (Author), Beth Adams (Illustrator)

Reading level: Ages 8-12

Hardcover: 48 pages

Publisher: Tricycle Press (August 24, 2010)

Source: Author

Ten-year old Katie has hung up her bully hat.  With gentle nudges from parents, principal and school counselor, she is now sharing her secrets with you and your child so that the bullying can stop. 

Katie is a creation of author Trudy Ludwig in her latest offering to tweens, Confessions of a Former Bully. After five books, Ludwig has become much beloved by kids, parents and teachers.  This award winning author has truly become an advocate for children in the area of social justice.  Her former books deal with a variety of issues helping kids navigate the perils of social situations.  In 2005, her first book My Secret Bully, disarmed the frenemy.  In Just Kidding, Ludwig tackled teasing.  Sorry exposed the insincere apology and Trouble Talk illuminated the problems of gossiping.  Her fifth book, Too Perfect (read review), shed light on the problems of perfectionism.  The latest book builds on this body of work and offers a new perspective—that of the reformed aggressor. Now with the help of Katie, we can pull the curtain on the bully once and for all.

Confessions of a Former Bully is written in the guise of a journal.  The school principal has asked Katie to meet with the school counselor Mrs. Petrowski once a week as consequence for her unkind actions, in order to learn more about bullying behavior and how to be a better friend.  Her parents have asked her to keep a journal about what she has learned.

Illustrator Beth Adams’ child-like drawings and margin doodles help create an authentic tween journal feel. While it is written in the voice of a tween, Katie is clearly smart and there is no annoying tween jargon. The handwritten type-face and faux taped-in snippets help create the journal feel.  But lest you judge this book by its cover, beware—Katie’s journal is in no way jejune.  It is chock-full of helpful information, charts, “Quick Facts”, reflections and revelations.  Knowledge comes in many ways, like Mrs. Petrowski’s “Think-About It” cards.  These bright yellow quote cards offer gems from the greats: Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Te

By Phoebe Vreeland, The Children’s Book Review
Published: August 10, 2010

Anh’s Anger

by Gail Silver (Author), Christiane Krömer (Illustrator)

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Hardcover: 40 pages

Publisher: Plum Blossom Books (August 11, 2009)

Source: Publicist

What to expect: Anger management, Buddhist influence

We all know how challenging it can be to help a child deal with the powerful energy of anger.  No matter how deep our reserves of compassion and patience are as parents, we also seek tools. In Anh’s Anger, author Gail Silver offers traditional Buddhist technique for dealing with the emotion.

The story is a simple one. A young boy is absorbed in play, content building a tower of blocks while his grandfather prepares their dinner.  Ahn does not want to be interrupted.  After ignoring several requests to come to dinner, the boy melts down.  Unable to articulate his feelings, they quickly progress from tears to anger. Finally, he yells mean words at his grandfather. Wise and steady, Grandfather politely asks Ahn to go to his room and sit with his anger. There he is surprised by the presence of a colorful and mischievous creature—his anger brought to life. The two “play” till they tire, then sit and breathe together.  Change transpires.  Grandfather returns and invites an articulate and apologetic Ahn to dinner.

Illustrator Christiane Krömer blends silk and paper collage with brush and pencil drawings for great effect.  She nicely depicts Ahn’s full range of emotion—contentment, tears, rage, surprise, remorse and serenity.  Her choice of color and texture in the collage reinforce these emotions—watermarks echo Ahn’s tears and vibrant red and yellow dagger shapes amplify the boy’s rage.

Upon first reading, my Western mind started throwing out criticisms of why this might not work as magically in real life.  So I decided to do a bit of adult reading on the subject of anger.  Ahn’s Anger is published by Plum Blossom Books, the children’s imprint of Parallax Press that offers young people books on mindfulness and Buddhism.  The book clearly offers an Eastern approach and draws from the wisdom of an expert on the matter: Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace-activist Thich Nhat Hanh.

Curiously, I found Hanh’s book Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames in my own bookshelf.  (“Hmmm, must be husband’s”, I murmur.) In it, Hahn instructs that the way we approach anger is to first accept responsibility for it and actually embrace it. “Your anger is not your enemy, your anger is your baby.” Our first task, he says, is to accept it as “a mother accepts her child.” Hahn views emotion as organic and there

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: July 12, 2010

What to Read When

Most of us know that reading to and with our children and/or encouraging our children to read solo is one of the most important jobs that we as parents have.

Pam Allyn, author of What to Read When: The Books and Stories to Read with Your Child—and All the Best Times to Read Them, explains clearly in her book why this job is so important: reading develops shared values, allows children to fall in love with language, builds comprehension, teaches the power of story, offers comfort, builds critical thinking skills, shapes a lifelong reading identity, and the list goes on.

Sometimes knowing the importance of reading to and with your child is the easy part. It’s knowing what books to read when that offers up a challenge. Pam Allyn solves this quandary with a gazillion of excellent recommendations, classic and new, listed under both age and genre. Each age group (birth to ten-years-old) has its reading needs defined and book suggestions follow. Themes such as divorce, sharing, music,  and sleepovers—a list of 50 in total—have been covered. A lot of the books listed in the “Fifty Themes” section have questions listed under the synopsis so you can help promote healthy conversation and increase your child’s comprehension skills. And, for those of you who feel shy when reading aloud, you’ll truly appreciate the “How to” component.

What to Read When is the best reading tool I’ve come across. It should be a household, classroom, bookstore, and library staple. It’s easy to use and provides solid reading tips and recommendations  all the way through. Gosh, I think this book might even be my new best friend—it’s certainly going to be a desktop staple for the Children’s Book Review.

Summer Reading Tips

Now you know why reading to and with your child is important and you know where to find out what to read when, you may be looking for a few extra summer reading tips. Pam Allyn has generously offered up some additional advice just for our readers:

• Take turns reading aloud on the beach or at the park or wherever you find yourself. Dramatic readings from Harry Potter or exchanging snippets from People magazine is fun family bonding;  reading aloud together at any age is a wonderful bonding activity for you and your child. It makes words and stories come alive through your voice, and your child’s voice.

• Magazines and newspapers are great summer time reading. The articles are short, they can be folded to fit into any bag and if you let your kids help choose, they’ll definitely be interested in reading them. There are great magazines out there for children that will inspire lots of conversation. These include National Geographic for Kids, Sports Illustrated for Kids, American Girl and Dig. Also short stories and poems are terrific alternatives to shoving a long, intimidatin
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The following books have been selected for Father's Day because they showcase strong paternal bonds and demonstrate just how special (and important) daddy-and-me moments can be. There is also a special selection for families that have two daddies.

Confucius once said, "Where ever you go, go with all your heart." With this in mind, I have selected the following books based on their ability to inspire.

©2010 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.. Share and Enjoy:

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Oh' the Places You'll Go, a couple of new editions have been released. This awesome book now spins, sparkles, and pops.

Elissa Weissman has written a wonderfully thought-through novel that shows us that friendship can be made, even between the most unlikely characters.

By Bianca Schulze, The Children's Book Review
Published: January 6, 2010

Pelican and Pelicant

by Sarah Froeber (Author), Andy Thorn (Music)

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Audio CD

Publisher: Shoofly Audio

Source: Author

What to expect: Intrepidity, Self-confidence, Friendship,

There is a clear and timely message in the story of Pelican and Pelicant: friendship, encouragement, and a little bravery, can really travel a long way.

Pelican is an "I think I can" kind of bird—champing at the bit with confidence. Pelicant is an "I can not" kind of bird—shy and uncertain. Together, these characters create an engaging tale of the fun that comes from having a good friend and self-confidence. The story is read and delivered clearly by Sarah Froeber, with lovely musical accompaniment by Andy Thorn.

Children of all levels of confidence will take something away from this likable adventure: Those with self-confidence will learn the importance of being a supportive and encouraging friend. And, those that lack in self-confidence will hear a tale of intrepidity.

Kudos to Sarah Froeber.

Publisher's synopsis: Fly with Pelican to the top of an enormous oak. Laugh as she shows newcomer Goose around the island. Float in the waves with Pelican while she rests after an enormous fish dinner. Finally, go with her to Turtle's party to dance the Pelican Pop-up and dine on crab birthday cake with crayfish frosting. But where is Pelicant during all of this fun?

Watch self-esteem blossom in the face of uncertainty and risk-taking. Discover what happens when these endearing pelicans look beyond feathers and beaks to the tender roots of a genuine friendship. Young people will find Sarah Froeber's tale delightful and engaging, and adults will recognize the rich texture of a time-tested myth. Kim Mosher's illustrations in luminous colored pencil are simple yet detailed enough to tell this story on their own - the closer you look, the longer you will giggle.

Add this audio CD to your collection: Pelican and Pelicant

By Luisa LaFleur, The Children's Book Review
Published: December 21, 2009

by Shel Silverstein (Author)

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Paperback: 64 pages

Publisher: HarperCollins (October 7, 1964)

Source of book: Bookstore

What to expect: Relationships, giving and taking

Not so long ago, I bought The Giving Tree on a visit to a great NY bookstore. I'd seen it before but never read it and thought it might be nice to read to my children. I based my decision to buy it on two things--I had a notion that it was an important book in the canon of children's literature and I really liked the cover: a simple line drawing of a boy and a tree on a bright green background. Fast forward a few months and it has become one of the three or four books that *must* be read before bedtime. So I've now read it some 60-70 times, but here's the strange thing: I'm still not quite sure what the moral of the story is. I realize that in this Internet age with sites like Wikipedia and Amazon and any number of blogs and review sites, I *should* be able to figure it out. But I haven't yet and this makes writing a review a little more difficult than usual.

The story is about a little boy who loves a tree and as he grows he asks for more and more things from the tree. The tree loves the little boy and gives everything she can. Although the tree willingly gives to the boy, he never seems to be fulfilled and she grows increasingly sadder. I won't give away the ending but it's poignant and tender and the more I think about it, really sad for a children's story. What I take from the story, and what I try to subtly convey to my kids when I read it, is that giving is good and important. And we should give what we can because it makes us happy to do so.

At this time of the year, I think it's important to emphasize the "giving" nature of the holidays and not so much the "receiving" part. The Children's Book Review is taking the message to heart and our kind and generous leader has decided to take part in the Pajama Program (http://www.pajamaprogram.org/) a non-profit organization that provides new pajamas and new books to children in need in the United States. 

Leave us a comment: What does The Giving Tree mean to you and your family?

By Bianca Schulze, The Children's Book Review
Published: December 8, 2009

Manners, manners, manners. The oh-so important skill: manners! We need them all year round but somehow they seem extra important during the holiday season. Here are a couple of books that have an encouragingly humorous take on socially acceptable behavior. I have read each one and give my complete seal of approval. I've included the publisher's synopsis for your benefit, thank you!

Thanks a LOT, Emily Post!

by Jennifer Larue Huget (Author), Alexandra Boiger (Illustrator)

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Hardcover: 40 pages

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade; 1 edition (September 22, 2009)

Source: Publisher

Publisher's synopsis: A hilarious look at good (and bad) behavior!

Based on Emily Post’s bestselling etiquette book, published in 1922, here’s an uproarious picture book that takes rules about behavior and turns them upside down. When Mother brings home Post’s big blue book—it’s all about minding your manners—there sure are a lot of new rules to follow: No slumping in chairs, no leaning on your elbows at the table, no shouting at the top of your lungs. Mother is delighted, but the kids are not. What they need is a clever plan to get rid of that pesky book once and for all. But how? Turns out the answer’s easy—they just have to play by the rules.

With actual quotes and characters from Post’s book woven into the story, here’s an uproarious look at being on your best behavior . . . and on your worst!

Add this book to your collection: Thanks a LOT, Emily Post!

Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners

by Laurie Keller

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Paperback: 40 pages

Publisher: Square Fish; Reprint edition (September 1, 2009)

Source: Purchased

Publisher's synopsis: “Do not do to others that which would anger you if others did it to you.”