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It's Perfect Picture Book Friday, and almost Halloween! So what better to share than a Perfect Halloween Picture Book?
This is such a cute one!
Title: Little Boo Written By: Stephen Wunderli Illustrated By: Tim Zeltner Henry Holt & Company, August 2014, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 3-7
Themes/Topics: Holidays (Halloween), Emotion (patience/impatience), Nature (lifecycle of a seed), Common Childhood Experiences (wanting to be bigger/older)
Opening: "The wind blew, the leaves fell, and a tiny seed hid in the garden. "Boo," the seed said to a leaf rolling by. "You're not scary at all," the leaf said.
Brief Synopsis: A little pumpkin seed tries hard to be scary but he just can't seem to scare anyone - not the leaves or the grubs, not the snowflakes in winter or the bees in spring! "Be patient," the wind tells him, "you'll be scary soon enough." But it's awfully hard to wait!
Why I Like This Book: It's just so cute! Look at that little pumpkin seed face - how can you not love it?! :) The story is simple but so relatable for kids who always seem to want to grow up faster than nature allows. And within the sweet story we also get a nice little glimpse of the life cycle of a seed - so cleverly slipped in there! To top it off, the art is absolutely gorgeous - colorful and warm and so appealing! This is a wonderful one to add to your Halloween book shelf :)
PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! And put the finishing touches on those Halloweensie Contest entries! (You know, the thing I STILL haven't even started thinking about... :) ) I am so looking forward to the contest which starts MONDAY!!! Woo hoo! :)
0 Comments on Perfect Picture Book Friday - Little Boo as of 1/1/1900
If anyone is wondering, it is monsoon season on Blueberry Hill! What wild, wet, windy weather we are having! Thank goodness for my trusty canoe :) If anyone wants to mount a rescue mission to bring in supplies of chocolate and friendly company, wear appropriate foul weather gear and do not attempt an umbrella - it will end in disaster :)
With rain on the brain, here's my pick for this week which also starts out in the rain :)
Apparently I am a one-person advertising agency for G.P. Putnam's Sons. This is the second week in a row I've posted one of their books! But I promise, it just worked out that way. I love both books and they're being offered as prizes in the Halloweensie Contest, so I wanted to make sure everyone got a chance to see how fantastic they are :)
Today's choice is the 3rd book in Karen Orloff and David Catrow's super-fun I Wanna series that began with I Wanna Iguana. I hope you like it :)
Title: I Wanna Go Home Written By: Karen Kaufman Orloff Illustrated By: David Catrow G.P. Putnam's Sons, September 2014, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: family (grandparents), appreciation, visiting relatives, persuasion, humor
Opening: "Dear Alex, Ethan and Annie, We're so glad you're coming to visit us. You'll love it here! Do you know how to play bridge? It's a card game all our friends enjoy. When you come, we can play for hours and hours! Can't wait to see you. Love, Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Ralph P.S. Hope you like broccoli lasagna!"
Brief Synopsis: From the Amazon review: "Alex is not happy about being sent to his grandparents’ retirement community while his parents go on a fabulous vacation. What could be worse than tagging along to Grandma’s boring bridge game or enduring the sight of Grandpa’s dentures?
But as the week goes on, Alex’s desperate emails to his parents turn into stories about ice cream before dinner and stickball with Grandpa. Before he knows it, Alex has made a surprising discovery: grandparents are way cooler than he thought!" Links To Resources: Classroom Activities for persuasive writing (this is actually for Karen's 2nd book, I Wanna New Room, but much of it applies as is and the rest can be easily modified to match this book); talk about what kids do with their grandparents - what activities do grandparents like to do? Are they old-fashioned? What activities do kids like to do? Can you learn fun things from your grandparents? Can they learn fun things from you? What are some things you've learned how to do from your grandparents? What are some things you've taught them?
Why I Like This Book: Alex's letter-writing is always amusing. He's a master of showing his side of the argument and getting his way, (although in this case he changes his mind and learns that maybe visiting grandparents isn't all that bad.) Things begin badly at the Happy Hills Retirement Community. It's raining. Alex is bored. Grandma Shirley is dressing baby Annie up in girly outfits, and Grandpa's false teeth are disgusting! But as the days go by, Alex discovers square dancing, bingo, and stick ball, and realizes that his grandparents are pretty fun to hang out with. By the end, he doesn't want to go home. I love the way Alex's attitude turns around, because that happens so often in life - especially with kids. They think they're going to hate something and don't even want to give it a chance, and it turns out to be pretty amazing :) This book, like Karen's others, is filled with humor and believability and is just tons of fun from start to finish!
PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you and see your wonderful picks for this week!
And please remember that there will be no PPBF next week due (October 31!!!) to the fact that the Halloweensie Contest will be underway!!! So exciting! I can hardly wait until Monday... to see if anyone enters... anyone at all... I'm hoping for at least a few - your stories are always so creative and fun! (And no, I have not written my sample yet. But I still have a couple days. It could still happen... :))
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! :)
0 Comments on Perfect Picture Book Friday - I Wanna Go Home as of 1/1/1900
I was certain this book had been reviewed already for PPBF, but when I went to find the link (so I could add it to the prize mention on the Halloweensie Contest) I couldn't find it anywhere! Is it possible that since it came out in July while we were on hiatus it never got reviewed? Or did I just not see it? Who knows?! But it's too good to miss, so enjoy! (And if someone already did it, you'd better give me the link! :))
Title: Ninja Red Riding Hood Written By: Corey Rosen Schwartz Illustrated By: Dan Santat G.P. Putnam's Sons, July 2014, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: fractured fairy tale, humor, girl power, language fun (rhyme)
Opening: "Once upon a Ninja-filled time, a wolf couldn't catch any prey. He kept getting licked by the dinner he picked and was growing more ticked by the day."
Brief Synopsis: The big bad wolf, having taken a licking from the three nina pigs, decides to attend martial arts school and then see if he can snack on Little Red Riding Hood. But Red turns out to be way more than he bargained for!
Links To Resources: Teacher Guide/Activity Pages; compare this version of RED with the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood, Little Red Writing, and any other versions you like (this page lists quite a few!) - how are the stories alike? How are they different?
Why I Like This Book: For starters, I love fractured fairy tales, and this is such a clever one! The rhythm of the rhyme is terrific, and just begs to be read aloud. The story, complemented perfectly by the illustrations, is tons of fun. I love that Red has a few tricks up her sleeve and is well able to take care of herself - a great message for girls. Gran has a few surprises too. And the poor old wolf... you just have to feel a little sorry for him :)
Hopefully, here's the trailer (although my internet is currently being extremely uncooperative and refusing to show any videos, so we'll just have to see if this works or not!)
PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you!
Have a wonderful weekend everyone! I hope you're all thinking about and/or writing your Halloweensie stories! Personally, I am still in the thinking about stage :)
0 Comments on Perfect Picture Book Friday - Ninja Red Riding Hood as of 1/1/1900
I love getting to read piles of picture books and pick out the best of the best to share here, but every now and again I get the extra-special pleasure of being able to share a book written or illustrated by someone I know and admire and am lucky to count as a friend. Be assured - no matter who writes or illustrates the book, it only makes it onto Perfect Picture Book Friday if I really genuinely think it's perfect. So today I have the joy of introducing you to a book by a very talented illustrator. (She is also a talented writer, and I have no doubt we'll be seeing books where she is both the author and illustrator before long!) Those of you who hang out in the kidlit circles probably already know her well. Congratulations, Julie, on your first book-baby - it's here! oh, it's here! oh, it's finally here! :)
I hope you will all enjoy this sweet little picture book for newborns :)
Title: You're Here! Written By: Karla Oceanak Illustrated By: Julie Rowan-Zoch Bailiwick Press, October 2014, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: Newborn - 2
Themes/Topics: first year milestones, family, new baby, love
Opening: "You're here! Oh, you're here! Oh, you're finally here! Hip, hip, hooray! We've been waiting, my dear! For your fingers - so perfect. Your nibbly toes. Your wide-window eyes and your neat, nubbin nose."
Brief Synopsis: A new baby is welcomed with much anticipation of all the wonders and milestones the first year will hold.
Links To Resources: Just read this lovely story with infants to begin the tradition of reading together; read with older children and talk about their first year - all the things they did and when, and how wonderful it was, maybe share their baby journal if you kept one, or look at photographs of them as infants; read with new siblings to help them understand what they can expect from their new little brother or sister.
Why I Like This Book: The story is simple and sweet, and expresses beautifully the wonder and love and happiness of a new baby. It would make a perfect gift for any family with a newborn. If you are a parent, it will make you a little teary, thinking about when you first met your babies :) But the reason I love this book the most is the art. Julie Rowan-Zoch's sweet drawings are simply perfect for this story. The family, depicted as elephants, are just darling. The baby's rosy cheeks, delightful expressions and infant antics are picture perfect. Julie's art adds an extra layer of warmth and emotion to this little treasure of a book :)
PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you! I can't wait to see what you've chosen this week! And I will not be surprised if someone else has chosen this book! :)
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! :)
0 Comments on Perfect Picture Book Friday - You're Here! as of 10/10/2014 4:47:00 AM
Now that it's October, it's fair to start sharing Halloween picture books, right?
I'm glad you agree :)
Here's a pretty new one, just published this August.
Title: Little Boo Written By: Stephen Wunderli Illustrated By: Tim Zeltner Henry Holt & Company, August 2014, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 3-7
Themes/Topics: Holidays (Halloween), Emotion (patience/impatience), Nature (lifecycle of a seed), Common Childhood Experiences (wanting to be bigger/older)
Opening: "The wind blew, the leaves fell, and a tiny seed hid in the garden. "Boo," the seed said to a leaf rolling by. "You're not scary at all," the leaf said.
Brief Synopsis: A little pumpkin seed tries hard to be scary but he just can't seem to scare anyone - not the leaves or the grubs, not the snowflakes in winter or the bees in spring! "Be patient," the wind tells him, "you'll be scary soon enough." But it's awfully hard to wait!
Why I Like This Book: It's just so cute! Look at that little pumpkin seed face - how can you not love it?! :) The story is simple but so relatable for kids who always seem to want to grow up faster than nature allows. And within the sweet story we also get a nice little glimpse of the life cycle of a seed - so cleverly slipped in there! To top it off, the art is absolutely gorgeous - colorful and warm and so appealing! This is a wonderful one to add to your Halloween book shelf :)
I spent easily half my week writing a picture book which is not working and which at this point I hate a little bit :) Why is it that an idea which seems so good when it starts out in your head can turn out so badly when you get it on paper? I still feel like there's a kernel of good story in there somewhere, but darned if I can find it right now :)
Ah, well, at least I have a lovely, fun picture book (not mine :)) to share with you today!
Title: You Are (Not) Small Written By: Anna Kang Illustrated By: Christopher Weyant Two Lions, August 2014, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 2-6
Themes/Topics: Differences, Perspective, Humor
Opening: "'You are small.' 'I am not small. You are big.' 'I am not big. See?'"
Brief Synopsis: Two creatures (whose fur, noses, and expressions suggest that they are indeed closely related) argue over who is small and who is big. But it's really all in how you look at it :)
Why I Like This Book: This book is short and simple, yet it manages to convey an important message with humor. I dare you not to laugh at the end :) In 91 words, it manages to get across the idea that we can be big and small at the same time, and in spite of our perceived differences we have much in common. The art is appealing, and the characters' expressions speak volumes. For anyone who has ever felt too little (or too big), this is the perfect story.
PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you! Can't wait to see what other wonderful picture books will be on the list this week!
Have a wonderful first weekend of Autumn, everyone! :)
0 Comments on Perfect Picture Book Friday - You Are (Not) Small as of 9/26/2014 3:16:00 AM
Boy do I have the most magnificent book to share with you today! It's one of those books that makes you revel in how perfect it is when you get to the end and want to read it again right away in case you missed anything and then again just to enjoy how much fun it is :) I hope you all like it as much as I do!
Title: The Most Magnificent Thing Written & Illustrated By: Ashley Spires Kids Can Press, April 2014, Fiction
Opening: "This is a regular girl and her best friend in the whole wide world. They do all kinds of things together. They race. They eat. They explore. They relax. She makes things. He unmakes things. One day, the girl has a wonderful idea. She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing!"
Brief Synopsis: A little girl sets out to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing with the help of her best friend and assistant, her dog. Imagine their shock when the thing turns out not to be magnificent! In fact, it's not even "good. It isn't even kind-of-sort-of okay. It is all wrong." So she tosses it and starts again. But it's not easy to turn her vision into reality. Frustration leads to anger, and anger leads to defeat. Luckily, her assistant suggests a walk which brings calm and clarity and a new perspective... and a most magnificent thing :)
Links To Resources: supply a variety of craft items and/or found objects and encourage kids to think up and create their own "magnificent things"; Goldie Blox Toys (which encourage girls to put down the dolls and pick up the tools and might give you some invention ideas)
Why I Like This Book: I love that this story addresses what may be the most common of all childhood emotions: frustration! The little girl has a great idea. She can imagine it perfectly. She knows exactly how it will look. But she has a hard time translating what she sees in her mind's eye to the physical reality of her most magnificent thing. Her escalation of emotion is real and believable (and kids will relate to it so well!) And the message that sometimes a little distance and a little time to calm down can help improve your perspective is a wonderful one. In the end, she makes something that is just perfect (but I won't tell you what it is :)) The art is cute and full of humor. The depiction of emotion is spot on. The story touches on imagination and creativity, making things from found objects, dealing with frustration and disappointment, keeping/finding your perspective, not giving up, the idea that it's okay to make mistakes, and the importance of having a good friend. All around, a book kids will enjoy and parents will be glad to read multiple times.
Now, before we all trot off so see what everyone else picked this week, I'd like to take a moment to announce the winner of last week's giveaway. Laura Sassi and her publisher, Zonderkidz, generously contributed a copy of GOODNIGHT, ARK and the lucky winner is . . .
Sandy Perlic!!!
Congratulations, Sandy! Please email me so we can organize getting you your book! And thanks to everyone who shared their bedtime routines - we all had so much fun reading about them!
PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you! I can't wait to see what's on the list for today :)
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! :)
0 Comments on Perfect Picture Book Friday - The Most Magnificent Thing PLUS The Goodnight Ark Giveaway Winner! as of 9/19/2014 4:00:00 AM
5 Stars “If your child or grandchild has ever wondered when Santa fits in the traditional Christmas story, now you can read them Santa’s Birthday Gift.Finally, a book that ties two holiday traditions into one inspirational tale of wonder—as Santa brings gifts to baby Jesus.” Santa’s Birthday Gift is a wonderfully crafted story that explains [...]
5stars Gary only wants one thing – his father’s attention, if for only today’s father-son baseball game. Dad goes to work, promising to make up for missing the game. Gary does not want a future promise; he wants his dad to be there as all the other kids’ dads will be. Gary goes to the [...]
5stars Trina is worried about the Earth. She knows that the Earth inhabitants, we Earthlings, do not care for our home as well as we should. We hurt the Earth by throwing away too much, making the air dirty, and wasting power. Trina thinks we Earthlings should do what her mother says, “Clean up your [...]
Well, for anyone who does not know what this is all about, please go to Amazon and look for Everybody Masturbates. I am not recommending you purchase this, nor do I profit from the click if you do. It may be a cute little book, yet I now have reservations. The author, Mr. Christian YoungMiller, [...]
Today, my wife handed me a list. I’m used to this; a list of things I need to pick up from the store, a list of errands to run, a list of things that need fixing around the house.
This list, however, inspired a mixture of delight and horror. It was the list of people that we need to buy Christmas presents for. “Hooray!” I thought, “it’s Christmas time.”
“Wait a sec…” came my next thought, “Isn’t it November 21st? Thanksgiving hasn’t even come yet!” There should be a law against what I call – “Christmas Creep”.
Don’t get me wrong, I looooooove Christmas-time, and I will listen to carols on the radio all season long, but this is getting serious people! As I mentioned in my last post, Thanksgiving is kind of our “thing”. And I don’t want materialistic shopping concerns horning in on my gastronomic festival!
Luckily for you, you are only a click away from crossing off every child under 6 from your Christmas or Hanukah shopping list. Orders of three books receive free shipping and now that we have 5 titles to choose from, you won’t have a hard time getting just the right gift for each of your sister’s impossible-to-shop-for triplets!
Unfortunately for me all of my family and friends have already bought every single one of our personalized books for every single one of their children… ahem… nudge, nudge.
I realize that by hawking our wares before the Thanksgiving cutoff I am only adding to the problem, but the sooner we all realize that MJM Books make the best possible presents and you needn’t look any further, the sooner we can get to what truly matters during the holidays. Eating.
Being marooned in Chicago, away from our immediate families, Krista and I have instigated a tradition of hosting our own Thanksgiving dinner and filling our table with good friends. We have claimed Thanksgiving as “ours” and have hosted every year since arriving in Chicago. What has allowed us to lay claim to the prestigious title of “Thanksgiving Hosts for Life” is our turkey, which has literally converted a vegetarian into a carnivore (I’m looking at you, B).
At the risk of losing our claim to being the couple with the best turkey in the land, I feel compelled to share our recipe (stolen without remorse from the tv show Good Eats) and inspire your friends and family to tell tales of this Thanksgiving for years to come:
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
1 (14-16 lb) turkey
Canola Oil
For Brine:
1 cup kosher salt
½ cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tbsp black peppercorn
½ tbsp allspice berries
½ tbsp candied ginger
1 gallon iced water
For Aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
½ onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Recipe Instructions
Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cool to room temp & refrigerate until chilled.
Early on the day of cooking (or like we do, late the night before), combine the brine and ice water in a 5 gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.
A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees F. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish & microwave on high for 5 minutes.
Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.
Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Stuff aromatics w/ rosemary & sage inside bird. Tuck back wings & coat whole bird liberally w/canola oil.
Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast w/a double layer of aluminum foil. Reduce temp to 350 degrees F. Cook until thermometer reads 161 degrees F. A 14-16 lb turkey should take 2-2.5 hours.
Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.
A few tips:
Label your bucket. Now that you have a Turkey Bucket, make sure nothing else goes inside! You don’t want next year’s turkey to taste like Mr. Clean from the time you used the bucket to wash the car.
Be Resourceful. If you don’t have room in your refrigerator, maybe it’s cold enough outside! This is a little risky, but if you are sure of the forecast and can cover the bucket securely from critters, you can go “au natural” and use Mother Nature’s refrigerator. Krista and I did this one year and put the bucket, brine and turkey in a large cardboard box on our front porch. It made me feel very rustic and resourceful.
Make a test chicken! Not only will you perfect your technique, but you’ll have a great recipe for any time of the year. Whole chickens are a much cheaper per pound than other meats and you’ll look like Gordon Ramsey to your family.
Tired of reading the same books over and over? Making story time even more fun is easier than you think with story time flash cards. A little while ago, I made a new deck of CLUE cards to accommodate an extra player to join Professor Plum, Miss Scarlet, and the gang: The Detective. I realized that when you cut poster board into uniform rectangles and attach printed photos to them with a gluestick, you have a “Real” looking deck of whatever you please.
Students make flash cards all the time to help learn math, languages, and just about any other subject. They are easy to make and best of all, though they stay the same, they recombine to be different every time!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 poster board
1 glue stick
Scissors
Any group of images (use old magazines or print images from the internet)
Cut the poster board into uniform rectangles, trace a deck of cards if you like. Paste the images onto one side and allow to dry. Shuffle and “Deal”.
Dealing means to try to connect the cards into one story. Here is my story:
There once was a pair of men named Tony and Ynot. Tony always did things forwards and Ynot always did things backwards.
One day a traveling circus arrived in Tony and Ynot’s town by boat. They were excited to start their next show.
Unfortunately, the devil met Tony on his way to see the circus and offered him a little box. Tony was scared and ran away.
He ran away but the devil changed into a little man and followed him everywhere he went on a donkey. All Tony wanted was to go to the Circus.
Ynot decided that he wanted to go too and got in his upside down boat (Ynot did everything backwards) and made sure that his wife rode outside the boat (Ynot did everything backwards).
The circus performers started to unpack their unicycles and juggling pins.
Tired of reading the same books over and over? Making story time even more fun is easier than you think with story time flash cards. A little while ago, I made a new deck of CLUE cards to accommodate an extra player to join Professor Plum, Miss Scarlet, and the gang: The Detective. I realized that when you cut poster board into uniform rectangles and attach printed photos to them with a gluestick, you have a “Real” looking deck of whatever you please.
Students make flash cards all the time to help learn math, languages, and just about any other subject. They are easy to make and best of all, though they stay the same, they recombine to be different every time!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 poster board
1 glue stick
Scissors
Any group of images (use old magazines or print images from the internet)
Cut the poster board into uniform rectangles, trace a deck of cards if you like. Paste the images onto one side and allow to dry. Shuffle and “Deal”.
Dealing means to try to connect the cards into one story. Here is my story:
There once was a pair of men named Tony and Ynot. Tony always did things forwards and Ynot always did things backwards.
One day a traveling circus arrived in Tony and Ynot’s town by boat. They were excited to start their next show.
Unfortunately, the devil met Tony on his way to see the circus and offered him a little box. Tony was scared and ran away.
He ran away but the devil changed into a little man and followed him everywhere he went on a donkey. All Tony wanted was to go to the Circus.
Ynot decided that he wanted to go too and got in his upside down boat (Ynot did everything backwards) and made sure that his wife rode outside the boat (Ynot did everything backwards).
The circus performers started to unpack their unicycles and juggling pins.
Despite enthusiastic support for the “Monsters in T-Shirts” campaign, we have decided that the best way to announce the launch of our new coloring book is to give away free, printable coloring book downloads to all our fans and friends.
This free coloring book might come in handy next time your grandchild is over and needs something to do that doesn’t involve “pony rides” and/or loud screaming…
Our newest artist, Emily Schnieder, did a superb job with this book and we are so proud to add it to our collection of customized kids books and are delighted to share it with all of you. Just click on the picture below and it should open up the PDF in a new browser window. The black and white images are 8.5 by 11, specifically designed for easy printing on your home printer and paper.
Remember, this is just our prototype character, Olivia, and she’s been compressed for easier downloading. If you want to insert your own child’s name (we have boy versions, too) into this or any of our high-resolution, professionally bound books… well, you know where to find us!
The world is facing some pretty big problems: climate change, famine, war, terrorism, poverty… and little old you are just one person. For many people, the immensity of these problems only highlights for them a single person’s impotence against global scale issues.
Video games, however, are different. If you try hard enough, you WILL prevail. You can save the world/princess/lemmings through a series of levels of gradually increasing difficulty. In video games, you can be a winner, with wealth, power, prestige and (virtual) babes, even if, in life, you work at Blockbuster part time and crash on your buddy Steve’s futon. No wonder you would prefer to spend more time online than stocking copies of Twilight.
Extreme cases of this escapism has been in the news, with (usually Asian) gamers dying of dehydration/exhaustion after too much time online. One Korean couple recently let their real life baby starve while they cared for a virtual child online!
These stories are alarming, but it doesn’t end there. It may amaze you to know that we invest 3 billion hours a week playing games! It may alarm you even more to hear a video game expert assert that we need to spend MORE time gaming: she estimates that we should shoot for 21 billion hours a week.
This talk raises some very interesting points regarding the “virtuosity” that is attained by serious gamers. The skills they become virtuosic at are: Urgent Optimism (desire to act immediately combined with reasonable expectation of success), Weaving Social Fabric, Blissful Productivity (recognizing that we are happiest when engaged rather than “relaxing”), and Epic Meaning (attaching themselves to large scale causes and goals).
Great, those sound like fine qualities to have, but they only apply to World of Warcraft, right? You’d be surprised. Jane demos some games that she has deve
For the longest time, I thought that my father was magic. He really only had one power, but it was impressive: he could turn off the rain with a snap of his finger! Another snap, and it turned back on!
For some reason, he didn’t use his powers for the greater good, solving droughts and clearing up the weather at my soccer games, he only exercised this amazing power in two second intervals while driving in the rain at night… and going under overpasses…
Wait a second…
As an adult, you have a distinct intellectual advantage, and it is your right, nay, your DUTY to mystify your children/nephews/granddaughters with your brilliance and superpowers. MJM Books wants to know: how do you put one over on your little ones? If we all share, we can increase our magical powers faster than a whole year of Hogwarts.
Please leave a comment and check out how other parents are fooling their trusting little angels.
As technology continues to improve one thing is certain, the Internet will soon make it’s way into every area of our lives. We bank online, shop online, work online, and even date online.
The Internet is growing exponentially. New content pops up every second and, with “high speed” Internet service becoming a staple in most homes, that content is more readily and rapidly available than ever before.
While this is great news it also comes with a few caveats… for every kid friendly page we see on the internet there are probably a hundred pages most parents would rather their kids never find.
It’s no secret; kids are curious. If you put a group of adolescent boys alone in a room with a computer it won’t take too terribly long before a Google search for the word “boobies” is entered. So what can parents do to keep their kids from viewing content that is not age appropriate? Parent’s can’t watch and monitor their kids every second of the day. Parents need an “always on” solution that will help filter the content their kids see. Fortunately there is a solution to this, and best of all it’s free.
OpenDNS is a free service that acts as an “always on” content filtering system. With OpenDNS you set up a free account and then configure the type of content you’d like to allow or disallow. You can filter by category or even specific web pages (ladies you can even keep your husband off those “questionable” sites… but don’t say we mentioned it!).
On a very basic level here’s how it works…. Computers use a DNS server to change a name to a numeric value. So when you open up the web page yahoo.com a DNS server translates “yahoo.com” to its numeric IP address (or 209.191.93.53). Since yahoo.com is a heck of a lot easier to remember than 209.191.93.53 these DNS servers are pretty handy things to have.
All Internet service providers (ie.. Cox, Qwest, Charter, Comcast to name a few) also provide DNS servers for their customers to use. Basically when you use OpenDNS you simply use their DNS servers instead of the ones given to you by your ISP.
So if you have concerns about where or what your kids are looking at on the web check out OpenDNS.
As technology continues to improve one thing is certain, the Internet will soon make it’s way into every area of our lives. We bank online, shop online, work online, and even date online.
The Internet is growing exponentially. New content pops up every second and, with “high speed” Internet service becoming a staple in most homes, that content is more readily and rapidly available than ever before.
While this is great news it also comes with a few caveats… for every kid friendly page we see on the internet there are probably a hundred pages most parents would rather their kids never find.
It’s no secret; kids are curious. If you put a group of adolescent boys alone in a room with a computer it won’t take too terribly long before a Google search for the word “boobies” is entered. So what can parents do to keep their kids from viewing content that is not age appropriate? Parent’s can’t watch and monitor their kids every second of the day. Parents need an “always on” solution that will help filter the content their kids see. Fortunately there is a solution to this, and best of all it’s free.
OpenDNS is a free service that acts as an “always on” content filtering system. With OpenDNS you set up a free account and then configure the type of content you’d like to allow or disallow. You can filter by category or even specific web pages (ladies you can even keep your husband off those “questionable” sites… but don’t say we mentioned it!).
On a very basic level here’s how it works…. Computers use a DNS server to change a name to a numeric value. So when you open up the web page yahoo.com a DNS server translates “yahoo.com” to its numeric IP address (or 209.191.93.53). Since yahoo.com is a heck of a lot easier to remember than 209.191.93.53 these DNS servers are pretty handy things to have.
All Internet service providers (ie.. Cox, Qwest, Charter, Comcast to name a few) also provide DNS servers for their customers to use. Basically when you use OpenDNS you simply use their DNS servers instead of the ones given to you by your ISP.
So if you have concerns about where or what your kids are looking at on the web check out OpenDNS.
Many parents are alarmed at the amount of time their kids spend mashing buttons on their X-Box or Playstation controllers. They worry that, instead of being enriched and ennobled by the wonders of literature, their developing brains are being turned into ooze by these hypnotic machines.
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It may come as a small surprise, but all three of us at MJM Books enjoy a video game now and then. In fact, World of Warcraft has given us a place where, despite our geographic separation, we can all “hang out” together… killing bandits and ogres.
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So what are we as publishers to think? Aren’t video games the enemy of higher thought? A place were we go to spend mindless and fruitless hours? Shouldn’t kids be reading instead?
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It may surprise you that the choice isn’t either/or. In fact, our books are based on the same principle as many video games: immersive, interactive adventure. Video games (and our customizable kids’ books) place you directly in the story, making you the protagonist. Often, the games involve an epic story that… wait for it… you read over the course many hours of playing. The examples of this are everywhere from Zelda to Paper Mario to World of Warcraft.
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Even if there isn’t an epic story to read, there are often many on-screen instructions to be read during the course of a game (which buttons to press to move around or instructions about the goal of the game), and even more still if you pick up a game guide (a magazine that tells you how to access all the hidden secrets in the game).
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Some games have more emphasis on story and incorporate more reading than others so if you’re worried about junior’s lack of reading, consider the middle road and get him a game that will secretly and seamlessly fuse reading and zombie evading.
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You’re lucky, games nowadays focus more on story than ever before. Remember “Pong”? No story whatsoever. Interestingly, this may be changing… I just discovered a new version of Tetris that is First Person… Instead of explaining, I will simply direct you to this awesome site.
We’ve pointed out different public domain children’s book sites like Project Guggenheim and the Rosetta Project before, but those might have been too dated and retro-awesome for some modern mommies, daddies and kiddies.
Over at ChildrensLibrary.org they have full color scans of hundreds of kid’s book titles that are a little more current than my favorite from the 19th century, The Children’s Friend!
As you can see from the image above featuring a lovely dung beetle, the buttons at the top make flipping through (and even enlarging) the books easy, though it will never be the same as having a REAL book in your hands. For the price, though, who can complain!
Another great reason to check this site out is the international translations. A book written in both English and Spanish could be great study tool or presentation topic for your high schooler!
Disney is now offering a refund to purchasers of the “Baby Einstein” videos. They appear to be doing so under a looming class action suit from parents whose children did not grow up to discover make historical impact upon modern physics.
Most analysts agree that this recall is a tacit admission that the videos do not improve the mental growth of infants. Some say that the videos may have even done quite the opposite. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests no television at all for children under the age of 2.
The creator, Julie Aigner-Clark, still walked away with a cool $20 million from her deal with Disney. MJM Books is jealous!!! Our products are books, and books have been proven to increase cognition and intellect. Where’s our Disney deal?!
MJM Books recommends that anyone who has purchased a Baby Einstein DVD (or had one purchased for them), should return it for a refund and use that refund to buy a book. In fact, let’s make it official. IF YOU MAIL YOUR BABY EINSTEIN DVD TO US, WE’LL GIVE YOU ONE OF OUR CUSTOMIZABLE KIDS BOOKS, FREE!!!
Disney is now offering a refund to purchasers of the “Baby Einstein” videos. They appear to be doing so under a looming class action suit from parents whose children did not grow up to discover make historical impact upon modern physics.
Most analysts agree that this recall is a tacit admission that the videos do not improve the mental growth of infants. Some say that the videos may have even done quite the opposite. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests no television at all for children under the age of 2.
The creator, Julie Aigner-Clark, still walked away with a cool $20 million from her deal with Disney. MJM Books is jealous!!! Our products are books, and books have been proven to increase cognition and intellect. Where’s our Disney deal?!
MJM Books recommends that anyone who has purchased a Baby Einstein DVD (or had one purchased for them), should return it for a refund and use that refund to buy a book. In fact, let’s make it official. IF YOU MAIL YOUR BABY EINSTEIN DVD TO US, WE’LL GIVE YOU ONE OF OUR CUSTOMIZABLE KIDS BOOKS, FREE!!!
Growing up, I had a lot of girl friends (or, more accurately, friends who were girls). As a consequence, I became quite good at hula hoop, hopscotch, jump rope and various hand clapping games.
When I saw a certain cell phone hawking robot on TV playing jump rope with some children and singing, “My cousin Sally, sittin’ on…” I asked my wife if she knew that rhyme and she said, “No, I always did, ‘Cinderella, dressed in yella…’” to which I responded…
Went downstairs to kiss a fella’
Made a mistake,
Kissed a snake,
How many doctors will it take?
1, 2, 3, 4…
I realized these rhymes are not the kind you find in books, but they endure in an oral tradition that many people think is extinct. Here are some of my faves that I have never read, but remember anyhow because the rhyme and rhythm is burned deep in my brain. The first was a great elimination hand slap game similar to hot potato, the last person in the circle when the rhyme gets to “Ker-plop” is out.
Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky,
Where the bullfrog jumps from bank to banky,
Eep, Op, over the top,
East side, West side, KER-plop!
This next hand clap song is a little racy and always caused a little tittering when it was sung.
Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell, (Ding! Ding!)
Miss Suzy went to heaven, the steamboat went to…
Hello, operator, please give me number nine,
And if you disconnect me,
I’ll kick your old…
Behind the ‘frigerator, there was a piece of glass,
Miss Suzy slipped upon it, and broke her little…
Ask me no more questions, I’ll tell you no more lies,
The boys are in the bathroom, zipping up their…
Flies are in the meadow, the bees are in the park,
Miss Suzy and her boyfriend are kissing in the Dark!
One reason our custom kids books are written in rhyme is that it is more fun to read aloud. Another benefit of rhyme is that it is easier to remember and to guess which words come next as your little one attempts to read the book “all by themselves”. Maybe, like me with ‘Miss Suzy’, they’ll even remember the texts for years to come!
NOM!
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