JacketFlap connects you to the work of more than 200,000 authors, illustrators, publishers and other creators of books for Children and Young Adults. The site is updated daily with information about every book, author, illustrator, and publisher in the children's / young adult book industry. Members include published authors and illustrators, librarians, agents, editors, publicists, booksellers, publishers and fans. Join now (it's free).
Login or Register for free to create your own customized page of blog posts from your favorite blogs. You can also add blogs by clicking the "Add to MyJacketFlap" links next to the blog name in each post.
Blog Posts by Tag
In the past 7 days
Blog Posts by Date
Click days in this calendar to see posts by day or month
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Weekend Links, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 26 - 50 of 69
How to use this Page
You are viewing the most recent posts tagged with the words: Weekend Links in the JacketFlap blog reader. What is a tag? Think of a tag as a keyword or category label. Tags can both help you find posts on JacketFlap.com as well as provide an easy way for you to "remember" and classify posts for later recall. Try adding a tag yourself by clicking "Add a tag" below a post's header. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a 'More Posts from this Blog' link in any individual post.
I don’t know about you but summer is has been crazy-busy so far! We have mountains of books to read, travel plans galore and I am enjoying yet another batch of baby fox kits who have taken up residence at my house. As always I am determined to provide booklists, activities and giveaways to keep the whole family pulling books from shelves and stories from pages during the lazy, hazy days of summer.
Speaking of giveaways, did you know I have TWO wonderful ones that will be ending TODAY??!! (6/21)
One is a Linda Sue Park Booklist Giveaway. Linda Sue Park has written many children’s books, many of which one lucky reader will win! You can view the booklist and giveaway HERE.
The second giveaway is my Book-Jumper Summer Reading Series Secret Garden Booklist giveaway. More chances to win great books! Read the booklist and view the giveaway HERE.
I have another awesome giveaway running right now that will end June 27th. Again, this booklist and giveaway is based on yet another amazing female children’s literature author. Pam Muñoz Ryan is the author of more that thirty books for young readers, including four beloved novels, Riding Freedom, Esperanza Rising, Becoming Naomi León, and Paint the Wind, which collectively have garnered, among countless accolades, the Pura Belpré Medal, the Jane Addams Award, and the Schneider Family Award. She lives in Southern California with her family. You can visit her at www.PamMunozRyan.com.
ONE winner will receive a copy of each of these Pam Munoz Ryan books: Esperanza Rising, Echo, Riding Freedom, Becoming Naomi Leon. The Dreamer and Paint the Wind. Giveaway begins Wednesday June 17th and ends June 27th, 2015. You can enter the giveaway HERE.
All three are great opportunities to get some wonderful books into the hands of your young readers.
Reading at any age is soooo important. I recently found some great articles that reinforce this fact so I will post them here for you to read and enjoy:
Do you read aloud in your family? Which books are the best for reading aloud?
Looking for more ways to not only get your youngsters reading, but get them OUTSIDE as well? Enjoy more month-by-month activities based on the classic children’s tale, The Secret Garden! A Year in the Secret Garden is a delightful children’s book with over 120 pages, with 150 original color illustrations and 48 activities for your family and friends to enjoy, learn, discover and play with together. AND, it’s on sale for a limited time! Grab your copy ASAP and “meet me in the garden!” More details HERE! http://amzn.to/1DTVnuX
I don’t know about you but summer is off-and-running at our house. We have mountains of books to read, travel plans galore and I am enjoying yet another batch of baby fox kits who have taken up residence at my house. As summer starts picking up steam, I want to do my part in providing booklists, activities and giveaways to keep the whole family pulling books from shelves and stories from pages.
Speaking of giveaways, did you know I have TWO wonderful ones running Right.Now??!! One is a Linda Sue Park Booklist Giveaway. Linda Sue Park has written many children’s books, many of which one lucky reader will win! You can view the booklist and giveaway HERE.
The second giveaway is my Book-Jumper Summer Reading Series Secret Garden Booklist giveaway. More chances to win great books! Read the booklist and view the giveaway HERE.
Here are more great booklists and links that I have discovered this week. Enjoy!
What good booklists did youfind this week?
Looking for a unique way to keep your kids busy this summer…and engaged with nature? The At-Home Summer Nature Camp eCurriculum is available for sale!
This 8-week eCurriculum is packed with ideas and inspiration to keep kids engaged and happy all summer long. It offers 8 kid-approved themes with outdoor activities, indoor projects, arts & crafts, recipes, field trip ideas, book & media suggestions, and more. The curriculum, now available for download, is a full-color PDF that can be read on a computer screen or tablet, or printed out. Designed for children ages 5-11, it is fun and easily-adaptable for all ages!
The At-Home Summer Nature Camp eGuide is packed with ideas & inspiration to keep your kids engaged all summer long. This unique eCurriculum is packed with ideas & inspiration from a group of creative “camp counselors.” Sign up, or get more details, HERE
“The best book recommendations come from other people. Consider this board to be a collection of the best books you read with or to your child, or that your child enjoys. From picture books, easy readers, graphic novels, historical fiction, biography, non-fiction, chapter books, easy chapters books, young adult and more, I’d love to get your favorite books!”
For quite some time now a bunch of bloggers and book lovers (me included) have been adding our book reading gems to the Best Books for Kids Pinterest that was created and organized by the wonderful Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom.com. This Board has over 100 contributors almost 800 Pins and over 29K Followers.
I’ve gotten to where I faithfully Pin my kidlit book picks to this Board, but it’s been awhile since I’ve actually looked at the other picks from the other contributors. Once I settle into my nice comfy chair and a steaming cup of tea, what I found within the Pins of this Board did not disappoint. Here are my top picks for some great summer reading for your family:
This 8-week eCurriculum is packed with ideas and inspiration to keep kids engaged and happy all summer long. It offers 8 kid-approved themes with outdoor activities, indoor projects, arts & crafts, recipes, field trip ideas, book & media suggestions, and more. The curriculum, now available for download, is a full-color PDF that can be read on a computer screen or tablet, or printed out. Designed for children ages 5-11, it is fun and easily-adaptable for all ages!
The At-Home Summer Nature Camp eGuide is packed with ideas & inspiration to keep your kids engaged all summer long. This unique eCurriculum is packed with ideas & inspiration from a group of creative “camp counselors.” Sign up, or get more details, HERE
Welcome to Weekend Links! This is my chance to share what I consider some of my my ‘top finds’ that I have discovered over the course of the week. This week there was a plethora of delightful and timely booklists for kids that are just in time for summer reading. Enjoy!
The Spring Sale has been EXTENDED! I have two of my most popular books on a super special sale until May 31st!
The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook: The Simple Step-by-Step guide to creating a Waldorf-inspired #homeschool. And for a limited time, this best-selling book by Donna Ashton, The Waldorf #Homeschool Handbook is now only $17.95 until May 31st, 2015 ! http://amzn.to/1OhTfoT
Enjoy more month-by-month activities based on the classic children’s tale, The Secret Garden! A Year in the Secret Garden is a delightful children’s book with over 120 pages, with 150 original color illustrations and 48 activities for your family and friends to enjoy, learn, discover and play with together. AND, it’s on sale for a limited time! Grab your copy ASAP and “meet me in the garden!” http://amzn.to/1DTVnuX
Welcome to Weekend Links! This is my chance to share what I consider some of my my ‘top finds’ that I have discovered over the course of the week. This week there was a plethora of Powerful Book Discussions, Celebrations and Initiatives that I would like to share with our readers. Enjoy!
Publishers Weekly reported that First Book, Corporate Partners Make 60,000 Books Available to Children in Need
“In our overprescribed, overstimulated, overscheduled lives, author Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford reminds us about family traditions” at the Smithsonian APA Book Dragon
Let’s celebrate Children’s Book Week with a Super Spring Sale! I have two of my most popular books on a super special sale until May18th!
The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook: The Simple Step-by-Step guide to creating a Waldorf-inspired #homeschool. And for a limited time, this best-selling book by Donna Ashton, The Waldorf #Homeschool Handbook is now only $17.95 until May18, 2015 ! http://amzn.to/1OhTfoT
Enjoy more month-by-month activities based on the classic children’s tale, The Secret Garden! A Year in the Secret Garden is a delightful children’s book with over 120 pages, with 150 original color illustrations and 48 activities for your family and friends to enjoy, learn, discover and play with together. AND, it’s on sale for a limited time! Grab your copy ASAP and “meet me in the garden!” http://amzn.to/1DTVnuX
What a busy week it has been with even more activity, books and special events to come! As you all know, I like to share some of my favorite links from fellow bloggers and moms that I encounter over the course of the week. Here are my top picks for this week:
{GOOD NEWS!} Libraries Are Paving The Way For Cultural Unity via @HuffPostArts
What great book finds did YOU encounter this week?
Homeschooling can be complicated and frustrating, especially if you are overloaded with information. The good news is that you don’t have to figure it out alone. Donna Ashton’s The Waldorf Home School Handbook is a simple and step-by-step guide to creating and understanding a Waldorf-inspired homeschool plan. Within the pages of this all-in-one homeschooling guide parents will find information, samples of lesson plans and curriculum, helpful hints and the secrets behind the three Areas for Optimum Learning. Join Donna as she guides you through the Waldorf method and reveals how to educate your children in a nurturing and creative environment. Visit the Waldorf Homeschool Handbook info page HERE.
Earth Day has come and gone, but during this last week I have discovered a plethora of amazing earth/nature related activities that could be utilized and enjoyed all year-round. Some are are resources, some are suggested booklists and some are earth-friendly fun for families. But they are all important tools and ideas that will help your family love and honor our Earth 365 days a year. Enjoy!
With Earth Day (April 22) around the corner, award-winning children’s authors and illustrators from around the globe are fostering literacy and environmental awareness through Authors for Earth Day. Launched in 2008 by children’s author and illustrator Brooke Bessesen, the grassroots organization now operates year-round, bringing children’s book creators to libraries and classrooms. Read more HERE.
I created a booklist in honor of Earth Day and…well…I went a little crazy! I found so many amazing and unique books in our own personal library, I just had to share:
From the forest to the front yard, experience the magical story of a family of foxes that took up residence right in the front yard of the author and publisher (that’s me!).
Great to share with your children or students, The Fox Diaries speaks to the importance of growing and learning both individually and as a family unit. It is a perfect book for story-time or family sharing. Not only can you read about the daily rituals of this marvelous fox family, there is an information packed resource section at the end of the book which includes lots of facts and even a few “fox movies” that you can enjoy with your family.
So far this month has been jam-packed with insightful education, booklists, outdoor activities and cool nature resources for kids and parents interested in raising global citizens. I would like to share them this weekend as my Weekend Links Round-up. Enjoy!
This was shared by one of our dedicated readers Donna Marie and the it’s from the author of the Secret Garden’s house. Bookish Illuminations; Entering The Secret Garden at Great Maytham Hall.It’s fantastic!!
How to Find Children’s Books in Spanish in One Easy Step from Spanish Playground
If you are in the mood for another and inactive story, check out the enhanced digital eBook for kids, The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory!
The Ultimate Guide To Charlie And The Chocolate Factory is a step by step roadmap to this magical world. Just some of the fun includes:
A story filled with beautiful graphic illustrations including tantalizing Treasure Maps and vibrant tutorials.
Over 20 Crafts and activities that not only entertain, but educate.
You get to jump inside the book and enjoy creating the adventures yourself (Templates, maps, and more are included.)
Ever wonder where chocolate comes from? Or how gum is made? Wonder no more. Now you get to make your own.
Conduct activities in the areas of crafting, cooking, and game-playing as well as exploring many facets of candy production.
The option to take Charlie’s journey over the course of several days or take shorter journeys if you wish.
The creation of a new ritual of reading time with your family and the opportunity to experience the reading of this imaginative tale as a group activity, not a solitary event.
Go HERE to learn more and grab your copy from iBooks!
Welcome to Weekend Links! First let me start off by saying that I wish everyone a happy and blessed Easter.
Weekend Links is my chance to share all of the amazing book-related goodness that I have encountered over the course of the past week. So much is going on lately! Holidays, observances, Spring Break and the promise of an equally busy summer. So much to do…so much to share! BUT, for now I want to share these little pieces of gold from the interwebs.
April 2nd was International Children’s Book Day and we did a great round-up of blog posts and booklists HERE PLUS I am giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card!
If you are in the mood for another and inactive story, check out the enhanced digital eBook for kids, The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory!
The Ultimate Guide To Charlie And The Chocolate Factory is a step by step roadmap to this magical world. Just some of the fun includes:
A story filled with beautiful graphic illustrations including tantalizing Treasure Maps and vibrant tutorials.
Over 20 Crafts and activities that not only entertain, but educate.
You get to jump inside the book and enjoy creating the adventures yourself (Templates, maps, and more are included.)
Ever wonder where chocolate comes from? Or how gum is made? Wonder no more. Now you get to make your own.
Conduct activities in the areas of crafting, cooking, and game-playing as well as exploring many facets of candy production.
The option to take Charlie’s journey over the course of several days or take shorter journeys if you wish.
The creation of a new ritual of reading time with your family and the opportunity to experience the reading of this imaginative tale as a group activity, not a solitary event.
Go HERE to learn more and grab your copy from iBooks!
This week has been jam-packed full of amazing book news and awesome conversations. Here are some of my top picks:
Multicultural Children’s Book Day and Wisdom Tales Press are joining forces to get multicultural books into the hands of MOMS!
Sharing a passion for diversity & multiculturalism in children’s literature, award-winning children’s book publisher, Wisdom Tales Press & non-profit Multicultural Children’s Book Day have joined forces to help young readers “see themselves within the pages of a book.” The duo will be offering many multicultural children’s book titles for purchase at Moms Rock! Expo! an event May 2-3rd at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Get the full scoop HERE and don’t miss the chance to hang out with us in the Wisdom Tales/MCCBD booth!
Penguin Random House. I’m writing to share news about Brightly (www.readbrightly.com), a new resource to help parents raise lifelong readers. The site, a Penguin Random House initiative, relaunched last week with a new look and feel and expanded content offering. I hope you can share news of this resource in your Weekend Links section. I also wanted to see if you might be interested in contributing to Brightly. We really enjoy your posts on Jump Into A Book and feel you would bring a wonderful perspective to the site.
“Brightly is like your fun, friendly, and well-informed kid-lit pal. Our focus is on celebrating and embracing different kinds of readers, kids, and interests. Brightly gives parents insights into which books and authors their children might get excited about and what activities might enhance a family’s experience of reading,” said Kotin.
Brightly shares book recommendations from across the children’s publishing world for every age and stage, as well as reading tips and insights, special author and illustrator content, seasonal activities, and more. Below is a press release with additional details. Thanks for exploring the site and do let us know what you think. If you are interested in being a guest contributor, I can put you in touch Liz Kotin, our content director who is copied on this email. We look forward to hearing from you! Thanks for your consideration.
Earlier this week The Children’s Book Council announced the wonderful news that a Half a Million New Children’s Books Will Be Distributed through Pediatric Clinics to Help Close the Word Gap
A few weeks back I encountered a disturbing story about an Alemeda County Library who had thrown our thousands of children’s books. The aftermath was filled with great discussions and thoughts. Check out the conversation here:
Homeschooling can be complicated and frustrating, especially if you are overloaded with information. The good news is that you don’t have to figure it out alone. Donna Ashton’s The Waldorf Home School Handbook is a simple and step-by-step guide to creating and understanding a Waldorf-inspired homeschool plan. Within the pages of this all-in-one homeschooling guide parents will find information, samples of lesson plans and curriculum, helpful hints and the secrets behind the three Areas for Optimum Learning. Join Donna as she guides you through the Waldorf method and reveals how to educate your children in a nurturing and creative environment. Visit the Waldorf Homeschool Handbook info page HERE.
Last week Facebook was all a’buzz over a story of a Alameda County library who threw over 100,000 children’s books into a dumpster. Residents were enraged when they found out many of the books were only a few years old and he thought of such wastefulness did not sit well with the community. The library defended it’s decision, but the result was a pretty interesting dialogue nationwide.
So what would YOU have done with those 100,000 books? We asked that question to our moms/authors/bloggers in our Multicultural Children’s Book Day Group and the ideas and discussion did not disappoint. Here are some of the highlights:
There were other perspectives as well…and good ones too:
What would you have done with those 100K books? Here are some ideas on book swapping and donating that Jump Into a Book has enjoyed in the past:
3. Donate to important organizations like women’s shelters,schools or Books for Africa.
4. Create a “Friends of the Library” chapter in your community. These chapters work to sell the unwanted books through community book sales and the money goes back into buying new books. What ideas do you have?
So far this month has been jam-packed with insightful education, Booklists, Activities and Resources for Kids and parents interested in raising global citizens. I would like to share them this weekend as my Weekend Links Round-up. Enjoy!
Marie’s Pastiche ALWAYS has amazing information for cultivating global citizens and this one caught my eye:”We really enjoyed getting a glimpse into Ashanti royalty and customs from Ghana – have you ever seen anything like it?”
Episode 41: A Bilingual Avenue-Strategies to help you navigate multicultural and multi-ethnic family relationships with Harriet Cannon | Bilingual Avenue
Randomly Reading: The Red Bicycle: The Extraordinary Story of One Ordinary Bicycle
How are you celebrating Music In Our Schools month? Free E-book here for MIOSM during March from the amazing Daria Music.
Have you seen the “Cultural Iceberg”…Fascinating! {Thanks to Languages Around the Globe for sharing on Facebook)
Sign up to receive your Free copy of Read Your World Multicultural Books Activities for Kids! downloadable eBook. It’s my free gift to YOU. Click here for more details.
Welcome to Weekend Links! As usual I have encountered some pretty amazing book-related articles, programs and links that I want to share with my book-loving readers.Enjoy!
My beloved Head Elf and Virtual Assistant Becky shared with me that she personally thought Big Hero 6 was the best kids movie that she’d seen awhile (she also said she would love her own personal Baymax). Here’s another person, and more reasons to love Big Hero 6: INTERVIEW: Big Hero 6 Producer Roy Conli Talks About Multiculturalism and Cool Nerds.
What Do Muslims Really Want Anyway?! 17 Books on Muslim World for Kids via @PragmaticMom
Are you a new author or an existing author with published works you need help promoting? I was fortunate enough to find some really good articles this week about that very topic:
Book Marketing 101: Five Things to Do Before Your Book is Released via LEE and LOW
How Successful Authors Use Social Media to Sell More Books – The Write Life
Is Social Media a Good Thing for Writers? (Pros, Cons and My Tips)
By now, many of you know that our much-anticipated Waldorf Homeschool Handbook is HERE! Not only is it here, it’s been selling like hotcakes!
Waldorf Homeschool Handbook is perfect for homeschooling families who are looking for an all-in-one homeschooling guide filled with samples of lesson plans and curriculum, along with helpful hints and the secrets behind the three Areas for Optimum Learning. This wonderful resource for homeschoolers was written by author and homeschool expert Donna Ashton. If you have not grabbed your copy of the Waldorf Homeschool Handbook, we recommend that you do it ASAP! For extended book details and ordering information go HERE The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook
International Mother Language Day is observed every year on the 21st of February. UNESCO officially proclaimed the day in 1999 with the aim to promote “linguistic diversity and multilingual education” and to develop the “awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions all over the world” thereby inspiring “international solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue”. Language is so much more than just a means of communication. “Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage.”
We want to raise more awareness about the International Mother Language Day and see it celebrated all over the world, both in families, organizations and communities as well as on a national and global level, thereby promoting understanding, tolerance and dialogue. Something that we are in dire need of in today’s world. Check out these IMLD-related posts:
What is the value of a language? A new #PBS doc Language Matters looks at what we lose when we lose a language.
Join the campaign by visiting and liking the International Mother Language Day Celebration Facebook page and by sharing the daily posts through social media in the run-up to the day. The Facebook page will be a treasure trove of quotes, pictures, links to posts, articles, and activities to do with mother tongue, language, multilingualism, education, multiculturalism and diversity. Use the #IMLD hashtag to find others’ messages on social media and share them.
We are just a few short days away from our second Multicultural Children’s Book Day and the WWW is BUZZING with great multicultural book information for young readers! Here are some of the highlights of the Amazing Sources for #ReadYourWorld Books Ideas for Kids found this week.
On January 19th Martin Luther King Day is celebrated all over the world to honor a hero of human and civil rights for all people. As you can imagine, I have come across some simply amazing links, articles and resources that I think your family will cherish. Enjoy!
Flashlight Worthy Books has a wonderful resource page that has Children’s Books about Martin Luther King, Jr. book suggestions broken down by grade.
Leanna at Multicultural Kids Blog is excited to let everyone know about an opportunity to promote these wonderful early education resources for Martin Luther King Day. Daria is generously offering them for FREE until January 19. Check them out HERE.
I simply LOVE this! Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with this “I have a dream” printable from 30 Handmade Days.
Blizzard is a true life account of the Blizzard of 1978 and what followed for author John Rocco. Plus: Homemade Hot Chocolate and How to Make Snow Shoes Out of Tennis Rackets
This playful depiction of a snowy day and the transformation of a city is perfectly captured in simple, poetic text and lively watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations. Plus: Homemade Snow Cream
The Story of Snow by Mark Cassinocelebrates the magic of snow through science, math, language arts, music, and visual art activities. Plus: Paper Snowflakes and Snow Storm in a Jar
NEWS! Multicultural Children’s Book has is getting BIGGER and gaining momentum more and and more every day! With 9 CoHosts, 15 super Sponsors, over 125 bloggers, and countless authors and publishers donating multicultural children’s books, this wonderful event promises to be bigger and better than ever. Our ultimate goal is to shine the spotlight on multicultural children’s books and offer up resources for parents, caregivers, teachers and librarians to continue to help kids “see themselves” in the pages of a book.You can view our Author Blogroll Sponsor Page HERE, our Virtual Book Drive (through First Book) page HERE and please watch for (and re-tweet!) our event hashtag #ReadYourWorld.)
Oh! And MCCBD also has a brand new Twitter page and a Facebook Page. I’d love it if everyone would follow us on both!
Multicultural Children’s Book Day Paper.li- Paper.li’s are like online newspapers that curate news and articles from all over the www on the topic of your choice. Our new MCCBD Paper.li focuses on multiculturism and diversity in children’s literature. You can take a peek and even subscribe HERE.
As I sit as my laptop happily typing away and I can’t help reflecting on what a joyous holiday season it has been this year. There have been so many positive strides and monumental victories this year for me, both personally and as a writer. The weeks leading up to Christmas have been particularly busy so I wanted to share some of my top picks with me readers.
BOOKS! Of course there would be favorite books in my line-up of favs! The Astrid Lindgren’s book The Tomten was inspired by this very famous Swedish poem called The Tomte by Victor Rydberg. Originally in Swedish, I share it with you here in English so you can be inspired by these little gnome elves. Buzzfeed shared The 23 Best Picture Books Of 2014 and there were some dandies in their list. Readers not only LOVED this review I did of Christmas Wish, the hat craft was quite a hit as well
One of my favorite young authors/writers/bloggers/kidlit book reviewers has to be Erik from This Kid Reviews Books. Erik is not only an inspiration, he just turned 13! Happy Birthday, Erik!
Enjoy reviews from my favorite winter/snow-themed kidlit along with some yummy activities
On December 21st, our non-profit event to raise awareness for multicultural books for kids was showcased in Publishers Weekly!!!
Next month, more than 100 bloggers affiliated with parenting, education, and children’s blogs will review a selection of diverse and multicultural books on their respective blogs. The reviews will be promoted and shared by Jump Into a Book and the day’s nine “powerhouse” co-[hosts] with more than two million followers total across social media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Google+. The participating bloggers will also share reviews with their respective followers. There will be giveaways and children’s activities as well throughout the day.
This is the second year January 27 has been designated as MCCBD; it debuted on January 27, 2014. Read the rest of the article HERE.
Here’s to looking forward to a fun and book-filled New Year!
So far this month has been jam-packed with insightful education, Booklists, Activities and Resources for Kids and parents interested in raising global citizens. I would like to share them this weekend as my Weekend Links Round-up. Enjoy!
JIAB favorite Marie’s Pastiche and family is in the midst of a virtual travel to West Africa. This sight has delighted me all month with wonderful posts sharing info about this country, their culture, the festivals, cook and eat traditional foods, learn of traditional handicrafts with hands on exploration and many activities. This week she had a wonderful post on Anansi Stories – Trickster Tales from West Africa.
Crystal’s Tiny Treasures offered up a wonderful Native American Book inspired review and giveaway and an excellent link-up!
Feel like learning about The Dances of India? Check out this post at Crafty Moms Share: Dances of India Book Review
Home School Life Journal spent some time this week exploring Western India with a yummy recipe and some breathtaking images.
Mommy Maleta has a post as well that is near-and-dear to my heart: Exploring Lebanon
As you all may know, November is Native American Heritage Month and Leanna from All Done Monkey created a wonderfulChildren’s Books about the Cherokee booklist.
FREE GIFT FROM JIAB!
“Conditions of the Heart” is a FREE kids activity book filled with fun activities & crafts that teaches values and conduct. Grab your copy HERE:
Need gift ideas for Christmas? Give the gift of education and guidance with Donna Ashton’s The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook Now available through Audrey Press Books!
This week was the usual whirl-wind of activities that included amazing information, connections and links in the world of Multicultural Children’s Books. As you know Multicultural Children’s Book Day is approaching rapidly {January 27th 2015) and we already have many special things to report.
SPONSORS! MCCBD is very excited to announce that we already have EIGHT amazing sponsors for this event! Here is a list of our current sponsors and we expect a few more to hop on board soon:
ALSO, Mia and I have been working diligently to finish all the steps needed for MCCBD’s 5013c non-profit status and…::drum roll::: it’s complete! MCCBD is now officially a 5013c YAY! The much-anticipated matching process between our 80+ bloggers who have signed up to review books for the event and the authors/publishers will begin December 1. That will give all of our bloggers plenty of time to read their books and create a review and companion activity. I am especially excited to have first-hand knowledge of all the wonderful titles our bloggers will have the privilege of reviewing. I love books
Spotlight on a Sister Initiative:
We Need Diverse Books is a wonderful movement that gained momentum and recognition early this year. This author-driven initiative is a grassroots organization created to address the lack of diverse, non-majority narratives in children’s literature. We Need Diverse Books is committed to the ideal that embracing diversity will lead to acceptance, empathy, and ultimately equality.
WNDB recognizes all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities. Their mission is to promote or amplify diversification efforts and increase visibility for diverse books and authors, with a goal of empowering a wide range of readers in the process.
Similar to Multicultural Children’s Book Day, WNDB reaches out to individuals and groups involved in many levels of children’s publishing—including (but not limited to) publishers, authors, distributors, booksellers, librarians, educators, parents, and students.
WNDB is also in the process of creating and funding their newly announced Walter Dean Myers Award & Grant program “The Walter” will recognize outstanding diverse contributions by authors in Young Adult and Middle Grade literature, and provide funds to help develop new diverse authors and artists. We are excited to announce that WNDB is close to meeting its fundraising goal! Get the scoop on how you can help HERE.
Multicultural Children’s Book Day and We Need Diverse Books are working towards the same goal, just from different angles. WNDB is working very hard to change and shift the mindset of the publishing industry and MCCBD is working to get diverse books into the hands of the end-user (kids, parents, teachers and librarians). Mia and I will be attending some huge book events soon and hope to have a conversation with the WNDB team to learn more about how we can help each other. The more of us spreading the word and shining the spotlight on diverse books, the better!
Stay tuned for more details!
FREE GIFT!
Feeling a sense of gratitude in your life? “Conditions of the Heart” is a FREE kids activity book filled with fun activities & crafts that teaches values and conduct. Grab your copy HERE:
Need gift ideas for Christmas? Give the gift of education and guidance with Donna Ashton’s The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook Now available through Audrey Press Books!
This month has been jam-packed with insightful, educational, globally important and just plain fun booklists based on national holidays and world news. I am very proud of how these booklist turned out (and how well received they were by readers!) so I would like to share them this weekend as my Weekend Links Round-up. Enjoy!
On October 10th in 1858, Buterfield and Company agreed to carry the mail out west starting in Missouri and ending in California. The 2800 mile Westward journey would take 24 days. The mail was delivered twice weekly using overland coaches, mules and horses.
Two years later, with the threat of the Civil War looming, the need for faster communication to the West was created.
To honor and celebrating the first ever cross country mail delivery and a bit of American itself, I created a booklist that takes a look at the Pony Express.
The Banish Bullying Booklist: Reading Our Way to Awareness (Broken down by grade) http://www.jumpintoabook.com/2014/10/banish-bullying-booklist/
Love and respect the rainforest? We do too. Here is our Rainforest Booklist roundup in honor of World Rainforest Week (Oct 12th – Oct 18th)
DON’T FORGET! My Book or Treat Halloween Community Guide is still free for the taking! Here’s your chance to add a fun “book-ish” twist to your Trick or Treating activities at your home or in your community!
Read about Book or Treat and how it all began HERE.
Now Available! The newest children’s book from Audrey Press. Click the image below for more details.
It’s time again for Weekend Links! This is my chance to share all of the fun, creative and educational blog posts I have encountered throughout the course of the week. Here are some of my favorites:
Marie’s Pastiche is doing a whole series involving recipes from her French Canadian roots and WOW, there are some yummy one! Here are two that caught my fancy:
Deliciousness from @Mariespastiche ! Our French Canadian Roots: Recipe for Crepes au Sarasin | Buckwheat pancakes
Diverse books for Halloween are tough to come by, but here are a few the wonderful family at Sprout’s Bookshelf recommend!
In honor of the upcoming Halloween holiday, I thought this would be a “scream” to share! SPOOKILY FUN SCIENCE ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS at Kids Activities Blog
This is not food-related, but it is a true treat to read- Families who adopt and foster care always inspire me. Here is a personal story over at Kid World Citizen
Even the word “Oobleck” makes me giggle and here’s an Oobleck activity from Inspiration Laboratories that involves real pumpkin!
DON’T FORGET! My Book or Treat Halloween Community Guide is still free for the taking! Here’s your chance to add a fun “book-ish” twist to your Trick or Treating activities at your home or in your community!
Read about Book or Treat and how it all began HERE.
Now Available! The newest children’s book from Audrey Press. Click the image below for more details.
Rebecca at Simple As That has a wonderful (and timely) Fall Book List.
The onset of Fall and cooler temps always makes me think of HALLOWEEN! And Halloween at the Budayr household means another opportunity for Book or Treat.
Book or Treat is something I created as a fun way to get out-grown/unused books into the hands of young readers along with their usual Halloween treats. You can read more about Book or Treat here, but I’d like to encourage everyone to really consider doing this in their community. It is SO easy and fun to do and it benefits readers of all ages!
Grab a copy of my FREE Book or Treat Community Kitbut clicking on the image below. Help spread the Book or Treat message!
It’s time for Weekend Links! This is my chance to share some of the amazing links, articles and resources that I have discovered throughout the course of the week…AND…there are some really, really good ones this week.
September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month
and is a celebration of the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America!
Huge Linky, Giveaway and Round-up at PragmaticMom Hispanic American Books for Kids: Link Round Up. Here is a gold mine of ideas/ways to celebrate this holiday!
What great links and reads did YOU find this week?
DON’T FORGET! Time is running out to claim this FREE GIFT. This 50-page Treasure Island Adventure PDF guide will give the little swashbuckler in your life hours of fun and learning!
The Activity Book Includes:
How to Be a Pirate
Pirate Wear
Pirate Speak
Pirate Code of Conduct
Pirate Doings
Flying your colors
Swashbuckling Sword Moves
Pirate Games plus many more activities and how to’s
Here are some facts about literacy and the event as well:
Some 775 million adults lack minimum literacy skills; one in five adults is still not literate and two-thirds of them are women; 60.7 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out.
To raise public awareness of the extraordinary value of the written word and of the necessity to promote a literate society, the following writers are supporting UNESCO through the Writers for Literacy Initiative. UNESCO, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN). Its purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the UN Charter. It is the heir of the League of Nations’ International Commission on Intellectual Cooperation. UNESCO’s aim is “to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information.”
As you know, I am a huge advocate of family reading time and children’s literacy. I have been for as long as I can remember. Using Jump Into a Book, the books I create through my publishing house Audrey Press and now with Multicultural Children’s Book Day, I feel like I am even more determined to share the joys and importance of reading with our children. Even though my own kids are grown, they are still all avid readers; something that I am very proud of. Books can unlock the magic of life, let us travel to faraway places without leaving the couch, allow kids of all cultures to see themselves in the pages of a book and share of the wonder of this Big Ol’ World.
Pair that reading-love with learning activities and, in my opinion, it’s a home run
That being said, it’s time for my weekly installment of Weekend Links. This is my chance to share some of the wonderful book review and reading activities that I have discovered in my weekly internet travels. These are all high quality reading-based blog posts from some of my favorite, and highly respected, reading and play bloggers. Enjoy!
International Mother Language Day is observed every year on the 21st of February. 
