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FREE Gift! Free 180 Multicultural Book Ideas ebook to inspired fun Summer Reading!

School is out and our youngsters are settling into a new summer routine of sleeping in and hopefully doing some exploring and discovering. With the hectic days of summer just beginning, oftentimes one of the first habit to go by the wayside is the habit of daily reading.
Reading is always an important part of our children’s lives no matter what time of year it is so I decided to wrap my knowledge of fun kidlit books and activities up with my experience as one of the co-founders of the very successful Multicultural Children’s Book Day and create a unique resource for parents who are looking for creative ways to keep their kids reading this summer. Reading is important, but so is helping our young readers learn about other cultures, religions and traditions through the pages of these books. Here are some great booklists and resources that I have created over the years at Jump Into a Book that will not only give parents and readers great ideas on diverse kids’ books, but fun activities related to books that will bring stories to life!

Sign up below for quick and free access to 180 Multicultural Book Ideas: World Travel through Kidlit Summer Reading!

The post The Mountains of Tibet by Mordicai Gerstein Book Review appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Good art can be a little dark and disturbing. In the case of a new exhibition at the Whitney Library Gallery, it can also be classified as creepy, spooky, kooky, mysterious and more than a little fun. The show features dark drawings and haunting images, much of them from a new children's book, "The Stumps of Flattop Hill," by Las Vegas-based author Kenneth Kit Lamug.

The world is a place to be explored, and in Finn’s Rocket, Finn and his little Sister Gabriella go beyond the bounds of earth into the little-explored realm of space. But this was not exactly in the plans for these two siblings.
Both Gabi and Finn are very intelligent, which wins them both spots at a space camp at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Gabi gets to learn all about being an astronaut, while Finn gets to play with rocket fuel and explore the mechanics of space travel.

However, neither of them are able to see the evil plot that the camp’s commander, Commander Morton, has been planning, and unfortunately, Gabi fits all of the qualifications for this deranged woman’s experiment. After running a series of tests on the young girl, Commander Morton deems her fit for space travel, unknown to Gabi. In the middle of the night, Gabi is brought to Morton; her sleeping area is cleared out, and a story is created about some serious illness that caused Gabi to leave camp early. Except while Commander Morton has been developing this elaborate plan, she failed to double check that all evidence of Gabi was gone—a young girl would never leave her favorite stuffed penguin or her cell phone. So when Gabi’s new friend Wendy finds them, she realizes that something fishy is going on at the space center.

After news of Gabi’s disappearance leaks, one of the camp counselors shares her theory about Commander Morton’s plot with a terrified Finn. Even with video evidence no one, not even his parents, believes that Morton would send a young, unprepared girl into space without any intention of bringing her home. So Finn has no choice. He has to go to the International Space Station and save his sister on his own. So with his two best friends, Axel and Burrito, Finn travels across the world to Sweden where he is lucky enough to convince an entrepreneur to give him a ride on the first ever tourist space shuttle.

Will Finn rescue Gabi? Will Commander Morton get away with her evil plot? You’ll just have to read to find out!
This was such an exciting book! It has sports, nature, treachery, deranged-wanna-be astronauts, and a couple of awesome, empowering kids! What more could a book need? Finn’s Rocket touches on the power of sibling bonds, the hearing impaired, and the exciting yet terrifying idea of space exploration. Definitely a good read, and I would definitely continue following Finn’s story with Finn’s Ship and Finn’s car. Grab your copy of Finn’s Rocket here.

Author Serena Schreiber has a whole series of Finn books if you liked this one and she writes adult fiction as well. Be sure to visit her site to see all of her offerings and don’t forget her blog. It’s a lot of fun and packed with adventure.

Something To Do:
1. Eating like an astronaut:
It’s very simple really. All you do is put anything that can be consumed through a straw, zip it up in a plastic bag with a straw, an slurp slurp! You’re eating like an astronaut!

2. Build your own soda rocket (from Lemon Lime Adventures)

3. Sign language basics (so you can communicate with Gabi in space)

4. Fun Facts about Space Travel:

• ~It takes 3 to 5 days for a spacecraft to reach the moon.
• ~A space suit can weigh between 50 and 350 pounds—on Earth, that is.
• ~There is no sound in space because of the lack of air.
• ~Recent technology allows the use of phones in space.
• ~Since 2000, permanent crews have been living and working in space at the International Space Station.
• ~You become taller in Space.
• ~In space, the skin on your feet peels off!
• ~The word astronaut comes from the Greek word “Astron” which means star and “nautes” which means sailor.
• The Russian cosmonaut has a similar meaning from ‘kosmos’ meaning universe and again “nautes” sailor.

5. This fun activity will teach you a little bit about rockets. It is from one of NASA‘s educational websites and the great rocket template you’ll find below is provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. LOVE all the resources on Kitchen Pantry Scientist!

LAST DAY!!!!As the holiday season approaches, consider adding the gift of books to your shopping list. There are many wonderful booklists available for parents looking to give their child the gift of reading and adventure. A book makes a great gift because they are meaningful, beautiful, portable, appealing, and inexpensive and it’s a gift that can be opened again and again. Books are the perfect gift for any age and a gift that doesn’t require batteries or sizing instruction!

If you would like to get started on your family reading adventure, or would just like to add to your family bookshelf, Audrey Press has some special deals on their catalog of books to get readers and gift-givers on their merry way. From November 30^th to December 15^th, give the gift of reading, adventure and education at extra-special (and extended) Black Friday prices! Go here for the full scoop on the Holiday Book Love Sale!

The post Exploring the realm of space: Finn’s Rocket Book Review appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

The holiday season is sneaking up fast! Are you still scrambling to find the perfect gift for a certain someone? Hands down, I believe, one of the best gifts that can be given is the gift or reading. Books unlock the magic and wonder of other worlds, cultures and dreams and it’s a gift that can be “opened” again and again. In my online travels this week I have discovered several superb Book Gift Guides for young readers. Here are a few of my top picks:

A Holiday Book Gift Guide for 8-10 year-old girls- chosen and written by a girl who is that age from I Never Grew Up.

The feisty and savvy Pam from Unconventional Librarian puts her own spin on her Book Gift Guide!

Franticmommy also has a great Book Gift Guide for Kids. I see she has some WONDERFUL taste in books in her Picture Books and Middle Readers Gift Guide! From monsters to garden activities, this Holiday Gift Guide has great options for moms giving the gift of reading.

I also adore her blog post on Ten Reasons Why Books Make Great Gifts.

What glorious gift guides have you discovered?

Final Note:

JUMP into a Book! Valarie Budayr joins us for BOY TALK. She is an author, editor, and ‘master magic maker’ at Jump Into a Book.  This is a great resource for all of  the kids on your list.  Meet her below.  Save your seat for BOY TALK here. 

Note from Valarie: As the holiday season approaches, consider adding the gift of books to your shopping list. There are many wonderful booklists available for parents looking to give their child the gift of reading and adventure. A book makes a great gift because they are meaningful, beautiful, portable, appealing, and inexpensive and it’s a gift that can be opened again and again. Books are the perfect gift for any age and a gift that doesn’t require batteries or sizing instruction!

If you would like to get started on your family reading adventure, or would just like to add to your family bookshelf, Audrey Press has some special deals on their catalog of books to get readers and gift-givers on their merry way. From November 30^th to December 15^th, give the gift of reading, adventure and education at extra-special (and extended) Black Friday prices! Go here for the full scoop on the Holiday Book Love Sale!

The post Weekend Links: Glorious Book Gift Guides appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

This time of year can get a little daunting; Trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for a child, hoping it will not be a duplicate or be the one that gets tossed aside and forgotten. I have been in that position before and it gets a bit discouraging when it happens often.

I have found “Adventures of The Bunny Baron:Captain Barnacle’s Revenge” to be a great gift idea. The Bunny Baron is a fun, short, insightful experience for kids and even adults. It is light-hearted story about kindness, helping others, turing bad dreams into good dreams, and following your own dreams. With all the bad things we hear in the news, a fun, uplifting story is a great way to put a smile on someone’s face. The Bunny Baron can easily be purchased at Amazon.com.  It is also available at createspace.com.

I have to say that several generations of this family have been greatly inspired by Albert Einstein. On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne, Illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky is a brilliant work of art and incredible simple, clean and concise storytelling leaving the reader inspired and ready to embrace their own questions to discover the awe and wonder that lay behind them.

{click to tweet} “Suddenly he knew there were mysteries in the world-hidden and silent, unknown and unseen.”

From the very beginning Albert was unique. He couldn’t talk until he was 4 years old. When he did start talking he couldn’t stop asking questions. His father gave him a magnet and he wondered why and how it always pointed north. He became fascinated with light and sound, heat, gravity, but most of all numbers. Albert loved number. They were like a secret language for him.

He asked tons of questions and even with all of those questions he kept wondering, so he kept reading and learning to find answers to those questions.

After Albert graduated from college he wanted to teach all of the subjects that fascinated him.  But he couldn’t find a job as a teacher so he worked in a government office instead. Still even as an adult, Albert kept asking questions. Whether watching a lump of sugar dissolving into tea or smoke from his pipe swirl and disappear. Albert kept asking “how does that happen?”

As he continued to think and ask, Albert thought about the idea that every single thing is made of teeny, tiny bits of stuff called atoms.

He continued to think about atoms which led to him thinking about motion and the idea that everything is always moving. All of these thoughts about movement led him to incredible ideas and thought about time and space.

Albert sent his new found ideas to magazines which would publish and print anything Albert wrote. Soon he was asked to teach. Now, finally everyone thought Albert was a genius. He could spend his days imagining, wondering, figuring, and thinking.

He loved to think in his sailboat. He loved to play violin. He said it helped him think even better.

Did you know that Albert even chose his clothes for thinking ? He even word his shoes without socks. He said now that he was a grown up, no one could tell him he had to wear socks. He loved to walk and wander around, often times while eating an ice cream cone.

While doing all the things he loved, he tried to figure out the secrets of the universe and that beam of light he rode on a long time ago as a child.

Albert figured out that NOTHING could move faster than a beam of light.

Until his very last breath “Albert asked questions never asked before. Found answers never found before. And dreamed up ideas never dreamt before.”

His wondering, thinking and imagining helped us understand our universe like no one else has.

This book is a must have for the family library. It’s an incredible biography told in a very artistic and captivating way.

Something to Do

Magnets: Make your own Compass

To always keep yourself pointing north, make your very own compass. Here’s a great one from Steve Spangler.

Nearly everything you wanted to know about Magnets

Here are some really fun and entertaining activities to do with magnets, as well as an overview into the world of magnets.

Scavenger Hunt

Don’t forget to do a magnet scavenger hunt around the house. Give your children a magnet and have them search all over the house for things the magnet sticks to. Have write or bring those things back to “home base” to see what magnetic items are laying around your house.

Light and Sound

Enjoy learning about light and sound on this incredible experiment page. This will create hours of fun for you and your family.

Gravity

There is something for everyone on Gravity Day. This page has overviews and activities for all age groups.

Numbers

Wanting to know more about numbers? Want to improve or learn some math? From the very beginning I have always been so impressed with Khan Academy. It started with Sal Khan sending his niece math tutoring  help over youtube videos. Then everyone started watching them and working their way towards math comprehension. Now Khan Academy is being used all over the world not only as math tutoring but math instruction. They have other courses as well in science and language. Little by little I’ve been bringing back my own math skills by following their learning map. It’s an incredible program and it’s absolutely FREE. Want to wonder about numbers just like Albert Einstein? Head on over to Khan Academy.

Don’t forget our ginormous Back to School Library Book Bundle Giveaway!

Right on time for back to school, KidLit TV is teaming up with Pragmatic Mom, Jump into a Book, Franticmommy and Multicultural Children’s Book Day to give parents, teachers, and librarians a chance to win a multicultural book bundle for their school library.

School libraries play an integral role in the life of students. Many students can cite their school library as a place where a love of reading and learning is fortified. Throughout the country, budgets for school programs are being slashed, school libraries have been heavily hit. Hours for library time are cut in some schools, and non-existent in others. Furthermore, the tight budget impacts a school librarian’s ability to secure funds to purchase new books.

GO HERE to enter to WIN!

The post On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Right on time for back to school, KidLit TV is teaming up with Pragmatic Mom, Jump into a Book, Franticmommy and Multicultural Children’s Book Day to give parents, teachers, and librarians a chance to win a multicultural book bundle for their school library.

School libraries play an integral role in the life of students. Many students can cite their school library as a place where a love of reading and learning is fortified. Throughout the country, budgets for school programs are being slashed, school libraries have been heavily hit. Hours for library time are cut in some schools, and non-existent in others. Furthermore, the tight budget impacts a school librarian’s ability to secure funds to purchase new books.

Starting today, September 15th and through September 30th you can enter to win a curated bundle of multicultural books featuring StoryMakers guests and additional kid lit authors.

Watch this fun video, to see some of the kid lit your school library can win!

Books featured in the giveaway bundle include:
The Whale in My Swimming Pool by Joyce Wan
Beauty and The Beast by Pat Cummings
The Truth About Twinkie Pie by Kat Yeh
Gone Crazy In Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia
The Seeds of Friendship by Michael Foreman
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh
Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation by Edwidge Danticat

PLUS three more to be announced soon!

Current and former librarians share why they believe school libraries are essential:

Happiest is the school that provides its children with access to information in all its myriad forms and has a professional on hand to help direct them. — Betsy Bird
Collection Development Manager, Evanston Public Library
School Library Journal (Fuse8)

Every child should have access to a school library accessible throughout the school day and well-stocked with materials to engage, entertain, educate, and inspire. — Matthew Winner
Library Media Specialist
The Busy Librarian
Let’s Get Busy Podcast

As a retired school librarian, I certainly know the importance of school libraries. With more and more school librarians being eliminated it is of the utmost importance that we advocate and publicize the important role they play. — Rocco Staino
Contributing Editor, School Library Journal
Director, Empire State Center for the Book
Host, KidLit TV’s StoryMakers

Here’s how it works:

• Enter to win via the Rafflecopter widget below.
• Winners are chosen randomly. We’ll notify all winners via email.
• You’ll give us the name of your librarian, and address of your school library.
• We’ll send the books to your school library, in your name!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Entrants must be at least 13 years old and reside in the United States

More than 60 education and library research studies have produced clear evidence that school library programs staffed by qualified school librarians have a positive impact on student academic achievement. Yet, many students are returning to school without a resource essential for success: a strong school library program lead by a certified school librarian. — I Love Libraries

We couldn’t have done this without wonderful publishers who’ve graciously donated books. Please give a round of applause to the publishers participating our giveaway!
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
HarperCollins
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Candlewick Press
Abrams Books
Dreamscape Media
Dial Books

Want to increase your library’s chances of winning? SHARE this post with other librarians, parents and educators in your area!

ABOUT
Pragmatic Mom
Pragmatic Mom was born of several circumstances; one child’s lackluster academic year, a mishap during a reading session, and realizing it was okay for a mom to love kid lit more than adult fiction. Mia Wenjen chronicles her family’s journey through education, parenting, and children’s literature via Pragmatic Mom. Mia is a leader in literacy and parenting. She is one of the co-founders of Multicultural Children’s Book Day.

Connect with Pragmatic Mom on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Jump into a Book
Jump into a Book (JIAB) is a site about the love of children’s books and how they can be incorporated into our everyday lives through play, crafting, cooking, movies, games, traveling and author visits. At JIAB, they strive to pull books off shelves and stories off pages to create reading experiences for families. Amazon and iTunes best-selling author and founder of Audrey Press, Valarie Budayr is a play and reading advocate, whose mission is to inspire children, families, and communities to experience and create a world together through books while having fun.

Connect with Jump into a Book on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Franticmommy
Rebecca Flansburg (a.k.a Franticmommy), is a freelance writer, blogger and virtual assistant. Franticmommy.com, is filled with laughter and love about the joys of parenthood. Rebecca is also committed to helping women realize their work-from-home dreams, enjoying life beyond the cubicle, and find clarity in the work/life/family balance.

Connect with Franticmommy on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Multicultural Children’s Book Day
Multicultural Children’s Book Day’s (MCCBD) mission is to not only raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity, but to get more of these of books into classrooms and libraries.Children’s reading and play advocates Valarie Budayr from Jump Into a Book and Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom have teamed up to create an ambitious (and much needed) national event. On January 27th, 2014 Jump into a Book and Pragmatic Mom presented the very first Multicultural Children’s Book Day as a way of celebrating diversity in children’s books. The results and support overwhelming as authors, publishers, parents, teachers, bloggers and librarians joined forces to offer up an online event designed to shine the spotlight on diversity in children’s literature.

Connect with Multicultural Children’s Book Day on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

KidLit TV
KidLit TV is a community of authors, illustrators, educators, and parents all working together to bring great books to kids. We hope to reinforce an appreciation of reading that children will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Click here for more.

Connect with KidLit TV on Facebook (page), Facebook (group) Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube. Sign up for the newsletter too!

Like it? Pin it!

The post Back to School Library Book Bundle Giveaway! appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Rupert is acting very naughty at home and at school...
but one day someone new comes to class who is 
even NAUGHTIER... has Rupert met his match? 

Our May book list includes fun, magical books featuring adventures with an adorable elephant, funny stories about sisters for young readers, the story of strong man Charles Atlas, a laugh-out-loud tale about pranksters and one of the best teen romances ever written.

Pre-K – K (Ages 3-6):

Little Elliot, Big City By: Mike Curato

Elliot loves the adventure of living in the city but his size often gets in his way. Readers’ hearts will melt when Elliot meets an unlikely friend at just the right moment and the two take on the town together. A sweet, beautifully illustrated book!

The post Monthly Book List: Our Five Favorite Books for May appeared first on First Book Blog.

Pencil sketches are underway for "RUPERT the Very Naughty Elephant" written by Laura Brigger....Yes, he's VERY naughty....but has he met his match? 


 

I’ve always thought the best way to teach my kids to be kind is to be kind myself. While that’s a really good start, I can’t be with them all day long and life is filled with opportunities to be both kind and unkind. This got me thinking, what books are out there that teach kindness?

Here’s a look at what I found.

The Kindness Booklist for Kids

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein

Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig

Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley

Ben Rides on by Matt Davies

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe

Horton Hears a Who ! by Dr. Seuss

A Home for Bird By Philip C. Stead

The Monster’s Monster by Patrick McDonnell

Little Bird by Germano Zullo

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams

Hey Little Ant by Phillip M. Moose

Pinduli by Janell Cannon

Fill a bucket: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids by Carol McCloud

**some of these links are affiliate links

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:

The post Want to teach your kids how to be kind ? A Kindness Booklist for Kids appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

There’s something strange going on at Harry’s  house.

Oozing everywhere is hot lava. 

Lava is the Hottest, Most Dangerous Liquid Known to Man !!!!

So you better make a run for it and get out of it’s way. 

Is there any safe place to get away from this oozing liquid?

This latest release from one of my favorite author/illustrators Chris Robertson will entertain and inspire many moments of reading and play fun. Chris is no stranger to JIAB, I’ve reviewed several of his wonderful books including What Would Trade Your Peanut Butter Sandwich For and My Yellow Umbrella (a touching tribute to the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School). You can also read a very entertaining interview I did with Chris here. 

I love the illustrations which blend in beautifully with the text to recount a perfect story.

This book can be summer up in one word FUN !!!!

Something To Do

Harry and the Hot Lava reminded me of a game we use play all the time called Don’t step on the Cracks. This book lends itself well to this game. The game is easy while walking down the street, in the driveway, in a parking lot, at the park, wherever you are, you simply Don’t Step on the Cracks. 

Photo source

If by chance you live in a crack free world, grab some chalk and make some squiggles, and lines like an obstacle course. See how you can avoid those squiggles and lines making sure you Don’t Step on the Cracks. 

The post Harry and the Hot Lava {By Chris Robertson} Book Review and Activity appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Make your coins count!  During the month of May you can magically turns your spare change into books for kids in need!

Coinstar’s partner, Change Making Change, is featuring First Book as their “charity of choice” throughout the month of May.

Have a coin jar or a jumble of noisy pennies in your pocket? Have your kids been filling their piggy banks? Drop off those coins and help a child from a low income family receive new books!  It’s a great way to encourage your kids to help other children – which is what Change Making Change is all about.

To participate, go to a Coinstar kiosk, select the Coins that Count donation option and then pick Change Making Change as the recipient. Just empty those jars and piggy banks right into the hopper. All donations to Change Making Change throughout May will benefit First Book (and all donations are fully tax deductible).

Coinstar machines can be found at most local grocery stores. To find the Coinstar nearest you, click here.

After you make your donation, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to watch the First Book magic in action!

The post Coinstar + Spare Change = Books for Kids! appeared first on First Book Blog.

Pepi Moves House

Just completed "Pepi Moves House" e-book five in the series  written by Alarna Gray....Coming Soon! A Toy Dog is for Real Series New Works Program

Characters developed a play written by Marcia Trimble for Boston Children's Theater - New Works Program This is a sequel to Marcia's FREE ebook - Fairytale Moments - Who is Your Giant?