The Water Cycle – Water Play Book 1
Author: Mayra CalvaniIllustrator: Alexander Morris
Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 9781616332372
Publication Date: March 2012
Reviewed by: Karen Cioffi
Being a strong proponent of education, I love books that teach children in a fun and engaging way. The Water Cycle by Mayra Calvani does just that.
According to USGS.com, “Earth's water is always in movement, and the natural water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. Water is always changing states between liquid, vapor, and ice, with these processes happening in the blink of an eye and over millions of years.”
This is what the author conveys to children in an understandable and entertaining way.
Dealing with the water cycle, this vividly illustrated picture book brings the young reader on a journey from clouds being too full of water droplets to contain them, to rain, to condensation. The full water cycle.
The story begins with a lively and wonderful hook that immediately grabs the child’s attention, “Huddled inside the CLOUD high up in the sky, the water droplets are excited. They know something BIG is about to happen.” And, the author uses this technique throughout.
Another helpful strategy for fostering learning is that the clouds, rain, and ocean take on human characteristics with faces. This is another element that makes the read fun and engaging. Along with this, the illustrations, many full pages, are right on the mark. They will definitely help the child better grasp the water cycle process.
Along with a delightful story, the author included fun reading comprehension activities at the end of the book: Seek and Find Words. Find these words in the story, then find
these words in the puzzle; and Match the words to the correct sentence. Both these exercises are helpful tools to further aide in the child’s understanding and retention of the content.
It’s been quite a while, but I still remember learning about the water cycle in school, but it was done with a much more formal teaching method. Today’s books, including The Water Cycle, strive to make reading and learning fun for children.
Children are our greatest asset and resource. Teaching them to grow informed and knowledgeable is our responsibility. The Water Cycle, and books like it, helps us do this. It is a great learning aide for the teacher and classroom, and will be a perfect addition to any child’s home library.
For a useful and very interesting snapshot of the water cycle visit:
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WANT TO WRITE FICTION FOR CHILDREN? CLICK HERE!
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Other Children's Book Reviews You Might Find of InterestReview of Trouble on Earth DayReview of The Lucky BaseballDay’s End Lullaby Video Review~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Karen Cioffi
Multi-award Winning Author, Freelance/Ghostwriter, Editor, Marketer
Find Karen’s eBoo
Wow, it’s my pleasure to host, my friend and creative author, Kathy Stemke. Her story is amazing: the first book she submitted for publication was picked up. And, then the second one was picked up by the same publisher. What a way to start!
To keep things moving while waiting for her books to be published and available, Kathy wrote another book, Moving Through All Seven Days. But, that’s not all: Kathy’s FREE monthly newsletter, “MOVEMENT AND RHYTHM” is listed in the “100 Best Blogs for Homeschooling Moms!”
So, let’s learn a bit about this fast moving and talented author, Kathy Stemke:
Kathy Stemke has a passion for writing, the arts and all things creative. She has a B.S. from Southern Connecticut State University and Covenant Life Seminary, as well as graduate coursework from New York Institute of Technology and Columbia University. Hanging her hat in the North Georgia Mountains, she has been a dancer, choreographer, teacher, tutor, writer and an antiques dealer for many years.
As a freelance writer Kathy has published several articles. She is a contributing editor for The National Writing for Children's Center. Kathy’s first children’s e-book, “Moving Through All Seven Days,” is now available on Lulu. Kathy's second children's book, “Trouble on Earth Day,” is slated to come out in the fall of 2009!
Now for a bit about Moving Through All Seven Day:
This book inspires movement as children learn about the days of the week. The lyrical rhymes also teach them how to spell each day! The 14 pages of activities at the end of the book are designed to reinforce the concepts as well as give impetus to movement exploration.
My review below gives a little more description of this impressive children’s book:
Title: Moving Through All Seven Days
Written by: Kathy Ann Stemke
Illustrated by: Tony Glisson
Ages: 3-7
Publisher: Action Alley Education
Reviewer: Karen Cioffi (May 22, 2009)
Moving Through All Seven Days is a wonderful way to teach young children the days of the week. The days move forward with playful activities, "Slipping, sliding, spin and play, Fun on Sunday, that's the way."
Reading and exercise – what a combination! With bold and colorful illustrations it is sure to hold any child’s attention.
As an added feature, Moving Through All Seven Days includes an activity and learning section with: in class activities, spelling the days of the week, rhyming words, coloring pages and more. This is sure to be a hit in any preschool or lower grade classroom.
Moving Through All Seven Days is also a great way to teach the days of the week to your own little ones before they start school. I’ll be reading it to my 3-year-old grandson!
Mine is just one of many great reviews of Moving Through All Seven Days. I highly recommend it.
You can find Moving Through All Seven Days on lulu by clicking on this link:
http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#
And, don’t forget to sign up for Kathy’s FREE monthly newsletter, “MOVEMENT AND RHYTHM” on her blog. You’ll find great teaching tips, movement activities, and children’s book reviews. Head on over to: http://educationtipster.blogspot.com to subscribe.
Check out this impressive review by Suzanne Lieurance of The Working Writer’s Coaching Club:
Both parents and teachers of small children will want to subscribe to Movement and Rhythm, a valuable new resource from educator and children's author, Kathy Stemke. This free newsletter is chock full of original articles, activities, and other offers to make education and teaching more fun and effective both inside and outside the classroom.
Wait, we’re not done yet:
COMING SOON-The release of Kathy Stemke's new picture book, Trouble on Earth Day, is coming very soon. This adorable squirrel uses what she has learned in school about recycling to help her new friend. This book, like all of Kathy's books, has several worksheets, crafts, and recycle ideas pages for it's readers to enjoy.
You can see an illustration from Trouble on Earth Day above.
To learn more about Kathy Stemke and her books, please visit her websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days
http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#
http://educationtipster.blogspot.com
http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com
Whew! Kathy sure has a lot going on. Be sure to stop back here on Saturday, the 3rd, for more with Kathy: a creative writing article that you won’t want to miss.
Talk to you soon,
Karen
Karen,
Thank you for your absolutely wonderful review of Mayra's latest children's book. We appreciate your time and interest. I've FB, tweeted and Google+.
All the best,
Donna
Donna, Thank you. Water Cycle is a wonderful picture book.