bravery – Page 2 – Mom Read It

Animal Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Intermediate, Middle Grade

The Nocturnals: The Mysterious Abductions introduces a new bunch of woodland friends

Posted on April 18, 2016April 19, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Nocturnals: The Mysterious Abductions, by Tracey Hecht/Illustrated by Kate Liebman (April 2016, Fabled Films), $15.99, ISBN: 9781944020002

Recommended for ages 7-12

Animal fiction fans, get ready: there’s a new group in town, and they only go on adventures at night. The Nocturnals, or as they refer to themselves, the Brigade, are Dawn, a smart and serious fox; Tobin, a very sweet pangolin, and Bismark, a loud, well-meaning but self-centered sugar glider. (Don’t call him a squirrel or a bat!) Shortly after the three meet, they find themselves investigating a mystery: animals are disappearing! As the Nocturnals search for answers, they meet other animals along the way that will help them – but can they avoid being kidnapped by the mysterious culprit?

The Nocturnals is a fun, packed with humor and a little shot of adventure for intermediate and middle grade readers. Color artwork by Kate Liebman adds interest and kicks off each chapter, and she captures the various personalities created by author Tracey Hecht. Bismark is almost hilariously over the top, slipping into different languages, professing his love for Dawn, the fox, and making sure everyone within earshot knows he’s the star of the show, if only in his imagination. Dawn is observant, often serious, and quick to figure things out (she is a fox, after all), and Tobin is the kind peacemaker who finds his self-esteem on this first outing. Book 2, The Ominous Eye, is due out in September.

I like the positive messages in the book – teamwork and keeping promises among them – and I like the use of animals we don’t normally discover on adventures: sugar gliders, wombats, and tobins! The book provides a great opportunity to introduce these animals to children’s vocabulary, and indeed, The Nocturnals website has some excellent educator resources available, including printable animal fact cards, book club questions, coloring sheets, and resources for ELA and Science education. I was excited to see a book club script suggestion, so I can get my readers busy acting the parts out (since book discussions don’t work with my kids, this is an interesting and fun project to approach them with). The Nocturnals website also offers to send a free cape for your stuffed animal if you join their Brigade!

Animal fiction is great for intermediate and middle graders – The Nocturnals should be a good fit with collections. Booktalk and display this with your Erin Hunter books (Warriors/Seekers/Survivors), the Spirit Animals series, and Kathryn Lasky’s Guardians of Ga’Hoole and Horses of the Dawn series.

Take a look at the book trailer for The Mysterious Abductions.

Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Spotlight On: A Halloween Scare at My House!

Posted on October 29, 2015October 11, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

From the opening invitation to a Halloween Scare t0 the Halloween-motif endpapers, A Halloween Scare at My House is a perfect read-aloud for toddlers to Kindergarteners! Check out the Sourcebooks Spotlight below, with the chance to win your own copy of the book!

A Halloween Scare at My House Series, by Eric James/Illustrated by Marina Le Ray

Series Info:
Title: A Halloween Scare at My House
Author: Eric James
Illustrator: Marina Le Ray
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Description:
The perfect gift for every child or kid-at-heart who also loves celebrating the most eerie and thrilling night of the year, the Halloween Scare regional series offers a jaunty tale with a humorous bent—sure to ward off any creature who goes bump in the night in cities and states across the country!

Now with 78 titles highlighting different cities, states, and regions in the U.S. and Canada, each book in the Halloween Scare series features art and text created especially for a specific state or city. Fun Halloween creatures and critters haunt your favorite landmarks, including famous sites like the Statue of Liberty in New York, California’s Hollywood sign, the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan, Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp, Churchill Downs in Kentucky, the San Jacinto Monument in Texas and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina.

With its bouncing rhyme, colorful illustrations, and funny story, the Halloween Scare series is a delightful Halloween adventure for everyone who loves a silly, spooky tale. It’s perfect for younger readers who can explore their state or city and little learn more about the places and landmarks that make their homes unique.

Prepare, if you dare, for a Halloween scare,
A night of pure terror to whiten your hair.
A tale full of sights that are best left unseen. You ready? You sure?
This was my Halloween.

About the Author and Illustrator:

Eric James is a children’s book author, word tickler, and champion asparagus thrower. You can find him online at http://www.ericjames.co.uk. He lives in Bath, England, with his family.

Marina Le Ray has had success both as a children’s book illustrator as well as a greeting card designer. She lives and works in Nantes, France.

My two cents: This is an adorable book. The fact that it’s customized for different regions of the states makes it a great choice for read-alouds and for classrooms that want to incorporate some fun into their Social Studies curriculum. Leave time in a lesson to talk about Halloween in your cities, versus traditions from other cities. The rhyming text and story about a little boy who overcame his fear of Halloween and monsters will draw kids in, so don’t be afraid to read with different voices, make spooky sounds, and invite the kids to shriek and moan along with you. Halloween storytimes are the best storytimes ever!

Buy Links:
Available at all major booksellers

Don’t forget, enter this Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win your own copy!
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Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Max the Brave is FEARLESS!

Posted on August 25, 2015August 23, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Max the Brave, by Ed Vere (Sept 2015, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $15.95, ISBN: 978-1-4926-1651-1

Recommended for ages 2-6

Max is a fearless kitten. He is a brave kitten. He does not like being dressed up in cutesy bows. He is a kitten who catches mice… or, he would, if he knew what a mouse looked like. He sets off in search of a mouse, politely asking several animals along the way if they are mice. Somewhere along the way, though, it looks like someone told Max a fib…

This book is adorable. The cartoony artwork will grab little readers and storytime attendees right away. Max is bold and black, with big yellow eyes. The animals he encounters are largely bold and black, set against bright background pages. The minimalist artwork makes it easy for younger readers to follow along, and the plain black text makes for an easy read for storytime.

The story reinforces manners – even though Max is brave and fearless, he’s always polite when asking for directions to Mouse. The story’s end will make parents giggle along with their children, and they will cheer for Max on his quest. There’s just enough repetition on Max’s search to keep kids engaged and interactive with the story.

I read this story to preschoolers and toddlers, and each time, they LOVED it. There was a fantastic amount of interaction, with kids calling out the names of the animals Max encounters and calling out advice to Max. The toddlers giggled and clapped and asked me to read it again – so I did!

Bottom line: Put this one on your Fall reading lists. The kiddies love it. There are great activities available as a free download from the publisher, and there’s also a free Common Core educator’s guide.

Watch this space – there’s going to be a Rafflecopter giveaway on this blog shortly!

Preschool Reads

Daredevil Duck Blog Tour! Author interview and contest!

Posted on May 14, 2015May 5, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Daredevil Duck, by Charlie Alder (May 2015, Running Press) $16.95, ISBN: 9780762458929

Recommended for ages 3-7

Daredevil Duck wants to be brave. He really does, but there are so many scary things out in the world: fluttery things, the dark, heights – what’s a wannabe daredevil to do? One day, Daredevil Duck is called on to help a friendly Mole save his balloon, stuck up in a tree. This is Daredevil Duck’s big moment: can he face his fears and save the day?

This is a great story for the preschool and Kindergarten set. It addresses common fears, and tells a sweet story of how one young duck faced and overcame those fears in order to help someone. If that’s not great motivation, what is? It also addresses bullying, which is so important to tackle in these early years, when kids are forming their social patterns.

Most of all, Daredevil Duck is just fun. The book has interesting die cuts and flaps that kids will love exploring, and it adds great interest to a read-aloud. I love keeping the kids in suspense for a second or two before opening a flap and giving them an exciting reveal, and they love the delicious anticipation. The cartoony artwork, with bright primary colors inside a thick black outline, gives a child-friendly welcome to the story. Emphasized moments and text will catch readers’ attention and keep them giggling.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this book for review, and read it to my preschooler storytime classes, where it went over very well. The kids loved the reveals under the flaps and gatefolds, and they loved going on Daredevil Duck’s brave journey with him. A fun read-aloud to add to the collection.

I was thrilled to get Daredevil Duck‘s author, Charlie Alder to answer a couple of questions. Read on for more!

MomReadIt: Would you call Daredevil Duck an accidental superhero?
Charlie Alder: That’s a good question! Well, Daredevil Duck wants to be a superhero, but his fears get the better of him every time. It’s only when he’s really determined to help a new friend, and his fears have to be put to one side, that he realizes anything is possible! This realization is totally accidental to him, so I guess he really is an accidental superhero!

MRI: Is Daredevil Duck based on anyone you know?
CA: I would say Daredevil Duck is very similar to my little boy at age 4 or 5! Initially, when I first started coming up with story ideas and character sketches he was very much his own character, but as the story started to progress, I realized he had taken on many of the traits, hopes and fears of my little boy, and indeed many of his friends.

MRI: What advice would you have for anyone who wants to be a superhero, daredevil, or just sleep without a night light? How can someone channel Daredevil Duck in his or her own life?
CA: Well, being brave can take many different forms, from trying a new sport, making new friends or eating a new vegetable! Throughout the story Daredevil Duck kept telling himself he couldn’t do things, that he was too scared, but he never really tried! When he really tried to rescue the yellow balloon he surprised himself! The only way you’ll really know if you can do something or not is to try it, it doesn’t matter if you fail, at least you have tried… and you never know, you may surprise yourself too!

You can follow Charlie Alder on Twitter @chuckie346, or visit her author website for more information. Thanks, Charlie!

Win your own copy of Daredevil Duck with this a Rafflecopter giveaway
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TAKE THE DAREDEVIL DUCK BLOG TOUR!

DAREDEVIL DUCK
By Charlie Alder
Blog Tour Schedule
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5/4 Wife Hat, Mom Hat
5/5 Geo Librarian
5/6 In The Pages
5/7 Stacking Books
5/9 Bea’s Book Nook
5/10 ReaderKidz
5/11 Coffee for the Brain
5/12 The Picture Book Review
5/13 Mrs. Brown Loves Bookworms
5/14 Mom Read It
5/15 Unpacking the POWER of
Picture Books
5/16 Cheryl Rainfield
5/17 Unleashing Readers