Finding a great children's book is like unwrapping a perfect sweet.
Have you seen this delightful picture book: The Runaway Pea by Kjartan Poskitt and illustrated Alex Willmore, published by Simon and Schuster.
At the low point of the story, a moment when all looks lost, Poskitt comes up with the most heartwarming solution.
The rhyme is wonderful, too.
What do you think?
Today we have a fun new middle grade book that fits the multicultural theme: Oops-A-Daisy (The De La Cruz Diaries Book 1) by Melody Delgado.
Daisy De la Cruz is a twelve-year-old aspiring singer and actress. She has won a few parts for commercials on television, but she always is stuck wearing a full costume. Will she ever get to show her face?
Some parts of this book a hilarious. For example, Daisy’s thoughts when she isn’t given much of a break during taping of a commercial:
When I’m heading up my own studio the actors won’t get a measly little five-minute break. No way! I’ll give them at least six.
Fiction is supposed to show readers how to deal with real life issues and this novel does a good job of tackling some age-appropriate problems. For example, the middle school years can be fraught with landmines when it comes to friendships. Delgado shows how friends can change and how to deal with those changes in a positive way.
Another issue that kids run into is not getting the part they wanted, whether it is auditioning for a play, a commercial, or trying out for a sports team. Daisy experiences some disappointments and set backs, but she stays positive and keeps trying. That kind of persistence can make all the difference for achieving success in the future.
Let’s not forget the multicultural aspects of the book. Set in Florida, Daisy’s grandfather is from Puerto Rico and the family speaks some Spanish. The back matter has a glossary of the Spanish words and phrases used. This book would be a good fit for Multicultural Children’s Book Day (see info below).
Oops-A-Daisy is a fun, wholesome book with a lot of good messages to offer middle grade readers. It is perfect not only for budding singers or actors, but also for anyone who has struggled with friendships. Check out a copy today.
Age Range: 7 – 12 years
Publisher: Clean Reads (October 3, 2017)
ISBN-10: 162135699X
ISBN-13: 978-1621356998
Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2018 (1/27/18) is its fifth year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness on the ongoing need to include kid’s books that celebrate diversity in home and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators.
Disclosure: This book was provided for review purposes. I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.
While participating in the Bloggiesta Mini-Challenge this weekend, I have been leaving quite a few comments on blogs. What an experience!
Because one of the Bloggiesta challenges was to create an infographic using Piktochart, I decided to show (in a less-than-serious way) what leaving a comment on a Blogger blog is like for a WordPress user.
Those are screenshots from an actual attempt to leave a comment using my WordPress profile.
To Blogger users: including the Name/URL option makes it easier for non-Blogger users to comment.
Final solution: I eventually revived my old Blogger profile, although I still lose comments the first time.
______________________________________
While leaving comments was a challenge, Piktochart is the most fun I’ve had in ages. It is very easy to learn. I had made my first infographic in minutes. I recommend it!
To start out our exploration of books useful for introducing young people to world languages, let’s take a look at two little books that are sure to spark an interest in French: French for Cats: All the French Your Cat Will Ever Need and Advanced French for Exceptional Cats: Sophisticated French for a Cat as Smart as Yours by Henry Beard (and John Boswell) and illustrated by Gary Zamchick. Both books are written in English and French with a lighthearted humor that is sure to warm the hearts of cat lovers and language lovers alike.
Both are little books, only roughly four by six inches, but they pack a big dose of laughs. Just to be clear, there is a bit of “potty” (well, litterbox) humor and referenced to being neutered, so the reader range is probably mature middle grade to young adult.
The illustrations are pen and ink cartoons with watercolor, in keeping with the light tone of the books.
Example of text:
What I do
Ce Que Je FaisI meow
Je miauleI purr
Je ronronneI sleep
Je dors
If you own cats, you know about that last one. 🙂
French for Cats works as a fun introduction to vocabulary for beginners and a brush up for more advanced speakers. Advanced French for Exceptional Cats even has a mini-session in grammar.
To get you in the mood, here is a video of another French cat, Henrí. Although the humor of the video is more subtle than the books, it still makes me laugh out loud. Look for videos like this one to hear French being spoken.
Although the first editions were printed in the 1990’s, the books were bestsellers and were reprinted, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a copy.
French for Cats: All the French Your Cat Will Ever Need by Henry Beard, John Boswell and illustrated by Gary Zamchick
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Villard; 1 edition (October 8, 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 067940676X
ISBN-13: 978-0679406761
Advanced French for Exceptional Cats: Sophisticated French for a Cat as Smart as Yours by Henry Beard and illustrated by Gary Zamchick
Publisher: Villard; First Edition 2nd edition (October 27, 1992)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0679417648
ISBN-13: 978-0679417644
