Book Review :: 100 Prayers God Loves to Hear, 100 Praise Songs

100 Prayers God Loves to Hear, 100 Praise Songs

Created by Stephen Elkins
Illustrated by Tim O'Connor

Published by Tommy Nelson, Inc.

Copyright 2010

207 pages

"Serenity, courage, and wisdom are really big words.  Let's bring them down to size.  Serenity means having peace, no matter what is happening around you.  Courage is doing what is right, even when you are afraid.  And wisdom is doing things God's way."

** BookSneeze graciously provided this book to me as a complimentary copy in exchange for my review. ** 

Goodreads' Summary:  In 100 Prayers, 100 Praise Songs, best-selling author Stephen Elkins brings an exciting and educational way for children to learn about prayer by teaching them 100 prayers to pray to God and providing 100 songs to sing Him praises. God loves to hear from His children and this book will help kids feel comfortable talking to God and singing praise to Him. ...  Includes two CDs with 100 new praise songs written and recorded by Grammy-nominated producer, Stephen Elkins.

This book is recommended for ages birth - 8 years.

Mary Elizabeth's Musings:  Lively, colorful, and whimsical illustrations are paired with beautifully crafted prayers and meditations just for children in this darling prayer book.  Written especially for children to pray and reflect on God's beauty and grace in their lives, 100 Prayers, 100 Praise Songs is a heartfelt gift for any small child.  Two CDs of praise songs accompany the text and are equally as gentle and delightful as the book! This prayer book is truly a treasure and a welcome addition to a child's religious book collection. 

It's Time for the Spooktacular Book Blog Giveaway Hop!!!!

It is giveaway time in book blog land!!!

I am giving away five brand new books, published by Scholastic, to one lucky reader!!

One winner will receive:

paperback

paperback

paperback

paperback

hardcover

To enter this giveaway, please follow the guidelines below!!! Best of luck to all!!!

1. You MUST be a follower of A Novel Idea AND you must leave a comment about anything bookish on this post with your e-mail address.

2. For an additional entry, be my friend on Goodreads.  Please leave an additional comment for this second entry with your e-mail address!

3. This giveaway will run through Sunday, October 31, 2010 at 11:59 pm, CST.



Be sure to visit the other blogs in this spooktacular giveaway hop!!!!

Happy giveaway week ... and Happy Halloween!!!!

A Bit of Me(Me) :: Hosted by The1stDaughter at There's a Book!

There's A Book!

I haven't participated in this meme for quite a while ... so check out my post and hop on over to There's a Book! to share a bit about yourself!!!

This week's prompt:  What are three adjectives which describe you?

Sensitive

Chronic worrier

An avid reader



Book Review Link Party #1 :: Call Me Kate Review and Giveaway!

Call Me Kate : Meeting the Molly Maguires

Written by Molly Roe

Published by Tribute Books
Copyright 2008

"Con caught me by the elbows. His blue eyes met mine. 'The coal face your father was working collapsed. His legs are pinned.  But he’s alive, Katie!'

I broke from his grasp and dashed out of the schoolhouse into the cold gray November morning, a day as bleak as Con's news."

Publisher's Summary:  Coming of age amidst the seething unrest of the Civil War era, feisty fourteen-year-old Katie McCafferty infiltrates the Molly Maguires, a secret Irish organization, to rescue a lifelong friend. Under the guise of “Dominick,” a draft resister, Katie volunteers for a dangerous mission in hopes of preventing bloodshed. Katie risks job, family, and ultimately her very life to intervene. A series of tragedies challenge Katie’s strength and ingenuity, and she faces a crisis of conscience. Can she balance her sense of justice with the law?

Mary Elizabeth's Musings:  Riveting, exciting, romantic, and informative, Call Me Kate is an amazing addition to the genre of young adult historical fiction!  Ms. Roe brings to life the turbulent 1860s in America through the eyes of Katie, an Irish teenage girl, who has hopes and dreams like any young person, despite her war-time circumstances. 
This novel was immediately engaging from start to finish, and Ms. Roe's gift of the written Irish brogue echoed the incredible talent of Frank McCourt.  Truly, this novel is a must-read for all fans of young adult historical fiction.

**I would like to thank Tribute Books for providing me with an unbound copy of this book, as well as inviting me to participate in my very first book blog tour!!**

To learn more about author Molly Roe, visit her blog, Conversations from the Side Porch.

**Please be sure to enter my giveaway of this fantastic book!!**

Wise Owl Wednesday #3 :: History of Censorship :: Part Three

Graphic credit :: Shabby Blogs

** Welcome to my new weekly feature, Wise Owl Wednesday, where you can butter up your brain with some children's literature facts - history, milestones, trivia ... stop by here to learn a little something about the amazing world of books for the young! **

www.ala.org/bbooks

In honor of Banned Books Week (Sept. 25 - Oct. 2, 2010), I thought I would share the history of literary censorship.  I hope you find it as interesting as I did!!

Milestones in the History of Censorship (Part Three):

1713 - Daniel Defoe was prosecuted and imprisoned by the Whigs for penning treasonable anti-Jacobite pamphlets.  In 1720, his Robinson Crusoe was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books.
1726 - Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift was denounced as wicked and obscene due to its satire on courts, political parties, and statesmen.
1760 - South Carolina passed strict laws forbidding all African-Americans from being taught to read.
1762 - Jean-Jacques Rosseau's Emile was condemned and burned by Parliament of Paris.
1872 - Anthony Comstock founded the 'Society for the Suppression of Vice' in New York.  This was the first effective censorship board in the United States.

Source:  Through the Eyes of A Child: An Introduction to Children's Literature (5th Edition) by Donna E. Norton, copyright 1999 by Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Upcoming October Blog Carnival for Children's Literature

Hope to see you there!!!

Nonfiction Monday #3 :: Zero Is the Leaves on the Tree

** Nonfiction Monday is a weekly round-up of nonfiction children's literature from around the blogosphere! It is being hosted this week over at Mother Reader! **

Zero Is the Leaves on the Tree

Written by Betsy Franco

Illustrated by Shino Arihara

"Zero is ...

the shape of an egg.

Zero is a number."

Summary from the School Library Journal: "Zero is...the sound of snowflakes landing on your mitten. 0 sounds." "Zero is...the kites in the sky once the wind stops blowing. 0 kites." Using these and other evocative examples from children's everyday experiences throughout the seasons, Franco explores the concept of zero. The gouache illustrations are done in soft, muted tones and have a naive charm that will have substantial child appeal. Most of the scenes are set outdoors, clearly depicting and emphasizing the book's link to the passing seasons. While the idea is a simple one, the presentation is such that it could easily be used to encourage youngsters to think of ways they could use any of their five senses to experience having zero of something.

Mary Elizabeth's Musings:  As an elementary school teacher and a mother of four, I am always looking for books that link math and literature together ... and this book does a fabulous job of doing just that!! Zero is a concept often overlooked in traditional, elementary arithmetic, so a children's book that dicusses this concept is absolutely essential.  The simple prose in this piece of literature is breathtaking, along with its gentle, mesmerizing illustrations.  Children from ages two and up will possess a fundamental understanding of the number zero after enjoying this book.  It works as both a teaching tool and a bedtime story!

Giveaway Time :: Call Me Kate

Call Me Kate

Written by Molly Roe

Gosh, I haven't had a giveaway here on A Novel Idea in ages!!! I think it's time for one, don't you??

This past Tuesday, I reviewed this amazing, young adult historical fiction novel, Call Me Kate.  You can read my review of this book here. 

I was generously provided an unbound copy of this fabulous novel by Tribute Books, and I would like to share it with one lucky reader!

To enter this giveaway, please follow the guidelines below!!! Best of luck to all!!!

1.  You MUST be a follower of A Novel Idea AND you must leave a comment about anything bookish on this post with your e-mail address.

2.  For an additional entry, please leave an additional comment (with your e-mail address) telling me what your favorite children's / young adult historical novel is and why.

3.  This giveaway will run through Saturday, October 23, 2010 at 11:59 pm, CST.

Literacy Tip #13 :: Developmental Milestones of Early Literacy :: Part Five of Five

 

Today's literacy tip is part five of a five-part series on children's early interaction with books, designed to optimize your reading time with your little, little one(s). It is adapted from research provided by Reach Out and Read, an excellent resource for early literacy intervention.


** Note: Please keep in mind that every child develops at his or her own rate. This chart is simply a reference and is not intended to be a substitute for a doctor's advice. **
 
 
If your child is 3 years of age and up, here are some instrumental motor and cognitive skills he or she is capable of demonstrating from a literacy perspective:

• handles books with competence and efficiency
• turns paper pages one at a time
• listens to longer stories
• able to retell a familiar story
• understands the concept of text
• able to move finger along text
• writes name
• moves toward letter recognition

Here is what you can do to maximize reading time with your child who is 3 years and up:

• ask "what's happening?" while reading a story
• encourage writing and drawing
• let the child tell the story
• provide at least 15 minutes of reading time each day (this can be in small "pockets" of time, such as 5 minutes in the morning, afternoon, and evening)

Here are some literature suggestions for your child aged 3 years and up:





 Enjoy this valuable reading time with your child!!!