The new chapter book
series, Enchanted Sisters, targets newly independent readers—girls ages seven through nine—and
tells the stories of the four sisters – the Sparkles: Autumn, Winter, Spring
and Summer who come together
every three months to join their Mother Nature in a ceremony that changes the
seasons in our world. Their world is magically different from our own, yet the
Sparkles are completely relatable. They are confidently themselves, even when that’s
the hardest thing to be. Continuing the longstanding Jim Henson Company
tradition, the message in these stories about strong girls making bold choices
are clear: embrace and celebrate our differences; anyone can be a hero; and
families come in lots of different packages. The books are co-authored by Elise Allen, author of the book Anna’s Icy
Adventure (Disney Frozen), and Halle Stanford, eight time Emmy-nominated children's television producer
and senior vice president of children's entertainment at The Jim Henson
Company. Paige Pooler, whose artwork can be seen in American
Girl magazine, and the Liberty Porter, Trading Faces,
and My Sister is a Vampire middle grade book series, is the
illustrator.
In Enchanted Sisters: Summer’s
Friendship Games, Summer has always secretly enjoyed
hanging out with Thunderbolt, one of the mischievous Weeds who bring disaster
and mayhem everywhere they go. Sure, the Weeds have acted poorly in the past,
but they can't be all bad . . . right? Summer's sisters couldn't disagree with
her more-especially after the boys ruin Summer's bonfire party. When the two
teams of magical siblings try to settle their disagreements in a series of
competitive sports, Summer and Thunderbolt are forced to stop talking. But is
winning and siding with their siblings really worth ruining their friendship?
Hardback SRP: $15.99; Paperback SRP: $5.99.
These are perfect first chapter books. The chapters are short and there are even pictures. Reluctant readers seem to love pictures and knowing that when you say a chapter they will be done in a page or two. It makes the reading process easier for them.
I handed this off to a 10 year old reader friend of mine who absolutely loved this book. She liked the same things my daughter liked about them.
The names, the competitions, the friendship and the fact that when it comes down to it even those we aren't always in agreement with can find a common ground and be friends.
Three additional Enchanted
Sisters books in the series are available: Autumn’s Secret Gift, Winter's Flurry Adventure
and Spring's Sparkle Sleepover.
Doozers, inspired by
the wildly popular characters from the classic Henson series Fraggle Rock,
is a modern series for modern families that encourages kids to design, create
and innovate. The Doozer kids bounce from one fabulous adventure to the next,
engaging in exciting challenges that require them to imagine, invent and build,
all while they have a blast playing and learning together. Watch Doozers exclusively on Hulu Kids!
Get Caught Reading Month has been supported
in the past by such well-known figures as former First Lady Laura Bush, Drew
Carey, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Donald Duck, Patty Duke, Whoopi Goldberg,
Billy Graham, Derek Jeter, Vernon Jordan, Jake Lloyd, Rosie O'Donnell, Dolly
Parton, The Rugrats, Jane Seymour, Sammy Sosa, Spider Man, Erik Weihenmayer,
and Robin Williams, all of whom have been "caught reading" their
favorite books and magazines for print ads and posters seen by millions of
people across the country. In addition, more than 200 Members of Congress have
been photographed "caught reading" on Capitol Hill.
Help others to “Get Caught Reading” too
with a local book drive!
According to United We Serve, a
nationwide service initiative that helps meet growing social needs resulting
from the economic downturn, 80% of preschool and after-school programs serving
low-income populations have no age-appropriate books for their children. A recent study shows that while in middle-income
neighborhoods the ratio of age-appropriate books per child is 13 to 1, in
low-income neighborhoods the ratio is 1 for every 300 children.
A great way to improve
the reading achievement of low-income children is to increase their access to
print. Communities ranking high in achievement tests have several factors in
common: an abundance of books in public libraries, easy access to books in the
community at large and a large number of textbooks per student.
Anyone can get together
to help increase reading achievement and literacy by organizing a book drive.
This tool kit (http://www.serve.gov/toolkits/book-drive/index.asp <http://www.serve.gov/toolkits/book-drive/index.asp
) provides the basics to run a book drive,
organize your group, and make an impact.
Or, simply commit to
donating your gently used books to local organizations. Here are some
tips:
- Consider libraries, non-profit children’s organizations for homeless, foster children and struggling families, Goodwill and Children’s Hospital’s thrift stores, and after-school programs.
- Call the charity or organization and see if they accept used children’s books and what their guidelines are.
- Go through your books and make sure all pages are present, readable and stain-free.
The kids and I do this every year. We end up donating the the preschools, elementary & middle school in our town. We love walking in with a bag or box of books. The kids are happy to help others and I am proud to know that no book leaves this house without them having read it. That is my rule.
As part of the Get Caught Reading campaign,
two NEW posters are available from the AAP beginning May 11—Enchanted
Sisters and Doozers—featuring adorable characters
that are “caught reading” in these fabulous FREE posters made available to
teachers and parents for use in classrooms, libraries and other locations.
The posters are available for everyone at http://www.getcaughtreading.org/celebrity-posters.php.
Posters are FREE plus a $5.00 charge per set (1 – 12 posters each of the
same title) for shipping and handling! The order form is available here: http://www.getcaughtreading.org/orderforms/GetCaughtReading-PosterOrderForm.pdf
According to AAP Vice President Tina Jordan,
“Dinosaur Train, Pajanimals and Sid the Science Kid posters are
some of the more frequently requested posters by the elementary school and
library community and AAP is grateful to The Jim Henson Company for creating
two new posters that will join our GCR community.”
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary book for my honest opinion. No monetary compensation was offered or received.
I also like the Clifford the Big Red Dog Get Caught Reading Poster.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Not sure what the real question is (puna products?), but I like the Charlie Brown poster!
ReplyDeleteI like the Charlie Brown and Veggie Tales posters.
ReplyDeleteLove the Veggie Tales Posters my little niece would love this. thankyou, ken pohl19@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteI like Dinosaur Train poster.
ReplyDeleteI like the Enchanted Sisters poster.
ReplyDelete