The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly... Children's Stories That Draw Strong Good, Bad, or Ugly Feelings...

While I'm reading a long book, such as nonfiction BlabberMouth!, I tend to take short breaks away and read some other genre short stories, especially children's books. When I read most books, I take the author's decisions in writing their stories. I've found I cannot or will not do that for children's books. 

For me, children's books must be spotless--no I'm not talking about typos or grammar, although that is always important. What I'm most concerned about is the appropriateness of books for children. Children don't have a choice for what books are provided to them--most are bought as gifts or by parents or relatives. That means that the burden of determining possible impact on children must be the main reason for selection of books... 

This list reflects my thoughts based upon that premise. Thoughts, feedback would be appreciated... Disagree? Tell me why and let's talk about it...

Ok, so I was reading about bacteria and tooth decay and the movie title, The Good, Bad, and Ugly came to mind... Just like bacteria, book content can be good, bad, or ugly in what children may see or read in their books. So, the following are really comments and personal opinions about the books I've recently read...I am not going to review them, merely document the problems I discovered...if this helps writers and/or readers in thinking about what to look for in children's book, then I'll have achieved my Goal...

For clarity, I'm presenting the books in alphabetical sequence as opposed to good, bad, or ugly (gross)...

Ethan and Allen are Twins--This book is purely about twins and the first thing we see is what they looked like inside Mommy's tummy... and then age progression pictures. I felt like I, as an adult, was being told by a proud mother about her two twins. The content appeared to be totally inappropriate for young children and had little to offer other than pictures. The concept of twins' creating their own language was thrown in, but was certainly not really happening. Children would have to be old enough to develop a language that would be just between themselves.

Otherwise, it was merely repetition and the choice of wording for balloon, for instance, was clearly arbitrary by the writer. "Who is audience" is clearly an issue in this one...

My Name is Tzip - Again Point of view was totally confusing... Tzip in this book was supposedly to have these adult human thoughts as he casually walked around his neighborhood. A more age-appropriate book would have been to have a child walking with the cat and teaching the cat what he'd learned about crossing streets, etc. As it is now, the child would have to be perceptive enough to realize that he's being taught rules--or have an adult explain that the cat is doing it or just ignore the words and enjoy the cat pictures...

A side note, Kindle children's book really prevent the full benefit of stories since the writing rarely appears on the same page as the picture. There is no way to correlate the words together with the picture while the children are curiously engaged in seeing the individual picture items, including the main character, the cat... having to turn to another page, especially if the book is being read to the young child, inhibits the effect of the story. This book was well-written, but the point of the book and benefit for children escaped me...

Our Kindergarten This book could have been effective with an age-appropriate approach, since the children, the twins, were involved in many things that just seemed much more difficult than would be done in kindergarten.
What I found most disturbing was that there were no adults in the book...For instance, the children move from place to place, seemingly, without any supervision or teaching. One activity is related to an apparent field trip, where the children are seen walking to a museum. It seemed quite inappropriate to me to have children read this book, as it is presented, and decide to go on their own trip to the museum...Alone... Leaving the teacher out of a children's book about beginning school presented a situation that was not acceptable for me.

Reaching New Heights - One of the good ways to seek out new books is to identify authors about whom you've developed a good feeling. You can then pick and choose what your child might like of the books that author has available. Reaching New Heights is by an author I have previously read. She identifies and personalizes the main character with whom your child can relate and then creates a fun learning experience that may be, for instance, about feelings. In this book, Emma is becoming blue because she's comparing her talents with the other students in her class. You see, the class is going to be performing for the entire town! That can be scary! Children can feel good and recognize the talents of their peers while working in class together...But thoughts change drastically when many others will be watching and able to make comparison.
What special talent Emma discovered in herself wasn't as important as learning that we all have talents and they will be different from others... Effective children's book, in my opinion, always consider the situation from the point of view of the child--not the adult/writer...


               
The Danger Kids - I love action/adventure stories, but I recognize that we live in a dangerous culture that has progressively moved toward including our young children into what are really adult stories. I am aware that many feel the way I do; I therefore choose to share my opinions.

The Danger Kids is dangerous for children to read... First, the reading level for this book is 8-12 and I believe the writing style reflects that the characters are within that age range. I should immediately point out that the book is very well written and I would have enjoyed the book if I could get past the lack of age-appropriateness of the content.

Throughout the book the word danger is emphasized, almost to create a hype about what the children will get into. At first the main character suggests a club be formed--an adventure club. Through the book they play around with the chosen name of the club, which ultimately becomes The Danger Kids, based upon what the children had gotten involved with...

Very specifically, one of the children's mother was kidnapped. There is no immediate thought for the children to contact the police! They choose to find her themselves. Let me quickly point out that the criminals are adults and before long, one of the children's house is set of fire and her mother was almost lost in the fire... Again, there was no mention that 911 be called and the fire reported... 

The children "saved the day..." Some have referred to this book as similar to the Hardy Boys, but those boys were 17 and 18...What they might get into versus what children between 8 and 12 SHOULD be quite different. That series also had parents actively involved in the boys lives while there was only 1 comment by a parent in this book, albeit not a guiding teaching one, since the woman's life had just been saved.

Yes, the police ultimately get involved, but the children's activities are not really affected by the police's directions.

If parents do not see that children at this age are still in a developmental stage and their actions monitored...well, I can only believe that America is sending the wrong message through books, movies and other media. I could never support a writer who pits children against adult criminals in dangerous situations...

This book is rejected purely on the technical presentation of the book in ebook form. Specifically, the page size is about 3 by 6 inches. The words are so tiny that, even with glasses, I couldn't read the words. I have had writers come back to me that they couldn't correct the problem...My response, don't sell it until the purchaser can use the product. In this case, the first page was large enough to read, but once you move on to the rhyming, words are not large enough to be read... and the letter-size ability of Kindle to increase size of words does not work with the whole picture and words...being included in the page. Note: I have seen other books with this type of format which have been adequately sized for a reader.

Since the book received a high rating from a major reviewer, I can only lament the lack of oversight to ensure the quality of the presentation for all readers or should have a notice that it can only be used on a specific ebook reader. This feedback is provided for consumers in relation only to format.


GABixlerReviews

Ready for a New Children's Series on Baseball?! You're going to love it!

What child has not played some form of ball game? Especially when there is a parent or grandparent there to help them learn about what it's all about. Yes! Playing Baseball! Many towns even have local teams who have a volunteer coach to teach them... One of those teams is the Hometown All Stars!

First, I want to point out that this is not just another children's book... Let me share the back cover:

It's more than just baseball... Nick's Very First Day of Baseball, the first of a planned series for children ages three to seven, teaches children about baseball using real coaching techniques. In this interactive storybook, kids will find hidden baseballs in the pictures, answer trivia questions, and there's even a page for autographs from their favorite players.

~~~

Included is the opportunity to book an author visit for libraries, school classes, etc. Do check out the Hometown All Stars website!


Nick's Very First Day of Baseball

By Kevin Christofora

Illustrated by Dale Tangeman

While I was visiting the site, I got to meet the All Stars! This hard-back full-color book has life-like art work and is jam-packed with delightful details that keep readers on each page for much longer than the norm. I was especially pleased to see that all kids from the neighborhood had the chance to apply for the team! If you, too, visit their site, you'll find individual pictures of the team members along with a brief personal sketch of each member, including the positions they play on the team. For older children, I believe this is a great addition. By allowing each child to become familiar, readers will obviously enjoy reading the book even more...

I was pleasantly surprised that this first book had nothing to do with playing a game. Rather, it begins right at the beginning of exactly what will happen if a child decides to join a team. This includes getting to know each of the members, getting uniforms, and hats!

You use a glove to catch
the balls.
~~~

Before going further, I wanted to especially introduce Billy Ball, or his stand in that is. Watch for him on the front and through the book giving hints or pointing out special activities just for readers! This fun addition to the book is cute, lovable, and very helpful in the learning process. For instance, he's right there on the last page, reminding each readers of what new words have been learned as a result of reading this new book.

Nick came with a new glove his father had bought for him as a new member of the team. Billy Ball tells readers what a glove is for...

Nick was so excited about the first meeting that it was all he could think of--he was seeing balls, bats, and gloves in his dreams!

And there, right in the middle of Nick's dreaming, Billy Ball wants readers to count how many balls can be found in the two-page spread...I found most of them, but the secret number will be provided before the end of the book!

So the first day arrived, some like Nick carried gloves--but what happened instead was that all of the players started exercising! You know, stretching fun like jumping jacks and helicopter and touch-our-toes. Gee, I've been doing these all my life, but this book shows exactly how to do them for those who have not yet learned that before any major exercise activities, like playing baseball, it is important to do stretching exercises first!

And then some discussion on baseball cards, but readers will have to find out more...me I picked out players whose names I knew...LOL...But you get the idea!

At a time when too many children are spending their time on electronic devices, rather than in physical activity, I commend the author in initiating such a fine series to emphasize becoming involved with outdoor ball and all it entails...Who knows, one of your children may become so involved that they'll make it a career choice in the future! 

I was also impressed with the quality of the coach. It is obvious he is meant to be a role model of what we should look for and strive to have as one who leads any team activities. The general feelings is enthusiasm, caring, fun, but disciplined work to learn and play with peers, adults, and others children they've never met before. Kudos for an all-round job well done! This just might be a must-read for some of you--your children will help you by showing their interests in sports! Take advantage of that interest and support it through an excellent step-by-step explanation about what team sports really means.


GABixlerReviews

Kevin Christofora found his calling when he began to coach little league. He has coached the Mountain Valley Little League (formerly the Woodstock Little League) since 2008. More than a pastime, Kevin loves working with the children. He prides himself on teaching them that it’s about more than a game: it’s about honor, respect, and community. As president of the league, he enjoys working with the parents and community members that all have one main interest: the kids. As he puts it, “Mountain Valley Little League is real fun, real life, and real baseball, with no substitutions”.

Written for children ages three to five, Kevin wrote The Hometown All Stars as a “bedtime story” to get kids interested in the national pastime again. His goal in writing this book was to get kids out of the house and onto the field – “ less screen, more green.” He believes in the valuable lessons that children learn from playing the game: teamwork, discipline, strategy, and thinking before they act. In addition, he wants to bring back the joy of being outdoors and playing, that kids in recent years have lost.

Since his retirement, Dale Tangeman has been active in the Woodstock art community, donating graphic art services to the little league, buying and selling vintage movie posters, playing his guitar in a local group, and, last but not least, working with Kevin Christofora as illustrator and partner on his series of baseball books for children, The Hometown All Stars.

Art and baseball have been Dale’s two loves. One of his fondest memories of baseball was being selected to play in his little league all-star game as short stop. A very large kid came up to bat and hit a rocket right at his head. The crowd gasped, but he managed to catch the ball squarely in his glove to save the game. It was a very proud moment that he will never forget. In helping to create these books Dale hopes his grandchildren will take an interest in baseball and create memories as lasting as his. (and similar to that shared below!)

                                         

   Watch for Magic Bat Day Coming Next!

The Great Carp Escape by Irish Beth Maddock - With a Dash of "Where's Waldo!" An Original Inspirational Fish Tale!

An Allegory based on a true story...Beside a house on a large lake, blue-green waves gentle lapped against the shoreline. This was where Beth and her little brother Paul lives. They would play on the sandy beach for hours. When the sun came out, they would swim in the fresh water and splash each other. The warm days of summer were the children's favorite time of year. Paul would take a stick and dig in the wet sand to look for lake clams. Wearing a scuba mask and snorkel, Beth would lie still in the shallow water. If she didn't move, tiny fish called minnows would swim right up to her nose!

The only place the children did not go was near the swampy reeds. Here the weeping willow dipped its long, leafy branches into the lake. If Beth and Paul weren't careful, their feet would get stuck in the mud. But that was not the only reason the children avoided the reeds. Once, while walking along the beach with their dad, Paul found a dead fish on the shoreline. "Ewww!" cried Beth. "Daddy, look! That's the ugliest fish I've ever seen!" Paul poked it with a stick...

The Great Carp Escape

Written by Irish Beth Maddock

Illustrated by Lucent Ouano

I wasn't surprised that this children's book is based upon a true story--one that any family who lives by water... and cares...would do. That is, to set out to save some trapped fish! The story is about a family, with a young boy and girl, together with their parents who live beside a large lake. And have the opportunity to enjoy living with nature day after day and learn about God's creatures! And, while you are reading their story, a special friend of theirs, I named after Waldo, who can be found on almost every single page of the book, so you can play "find Waldo" as you read! There he is on the corner of the front cover!

The book itself is lovely with 24 full-color pictures on 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 high-quality paper. It is an excellent opportunity to teach children about our role in helping to save and protect God's wonderful creatures, even if all of them are not quite so beautiful to look at... and especially if  they get themselves in trouble through no fault of their own...

I appreciated the opportunity to read this paperbook and provide my personal thoughts on the story... you may want to consider it for the upcoming 

holidays...

GABixlerReviews

Irish Beth Maddock (nee Fell) was a columnist for two local newspapers, had stories published in Reader's Digest Canada, and broadcasted on 100 Huntley Street, CHBC Television and CBC Radio.
She is a published poet, and has both performed in and directed plays and musical theater productions.
A playwright for a church drama production, her three part monologue "Tapestry" helped fund-raise over $1,000. So began the realization that she can help raise much needed funds for great causes with her creativity.
A member of SCBWI, IBPA, Inscribe & The Word Guild, Irish would like to continue doing something about those ideas that get downloaded into her brain at 2 AM.

Been to Portugal? Me, Neither! Let's go with Carole P. Roman as Guide...

You might live with your family in the capital city, Lisbon. Not only is it one of the oldest cities in the world, it is the oldest in Western Europe. Six hundred years ago, in search of new trade routes for spices and other riches, the Portuguese sailed out and colonized many different parts of the world, so that today 240 million people speak the Portuguese language.


If You Were Me and Lived in...

Portugal

An Introduction to Learning About Other Cultures

By Carole P. Roman

I had one lone visitor from Portugal last month to Book Readers Heaven. So I thought we should learn about the country and extend a warm welcome to those now living in Portugal or were originally from this country...

Portugal is located right on the Atlantic Ocean. I grew up along the bank of the Monongahela River so I became immediately enthralled with the idea of living on the Atlantic coast!

Maybe I went too heavy on the pictures? Nah! LOL

If you are a boy and born in Portugal, your parents might have named you Tomas (Toe-mas), Afonso (A-fon-zho) or Martins (Mar-teens).

They could have named  yout didyrt Maria (Ma-ree-ya), Joana (Wa-nah), or Leonor (Lee-on-or).

I found this piece of jewelry, which is very beautiful, and certainly could be worn by your avo, don't you think? Note that it includes the colorful "Rooster of Barcelos, which is a colorful symbol of Portugal..."

If you were me and lived in Portugal your favorite vacation would have to be a trip to the Azores. The Azores is a chain of nine volcanic islands and a natural paradise. They are a habitat for marine animals and seabirds. Whale and dolphins can be found there. You might like to scuba dive or hike on the many mountain trails.

~~~

I've concentrated mostly on the locations discovered in Roman's book, but there is still much to learn about food, sports and other important part of children's lives, especially The Portugal Carnevale! I found this video as an example of the extras, such as this concert, takes places during that huge event in February...

As in the entire series, a pronunciation glossary is included, as well as samples of the language--I included one of the words in the book in this review. See if you can find it! 

I'm almost caught up with this entire series and highly recommend it for your permanent home library to be explored and enjoyed by family and visitors alike! Enjoy!



GABixlerReviews

Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2012 for her first book, award winning author Carole P. Roman started writing as a dare from one of her sons. Using an imaginary game she played with her grandson as a base, Captain No Beard was born."Captain No Beard- An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate's Life" has not only been named to Kirkus Best of 2012, it received the Star of Exceptional Merit, and won the Pinnacle Award for 2012. "Pepper Parrot's Problem with Patience" Book 2 in the series, received 5 Stars from The ForeWord Review The Clarion Review. Strangers on the High Seas has won second place in the Rebecca's Reads Choice Awards 2013. It has followed with six more books to the series.
Motivated by her love of yoga, Roman has written a book that not only teaches four poses, but shows how easy and accessible yoga can be. 
Her new non fiction series, "If You Were Me and Lived in..." combines her teaching past with her love of exploration and interest in the world around us. The debut book in the series, "If You Were Me and Lived in...Mexico" has won the Pinnacle Award for Best in Children's Non Fiction 2012. France, South Korea, and Norway. Rebecca's Reads has given If You Were Me and Lived in...Norway an honorable mention in the 2013 Choice Awards. If You Were Me and lived in ...France won second place. ForeWord Review has nominated If You Were Me and Lived in...France for best in children's non fiction literature 2013. They will be followed with Kenya, Turkey, India, and Australia. She plans to do Portugal, Greece, and Argentina next year.
Writing for children has opened up a whole second act for her. While she is still working in her family business, this has enabled her to share her sense of humor as well as love for history and culture with the audience she adores. Roman lives on Long Island with her husband and near her children.

Interested in Visiting More Countries in this Series

Just Search this Blog by the author's Name!