It has been a while since I have shared a fairy tale book. Our Fairy Tales in Different Cultures is one of our most popular series and has our popular posts. Today I am sharing a modern version of Little Red Riding Hood with much humor and definitely some twists. The book is Little Red and Big, Bad Fred by Ashley Belote. It is recommended for ages 3 to 7 and Little Red is a Black boy.
Before we were married Steve and I took a trip to Phoenix, Arizona. We stayed at a wonderful resort, Wild Horse Pass, that at the time was run by a Native American tribe. We went in February, and they had fire pits with storytelling around the fire some nights. As you can imagine I loved it! We also visited the Heard Museum and I believe we went to the Phoenix Indian School. It was Steve's first time hearing about the Indian Boarding Schools and the horrible piece of history that white men did to our Tribal Nation residents. I was surprised he hadn't heard of it, but I guess my love of Native American cultures is the reason I knew. Beginning in the 1800s and into the 1900s the United States and Canadian governments were horrible to Native Americans. The children were forced into boarding or residential schools where they tried to get the tribal culture out of them. Or the children were adopted by white families and basically kidnapped from their homes for this to happen. Again, the reason was to colonialize the children and get the native out of them. Today I get to share a wonderful new picture book that shares Na'kusset's story of childhood and dealing with the loss of culture and family. The book is I Am My Name by Na'kusset and Judith Henderson and illustrated by Onedove. It is recommended for ages 6 to 9.
I haven't shared my origami lately, however this semester I have been running a lunch club for kids to create origami. Recently I brought in a new book and new packs of solid papers for them to try. The club has very different levels of origami creators. Some work on their own and others need help with every step. I handed my origami expert in the club Action Origami: Paper Toys that Fly, Hop, Twirl, Shake and Surprise! by Isamu Sasagawa. It is recommended for ages 9 and up. I would say it is more of an intermediate origami book and not great for beginners.
Yesterday I shared a new picture book about getting ready for Christmas. Today I thought I would share some Advent calendars. Now Advent is one of my favorite times of the year. The first Sunday of Advent is the beginning of a new church year. I love the preparation time that is Advent. It is time for each of us to prepare for Christmas and as a Christian that means preparing myself for Jesus. I use it as a time to reflect on my life and what I can do differently to be a better person -- more like Jesus. Over the years I have shared quite a few posts about Advent including ones specifically about Advent calendars including fun facts and a roundup of them including ones you can make. Today I am going to share two secular Advent calendars for different ages that are books. This will get your kids reading while they prepare for Christmas. The first features the popular Bluey. It is Bluey: The Most Amazing Advent Book Bundle by Penguin Young Readers License. The suggested age range for this one is 4- to 8-year-olds.
Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Tanya Harvey to bring you this post.
The holiday season is upon us. Or should I say the holiday prep season is upon us. Between the baking, cooking, decorating, and shopping I would say there is a lot of preparation for the holidays. Today we get to share a fun new holiday book that is a spin-off of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." In fact, the lyrics can be sung to the tune and there is a YouTube video teaser to begin to share the book. The book is 12 Days of Getting Ready for Christmas by Tanya Harvey and illustrated by Chelsea Peters. And there is a giveaway at the end of this post!! Perfect to help you get ready for Christmas!
