Reading Stanley Seagull your child will learn the value of family, paying attention, listening to those older and wiser than them and following instructions. This book is a cute book about a Seagull that is taken miles away from his home and how he gets back home. I was so delighted to get to review this children's book. I have a soft spot for children's literature. Be sure to watch the video trailer and learn more about this book. Visit the web sites below. Visit Stanley Seagull web site to read an excerpt of the book.
Book Summary
Meet a young seagull named Stanley. Follow him as he wanders far from home and tries to find his way back. Join Stanley on his journey as he learns how humans affect the balance of nature.
Born in Scranton, Pa., Cathy Mazur is the daughter of Gary and Catherine H. Errico. She was educated in the Dunmore public school system and graduated from Dunmore High School in 1971. She received a bachelor’s degree in Library Science from Mansfield State College in 1975. She received a Reading Specialist Certificate from the University of Scranton in 1978. Cathy was employed as an elementary school librarian for the Mid Valley School District from 1975 until her retirement in 2010. While at Mid Valley, she instituted and coordinated the RIF (Reading Is Fundamental) program for 33 years helping students to develop a love of reading outside the classroom. Cathy served on the Board of Directors for the Valley Community Library in Peckville, Pa. for over 20 years acting as president for one year and board secretary for 19 years. She presently serves on the library’s Developmental Committee chairing various fundraising events. She resides in Dickson City, Pa. with Frank, her husband of 31 years. They are the parents of two children, Gary, 27 and Gia, 19. Now in her retirement, she is focused on writing books for children like Stanley Seagull.
About the Illustrator:
Colleen Gedrich, a lifelong resident Throop, Pa., earned a BFA in illustration from Marywood University in 2002. She is a freelance illustrator specializing in animal-themed work. She enjoys creating her art using mostly watercolor and pastel. As a dedicated animal rights activist and full-time program coordinator for International Society for Animal Rights (ISAR), Colleen lives her dream of joining her passions for animals and art to promote a more harmonious world with a touch of beauty. Recent works produced by Colleen include t-shirt and invitation designs, children’s book illustrations (A Different Kind of Hero), and book covers (With God There Is Hope). Colleen has also teamed up with her very talented artist mother, Kathy Holmes Gedrich, and paints murals for children’s nurseries.
Willie Wiggles hates his slippery feet. He just slips, slides and spins all over the place. But what he hates even more are the special shoes that have been made for him that will help him to walk just like all the other kids. Willie thinks that they are the "stupidest, ugliest shoes in the whole world."
Discover how sometimes we worry about things about ourselves when actually there is nothing to worry about in the first place.
I like the fact that the author states in his dedication page that we are all different and made special in God's eyes. God didn't make any junk. The story was very cute how Willie slips and slides all over the place without his special shoes. At the end of the book the author gives some interactive activities that can be done to incorporate this book into a class room. There are also discussion questions to get the pupils thinking and talking. This book could be a very good tool in teaching on accepting everyone as they are.
Larry Peterson was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. As a freelancer, he has written many newspaper columns for local publications. Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes is his first children’s book. Peterson has lived in Pinellas Park, Florida for the past 28 years.
Sandra Gerencher's book Second Chance is a children's book about a dog named Chance that is adopted from the dog shelter. It is written from Chance's perspective. Chance learns what it means to be adopted from the little boy in the family. The boy was adopted also, therefore, he knows what it means and explains it to Chance. If you are looking for a book to share with a child about being adopted then this would be a wonderful book to explore together.
Sandra J. Gerencher is a special education teacher in the Bangor Area public school system. Prior to becoming a teacher, she worked at Lehigh University in a school-based program, as a Program Specialist for adults with disabilities. Over the past 20 years she has worked with children and adults with special needs in such areas as counseling, Behavior Specialist Consultation, behavioral research, crisis intervention and abuse therapy. Sandra graduated from Lehigh University with a M.Ed. in Special Education (2004) and from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia with an M.S. in Counseling Psychology (1999). Book web site Sandra J. Gerencher Facebook
I am really sorry to Andrea and Tribute books for being late on this book review posting. I guess the holiday season has just gotten the better of me this week. I thank Tribute books for the opportunity to have reviewed this cute rhyming book with the theme of interracial adoption. The pictures are bright and cheery. It is a short quick sing song book with a very wonderful message. This is a charming message using the poppy seed as the illustration throughout the book. Nepa's book will help a child better understand what adoption truly means.
Andrea Nepa is the mother of an adopted Vietnamese daughter named Leah. In 2001, Adoptions from the Heart assisted with the international adoption. Andrea dedicated her book to her daughter: "For my dear Leah, whose journey in her young life has already taken her to far away and unexpected places." In 2006, Leah was diagnosed with cancer. She is currently in remission. Andrea lives with Leah and her husband, David, in Haddonfield, New Jersey. She is a registered dietitian for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Find Andrea Nepa on Facebook here
What I liked about this picture book is that way the author teaches children to take care of and love and respect the earth using Scripture verses. Several different Bible versions are used by the author no one set version. Ideas that are discussed are air and water pollution, water conservation, wind and solar energy, conserving electricity. There is also a interactive guide of activities to use and do along with reading the book. This book helps the reader to see the need to care for the world that God has created and given man to care for.
Care for Creation
by Christy Baldwin
Care for Creation helps children to foster an appreciation and respect for nature. They learn to protect the environment through recycling, home energy conservation and neighborhood clean-ups. Through accompanying Bible verses, they are encouraged to be responsible stewards of God's creation.
Writing has been a passion of Christy's since she was very young. As a child, she loved to write stories for her grandfather and poems just for fun. She lives in Mason, Ohio with her family and is active in church, Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts and volunteering with various organizations. Christy has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Cedarville University and a master's degree in Special Education from the University of Scranton. She is a stay at home mom who enjoys spending time with her kids and being involved in their schools. Her previous children's titles include Nine Things Nathan Noticed at Night and Remembering Wilma
Fourteen-year-old Katie McCafferty risks job, family, and eventually her very life to rescue a lifelong friend. Disguised as a draft resister, Katie infiltrates a secret Irish organization to prevent bloodshed. Tragedies challenge her strength and ingenuity, and she faces a crisis of conscience. Can Katie balance her sense of justice with the law?
Call Me Kate is suitable for readers from eleven to adult. The story is dramatic and adventuresome, yet expressive of daily life in the patches of the hard coal region during the Civil War era. This novel will appeal to readers of the Dear America series, as well as more mature readers who will enjoy the story’s rich context and drama.
"Call Me Kate is a fascinating look at the time period of the early drafts for the Civil War. It focuses on a specific area of the country and the conflict that arose among the different classes and ethnicities. I got a brief history lesson on a time period that I wasn’t very familiar with. For anyone interested in getting some history with their fiction, Call Me Kate is a good book to add to your choices." - TeensReadToo.com
" The politics of the time, the history of how hard the struggle was for many poor families, is absolutely inspirational. The writer did a wonderful job bringing us back to the past, and making us understand that bigotry – in any form – can only harm. I am always so thankful when a writer comes out with a story that teaches something more than “unrequited love with a supernatural being.” Don’t get me wrong, those are fun, too. But this is a great story that will teach something and be fun at the same time." - BookPleasures.com
I was contacted by Tribute tours to review this book. It is historical fiction. The time period is early 1860's. It was a very interesting read. Learning about the coal mining conflicts. How Irish immigrants were treated during this time period. It's not really a romance because Molly is too busy helping her family and those around her. The history period covered was very interesting and informative. At the end of the book there are Literature questions and extension activities, as well as a glossary of terms. This would be a good book if any classroom was studying this time period of history.
While reading I felt that at times though, older people were not given the respect that should have been given, referring to them as biddies and the likes. Also there are curse words in the book.
All in all I did enjoy the book and learning about this time period and culture.
Molly Roe is the pen name of Mary Garrity Slaby, a veteran language arts & reading teacher at Lake-Lehman Junior Senior High School. Mary holds a Ph.D. in education from Temple University, and Pennsylvania teaching certification in six areas. She has pursued the hobby of genealogy for the past decade. Mary was born in Philadelphia, raised in Schuylkill County, and currently lives in Dallas, Pennsylvania with her husband, John. They are parents of two grown children, Melissa and John Garrett, cover illustrator of Call Me Kate. Digging into the past has given Mary newfound respect for her ancestors and a better understanding of history. Call Me Kate is the first in the author’s trilogy of historical novels loosely based on the lives of the strong women who preceded her.
"Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become." -C.S. Lewis
