The Mirabal Sisters: From Caterpillars to Butterflies by Raynelda A. Calderon (Book Spotlight)

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​Born in a small town in the Dominican Republic, the Mirabal sisters lived at a time when the country was under the merciless rule of a dictatorship. Their deaths on November 25, 1960 (at ages 36, 34, and 25), have received international coverage. In their honor, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is observed annually on November 25.
 
 
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Meet the Author:
 
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​Raynelda A. Calderón, a Dominican native who lives in Queens, NY, is a children’s book author who has worked in public libraries for more than 15 years. She holds a doctorate in leadership in higher education, and she has taught Information Literacy at various colleges, most recently at Bronx Community College. As a librarian, working with children inspires Raynelda to write about the accomplishments of Hispanic women in history. She hopes to inspire young readers to follow their passions and never take no for an answer. Raynelda is the creator of the first Hispanic Heritage wall calendar that honors the accomplishments of Hispanic Americans in the United States. She lives with an untamed Shih Tzu, Toby, and a much attached Chihuahua, Maya. She spends her free time thinking (and drafting) about books to write, or painting, crocheting, or crying over abused dogs.
 
 
connect with the author:
 author’s website ~ facebook ~ instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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I Celebrate My Voice by Nonku Kunene Adumetey (Book Review)

I CELEBRATE MY VOICE by Nonku Kunene Adumetey
 
I Celebrate My Voice is a fun and lovely introduction to what it means to use your voice. With breathtaking illustrations, this book shows young children how limitless their voices are. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from – you have a voice and it matters.
 
 
Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ B&N
 
 
 
 
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
 
I love books that promote positivity, and I Celebrate My Voice by Nonku Kunene Adumetey does this from beginning to end. Every page encourages our youth to express themselves, help others, show their talents and skills, spread kindness, and much more. Nonku even states animals use their voice to communicate in many ways. She doesn’t go into specifics, though, since this is a story about humans, not animals, using their voices. 


Illustrations: Mary K. Biswas made 2-dimension characters appear almost 3-dimensional. I loved the diversity in character development in race and gender. One child utilized crutches, but I longed to see one in a wheelchair since many children spend most of their lives in one. According to my daughter, some faces/heads seemed too big and long for a child’s body. Yeah, I can see her point. We both loved all the bold colors. Very eye-catching! 


If you’re on the fence about buying the kindle or print edition of  I Celebrate My Voice, maybe this following tidbit will sway your choice. After the story,  Nonku Kunene Adumetey has included a “trace and color” page and a “How do you celebrate your voice?” color sheet with dotted lines for your child’s response. 


Recommended age group: ages 3-7


Some text will be challenging for young readers to read by themselves. When the adult reads the story, there might be a few words young children won’t understand, and they will need to be defined: gracefully and steadily, as examples. 


I highly recommend all parents/librarians/teachers add this story to their bookshelf! 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤
 
Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ B&N
 
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:

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Nonkululeko Kunene Adumetey (also known as Nonku) is an award-winning author, loving wife and devoted mother of two happy toddlers. Her children both love singing, story time, and tasting home-cooked cuisines. When Nonku tastes delicious food, she hums a blissful tune, which she never realized until both her children started humming along.

Nonku was born in the Kingdom of Eswatini, where she lived until she was 16. She left to complete high school in Canada and later moved to the United States to pursue her college education.

Her passion is to inspire her children and all children to celebrate who they are, understand their differences are beautiful, know their diversity is a strength, and believe their voices are should be heard.

Her hero is her late father, Themba Micah Kunene, a man from humble beginnings who worked tirelessly to provide a full life for his eight children. Her father’s unconditional love, wisdom, selflessness, and work ethic inspire the core of Nonku’s principles and life mottos. One of his favorite mottos was “umtsentse uhlaba usamila”, a saying about a strong grass that gets deeply rooted during its early stages of development. The essence of this saying embodies the core of early intervention and teaching young minds early so that they grow up strong and informed about the world. This is what inspires Nonku to write children’s book, to inspire and empower young minds for a greater future.   

 

connect with the author: 
website ~ facebook instagram ~ goodreads

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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My ABC Day at the Beach: An Ocean of Alphabet Fun! by Robin H. Elisabeth (Book Review)

 

New! (Revised for 2021)

A unique and joyful children’s picture book! Your child’s day-to-day vocabulary will be broadened through the introduction of words associated with a beach setting. Young learners can review the alphabet, as they read descriptions and see accompanying real-life images. Each alphabet word is presented to help reinforce reading, while the illustrations enhance a child’s imagination to hear the sounds and see the sights. These real-life images target the alphabetic words presented from A to Z. This picture journey will provide an opportunity to create, learn, and share family moments.

Use your imagination to hear the sounds, see the sights, and journey with us to the ocean’s sandy shores to discover an ABC Day at the beach. No matter the day or season, there is something for everyone to see and do on our adventure of ABC fun. We will practice the alphabet, as we explore a treasure chest of educational words. So, give your child an opportunity for vocabulary building, spelling improvement, and fun imagination time! Let’s go!


I set out to write a series of children’s books about ABC adventures with a fun and educational format using real-life pictures. I had my children in mind because when they were learning to read, they were easily bored and extra wiggly. So, getting their attention as youngsters and keeping them still during story time was a HUGE challenge.

I realized that my children needed time to be creative while learning. So, I am adding companion coloring books, flashcards, and workbooks into the series. Who says learning can’t be imaginative and fun? Begin your adventures together and explore a treasure chest of words. My ABC Day series will keep the attention of your child, even the wiggliest of all!

 

Amazon Purchase Link

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery.  I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

Parents are always on the hunt for books to teach or reinforce the alphabet for their youngsters. We seek bright images, fun pictures or illustrations, and familiar ABC objects. Parents and teachers also want to broaden our children’s vocabulary, so we like a book to introduce new words too. My ABC Day at the Beach: An Ocean of Alphabet Fun! by Robin H. Elisabeth checked off all the boxes. 

Before we get to the first page, there’s a page dedicated to personalizing it to your child: “This book belongs to” and “This book is from.” I recall as a child loving to mark my book as mine. It made it more special. I suspect your child will love claiming ownership too. 

My ABC Day at the Beach: An Ocean of Alphabet Fun! isn’t your typical ABC book. It’s not structured where A is for Apple, B is for Boat, and so forth. Each letter has a specific word, emphasized in a red oval with white text and surrounded with bold, black text. Example: Look closely at the sand, and you might find a hermit crab. “Crab” is highlighted in the red oval. All the photos surrounding the specific letter allow imagery of (potentially) unfamiliar words: kayak and oars. Of course, there are many pictures that kids will be pretty familiar with: dump truck, nose, ice cream, and many more. 

Robin H. Elisabeth does NOT highlight every word in each section that begins with a particular letter. For example, “artist” is the word the author wants the child to focus on for the letter A, but you could extend the learning activity easily. Ask your child to find all the letter “A” words on their corresponding pages. Do the same for “B,” “C,” and the rest of the alphabet. For those letters that only have ONE word on the page, ask them what letters they see. 

In the end credits, the author informs readers there are flashcards available on Amazon. They use images straight from the book. Great idea!

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

Robin Elisabeth belongs to a small consortium of authors, editors, actors, and dreamers who bring life to children’s books. They collaborate with non-profits to facilitate grant funding for literacy initiatives. As dedicated artists, they enjoy designing reading activities for children’s education programs and products, including books, workbooks, coloring books, and flashcards.

 

Reedsy

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The Art of Traveling Strangers by Zoe Disigny (Book Showcase)

THE ART OF TRAVELING STRANGERS by Zoe Disigny

 
It’s the 1980s, and art historian Claire Markham reels from a series of heartbreaking losses. Desperate to escape her shattered reality, she becomes an art guide in Europe for quirky stranger Viv Chancey and embarks on a life-changing journey through the art-filled cities of Milan, Venice, Ravenna, Florence, Siena, Rome, and Paris.

Once abroad, Claire tries to hide her woes by focusing on Viv’s art education, but Viv—who is not who she seems—has a different learning experience in mind. Frustrated and wanting to reimagine her life, Claire embraces the idea of reality as illusion and finds herself slipping into the tales of art and history.

When threatened with one more crushing loss, Claire must learn from the spirit of her eccentric companion and the lessons from the art they encounter to take charge of her life or lose the most precious thing in it.

The Art of Traveling Strangers is a journey of self-discovery and personal empowerment inspired by the great art masterpieces of Italy and France. It’s a tale of female bonding and the amazing powers of perception. After all, reality, like art, is just an illusion.

 
 
Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ B&N ~ Bookshop.org
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add to goodreads
 
 
 
 
 
MEET THE AUTHOR:
THE ART OF TRAVELING STRANGERS by Zoe Disigny
 
Zoe Disigny holds a master’s degree in art history and has taught at the college level throughout her career. She has led numerous art tours in Europe and established a business in Paris offering art history adventures for American tourists. 
 
 
connect with the author: 
website ~ twitter facebook instagram ~ goodreads
 
 

 

 

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Discovery of the Five Senses Book One – The Urban Boys Series by K. N. Smith (Book Review)

THE URBAN BOYS: DISCOVERY OF THE FIVE SENSES by K.N. Smith
 
Welcome or unwelcome. Fate has arrived.

A suspenseful incident in a forbidden preserve heightens the senses of five friends. Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell become super-gifts that forever change the world. But furious battles confront the boys as they try to understand their sensory super powers in a race to save mankind. With light beings and mysterious strangers complicating their plight, will the boys be able to defeat the evil Druth before it’s too late? Get prepared for the twisting and grinding of this award-winning, action-adventure story — an edge-of-your-seat narrative for young and mature readers alike.  ​

 
 
Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble
IndieBound ~ Apple ~ Smashwords ~ Kobo
add to goodreads
 
 
 
 
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
 
Discovery of the Five Senses Book One – The Urban Boys Series by K. N. Smith deals with the responsibility of having extraordinary gifts. As Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker (Spiderman), “With great power comes great responsibility.” 


Imagining a life with powers is fun, but, after reading this story, maybe it’s not such a glamorous lifestyle after all. Let’s take enhanced hearing, for instance. Readers will watch as several teens, past and present, have difficulty navigating their new heightened senses. I get annoyed with the (low-volume) constant ringing in my ears, so having an overload of loud sounds 24-7 with no off-switch would be horrific. After you read Discovery of the Five Senses Book One – The Urban Boys Series by K. N. Smith, and I highly encourage you to read it, you’ll better understand why being normal, a non-super being isn’t that terrible. 


Despite the struggles the teens faced, they did help others by using their super skills. With their senses working on overdrive, they also became black belts in martial arts. Okay, maybe not technically black belts, but they could whoop some A**. Their newfound fighting skills came in handy QUITE  a bit because danger followed them. They also sought out criminals to battle. I really enjoyed these scenes, especially when ***** used nunchucks. Yup, I omitted the name on purpose. NO SPOILERS! 


If you’re a teacher or parent reading this story with your class or child, ask them the question below before starting the story and then again after you’ve finished it. See if their response changes and if it did, why.


Discussion question: “What sense would they like heightened?”

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤
 
 
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:
 
K.N. Smith

 
K.N. Smith, winner of the “Best of” in the category of “Outstanding Young Adult Novel” at the Jessie Redmon Fauset Book Awards, is an author, screenwriter, and passionate advocate of literacy and arts programs throughout the world. She inspires people of all ages to reach their highest potential in their creative, educational, and life pursuits. She lives in California with her family. 
 
 
connect with the author: 
 website ~ facebook ~ goodreads
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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