Friday, January 31, 2014
Although marketed as an elementary text for the home schooled market, this amitious book easily fits into the popular non fiction science genre for young pre-teen readers and elementary students. This stand alone
Friday, January 31, 2014
Although marketed as an elementary text for the home schooled market, this amitious book easily fits into the popular non fiction science genre for young pre-teen readers and elementary students. This stand alone book need not be confined to the classroom. Illustrated with full color photos, diagrams, charts and illustrations, this book is sure to hold the attention of any young reader. Hands on "Investigation" pages as well as experiments are dispersed throughout the text of the book. There are 20 total experiments included which would make this book a perfect lab manual for an elementary science course. In my opinion, this student text, fits well into the ever popular, emerging non fiction science genre as recreational or educational reading for any reader. As for using it as a text, perhaps as an additional resource to a more thorough science text- it is good way to bring to life, the subject of Earth Science, and weather and water in particular.
This book is marketed towards the homeschooling, Christian family. Reading through this text, you will find discussion of the creation account from Genesis as well as information on the worldwide flood and how it relates to fossil evidence, dinosaurs and the ice age. Presented in an academic and professional format, this book ties together faith and science, giving much needed credibility to biblical creation without sacrificing academic scholarship. It is hard to comprehend the amount of scholarship and research contained in this 88 page indepth textbook. While written for a childrens' curriculum, I am sure parents and educators will enjoy this book as well. This book leaves no stone unturned and is certain to answer countless questions about a host of science topics that go far beyond the topic of weather and water alone. This edition is part of the educational series of elementary science books, "Investigate the Possibilities".
As a blogger for New Leaf publishers I received a copy of this book by Master Book and imprint of New Leaf publishers for the purpose of writing this review.
Available from NLP
This book contains the basic and most well known bible stories from the old and new testaments. You will find the story of God's creation and Noah's ark as well as popular New Testament stories and teaching such as the Golden Rule and The Storm and The Easter Story.
These stories are tailored for very young readers. For example in the account of Noah's ark, you will not find a depiction of the flood waters only an illustration of the beloved ark filled with friendly animals. You will learn about Adam and Eve and Eden, but there is no mention of the Serpent, the Tree of Life and its fruit or the first sin. On the account of the cross, Jesus crucified is depicted from behind where very little of Jesus is actually depicted. This is not suprising as the intention of this book of bible stories is to introduce very young children to the bible. Those expecting theological accuracy should not look to this book.
Mixed with the bible stories "Princess Prayers" which introduce young children to the concept of prayer. Also included are application suggestions as indicated by "princess Jewel" sections. For each story you will find the bible reference and an actual bible quotation from the New Living Translation bible. This is more than a bedtime story book- but in the simplest form, a study bible. This 159 page book is perfect for parents to read to young girls. I can picture replacing the typical fairy tales and princess bedtime stories, with stories from this book. This is a wonderful way to introduce a young child to the bible for the first time. As a blogger for Tyndale bloggers I received a copy of this book published by Tyndale Kids for the purpose of writing this review.
Monday, January 27, 2014
If You Were Me and Lived In... Turkey... A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around The World By Carole P. Roman
If You Were Me and Lived In... Turkey... A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around The World By Carole P. Roman is a new picture book introducing young readers to a new country. This book is the newest edition in a series of picture books focusing on a particular country. Literally, this book takes only two minutes to read cover to cover but it will hold a child's attention. This book follows a similar format as the first books in the series about Mexico, South Korea, and France. Yet in this newest edition, the author makes greater use of a variety of textures and mixed media in producing the illustrations. The water texture, and cloudy sky image textures add instant appeal to an outdoor city illustration of Instanbul. The dusky sky backdrop against the illustration of a simple yet distorted line drawn market and cobblestone road makes for a beautiful and unexpected presentation. The beautiful sunset and authentic stone texture adds an authentic appeal and beauty to a simplistic scene. I would like to see this trend continued to a greater degree in future books. I am happy to see the direction that Roman is taking with the illustrations in her geography picture books. I believe the "Carlesque" styled mixed media illustrations with the simple line cartoons in her newest book are an unexpected treat. Mixed media illustrations are very popular and appealing for young readers as evidenced by the popularity of Eric Carle's kids' books. By combining geography with mixed media- I believe that Roman will generate even greater interest and attention for her educational series.
This story would also be a good choice for a family that is interested in their Turkish ancestry, a family vacation or even appropriate for pre school children as part of a social studies lesson. This consistency of these geography books makes this series perfect for the school setting. An educator can count on the fact that young children will be