Posts tagged ‘chapter books’

October 8, 2012

Ivy and Bean: the new book is here!

Okay, I’ve been interrupted mid-post a million times, so I need to get this out before another week goes by. Here are the winners from Week 7.

Book: Jennifer Rumberger  Mini-notes: Carol L, Jasmine, vBookBorne

Week 8 seems to have disappeared into some kind of mother-of-2-who-just-moved-into-a-new-house-and-already-has-guests-and-construction-projects time warp. But no worries. This week, we celebrate week 9, where one of the past winners from all the blogs will get a totally cool prize package that includes Ivy and Bean dolls and other really great stuff (pictured below).

So, that about wraps it up for the Ivy and Bean countdown! I hope you’ve liked the introduction to the girls, and if you did, head out to your local bookstore or library and grab a copy. And check out the other blogs that have been playing along:

Media Darlings  http://www.mdarlings.com/
There’s A Book  http://www.theresabook.com
Kid Lit Frenzy  www.kidlitfrenzy.com
In the Pages  http://inthepages.blogspot.com
The O.W.L.  http://owlforya.blogspot.com
Coquette Maman  http://www.coquettemaman.com
Ruth Ayres Writes  http://ruthayreswrites.blogspot.com
Watch. Connect. Read. http://www.MrSchuReads.com
One Page to the Next  www.onepagetothenext.blogspot.com
Van Meter Library Voice  http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/
The Family That Reads Together  http://thefamilythatreadstogether.com
Roundtable Reviews for Kids  http://roundtableforkids.blogspot.com/
sharpread  www.mrcolbysharp.com
The Children’s Book Review  www.thechildrensbookreview.com

August 27, 2012

Another free Ivy and Bean book

Ivy and Bean set out to break a fossil-digging world record in this book, which could be yours for free if you comment below! Just make sure that I have your email address so I can get a hold of you if you win! And three runners-up will be getting a set of mini-notes, Ivy and Bean style. 🙂

Title: Ivy and Bean Break the Fossil Record
Author: Annie Barrows
Illustrator: Sophie Blackall
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age: Early readers, early elementary school

Remember, when you are done with a book, you don’t have to forget about it. Why not find some fossils with your kids? You could just dig in the backyard, or you could buy a fossil kit at a toy store or museum store, or you could make your own kit: take a toy, break it apart (a lego person or animal would work well), bury the pieces in some dirt or dried beans or rice or soil or whatever you like, and have your kid dig it up and see if they can put it back together and figure out what it was!

And when you are done, come back here because we will be giving away these books every week! To enter, leave a comment below and remember that I need to be able to contact you if you win. So either check back next week or leave an email (if your username isn’t linked to an email, that is.)

Want to check out some other cool book blogs that are also, reportedly, giving away Ivy and Bean prizes? See below.

Media Darlings  http://www.mdarlings.com/
There’s A Book  http://www.theresabook.com
Kid Lit Frenzy  www.kidlitfrenzy.com
In the Pages  http://inthepages.blogspot.com
The O.W.L.  http://owlforya.blogspot.com
Coquette Maman  http://www.coquettemaman.com
Ruth Ayres Writes  http://ruthayreswrites.blogspot.com
Watch. Connect. Read. http://www.MrSchuReads.com
One Page to the Next  www.onepagetothenext.blogspot.com
Van Meter Library Voice  http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/
The Family That Reads Together  http://thefamilythatreadstogether.com
Roundtable Reviews for Kids  http://roundtableforkids.blogspot.com/
sharpread  www.mrcolbysharp.com
The Children’s Book Review  www.thechildrensbookreview.com

Leave a comment below to win! And don’t forget to leave an email–or check back next week to see if you’ve won! Last week’s winners announced tomorrow.

August 20, 2012

A lie about cartwheels–and it could be yours for free!

Ivy and Bean are outside with the rest of the gymnastics club. They are taking turns doing cartwheels. Bean does one and then sits down, somewhat dizzy. Emma does nine in a row. Zuzu does twelve plus a backbend. And when it’s Ivy’s turn, she says she is guarding the jackets. When others protest that you can’t be in Gymnastics Club if you are just going to guard jackets and start to doubt whether Ivy can even do a carthwheel, Bean intercedes.

“She can do a cartwheel. I’ve seen her.”

Ivy, who has never done a cartwheel in her life, is surprised by her friend Bean. But any reader with a good friend—the kind of friend who has your back, the kind of friend who doesn’t hesitate to lie about your cartwheeling ability, won’t be surprised at all. And it is this powerful friendship that I love so much about these books.

But, after some shenanigans with boys playing soccer, the cartwheels soon to become irrelevant:

“Like I was saying, I can’t do a cartwheel at the moment,” said Ivy.

“Why?” asked Zuzu with her hands on her hips.

“Because,” Ivy said, “we’ve got an emergency situation going on. Right over there.” She pointed.

Emma, Zuzu, and Bean followed Ivy’s pointed finger across the playground. She was pointing directly to the girls’ bathroom. The one right outside their classroom.

Duh, duh, duh. (Hear the music?)

Title: Ivy and Bean: The Ghost that Had to Go
Author: Annie Burrows
Illustrator: Sophie Blackall
Age: Early Chapter Book, Early Elementary School
Genre: Realistic Fiction

And so begins another adventure with the two friends, this one about “The Ghost that Had to Go.”

Ha! (If you didn’t laugh, read it again and remember that Ivy was pointing to the bathroom.) Okay, see, now you are laughing. To laugh some more, write a comment below to enter to win a FREE COPY of Ivy and Bean and the Ghost that Had to Go (Book 2). More details about the contest are here. (Remember, I’m giving away one book every week for NINE weeks, so come back next week too!)

And for ideas about things to do with your kids, check out this page on Ivy and Bean’s way cool website!

Comment away!

October 10, 2010

The painful death of picture books, according to the New York Times

(BIG DISCLAIMER ON THIS POST: One of the major quotes for this article in the NYT was taken way out of context and the parent has cleared this up on her blog, The Zen Leaf.  I try not to spread rumors when possible, but really, I didn’t think reposting a New York Times article would be akin to spreading rumors.  Sometimes I worry that journalism isn’t just dying because of the internet, but that journalists are giving up on it themselves.)

This is sad.  Really sad.  Kids should LOVE reading.  Or they are not going to read.  This should be obvious.  I find it interesting that so many adults think kids are going to act differently than themselves.  I mean, how many things do you do that you don’t really like?  It reminds me of a friend who once said she tried to start eating more healthy foods by buying tofu, until she realized that putting tofu in her refrigerator for a few weeks and then throwing it out when it was old was NOT a good way to get protein.  Similarly, buying chapter books for reluctant readers who want to read picture books is NOT a good way to get literate.  I mean, seriously, buy them some Captain Underpants.

New York Times article on disappearing picture books
(I think you need to register or log in to read, but it is free).

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/us/08picture.html?_r=2&nl=books&emc=booksupdateemb5
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