Books for Back to School

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When does/did school start where you are? My school starts back today. On Friday we dropped Hazel off at her new boarding school for the arts. Steve and I have officially become empty nesters. A new school year can bring many different feelings for kids (and teachers). There is the excitement of what is to come and there is the fear of what is to come. Whether it is a new school or just a new class and teacher, most people experience some anxiety this time of year. And it isn't just the students and the teachers. I remember all too well the stress of leaving Hazel at school when she was younger. So, I thought in honor of my first day back with the students, I would share three picture books that have messages about controlling anxiety, overcoming fears, being true to oneself and also accepting differences. The first book I will share is How to Train Your Amygdala by Anna Housley Juster and illustrated by Cynthia Cliff. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8, although I know some high school students it might be good to share it with.

Amy Wu and the Ribbon Dance -- Book Review & Information About Chinese Ribbon Dance

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What child doesn't love running or dancing with a ribbon stick? Over the years we have had different experiences with types of ribbon dance and ribbon play. There was the Frozen birthday party where we gave the girls light blue ribbon wands to play Freeze Dance and feel like Elsa. There was also the DIY Wind Wand I made Hazel when she was young. There is also the fun we had exploring the Mexican rebozo and the Middle Eastern dupatta. Today I am going to share a book where a young Asian girl is inspired by Chinese ribbon dance. The book is Amy Wu and the Ribbon Dance by Kat Zhang and illustrated by Charlene Chua. It is released tomorrow (5/30/23) and is recommended for ages 4 to 8. Before we talk about the book, however let's look at Chinese Ribbon Dance. It is still Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

Protest! --Book Review and sharing about some of the Native American protests in the book

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Protest! What comes to mind when you hear the word? There have been so many protests throughout history and many in recent times even during the world pandemic. Some protests are peaceful and some are not, but today's book will focus on peaceful ones. The book is Protest! How People Have Come Together to Change the World by Alice and Emily Haworth-Booth. This book is recommended for ages 8 to 12.

Josephine Baker: Performer, Spy & Activist -- #blacklivesmatter

This week our focus for Black Lives Matter is Josephine Baker. She was a singer, dancer, spy and activist. Her story has a bit of it all. Read along to learn more about her amazing life and why it matters to us all.

Picture Book Round-Up

I need to do some clearing off of my shelf of books to review, so today I am going to share seventeen picture books. These books are for toddlers through kindergarten. These books range in subjects!

Multicultural Stories & Poem Book Round-Up

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Since Hazel was young she always enjoys a story from another country. She loves learning about other cultures and learning words in other languages and so much more. Today I am sharing a round-Up of books from various cultures to learn more about them. Let's start with a book of stories from India. It is Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship by Chitra Soundar and illustrated by Uma Krishnaswamy. 

A Dress for the Father Daughter Snow Ball -- a Crafty Weekend Review and Link Party

Hazel and Steve went to the Father Daughter Snow Ball this weekend. Back in January Hazel asked me to make her a dress for it. I like making her a  dress because I can control it a bit and make sure it is age appropriate and modest. Let's face it the fashion out there for tweens is not always age appropriate and it is hard to find if it is. Therefore, I'm happy to make her something. We looked at patterns on line and then I pulled out my supply that I have stocked up when they go on sale at Joann Fabrics and she picked Simplicity 8271 view B.

A Time to Dance Review #readyourworld

Disclosure: I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review as part of Multicultural Children's Book Day. All opinions are my own.

Imagine being at the top of your world. You just one a competition in your dream activity and then on the way to the press conference a horrible accident occurs and you lose a limb so your dream activity seems impossible. That is how this story begins. It introduces us to Veda who danced before she even walked. She is a young Indian woman trying to figure out life and live her dream. And then in a horrible accident she loses one of her legs. There was no way of saving it. Will she be able to walk again? Will she ever be able to dance? The book is A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman. 

Father Daughter Snow Ball and Valentine's Day a Crafty Weekends Review and Link Party

Disclosure: Oriental Trading sent me these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Having the right school really means so much to a child. I am glad we have finally found the right fit for Hazel. One of the things she loved at her previous school was the Father Daughter Snow Ball. Her new school did not usually have one, but this year we started that tradition!! Her old school called it a Snow Ball but decorated for Valentine's Day. Our planning committee decided to decorate like a winter wonderland and I turned to Oriental Trading to help us do this. With white Christmas lights that I bought after Christmas when they were on clearance and decorations from Oriental Trading as well as few borrowed from people's Christmas supplies we transformed the school into a winter wonderland. As the girls and their fathers walked in they were greeted with "falling" snowflakes.

Historical Multicultural Books

Disclosure: I was sent these books free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I am sharing with yous four fun books that are  multicultural and a bit historical. Our first book is Let's Clap, Jump, Sing & Shout; Dance, Spin & Turn It Out! collected by Patricia C. McKissack and illustrated by Brian Pinkney. It is a collection of games, songs and stories from an African American childhood and is perfect for summertime.

The Cambodian Dancer: Sophany's Gift of Hope -- Multicultural Book Review

 Disclosure: Tuttle Publishing gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. They also sent me a copy to giveaway! As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation. 

I wanted to share a multicultural book with you for Multicultural Monday!! The Cambodian Dancer: Sophany's Gift of Hope by Daryn Reicherter and illustrated by Christy Hale is based on a true story. It seems appropriate to be sharing it now with the posts I have seen comparing Cambodia in the 1970's to Syria today. This story is about the life of a woman who was a refugee from Cambodia. 

Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop

This is not Sharing Saturday or Crafty Weekends, but both are still open for you to share!

Welcome to the Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop! The Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop is a place where bloggers can share multicultural activities, crafts, recipes, and musings for our creative kids. We can't wait to see what you share this time! Created by Frances of Discovering the World through My Son's Eyes, the blog hop has now found a new home at Multicultural Kid Blogs.

This month our co-hosts are:

Crazy Little Family Adventure on Multicultural Kid Blogs  

Crafty Moms Share  

Crazy Little Family Adventure 

 Discovering the World Through My Son's Eyes 

 Castle View Academy 

 La Cité des Vents

 Los Gringos Locos

  Russian Step by Step for Children

  Peakle Pie 

Raising a Trilingual Child

Exploring Argentina with the Tango

This month Global Learning for Kids has been exploring Argentina. In the beginning of the month we shared some of the resources we have looked at and ideas to explore. We decided to look at the National Dance of Argentina, the tango. Tango is a partner dance that started in the 1890's along the River Plate, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. It originated with lower classes in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. (Source) From the DVDs Hazel and I watched claimed it originated in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.

It is a very seductive dance and has become popular throughout the world. To explore the tango, Hazel and I checked some DVDs and a book out of the library. We began to watch one of the DVDs during breakfast. Hazel enjoyed seeing the couple dance in the beginning and then it gave lessons to dance the tango. I got to be the male in our couple and lead, but we didn't really have enough room in the kitchen and never got back to it with the busy September we have had.

Asian Book Reviews -- Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month Blog Series and Giveaway

Have you entered my current giveaway yet?

Disclosure: Tuttle Publishing gave me a copy of these books free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. They also sent me a copy to giveaway! As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

This post is part of the Multicultural Kid Blogs Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month Blog Series and Giveaway. More details about all of this below including the giveaway!!

Since May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, I contacted my friends at Tuttle Publishing. It was a logical choice since this is their specialty. They publish books on Asian cultures, languages, and history. They have books for children and adults. It is a wonderful publishing company that puts out high quality and beautiful books. They also have provided five of the books for the giveaway below! The first book we will review is one of the prizes.

Picture Books Review

With the start of December and Advent, I thought I would share each post where our Mouse and the Miracle Mouse (Holy) has been up to. (He now has an elf friend named Elfie who often is hidden with him.)

Holy on Window with Angels and Elfie Hanging on Tree

Disclosure: Candlewick Press gave me a copy of this book free of charge to review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Today I am going to share with you five wonderful picture books that help grow imaginations and wonder. These books will help the reader learn about the world and use their imaginations. We had so much fun exploring this five books and highly recommend them. I also shared some round-ups of crafts to go with three of the books. First I am going to start with a wordless book.

Dances of India Book Review

Disclosure: Our Little Loka gave me a copy of this book free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.


Today as part of the Multicultural Kid Blogs Multicultural Kid's Products Promotion Services, I get to share with you a wonderful board book called Maya and Leela Present: Dances of India by Kyra Khanna, Malini Sekhar and Alyssa M. Torres. This colorful book goes through in simple details of four popular dances in India. They are Bharatanatyam, Dandiya Raas, Chhau, and Bhangra. Each is a traditional dance from different parts of the country. It is a wonderful introduction for young children to the culture of India.

Exploring Spain 2 with Food, Crafts, Music and Dance

Last week I shared our first post about exploring Spain with food, craft and stories. Today we decided to explore it a bit more with some music, gazpacho and flamenco dancing and a flamenco dancer craft. 

We started by making some gazpacho. We combined the three recipes found in the same three cookbooks we used last time. Hazel enjoyed peeling and chopping the cucumber. We also pulled out the garlic press and the food processor, so she enjoyed it. She said the soup itself was all right, but really did not eat much. (The true test to whether she likes something is how much she eats. She always says things are good.) I on the other hand had two bowls of it for lunch.

Gazpacho Recipe:
2 medium cucumbers, peeled and chopped
5 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
4 cups cubed bread with crusts removed first
4 cups cold water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon oregano
juice of a lime

Put all ingredients in food processor and puree. Chill for a few hours and serve cold.


After making the soup, we read a bit more about Spain in the Fiesta Series Spain book. I wanted to read more so we could try the flamenco dance. Hazel loved doing this. We pulled out the fan we made last week as well as the one we bought in Epcot and her to castanets. Then we danced around the house to a CD of Flamenco Music from Spain that we got out of the library.

Hazel really wanted to do a craft today as well, so we made a flamenco dancer clothespin doll. I found the instructions at Making Friends. Hazel really enjoyed wrapping the string for the dress. While making this craft, we continued to listen to the Flamenco CD. Then t we listened to a playlist of songs from Spain from these CD's.

Overall we had fun learning a bit about Spain! Next month we will be "traveling" to Kenya. I hope you will join us! Plus next week I'll have a fun craft I found to keep track of all of these adventures.

Also for your own passport check out this link from Glittering Muffins and for a fun placemat, this link.

You also can check out these amazing posts or add your own Spanish adventure here. 

Happy Family Times #27--Meeting Cinderella

Just a reminder that today is the last day to enter my current giveaway!!

Have you done anything new with your family? Anything fun? Kelly from Happy Whimsical Hearts and I would love to hear about it. Please share below!! Or look below for inspiration for some fun family activities (and read about mine and Kelly's as well).

This week we had a lot of relax and cuddle time since we have a sick little one. However before she got her cold (or at least before she showed signs of it) we went to our local McDonalds for dinner and to meet Cinderella. For some reason our local McDonalds has characters and different events all the time. The only reason we go to McDonalds is to see the characters. Usually if we go we just get french fries and drinks since that is about all I can usually get Hazel to eat. However since Cinderella was going to be there from 4-6, we had to eat there. We ordered a cheeseburger Happy Meal since Steve wanted a cheeseburger (and it got Hazel the small fries and apple slices plus the toy) and I got their premium chicken strips which we actually liked. Hazel and I split it and Steve helped out too. Plus Steve and I split some fries.

When we arrived Cinderella was painting the girls' nails. When it was Hazel's turn she got blue nails. (Have I mentioned how I really hate blue nail polish?) Next Cinderella put eye shadow on the girls, but I talked Hazel out of this. She was going to do blush as well, but for some reason did not. Next Cinderella blew up blue balloons for the kids and autographed them and drew different pictures on them. Hazel got a crown.

She also put pink metallic ribbons/streamers on the end of them. Cinderella then noticed that several kids were eating their dinners so she had the ones not eating dance to Bippity Boppity Boo. She passed out lyrics to the parents sitting near by to help sing.

Then she had the kids play keep the balloons in the air. If your balloon popped you were out, but she gave the ones whose popped stickers that said something about getting popped.

 Next Cinderella made them streamer wands to dance with. All she did was rip a piece of crepe paper streamer (blue or pink) and roll one end to be thin enough to stick in a straw. However the streamers kept falling out so one of the mothers went to her car and got some scotch tape and taped them in so we weren't all fixing them every two seconds.  (We are definitely going to use this idea for Hazel's birthday party since she wants a princess party.)

By this point it was getting close to six, and since that usually is around the time we start going to bed, we headed home. Hazel gave Cinderella a hug goodbye!

Now I have to say, Hazel and I went to see several of the princesses at McDonalds over the summer. It amazes me that almost all of them have been the same actress (she owns the business) and the kids who are almost always the same group don't seem to notice. Or maybe they just don't care. The princess always gives a gift to each child with a business card attached, so they get good advertising and McDonalds definitely gets more business. I guess it is a win-win for them. During the summer it was at lunch time so Hazel and I would walk over after having an early lunch at home. This time she was very excited that Mommy and Daddy were with her. I can only imagine what it will be like when we go to Disney. It amazes me how much she loves the princesses when the first time she saw anything Disney on television or (movie wise) was this past weekend. We let her watch Cinderella on tape. I figured it would not scare her and we gave in on the television when she was barely moving from the couch. Now we will have to break that again. Oh, well. She does know she is only getting to watch it because she is sick.


Now it is your turn to share how your family has spent some quality time lately.

~ please link up (family time oriented giveaways are ok, but please no Etsy shops)
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Ok, now for our PARTY!! Please share your FUN Family Times!!

Multicultural Monday/Thursday--Latin American Dance

As promised my late Multicultural Monday Thursday post. So as I mentioned in my last post, Hazel has not been in the mood for crafting lately. (I don't know why.) So today we read a couple of books about Hispanic Families (Mexican to be exact) and then had a Latin American Dance Party based on one of the books. We are continuing our celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month!

In My Family by Carmen Lomas Garza has a description both in English and in Spanish of the author's paintings of her family and special events. It goes from every day things to healing practices to weddings and other celebrations. It is really lovely and she identifies each family member for you as well as what they are doing in the painting. A great glimpse at another culture from a very personal view.

What Can You Do with a Rebozo? by Carmen Tafolla describes all the uses different family members have for a rebozo or a Mexican shawl (typically made out of cotton or silk). The uses go from dressing up, cleaning up, playing peek-a-boo, building forts, cradling a baby for free hands, etc. The story is told by a young girl whose favorite thing to do with a rebozo is dance. This is what we did. I pulled out three shawls--not rebozos but the closets thing we had. I put on a Hispanic CD, Latin Playground by Putumaya   from the library and we danced. We even pulled out our homemade instruments from last week!

Hazel even put on her princess shoes--plastic heels! But I think she had trouble dancing so she often was taking them off and putting them back on. She played the guiro and I played the maracas. We had a great time!

Of course, Fluffy did not like the noise of our homemade instruments. Any time I shook the maracas she gave me a stare. This picture does not quite do it justice because of the flash with her eyes.

It was a fun time!! Afterwards we needed a little down time and went to play with hers and Daddy's trains. How are you celebrating National Hispanic Month?