Read Your World Celebration Day is fast approaching. Today I am going to share the final of my books for this year's celebration. It is a young adult fantasy novel combining California surfing life with ancient China. The book is Dragon Surf by D. G. Driver with Jeni Bautista Richard.
Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review to bring you this post.
With back to school there have been some great books coming out about differences. Let's face it when kids go back to school, they see people who are different from them in some way. It is important for kids to realizes that differences can be a good thing and that it is ok to be friends with people who are different. The book I'm sharing today is about just this. It is A New Friend for Dragon by Bianca Schulze and illustrated by Samara Hardy.
Schools are starting back which means September is almost here. Hispanic Heritage Month begins September 15th and today I am sharing two books that are perfect for it. One is for middle grades (10-14-year-olds) about the history of Mexican Americans (released last week), and the other is an autobiography for young adults. Obviously, both are nonfiction. We will start with the book for the middle grades. It is a book from the Race to the Truth Series. It is Borderlands and the Mexican American Story by David Dorado Romo.
Today I'm sharing a middle school novel that brings to light some of the Asian hate going around as well as some typical middle school things. It shares life in the big city and messages that everyone's life looks better from the outside. The book is Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller. It is recommended for ages 7 to 11.
I have shared several origami kits as well as origami paper packs and projects with you over the years. Today I am sharing a wonderful origami kit for kids. I think this is my favorite one ever!! It is Kawaii Origami for Kids by Naoko Ishibashi. Kawaii is a huge Japanese culture of cuteness. I am sure you have seen the word previously. These origami projects are just so cute!! So it makes sense that it is called the Kawaii Origami for Kids.
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Last week we shared a book about a Chinese American who fought for her right to go to school. This week we are sharing a new picture book (released today) about a father and daughter in rural China. It is Baba's Peach Tree by Marie Tang and illustrated by Seo Kim. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Every Tuesday new books get released. Today I am sharing three new picture books released today. These books timely for current events and Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as well as one about inclusion with information about lifeboats too. The first book is Daniel and Ismail by Juan Pablo Iglesias Yacher and illustrated by Alex Peris. It was translated into English by Ilan Stavans; translated into Hebrew by Eliezer Nowodworski and Frieda Press-Danieli; and into Arabic by Randa Sayegh. It is being released into paperback today and is recommended for ages 3 to 6.
Mother's Day is approaching, and I have a question for you. How do you show your love to your kids? Is it the same way your mother did? Is it the same way your friends do? Or your children's friends' parents do? Today I get to share with you a wonderful book about a Chinese American girl realizing there are different ways to show love and one is not better than others. The book is Mama's Love Language: Sometimes Love Tastes Like Hainan Chicken Rice by Elisa Stad and illustrated by Ry Menson. There is a giveaway at the end of this post.
It is hard to believe that it is Earth Day again. Sadly, even with Earth Day celebrations I feel like our planet is getting worse. We hear that we should recycle, but then we find out our recycling has ended up in the ocean still or is treated the same as regular trash. We know we should conserve gas, but people keep buying large vehicles. Electric vehicles are hot right now, but their production is not great for the Earth and to be honest we produce electricity using fossil fuels, so it is not changing things that much. My electrical engineer husband says that wind and solar will not be enough to fix our energy problems. No matter what we still have a lot of work to do to save our planet. Today I thought I would share two puzzles that are made me think of Earth Day. They each share a different ecosystem that is endangered. We will begin with Asian Rainforest Wildlife 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle by Hue Huynh.
Have you ever felt like you were getting sick but needed to keep getting things done? Or perhaps you have a child who doesn't slow down even though he/she is obviously getting sick? Today's book is perfect for this situation. It is a fun picture book about a dragon who is getting sick but doesn't want to quit. The book is Roar-Choo! by Charlotte Cheng and illustrated by Dan Santat.
What do you know about the history of Chinese Americans? I am guessing you know about them building the railroad across the country. But there is more to their history that is not usually taught in school history books. Today I get to share a new middle grades book with you that teaches the real Chinese American history in full details. The book is part of the Race to the Truth series. It is Exclusion and the Chinese American Story by Sarah-Soonling Blackbush. It is recommended for ages 10-12.
Today I get to share with you a picture book that explores feelings. It is perfect for the younger child. At the end of the post is a giveaway and there is also a round-up of emotion activities to go with the book. The book is Guess How Marion Feels by Miss Kaye and illustrated by Miss Waitthk.
Do you have a pet? Are there times your pet drives you crazy and others when you love them so much? Today's book is for you if you answered yes! The book is Ode to a Pug by Jill Rosen and illustrated by Stephane Rohr. To go with this fun rhyming picture book, I am sharing some fun facts about pugs and a small pug craft round up! Plus, there is a giveaway at the end of the post!
The lunar new year began last week. In the Chinese zodiac it is the year of the dragon. With the celebration of the lunar new year there are many different superstitions that people of different cultures hold. I shared some fun facts a few years ago about it in particular in the Chinese culture. Today I am sharing a book about a Chinese American girl who is dealing with the loss of her very superstitious father as well as being in middle school. The book is Maybe It's a Sign by E.L. Shen. Lunar new year seems like the perfect time to share this book. It is recommended for ages 10 to 14.
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
As fall is upon us, the days are getting shorter which means that the sun is shining for less each day. Today we are sharing a sweet book about the sun deciding to take a dip in the ocean, and it needing saving to light the world again. The book is Saving the Sun by Emma Pearl and illustrated by Sara Ugolotti. Along with my review there is a craft round-up to go with the book and a giveaway!
Looking to teach little ones about the world? Today we are sharing a fun pop-up book that takes us around the world. I am also sharing links to crafts, activities, and recipes to go with each city and/or its country. The book is The Pop-Up Guide: Cities Around the World by Maud Poulain and illustrated by Sandra de la Prada. It is recommended for ages 3 to 5.
Have you seen the Barbie Movie yet? For my birthday this year, Hazel and I went to a matinee. I also decided to try to make a Barbie cake for myself. It is hard to hear some of the criticism of the movie from people who refuse to see it. For example, Rex Huppke's column in USA Today shares many of the things said about the movie. Now being a liberal and having many liberal friends, I have many friends who have different opinions. But I am going to begin by sharing a bit of my own background.
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!
In geometry class we have been talking about the special segments in triangles. It is the perfect time to introduce my origami project. To start I shared a tutorial with them making an origami bunny balloon. I use terms from our lessons like median, midsegment, angle bisector and more throughout the tutorial. The kids make one with me in class. Then I give them my assignment. The kids enjoyed spending the class trying different origami projects. You can watch my tutorial here. I love that I am making an origami bunny balloon when lunar new year is going on and it is the year of the rabbit in Chinese Horoscope.
Happy New Year!! With the start of January, we all begin our thoughts for the new year. Whether you make resolutions, choose a word for the year, or just reflect, we all have our own traditions. As we get into January perhaps you start to celebrate or learn about the lunar new year. Over the years we have shared various things from fun facts, crafts and books about the lunar new year, Chinese New Year and Chinese zodiac. By the way the lunar new year begins January 22, 2023 and it is the year of the rabbit. Today I am going to share a wonderful new book that helps young children learn about the Chinese New Year and it does it with a well-loved character--Curious George. The book is It's Chinese New Year, Curious George by H.A. Rey and Maria Wen Adcock. It is a tabbed board book and is recommended for baby through 4 year-olds.
