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Sylvan Dell Picture Book Give-Away Winners

admin — Mon, 20 May 2013 02:25:15 +0000

I want to thank everyone who took the time to come to my site and read my reviews of the Sylvan Dell picture books. We have long enjoyed their resources, and I’m always happy to tell others about them! So, to end our celebration of Children’s Book Week–I get to announce the winners of the five picture books! Here we go:

Turtle Summer by Mary Alice Monroe goes to Brenda W.

Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean by Gail Langer Karwoski goes to Teri C.

The Tree That Bear Climbed by Marianne Berkes goes to Courtney G.

Ferdinand Fox’s First Summer by Mary Holland goes to Mandy B.

Nature Recycles, How About You? by Michelle Lord goes to Tracy M.

Congratulations to our winners!

I am sending an email or FB message to each winner, but if for some reason you don’t receive the message, please let me know. And again, thank you all so much for participating!

Sylvan Dell Picture Book Give-Away Ends Tonight!

admin — Sat, 18 May 2013 23:27:43 +0000

Remember that today is the last day to enter the Sylvan Dell Picture Book Give-Away. Entries will close tonight at 11:59 pm, and winners will be chosen tomorrow. If you haven’t read the reviews, the links to each one are below. I have also included the give-away details below the links. You can go back and enter on each post.

I have really enjoyed reviewing each of the books featured here to celebrate Children’s Book Week, and I appreciate your visits to read about these wonderful Sylvan Dell books. If you have time, do visit their website at www.sylvandellpublishing.com. You will find all kinds of awesome resources for your classroom OR for your home bookshelf!

Monday, May 13: Turtle Summer by Mary Alice Monroe

Tuesday, May 14: Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean by Gail Langer Karwoski

Wednesday, May 15: The Tree That Bear Climbed by Marianne Berkes

Thursday, May 16: Ferdinand Fox’s First Summer by Mary Holland

Friday, May 17: Nature Recycles, How About You? by Michelle Lord

The Give-Away:

The give-away will begin on Monday, May 13, 2013 and end on Saturday, May 18 at 11:59 pm. The names of five winners will be drawn on Sunday, May 19th. The order of the names drawn will correspond to the order of the book reviews. For example, Name #1 will receive Featured Book #1 and so on.

To increase your chances to win, there are several ways to enter.

1. Leave a comment. (You can comment each day on each book review). (1 entry per day)

2. Sign up for my mailing list and let me know in the comment section that you did. The mailing list form is on the right sidebar at the top. (1 entry)

3. Tweet about the give-away. You can do this each day, but in the comment section, please leave a direct link to your tweet. (1 entry per day)

4. Post on Facebook about the give-away. You can also do this each day, but please let me know you did so in the comment section. (1 entry per day)

5. Share on your blog about the give-away, and please leave a direct link to the blog post in the comment section. (1 entry per day)

6. Share on Google+ about the give-away, and please leave a direct link in the comment section to your Google+ post. (1 entry per day)

7. ‘Pin’ the individual reviews/give-away on Pinterest to link back to specific posts and let me know you did so in the comment section. (1 entry per review)

8. You can also comment on the Facebook status I post linking to my reviews here stating you read the book reviews. (1 entry per review status)

Nature Recycles–How About You? by Michelle Lord (Review)/Sylvan Dell Picture Book Give-Away

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:10:59 +0000

Nature Recycles—How About You?

Written by: Michelle Lord

Illustrated by: Cathy Morrison

Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing (March 5, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1607186276
ISBN-13: 978-1607186274

To celebrate Children’s Book Week, I am reviewing (AND GIVING AWAY) five wonderful non-fiction titles from Sylvan Dell! Sylvan Dell publishes award-winning picture books that integrate Science, Math, and Geography and are great resources for both classroom teachers and homeschool moms. Check them out! Also, be sure to find out how to enter the picture book give-away at the end of this post!

Nature Recycles—How About You? by Michelle Lord is a very neat book about how different animals in various habitats recycle by using things in nature and adapting them for their various needs. This can include making new homes, nests, hiding places/protection, finding food and water, etc. In many ways, the fascinating facts about these animals can teach the reader about the importance of recycling and inspire them to find ways to recycle as well.

When I was young, I remember learning how the hermit crab cannot grow his own shell, so when it gets too small, he will find a sea snail’s shell that is bigger. He also keeps the seashore clean by eating rotting debris. However, I never really considered the fact that the hermit crab recycles—but it’s true! As the author states, “Crab recycles. How about you?”

I think my favorite spread in the book, however features the Carolina wren. “Tea-kettle. Tea-kettle.” She and her mate recycle an old boot in which to build their nest and lay their eggs. But, I also like the pages about how the elf owl claims an old woodpecker hole in a hundred-year-old saguaro cactus in which to make safe home for herself and her three chicks.

Other animal recyclers profiled in Nature Recycles—How About You? include the sea urchin, veined octopus, woodpecker finch, dung beetle, termites, caddisfly (an insect I’d never even heard of), poison dart frog, and the Asian elephant. However, the author also describes how the earth recycles water over and over, and how we can take note and be inspired to recycle too!

Ms. Lord packs a lot of valuable information into a well-written and fun-to-read story. As I stated above, I’d never thought about how animals instinctively recycle different materials and items for food, shelter, water, and protection. In God’s creation, nothing is wasted or extraneous!

The illustrations are lovely and vibrant and add much to the book. That’s one of the reasons I like Sylvan Dell books so much—the pictures (or sometimes photographs) are always well-done and colorful. And I always find lots of detail on every page, which makes the books feel fresh and interesting, no matter how many times they are read and enjoyed.

As always, Sylvan Dell includes educational extras at the end of the book. In Nature Recycles—How About You? there is a section on why animals recycle, a ‘Where in the World?’ map activity, and a true/false recycling page. Plus, teachers and parents can find more teaching activities and information at: http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/documents/TeachingActivities/NatureRecycles_TA.pdf

I just looked at this PDF learning guide, and it’s extremely comprehensive!

Overall, I found Nature Recycles—How About You? to be a perfect book to introduce not only the topic of recycling and taking care of our resources, but a great story that features some pretty fascinating animals. This excellent science resource is definitely well worth a read.

About the Author:

Award-winning author Michelle Lord started writing stories when she was in elementary school. In addition to Nature Recycles for Sylvan Dell, her other books include Tide Pool Trouble, A Song for Cambodia, and the award-winning Little Sap and Monsieur Rodin. Michelle and her family recycle at their home in Texas. Check out her website at www.michellelordwrites.com.

About the Illustrator:

Cathy Morrison may have started her art career in animation but she soon fell in love illustrating children’s books and has been doing so for 20 years. Cathy has illustrated Nature Recycles: How About You?, Three Little Beavers, and Animalogy: Animal Analogies for Sylvan Dell as well as Ignacio’s Chair, and the Young Patriots Series including Alexander Hamilton, Young Statesman;Frederick Douglass, Young Defender of Human Rights; and Juliette Low, Girl Scout Founder. Cathy works from her home in a studio loft overlooking a beautiful view of the Mummy Range, on the northern side of Rocky Mountain National Park. Check out Cathy’s blog at www.cathymorrison.blogspot.com.

THE GIVE-AWAY:

To celebrate Children’s Book Week, I will be doing reviews of some Sylvan Dell titles and there will be a GIVE-AWAY at the end of the week! So be sure to come back each day to read about a great children’s book and enter to win one of the titles. The give-away will begin on Monday, May 13, 2013 and end on Saturday, May 18 at 11:59 pm. The names of five winners will be drawn on Sunday, May 19th. The order of the names drawn will correspond to the order of the book reviews. For example, Name #1 will receive Featured Book #1 and so on.