Review & Giveaway: How to Speak Animal by Aubre Andrus & Gabby Wild

Series: National Geographic Kids How to Speak
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: National Geographic Partners, LLC
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 16th, 2022
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Bookshop.org | Google Books | 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Learn about the secret language of wild animals in this exciting and informative guide from the experts who brought you How to Speak Cat and How to Speak Dog.

We know animals can’t speak and express themselves in the same way as humans … but even the smallest and quietest animals have incredible ways of communicating with each other. With wildlife veterinarian expert Dr. Gabby Wild as a guide, How to Speak Animal helps kids understand how animals communicate through sound, body language, and behavior. It’s full of expert insights and real-life stories of humans exploring ways to “talk” to animals, from teaching great apes sign language to speaking “dolphin.” Packed with super-engaging animal photography that helps illustrate key concepts, this fascinating bookprofiles more than 60 different creatures—from birds to mammals to reptiles and more—and their amazing ways of communicating with each other.

If you’ve ever wondered why gorillas beat their chests and make hooting noises, what it means when chameleons change color, or why some elephants twist their trunks together, this is the book for you!

Complete your collection with:
How to Speak Dog
How to Speak Cat
Fetch! A How to Speak Dog Training Guide
Pounce! A How to Speak Cat Training Guide

Bea Reviews Baby Steps to STEM: Infant and Toddler Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Activities by Jean Barbre

Publisher: Redleaf Press
Source: Hoopla
Release Date: July 17th, 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Innately curious, infants and toddlers love to explore, investigate, and discover—making the earliest years a perfect time to begin teaching the foundations of STEM. This book defines what science, technology, engineering, and math education looks like for this age group, and why it is so vital for children to develop STEM knowledge. Expand your understanding of STEM to lay the foundation for children to develop skills in critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.

This book supplies fifty play-based developmentally appropriate activities for introducing STEM. All activities include extensions, inquiry questions, and tips on how to help parents strengthen children's learning at home.

Jean Barbre, EdD, holds a master's degree in child and family studies from California State University Long Beach, a master's degree in counseling from California State University Fullerton, and a doctorate degree in educational leadership from Pepperdine University. She has more than thirty years of experience working with children and families in a variety of roles and currently teaches early childhood courses in community college and California State University system as well as presents at professional conferences across the country.

Bea Reviews Meet My Family! Animal Babies and Their Families by Laura Purdie Salas & Illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman

Publisher: Millbrook Press
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 1st 2018
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository*  | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

What kind of families do animal babies have? All different kinds! Charming text and sweet illustrations introduce a wolf pup cared for by the pack, a young orangutan snuggling with its mother high in a tree, a poison dart frog tadpole riding piggyback on its dad, and more. Featuring rhyming verse and informational text, this book lets you discover just how diverse the animal kingdom really is!

Bea Reviews ABCs of Physics And ABCs of Mathematics by Chris Ferrie

Series: Baby University
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 3rd, 2017

Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The ABC's of Physics introduces a new physics concept for every letter of the alphabet, all the way from Atom to Zero-point energy.

Review & Giveaway: Color of the Sun and Moon by Talia Aikens-Nunez, illustrations by Amy Caringella

Publisher: SundanceKid Press
Source: pr firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: November 30, 2016
Challenges: I Love Picture Books
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Colors of the Sun and Moon is an English/Spanish STEM book which featuring an inquisitive young girl and her grandmother. The bright illustrations engage children and illuminate the science of the horizon with vibrant colors.

An inquisitive young girl questions her grandmother about the science behind the colors of the sun and moon. With a forward by Spencer Christian. "Colors of the Sun and Moon" is the second book from the new multicultural, multilingual children's press, SundanceKid Press. The mission of SundanceKid Press is to promote cultural, ethnic/racial and linguistic diversity in children's literature. Each page includes the English text along with the Spanish translation. A free audio recording is available on the SundanceKid Press website.

Bea Reviews The Happy Sleeper by Heather Turgeon & Julie Wright

Publisher: Tarcher
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 26, 2015 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit*  | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Many parents feel pressured to “train” babies and young children to sleep but kids don’t need to be trained to sleep, they’re built to sleep. Sleep issues arise when parents (with the best of intentions) over-help or “helicopter parent” at night—overshadowing their baby’s innate biological ability to sleep well. In The Happy Sleeper child sleep experts Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright show parents how to be sensitive and nurturing, but also clear and structured so that babies and young children develop the self-soothing skills they need to

•       Fall asleep independently
•       Sleep through the night
•       Take healthy naps
•       Grow into natural, optimal sleep patterns for day and night

The Happy Sleeper is a research-based guide to helping children do what comes naturally—sleep through the night.

The Happy Sleeper features a foreword by neuropsychiatrist and popular parenting expert Dr. Daniel Siegel, author of Parenting from the Inside Out and the New York Times bestseller Brainstorm.

Bea Reviews Thirty Million Words: Building A Child's Brain by Dana Suskind

Publisher: Dutton
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: 
Challenges: NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The founder and director of the Thirty Million Words Initiative, Professor Dana Suskind, explains why the most important—and astoundingly simple—thing you can do for your child’s future success in life is to talk to him or her, reveals the recent science behind this truth, and outlines precisely how parents can best put it into practice.

The research is in: Academic achievement begins on the first day of life with the first word said by a cooing mother just after delivery.

A study by researchers Betty Hart and Todd Risley in 1995 found that some children heard thirty million fewer words by their fourth birthdays than others. The children who heard more words were better prepared when they entered school. These same kids, when followed into third grade, had bigger vocabularies, were stronger readers, and got higher test scores. This disparity in learning is referred to as the achievement gap.

Professor Dana Suskind, MD, learned of this thirty million word gap in the course of her work as a cochlear implant surgeon at University of Chicago Medical School and began a new research program along with her sister-in-law, Beth Suskind, to find the best ways to bridge that gap. The Thirty Million Word Initiative has developed programs for parents to show the kind of parent-child communication that enables optimal neural development and has tested the programs in and around Chicago across demographic groups. They boil down to getting parents to follow the three Ts: Tune in to what your child is doing; Talk more to your child using lots of descriptive words; and Take turns with your child as you engage in conversation. Parents are shown how to make the words they serve up more enriching. For example, instead of telling a child, “Put your shoes on,” one might say instead, “It is time to go out. What do we have to do?” The lab's new five-year longitudinal research program has just received funding so they can further corroborate their results.

The neuroscience of brain plasticity is some of the most valuable and revolutionary medical science being done today. It enables us to think and do better. It is making a difference in the lives of both the old and young.  If you care for children, this landmark book is essential reading.

Bea Reviews NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and The Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman

Publisher: Avery
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 25, 2015
Challenges: COYER Summer Scavenger Hunt | NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Kobo | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A groundbreaking book that upends conventional thinking about autism and suggests a broader model for acceptance, understanding, and full participation in society for people who think differently.

What is autism: a devastating developmental disorder, a lifelong disability, or a naturally occurring form of cognitive difference akin to certain forms of genius? In truth, it is all of these things and more—and the future of our society depends on our understanding it. WIRED reporter Steve Silberman unearths the secret history of autism, long suppressed by the same clinicians who became famous for discovering it, and finds surprising answers to the crucial question of why the number of diagnoses has soared in recent years.

Going back to the earliest days of autism research and chronicling the brave and lonely journey of autistic people and their families through the decades, Silberman provides long-sought solutions to the autism puzzle, while mapping out a path for our society toward a more humane world in which people with learning differences and those who love them have access to the resources they need to live happier, healthier, more secure, and more meaningful lives.

Along the way, he reveals the untold story of Hans Asperger, the father of Asperger’s syndrome, whose “little professors” were targeted by the darkest social-engineering experiment in human history; exposes the covert campaign by child psychiatrist Leo Kanner to suppress knowledge of the autism spectrum for fifty years; and casts light on the growing movement of "neurodiversity" activists seeking respect, support, technological innovation, accommodations in the workplace and in education, and the right to self-determination for those with cognitive differences.

Bea Reviews Parenting in the Age of Attention Snatchers by Lucy Jo Palladino

Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 19, 2015
Challenges: NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Kobo  | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Are your kids unable to step away from the screens?  Here is a practical, step-by-step guide that gives parents the tools to teach children, from toddlers to teens, how to gain control of their technology use.

As children spend more of their time on tablets and smartphones, using apps specially engineered to capture their attention, parents are concerned about the effects of so much technology use--and feel powerless to intervene. They want their kids to be competent and competitive in their use of technology, but they also want to prevent the attention problems that can develop from overuse. Lucy Jo Palladino shows that the key is to help kids build awareness and control over their own attention, and in this guide she gives parents the tools to do exactly that, in seven straightforward, evidence-based steps.
    
Parents will learn the best practices to guide children to understand and control their attention—and to recognize and resist when their attention is being "snatched." This approach can be modified for kids of all ages. Parents will also learn the critical difference between voluntary and involuntary attention, new findings about brain development, and what puts children at risk for attention disorders.

Bea Reviews The Tiger by Federico Brremaud, Illustrated by Federico Bertolucci

Publisher: Magnetic Press
Series: Love Volume #1
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 1, 2015
Challenges: NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge | What An Animal
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A day in the life of the king of the jungle, this lavishly illustrated story follows a single majestic tiger through a wordless adventure of survival as it hunts prey and defends itself from other would-be killers defending their territory. This exciting tale is told without narration or dialogue, conveyed entirely through the beautiful illustrations of Federico Bertolucci. A beautiful, all-ages title that explores genuine natural behavior through the dramatic lens of Disney-esque storytelling. Like a nature documentary in illustration. 

Why Writing Is Right - A Guest Post by Stephen Martino

Medical thrillers are all the rage again and I have a weakness for them. Today's guest is from Stephen Martino, celebrating the release of his thriller "The New Reality", which mixes medicine with current events.

Stephen holds an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and is a neurologist in New Jersey. When he is not working, he can be found with his five children doing homework or cheering them on at a soccer field, basketball court, or dance recital. Martino is a member of the Knights of Columbus, a Cub Scout den leader and is an active public speaker, helping to educate the local community and healthcare professionals on the signs, symptoms and treatment of stroke. THE NEW REALITY is his first novel.

Find Stephen Online: 

website
Facebook
Twitter
blog
Contact

A Novel's Two Lives - Guest Post by Joseph Wallace & A Giveaway

Today I have a post from Joseph Wallace, the author of the new thriller, "Invasive Species". It's a scientific thriller about a newly evolved predator from the African wilderness. Before turning to writing fiction, Wallace contributed articles with a focus on the tropical rainforest and invasive species to many national publications, including Sierra and Audubon. "Invasive Species" is the result of interviews with leading scientists in the field and rooted in scientific fact. 

About Joe, from his website: 

Hi! I’m Joe Wallace. I’m the author of two novels: the global apocalyptic thriller Invasive Species (2013, Berkley Books), and Diamond Ruby (2010, Touchstone), set in 1920s New York City. I’ve contributed short stories to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and anthologies including Bronx Noir, Baltimore Noir, Hard Boiled Brooklyn, and two Mystery Writers of America collections: The Prosecution Rests and Ice Cold. I’ve also published nonfiction books on dinosaurs, natural history, and baseball, and written on nature, travel, and health for magazines and newspapers. I live with my family north of New York City, where I run storytelling workshops in the local elementary schools and work as a writing mentor for high-school students.

Children's Book Week Review of Stephanie Lisa Tara's Turtle Book: fotos, facts, and fun!

Publisher: Stephanie Lisa Tara
Format Read: PDF and finished softcover
Source: The author in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: April 11, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble  The Book Depository

Blurb from goodreads:

Dear Turtle Activists,

I want to thank each and every one of you for your tireless dedication and love to our cause! I have written this book FOR YOU! I dedicate this book TO YOU! 120 pages of fotos, facts and fun!

Stephanie Lisa Tara's Turtle Book has a primary goal: SAVING SEA TURTLES FROM EXTINCTION. A portion of proceeds from this book go to charitable organizations like the Turtle Foundation (www.turtle-foundation.org) of whom my first turtle book, I'LL FOLLOW THE MOON—is a proud sponsor.

If you are new to us—please join with us, for together, holding hands, we can effect change. Yes—really! xoxo. SAVE GREEN SEA TURTLES on Facebook (www.facebook.com/.../Save-Green-Sea-T...) is our hugely popular hang-out—tens of thousands of Activists-strong. Please join us!

NOW—prepare for something totally new and amazing!

Stephanie Lisa Tara's Turtle Book is not your typical scientific turtle book: my special book is all about having FUN! Enjoy the mini FLIP-BOOK in the corners and create a movie of your own! Click the ebook pages—or thumb through manually in the paperback—YOUR CHOICE!

I've written these chapters in a fun, chatty voice—you know, the one YOU use when talking up your favorite topics! Don't be surprised if you find yourself giggling as you turn pages! Enjoy breathtaking photography, incredible facts, and way-out wow'ing surprises that these millennium-old creatures have to share.

AND: TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE! Yep! Stephanie Lisa Tara's Turtle Book is my second turtle book—it's a perfect TWIN to my first international bestseller, I'LL FOLLOW THE MOON: buy BOTH TOGETHER for your shelf. Two little twins; one a fable, one fotos, facts & fun.

So, in closing...please accept this deeply personal gift from me, your faithful sea turtle leader, the turtle-lady, or Stephanie Lisa Turtle - as I was renamed recently by a fan—from my heart to yours.

GOD BLESS EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED THE CAUSE TO SAVE SEA TURTLES FROM EXTINCTION!

Bea's Thoughts:

Last month I reviewed Tara's fiction book, "I'll Follow the Moon", about a newborn sea turtle who hatches, and goes to the ocean in search of his mother. It has been a best seller for Tara and may be the book she's best known for. Tara also believes strongly in conservation so she undertook to create a non-fiction book about sea turtles for children. While "I'll Follow The Moon" is aimed at toddlers and preschoolers this book is more for school-age children.

Tara educates and entertains her readers in this generously illustrated book. There are photographs on almost every page. The photos illustrate the different varieties of sea turtles, their habits, their risks and the people who help them. Tara gives background on each species of sea turtle, discusses what challenges they face, what people are doing to help, and what the readers can do to help. Tara offers many suggestions for action, from the simple such as turning off lights when not in use to more complicated actions such as volunteering with a rescue organization or becoming a politician or scientist. Her tone is chatty, sometimes too much so, but it's friendly and conversational. At times it veered on patronizing but I think most children will enjoy her style.

The book is available in both ebook and print versions and the text contains links that ebook readers can click for more information. I would have liked an index at the book of all the links and sites referenced for the print readers and even the ebook readers. She does have a bibliography of suggested reading, as well as a list of practical suggestions on how to help and a glossary. At the bottom of each page in the corner are little pictures that when you flip the pages quickly give you a little story in motion. The artwork and the photographs are lovely and add to the book.

The Turtle Book is well-researched, easy to read and logically laid out for both easy reading and quickly looking something up. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in turtles or conservation. I donated my print review copy to my school's library.