Time for Kids (magazine)

Time for Kids. News Magazine online at Time For Kids.

Time for Kids is an online and print news magazine written just for children.  It covers news stories for kids that cross the nation and globe and highlight important issues.

This online magazine has many different news stories for kids that highlight the page.  One downside to this, however, is there are no major world issues scaled for kid readers.  The news stories seem to highlight more obscure and fanciful stories rather than what is front page on the adult magazines.  While children cannot take the same strength of story present in adult news organizations, some attention should be paid to allowing students to read and understand major current events on some scale.

The website does have a section that incorporates student authors of articles that are presented to readers.  This aspect is very good as it allows readers to get information from students across the country and see their opinion on different issues at the magazine.

The magazine's web page is very colorful which will attract and hold the attention of children.  The bright red is synonymous with Time but the stories are in big lettering and there are many pictures to help enhance the different articles on the site.  The articles are often short, which makes it easier for younger or less experienced readers and the word choice and sentence structure makes it easy to read. 

There is also a section of the website that highlights homework help and gives quizzes and games to help practice school skills in math, science and vocabulary.  This could also help students stay interested and involved in reading the different news stories and practicing skills for school.

For users that subscribe to the website there are also quizzes and games built to help readers retain what they have read in the different articles on time magazine.  This will help readers remember the current events they have read.

Educators can definitely have many benefits in using Time for Kids in the classroom.  There are different games available that teachers can use to help students present current events or practice different skills online.  It also allows teachers to track what students are reading with the quiz option and make sure that they are involved on the website and reading the different current events.  There is also the idea of writing practice with students writing their own current event stories and submitting them to the magazine to have them displayed online.  Seeing work by other students on the website can inspire writing and reading goals from the class so they can experience different ways of seeing the world.

For students, the colors and games really highlight the site.  It is built to work for students aged 7-12 and it works to capture their attention and give them information on news they may not know.  While it doesn't bring major world events, it does appeal to all ages and types with stories on world events, entertainment and the sciences.  This is a great magazine for kids to get their first taste on what a news magazine can teach them.

Sesame Street: Platinum All-Time Favorites (Music CD)

Sesame Workshop. (2010).  Sesame Street: Platinum All Time Favorites.  Children's Music

The Sesame Street album was produced in 1995, rereleased in 2010 and contains many of the classic and famous songs from the hit television show.  This CD is filled with fun songs such as "Rubber Ducky", "'C' Is for Cookie", "Bein' Green" and many more.

This CD has made the rounds over the years as a perineal favorite of parents with young children.  It builds on the classic show that many people grew up with and allows parents a way to introduce simple, fun songs to their children while also helping them learn.  Songs on the CD such as "ABC-DEF-GHI" teach about letters of the alphabet as well as how they make words and can be pulled together in different ways. "Bein Green" by Kermit the Frog sings to children about maybe not always being happy about being yourself, but you are still you in the end.

A drawback to this CD is that the CD has a mix of fast and slow songs as well as some that are just for fun while others teach lessons and there is no specific organization as to how they were placed. This takes away some from learning lessons together or wanting quieter or slower songs versus upbeat and loud. 

This CD has a mix of different musical styles and instruments.  At times there are more percussion based sounds such as xylophone and drum beats as well as guitar and piano.  This CD does a great job of incorporating the different sounds and teaching kids to recognize some different styles of music.

The lyrics are very clever and interesting for this CD, they are sung by the different Sesame Street characters so children can recognize who is involved by listening and watching the show.  Each of the specific songs such as "I love Trash" and "C is for Cookie" are sung by the specific character they relate to--i.e. Oscar the Grouch-who lives in a trashcan and Cookie Monster who loves cookies.  The lyrics are very smart and on point and when listening, it feels as if the characters are there singing it to you.
For educators, this CD can help to teach lessons to children as well as just give them fun music to dance and move to in the classroom.  Upbeat songs on the track such as "'C' Is for Cookie" and "Lambaba" are very entertaining and can be used to get a class moving around and provide a break from regular activities while teaching little lessons as well, such as counting numbers and learning words.

For children, this CD is just a fun piece that allows the kids the time to learn and hear fun songs and for many, hear favorite characters from the TV show that they watch.  As it does connect to the TV show, this can be a filler when kids aren't able to watch as well as just be its own child based entertainment so they have songs just for them to listen to in the car or at home.  It appeals to all different children and also employs both kinestetic learning as well as sound learning to play or sing along and learn new things.  It is a great tool for listeners to get involved and helps them remember different things by remembering their Sesame Street friends singing all about it.  It is very clear why this CD has sold so many copies and is a favorite among parents and children alike.

Curse of the Blue Tattoo (Audiobook)

Meyer, L.A. (2004) Curse of the Blue Tattoo.  San Diego, CA: Harcourt Publishing

     Audiobook Narrated by Katherine Kellgren--Released 2008  Audio Length: Unabridged-14 hours 13 Minutes.

 Curse of the Blue Tattoo is the second novel in the Bloody Jack series that follows the adventures of Jacky Farber, an orphan in 18th Century London.  The audiobook is a great listen for any kid in the car on a long trip and captures the tale as Meyer wrote it.

The audiobook is in unabridged format and the book is easy to listen and fall into.  Katherine Kellgren is an excellent reader for this particular book.  Curse of the Blue Tattoo is written in first person and Kellgren adopts a cockney accent to essentially become Jacky for the reader.  As speakers change in the text, Kellgren changes her accent and pitch to bring life to the new character and it is not the same tone the whole way through the novel.  The narration fits this book because it captures how the characters may have sounded during 18th Century London.  Kellgren uses her shifting voices and tones to narrate how the different characters speak and shows the differences between them using her voice.

The story is also such a great adventure that it makes the reader(listener) want to stay tuned for the full fourteen hours.  Kellgren continues to make the action come to life as the pirates discover exactly who Bloody Jack is and Jacky's new struggle conquering a girl's school and many other challenges.

For this particular audiobook, sound effects were not used.  The whole narration is only Kellgren reading the text.  However, as she is presenting a book in audio format, this simplistic style works because she can then use her words to illustrate the action and tone of voice is used to guide readers into what is happening and how it should feel.  There is no feedback on the audio version and makes this book a very good listen.

This audiobook is an Odyssey Award Honor recipient for 2009 which is given by the ALA for the best audiobook for adults and young adults.  This is not Kellgren's first honor as her reading of Bloody Jack-the first book in this series received the Odyssey Award Honor in 2008.

This audiobook would be a great tool for educators to allow students to see books in different formats and allow them to almost imagine the words off the page as they listen to Kellgren.  It is a great tool for struggling readers to be able to keep up with class readings while also promoting many different book titles. Having a book read instead of doing the reading has the ability to also teach students how to pronounce different words or notice the cultural differences in how words are said. With this book's setting in London, there are words that may be pronounced differently than usual and educators can use this tool to help readers recognize those words and learn them the right way, the first time.

For readers, this book is aimed at 8-12 years old.  It encompasses adventure that many will enjoy as well as the unique twist with the young orphan being a girl trying to survive on pirate ships and 18th century London.  Many will enjoy Kellgren's style of reading the book and bringing Meyer's characters to life.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Graphic Novel)

Satrapi, Marjane. (2004) Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood.  Pantheon.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood is a graphic novel autobiography of Marjane Satrapi's experiences growing up in Iran before and during the Iranian Revolution in 1979.  Through the artwork and words, it tells her story of school, family and what it was like to be young in a country full of termoil.

Satrapi illustrates her life through the different blocks of picture and text that fill the pages of the novel.  It is a strong representation of what her life was like and she does her best to paint an honest picture of her feelings and thoughts during her childhood.

The drawings within Persepolis show Marjane as she grows up and give an interesting depiction that is not present in any other format.  The picture blocks tell their own story of a young girl that faces difficult times and seem to express her feelings without adding the words.  The drawing blocks that make up Persepolis are not uniform by any means and really create a sense of a child telling the story which, while written by an adult, is the story of a childhood.

The writing by Satrapi is in a conversational style that reaches readers and helps the book seem like a simple story telling.  It is easy to understand and follow and feels as if the author is reaching out to each reader and making it an adventure to find out what is next in her story.

Educators can use graphic novels in general as great learning tools for struggling readers.  It can help them see what is interesting and add pictures and conversational text to break up the words and be easier for comprehension.  This book in particular can be more than for reading.  It is a great tool to teach about historical events and looking at the difference in being a child in the United States during the 1970s and in Iran in the 1970s.

Readers aged 9-12 and older will enjoy this book but may struggle to understand some of the events that take place.  The strict ideas of the country Satrapi is writing about make seeing her culture a new experience for some readers.  While the book is mature for readers, it is a very strong story and many will enjoy it.

Between These Pages (Blog)

Between These Pages--Book Reviews for Children's Books

betweenthesepages.wordpress.com

This blog is dedicated to reviewing different children's books from Easy Readers, to Picture Books, to independent reader choices.

The blog is written by an elementary school teacher that wants to provide thoughtful and solid information on different books that are out there for kids. In her own words, she realized that there is no guidance for what is contained within different children's books and therefore wanted to provide a clear rating that evaluated the same criteria in each book reviewed to give a clear picture about what it is about.  She makes a disclaimer as to the fact that these are her opinions about the selected texts and viewers may have different feelings. 

The blog ran from July 2010 to December 2010 and listed a large number of reviews for different children's books including variations of The Nutcracker, Dinosaur books, Teen interests and many more.  The very clear aspect that is a big bonus to her reviews is that she writes each one in the same format.  She gives a summary of the work, her opinions and then has a basic list of information that she believes it is important to include that answers questions about stronger themes within the text such as sex, nudity, dating, profanity, violence and others.  This gives a clear picture about what the book is about and allows the reader to evaluate if it is good or bad for their child/teen.

The blog also does posts on story variations.  There were a series of posts about the Nutcracker story and different tellings so blog readers can see the differences and similarites between each story.  There is also a later post that breaks down interesting books on dinosaurs for different level readers.

A downside to the author's reviews is that she avoids writing about series books.  Popular series are books of a style that are read over and over and it could be important to include those so when kids read the same series, it is clear what they are getting into each time they open the book.

This blog has no timeline of when books are reviewed.  It could be old books or new books or whatever the author feels like reviewing at that point.  Because there is no guidance, this can be a bit confusing, but it still provides quality, well written reviews about different books and covers a wide range of topics.

There have been no new posts for over a year and of the posts written, there are not many comments so it is not an active blog.

If an educator is looking, this blog can provide some solid information on resources for your classroom and books that different students may enjoy.  Because the author of the blog adds tags to the work, it is easy to find recommendations based on different subjects.  This blog could definitely be an asset to any classroom adding books.

For readers, this blog is an easy way to find that next great read as well as learn about different variations of works and age ranges so they can find the perfect fit.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (Video)

Shorts International. Michael Sporn (2006). The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. Short Film
    Based on the Picture Book The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers tells and shows the story of Phillipe Petit-a street performer, who in 1974 walked and danced on a cable between the Twin Towers in New York City.

This video is a short film by Michael Sporn that brings the Gerstein picture book to life.  The picture book--with the same title--is the winner of the Caldecott Award as well as the 2004 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award.  The film is also an award winner, taking home the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video and the Audience Choice Award at the Heartland Film Festival.

This film is very fun to watch for viewers of all ages.  It is narrated by actor Jake Gyllenhal who speaks slowly and clearly to be easily understood.  Also, his dialogue is not so strong as to be hard to process for younger viewers.  He instead seems to be reading from the book by Gerstein and tells the story very well.

The artistry in the video is one of a kind and very well done.  The film mirrors the sketch and color drawings of the picture book but transfers them into motion to make the story line flow.  Each separate scene is a hand drawn image that works with pen strokes to darken for shade as well as water color paints to bring color into the page.  The different scenes flow very well and the action progresses smoothly, unlike if it were turning the pages of the picture book. 

The story itself is based on the man who did walk between the towers and brings to life his tale to a whole new generation of children.  It is a short film that does not drop in speed and will keep children interested to see if Phillipe makes it on his journey at the top of the world.

This is a short film that would be great for many educators.  It describes what one man did to achieve his dreams and while not everyone chooses to walk that high in the air, it is a great example of the hard work and dedication that goes into making your dreams come true.  At the end, it is also a history lesson as it mentions that the towers no longer stand, which can lead into a lesson of the changing horizon in the United States. 

Children 3-10 will enjoy this film and what it brings.  It is quick to hold attention and the narrator does a good job speaking to the children viewers and not at them.  It is an entertaining story to hear over and over about how Phillipe went for his dreams and so can you!

Snow (Easy Reader)

McKie, Roy and Eastman, P.D. (1962) Snow. Random House.

Snow tells the story of kids having a great day in the snow, building forts, throwing snowballs, skiing and many other adventures.

Snow is a visual adventure for the younger reader.  Each page uses bright reds, blues, yellows and of course white to depict the adventure that two kids, their dog and others have on a snow day.  Each drawing fills the page and pulls to the next scene and the continuing adventures that one might have in the snow.

Through all of this, the text is very simple for the reader and draws from the same pull of words.  Snow is often repeated and each sentence is written in a bright, quick manner to highlight the adventure of  a snow day.  The text is also built as a rhyme to be a quick paced flow and easy for the young reader to figure out and understand.  Most words in the book are five letters or less, making it more simple for those just learning to read.

Educators can definitely use this book and many like it to help their young and struggling readers learn not only how to read easy words, but understand simple sentence structure and begin putting words together in writing.  It is a great book for its simplicity--with the base of each page being in the same colors, it doesn't hid the words and allows it to be easy to see and follow the words for readers.  This book would be a great tool for the youngest students to learn how to read.

This book is well written for the early reader-it doesn't make it too simplistic and yet it strings small sentences together to make it easy.  Each sentence is small but it is combined with others to keep a flow so the reader does not stop to turn the page every few letters and then they are more able to pull it into a larger picture.  This book is simple and yet very fun for all readers.  Definitely a recommended book for anyone learning to read or just looking for a snow day!

Bats At the Beach (Picture Book)

Lies, Brian. (2006) Bats at the Beach.  Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Bats at the Beach tells us of the bats that take advantage of a clear, moonlit night to have a fun adventure night on the beach, playing games and meeting new friends.

This book by Brian Lies is well written and has an easy flow to the words.  Each page has four lines written and each set of two rhymes with the previous.  This style of writing by Lies makes it an easy flow and fun to read for all ages.  The words are also smaller, easier words so younger readers have a better understanding as well of what is happening.

Lies also includes amazing drawings that highlight the story and enhance the text rhymes to make the story a visual experience for the reader.  The illustrations are crafted to bleed from page to page and draw the reader to turn the page and see what the bats will do next.  The pictures do tell a story all their own, without the text included but without the pictures, the text would not be as meaningful.

Lies never highlights any specific bats, but gives them all a feeling of personification in that they grab their moon-tan lotion and picnic baskets to head to a night at the beach, surfing and building sandcastles.  This element really makes the reader jump into the pages as it may be similar to activities they have experienced at the beach and therefore makes the book a fun adventure to see what the bats will get into next.

This is a great book for educators to highlight different experiences that people have and also to use rhymes as a teaching method to learn new information.  It could also be used as a comparison activity for students to draw parallels on what Lies' bats do and what they do at a similar outing to the beach.  There is also a lesson in the differences between bats and people such as bats can only come out at night and people travel to the beach during the day.  It also makes reference many times to the different types of characters that come to experience the adventure and shows that no matter what someone looks like, all are welcome to join in different activities.

For young readers, this book definitely hits the mark.  It is a simple read that is targeted to ages 3-6 and for those just learning to read, the easy word choice and the rhymes make it easier to understand.  This book is great for just learning to read as well as to share with parents and practice reading skills. I highly recommend it. Lies tells an entertaining story that will really draw readers into the pages and make them want to have their own adventure, just like the bats. 

Read Alikes:
For this book, there are many similar read-alikes.  To start, this is not Lies' first book about the bats.  To be entertained by the bat adventures look into both Bats at the Ballgame and Bats at the Library.

 












Another great read alike is the Froggy series as well as Clifford books:

Boy: Tales of Childhood (Non-fiction)

Dahl, Roald.  (1984).  Boy. New York, NY: Puffin. (Non-fiction; autobiography)



Boy is an autobiography written by the great children's author, Roald Dahl about his early years of school and growing up in South Wales and England and the many adventures that young students get into during their formative years.

Dahl brings his gift of storytelling alive in this non-fiction account of how he grew up in Cardiff, Wales and then going to different schools as he grew up.  There are adventures to the Sweetshoppe, playing games with friends, his first time moving from home for school, and many trips to see the headmaster for disobedience.  One aspect that Dahl clearly explains are the punishments that are leveled upon students in this time and his own feelings and experiences.  He does write with the knowledge that children will be reading it, however he does not attempt to gloss over what happened during school days if rules were broken.

Dahl also works to include drawings and photographs that represent memories and give explanations to different portions of text.  He does a great job providing the detail necessary for the reader to picture what event he is discussing and be able to picture themselves alongside as if a part of the action itself.

As it is an autobiography, much of the perspective is how Dahl perceived it and yet it holds a strong sense of accuracy for the reader while still alowing them to draw their own conclusions about the actions happening.

This book would be a great tool for educators to compare and contrast school back in the early 1900's with school today.  It is also an excellent view into a similar yet very different culture of the British kingdom and would be a great source for seeing the differences even in those that seem so the same.  Educators could also use this book for older readers as an introduction to non-fiction or biographies.  While it does show the violence of the schools very clearly, Dahl works to keep a positive tone throughout the novel that make it an easy-going read, especially for those students that have not experienced non-fiction work before.

This book is targeted for readers aged 8 and up.  While I do believe it is mostly appropriate for readers of this age range, readers must be aware and prepared for the mentions of violence within the pages as regards to the canings of students for infractions.  It is at times a very somber book, detailing the truth without seeing a happy ending or the headmaster villains receiving discipline for their own actions.  It is a very well written depiction of Dahl's life and many readers will enjoy seeing how this famous author grew up and what school was like back in the early 1900s.

Read alikes for Dahl's Boy include its sequel: Going Solo (also by Dahl), Looking Back: A Book of Memories (Lois Lowry) and Blister (Susan Shreve).

The Tale of Desperaux (Fiction)

Dicamillo, Kate. (2006) The Tale of Desperaux. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

The Tale of Despereaux is the fantastic tale of a young mouse with giant ears that wants to go into the world, be a knight and find his princess to protect.  He lives in the castle of the kingdom and once his family hears that he talks to humans, makes him leave the only home he knows and outside that home he learns to defend him self and fight for what he truly wants.

Kate DiCamillo writes a wonderful tale of this young mouse and his quest and it has the honor of not only becoming a major motion picture, but also is the winner of the Newberry Medal of Honor.  This book captures the essence of every great fairy tale and puts it into a whole new perspective.

The fantastic elements of this tale including the abilities of a talking mouse, and his quest for knighthood make this story very unique.  DiCamillo uses the classic fairytale of a princess and kingdom yet redesigns the classic hero into a young mouse that does his best to make his own destiny.  The personification of Despereaux as well as the rats make this tale different from others.

The story is also interspersed with different drawings that enhance the text and give the reader an image about what they are reading which helps the story along.  It keeps the flow and allows the reader a way to see what is happening and then as the tale continues, add their own imagination and see the full scope of the story.

While the book ties together in a whole, DiCamillo employs an episodic style of writing to inform the reader of events before Desperaux's tale as well as events happening alongside Despereaux's own adventure.  Each episode is broken into different parts and then into chapters and at the end of the tale, DiCamillo ties them all together to complete The Tale of Despereaux.

For educators, this book is a great example of a fractured fairy tale.  It can be used for students tired of the same old happily ever after stories and let them explore the new ideas of what a fairy tale can be.  It also explores the ideas of personification and literary elements such as the importance of setting and how character's story lines tie together. 

For readers from 7-12, The Tale of Despereaux is an entertaining look into what a small mouse can do.  I believe readers will enjoy the fantastic elements as well as the basic qualities of  a well written story that DiCamillo put together.  The pieces make up a strong whole that many readers will enjoy.

Read alikes for The Tale of Despereaux: