My Little Red Book Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered the My Little Red Book giveaway.  I enjoyed reading all of your stories and hope that if you didn't win, you will enter to win at some of the other blogs on the tour as they are also having giveaways. 

The winner of My Little Red Book is, comment #4:  Ms Mazzola!

Ms Mazzola said...

I distinctly remember my sister announcing to my father at dinner that I "had finally become a woman" and me just about dying of embarrassment.

I have emailed the winner, so please check your inbox and send me your mailing information so that I can send it to Hachette and you can get your book.

My HUGE 100th post giveaway is still going on, just check the sidebar for the link.  We haven't made it to 100 comments yet.  When we do, I can give away the extra books.  Look for more giveaways soon!

Spring Cleaning Winners

Thank you to all who entered the Spring Cleaning Giveaway.  The winners are as follows:

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home goes to comment #35 - masonsgranny59.

masonsgranny59 said...

MRS. MEYER'S CLEAN HOME :)

Throw Out Fifty Things goes to comment #16 - velocibadgergirl.

velocibadgergirl said...

I'd love to win Throw Out Fifty Things. I added this giveaway to my sidebar at http://badgerbooks.blogspot.com.

Thanks! :)

Congratulations to both winners!  I have emailed both of you.  Please send me your mailing address within 48 hours so that I can pass it on to Hachette.

Don't forget that I am still running 2 giveaways, see my sidebar, and will have more coming soon!

 

Blog Link-Up #8 - 3/15/09

I think this has been a crazy week for everyone!  Here in the South winter reared it's ugly head again and not only brought cold temperatures after a week of mild springlike weather, but we also got 5 days of rain.  Don't get me wrong, we needed the rain, but not all at once.  Now everything is soggy and muddy.  Supposedly the rain and cold are leaving and tomorrow and the rest of the week should be spring like again.  I hope so, because it's Spring Break and we need the nice weather.

This week's blog link-up brings us a good variety of posts, but not as many as other weeks because many of my fellow bloggers had crazy weeks and have lots of other things going on.  Here's what I have for you:

Devourer of Books has been reading Throw Out Fifty Things, a book that you can find many bloggers giving away, and she has been conducting her own "throw out" project at her house.  You can see her posts and what she has been doing, here.  I hope to join her in this endeavor, with my own house, soon.

Beth is conducting her very first giveaway at Beth Fish Reads!  I love giveaways and can still remember doing my first one.  She has an ARC of The Secret by Beverly Lewis and The Scavengers' Manifesto by Anneli Rufus and Kristan Lawson.  You can enter to win either or both of the books.

My Friend Amy's blog was visited this week by Phyllis Scheiber, author of Willing Spirits.  This is a great post about Phyllis' childhood and how she got some of her ideas for writing.  In it, she answers the question, is your writing autobiographical.  Commenters will even get a chance to win a copy of Willing Spirits, courtesy of the author.

Marta has reached a blogging milestone, 100 posts.  She is celebrating by hosting a HUGE giveaway!  You've got to see it to believe it; there are some really great books in the mix, and she has 5 sets to give away.

Books and Movies has 2 reviews for us this week.  She shares her thoughts about Dragonfly in Amber and Tigerheart.

Finally, over at Linus's Blanket, there is a review for a book about what was once a controversial issue in our country: Secret Daughter: A Mixed-Race Daughter and the Mother Who Gave Her Away.

In case you haven't noticed, I 've posted my current giveaways at the top of the right sidebar, here on my blog.  The giveaway for My Little Red Book ends tonight, and there are not many entries, so you have a good chance of winning if you enter.  I will be posting the winner of the Spring Cleaning Giveaway shortly.  I didn't get to it because we were out of town this weekend.

I hope you enjoy this week's links.  Please come back next week and see what my blogging buddies have to share.

Snapshot Saturday #8

For this week's edition of Snapshot Saturday, I thought I'd share a picture of where I wish I was this weekend. If you're a follower, you know that my husband and I are dear friends with our vet and his wife, who live in Angleton. They are our fishing buddies and this picture was taken last summer on one of our fishing trips. This weekend, the weather is just crummy, raining and cold. We haven't been back out on the boat since this trip because of Hurricane Ike and the seas just not being right when we've had a free weekend. We are all longing for those days when the sun is out and the seas are calm.

What's your snapshot for the week? Please share the link in the comments.

Review: The Book of Shadowboxes

Title:  The Book of Shadow Boxes - A Story of the ABCs

Author/Illustrator:  Laura L. Seeley

Review Copy Provided by:  Peachtree Publishers

About the Book: Welcome to Laura Seeley's enchanting world of shadowboxes, where the ABCs spring magically to life. Each shadowbox is filled with richly colorful creatures, objects, and people drawn in Seeley's intricately engaging style. From smiling acorns and alphabet stew to zany old zeroes with nothing to do, the vibrant illustrations and bouncing verses delight and instruct.

As a special treat, the little guide, Shadow, follows each letter and poses an intriguing mystery to solve in every shadowbox. At the back of the book, Seeley also provides a key to all the other hidden treasures collected in the shadowboxes.

My Review:  I absolutely love alphabet books.  I mean, it's like an obsession; maybe it's the early childhood teacher in me, but I am drawn to them.  This one is full of rhyme and fun!  I love the way Shadow introduces the book to the reader,

"My name is Shadow,

And I'll take you places

Through alphabet boxes

With smiling faces.

Each letter greets you,

With pictures and rhyme,

Then I'll ask you to spot

Something extra-of mine!

Look a bit harder

To find even more,

And discover a world of things

When you explore..."

Don't you just love that?  It is it's own little poem.  Each page is like that, but each page deals with only one letter of the alphabet, from A to Z.  Each page is full of rhyme and alliteration.  The poem is on one side of the page, and then on the other is the shadowbox full of cute little pictures that all start with that letter.  Many of the items are mentioned in the poem, but there are extras that children will have fun discovering.  Also, on every page, Shadow asks if you can find his hidden picture.  It is delightfully fun and a book that I'm sure children will enjoy over and over again.  Here is an example of the C page

Clouds and a castle

Begin with a C,

Some cinnamon circles

And a cat in a tree.

A candy cane crowd

And a couple of clowns,

Then some colorful crayons

Capped with little gold crowns.

The illustrations are just amazing!  Every time I look at them, I see something new.  Butler has given this alphabet book the combination of Where's Waldo and I Spy, with his shadowboxes.  All of the objects have been animated with the cutest facial expressions.  Kids are sure to love this!  As a teacher, I would definitely use it in the classroom. 

Friday Fill-Ins - 3/13/09

1. When I look to the left, I see my messy kitchen table; I really need to clean it off.

2. The kitchen is the room that has the best view in my home.

3. Let it work out that our mare foals while we are at home.

4. I need some computer work done dirt cheap!

5. Voting is a responsibility that all qualified citizens must share.

6. If you have any advice feel free to share it.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to getting some laundry done, tomorrow my plans include working at the rodeo and Sunday, I want to relax and read!

Review: Can You Cuddle Lika a Koala?

Title:  Can You Cuddle Like a Koala?

Author/Illustrator:  John Butler

Review Copy Provided by: Peachtree Publishers

About the Book:  FROM LEAPING LIKE A FROG to winking like an owl, acclaimed author-illustrator John Butler will delight the very young with this simple, interactive look at different animals and the way they move.

Butler's lavish portraits feature wide-eyed animals in their natural surroundings. The simple text will invite spirited responses from young children as they imitate the animals in the story, until finally, at the end, they are instructed to "Close your eyes tight and rest your sleepy head."

My Review:  I have always loved board books for the youngest readers.  Not all books can be made into board books though, so I love it when I find good ones for baby shower gifts, birthdays or Christmas.  Since my nephew was born last week, I'm drawn to them even more because I feel like he can't have too many books, even at a week old.  So yes, this one will be going to him.  It is really a cute book.  John Butler introduces our youngest readers to animals and the movements they make like a creeping mouse, a swinging monkey, and a splashing otter to name a few.  This book also rhymes which I think is essential in books for the very young as they begin to play with language.  Sometimes rhyming can be over done, but in this short little book, with rhymes only at the end of each page, it is just right.

The illustrations are sure to catch a youngster's eye.  The animals are large and in the forefront, stretching across two pages.  The colors are pastels, not vivid, but still look touchable.  Butler creates beautiful pictures to complement his sweet book.

I am sure that the littlest reader in your life will love this book, not just because it's just right for them to hold, durable enough to withstand them, but because of the animals that they will love and the lines that they are sure to memorize or at least mimic.  This is one that I will recommend to others and add to my list of books to give as gifts.

BTT - Movie Potential

What book do you think should be made into a movie? And do you have any suggestions for the producers?

Or, What book do you think should NEVER be made into a movie?

Okay, I've been thinking about this question all day.  I wasn't going to participate, because I couldn't really think of a book I'd like to see made into a movie, but then it hit me!

I just finished listening to the audio version of Little Pink House, thanks to Kathy at Bermudaonion's Weblog and Hachette.  I think this would make a great movie!  People need to see this real life drama that Suzette Kelo and her friends went through.  Just listening to it got me fired up and angry at the way the government treated these people.  Jeff Benedict did a great job telling Kelo's story.  The producers would have to have Suzette on hand, to get the real story.  It would be great if they enlisted Benedict's expertise as well because he did extensive research before writing the book.  If you haven't read or listened to this, I suggest you do!