Review: 20 Easy Ways to Save the Earth

It is becoming more and more popular to become “green.” Not only are more and more families making wiser decisions, it is also becoming a popular topic of conversation in classrooms. My daughter did a major unit last year in 3rd grade on “the 3 R’s” – Reduce, Recycle, Reuse. Over the summer, she was a part of the summer reading program which included a Recycling Art Project contest to be turned in at the end of the session.  20 Easy Ways to Save the Earth is a children’s book that focus on simple things that children can do in their goals of implementing the 3 R’s in to their lives.

The book is authored by Pedro Rita, who is a husband and father in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Part of his parenting duties, included coaching youth soccer. One afternoon, while walking along the soccer field, he noticed the amount of trash laying around, and knew that most of this was left around by the children on his team.  He wondered how he could get them to realize just how wrong this was, and thus the birth of 20 Easy Ways to Save the Earth.

20 Easy Ways to Save the Earth focuses on how kids’ actions can affect thir homes and communities or offers them easy-to-use, Earth saving tips to protect the environment.

What I Liked About the Book

1. The graphics/colors.  It is so colorful and eye appealing that you want to read it.
2. The language – The book is in both English and Spanish.  Not only is this great because both English and Spanish speaking children can read it, but for older children (like my 9 year old) it is a great tool for them to go back and forth and learn a little more of the other language.
3. The tips. While some are more challenging (like planting trees), many are very simple and easy actions that we could all incorporate into our lives such as picking up others and throwing away your trash, not giving animals human food, turning off the water when you are not using it, turning off electrical stuff when you aren’t using it, and using rechargeable batteries.

Operation Kindness

You may remember how much Cameron liked the first book in the Precious Girls Club series, A Little Bit of Faith.  Thanks to the Precious Girls Club and MomSelect she just received the second book, Operation Kindness, and it was just as much a hit as the first one – maybe more so.

In case you have not heard of this series, it’s a book series and virtual world website for young girls from the makers of Precious Moments.  Just as the figurines are inspirational, so are the books.  The protagonist in the book is Kate Bennett and she struggles just as the young girls in our lives do to “fit in” and at deciding just who they really are.  Through the help of her guardian angel and family, Kate does find her own group of friends in the first book, A Little Bit of Faith.

In this book, Operation Kindness, Kate and her group of friends (The Precious Girls Club) have decided that they want to volunteer at the local community hospital to cheer up sick children.  They run into some problems and through the use of joining together, they are able to overcome these obstacles and develop a puppet show.

Once again, Kate and her friends present real problems with solutions based on values and morals.

If you have a young reader in your home, I think that the Precious Girls Club series, may be the books I recommend over any other that Cameron has read.

And in a fashion, I love – you can introduce this series to your favorite reader for FREE thanks to A Novel Mind, Mom Select, and the Precious Girls Club.  I have a hardback copy of Operation Kindness for one lucky reader.  BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!  I also have a stuffed puppy from the series, and special codes for the online world of the Precious Girls Club, some bracelets and stickers.  There will be LOTS of winners for this contest.  I also have two copies of the first book, A Little Bit of Faith.

This is how we’ll break up the winners:

• 1 Grand Prize Winner will receive Operation Kindness, the stuffed puppy, as well as bracelets and stickers.  If the Grand Prize Winner does not own the first book, A Little Bit of Faith, they’ll also receive a copy of this book.
• 1 or 2 Runner Up Winners (depending on Grand Prize winner prize) will win the first book, A Little Bit of Faith, bracelets, and stickers.
• The First 60 Entrants will be selected to receive the online code for their little one to have special privileges on the online world of the Precious Girls Club. (will be sent via email)

How to Enter:

Required Entry:
Tell me the little girl in your life’s (that would receive this package) favorite books – or the books you wish she would read!

Bonus Entries:

**To earn these entries you must first complete the REQUIRED ENTRY**
**For each extra entry, you must leave an additional comment**

1. Place my button in your sidebar (Grab it on the right sidebar) or add a text link
2. Subscribe to my feed.  You can still enter if you already subscribe.
3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet this contest out! (you must leave a link to the tweet – already a follower, just tweet and let me know)
4. Add me to your Technorati favorites (leave your username)
5. Blog about this contest (WORTH 3 ENTRIES – LEAVE 3 COMMENTS) linking to this post.
6. Enter any other contest here or at Southern Girl Reviews through the duration of this contest.  You may have an entry for every contest that you enter between now and then.

The Fine Print

• Must be a US Citizen
• Contest ends Sunday, August 9 at Midnight CST.
• You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address.
• All entries will be verified before naming the winner.
• Winner has 72 hours to claim prize and then a new winner will be selected.

Don’t want to wait until the contest ends? You can buy it now for $9.95 at Amazon.

CONTEST ENDED! COMMENTS CLOSED! WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!

The Fairy Godmother Academy

I just found out about a new book series that I’m sure Cameron is going to love and so I wanted to come by and share a preview of this series with you guys.  The series will be called The Fairy Godmother Academy.  The first book will be called Birdie’s Book will be released August 25th, and I’ve already added this to my calendar.  Cameron (well, our family) has had a love for Disney for so long that this transferred over to a love for anything princess or fairy involved.  After looking over the previews of The Fairy Godmother Academy at their developing online social community, I think this will be like the Precious Girls Club, we’ll be anxiously waiting each new book.

And the best news? I’ve just received an email stating that A Novel Mind will receive some giveaway copies for your young readers. How exciting is that?

Want to see more information? Check out this promotional video:

Along Came You

Along Came You written by Karona Drummond and Illustrated by Estelle Corke came in our mail recently to review.  From the time we opened it, Cameron was excited. The pretty pink and glittery cover had Cameron’s attention immediately.  The fact that the little girl on the cover was blonde made it even better.

Karona Drummond is a home-based teacher (with a degree in elementary education) and serves as an instructor for a home school enrichment program.  She writes not only children’s books, but also inspirational poetry for adults.  Another plus that made us excited to read the book? Finding on that Karona is a Texan.  She resides in Denton, Texas. That’s pretty close to my sister and her family.

Along Came You is the story of a mother and daughter. The mother is telling her daughter what life was like before she was born and how she makes it so much better.  Cameron would read a page or two and then ask me, is that true?  Was it like that for you?  She was intrigued.  I actually wanted to cry at moments at how true it was.  We also spent a while talking specifically about our life and how my life was made better.

If you have a small girl, I can’t even begin to tell you what a great book this would make for snuggle moments. It’s that special.

Not only is the story great, but the illustrations just add to it.  Along Came You was illustrated by Estelle Corke, from Bath England.  She’s been drawing since she was 8 years old and did a fabolus job with this book.

To conclude, I would like to share with you this quote from the Drummond, “Before becoming a parent, I wondered what it would be like. A few years into it, I looked back and pondered all the changes they brought to my life, such as a house filled with joyful noise, dancing in the rain and story books read again and again.”

Along Came You is bound to be one of the books that you and your daughter will enjoy reading again and again.

Cameron & The Unicorn

One of the best gifts (and one of the cheapest) that I gave Cameron this year was one of Frecklebox’s personalized books for children. And I feel so excited that I did so. It was an awesome gift that Cameron truly enjoyed. She has carried it around and shown everyone. She is so proud of it. The book is called, “Cameron and the Unicorn,” and it is the story of Cameron meeting a unicorn and spending the day with her. I think this has made such a great gift that I plan to return to Frecklebox and buy future personalized gifts such as personalized coloring books or growth charts for other children in our family and friends.

Not only is Cameron a part of the story (you can see the first page in the slideshow below), but FreckleBox also used her name in so many creative ways throughout the story – in clouds and a rainbow, on a berry bush. I mean really, they chose so many neat ways to include her in the story. The first time she read it, it was so fun to watch her eyes light up and she’d exclaim about seeing her name. Then she’d just rub her finger over each time her name was used in the graphics. It’s amazing. The only thing I was disappointed about (now not when I actually received it) is that it’s soft back, and she loves it so much that it’s looking worn out already. It would be nice to have the same book but in hard back.

Check out the slideshow below to see just a few of the awesome pages in Cameron and the Unicorn.

Secret Keeper Girl

I was so proud to be contacted for the opportunity to read and review The Secret Keeper Girl Series. I had never heard of this series, and in case you haven’t let me first give you a general summary of what is a “Secret Keeper Girl.” According to the Secret Keeper girl website,

A Secret Keeper Girl values modesty, she surrounds herself with wise friends and she embraces Godly beauty. But, the most important thing for you to know is that a Secret Keeper Girl is a masterpiece created by God.

Best-selling author, Dannah Gresh, has developed this series for mom’s and tween daughters to encourage bonding and also give young girls confidence in themselves at a time in their life when they seem to be the most insecure. The goal of this program is for mom’s and daughter’s to talk about the issues (particularly issues surrounding sexual activity) that these girls will face before their friends and the media get to them.

“8 Great Dates for You and Your Daughter” is a book that has a collection of activities for moms and daughters to do to form connections. This is a time when girls are developing their own lives and becoming more independent. If we aren’t careful, we lose that close bond and they begin to turn to others for advice. By scheduling special “dates” for just the two of you, you help to not only sustain but to develop that relationship between mother and daughter so that in times of indecisiveness, your daughter will turn to you for your words of wisdom.

To supplement “8 Great Dates,” Gresh has published four fiction books that feature a group of middle school friends going through problems that our daughters are (or soon will be)facing. The books are meant to be read by both mother and daughter and then discussed so that communication lines are open and subjects that are sometimes hard to broach are now easier. These are the four books that Cameron and I were given to read and review.

Cameron is on the lower end of the recommended ages for the Secret Keeper Girl book series, but she was excited about reading them from the beginning because the covers were bright and cheerful. I laid out the 4 book series and let her pick the order that she wanted to read the books. We started with, Danika’s Totally Terrible Toss. I had glanced at the books and thought they looked on a level that she could follow, but to be sure, we started Danika’s book together. For the most part she read each book to me. We stopped at the end of each chapter, and it was soon obvious to me that while the content was not necessarily what she was going through, she was following the story with ease. After that, we read the books together at times, but if she wanted to read on her own while I was busy, I let her. Our rule was just that she couldn’t read more than a chapter without coming and talking to me about what happened. (I made sure to actually preread the books so that I would know what was going on and could explain anything she wasn’t sure about and ask the “right” questions.)

I was impressed at the topics covered in each book, but also with the care that was put into them. As I mentioned previously, while the characters are in junior high/middle school and Cameron is only in third grade, parts of the stories were situations that really didn’t apply to her life yet, but because the reading level was age appropriate, she was able to follow the stories with ease. I also think that the bright and cheerful colors are great as they are successful in getting young girls’ attention and that is necessary or they aren’t excited from the beginning. Care was also put into the layout of the book pages. Every page has a border, the pages are not black and white but instead the borders and words are colors like blue, green, and pinkish/purple. In addition, there are a few pictures mixed in here and there which I think really help with the younger girls (like Cameron) that are reading the books. Finally I like that the girls (characters) are “different.”

They are not one race or have one color hair. We have different races, an athlete and a studious girl. Some of the girls wear skirts, some wear jeans. Some are in tennis shoes, some in sandals, and some in a dressier shoe. Why does this matter? Our girls try so hard to fit in with their peers that I really thought the choice to make each girl her own individual self is a great message to send to our daughters.

And finally are the issues of the books. Each issue was very relevant to the tween’s life and started some great conversations between myself and Cameron.

• Toni is the athlete, and her story is told in “T” is for Antonia. She’s one of those girls who has grown quickly so she is actually more of an athlete than most of the boys in her class. Toni loves football and wants to play on the school’s team, but she’s not allowed according to school rules. She faces the dilemma of what to do with her ability – does she become “girly,” or does she pretend to be a boy and join the football team? Both of these would require her to change who she is. Ultimately (after detention time with 3 other girls) Toni (thanks to the Secret Keeper Girl Club) embraces who she is and learns that she’s just the way God wanted her to be.
• In “Just Call Me Kate”, we learn about Kate who has found the world of girl/boy relationships and has a crush on Zachary, her older brother’s best friend. Being new at such feelings, she’s not really quite sure how to handle them and makes the mistake of placing graffiti on the bathroom wall proclaiming her adoration. Unfortunately for her, the principal recognizes her handwriting and sends Kate to detention. Lucky for her Toni, Yuzi, and Danika are there and with their help, she figures out that she needs to control her feelings (and The Secret Keeper Girl Club is formed).
• “Yuzi’s False Alarm” tells the story of Yuzi. She is the new student. (This hit close to home as Cameron was the new student last year). Yuzi has a hard time as she’s not only the new student – she’s always the new student. Being new combined with her having an “odd” last name makes her move to Rutherford B. Hayes Middle School. In fact, she quickly ends up in trouble and is sent to detention. There she meets Toni, Danika, and Kate and with the help of her three new friends, she begins to be herself and be accepted at her school.
• Danika was the first girl we met in the Secret Keeper Girl Club when we read “Danika’s Totally Terrible Toss.” She is the “popular girl.” She seems to have everything – the money to buy things and all the friends she wants. But then she has a bad day and everything that can go wrong does. In fact, things go from bad to worse and then she ends up in trouble. Then she has the chance to bond with Toni, Kate, and Yuzi and she learns that there just might be more than life than material things. Through this knowledge, Danika actually learns who she is and who she wants to be.

I think that I’ll be sure to keep these books and read them again as Cameron goes into 5th grade (that’s when our students move to “middle school”).

So what did Cameron think? First, I think I should point out that the first thing she wanted to know was when the “next” book would be out. She wanted to read more about these four girls. Second, she commented that she wanted the books to be numbered because she didn’t know which one to read first. Now I recognize that this didn’t really matter, but in her mind, books that go together are numbered. Finally, I asked her which book was her favorite, and she replied that she liked “T” is for Antonia the best. Cameron also enjoys sports so I think that is why this one really appealed to her.

If you have young girls in their tweens or girls quickly approaching those tween years, I think you’ll find the concepts behind Dannah Greshs’s Secret Keeper Girl Series amazing and your daughter will enjoy reading them.

There’s more to the Secret Keeper Girls than books too. There’s a great interactive website that has information for moms and daughters at www.secretkeepergirl.com as well as something I’m really looking forward to – the Secret Keeper Girl Tour. The tour will premier in Nashville and then travel to 60 cities nationwide (you can find locations and more details at the website). While it doesn’t look like they will be really close to me, there are a few within 2 to 3 hours of us and I’m hoping we’ll be able to attend.

The Secret Mountain Books

Our latest Team Mom product to evaluate was a super hit in this house – Secret Mountain Books. I had never heard of these before but was immediately impressed with the illustrations. I was in love from the beginning. Thanks to Team Mom we received:

• Dream Songs Night Songs
• A Duck in New York City from Belgium to Brazil
• Down at the Sea Hotel

These books were sitting on the dining room table waiting my further evaulation when Cameron found them and I no longer was allowed to touch them. She immediately claimed these books as her own and went and curled up in her room and started reading them. It wasn’t long before she came back and wanted to know about the CD in the back of the book. We opened them up and she fell in love with the songs on each CD.

I was so impressed with these books that last week during National Teen Readers Week, I sent some of my teenage students to the elementary school to read these books and share the CDs with some of the young students. They all came back talking about how much the kids enjoyed them. In fact, I have decided to donate them to our elementary library since they were loved so much.