Zephyr Hill

A Family Blog

AMP Kids: Books for Learning & Pleasure

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It’s nice to take a break sometimes from dull textbooks and workpages, and have some fun with books. AMP Kids provides loads of options for children who are looking for something fun and enriching this winter. From activity books to full-length novels, there are titles for every age and stage. Some of their materials can even be used to supplement your homeschool program.

AMP Kids (a division of Andrews McNeel Publishing) sent an assortment of books for our children to enjoy. When you’re stuck indoors because of dreary weather and a round of Influenza B, a new box of books is a welcome sight!

The Snoopy board book collection includes Numbers, Colors, Shapes and Words, and is ideal for the preschool child. You can use them to teach or reinforce basic skills. My 3-year-old is very proud of how she can point out almost all the colors in her book now.

Trucks is another sturdy board book but with holographic pictures that go into action when your toddler moves the book, giving it a really neat twist. There’s not really a plot here, just colorful pictures and visual surprises, meaning that the younger set (2 or 3 years old) are a good target audience.

You can take a look at other AMP Kids titles for early readers here.

For banishing winter doldrums and stimulating foggy brains, Big Book of Mazes and Big Book of Brain Games fill the bill. For $8.99 you get 144 pages of puzzles and activities for hours of diversion. Independent readers in grades 3 and up can work through the usual favorites like crosswords, sodoku and scrambles, plus new and unusual puzzles like Egg Timers (where you add or subtract a letter each time to fill in the clues) and Splitz. I admit to having a lot of fun with these books myself!

 

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Celebrate Christmas with Zonderkidz Storybooks

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Zondervan is well-loved name in the Christian publishing world, and through their Zonderkidz division they seek to inspire faith and a love of reading in young children.

Zonderkidz shared a beautiful assortment of their newest Christmas books with us, and it’s my pleasure to pass along to you some of our favorites, in case you are still looking for gift ideas or just want to add to your family library.

Two books that really stand out from the crowd are ‘T’was the Evening of Christmas and A Savior is Born. Illustrated with lush watercolors and embellished with an embossed gold foil cover, ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas (2017, hardback, by Glenys Nellist and Elena Selivanova) reinvents the classic poem (‘Twas the Night Before Christmas) to focus on the infant Christ.

I bet your children have brought you rocks of unusual shapes and sizes from outside before. Just like clouds, rocks can suggest a person or thing by their unique shape or color. That’s the idea behind A Savior is Born (2018, hardback, by Patti Rokus), which relates the traditional Nativity story using rocks to bring the people and animals to life.

A book’s illustrations are so important, and it seems to be a lost art in much of the children’s publishing world. Not so with books like Mouse’s Christmas Gift (2018, hardback, by Mindy Baker and Dow Phumiruk). It’s got everything you’d want in a Christmas tale: cozy pictures, an engaging plot, plus an inspiring spiritual message for children. Mouse’s act of love and faith helps the parson out when he becomes ill at Christmas and seeks to inspire little ones to acts of charity for those in need.

If you’re a fan of Mary Engelbreit’s delightful artwork, A Night of Great Joy (2016, hardback) will be a treat for you and your children. It’s the traditional nativity story told through the eyes of little children in a Christmas pageant.

See how wonderful and cozy the artwork is?

As I read Night of Great Joy to my children, it took me back to childhood, when every year my classmates and I would excitedly don our costumes and reenact the greatest story every told for our parents and friends. Engelbreit’s heartwarming images perfectly capture the way that little children become immersed in their performances.

For an extra special present this year, Zonderkidz also publishes gift edition story bibles. The Jesus Storybook Bible and The Beginner’s Bible are durable hardbacks with gold foil accents on the covers, and they present the word of God in story format with full-color illustrations. The only thing I would change about The Beginner’s Bible would be the pictures; they are very cartoonish, and for serious works like the bible, I prefer traditional and more realistic artwork. Surprisingly, I find that children do as well, even the young ones.

Berenstain Bears lovers rejoice, because Zonderkidz released a brand new title this October called The Berenstain Bears Go Christmas Caroling (2019, paperback, by Mike Berenstain). At just $4.99, it includes 4 free Christmas postcards and a door hanger! Join the Bear Family as they go door-to-door singing Christmas favorites like Good King Wenceslas and Jingle Bells. I love that Mike Berenstain (son of the original creators) hand-draws his artwork and carries on the traditional look and feel of the Bear Country series.

And there’s still more! Check out these new Zonderkidz Christmas books:

  • A Very Fiona Christmas
  • A Christmas Gift for Santa
  • Merry Christmas, Nighty Night
  • Christmas Cookie Day
  • My Christmas Story Tree board book

For more gift ideas from Zonderkidz check out their 2019 Christmas guide!

And be sure to say “hi” on Facebook and Instagram.

Merry Christmas!

 

Candlewick Press Children’s Book Review & Giveaway

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Just in time for Christmas gift-giving, Candlewick Press has released some new children’s titles featuring favorite characters. We received an assortment of books from Candlewick to review and share with you.

There’s also a giveaway for you to enter at the end of this post!

Two-year-old Mary Kate has had loads of fun with her Frankie’s Food Truck book (2019, 12 pages, Educational Insights with illustrations by Lucia Gaggiotti.  This lift-the-flap board book is full of tasty foods that young children will love to reveal and name. Frankie is an adorable orange tabby, and every day of the week he serves up different treats by shape out of his food truck. Pizza is a triangle, tomatoes are circles and so on. It’s educational and fun and very cute.

In August, Candlewick released a new tale in the Peppa Pig series: Peppa Pig and the Christmas Play (2019, 32 pages). Suitable for reading aloud to ages 2 to 6, it’s a story about Peppa and her class getting ready for a Christmas play that they hope Santa himself will attend. Wendy Wolf is an elf, and Peppa is the Christmas fairy; Suzy Sheep opts to be Christmas nurse, in case someone in the cast gets sick! But the biggest question is, while good St. Nick arrive in time for the show?

Candlewick’s three new Gigantosaurus books, based on the TV series, were a really big hit with my boys. If you need an “introduction” to the characters like we did, start with the hardback Story of Gigantosaurus (2019, 32 pages) which relates the wild adventures of Mazu, Rocky, Bill and Tiny. Great for reading independently or out loud, it’s got vivid, exciting illustrations and even a few laughs.

Next up in the series are two paperback stories, The Lost Egg (2019, 34 pages) and Don’t Cave In (2019, 34 pages). This time around, the four friends are puzzled by a mysterious egg discovery. Not only does Gigantosaurus come barging into this tale, but there’s quite a surprise from the little lost egg! Don’t Cave In delivers a lighthearted scare when Rocky, Tiny, Mazu and Bill are forced to take refuge in a cave inhabited by the fearsome (so they think) Shriekosaurus. You and your children will enjoy unlocking the secrets of the dark cave.

If your young reader is a fan of Peg + Cat, there’s a new Level 1 title called Up a Tree (2019, 32 pages, by Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson). We all know that cats are fond of getting stranded in trees, but what happens when the roles are reversed? No worries because Cat is on the ground and ready to help his friend! It’s a cute little story and appropriately crafted for new readers, although we found the illustrations to be on the bland and repetitive side. 

Christmas Shopping at Candlewick is Easy!

One of the best and longest-lasting gifts you can give at Christmas is a book.
To make that easier, Candlewick Press just announced their Friends & Family offer.
⁠Use promo code CANDLEWICK at checkout to get 25% off and FREE shipping

Offers expires 12/31/19

Giveaway: Candlewick Press is giving away the same 6 books that I reviewed today to one lucky winner! Open to US and Canadian residents. Prize will be fulfilled by Candlewick Press and ship in January, due to the holiday rush.

Use the entry form below, and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mastering Modern Calligraphy (Book Review)

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Mastering Modern Calligraphy contains a wealth of inspiration for anyone aspiring to master the neglected art of beautiful handwriting! This newly published book by Molly Suber Thorpe contains elegant sample alphabets, stroke drills, and grid guides of various sizes for practice.

It’s subtitled Beyond the Basics: 2,700+ Pointed Pen Exemplars and Exercises for Developing Your Style and is targeted towards those who have some basic calligraphy skills or knowledge already.

I shared my review copy with my mother, Susan. Her verdict? “Having taught calligraphy for forty years, I can heartily recommend Molly’s book as an ideal teaching aid!”

My mother dashed off a whimsical version of the “Chubby Bunny” alphabet, rendering my blog name: Zephyr Hill. She finished the design with a dash of coloring using waterproof markers.

Catherine, my teenage daughter, practiced variations of the “Modern Basic Alphabet” on page 65. If you are starting at square one when it comes to calligraphy, I would suggest Modern Calligraphy: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started, also by Molly Suber Thorpe.

I truly believe there is a place for both traditional and modern forms. Thorpe’s new guide encourages freer expression and will inspire you to have fun with a time-honored art form!

Calligraphy has enjoyable and practical benefits. I love the special sections included for flourishes, borders and addressing envelopes. Use these tricks of the trade to elevate your personal greetings and formal correspondence to an impressive level.

About the Author

Molly Suber Thorpe has been heralded as a driving force behind today’s modern calligraphy movement. She has taught pointed pen calligraphy for many years, giving her special insight into the learning tools beginner, intermediate, and professional modern calligraphers really want, and which ones are particularly hard to find. Her work and words have appeared in prestigious publications, including The Wall Street Journal, LA Times, The Guardian and UPPERCASE. Molly is also the author of two bestselling calligraphy books.

Mastering Modern Calligraphy is 240 pages long, with sturdy spiral binding, and measures 8.5 by 9.5. Published by St. Martin’s Press on October 8, 2019.

Order Your Copy of Mastering Modern Calligraphy
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You can find Molly Suber Thorpe and her work at:
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TAN Books: Daily Planner and Homeschool Planner

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Busy families appreciate tools that can multi-task. This is certainly true about what we’ve come to expect from planners and calendars. And TAN Books are definitely up to the task.

TAN’s unique and beautifully designed planners are an ideal way to remind us, as we are scheduling activities and appointments, who’s ultimately in charge of our future. To use King’s Solomon’s words: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.” (Proverbs 19:21) 🙂

2019 Saints Calendar & 16 Month Planner

I anticipate the publication of this book every fall because it’s so much more than just a calendar or planner. In a compact, spiral bound format, TAN packs in all of these features:

  • Monthly and weekly calendars/planners for September 2019 to December 2020
  • 2020 Year at a Glance
  • A list of the 36 Doctors of the Church and 14 Holy Helpers
  • Holy days and holidays in 2019, 2020 and 2021
  • Saint resources: list of patrons, saints’ days and feasts, Saturdays of Our Lady
  • Saint quotations throughout
  • Saint biographies throughout
  • Catholic ID cards and pocket calendars
  • Extra note pages

I dislike pulling out my phone to answer questions like “whose feastday is it?” and “who is the patron saint of midwives?”  (The answer to that second question is Saint Raymond Nonnatus – his nickname in Latin means not born because he arrived by c-section due to the death of his mother). It’s a pleasure to find these things out by flipping through the TAN Saints Calendar.

Each year, the cover image gets a refresh; featured for 2020 is The Temptation of Thomas Aquinas by Velazquez.

The meat of this planner, and what you’ll be using most often, is the calendar section with both monthly and weekly views. There’s ample room in both views for appointments, assignments and notes.

And now for my favorite part: the weekly view. I not only have lots of space for scheduling, but I can see the saint for each day (both new and traditional) and read a brief but inspiring saint bio. There are also symbols throughout to mark obligatory fasts and/or abstinence (see circled fish).

Besides functioning as a regular daily planner, you could also use the Saints Calendar as an academic planner for one person.

2020 Homeschooling Lesson Planner

There are a lot of planners out there for homeschooling mothers, but they fail to address two very common problems in the daily grind: burnout and discouragement. Written goals are great, but what happens when you get behind or hit a roadblock? The brunt of homeschooling tends to fall on the mother. Whether it’s a steaming cup of coffee and a devotional book early in the morning, or daily words of encouragement, being recharged and refreshed are crucial.

A recent addition to the TAN lineup, this lovely homeschooling planner is designed with the busy Catholic mother in mind. Author Amanda Evinger teaches four children in a “little house on the prairie” in rural North Dakota, and her book manages to find a happy balance between organization and inspiration. The meaty spiritual quotes combined with sage observations from the author (“The only person we need to impress is God”) are well curated for those in the homeschooling trenches. And the planner pages themselves have practical features like large, lined boxes to write in, and extra lines for notes and prayers intentions.

Looking at the sample pages gives you an idea of how much room you have to work with in the weekly agenda. Five subjects are listed along the left side (English, Religion, History, Science and Math) and there’s room to fill in two more of your choice. I would estimate that you could squeeze in lesson plans for 2 or perhaps 3 children, which translates to a real money-saver.

My older homeschoolers have their own planners, and this helps foster self-reliance, so I think TAN’s planner is ideal for the mother of elementary students.

There are other bonus features like “Looking Ahead” and “Yearly Progress,” that allow you to track goals and make plans for the next year or school term.

The planner runs from July 2019 to July 2020 and is sturdily constructed with double wire binding. There’s a delicate pink floral watercolor motif throughout. Any room for improvement? With daily use, I would suggest a poly cover rather than the current cardstock. Also, the gray print within the planner could use some darkening. It’s not difficult to see, but it doesn’t really stand out.

Here’s Susanna (my 2nd grader) to give some perspective on the size of each planner:

Shop TAN Books
with $5 flat rate shipping

Saints Calendar & 16 Month Planner $16.95
Homeschooling Lesson Planner: $19.95

If you into digital planners, and would rather schedule your school year using a program, I highly recommend Homeschool Tracker! We’ve used it for many years – it keeps track of school days, lesson plans, grades and more!