All Things Furry and Feathered Week

To kick off, "All Things Furry and Feathered" week, I have my review of, Bones of the Tiger.

Check it out!

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Bones of the Tiger
by Hemanta Mishra

2010 is the Year of the Tiger. The next one is 2022. Will there be any tigers left to celebrate?

These majestic beasts once roamed in numbers up to 100,000 in 1939. Today, there are a mere 3,000 left in the wild and this number is declining. Poaching and habitat destruction are the main cause of this animals demise. Efforts must be put in place in order to stop the tiger from complete extinction.

Bones of the Tiger – Protecting the Man-Eaters of Nepal, depicts one mans efforts to save the tiger from disappearing from earth forever. Hemanta Mishra is this man and the author of this thought provoking and sometimes disturbing book. Mishra covers the plight of the tiger; poaching for the sale of its parts, and how tigers can turn into man-eaters, and discusses viable protection efforts that need to be executed.

Bones of the Tiger was a real eye-opener for me. I didn’t realize that these wonderful cats were so endangered, with a real (and terrifying) chance of disappearing forever. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves nature and wants to help preserve it.

I’m not the only one who loved this book. Check out what Jane Goodall said:

“For anyone concerned about the plight of the tiger, the most magnificent of the big cats, this book is a must.”
Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace

Bones of the Tiger is available on Amazon.com or check out your local book retailers.

About the Author:

Hemanta Mishra, a well-respected biologist and conservationist, began his field career in 1967 with the Nepalese government and has worked with the Smithsonian Institution, the World Wildlife Fund, and the World Bank. He was awarded the J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize and is credited with halting the extinction of the rhino and tiger populations in Nepal by merging Eastern philosophy with Western science. Mishra has been called a "gutsy, committed man and a charming writer" by National Geographic

Shiva's Arms - Review

Imagination-Cafe Blog is part of the Shiva's Arms Blog Tour. Here is my review of Cheryl Snell's awesome book, Shiva's Arms. Be sure to stop by again tomorrow for my interview with Ms. Snell and she will also be available to answer your questions.

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Shiva's Arms - Review

When two cultures clash, both vying for the love of one man, the consequences will be explosive.

It’s a story of boy meets girl…

Alice, a pale, head-strong hippie who loves to paint meets Ramesh, an intelligent Indian with not-so-traditional values. They fall instantly in love. The only problem is, Alice is not the “chosen” bride.

Meet Amma, mother of Ramesh, whose deep devotion to all things Hindu instantly dislikes Ramesh’s bride…

…“Shame! This is your fault only,” Amma yelled, shaking her fists. “You godless girl, you have weakened my family, my son’s caste lost because of you!...” { excerpt from Shiva’s Arms.}

Will tradition win out over love? Will Amma ever accept Alice as part of her family? Read this poignant and fascinating tale of two cultures, ‘Shiva’s Arms’ by Cheryl Snell.

I couldn’t put this book down. Snell did a wonderful job weaving the Hindu language and culture into this tale of love. In addition, the author adds the recipes to all of the delicious dishes that are found throughout this novel.

Shiva’s Arms is a must read and is available on Amazon.com or check out the blog at;
http://shivasarms.blogspot.com/

Three Ways to Make Reading Fun

Kid-Lit Week kicks off with a great article and tips by Kelly Wilson of the Teaching Resource Center. Check it out.

With the absence of a routine that the school year provides, summer can seem chaotic. It can also be a prime time for important reading skills to slip.

However, reading doesn’t have to be a chore – it can be fun! Here are a three easy ways to help your kids enjoy summer reading.

Read Together

Reading is a great way to connect with kids. Take around 15 minutes each day to sit down and spend some time in a story or book with a young reader. Use this time to monitor what your kids are reading, asking questions about what’s happening in a particular story and if they agree with choices the main characters are making. This is a simple way to encourage kids to take a deeper interest in a story and relate with it personally. Your kids will soon look forward to this time each day, developing their connections both with you and the reading process.

Celebrate!

There are several Summer Reading Rewards Programs to help support your kids, through your local library, book stores or restaurants. These can be found through an Internet search. Have your children choose their favorite programs and talk about the reading requirements and the rewards offered. Download and print the appropriate forms, and hang them within easy reach. Each day, your kids can mark what they read, getting closer to their Reading Rewards.
If you want to make your own system of challenge and rewards, use this reproducible Bookmark and Reading Log and this Summer Reading Calendar. Make a goal for each day, week and/or month to meet - such as reading minutes or total number of books to read - and decide what the rewards will be when your kids meet the goal. If you want kids to put in a little more effort into Summer Reading, here is a great Book Box activity, along with a printable Book Report form for kids to use.

A Reading Bingo Game

Bingo is a great game regardless of the subject. To make your summer activities a little more book-oriented, print out this Reading Bingo Board. Each square on the Bingo Board has a genre or activity suggestion related to reading. Print one out for each of your kids and make summer reading a fun adventure!

Kelly Wilson writes for Teaching Resource Center in a regular column called “Kelly’s Corner.” Teaching Resource Center offers classroom teaching tools and resources designed to help K-3 students who are learning to read.

Carol Casey's Dear Baby Books

The “Dear Baby Book” series are charming, unique and a must have for your child’s book collection. I love the “yearbook feature” that each Dear Baby book comes with. This section is designed for the autographs of family and friends who read the book to your child; a precious keepsake, especially when older loved ones pass on.

I caught up with Carol Casey, author of these wonderful books. Here’s what she had to say;

Tell us a bit about your self
I have two kids and live in the Atlanta area with my husband. I love to write, dance, cook, and play tennis. I love being with my family. We have so much fun together!

When did you first start to write?
I've been a writer most of my adult life. I started out as a news writer, reporter, and editor in Chicago.

How many books do you have published?
Three

Tell us a bit about your books - where do you get the ideas?
The first book was created because I couldn't find a book that put into words just how smitten we all were with our first grandchild Ava, who was one year old. It's amazing to me how early children show their personalities, and their sense of fairness and kindness. So I wrote Dear Baby, What I love about you! and hired an illustrator. Before going to print I started showing it to a few libraries and bookstore managers to get feedback. I got a very positive reaction so my husband and I formed a boutique publishing company and Dear Baby Books was born just a little over a year ago. There are 12 books in the series, and as for where I get my ideas, it really varies.

Dear Baby, Let's Dance! embodies the warm family dynamic I grew up with and tried to create for our own children. My mom and dad have been married for over 60 years and are still very romantically in love. One Christmas Eve, when everyone had to show a "talent" to get a gift from Santa, they did a tango. That was the starting point for me in writing that book. Dear Baby, It's a Colorful World started with a request from my daughter-in-law to write a book about learning colors. While googling around one day I found an article on how families inadvertently send wrong messages about diversity by saying things like "We don't talk about that because it doesn't matter." A good intention but it leaves the child feeling like something is wrong. It gave me the idea to write a book combining learning about colors with learning to celebrate "the colors of ME." Jason Oransky, our illustrator, really knocked it out of the park on the pictures.

Is it difficult juggling family and career? Any tips on doing that?
Ha! As I am writing this, I am babysitting 3 year-old Ava who is trying to climb on my lap to play "Choo Choo Train" on the computer. One week when our son and daughter were out of state on a vacation I got a real taste of what it would be like to try and work fulltime with a child at home. It's hard! My hat is off to Moms who do it EVERY week. Actually, my hat is off to stay-at-home Moms too. It takes a lot of patience, planning, and loving discipline. What works best for me is to carve out times when I am fully present and in the moment for both work and for play with Ava. Otherwise, the day passes and I don't feel...oh my gosh. Ava is back in the office waving my magic wand I use for book signings. How can I resist those shining eyes and that impish smile? Forget what I just said. I'm stopping for some snuggles.

Any tips to other writers on marketing their work?
Yes. Make sure you are marketing what your book DOES and not what it is. How is it adding value to the person who purchases the book? A resource that has been very helpful is the IBPA, the Independent Book Publishers Association – http://www.ibpa-online.org/.

There is a conference in New York later this month. If it is in your budget, attend. It will open your eyes to the business side of books and it is a great place to network and find a distributor, etc. At the very least, join it. You won't be sorry!

Anything else you'd like to add?
Yes. If you are an aspiring writer...WRITE! The story always looks better in your head. Just write it down and do the hard work of re-writes to make it live up to the story you imagined. Again, get some industry education. Start reading Publishers Weekly. Join the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) http://www.scbwi.org/. It was electric for me when I attended the national summer conference a few years ago. There are other organizations for adult fiction and non-fiction writers.

Check out Carol’s web site at; http://www.dearbabybooks.com/

Have a question about Carol's books or writing? Leave your question in this blog spot and I'll pass them along to Carol - be sure to check back for the answers :)