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Fun Morning With the Birds of Rio

Posted on April 14, 2011 8:41 am by TheAngelForever

Mommy time with my little guy is something that I cherish while he is still in nursery school only a few days a week. On Monday morning, JSL and I went to a special screening of the movie Rio. The movie will be in theaters nationwide tomorrow, so we were very lucky to have the chance to see this early. Just before leaving, I showed my little guy a trailer of the movie and he jumped up and was ready to leave. As a person that grew up with pet birds, I was excited to see my feathered friends depicted on the big screen.

When we arrived at the theater, we found out that it was going to be the 3D version.

I was a bit worried about this. You see, JSL is not a fan of 3D films. Thanks to items at Walt Disney World, we learned this the hard way. On our last visit, JSL went into 3D venues and watched without his glasses on. Rio was my first movie experience in 3D since it has come back on the scene in theaters. I was excited, but nervous about JSL’s reaction.

Warning to parents: If your child is not a fan of 3D films, beware of the Ice Age short that plays before the movie. This scared JSL and I was afraid that we were going to have to leave. Much to my surprise, the short utilized 3D tricks with things jumping out and a lot of loud crashing/banging noises. Thanks to this, JSL refused to put the glasses back on for Rio and watched it sans 3D. This made me sad because the movie experience in 3D was gorgeous and really made you feel like you were in the rain forest of Brazil with the menagerie.

More about Rio:

Here is one of the trailers of the movie so you can get get a feel for what it is about.

What we thought:

Even if JSL watched the movie without his 3D glasses, he never moved a muscle. The story line, characters, and music kept him watching from the moment it started. I caught him dancing in his seat a few times (as I begged him to try his glasses again). After the movie, he told me that he wants to go and see it again with Nana, Papa, NHL and TechyDad. I have a feeling this wish will likely be granted soon.

I love, love, loved Rio! Yes, I laughed out loud, caught myself dancing in my chair, and already plan on buying the DVD. Rio is a lively, fun film, that appeals for all ages. Unlike some other movies targeted for kids, I do not think any of the scenes are that scary. Yes, there are dramatic parts – but it is set up in such a way that younger children will not really get what is happening to our new bird friends.

The music and voices of the actors in the roles were perfect. George Lopez made Rafael pop on the scene. His timing and sense of humor were just right for this important Tucan. Although I really adored all of the characters, I found myself strangely fixed on Nigel the cockatoo. The unlikely villain of the film reminded me a lot of my parent’s cockatoo Whiskers.

Nana and Papa already had bought the boys Rio stories and coloring books. I do believe that I will be adding the soundtrack since it was so much fun. I especially laughed at Nigel’s song Pretty Bird.

Do you plan on seeing Rio? What are you looking forward to most about the movie?

Disclosure: I received complementary passes for two to see the pre-screening of Rio from the PR agency releasing the movie. No other compensation was given and no review expected. All opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine.

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fun jsl Movies photos Product review

Tuesday Tales – Afikomen Mambo

Posted on April 5, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Imagine dancing around your Passover Seder and singing the Afikomen Mambo with your children as you search high and low.

Thanks to Kar-Ben Publishing, I recently received a copy of the book and CD Afikomen Mambo by Rabbi Joe Black. In a few short weeks, we will be celebrating Passover with extended family and look forward to bringing this book along to our seder. I think the boys will have a blast singing and reenacting the scenes from the book.

More about Afikomen Mambo:

You can put it in your pocket

Put it under the TV

But you can’t hide the afikomen from me!

Popular children’s songster Rabbi Joe Black returns with a catchy rhyme to enliven the afikomen hunt at your seder. Afikomen Mambo, a story-and-song combo for the holiday of Passover, makes a greast “afikomen finding” present and can entertain kids both at the family seder and leading up to the holiday. Includes a CD.

Joe Black is a Congregational Rabbi, a singer, songwriter and guitarist whose music for children is celebrated and sung in Jewish communities throughout the United States, Canada, and Israel. Rabbi Black’s recordings have received accolades from The New York Times, Hadassah Magazine, and The American Library Journal. He has shared his music with hundreds of communities. His previous children’s book was Boker Tov! He lives in Denver with his wife and two children.

Afikomen Mambo – Written by Rabbi Joe Black– Illustrated by Linda Prater– Kar-Ben Publishing – Spring 2011 – ISBN 978-0-7613-5639-4 – $8.95 (paperback) – Ages 1-4 (PreK)

What I Thought:

Over the years, we have collected a number of Passover books for our kids. Afikomen Mambo is not like any of the others that we have. Rather than tell the story of Passover and guide us through the seder, it focuses the importance of the afikomen. The reality is that if we do not have the afikomen, the seder can not be finished

Rabbi Joe Black does a great job for the preschool set. He incorporates just enough key terms from the seder with karpas, charoset, four questions, and other items in a fun rhyming way to keep the beat of the song going. When you listen to the CD, you can imagine a room full of kids dancing around searching for the afikomen during a mock seder. I can not wait to bring this to my son’s preschool to let them dance around to while learning about Passover.

If you are looking for a light hearted book about Passover for younger children, this is a great book for you. Rabbi Joe Black’s singing and fun mambo beat will keep your family dancing while you search for your afikomen.

What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your Book Posts, and/or leave a comment below. Include something you read on your own, with a child or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Kar-Ben Publishing in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. One widget within the review is for my Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.

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books holidays photos Product review Tuesday Tales

Tuesday Tales – Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors

Posted on March 29, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

They often tell you not to judge a book by its cover. Please toss that suggestion out the window for a minute and think about the possibilities when you check this out:

Yes, this bright, color, and cute book by Lisa McCue was recently sent to me from Sterling Children’s Books to read and review with my family. It arrived the night before we left for Disney World, so I tucked it away to share once we got home. I noted to TechyDad that the cover made me think about the beautiful gardens that we would soon be seeing at the Epcot Flower and Garden Show.

This week, I plan on sharing Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors with my boys. Of course, I could not wait, and had to read it the other day.

More about Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors:

From the Press Release:

Quiet Bunny loves the bright colors of spring: the yellow ducks, green frogs, and blue jays-everything but his own brown, wintry white fur. However, each attempt to change the color of his coat results in unintentionally humorous mishaps. Covering himself in yellow honey and dandelions makes the poor bunny sneeze. The thick red mud he coats himself in hardens under the warm sun, and Quiet Bunny can no longer hop. It takes the help of a wise old own for Quiet Bunny to realize that it’s the rainbow of colors – including his own – that make the world beautiful

Lisa McCue has illustrated more than 150 children’s books, and was chosen to rework the classic Corduroy titles and Margaret Wise Brown’s picture books. Her beautifulls detailed art has frequently been selected for exhibition by the Society of Illustrators. She began her professional career illustrating books even before graduating from the University of Massachusetts over twenty years ago. Lisa finds inspiration for her wonderful illustrations in everyday life, whether it’s the neighborhood pets or the view from her window which overlooks the Chesapeake Bay, where she enjoys creating charming characters and beautiful natural settings to enliven stories for children. Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors is the second book she has both written and illustrated. Lisa currently lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with her husband and two sons.

Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors – Written and Illustrated by Lisa McCue – Sterling Children’s Books– March 2011 – ISBN 978-1-4027-7209-2 – $14.95 (hardcover) – Ages 4-6

What I Thought:

As soon as you open the pages of Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors, you are welcomed into the wonderfully colorful world of Quiet Bunny. The hues on each page tell their own story and help the reader to become a part of the main characters environment. Highlighting a yellow, green, blue, and red on each page will allow children to think about other items in nature or their life that could have been included. Younger children will also like to practice the sounds that are made as Quiet Bunny goes on his quest to become more colorful.

The life lesson told by McCue is huge. Older children will quickly understand the life lesson that Quiet Bunny learns along his way thanks to the wise owl. Accepting yourself, embracing the rainbow of others around you, and seeing the beauty in differences is a huge item for children to understand. This would make a nice addition to a character building curriculum, or lesson on building self esteem and self confidence in middle elementary aged children.

From the minute I looked at the inside of the book, I knew I recognized Lisa McCue’s illustrations. She was the brilliant artist behind the illustrations in Tuesday Tales – Little Chimp’s Big Day. Then I read about the inspiration of the Quiet Bunny books. Lisa McCue wrote them because of her own struggles with a speech impediment. Her original story Quiet Bunny is about the adorable bunny’s search for his own way to stand out in a forest filled with everyone else’s sounds. McCue worked with a Speech Language Pathologist to utilize the interactive story to help children with their early development sounds. I know these will be a great addition with my own little guy who receives Speech Therapy.

I would highly recommend this book to others and can not wait to read Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors with my children.

Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sterling Children’s Books in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. One widget within the review is for my Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.

Categories:
books photos Product review Tuesday Tales

Tuesday Tales – The Queen Who Saved Her People

Posted on March 15, 2011 11:14 am by TheAngelForever

Do you know what the following items have in common?

Costumes
King Ahashuerus
Hamantaschen
Queen Ester
Megillah
Groggers
Mordechai
Haman
Adar

Each of the words above is related in one way or another to the Jewish holiday of Purim. On the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar, Jewish people all over the world will celebrate the story of Queen Esther. Celebrations will include carnivals, dressing up in costumes, eating hamantaschen, and reading the Megillah. During the reading of the Megillah, we are told to be loud, and make a lot of noise with graggers each time we hear Haman’s name uttered. The celebration is fun and really gets the community involved. More about Purim will be on my blog this coming Sunday, so please be sure to stop by.

The boys adore going to shul to celebrate Purim. They love to dress up, make noise, and learn more about the holidays. Thanks to books, we are able to read more about Purim and begin the celebration before the reading of the Megillah. Recently, Kar-Ben sent me a copy of their new book The Queen Who Saved Her People to read and review with my family.

More about The Queen Who Saved Her People:

From Press Release

Perfect for presenting as a Purim shpiel at any Purim party, The Queen Who Saved Her People is a new adaptation of the well known Purim story. And it’s never been more fun than this! This irreverently-illustrated rhyming tale is a wonderful read-aloud book, and its color-coded dialogue is perfect for Readers Theater performances.

The book can be read as a regular story or acted out with an ensemble of voices and actors, telling the rollicking story of Purim. The book is available in affordable paperback so it’s easy to buy enough copies for each child or grownup in the play. By the author/illustrator team of Tilda Balsley and Ilene Richard, creators of the popular Let My People Go!

The Queen Who Saved Her People – Written by Tilda Balsley – Illustrated by Ilene Rochard – Kar-Ben Publishing – Spring 2011 – ISBN 978-0-7613-5093-4 – $7.95 (paperback) – Ages 4-8

What We Thought:

The boys always enjoy reading books about Purim. At 7, NHL knows the general story and liked the idea of using the book for a play. He enjoyed pointing out the people within the illustrations and telling me additional items that he knows about the story of Purim. He was able to add more details about Queen Esther and the bad deeds that Haman had planned to do to the people.

JSL is almost 4 and the book had a little too much information to keep his interest. To keep him involved, I had JSL practice making noise each time he heard Haman’s name during the story. He was able to follow the characters moving in the story thanks to the bright and colorful depictions.

Here is a look inside the book:

As a teacher, I love the idea of Readers Theater. I could see this book being used in a Hebrew School classroom as enrichment, or for a performance in front of others. I would definitely recommend this book for older children, those in elementary school who are able to read and have more fun with this.

Categories:
books holidays Product review Tuesday Tales

Tuesday Tales – Friendship Bread

Posted on March 8, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Have you ever had a book that takes you back to your childhood and makes you crave something? That would be exactly what happened as I read the book Friendship Bread by Darien Gee that will be in stores April 5. Darien Gee, also known as author Mia King, started to think up this story when her eight-year-old daughter brought home a bag of batter to make friendship bread.

The novel centers around characters that meet thanks to the mysterious appearance of Amish Friendship Bread starter in the small town of Avalon, Illinois. The book is filled with the stories of several strong women that form a unique friendship around this baking craze. It is also packed with a lot of different friendship bread recipes.

What is Amish Friendship Bread?

It is a cakelike bread that begins with a yeast-based starter batter. When you receive a cup of the starter, you have to follow directions for 10 days and then divide the batter to share with others, and bake some bread for your own family. I remember making friendship bread and trying different variations when we received some starter from a member of my Girl Scout troop. This baking phenomenon has been going on for many years now, and seems to be making a comeback thanks to Darien Gee’s new book. There is even a Friendship Bread Kitchen web site that has the history of Amish Friendship Bread, hundreds of recipes, and other goodies related to this unique batter.

More about Friendship Bread by Darien Gee:

The following is from Darien Gee’s Friendship Kitchen book description page:

An anonymous gift sends a woman on a journey she never could have anticipated.

One afternoon, Julia Evarts and her five-year-old daughter, Gracie, arrive home to find an unexpected gift on the front porch: a homemade loaf of Amish Friendship Bread and a simple note: I hope you enjoy it. Also included are a bag of starter, instructions on how to make the bread herself, and a request to share it with others.

Still reeling from a personal tragedy that left her estranged from the sister who was once her best friend, Julia remains at a loss as to how to move on with her life. She’d just as soon toss the anonymous gift, but to make Gracie happy, she agrees to bake the bread.

When Julia meets two newcomers to the small town of Avalon, Illinois, she sparks a connection by offering them her extra bread starter. Widow Madeline Davis is laboring to keep her tea salon afloat while Hannah Wang de Brisay, a famed concert cellist, is at a crossroads, her career and marriage having come to an abrupt end. In the warm kitchen of Madeline’s tea salon, the three women forge a friendship that will change their lives forever.

In no time, everyone in Avalon is baking Amish Friendship Bread. But even as the town unites for a benevolent cause and Julia becomes ever closer to her new friends, she realizes the profound necessity of confronting the painful past she shares with her sister.

About life and loss, friendship and community, food and family, Friendship Bread tells the uplifting story of what endures when even the unthinkable happens.

Friendship Bread– Written by Darien Gee – Ballantine Books – April 5, 2011 – ISBN 978-0345525345 – $25.00 hardcover ($15.83 Amazon) and $12.99 Kindle

What I Thought:

It is no secret that I am a fan of Darien Gee’s books that she wrote as Mia King. When I was asked by Family Review Network to check out her latest book, I jumped at the opportunity. I will admit that when I opened up my package, I was a little confused. You see, I had no idea that Darien Gee is Mia King. Once I saw her photo inside the book, I knew it was the same author and wanted to get started.

If it is possible, I think I am even more in love with Gee’s new Avalon Series. Yes, you read that right. Gee will be expanding Friendship Bread into a series about the town and people of Avalon. Of course, we will all have to wait and see if it will be a continuation of Friendship Bread, or pick up with new, related characters from the town. Still, I am excited that there will be more books coming from Gee to read.

What I liked most about this book was the way that Darien Gee weaves in the past, current lives, and even some future information about the five women and their families. We get to see how they are brought together, what happened to them that makes them need the group, and how their love of friendship bread allows them to help others. Gee does an amazing job telling the story and making the reader feel like we are one of the women watching everything unfold before our eyes. Tears, tissues, and clapping were required during certain sections of the book.

Another item that I adore, is the inclusion of recipes to make your own Amish Friendship Bread. In addition to this, there are even more possibilities on the Friendship Bread Kitchen website that was launched recently. You can also join the group in Facebook, and follow along on Twitter. Darien Gee really interacts with her readers. I could see using this book as a Book Club section. If you are interested, there is even a section with ideas and ways to get in touch with Gee.

Now, I must calm my craving for friendship bread until after Passover. I shall sit here and look at all of the recipes that I would like to try and tweak to make them a little more Weight Watchers friendly. At that point, I will be using the card below to make some starter and get a group going here.

Have you ever tried Amish Friendship Bread? If you have I would love to hear about your experience.

Disclosure: This post was written for Family Review Network, and Darien Gee who supplied me with the book for review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own genuine feelings. The widget within the review is an Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the item should you opt to buy it.