Four Children's Books

Maya & Filippo Make Friends in Auckland – Alinka Rutkowska

Imagine living on a cruise ship with your family.  That is exactly how Maya and Filippo, their parents, and cat Otello live.  They cruise to New Zealand and their parents encourage them to get off the boat and go exploring. 

They get on a bus and realize they can’t see over the people in front of them.  They become cranky and the people around them are cranky.  Next a young couple get on board.  The children learn a valuable lesson about how attitude affects them and those around them.

Ziggersnout – Dale Rensing
Eric is a young boy who loves to skate. Unfortunately he didn’t pass his test and feels terrible. The rink owner encourages him to return the next week.  Eric returns, and as he is skating he sees a shadow.  The shadow seems to be following him. He learns from Gramps, the owner that the shadow is actually a shy water dragon named Ziggersnout. Eric begins to enjoy his skating time. Not only does he enjoy skating, he is beginning to improve.  This is a book that not only encourages kids to practice at whatever sport they are into, but teaches them what the dragon really is.  This was a wonderful book.  I read it over several times because I enjoyed it that much.

King Not’s Powers – Betty DeLoach Presley

Want to teach your kids about prefixes and their powers?  This is the book to do just that.  This wonderful book is full of “negative” prefixes.  The story shows the power of adding or taking away prefixes. King Not is the one with the power.  When he takes some of his subjects, (root words) on a rollercoaster ride different prefixes which mean “not” suddenly attach themselves to the root words.  It changes not only their meaning  but their attitude.  Wonderful way to teach prefixes.

The Diary of Stuffles B. Snippet – Kathie Brown

I love and collect teddy bears. This was a wonderful book about a wonderful teddy bear and a young girl. Emily is a sad little girl because her parents are in China and she must stay with her grandmother until they return. She has no friends in her new school. Her grandmother owns a teddy bear shop and orders a special teddy bear for Emily.  Unfortunately the wrong bear is sent. Stuffles B. Snippet doesn’t look or feel soft and cuddly.  He isn’t a smiling bear either.  He has a strict look to his face.  He came with a red writing journal.  Emily is disappointed.  Her grandmother  tells her she will send him back and get the one that she ordered. Emily leaves Stuffles in her grandmother’s teddy bear shop. When she returns the next day Stuffles is not in the rocking chair where he was left and the cat is outside the shop.  Emily prepares to wrap the bear up to be returned when she sees the journal hanging open. When she looks inside she sees a note from Stuffles describing what went on after the shop was closed.  Emily decides to Keep Stuffles.  She loans him to the teacher who finds a message to her the next day.  Emily and the teacher decide they can use Stuffles to help the students who don’t really talk to each other.  Read the book to find out what they do and how it turns out.  This book was such a great book that I RELUCTANYLY passed it on to a young lady who may or may not need a new friend like Stuffles.

Author Kathie Brown taught for forty years in the primary grades and at the university level. The journey of a teddy bear was a successful classroom project that inspired the writing of this ook. Kathie is married and has two children and six grandchildren.