Book Review: Street Gang

It should be well known by now that I am a nerd. I wear the name proudly. When we first visited our new library, I dawdled up and down the non-fiction section looking for some good biographies and how-to books. I found this awesome gem: Street Gang by Michael Davis.

It is a history of the awesome TV show, Sesame Street! I've loved this show since before I can remember- my mom would turn it on and I'd come crawling as fast as lightning  down the hallway to watch the antics of Bert and Ernie and the lovable Grover. Now that I am a mom, Chucky and I watch Sesame Street together often. It's even the theme of her upcoming birthday party. But all of that has nothing to do with the book.

The book reads very easily- it goes through the many collaborators and creative people involved with the beginning of the show and their resumes, all leading up to when they finally got the revolutionary show on the air. I had not realized how much research went into making an educational television show- they had professors and academic panels reviewing each segment and testing it on preschoolers to see just how much a child was learning from Big Bird and Mr. Hooper. The book also shows a great deal of the politics behind a multi-cultural, woman-lead show. Obviously, I wasn't around then, so I had no clue just HOW much it shook up government funded television. The book is full of great factoids, like how Julia Child's cooking show in Boston opened up the idea that educational television can be enjoyed outside of a classroom setting, or that Joss Whedon's father Tom was one of the first writers on the show! You literally read the show growing from a dinner party question of "Can television teach children?" to a world wide phenomenon in just a few hundred pages.

I highly highly HIGHLY suggest this book to anyone who watches the show- the behind the scenes information is just too interesting to pass up! if you go to Streetgangbook.com you can get the book autographed for free by the author, Michael Davis. There's a whole bunch of information and extra chapters on that site too.

Note: I was not asked to write this review, I was not compensated in anyway, Michael Davis has NO clue who I am. I just really enjoyed the book and thought some of my friends would like it as well.

BookSneeze Review: Love You More By Jennifer Grant

Note: I recieved this book to review via booksneeze.com they did not influence my review in anyway.

Love You More By Jennifer Grant

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

★★★★☆

This book is a quick and fun read. Grant details her life as young mother feeling her family was incomplete, even after having three biological children and despite being physically capable of having more- adopted a sweet girl from Guatamala. She infuses her belief in God and family stories with  modern day politics and ethics surrounding international adoption. Placing letters and emails from her adoption journey in almost every chapter gives you a great insight to the ups and downs of the process.

I loved reading this book. It was quirky and fast-paced, though short. She adds great humor to such serious topics. (and like me, uses parenthetical statements to joke with the reader.) She also has great resources listed in the appendix along with discussion questions which go well with both book clubs and adoption groups. While I didn't learn specifics of international adoption- her own story took almost a year AFTER all the paperwork was completed. I was introduced to roadblocks I didn't know existed and was given a push in a right direction if adoption is something I wish to pursue. I would highly recommend this book to those wanting a personal story about international toddler adoption, not just a textbook like list of "what to expect".

Couples Who Pray by Squire Rushnell & Louise DuArt: BookSneeze Review

Note: I received this book for free as part of a promotion from booksneeze.com, however they did not influence my review in any way.

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Having grown up in a religious family and continuing to have  such a strong religious support system in my life where prayer is a common and everyday occurrence- reading this book Couples Who Pray by SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt was a bit like reading Prayer for Dummies. It was a sweet and simple book full of stories of different couples learning to pray together and how it affected their lives. The chapters are split up into easy to read sections, each with their own story and moral- a perfect book to read while waiting in line or in a doctor's office.  The book focused mainly on communication- both with your spouse and God. It outlined a vague way to start praying, being careful to allow different religions interpretations of scripture, and then challenged the reader to commit to praying at least 5 minutes a day for 40 days with your spouse.

I enjoyed the anecdotes, it was interesting to see how much prayer had changed people's relationships. There were good starting points for people who had never been taught to pray before, a lesson from my childhood I had obviously taken for granted. I would recommend this book to a friend if they needed such basic instruction- it presented the guidelines in a very simple and non-condescending way. The writing style tries to infuse humor and scripture, which keeps the book from being too dry and boring. I got a kick out of the questionaire in the back of the book. It was clearly meant for those who had never prayed together, but helpful to others in different situations I'm sure.

Interview with a Children's Author

This is Tish Rabe.

She is an author, a singer, a songwriter, an actress, a producer- name a job in the children entertainment business she's probably done it.

She worked on Sesame Street. She's written over 90 books for Disney, Sesame Street, The Cat in the Hat, Blue's Clues and more. Check out this link for a list of all her books. 

She has two books out with her own original character, The I Believe Bunny.

 Some of you know that I help her out with the facebook, twitter and blog for those books.  So I do get an "inside" look at the life of a children's author. 

Tish is currently in the midst of a very busy school tour for her books, but found some time to answer some questions about her career and The I Believe Bunny.

Did you always want to write for a living when you were a kid?

All my life I've loved doing two things- writing and singing. I always wrote poems, stories, plays that my brothers and I put on in the backyard, that kind of thing. Then in high school I had an amazing English teacher who had us write short stories and poems and I discovered I loved to write.

You went to school for music, how did you end up writing children's books?

In high school I decided I wanted to become a professional singer and went to Ithaca College School of  Music where I got a degree in Vocal Performance. When I got out of school, with the help of my high school music teacher, Dave Connor (somehow for me it all goes back to high school- I met my husband there too!)

I got a job in the music department of Sesame Street and after about a year I got an opportunity to sing with the Muppets! (Tracy's Note: SO COOL.)

What are your publishing "firsts"? First song sung on TV, first book published etc? How did you feel when they happened?

My very first book was for Sesame Street and it was called Bert and the Broken Teapot and it was based on something that really happened to me when I was in first grade. It was a huge thrill to see my name on the cover of a real book.

The first song I ever sang for the show was called "Swamp Mushy Muddy" and it featured Oscar and two Grouchette back up singers. I was one of them and I was amazed when my son was able to go to YouTube and in seconds bring up the clip of me singing with Oscar!

How did you come up with the concept for the I Believe Bunny?

I went to see Kenny Rogers in concert and he sings a beautiful song called "She Believes in Me" which got the word "believe" in my head. I had always wanted to create my own character and find a way to empower preschoolers and let them know that they can make a difference in the world. After the concert I went home and wrote The I Believe Bunny on a piece of paper and a new character was born!

What is your favorite line in The I Believe Bunny book?

I always write the last line of my books first because I feel that is the last message children will hear when the book is read out loud to them. The last line of this one is my favorites.

"Like the I Believe Bunny you may get a surprise. You CAN make a difference even a bunny... your size."

What's next for The I Believe Bunny?

I am working on a new book about being kind to others. With all the bullying that's going on out there I really

want kids to understand that they need to think about what they say and do and we need to get this message out to kids when they're little so they grow up knowing how important it is to be kind to others.  

Besides The I Believe Bunny, who is your favorite children's book character?

I created The I Believe Bunny books with a beautiful watercolor artist because I wanted them to look like the books by Beatrix Potter I loved as a child. I loved reading the little green books she wrote such as Jeremy Fisher, Jemima Puddle-duck and Pigling Bland (I always loved that name!)

How much say did you have in the design of the I Believe Bunny illustrations?

I discovered Frank Endersby from London with the help of a friend who is an Art Designer. I wrote on every page directions for him so he would know what images I saw in my head and he took my ideas further than I could have imagined. His paintings are perfect for what I was looking for. (Tracy's Note: they are really gorgeous, I couldn't imagine better work for The I Believe Bunny.)

What is your favorite part of school tours?

I love traveling around the country and meeting students and teachers wherever I go. I get a big kick out of the questions they ask me and I feel like a rock star when I arrive at a school and the kids are SO excited to meet me. 

Do you have any advice for aspiring children's authors? Any advice for mother's trying to get their young children interested in books?

It is much more challenging to become a children's book author today that it was when I started but it's not impossible. There is a web site  The Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators  that gives some tips. My biggest encouragement to parents and students is to read, read, read, read- read to your child and as soon as you can read books yourself. You truly cannot be a writer, if you're not a reader.

Before I leave my classroom visits I lead the kids in singing my Reading and Writing Song

Reading and Writing both are so exciting.

Read a book or write a story start right now!

Keep reading and writing everybody!  

-Tish Rabe

*if you are interested in getting Tish to come speak at your school/church group/homeschool workshops, check out THIS link to get information about her upcoming tours.*

book reviews: Paper Towns, 13 Blue Envelopes

I got my own library card since I was about 10 years old this past monday. I then proceeded to check out four novels, one biography, two literary magazines and one cookbook.

I've finished two novels, the biography was rather dry (it was Geeks by John Katz, interesting story if you're REALLY into computers.) and the cookbook was about cupcakes, so there was nothing wrong there.

I read Paper Towns by John Green, it was interesting. It was very funny and sprinkled with Harry Potter jokes. but the main story, I guess went over my head? It built up to this great meeting between the main characters and I felt a little let down by the conclusion. It was enjoyable though, and It entertained me as a good book should.

then I read 13 (little?) Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson. I really liked this one. A crazy aunt send her shy, polite niece on a insane scavenge hunt around europe, following the same trail the aunt took when she "disappeared". The characters are sweet and you just want to BE there with the niece. Plus it's got a bit of mystery which keeps it from being a super predictable teen-novel. I just wish it had been longer! I finished it in just a few hours.

Now I need suggestions from you for books to borrow- The Hunger Games that's been recommened to me a gazillion times has a fairly long waiting list. Any ideas dear reader?