Synopses & Reviews
The students were squirming but none made a sound,
as the spelling bee entered
its championship round.
Itand#8217;s right before recess, and the annual school spelling bee is down to just three spellers: Cornelius the Genius, Smart Ruby, and The Slugger, who never strikes out. Round after round, the words whizz at them, but with one minute left until recess, thereand#8217;s still no winner. Who will triumph? It all comes down to one final word, and a curveball that no one sees coming!
Deborah Lee Roseand#8217;s clever rhyming text packs a laugh-out-loud wallop with words that young readers will enjoy spelling and reading aloud again and again. Fun and whimsical illustrations by Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis provide the perfect balance of humor and suspense as readers find out whether The Slugger will hit a grand slam or finally strike out.
The book includes three spelling lists that can be used for spelling bees at home, in school, at the library, or for community events. An authorand#8217;s note describes why and how words were chosen.
Praise for The Spelling Bee Before Recess
"I enjoyed and laughed my way through this epic spelling bee story."
--USA Today
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"Cute characters, lively rhymes, ample word lists and a good level of dramatic tension bolster the clear message that to succeed, you must understand the meaning of words - not just memorize spellings - and the key to that isand#160;reading."
--San Francisco Chronicle
"Colorful, expressive illustrations support the excitement and anticipation created through the text. This story will fill a need in school libraries for books about spelling, vocabulary, sportsmanship, and school community-building."
--School Library Journal
"The bookand#8217;s potentially static topic yields some dynamic, imaginative illustrations, created using ink, gouache, and colored pencils in a quirky style that suits the storyand#8217;s tone quite well. A lively picture book."
--Booklist
"Fun-filled illustrations bring this book to life. A vocabulary list at the end of the book emphasizes the importance of learning words and reading. This is a great addition to any library."
--Library Media Connection
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Review
andquot;Armstrong-Ellis fills the page with slime and sludge, and careful readers will even spy monster-themed parodies of works from da Vinci, Cassatt, George Rodrigue, and other artists.andquot;
Synopsis
A hilarious introduction to kindergarten that also serves as a counting exercise.
Synopsis
Readers of all ages will want to enroll! "On the first day of kindergarten, my teacher gave to me...the whole alphabet from A to Z!" Drawing on the rhythm and rich repetition of the familiar carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas," The Twelve Days of Kindergarten is a welcoming introduction to school. Upbeat text celebrates the new adventure of school, and hilariously detailed illustrations showcase kindergarteners that every child, teacher, and parent will recognize with glee. Youngsters will enjoy singing along as the teacher's gifts accumulate, building to the twelfth day-the day the new students settle in and discover they love school! As an added bonus, The Twelve Days of Kindergarten teaches both cardinal (one, two, three) and ordinal (first, second, third) numbers. AUTHOR BIO: Deborah Lee Rose has seen her own children through the exhilarating, exhausting first days of kindergarten. She is an internationally published author whose award-winning books are among the New York Public Library's 100 Books to Read and Share. She lives near San Francisco. Carey Armstrong-Ellis learned to color within the lines during kindergarten, and it has been working for her ever since. Her first book was Prudy's Problem and How She Solved It, hailed as "an impressive debut... from a breakout talent" by Publishers Weekly. She lives in Cape Neddick, ME.Synopsis
Readers of all ages will want to enroll!
"On the first day of kindergarten, my teacher gave to me...the whole alphabet from A to Z!" Drawing on the rhythm and rich repetition of the familiar carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas," The Twelve Days of Kindergarten is a welcoming introduction to school. Upbeat text celebrates the new adventure of school, and hilariously detailed illustrations showcase kindergarteners that every child, teacher, and parent will recognize with glee. Youngsters will enjoy singing along as the teacher's gifts accumulate, building to the twelfth day-the day the new students settle in and discover they love school!
As an added bonus, The Twelve Days of Kindergarten teaches both cardinal (one, two, three) and ordinal (first, second, third) numbers.Synopsis
Ten creepy monsters met andrsquo;neath a gnarled pine.One blew away,
And then there were nine.
And so the countdown begins . . . A mummy, a witch, a ghost, a werewolf, a vampire, and others all gather, but one by one their crowd diminishes. At last there is only one creepy monster left. But what kind of monster is it?
Squeals of laughter are sure to accompany the reading of this book from bestselling illustrator Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis, as 10 creepy monsters set out for fun.
Praise for Ten Creepy Monsters
andquot;Armstrong-Ellis injects just the right amount of humor into her portrayals of the ghoulish bunch, keeping the tone appropriately light.andquot;
andmdash;Kirkus Reviews
andquot;Generously detailed acrylics provide a touch of nefarious charm, while a tender surprise ending should gratify trick-or-treaters.andquot;
andmdash;Publishers Weekly
andquot;Fun for Halloween or for counting anytime.andquot;
andmdash;School Library Journal
andquot;Armstrong-Ellisandrsquo; textured images, full of spooky spirit and clever detail, add to the fun. A happy Halloween outing.andquot;
andmdash;Booklist
andquot;With rich language and a delightfully dark nighttime palette, this pleasing rhyme begs to be acted out or performed with puppets. The illustrations are appropriately ghoulish.andquot;
andmdash;BookPage
andquot;A perfect Halloween read-aloud but a great way to relieve malaise on any day, this picture book also helps young readers learn to count as the monsters fall by the wayside in gruesome fashion.andquot;
andmdash;Reading Today Online
andquot;Author/artist Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis clearly had fun crafting this silly, lighthearted Halloween tale of monsters who disappearandhellip;andquot;
andmdash;The Seattle Times
andquot;Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis delivers a delightful rhyming lesson in subtraction.andquot;
andmdash;USA Today
Synopsis
When a young monster sets out to create a gourmet dinner for someone special, he squelches through marsh and muck to find just the right ingredients, from beetle knees to plump slugs to chicken teeth! But who is the dinner for? A surprise awaits his special loved one and readers alike!
Synopsis
One devoted teacher will stop at nothing to show her class the wonders of the world. From soaring over the Great Wall of China to hang gliding in the Australian Outback, the class has all kinds of adventures, across all seven continents.
Because You Are My Teacher, a companion to Because You Are My Baby and Because I Am Your Daddy by the dynamic author-illustrator team of Sherry North and Marcellus Hall, is an exciting introduction to geography and makes a touching gift for any teacher who has broadened your childandrsquo;s horizons. The book includes a note about the seven continents and each of the places or creatures mentioned in the book.
Praise for Because You Are My Teacher
andquot;A sweet sentiment and a great way to get kids pumped about school and learningandmdash;Miss Frizzle would be proud.andquot;
andmdash;Kirkus Reviews
andquot;Hallandrsquo;s watercolor illustrations capture the variety of locales, from sun-drenched deserts to cool-blue oceans... children will be interested in the different modes of transportation and out-of-the-ordinary sights.andquot;
andmdash;School Library Journal
andquot;Whether reading this book on their own, or listening to it read to them, young children will certainly want to discover more about the places this teacher takes her class.andrdquo;
andmdash;Library Media Connection
About the Author
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Deborah Lee Rose is an internationally published author whose award-winning books are among the New York Public Libraryand#8217;s 100 Books to Read and Share. She is the author of Abramsand#8217; Twelve Days series,
All the Seasons of the Year, and
Someoneand#8217;s Sleepy. She lives with her family in Walnut Creek, California. Visit her online at www.deborahleerose.com.
Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis has illustrated
Ten Creepy Monsters and the Twelve Days series. She lives with her family in Cape Neddick, Maine. Visit her online at slugworksrocks.com.
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