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How To Coach Girls Book Launch May Events

How To Coach Girls Back-to-Back Events

April 25, 2018

You are cordially invited to our How To Coach Girls book launch events coming up on Mother’s Day weekend in Massachusetts!

The first one is:

Friday, May 11

5pm

Artemis Yoga

639 Mt Auburn St

Watertown, MA 02472

Artemis Yoga is home to Soccer on the Mat, Alison Foley’s brainchild that combines soccer and yoga for girls ages 10-15 during winter training season.

The second one is:

Saturday, May 12

4pm

South Shore Select

55 Recreation Park Drive

Hingham, MA 02043

Alison Foley is the club’s Senior Director of Coaching, providing direction for the older age groups in all aspects of their college preparation, ultimately making Select a premier model of top training and development for all age groups. South Shore Select was the soccer club that Alison played for as a youth player so this is a homecoming for her!

p.s. This is a video of our Newtonville Books book launch party. Thank you to everyone who came to that one!

To examine any book more closely at Amazon, please click on image of book.

I am an Amazon affiliate which means if you buy anything through my blog, I get a very small kickback at no cost to you. I use this money to pay for postage and handling for my giveaways.

Comments: 1 Posted by: Pragmatic Mom Categories: Health, Sports & Fitness

Top 10 STEM Expository Nonfiction Picture Books & GIVEAWAY!

April 23, 2018

Please welcome my guest author today, Maria Gianferrari! We are giving away a copy of her newest nonfiction picture book, TERRIFIC TONGUES. Please enter at the bottom.

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I’m celebrating the release of my first expository nonfiction STEM title, Terrific Tongues, illustrated by Jia Liu and published by Boyds Mills Press!

What’s expository nonfiction you ask? Expository nonfiction does not tell a story; it describes, explains and informs in delightful ways and appeals to all kinds of kids, but especially to kids who love facts, information and data. Today’s expository nonfiction is engaging and can use a humorous approach with a more lively voice, or a softer, more soothing lyrical one, or even something in between.

Want to learn more about expository nonfiction? Follow science writer and nonfiction guru Melissa Stewart’s blog, Celebrate Science. Melissa has been surveying educators and librarians about their favorite expository nonfiction titles over the last year or so. There are so many excellent titles out there!

Here are some of my Top 10 favorites:

Top 10 Expository Nonfiction Picture Books

1. Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Steve Jenkins)

Ward’s rollicking read aloud features all kinds of birds and nests told visually through Steve Jenkins’ cool collage art. My favorite is the hummingbird stanza:

Mama built a little nest,

a cup so wee and snug,

with walls of moss and roof of sky

and silky, cobweb rug. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Comments: 23 Posted by: Pragmatic Mom Categories: Reading Lists: Picture Books

My 13 year old son's exotic fruit challenge: Dragonfruit

My Son’s Exotic Fruit Challenge: Dragon Fruit

April 20, 2018

My 13 year old son’s Exotic Fruit Challenge: Dragonfruit.

Reminds us of: watermelon crossed with kiwi. Read more…

Comments: 4 Posted by: Pragmatic Mom Categories: Friday Find

Wonderful Children’s Books About Thailand

April 18, 2018

A teacher mentioned on a comment on my blog that she was grateful for my lists on Laos and Hmong children’s books but she was looking for books covering Thailand and Myanmar/Burma for students in her classroom who were recent immigrants from these countries. This list (and the on on Myanmar) is for her.

Wonderful Children’s Books About Thailand

Mela and the Elephant by Dow Phumiruk, illustrated by Ziyue Chen

Kindness needs no reward, for it brings happiness and warmth to the heart.

Mela set forth on an adventure but didn’t take her little brother along because he had nothing to offer her. Her adventure went awry and the animals that she gave gifts in exchange for help, ran off with her offerings without helping her. Finally, an elephant helps Mela get home without asking for anything in return. This is a lesson that Mela puts to use the next day. Thai customs are woven throughout this story set in Thailand including bowing with clasped hands to show gratitude. Use this picture book to teach kindness and to explore Thai culture. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Hush! A Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho, illustrations by Holly Meade

In charming rhyme, a mother asks the wildlife around her to stay quiet while baby is asleep. The animals reflect the wildlife of Thailand: mosquito, lizard, cat, mouse, frog, pig, duck, monkey, buffalo, and elephant. Use this book to compare to a picture book about animals on a farm in the United States. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Comments: 2 Posted by: Pragmatic Mom Categories: Multicultural Books for Kids

Top 10 Books with Bedtime & Family Themes & GIVEAWAY!

April 16, 2018

Please welcome my guest author, Jackie Azúa Kramer, today with her newest picture book, If You Want to Fall Asleep. You might remember her earlier from her post on picture books that celebrate imagination and friendship, and her book The Green Umbrella.

We are giving away a signed copy of If You Want to Fall Asleep. Please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom to enter.

If You Want to Fall Asleep by Jackie Azúa Kramer, illustrated by Lisa Brandenburg

It’s bedtime but Little Mouse isn’t sleepy. Mama Mouse helps Little Mouse with a long routine to get her baby to sleep. It works … finally! [picture book, ages 2 and up]

Top 10 Picture Books with Bedtime and Family Themes

5 Great Picture Books with Bedtime Themes

1. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

The story of Harold and his artistic adventures has been entertaining kids for decades. Follow along as Harold in his pajamas has a colorful and epic expedition. From drawing city landmarks to creating his own purple picnic to finding his way back to bed, this bedtime story is magical. Bedtime has never been this imaginative and exciting. It’s simply a classic. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

2. Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Garth Williams

Frances and her bedtime delay tactics are as sweet and funny as they were when it was first published in the ‘60’s, and the black and white illustrations by Garth Williams are perfect. Caregivers and children alike will recognize themselves in this adorable bedtime battle. [picture book, ages 3 and up]

Comments: 17 Posted by: Pragmatic Mom Categories: Reading Lists: Picture Books

My Son’s Exotic Fruit Challenge: Prickly Pear Fruit

April 13, 2018

My son’s second Exotic Fruit Challenge: Prickly Pear Fruit (also called Tunas or Cactus Fruit).

Reminds us of: pomegranate crosses with melon.

Texture: like Honeydew melon but with larger and harder pomegranate-like seeds.

Flavor: like kiwi. Read more…

Comments: 6 Posted by: Pragmatic Mom Categories: Friday Find

What To Do and Where To Eat in San Antonio!

April 11, 2018

We are heading to San Antonio where we will meet up with some indigo clothing co. models. Their parents are dear family friends, but, as my girls’ tell me, there is no such thing as a family vacation anymore because all vacations are working vacations for our young entrepreneurs.

p.s. For more ideas of what to do and eat in San Antonio, check out my friend Kristin’s 3 Perfect Days in San Antonio.

Foodie Stops in San Antonio

The Luxury

103 E Jones Ave

San Antonio, TX 78215

Our friends know that we love Mexican street food and casual settings so they’ve scouted this restaurant out for us. It’s self-described as, “offbeat counter-serve kitchen & bar for big plates of high-end eats served in a funky outside space.” We can’t wait!

Tito’s

This light-filled Mexican spot lures locals with breakfast tacos, fajitas, enchiladas & margaritas.

955 S Alamo St

San Antonio, TX 78205

This looks like a fun area to explore: “located in San Antonio’s acclaimed arts district, Southtown.” “Here, tucked into historic pockets are grassroots art communities and notable architectural gems (not to mention the local enthusiasts working to preserve both) as well as more than enough unpretentious watering holes and good restaurants to make you consider taking up permanent residence.” from Texas Monthly

Comments: 6 Posted by: Pragmatic Mom Categories: Family Vacation

Top 5: Latinx Poetry Picture Book List & Signed Book GIVEAWAY!

April 9, 2018

Please welcome my guest author today, Emma Otheguy. She is the author of the bilingual picture book, Martí’s Song for Freedom/Martí y sus versos de la libertad, a biography of Cuban poet and independence leader José Martí. We are giving away one signed copy of her book. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom.

Martí’s Song for Freedom by Emma Otheguy, illustrated by Beatriz Vidal. Translated by Adriana Domínguez.

As a boy, José Martí was inspired by the natural world. He found freedom in the river that rushed to the sea and peace in the palmas reales that swayed in the wind. Freedom, he believed, was the inherent right of all men and women. But his home island of Cuba was colonized by Spain, and some of the people were enslaved by rich landowners. Enraged, Martí took up his pen and fought against this oppression through his writings. By age seventeen, he was declared an enemy of Spain and forced to leave his beloved island.

Martí traveled the world, speaking out for Cuba’s independence. But throughout his exile, he suffered from illness and homesickness. He found solace in New York’s Catskill Mountains, where nature inspired him once again to fight for independence.

Written in verse, with excerpts from Martí’s seminal Versos sencillos, this book is a beautiful tribute to a brilliant political writer and courageous fighter of freedom for all men and women. [picture book, ages 7 and up]

Comments: 14 Posted by: Pragmatic Mom Categories: Multicultural Books for Kids

Education Matters. A Mashup Covering Parenting, Children's Literature and Education.

Top 10 Expository Nonfiction Picture Books

Wonderful Children’s Books About Thailand

Top 10 Picture Books with Bedtime and Family Themes

5 Great Picture Books with Bedtime Themes

Foodie Stops in San Antonio

What Is #DiverseKidLit?