Review: National Geographic Home Learning Essentials

 

National Geographic

Home Learning Essentials

Beginner's United States Atlas, Third Edition: (ages 7-10) The fully updated edition of this popular atlas introduces young readers to the wonders of all of America's states and territories, with maps, fun facts, geographical features, and more. It’s accessible design showcases what's unique about each state and territory and every profile starts with a colorful map and essay and includes capital cities; population; important land and water features; state birds, flowers, and flags. It's all packaged in a bigger format, with a refreshed design, and bold, bright photos and illustrations.

United States Atlas, 6th Edition: (ages 8-12) Current, authoritative, and produced by the expert cartographers at National Geographic, this best-selling United States atlas is newly updated with all the latest info and is packed with maps, stats, facts, and pictures. National Geographic's world-renowned cartographers have paired up with education experts to create maps of all 50 states, U.S. territories, and Washington, D.C., that pinpoint the physical features, capitals, and other towns and cities. Discover the latest data along with colorful photography of each state and the people who live there. Key points reflect the latest information about land and water, people, and places. Essays cover each region of the country while eight specially themed maps on nature, population, economy, energy, climate, and more delve deeper into key issues. State birds and state flags add to the high visual interest.

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2021: (ages 8-12) - The latest installment of the New York Times best-selling almanac is edutainment at its best. With features like Homework Help and STEM related topics, and deep dives into history, geography and cultures from the world, combined with facts, crafts and activities, this is the go-to reference for both the school day and down time. This new edition also includes the Almanac Challenge 2021 — which inspires kids to reduce their plastic waste and encourage others to do the same — and also highlights the winner of the 2020 Almanac Challenge.

You can purchase these books from ShopDisney, Amazon. and other major retailers.

My Thoughts

As many people probably are doing right now, we find ourselves in the position of distance learning for school and began to throw in unofficial homeschooling. These National Geographic books for kids are awesome - my son loves all the detail in the United States Atlas, 6th Edition. Our current lesson is learning about the Midwest, where we live. The atlases are divvied up by region, making it even easier to explore. There are facts about the USA itself, each region, and each individual state plus information on our territories. A glossary and index are at the back.

The Beginner's United States Atlas, Third Edition edition has a little less of the same great details which is great for younger learners. You can see in the photo above the detail comparison for the state of Minnesota.

My son is very into nature and often asks to learn about specific animals so we are supplementing his education with the National Geographic Kids Almanac 2021 as well as the National Geographic Ultimate Weird But True book. After utilizing National Geographic Kids and other websites, we then turn to these two books for added fun facts. 

I'm sure we'll be adding more National Geographic books to our collection in the future! What a great way to make learning fun!

Book Review: Good the Goblin Queen

Good is a seven-year-old girl who was adopted by absolutely ghastly parents. One night, after wishing on hundreds of shooting stars to become a queen, an elderly ghost appears to grant her wish in the most unexpected way, making her queen of the Goblin Kingdom. Yet what seems like a curse becomes a blessing when she meets seven goblins on their way home.

They lead Queen Good to the Goblin Kingdom, until stopped upon discovering that a mysterious enemy has destroyed their homeland completely. Good must now help her fellow goblins discover who their enemy might be, and in doing so she just might discover who her real friends are, and who she really is—good, queenly, and a little goblin.

My thoughts:

Such imagination and creativity in this book.  My eleven year old daughter loved this book.  She read it in two days from front to back in two days.

In this book, Good just wants to fit in, and feels she doesn't with everyone.  Good gets turned into a Goblin and takes you along her magical journey in this book.  Good meets all kinds of characters as she travels as a Goblin.  This book is written so that you can almost visualize the characters that she encounters.  The illustrations are really cute and well done also. 

This is a book that the young and old would enjoy reading.

Book Review & #Giveaway - Max & Tallulah from Parragon Books

Max and Tallulah is a fascinating love story for children to enjoy. Max the Zebra is too shy to tell Tallulah how much he loves her. He tries a variety of ways to get her attention, but each time, something goes wrong! Finally, Max has the best idea of all. This heartwarming tale of love, friendship, and just being yourself is perfect for children to connect with and learn from.

My Thoughts

Max and Tallulah is the the perfect book for Valentine's Day. It centers around a pair of zebras. Max is in love with Tallulah, and decides he wants to win her affection. He does a bunch of over-the-top things, like gathering her a huge tray of fruits as a gift, learning a crazy dance, and making a giant hat. Each time, he either misses Tallulah all together or scares her away. In the end, he decides to simply be himself, and this turns out to be the best choice of all. Tallulah likes Max just as he is.

Max and Tallulah is a beautifully illustrated picture book with a storyline that's perfect for preschool aged children. It's not too long, so it holds their attention, and they'll really enjoy the colorful characters. However, the thing I like best is that it teaches children the importance of being themselves. With so much peer pressure and bullying out there, this is an important lesson to instill early on in childhood.  Kids need to know that, like Max, the people that matter will care about them without them having to overdo it or change who they are.





The Giveaway

One lucky winner is going to receive a copy of Max & Tallulah.  To enter just fill out the giveaway tools  form below. Open to the US only. Giveaway will end 2/24/15. The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to reply. Thanks again to Parragon for offering this fantastic prize.

Entry-Form

Book Review: The Quest for the Diamond Sword: A Minecraft Gamer’s Adventure

Steve lives on a wheat farm. He has everything he needs to live in the Minecraft world: a bed, a house, and food. Steve likes to spend his mornings in the NCP village and trade his wheat for emeralds, armor, books, swords, and food. One morning, he finds that Zombies have attacked the villagers. The Zombies have also turned the village blacksmith into a Zombie, leaving Steve without a place to get swords. To protect himself and the few villagers that remain, Steve goes on a quest to mine for forty diamonds, which are the most powerful mineral in the Overworld. He wants to craft these diamonds into a diamond sword to shield him and the villagers from the Zombies.

Far from his home, with night about to set in, Steve fears for his life. Nighttime is when users are most vulnerable in Minecraft. As he looks for shelter in a temple, he meets a trio of treasure hunters, Max, Lucy, and Henry, who are trying to unearth the treasure under the temple. Steve tells them of his master plan to mine for the most powerful mineral in the Overworld—the diamond. The treasure hunters are eager to join him. Facing treacherous mining conditions, a thunderstorm, and attacks from hostile mobs, these four friends question if it’s better to be a single player than a multiplayer, as they try to watch out for each other and chase Steve’s dream at the same time.

Will Steve find the diamonds? Will his friends help or hinder the search? Should he trust his new treasure hunter friends? And will Steve get back in time to save the villagers?

Where to Buy

Amazon       Sky Pony Press


 My Thoughts

My twelve-year-old son is all about Mine Craft, but not so much into reading. I rarely find a book he can sit through, but this was one he really enjoyed. It brought his favorite video game to life on a whole new level. I didn't read the book myself since it is geared towards kids, but here are his thoughts:

This book was awesome! I loved reading about Steve and how he mined for diamonds just like I do in the game. The avatar on the cover even looks like mine! Reading the story made the game feel real, like they are real people with real lives. I have read it twice and will read it again too! It's just great!

So there you have it! My son gives the story five stars and as a mom, anything that encourages my son to read is a five star product to me!

Book Review: How to Zap Zombies

With clever text and whimsical illustrations, How to Zap Zombies helps kids banish their fears of the undead — and have fun doing it! Kids will love these clever tricks and tips for getting rid of zombies. With a frightening appearance and an insatiable craving for braaaains, zombies are truly terrifying creatures. Armies of these eerie undead monsters roam with their arms in the air, inspiring fear in the bravest of people. Fortunately, even the toughest of the walking dead can be defeated, and this book is filled with all the tips and tricks you need to face them down!

About the Author

Catherine Leblanc lives in Angers, France. She is the author of the How to Banish Fears series and Will You Still Love Me, If . . . ? A trained psychologist, she writes novels and poems for children and adults. Roland Garrigue was born in Paris and, from kindergarten to today, he has never ceased drawing. After three years of study in Strasbourg, he returned to Paris to concentrate full time on illustrations for young readers. He has searched the most unexpected and mysterious places in order to create the frightening sketches of abominable creatures for this series.

 My Thoughts

This is the perfect picture book for Halloween. It shows kids exactly how to battle zombies. It starts out with the perfect armor and weapons, including pots and brooms. Next, it walks you through the different types of zombies you might face, ranging from zombie rabbits to zombie princesses. The book proceeds with fun activities like mazes, and hints on how to fight and avoid zombies.

My kids really enjoyed this book. They thought it was a lot of fun. It's a quick and easy read and  has awesome, detailed illustrations and really held their attention. This playful guide on how to zap zombies would make a much better treat then candy this Halloween.

Book Review: The Monster Realm

Lillian always loved stories about myths and monsters--until she found herself inside one, fighting for her life!

Joined by her best friends, Katy and Maisy, Lillian must cross a sea guarded by Krakens and sirens, race through a dark forest haunted by elves and chimeras, and cross mountains ruled by griffins and rocs.

Where in this world is Lillian's sister? Who is the mysterious boy with the stone medallion? Why do the monsters hold an ancient grudge against humanity? And what is the secret hiding at the heart of it all?



My thoughts:

After reading this with my ten year old daughter, I was blown away that this author, Nara Duffie was only ten when she wrote this book.  She inspired my daughter to continue to write also.

I loved all the characters in this book.  They each had their own personality, which made it even better.  The author takes them on quite an adventure.   At ten Nara was quite educated with creatures of Greek Mytholigy.  And also quite an imagination she has.

 If you like reading Harry Potter books, than you will definitely like this.   I just know by how this book ended there will be a sequel. Which my daughter is very excited about.  Great book for age ten to adult to read, especially is you like to read Mythical  books.



Book Review: Ohara Hale's Who Did It? Book Set

Who Did It?

a boxed set

by

Ohara Hale

In the tradition of the classic Everyone Poops, a collection of silly illustrated board books in which animals and insects demonstrate bodily noises and functions to help young kids understand and deal with them in a healthy, courteous, and appropriate way. 

Sneezing, burping, farting, pooping, and peeing: basic functions that elicit all kinds of reactions from kids, ranging from hilarity to creativity to withholding--and a variety of reactions from adults, from reluctant amusement to disgust to total parental meltdown. The key to teaching the whole family how to handle these events in a positive way is to be able to talk about them. Ohara's whimsical approach teaches kids 3 simple lessons--what these bodily functions are, why they shouldn't cause undue embarrassment, and how to politely and considerately deal with them. 

• Who Sneezed? covers courteous snot and booger protocol
• Who Burped? is all about releasing "air from our bodies" as politely as possible
• Who Farted? gives the lowdown on gas and advice on how to handle it in public
• Who Peed? offers a primer on peeing — where, when, and with proper hygiene
• Who Pooped? provides advice on performing on the potty and cleaning up

Publishers Weekly lauds her series as one that provides "helpful advice and scatological humor. Guaranteed to deliver big laughs as well as useful information."

Who Did It? can be purchased at major retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart.

  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ohara Hale is a Montreal-based artist. She draws, sings, writes, and loves to make: books, music, comics, and gig-posters. Ohara is the author of L'ABC de Monsieur Pizza, Modern Luv, and Pizza Doing Stuff. Her work can be found all over the internet, and in galleries and bookstores around the world. Visit her at:

OharaHale.com

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ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

POW Kids Books - visually driven, imagination-fueled

An imprint of powerHouse Books, POW! publishes visually driven, imagination-fueled books for kids. Our projects combine an offbeat or humorous sensibility with outstanding design to make books that delight children and grown-ups equally.

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Our Thoughts
Ohara Hale's Who Did It? box set is a set of 5 books covering bodily functions for kids - sneezes, farts, burps, poop, & pee.  My son loves his books, and I love it when there are books that may do a better job explaining things (or at least in a funnier way) than I can.  On the surface, the book set looked like something my son would like with some bright colors and busy illustrations, and really, who wouldn't want to read silly things about what our body does?

The books just weren't what I expected at all.  They are very small & thin - I expected there to be some sort of a storyline and there isn't one at all - it's just pages of different animals saying things about bodily functions like "zebra poop stinks!" or just random things that don't have anything to do with the particular bodily function like "I don't have any hands!". Additionally, there was much, much less instruction about the why's and how's than I thought there would be. Overall I was very disappointed in this box set; it's more of a novelty than educational.  Yes, it's cute and probably funny to most kids (and I'd guess boys at that!), but with no storyline, the Who Did It? set did not interest my son at all.

If your kids are in that stage where burps and farts are hilarious, then I think Who Did It? could be a good fit for your family.