Sunday, June 14, 2009

Chapter Books - Rainbow Magic Fairies

Oh my, where to begin with this series of many series. My wee four year old bookworm was first introduced to the Rainbow Magic fairies at her fourth birthday party. One of her little preschool classmates gave her five of the seven Rainbow Magic Weather Fairies for a gift. Little did I know then how big of a hit they would be. I have been a bit out of touch with the latest and greatest in the book releases, especially series. Our wee bookworm got so interested that we had to immediately go and find the last two of the weather series, plus we needed to find out how it ended.

As with many kids series, like my beloved original Nancy Drew being one of them, there is generally a set formula that is used to write these. No doubt author Daisy Meadows is using a method as well, especially being able to crank them out so quickly. From what I have seen there seems to be no end in the type of fairies the series will address. We of course started with the weather fairies, which follows the series introduction of "the" Rainbow Fairies. These being the color fairies. Then we moved on to the Petal Fairies for flowers. There are also fairies for dances, parties, jewels, pets, fun days, sports, and the all encompassing special fairies.

The books are written in a seven part series with of course seven fairies. The lead characters are tween age girls Rachel and Kirsty who meet in the first series and become best of friends. The stories goes sort of like Jack Frost causes some type of grief for a set of fairies in Fairyland and some how their magic item/being/or event has been sent to or affected in the human world where the girls are able to help sort it out. Of course, this all the while trying to avoid Jack Frost goblins who are pretty much bungling fools who are not too evil for the most part just make bad choices and hang out with a mean leader. The series can be read out of sequence, but it helps to go in order for some readers.

They are not scholarly books or scary, but are a bit of fantasy magical fun. One of my favorite times with my wee bookworm is curling up together on the sofa and reading away for the about 30 minutes it takes to read one of these out loud to her. She totally gets the story line and remembers the key elements that make the stories their own. Plus, a key liking for her is throughout the book on almost every page small illustrations can be found. A choice series pick for kids 4 to 8 and that enjoy a bit more complex story line than found in the typical early readers and picture books. Probably more of a girls series. Most of these books can be found either online or the larger bookstores. They are hard to get at several of our library branches as they are checked out most of the time.

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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Picture Book - AlphaOops!

AlphaOops!: The Day Z Went First by Alethea Kontis and illustrated by Bob Kolar

Although published in 2006, this is a delightful and humorous take on how the letter "Z" is tired of being last. He takes it upon himself to rearrange the alphabet. The letters then begin a bit of chaos in taking turns. All this fun yet filled with lots of new words, which themselves will bring out more laughter. The illustrator has provided on the bottom of each page the correct alphabet position in outline format. The kids can then see how the order the letters are following do not match up with the traditional flow. This is great for kids that know the alphabet and great for shared reading, especially when the reader adds the attitude and emotions the letters are expressing. Probably good for ages 4 to about 8 or so. Also, a great gift for the alphabet enthusiast out there of any age.

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Good Grief!

These are the days my mama told me about...or something like that. It has been a long journey of chaos with my hard drive. Way back in the first of January I discovered the first of several hardcore viruses on my computer. Let's just say that the good thing that came from that is how much more knowledgeable I am now in computer software and hardware. I already had a small bit, but now I border on geekness. I even ended up proving the Geek squad wrong and fixed some of the damage they didn't think was possible. Of course, I'm wondering if they purposely led me down the path of little faith to sell me new things. My old, but trusty hopefully once again computer has been "well" for a few month.

However, it has been other fun things and chaotic life with a preschooler and activities that have kept me from posting. Can't say that this is much of a priority like it use to be. Although home improvements, which took up most of the spring would have to be the lowest of lows, but demanded my attention. We are still reading books by the truck load. This has been accomplished both in the from of buying and visiting the library. I still have my bookish habit of buying, but still love to visit the library with the wee one. She loves to choose books for herself and has her own little card and book bag in which she enjoys with this process.

I will be sharing a number of books that she is really into, especially these new chapter books that are so predictable, but lots of fun for her. So, hopefully I will talk with you more often now. Also, I'm not sure the term wee one still applies to her any more as she turned four back in February. Guess I will come up with something soon enough for my little bookworm. Ta Ta for now.

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