Henry and the Crazed Chicken Pirates Book Review and Giveaway

I'm so excited to bring to you a book review on Henry & the Crazed Chicken Pirates by Carolyn Crimi. Thanks to Blue Slip Media for donating books for the Tweet For Literacy #Tweet4Lit campaign we have running through the month of November. Click here to get details and enter the giveaway!

HENRY & THE CRAZED CHICKEN PIRATES is the silly follow-up to HENRY & THE BUCCANEER BUNNIES (2005). Henry is a bookish bunny surrounded by a crew of fun-loving (and lazy) pirate bunnies. When he discovers a threatening message in a bottle, he tries to warn everyone, but they think he's wasting his time. Will his plan to rescue his fellow bunnies work? This is a great story for very young readers, with lots of pirate words and silly fun.


My take on the book- I love all the illustrations done by John Manders.  The illustrations do an outstanding job telling the story.  My favorite illustrations are on the page where the crazed chicken pirates get sent out to sea in a small, crowded boat.  Thoughtful Henry gives them books on "50 Ways to Cook Coconut", "Survival at Sea" and "Seawater:  It's not for drinking".  The story is very clever.  Where Henry lacks courage he had ten fold in knowledge.  He has a book for everything... if not then he write it!


You can purchase the book anywhere books are sold. If they don't have it just ask and they will order it for you!

Here are a few things about the author that I got from her website! I have to share! They made me chuckle! She has a hobbies and interest in dieting, worrying, obsessing, e-mailing, taking pictures that turn out poorly. Likes unfrosted Blueberry Poptarts and Venti-skim-lattes. She dislikes tail-gaters, horn-honkers, people who don't like her books and critics (unless, of course, they like her books)

Go check out Carolyn Crimi! She has written some funny books! 
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Click to ENTER TO WIN GIVEAWAY

Prize Package Three
Winner to be chosen Thursday, November 12, 2009, at 6pm CT. Total value of Prize Package Three is $109.

1) Henry & the Crazed Chicken Pirates by Carolyn Crimi and John Manders for ages 4 to 8. ($15.99 value) This is the sequel to Henry & the Buccaneer Bunnies. Donated by Blue Slip Media.

2) Aurora of the Northern Lights by Holly Hardin (autographed -- an $18.95 value), the delightful Yuletide-themed picture book by one of our Tweet for Literacy sponsors. Donated by the author.

3) The Crypto-Capers: The Case of the Missing Sock (autographed) by Renee Hand ($12.95 value). Readers help the detectives solve the case by figuring out puzzles! For ages 9-12. Donated by the author.

4) Capital Mysteries #3: The Skeleton in the Smithsonian [A Stepping
Stone Book(TM)] by Ron Roy, for ages 9-12 (Value $3.99). Donated by Tweet for Literacy sponsor April Pohren.

5) Truth or Dare (autographed), Book 1 from the Scenarios for Girls interactive series by Nicole O’Dell. For ages 10-15. ($7.97 Value) Donated by the author, one of our Tweet for Literacy sponsors.

6) 1 set of SnapWords™  List A Teaching Cards by Child1st ($23.95 value). These are the most popular SnapWords™ product and are excellent foundational help for kids who are just learning to read. Donated by Child1st Publications, LLC.

7) Lighting Their Fires: Raising Extraordinary Children in a Mixed-up, Muddled-up, Shook-up World by Rafe Esquith ($24.95 value). Donated by FSB Associates.

Tweet For Literacy Giveaway SNAP WORDS

Thanks to Child1st Publications, LLC for donating 1 set of Snap Words List A Teaching Cards ($23.95 value) for our Tweet For Literacy Campaign #Tweet4Lit.    TO enter the giveaway click here!

SnapWords™ List A Teaching Cards include 59 word cards sized 4.25 by 5.5 inches. The set is best used to teach sight words to a group or class. The cards are very effective with children who are unable to decode, are stuck in the decoding process, or have difficulty remembering words. Sample activities and games to play with SnapWords™ are available on Child1st's blog.

The SnapWords™ cards embed meaningful images into 

words most commonly found in children's texts (sight words). They include a combination of Dolch words and the Fountas & Pinnell 100 frequently recurring words. Multisensory sight words enable all children to learn to read more easily, including visual learners, and other right brain learners, those labeled with dyslexia, autism, Asperger's, ADD, and those who struggle with reading comprehension. CFP's products are also highly effective in teaching beginning readers, building a strong foundation for learning from the very start. The front of each card acts as a powerful aid in reading comprehension, as it shows the child the meaning of the word through an embedded image, rather than just telling the child what the word says. Visual learners snap a mental picture of the stylized word which stays with them as they encounter the plain word in text later on, continuing to lend meaning to the word. The back of each card contains plain text with a sample sentence to say and motion to do while learning the word. The sentence teaches correct usage of the word, while the motion helps the kinesthetic child store the knowledge and then later retrieve it.

Child1st Publications is an educational publisher that produces reading and math materials to help those who struggle with traditional methods of teaching, and to provide a strong learning foundation for those who would naturally succeed in traditional methods of education. We've designed our products to integrate explicit phonics instruction with specific strategies (visuals, movement, storytelling, humor, rhyme, and patterns) to engage children with a variety of learning strengths.

Thanks to Child1st Publications, LLC for donating 1 set of Snap Words List A Teaching Cards ($23.95 value) for our Tweet For Literacy Campaign #Tweet4Lit.    TO enter the giveaway click here!

Lighting Their Fires Book Review and Giveaway with Tweet 4 Literacy

Thanks to Caitlin from FSB Associates for donating a copy of this book for our Tweet For Literacy Giveaway #Tweet4Lit .  Every other day we are giving away Prize packages that includes books and other items to encourage reading with your children.  This book, Lighting Their Fires: Raising Extraordinary Children in a Mixed-up, Muddle-up, Shook-up World by Rafe Esquith is perfect for our Literacy Giveaway.  Most parents want an instant way to make their kids more successful in school.  The author clearly states in this book that there isn't a magic pill.  Just like anything in life it requires work.  Time to work your children without them knowing that you are working them!  He states, too,  that instilling the value of working hard, being motivated without fear or disappointment, is a first step of many that will lead your kids to real success. Your kids are not born successful.  Over time with the right nurturing and encouragement through, school, home, extra activities they learn, grow and glow!  The author also states that "I fear that my children will be mediocre, that they won't live up to the tremendous promise that each of them possesses.  I don't want my children to be mediocre, because I now they are capable of more. "  We want our children to do the best of their ability.  This book gives a lot of great support in helping you do this and encourage this in your children!!! If you think someone has the best kids... just know that they were not born that way. 

Here are five ways to put your kids on the path to extraordinary: (From the book. You'll have to read it to get the specifics!!)

1)Toot Your Own Horn.
2) Be the Example. 
3) Great Books are Great books for a reason.
4) Do Unto Others.
5) Patience, My Dears.

Most of the tips given in this book is for parents.  It isn't a book where you just send it to school with your child and expect the teacher to do it for you.  From the author, "All follows from values and character, and in working to instill these, you'll create kids that you -- and the rest of the community and country -- can be proud of."
©2009 Rafe Esquith, author of Lighting Their Fires: Raising Extraordinary Children in a Mixed-up, Muddled-up, Shook-up World

Author Bio
Rafe Esquith, author of Lighting Their Fires: Raising Extraordinary Children in a Mixed-up, Muddled-up, Shook-up World, has taught at Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles for twenty-four years. He is the only teacher to have been awarded the president's National Medal of the Arts. His many other honors and awards include the American Teacher Award, Parents magazine's As You Grow Award, Oprah Winfrey's Use Your Life Award, and People magazine's Heroes Among Us Award. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Barbara Tong.

For more information, please visit www.hobartshakespeareans.org 

ENTER TO WIN THIS BOOK

Tweet For Literacy Giveaway Prize Package 3

Our Motto: “The family that reads together has a lot of fun!” Our goal is to empower children and teens, especially girls, who are so often overlooked. We also seek to teach tolerance and self-acceptance through reading and through family interaction.

The Tweet for Literacy Giveaway is a campaign designed to raise awareness of the importance of involving the whole family in a child’s reading activities. Tweet for Literacy will be giving away literacy-related prizes every two days throughout the month of November in honor of National Family Literacy Month. Help a child to read, and let the fun begin!

How to Enter the Tweet for Literacy Giveaways
Step 1: Follow our 7 sponsors on Twitter. This step is required. We will all follow you back!

http://twitter.com/susieqtpies (ME!!!)
http://twitter.com/lindathieman
http://twitter.com/ccmalandrinos
http://twitter.com/cafeofdreams
http://twitter.com/hollyhardin
http://twitter.com/sherikayehoff
http://twitter.com/nicole_odell

Step 2: Re-tweet (RT) any post about the giveaway. Use the hashtag #Tweet4Lit on each RT. Be sure to add the bit.ly URL link for this contest page.
Sample Entry Re-tweets (use these or use your own just make sure you include hashtag #Tweet4Lit and link to my blog http://bit.ly/tCSIM)

RT @susieqtpies Tweet for Literacy is giving away 12 prize sets and a grand prize thru Nov Enter here http://bit.ly/tCSIM #Tweet4Lit

Step 3: That’s it! See the Official Rules below.

Prize Package Three
Winner to be chosen Thursday, November 12, 2009, at 6pm CT. Total value of Prize Package Three is $109.

1) Henry & the Crazed Chicken Pirates by Carolyn Crimi and John Manders for ages 4 to 8. ($15.99 value) This is the sequel to Henry & the Buccaneer Bunnies. Donated by Blue Slip Media.

2) Aurora of the Northern Lights by Holly Hardin (autographed -- an $18.95 value), the delightful Yuletide-themed picture book by one of our Tweet for Literacy sponsors. Donated by the author.

3) The Crypto-Capers: The Case of the Missing Sock (autographed) by Renee Hand ($12.95 value). Readers help the detectives solve the case by figuring out puzzles! For ages 9-12. Donated by the author.

4) Capital Mysteries #3: The Skeleton in the Smithsonian [A Stepping
Stone Book(TM)] by Ron Roy, for ages 9-12 (Value $3.99). Donated by Tweet for Literacy sponsor April Pohren.

5) Truth or Dare (autographed), Book 1 from the Scenarios for Girls interactive series by Nicole O’Dell. For ages 10-15. ($7.97 Value) Donated by the author, one of our Tweet for Literacy sponsors.

6) 1 set of SnapWords™  List A Teaching Cards by Child1st ($23.95 value). These are the most popular SnapWords™ product and are excellent foundational help for kids who are just learning to read. Donated by Child1st Publications, LLC.

7) Lighting Their Fires: Raising Extraordinary Children in a Mixed-up, Muddled-up, Shook-up World by Rafe Esquith ($24.95 value). Donated by FSB Associates.

Check back here daily as we will continue to update the list of prizes.
http://cafescrapper-scrapsoflife.blogspot.com
Official Rules
You can re-enter as many times as you like. Prizes are awarded every 2 days starting on November 8. First day to enter is November 6, 2009. Last day to enter is November 30. A prize package will be awarded on each even day of the month. Each prize package will be a set of items that are literacy related. See below for specific information on prizes.

The name of the winner will be selected at random and will be drawn at approximately 6pm CT. The winner will have 3 days to respond. If we don’t hear from the winner, we will select another winner for that prize package. We will notify our 13 winners by Direct Message (DM) on Twitter.

Whereas you can enter as often as you like, if you are not following all 7 sponsors on Twitter, which will be verified, your entries will be disqualified. All entries that comply with the above rules will be valid for each drawing, including the Grand Prize. The Grand Prize will be awarded on December 1, 2009.