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April Newsletter - Spring is here!
If you missed recent newsletters, you may be interested to know that the Hedgie Award winners were announced - A Story for Bear won the Best Read-aloud Picture Book for 2002, and The Sands of Time won the Best Read-aloud Chapter Book for 2002.
Congratulations to Carol, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Debra from Hickory Hills, Illinois, winners in our most recent Hedgie Tshirt giveaways!
We have another Hedgie Tshirt drawing running - the winners will be selected
on April 15th. If you'd like to enter, click
here. Or, take a look at our cute
Hedgie Tshirts and help promote reading aloud to children!
Click this link for your very own copy
of
Hedgie's Monthly Newsletter.
If you like this newsletter, please
email it to a friend!
If you REALLY like our site, please go to Webby Awards, register as a voter, and write in www.hedgehogbooks.com in the Education, Youth, and Commercial categories. Unfortunately, we didn't get selected as a nominee finalist, but they have a separate set of awards for 'People's Choice' write-ins. So please vote for us!
Hedgie's Cash for Schools: We recently launched Hedgie's Cash for Schools. We saw that other programs only paid schools 1-2% of purchases (after administrative fees), so we have set up a program where any purchases you make from www.hedgehogbooks.com will pay 10% to the school or district of your choice - with no administrative fees. For more information on how to sign up your school, click here.
Recommended this month (For Babies/Toddlers)
Millie in the Meadow
When an artist comes to the meadow, Millie the knobby-kneed calf watches and guesses as he paints each of her colorful friends - Ladybug, Spider, and Bunny. 'Will he ever paint a picture of me?' Millie wonders. With springlike watercolors and simple, inviting text, Janet Pedersen creates a cheerful story about an innocent and irresistible calf who learns a little about those around her and a lot about herself. Perfect for young ones, ages 2 to 5.
Recommended this month (For Young Readers)
Stone Soup
In this inspiring story about the strength people possess when they work together, Muth takes a simple, beloved tale and adds his own fresh twist. With magnificent watercolors that invite reflection of deeper meaning, he combines his love of Zen Buddhism and Eastern culture with a favorite old trickster tale that celebrates the power of generosity. Wonderful for folks 6 and up.
Recommended this month (For Fluent Readers)
Kensuke's Kingdom
Washed up on an island in the Pacific with his dog Stella, Michael struggles to survive on his own. He can't find food. He can't find water. But just when things are at their worst, Michael realizes that he and Stella are not alone. Extremely well-told and thought provoking, this spellbinding tale of survival and self-discovery is an outstanding modern-day Robinson Crusoe. Great for ages 9 to 12.
Reading Tip From Hedgie
This month's tip is directed towards helping little ones understand the basic conventions of books. They include:
1. There is a front and a back of a book.
2. A reader starts at the top of the page.
3. A reader's eyes scan from left to right.
4. There is a specific order of the pages in a book.
5. If illustrations are included, they are demonstrating scenes from the story.
While these book conventions may seem terribly obvious to you, they are definitely not to the young child...and s/he must learn them in order to become a successful reader. You can help by supporting your beginning reader whenever possible. Share a variety of books to underscore the conventions found in all of them, pointing out the conventions. Then ask your child simple questions to check for understanding, such as "Can you show me the first page of the story?...How about the first word of the story? (Hand your child something fun to point with... kids love it!)
What? Another Book Report?!
Our
Grade level reading lists can
help you and your children choose the right books.
Great Books for Me Too?
Research has proven how important it is
to model reading to children. Now
at Hedgehog Books we've made that even easier. Check out our
Techie's Grown-up Books Page.
The English Assassin It's been a long time since I found a thriller I truly enjoyed. This one is great. Not only does it remind me of early Ludlum, it provides a great, page-turning story as it presents a largely ignored political issue - Switzerland's role in WWII and the plunder which still fuels much of the Swiss economy today.
Have you got a question for Hedgie?
Don't forget our "
Ask a Teacher " page. Hedgie's
professional teaching staff is there to answer all of your literary questions.
Hedgie loves to help!
A Note to Teachers: We know you don't have much time, but if you get the inclination, we now welcome teacher reviews for all of our books. If Hedgie hasn't done a review, a teacher review will be selected at random to be the main review. Put in your two cents about what students should read! Just go to the book you want to review and Add A Teacher's Review (Note, you don't have to fill out the entire form - pick the sections that are right for your review).
Thinking of sending books as gifts? On our checkout form, we've added the option to include a short message to the recipient of the books.
Hedgie's Friends
Be sure to visit all of Hedgie's friends!
By shopping at
www.greatergood.com a percentage
of your purchase can be donated to the charity of your choice including The
Breast Cancer Site, Hunger Site, and The Rainforest Site. At
www.ebates.com you'll get back
cash with every purchase you make from Hedgehogbooks.
Until next month,
Hedgie
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