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March Newsletter
Spring is almost here!
We've got the finalists for the Hedgie Awards, the best Read Aloud books of 2003. We hope to announce the winning selections by the next newsletter. The Newbery and Caldecotts are out and we're pleased that they have selected some of our featured books. For our list of current and past award winners, click here.
Book-of-the-Month and Tshirt Giveaways
Every week, we're giving away free copies of Hedgie's Book-of-the-Month. This month it's Kathleen Kull's The Boy on Fairfield Street, which is also our featured Early Read this month (see below). For details and to enter, click here.
Congratulations to all of our The Man Who Walked Between the Towers winners (which is finally in stock): Eleanor of Levittown, Pennsylvania, Chelsea of Sedro Woolley, Washington, Wanda of Southern Pines, North Carolina, and Rebecca of Hoschton, Georgia!
We have another Hedgie Tshirt drawing running - the winners will be selected
on March 31st. Congratulations to Jenniver of Ventnor City, New Jersey, Nancy in Chalmette, Louisiana, and Debra of Sequin, Texas, last month's Tshirt winners. If you'd like to enter, click
here. Or, buy one of our cute Hedgie Tshirts and help promote reading aloud to children!
Hedgie Information
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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)
A Busy Year Now available in a board book edition, here is Leo Lionni's joyous celebration of the rhythms of nature. A tree changes month by month, watched over by adorable twin mice who admire her on their frequent visits. "Oh, Woody, you are beautiful!" they exclaim in May, when her leaves are full and blossoming. Lionni's colorful collages (appropriately changing as each month arrives) are simply charming. A real hit for little ones, ages 2 to 5.
Recommended this month (For Young Readers)
The Boy on Fairfield Street
Award-winning author Kathleen Krull zeros in on the formative first 22 years of the life of Ted Geisel. This is the first picture book biography of Dr. Seuss, written especially for his young fans who want to know what made him tick. The animals in the zoo that his father ran and his fondness for drawing them, the injustices he suffered as the child of German immigrants, and his inherent sense of humor all fed into the imagination of this boy. He was a square peg in a round hole until he found that he could make a living doing exactly what he pleased—doodling and writing funny things about the world as he saw it. Great for ages 7 to 11.
Recommended this month (For Fluent Readers)
Olive's Ocean
Rich characterizations and eloquent language are literary gifts in this compelling coming-of-age Newbery Honor Book by Kevin Henkes. It's the story of twelve year old Martha coming to terms with the death of a classmate who secretly bore a wish to become her friend. Add to that Martha's deepening connection with her aging grandmother, adolescent alienation, mini-crises, diapers, and humor, and you have an exceptional read. Perfect for ages 10 to 13.
Reading Tip From Hedgie
Sometimes very young children and toddlers will want to race ahead in a book, especially if it's a favorite that has been read before. Often, they just want to see the next picture and aren't paying attention to the words. To slow them down, make the reading experience interactive. After each page, ask a question. It can be about the story or about something in the pictures on the page. Get your child to really look at the book and to think about it. This is a great way to build a love and fascination for books that will last a lifetime!
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. At Hedgehog Books we've made that even easier. Check out our
Techie's favorite Grown-up Books.
Chocolat I'm sure you loved the movie like I did. However, the book only generally resembles the movie. The candy store sells much more than chocolate. The priest is the one who works to get Vianne out of Lansquenet. Certain affairs take place that are not in the movie, and the ending is quite different. They always say the book is better than the movie. I usually agree. However, often film can add music and ambience that you don't find in a book. Ragtime comes to mind. In this case, I'd have to say that the book is just very different from the movie. Each is excellent in its own medium, and because they are so different, I strongly recommend you read this book.
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.
If you missed recent newsletters, you may be interested to know that we announced the Hedgie Award winners for the best books of 2002 - 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.
Until next month,
Hedgie
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