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September Greetings from Hedgehog Books!
School has started - Welcome back!
Congratulations to Ruthie of San Marcos, California and Mary R. of East Sandwich, Massachusetts, winners in our last two Hedgie Tshirt giveaways!
We have another Hedgie Tshirt drawing running now - the winner will be selected
on September 30th. If you'd like to enter, click
here . Or, take a look at our cute
Hedgie Tshirts and help promote reading aloud to kids!
Click this link to visit our
homepage - Featured books, grade level lists, series, Top
10s, categories, and search.
Click this link for your very own copy
of
Hedgie's Monthly Newsletter.
If you like this newsletter, please
email it to a friend!
Recommended this month (for little ones)
Don't You Feel Well Sam?
What a comforting book! The love fairly oozes
off the page as Mama Bear comforts her sick little bear throughout the night.
The rich and warm illustrations are perfect, capturing the bond of trust
and love between mother and child. This is a marvelous antidote for any
little one feeling a little under the weather! This is a great book to share with little ones ages 2 to 6.
Recommended this month (For Early Reader)
New York's Bravest
This little-known American tall tale can now take its place on the
bookshelves with Johnny Appleseed, John Henry, and others inspired
by real people. Mose represents the courage, strength and sacrifice
of firefighters throughout history, and never were those qualities
on greater display than on September 11, 2001. This book honors our
firefighters past and present and provides young readers with a
moving tale about the enduring qualities of everyday heroes. This is a fine tale to share with children ages 5 to 8.
Recommended this month (for fluent readers)
A House Called Awful End
This hilarious novel is perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket...
or anyone who likes the idea of poking a bit of (very British)
fun at tragedy! The story was originally written as a series of episodes
(chapters) from the author to his nephew who was at boarding school
in England. (Wow, who wouldn't want an uncle like that!) Make no
mistake...This is grand and wonderful storytelling! This is a brilliant 'tragedy' for readers 9 and up.
Our Featured Book this Month...
The Thief Lord
WOW! This is one of those stories I couldn't wait to get my hands on.
It had received quite a bit of advanced press prior to publication here
in the United States, and not unlike Rowling's first book, was a sell-out
in the country where it was originally published. In the case of
THE THIEF LORD, that country is Germany, where author Cynthia Funke
is the third most popular children's author, right behind J.K. Rowling and R.L. Stine.
But make no mistake about it...this is no Harry Potter clone!
THE THIEF LORD, a fantastic tale, is set in mysterious Venice
with its myriad of canals, dark alleys, palatial homes and old
abandoned buildings...not to mention the surrounding lesser-known
islands steeped in local color and history. (Included is a great map as well!)
This is a wonderful mystery/fantasy for children 10 to 14.
Reading Tip From Hedgie
Although it probably comes as no big surprise, recent research out of the University
of Southern California shows that children who read a great deal automatically
increase their comprehension, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and writing style.
In other words, amount counts. There are five factors that encourage more reading.
They include:
- reading aloud
- a print-rich environment in the home
- a print-rich environment in the classroom
- a well-stocked school library and public library
- lots of materials kids want to read
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 Lovely Bones When I first read the publisher's description of this book,
I resolved not to read it. After all, who wants to hear the story (told from heaven)
of a murdered teenage girl as she watches the impact of her death on her family?
However, a friend read the book and declared it a must-read.
The Lovely Bones is a remarkable story. While much of the beginning is heart rending,
the story is told with such objectivity and lack of judgement, that we quickly
forget the gruesomeness of the underlying premise. Instead, we learn about a wide
variety of people and we watch as this one event changes the directions of so
many lives. In part, this is a mystery as we wait for complete resolution and
we follow the lives the characters that the victim touched in some way.
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!
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. You'll also find us at
the online shopping mall,
www.mall.com . Take a look at
us in the Kids' Corner under Courtyard Shopping.
Until next month,
Hedgie
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