FREE nonfiction for kids this week

The following non-fiction for kids in the Science and Nature for Young Readers series will be free sometime this week on Amazon. Be sure to pick these up to fill that new Kindle that you are giving as a gift this Christmas.

SPIDERS will be free November 20th.

Did you know that spider silk is stronger than steel of the same thickness? Or that the venom from a Black Widow is more powerful a Rattle Snake’s? Learn all about the mysterious world of SPIDERS in the Science and Nature Series for Young Readers.

Fun Fish Facts for Kids will be FREE on November 21st.

Did you know that male seahorses give birth? Or that Parrotfish can make sand? Did you know that some fish are in danger of disappearing from our oceans forever? Discover the fascinating world of marine fishes and learn how you can help protect sea life in Fun Fish Facts for Kids, part of the Science and Nature Series for Young Readers.

HAWAII'S GREEN SEA TURTLES will be FREE on November 22.
Did you know that relatives of sea turtles have been around since the age of the dinosaurs? Or that sea turtles were hunted to the brink of extinction before gaining protection under the Endangered Species Act? Explore the fascinating underwater world of Hawaii’s Green Sea Turtles in the Science and Nature Series for Young Readers. Kids of all ages will enjoy the beautiful photographs while learning how they can help protect these graceful and beloved animals. This book also provides links to FREE MARINE LIFE COLORING SHEETS.

Celebrate National Picture Book Month with Books by Kauai Authors

November is National Picture Book Month. Across the globe, schools, libraries, booksellers and book lovers are coming together to celebrate the picture book. Thousands have joined the celebration. What will you do to celebrate National Picture Book month on Kauai? How about reading from the following list of picture books by Kauai Authors.

Picture Books by Kauai Authors:

Knuckles the Hound of Hanalei 

by Susan Dierker

Sabrina, The Girl with a Hole in her Heart by Wendy Lewis

Benny the Beetle 

by Carol Peacock-Williams

The Sheltering Place by Mark Huff

King of the Beach by Mark Huff

The Eye of the Lion, The Story of my First Hurricane by Mark Jeffers

Uncle Harry's Junkalunka Car by Stormy Cozad

Torry and the Origami Box by 

Stormy Cozad

Tutu Nene: The Hawaiian Mother Goose Rhymes by Debra Ryll

The Magic Ukulele by Dr. Carolan

Goodnight Hawaiian Moon 

by Dr. Carolan

B is for Beach 

by Dr. Carolan

Where are my Slippers? 

by Dr. Carolan

This is my Piko 

by Dr. Carolan

Ten Days in Hawaii 

by Dr. Carolan

Old Makana Had a Farm 

by Dr. Carolan

A President from Hawaii 

by Dr. Carolan

And be on the lookout for a new release by award-winning Kauai author, Monika Mira by the end of November. Who Lives in the Sea? Ocean Animals of Hawaii  is a repetitive, rhyming story about ocean animals that encourages early reading skills and answers the burning  questions that the inquisitive minds of young children tend to ask about the world around us. 

President Obama is A President from Hawaii

Kauai Author, Joanna Carolan gives us this beautifully illustrated book about a president from Hawaii. This is not a political book, instead it is a book about Hawaii, its history, culture and values. President Obama experienced these same cultural nuances and values while growing up in the Aloha State. For those of you looking to teach your children about Hawaii and about the president, this book is a great way to start. The collage illustrations include photos of the president as a child, mixed in with original art in bold, bright colors and attractive layouts that are sure to keep your child's attention.

Some of the values that are covered in this book are those of Kuleana, Malama and Kokua which help teach children lessons of responsibility, and stewardship, while simultaneously introducing Hawaiian language. Other parts of Hawaiian cultural that are addressed like shave ice, plate lunches and Hawaiian Lei are as colorful as the illustrations in the book and as diverse as the people that live here.

The book comes with an audio CD featuring award-winning Hawaiian recording artists Amy Hanaialii and Kelii Kanealii. In addition to the narration of the book, the CD includes oli (Hawaiian chant) by Kumu Hula Healani Youn, and the song "These Islands" which Amy Hanaialii recorded exclusively for the book.

Free Kindle Book by Kauai Author

Friday, October 19th,  2012 you can get your copy of Fun Fish Facts for Kids for Free on AMAZON. Fun Fish Facts is an eBook for Kindle, but if you don't have a Kindle, fret not...Amazon has an app for that. You can view this book also on your phone or your computer.

Kauai author and marine biologist, Monika Mira has incorporated dozens of beautiful photos into this fun and informative book.

Did you know that male sea horses give birth? Or that Parrotfish make sand. Did you know that some fish are in danger of disappearing from our oceans forever? Discover the fascinating world of marine fishes and learn how you can help protect sea life in Fun Fish Facts for Kids, part of the Science and Nature Series for Young Readers.

 

Kauai Children’s Authors Celebrate National Book Month

“Pledge Allegiance to Knowledge” is the year’s theme of National Book Month. Kauai’s Children’s Authors are doing just that, sharing knowledge. As a group, Kauai Authors Guild members gather to share knowledge with one another, passing on useful information about the publishing industry.

As individuals, they share their stories, and some pretty interesting non-fiction and science with their young readers. To celebrate National Book Month, the authors will be gathering for book readings, activities and book signings at the annual Princess Ka’iulani Keiki Festival in October. They chose this venue because the festival has a long history of promoting literacy and was once known as the Kauai Keiki Story Fest.

Kauai author, Monika Mira has been particularly busy sharing knowledge. This year alone, she has released three new non-fiction titles for the Amazon Kindle, all of which are part of the ongoing Science and Nature Series for Young Readers. Amazon bestseller, SPIDERS, teaches children all about the mysterious world of these creepy crawlies, including everything from web building to anatomy. HAWAII’S GREEN SEA TURTLES and FUN FISH FACTS FOR KIDS allow children to discover the wonders of underwater world.

As with all of Mira’s books, she takes the time to make sure that children understand human and environmental threats to wildlife and the importance of conservation. She will be offering a coral reef coloring activity for children at the festival in conjunction with her award-winning title, The Complete Hawaiian Reef Fish Coloring Book.

Mark Jeffers of Storybook Theatre is the newest member of the Guild. However, his newly released book, The Eye of the Lion, The Story of my First Hurricane was written over twenty years ago. The book recounts the story of Hurricane ‘Iniki as it passes over the island of Kauaʻi leaving a wake of destruction in its path. He shows how one Hawaiian family prepares for the hurricane and supports each other while the storm passes over their home. Jeffers is also one of the organizers of the Princess Ka’iulani Keiki Fest.

Authors Carol Peacock, Susan Dierker and Wendy Lewis will be at the festival to share their stories with children as will. Benny the Beetle is classic bedtime story that was illustrated by Peacock’s mother many years prior to the release of the book. Susan Dierker will be reading her title, Knuckles the Hound of Hanalei. The story is about transition and love as one family adopts a pet from the humane society.

Wendy Lewis not only promotes literacy, but has toured to dozens of schools to talk about what’s new in science and technology. Her book, Sabrina, The Girl with a Hole in her Heart is based on a true story about a 10-year-old girl from Africa who has a heart defect that leaves her weak and tired. Doctors in her village can't help so Sabrina must decide if she can fly alone to a faraway place to receive the surgery she needs. This story teaches children about the spirit and the anatomy of the human heart while tying in science and technology.

All of the authors will be on-hand at the Princess Ka'iulani Keiki Festival to celebrate literacy and talk story with Kauai’s Keiki. The festival will be held on October 20th, 2012 in Hanapepe town from 10-4.

Build a coral reef lesson plan for your classroom

A unit on coral reefs is common in elementary school, so why not make a coral reef mural part of the lesson. All you need is a copy of The Complete Hawaiian Reef Fish Coloring Book by Kauai author, Monika Mira and a bunch of willing hands (literally). Every fish you could possibly need is in the book.

You will want to prep the wall where you will put your mural the day before you begin this unit. You can do this by covering a large space with blue butcher paper.

To start the unit, open the book to the section on fishes and describe one of the fish by reading the text, which includes its common, scientific and Hawaiian name. Ask your students, “who wants to color in this fish?” Tear it out of the book and repeat with the next fish until all of your students have a fish. During the process, your students will learn about many different fish on the reef.

Allow the students to color in the fish however they like. Let the creativity flow. They do no need to color the fish exactly how it appears in nature unless they wish to do so. Once all the fish are colored in, have your students cut them out. Then set them aside.

Set out some construction paper and have your students trace their hands and cut them out. While you are doing this, you can describe what a coral is, and how coral reefs are built. Don’t worry, all this information is included in the beginning sections of The Complete Hawaiian Reef Fish Coloring Book. Pass around a piece of coral if you have one.

It is now time to build the reef. Glue the hands, fingers pointing up on the bottom of the butcher paper. Overlapping hands look really nice. This is your coral reef. Now, it is time to glue the fish onto your reef.

What a great project. You incorporated Science, reading, and art all into one fun assignment.

Kauai Author, Mark Jeffers, releases The Eye of the Lion in Conjunction with the 20-year Anniversary of Hurricane Iniki

It’s been twenty years since Hurricane Iniki visited the Island of Kauaʻi. The residents of Kauaʻi have had time to heal their wounds, rebuild their homes, businesses and their lives. But the children of Kauaʻi who experienced the storm will never forget. These children are now adults, many with children of their own. They learned valuable lessons about preparing for a storm, relying on family, and coming together as a community to rebuild.

Author Mark Jeffers believes that it is now time to release this powerful story that was inspired by the children who experienced Hurricane ʻIniki twenty years ago, so that their own children may benefit. The Eye of The Lion, The Story of My First Hurricane is now available for you and your family to experience.

Inspiration for ‘The Eye of the Lion’

After Hurricane ʻIniki passed over Kauaʻi, leaving a wake of destruction in its path, Mark Jeffers of Storybook Theatre wanted to know how the storm affected the children of Kauaʻi. So, he applied for funds available from the Hawaiʻi Hurricane Relief Fund to hold a contest that would allow the children of Kauaʻi to share their hurricane stories. He believed that allowing the children to write their stories would be therapeutic and that their stories could potentially benefit other children that found themselves facing a hurricane or similar natural disaster. The winners also received a monetary prize, which would benefit their families at a time when most people were without work. The stories and images he received from the children of Kauaʻi became the inspiration for The Story of my First Hurricane. Jeffers then enlisted Stacey Kaopuiki of Maui to illustrate the story based on the images sent in by the children. The Eye of the Lion has since remained in the Storybook Theatre Vault until now.

Book Description:

Experience a hurricane through the eyes of a child. Master storyteller, Mark Jeffers of Storybook Theatre, recounts the story of Hurricane ‘Iniki as it passes over the island of Kauaʻi leaving a wake of destruction in its path. He shows how one Hawaiian family prepares for the hurricane and supports each other while the storm passes over their home.

Book Signing Dates:
Jeffers will be signing copies of The Eye of the Lion at the following locations:

Saturday September 8th,  12:00pm to 2:00 p.m. at Storybook Theatre of Hawaii Hanapepe
Sunday September 9th, 12:00 to 3:00 Sweet Marie’s Restaurant & Bakery in Lihue
Tuesday September 11th,  2:00 p.m. to 5:00 pm. Small Town Coffee in Kapa’a
Thursday September 13th,  3- 6 p.m. Kauai Mini Golf in Kilauea
Friday September 14th, 4 - 6 p.m. Kukui Grove Center Stage
Saturday September 29th,  12:30 pm  Kokee Natural History Museum Front Porch

The Eye of the Lion, The Story of my First Hurricane is now available at the following locations:

Storybook Theatre in Hanapepe
Kokeʻe Natural History Museum
Sweet Marie’s Restaurant & Bakery
Amazon.com