The Secret History of Giants- BOOK GIVEAWAY

The time has come, my friends, for me to host my very first ever Ready Set Read Reviews book giveaway! It's unfortunately not something I can afford to do all the time, but Candlewick Press has ever so generously donated a brand new hardcopy of Professor Ari Berk's The Secret History of Giants for me to giveaway here on my blog.

Because I haven't read the book, I can't post a review. However, I can say that, after having taken a quick peek between the covers, that it looks like a really cool book. From the textured front cover to the incredibly detailed illustrations to the neat surprises included on many of the pages. It just looks like a fun book!

Here's what the publisher has to say about it...

Ancient Greece had its Titans, the Celts their Green Knight, the Bible Goliath -- and for those who know where to look, signs of these legendary hulking creatures still abound. Now comes a hugely engrossing chronicle of
giants since antiquity, from their role in forming mountains and causing earthquakes to the mysteries of their sacks (watch out for hitchhiking humans); from their means of employment (how did the Druids built Stonehenge?) to an extensive map of places around the world where giants may likely be found. Exhaustive and lushly illustrated, this enormously valuable resource is sure to fascinate all who open its covers.

Special features include:

• sundry flaps, booklets, and gatefolds
• a lavish foiled and embossed cover
• an elegant tassel dangling from the spine

Are there giants among us? Find their story writ large in a lavish exploration touching on folklore and myth, truth and whimsy.

If you live in the US and think this book sounds like something you'd be interested in winning for yourself or a special child in your life, please leave me a comment here telling me about your favorite folklore or mythical creature.

For extra entries readers can do one or all of the following:

• Subscribe to my e-mail updates (link can be found on right side column)


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• Add my button (found on right side coloum) to your blog roll


• Mention this giveaway on your blog by creating a new post linking back to me

Please come back and leave a new comment for each new entry. (Please include links.)

With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up next week, I'm going to leave this open for entries through Friday December 5th. I'll then do an online random draw to determine which lucky reader will be taking home this prize just in time for Christmas.

Due to cost of postage, US entries ONLY on this first giveaway. I'll see how it goes, and then consider my options again in the future.

~Thanks~

How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? by Jane Yolen

How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague
Geared Towards: Ages 4-8
Published By: The Blue Sky Press (Scholastic)
Publication Date: February 2003
ISBN-13: 978-0439241007

Jane Yolen is an author we've read many times, and I'm certain we must have read one or two of her other Dinosaur books. Yet, for the life of me I couldn't begin to tell you which or when. Hmpf. Guess that means I need to be on the look out for more books in this series when my 3 year old and I hit the library Monday. Why?, you ask. Because this was a stinkin' cute book.

How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? is a beautifully illustrated fun look at what it might be like if human parents had dinosaurs for children. And we're not talking about just any old dinosaurs. No, we're talking about SICK dinosaurs. Just like real kids, the dinosaurs in this book don't seem to be keen on taking medicine, visiting the doctor, getting rest, and all the other things that go hand in hand with getting over a cold or sicky bug.

Each dinosaur is fighting his parent for the upper hand. Stubborn like any child forced to do anything they don't want to do, especially when sick, none of the dinosaurs in this book want to do what their mommies and daddies tell them will help make them better. But, much to this mother's delight, Yolen turns things around at the end of the story and shows the kids that even dinosaurs can follow the rules so that they can get better quickly.

Yolen does a fantastic job of making the scenes and setting realistic, so her young readers will be easily able to pick up on the similarities she's trying to draw attention to in regards to how the dinosaurs act and how most young children act when it comes to being sick. Perhaps kiddos everywhere reading this book will suddenly realize that nobody, not even big scary dinosaurs, likes to go through the process of recovering from being sick. It's unpleasant and yucky, yet if the dinosaurs decided they had to listen to their mommies, daddies, and doctors (and they're WAY bigger than all of them) then maybe the kiddos will realize they can do it to.

Mark Teague, the illustrator, has come up with some great, eye catching illustrations for this one. Each of his dinosaurs has a great expression on its face; so there's no doubting what he's feeling or thinking. Likewise, each dinosaur is, over all, very detailed and realistic looking (in that obviously illustrated way). Younger kids might not catch on or care much, but Teague has even managed to incorporate the name of each kind of dinosaur somewhere within it's own two page spread.

Great story, great illustrations, a book I can see picking up over and over again.

Last but not least... I'm not sure if this is a feature that comes with all the copies of this book or if it's maybe just with the hardback releases, however, the copy we borrowed from the library came with a read along audio cd. Read by the author, Yolen does a wonderful job of inflecting her voice and making the story fun to listen to. With two follow along formats to choose from, young readers can opt for either a version with a "turn the page" que or one without. My 3 year old wasn't interested in listening to the cd version as she was content to have mommy read it to her. I think I'll try sitting my 5 year old down with it later though. I'm sure she'd have a blast reading along with the author.


OUR RATING: 5 hearts

Animal Babies by Jennifer Schofield

Animal Babies in Ponds and Rivers by Jennifer Schofield

Geared Towards: Ages 4-8

Published By: Kingfisher

Publication Date: April 2007

ISBN-13: 978-0753460597

Animal Babies in Rain Forests by Jennifer Schofield

Geared Towards: Ages 4-8

Published By: Kingfisher

Publication Date: April 2007

ISBN-13: 978-0753460603

Both of these short hardbacks are absolutely perfect for any little kid. With several incredibly clear and upclose animal photographs, budding readers will enjoy the visual entertainment as much if not more than the literary side. Designed to encourage readers to actively participate in the reading process, each page's text tells a short snippet about the upcoming animal and asks the reader to use the clue to guess what animal will be next. For example: "When I'm hungry I plunge my head under the water to look for my food. Who is my mommy?"

My daughters and I enjoyed these books because they really were fun to read. The animal pictures were bright and interesting, and I loved that the book reinforced information they already knew about the animals or even taught them some new things. The text was short and simple, and that made the game factor fun without being overwhelming for my 3 year old.

I do have to say, that I don't think the age listing is accurate on these books. Listed at 4-8 years, I truly think the publisher missed the mark. It's my opinion that the younger kids (think even baby age) would totally get in to these because of the visual stimulation, and the flow of the text. If they're the hardback then you wouldn't set a baby loose with them if you didn't want them chewed on and torn up, but they'd be perfect for cuddling up together with at storytime. Not to mention I think most 8 year olds would probably be bored by the books because while they'd enjoy the pictures I think the text would just be too simple.

OUR RATING: 5 Hearts