CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED ART MUSEUM and MORE

I attended the grand opening yesterday of the CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED ART MUSEUM in St. Louis. The Museum features artwork from children's books and magazines. All of the Guardian Angel Publishing works are represented there.

I've included a few pictures, so you can get a feel for the place. Much more is to come with additional art works, children's & teacher programs, workshops and book signings.

Plus, here's a link to an interview with me in the St. Louis Suburban Journal.

Pets and Authors

Mayra Calvani, author and animal lover, has a fun blog featuring authors and their pets. I know my pets have been major inspirations for my writings. In fact, they were interviewed by Mayra a while back. If you missed it, here's the link on April 5, 2009.

But you'll want to check out all the others as well at www.petsandauthors.blogspot.com. Today Donna Shepherd and her adorable Labradoodle, Sadie, reveal their secrets.

Try writing your own animal story--whether you have a pet or not. Invent a character, give the animal a problem, and send him on his way to solve the problem--and, of course, encounter even more problems along the way.

Here's a quick list of some favorite picture book animal stories:

FROG AND TOAD ARE FRIENDS by Arnold Lobel

GOOD NIGHT, GORILLA by Peggy Rathmann (a wordless picture book)

IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE by Laura Joffe Numeroff

MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS by Robert McCloskey

THE VELVETEEN RABBIT by Margery Williams

HARRY, THE DIRTY DOG by Gene Zion

Have fun!

Thursday Morning Interview

I had a fun start to the morning today with an interview for the local St. Louis Suburban Journal. It's great to be able to share my love for literacy--reading, writing, creating. That's why I write--for the kids. To excite them about the world of literature.

The PET GRAMMAR PARADE SERIES shows them that grammar can be fun. When students learn the basic tools--like the parts of speech, they become empowered. They can create their own stories, write their own research articles, share their ideas and information with the world.

I'll keep you posted on the article. It's slated for next Wednesday's edition.

In the meantime, I know that school has started for many. Help your child succeed by setting aside reading time. I've included some ideas on ways to do this at my website. Here's a few of the links:

PAIRED READING

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT READING ALOUD

READING FUN AND GAMES

Grammar Fun for Everyone and a Great Review from STORIES FOR CHILDREN MAGAZINE

Gayle Jacobson-Huset, Fiction & Poetry Editor for STORIES FOR CHILDREN MAGAZINE, said, "I give this book [HAMSTER HOLIDAYS] a high five for the excellent learning tools Author Cynthia Reeg has included to make learning so much fun, and for the colorful, kid-friendly illustrations by Kit Grady. This book is definitely a keeper!"

Hey, find out for yourself how fun grammar can be with these ONLINE GRAMMAR GAMES:

FUN BRAIN.COM--One of my favorites with the Grammar Gorilla. Don't let the grammar or the gorilla scare you. Just like in my Pet Grammar Parade Series, it's all fun!

GRAMMAR BLAST--These games are geared to grade levels. Select your grade and take the challenge.

NOUN DUNK--Dribble, shoot, and score with this fun interactive game with common and proper nouns.

PLANETSPASM.COM--This parts of speech game was created by kids for a classroom assignment. Help save the planet when you correctly select a noun, pronoun, adjective, adverb, verb, or conjunction.

Now you just can't wait to see what grammar adventures the hamsters are up to, can you?

Visit Amazon.com or Guardian Angel Publishing to purchase your copy.

HAMSTER HOLIDAYS Earns a Great Armchair Review

I wanted to share the lovely interview HAMSTER HOLIDAYS received at Armchair Interviews.com.

Reviewer, Laura V. Hilton, said, "Has your child been struggling with learning about nouns and adjectives and what their jobs are in a sentence? Then this cute little book about hamsters and holidays will be just the right thing to help your child identify these important parts of a sentence."

And Ms. Hilton adds, "This book will help grammar become fun." To read the complete review, click on the link above.

Thanks for the great review, Ms. Hilton.

Now, what are you waiting for? Celebrate the holidays hamster style. Visit Guardian Angel Publishing to find out how you can order your own copy of the book.