October 11th, 2011 | posted by: Lynette

Introducing author Gina Ricci and her new picture book – and app – “Boo!”

Click on the image above to go to the YouTube trailer!

Meander Art’s new release – “BOO!” is a Halloween-themed picture book by Gina Ricci featuring Sophie and Sam. It has also just been released as a PicPocket Books app. Get to know the author, Gina, as she describes the inspiration behind her writing and illustration, and especially her newest picture book, Boo!

"Boo!" picture book by Gina Ricci on the iPad

 

About Boo!:

Sophie (the little witch in Boo!) and Sam (her cat) have been in my life for years. In fact, Erin, my daughter, was my inspiration for Sophie.

Sophie and Sam celebrate Halloween!

With her cat Sam, tucked under her arm, Sophie made her debut in “Splish! Splash! Splosh!” the first of many adventures Sophie and Sam take together. Their latest story is “BOO!” – a Halloween night full of black cats, bubbling cauldrons, and a haunted house.

Sophie and Sam in "Splish! Splash! Splosh!"

“BOO!’s” richly detailed illustrations bring to life the magic of Halloween and the playful, rhyming adventure, which young children will love to read.
About Gina:

I was born in England, but have lived in America for the last 30 years. I’ve always loved to draw and paint. One Christmas, my sister Louise was visiting, and we had such a bad snowstorm that we were stuck indoors for a week. We sat at the dining room table and decided to make our own Christmas cards. On the back of them we wrote “from Me and ‘er.” And that’s how Meander Art was born.

 

Each year I designed another card, wrote a poem for the inside, and from those first few cards came my designs and the stories for our children’s books.

At the heart of Meander Art’s books are wonderful childhood memories, splashing in puddles, building sandcastles, trick-or-treating, and more. We want our stories and artwork to make children smile, and for the parents to remember when they were young–those days of endless summers, the first chill of Autumn, memories of building snowmen, and best friends.

Look out for another Sophie and Sam–whimsical tale from Meander Art– coming this winter “Snowflakes are Falling.”

 

October 4th, 2011 | posted by: Lynette

Boo!

 

 

Overview:
 BOO!   Halloween with Sophie and Sam is magical. Come meet the owls, pumpkins and ghosts on Halloween night with a playfully spooky (but not scary) rhyming tale. Get in a Halloween mood, because this night is for me and for you… full of laughter, mischief, and of course… BOO!

About this App:
PicPocket Books brings quality children’s picture book literature to digital media. Now, children can enjoy their favorites stories on-the-go, even when they do not have a physical book to read.

This interactive CHILDREN’S STORYBOOK app promotes EARLY LEARNING and helps your children develop READING skills by connecting the audio words and sounds with the written word on the page.

PicPocket Books offer a unique and new experience, combining the beauty of quality picture books with audio recordings and interactive visual text. This combination enables independent enjoyment for children regardless of reading level, subtle support for early readers, and nostalgic fun for adults.

Whether standing in a grocery line, taking a car trip, or waiting in a doctor’s office, PicPocket Books provide personal, interactive story experiences. The books can be downloaded with one click or tap, and provide educational and entertainment value to children and adults alike.

Your PicPocket Book is a perfect complement to regular story time with parents or grandparents, and a gentle alternative to flashy, fast-paced digital media time.

Benefits:
high fidelity, full-color illustrations that stay true to the original print book
high quality audio recording
Learn-to-read highlighting feature
Animated details emphasize the storyline
iPad version includes discussion questions for kids, parents, and teachers
turn pages with an easy swipe

Language: English

PicPocket Books is a member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.
Recommended Ages:  3-6, 6-10
Subject: BOOK, READING

October 23rd, 2010 | posted by: Lynette

Halloween guest post by author Deborah K. Frontiera

Halloween is next week, and it means different things to different people. Some people celebrate it by trick-or-treating and dressing in funny , clever, or scary costumes. Others have parties, make mischief or associate the season with witches, bats, skeletons or wicked things. The following post was written by Deborah K. Frontiera, the author of the series Eric and the Enchanted Leaf,  including the book A Night With Echo. In her books, Deborah reminds us that all living creatures have a place in the balance of nature, and helps dispel myths and negative attitudes people may have about animals like spiders, bats, and wolves.

Going Batty for Halloween

by Deborah K. Frontiera

Halloween is a great time for children to enjoy a great book about bats—those little beneficial flying mammals that have wrongly earned such a bad reputation.

That reputation probably began because bats are creatures of the night. Things of the dark, of the night, of the lack of light, got lumped together with the Christian idea of  “sin,” also associated with darkness. Some where back in time, people got the idea that since November 1 is All Saints Day, the “powers of evil” must rule the night before—“all Hallows Eve,” which became “Halloween.” Whatever the history, we tend to think of bats along with witches, werewolves, and all of that “bad” stuff.

I’ve seen many creative ways people choose to celebrate Halloween. Many churches have costume parties where kids and grownups must come dressed as a biblical character or saint. Others allow all types of non-scary costumes: princes, princesses, super heroes, movie or TV characters, etc.

In the school where I taught for many years, teachers taught science units on spiders, bats, or other “scary” creatures in an educational way at Halloween time. They also celebrated with a costume parade of literary characters. One of the second grade classes there chose my book, Eric and the Enchanted Leaf: A Night with Echo. They learned a great deal about bats from my book and other non-fiction sources and then the entire class made “Bat Hats” and wore them for the school parade. You can see a picture of the teacher and some of the students in the “News” section of my web site: www.authorsden.com/deborahkfrontiera

No matter what you do in the week leading up to Halloween and on the night itself, Eric’s adventure with Echo will be a fun addition to your plans. Download it to your iPhone, iTouch or iPad, or order the printed version through my web site.

And most of all, have a happy Halloween.

October 16th, 2010 | posted by: Lynette

New Halloween Release from PicPocket Books: “Boy Dumplings” by Ying Chang Compestine

PicPocket Books is proud to bring this unique ghost story to the iPhone just in time for Halloween.

(…from the Holiday House Book Page)
Get ready to gobble up this fun-filled tale of a crafty youngster’s hilarious efforts to avoid the cooking pot.

Begin with one hungry ghost. Add a plump, delicious-looking boy. Sprinkle in some Chinese folklore and a healthy dash of humor. Now sink your teeth into an exciting story about a ghost eager for his next meal—and a boy who must think fast if he doesn’t want to get turned into dumplings! Includes a fantastic, child-friendly recipe for dumplings.

Watch the author give simple step-by-step instructions for delicious dumplings in this video. Then go get some dumpling wrappers and make your own at home! Yummm!

October 7th, 2010 | posted by: Lynette

Boy Dumplings

 

 

Overview
1. Begin with one hungry ghost.
2. Add a plump, delicious-looking boy.
3. Mix them with an outrageous recipe.
You’ll end up with an exciting story about a ghost who can’t wait to sink his teeth into his next meal and a boy who will need to think fast if he doesn’t want to get turned into dumplings. Ying Chang Compestine and James Yamasaki have cooked up a hilarious and fun-filled picture book.

About this App
PicPocket Books brings quality children’s picture book literature to digital media. Now, children can enjoy their favorites stories on-the-go, even when they do not have a physical book to read.

PicPocket Books offer a unique and new experience, combining the beauty of quality picture books with audio recordings and interactive visual text. This combination enables independent enjoyment for children regardless of reading level, subtle support for early readers, and nostalgic fun for adults.

Whether standing in a grocery line, taking a car trip, or waiting in a doctor’s office, PicPocket Books provide personal, interactive story experiences. The books can be downloaded with one click or tap, and provide educational and entertainment value to children and adults alike.

Your PicPocket Book is a perfect complement to regular story time with parents or grandparents, and a gentle alternative to flashy, fast-paced digital media time.

Features
-high fidelity, full-color illustrations that stay true to the original print book
-high quality audio recording
-highlighted text corresponds with audio – each word highlights as it is read to help new readers understand the connection between words and sounds – excellent for -beginning readers or curious pre-readers.
-turn pages with an easy swipe
-stories downloadable directly to your device, anytime, anywhere, on-the-go.

Languages: English

Requirements Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch.

Back to Browse All Books

October 25th, 2009 | posted by: Lynette

Picture books for Halloween

If your kids are like mine, they are counting off the days ’til Halloween and can hardly wait for the big night to arrive. Here are some great Halloween-themed picture books for the 4-8 year-old crowd to help you get in the Halloween mood. This list includes mildly spooky tales, familiar classics, and some new-found treasures, but none are too scary. Enjoy! And of course, if you have a favorite you’d like to share, please comment and let us know!

Halloween Kittens

The Halloween Kittens


The Halloween Kittens

Written & illustrated by Maggie Kneen

Lift the flaps and discover all sorts of sneaky fun with the mischievous kitten brothers Trick and Treat as they prepare for Halloween.
- from the Publisher

For more information, see Chronicle Books

Ivy + Bean

Ivy + Bean

Ivy and Bean and the Ghost That Had to Go

By Annie Barrows

This book for beginning readers is another entertaining installment of the popular Ivy and Bean series, with a spooky twist.

For more information, see Chronicle Books

Ghosts In The House

Ghosts In The House

Ghosts in the House

By Kazuno Kohara

This relatively new book (published just last year) is masterful in design. The optical illusion of the effervescient ghosts on black and electric orange pages will have you reaching out to touch them to check if they are actually textured.

It is also a great story, with a no-nonsense approach, and not scary at all. I mean if you had ghosts in your house you’d catch them and put them in the washing machine, right?

For more information, see Amazon.com

The Very Busy Spider

The Very Busy Spider


The Very Busy Spider

By Eric Carle

A simple, yet delightful story by classic author and illustrator Eric Carle. This books describes the day of an industious spider as she spins her web. The embossed details combined with Carle’s trademark collages make for an engaging tactile experience.

For more information, see Amazon.com.

Where The Wild Things Are

Where The Wild Things Are


Where the Wild Things Are

By Maurice Sendak

Be sure to revisit this popular, classic picture book this Halloween. Get in the mood and roar your terrible roar, roll your terrible eyes, gnash your terrible teeth and show your terrible claws.

For more information, see Amazon.com

Too Many Pumpkins

Too Many Pumpkins


Too Many Pumpkins

By Linda White

Pumpkins remind Rebecca, the elderly woman in this book of the Great Depression, when she and her family had nothing to eat but pumpkins. When a pumpkin smashes in her front yard, Rebecca covers it up and forgets it. However, the seeds from that forgotten pumpkin turn her yard into a pumpkin patch, and Rebecca is once again surrounded by pumpkins.

For more information, see Amazon.com

Child Of Faerie

Child Of Faerie


Child of Faerie

By Jane Yolen

According to certain tales, faeries leave the underworld once a year to join in a faerie ring beneath the moonlight. On this magical night, a faerie boy meets a child of the earth and the two become friends forever. Luminous full-color paintings by award-winning artist Jane Dyer add to the magic.

Age Range: 5 to 8 years old

For more information, see Amazon.com

Moonlight

Moonlight


Moonlight: The Halloween Cat

By Cynthia Rylant

Softly padding through the darkness, Moonlight explores the world on her favorite night, Halloween. The town and countryside glow with shining stars. The wide yellow moon lights pumpkins, racoons, and children out having fun. . . . Told in eloquently simple, lyrical words, with dazzling, luminous paintings, Moonlight evokes not just the excitement of Halloween, but something more — the reassuring warmth and friendliness that is a special part of this special night.

For more information, see Amazon.com

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