Congratulations To Mylene Leumin
Her Beautiful Book Alitaptap Is Our Latest
Reading With Your Kids
Certified Great Read
We had a fun & fascinating time reading Alitaptap, A Philippine Myth of the Firefly by Mylene Leumin. This book is part of Mylene’s tales of Potos series that introduces readers to many of the Philippine origin myths.
The Philippines is also called the Pearl Of The Orient Seas. Mylene derived the name of her book-series in its acronym: POTOS. The Tales of POTOS are stories of animals where each book is a story that unravels how the animal – or the character of the story – earns its distinguishing feature or trait. As a goal, she embedded in the stories, subtle guidance and moral lessons that a young reader can learn from.
The story of Alitaptap begins with a stunningly beautiful introduction to the Philippines. We learn that people lived in harmony with each other and nature. We meet Apong, a wise man who was chosen by the God Bathala to be ruler. Apong is given a magical amulet, called an agimat, to help him rule.
Somehow the agimat is lost, and Apong calls on all of the people and creatures to search for the lost amulet.
One of the things we loved about the story is that of all the mighty creatures who joined in the search is was a tiny fly who saved the day. This is a great reminder for kids that we can all make a difference no matter our size. We also loved that there are many other lessons about kindness and respect found throughout Alitaptap.
The illustrations in the book are bright and fun and really enhance the story.
Dr. Terance Shipman has been teaching young children for over 25 years, including 11 years as a Kindergarten teacher. He is proud of the many strong relationships he has built with his students. Dr. Shipman calls this ever-developing network “Team Shipman”. Through Team Shipman, Dr. Shipman offers continual encouragement, leadership, and mentorship to his students, their families, and his professional peers. 
We love “The Field Day: The ultimate sporting event book for kids”, the latest addition to Ternace Shipman’s Kindergarten Chronicles Series. As with all of the books in this series, “The Field Day” is a book that kids and families will love reading together. In this beautifully illustrated story we meet Banicia, a kindergarten student preparing for her very first field day. This fun story is sure to stir up pleasant memories for parents and older kids. I think it is an especially timely read, as children everywhere are being denied this beloved tradition due to the nationwide school closings. Reading The Field Day together as a family will be a great way to talk about the emotions kids might be feeling at this time, as well as a wonderful way to talk about the fun we will have celebrating Field days in the future. Bravo to Terance Shipman and his illustrator Milan Ristic.
We have a very important chat with two of our favorite guests, Sheri Fink & Derek Taylor Kent. Sheri & Derek are two very successful children’s authors. They share some thoughts on how authors can adapt in order to survive and thrive as our World confronts the Covid 19 Pandemic
Born and raised in a suburb of Minneapolis, MN, Stacy C. Bauer is a wife, teacher, and mother of two. She has been writing since she was a child and loves sharing stories of her kids’ antics and making people laugh.
Follow Cami and Wyatt Kangaroo in this powerful children’s book that focuses on the most important thing we can teach our children: how to be kind and compassionate to others.
Katie Hevey is a National Board Certified Special Educator in the Science discipline from Rhode Island. Having grown up in the Ocean State, it seems only natural that Katie’s first book would celebrate the diversity of sea life. Katie has a BA in Journalism from the University of Rhode Island. She started writing and illustrating children’s books as a way to simultaneously educate and entertain her daughter. Katie’s mission in sharing these books with others is to spark curiosity, make information accessible, and invite young readers to share in her love of learning. Katie enjoys nature (especially the beach), learning new things, and spending time with her daughter, Caroline, husband, Corey and loveable mutt, Dahlia.
stay tuned!
Tracey Hecht is a writer and entrepreneur who created The Nocturnals, the critically acclaimed middle grade and early reader series. The American Booksellers Association chose her first book, The Nocturnals: The Mysterious Abductions, as a Kids’ Indie Next List pick. With the New York Public Library, she has also created a Read Aloud Writing Program that has since been conducted in over 100 schools, libraries, and bookstores. Tracey currently splits her time between New York City and Oquossoc, Maine, with her husband and four children.
In their second book, Max & Tucker, Australian Shepherd brothers, were doing what they enjoy most:
Pam Allyn is a world-renowned literacy expert, author, motivational speaker, and Senior Vice President, Innovation & Development, Scholastic Education. She is the Founder of LitWorld, a groundbreaking global literacy movement serving children across the United States and in more than 60 countries. Pam and LitWorld created LitCamp, in partnership with Scholastic, a transformational summer learning solution that combines social-emotional learning and literacy skills development.
It’s a dog’s life in the big, busy city, but there’s one lonely pup who doesn’t quite fit in. She behaves differently from the rest, sports rainbow in a sea of gray, and marches to the beat of her own drum.