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Eastern Area Community Ministries

Jan-25-2010 - Dec-31-2011 Ongoing support of EACM
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Support EACM's Good Start for Kids program! A portion of sales will benefit children and families in the community.

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Arthur of Albion

Discover the Knights of the Round Table
Sep-17-2010

Originally published as a hardcover gift book, Arthur of Albion, has been reprinted in an accessible chapter book format likely to be more accepting to teachers and students. Beginning with an introduction to the land of Albion (useful for readers new to this legendary tale), readers then enter a land of kings, knights, damsels, beasts, and of course, Merlin the wise wizard. Each of the ten chapters stands alone as short stories of quests, chivalry, and loyalty to King Arthur who “will not sit down to dinner until I have heard a tale of adventure or of some marvel.” The pages of adventure are beautifully adorned with watercolor illustrations in hues of green and gold conveying the lushness of the world where knights valiantly fight “lance on lance”, and the regality of this Island of the Mighty. From the quest for the white hart to Sir Gawain’s battle with the green giant, readers will enjoy learning about the Knights of the Round Table and be eager to read Matthews’ other works, King Arthur & the Goddess of the Land or King Arthur’s Raid on the Underworld. The mix of single- and double-page spreads and border images enhance the layout, giving readers a new surprise with every few page turns. Source notes are not included, however Matthews has penned many books of legendary tales and served as historical adviser to the film, King Arthur. Suitable for grades 3-8, Arthur of Albion is a good supplement to a Middle Ages curriculum or even dramatic arts lesson using the illustrations as costume guides.

Tenzin's Deer

Peaceful and compassionate
May-16-2010

Tenzin, Holder of the Teachings, is an old soul, he's wiser than his peers, sensitive to the world around him. One day Tenzin finds a deer with an arrow through its heart. He names the deer Jampa, Loving Kindness, and nurses it back to health. Everywhere Tenzin goes Jampa is with him. But the time comes for Jampa to return to the wild; time for Tenzin to make a heartbreaking decision. The gouache illustrations by Danuta Mayer are extremely detailed and well-matched to the text, depicting Tenzin's homeland of Tibet in soft colors - a great complement to this tender story.

The Faerie's Gift

A clever ending
Mar-4-2010

A woodcutter meets a faerie in the forest who gives him a single gift - one wish. How would you get your heart's desire in just one wish? Nicoletta Ceccoli's spellbinding illustrations of acrylic and oil pastel beautify the page as the woodcutter's family attempts to influence his decision. Border illustrations accompany the text adding more visual context to the tale. The Faerie's Gift is an imaginative story sparking creative thinking and conversation among readers.

Emily's Tiger

Tigerific!
Feb-28-2010

Granny comes for a visit and tames a wild tiger in Emily's Tiger by Miriam Latimer. Granddaughter Emily has a ferocious temper especially when she doesn't get her way. "I don't want my hair cut." "I don't like carrots!" "I hate brushing my teeth!" Sound familiar? When Emily's temper flares, boy oh boy can she roar. That is until Granny teaches her how be a happy tiger and all the fun happy tigers have. Latimer's illustrations, a mix of collage and vivid acrylics, leap off the page to portray the chaos and force of Emily's wrath. Carrots, broccoli, and people fly when she roars. Granny shows up just in time to show Emily the other side of the Tiger. Who's the Tiger in your life? Maybe it's time to tame them.

Star Seeker

Explore the galaxy
Feb-20-2010

Written in quatrains with rhyming text on alternating lines, this book is peppered with information about planets, stars, and the moon. The text isn't overtly didactic taking care to reinforce the journey theme. For example, "With my lunar lasso/I'll loop Saturn's bright rings/And brand all his moons/With the mark of the wind". Richly hued watercolor, gouache and airbrush illustrations by Victor Tavares on double-page spreads amplify the adventure as children playfully glide through outer space on a nighttime adventure. My favorite illustration is of a boy dipping a spoon into Venus's hot soil as if it were chocolate while wearing shorts, beach hat, and flip flops. Endnotes include facts about the solar system and constellations.

We're Riding on a Caravan

Perfect read aloud story
Feb-20-2010

This book is good for reading aloud and children have an opportunity to join in the story by singing the refrain, "We're riding on a caravan, a bumpy, humpy caravan. We're riding on a caravan to places far away" which appears as a ribbon of text at the bottom of each page. The family arrives in Kashgar in time for the market to buy items to take 2000 miles back to Xi'an. And so the journey on the Silk Road begins again. Cann's watercolor illustrations lend an authentic feeling to the story depicting the Silk Road landscape on full-page spreads in rich color and detail. Endnotes include a map of the Silk Road, history of the Silk Road, and descriptions of the places traveled in the story.

Motherbridge of Love

Lovely and evocative
Feb-20-2010

This poem made me cry and made a customer tear up at my table at a recent event. Parents find the book to be a helpful, tender way to begin discussions with their adopted child about the adoption process. It's beautifully illustrated by Canadian Josée Masse. Fine lines give definition to each element on the page, particularly the leaves and clouds. Saturated colors bring intensity to each double-page spread, nicely complementing the emotional poem. My favorite illustration is on the last spread - the young child and her adopted mother are together on one page, and red leaves dance in air forming the smiling face of the birth mother looking at the two from the other page.