Book Review - Mighty Dads

About the Book

Title: Mighty Dads | Author: Joan Holub | Illustrator: James Dean| Publication Date: April 29, 2014 | Publisher: Scholastic | Pages: 40 | Recommended Ages: 3+ Summary: A new constructacular picture book from the New York Times bestselling creator of Pete the Cat, James Dean and bestselling author, Joan Holub.

Mighty dads, strong and tall,

help their children, young and small.

They keep them safe and bolted tight

and show them how to build things right.

Inventively told through James Dean's colorful construction vehicle characters, MIGHTY DADS is an adoring dedication to hardworking fathers and the subtle ways they teach their boys and girls to follow in their tracks. The Dump Trucks learn to get dirty. Crane keeps his little one safe from harm. The busy Cement Mixer gives his daughter a hug. The Forklift cheers his son on. A surprising and touching view of a father's love for his children, MIGHTY DADS is the perfect way to say: I'm proud of you!  

Book Trailer

 

Purchase

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository (free worldwide delivery)

Also available at Walmart, Target, and Barnes & Noble stores.

The Buzz

"Like the best 21st-century human dads, the vehicles don’t just show their kids the ropes—they also offer plenty of TLC (“Cement Mixer Busy/ gives a hug if Mixie’s dizzy”) and affirmation (“Forklift Wise/ cheers whenever Forky tries”). Dean’s decision to anthropomorphize the construction equipment solely through a highly stylized, often single, forward-facing eye takes some getting used to—imagine a cross between the Eye of Providence on the dollar bill and a Egyptian hieroglyph. But his construction sign–inspired palette and ability to convey calm, steady affection between parent and progeny quickly outweighs this visual idiosyncrasy, making this a book worthy of any young armchair foreman." ~ Publisher's Weekly

"This will make a good read aloud for those looking to update their trucks/machines storytimes." ~ Goodreads Review

"The simple rhyming text will be fun at read alouds as children can do motions (roll, roll, roll or smooth, smooth, smooth)" ~ Goodreads Review

 

About the Author: Joan Holub

Joan Holub is co-author of the best-selling Goddess Girls series, the Grimmtastic Girls series, and the Heroes in Training series. Her picture book Little Red Writing received three starred reviews and has been named to many Best-of lists. Her mighty cool dad inspired the creation of the picture book, Mighty Dads.

Website | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Facebook

   

About the Illustrator: James Dean

James Dean is the creator of the best-selling Pete the Cat. Before James started painting Pete the Cat as a full-time profession in 1999, he wanted to paint cars and trucks. He loves things that go, and currently drives a 1971 VW bus camper and a 1959 Chevy truck. He worked as an electrical engineer for fifteen years before he decided to try to make a living with his paintings. James lives with his wife, five cats, and a pug named Little Emma.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon Page

     

Want a Chance to Win a Copy of "Mighty Dads"?

Be sure to head on over to our review and giveaway of Mighty Dads for your chance to win a copy. Open US/Canada. Ends May 19, 2014. Just click on the cover below.  

* $50 Book Blast Giveaway *

Prize: One winner will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice) Contest ends: May 31, 11:59 pm, 2014 Open: Internationally How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, Joan Holub and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Way To Go, Teachers!!!

As a teacher, I know just how hard we all work and how much time we put in for our kids. We're not very good at blowing our own trumpets - we just get on with it! So once a year it's great to be able to pat each other on the back. That's why I love Teacher Appreciation Week.

I'm not classroom-based at the moment, and although I teach over 100 kids every week, I really miss having a class of my own. Especially at this time of year, when they all get to tell you exactly how much you mean to them. So I'm going to tell all my teacher friends instead...

A huge Rah! Rah! Rah! for all of us!

 

And just for you, I'm joining in with the TPT Teacher Appreciation Sale to offer up to 28% off everything in my shop. All you need to do is hop on over and fill up your basket. When you get to checkout be sure to use the code TPTXO to get the extra discount.

 

There's lots to choose from. Here are some of my favourites:

 

I just loved working up this cute little critter! This pack is jammed full of activities designed to refine knowledge of verbs and tenses.

One of my best sellers. This pack is based on the popular book by Zoe Hall and provides lots of activities to accompany reading.

I have a full range of I Can Statements and checklists for all strands and for all age ranges from Kindergarten through to Grade 5. Check them out in my shop

A pack that I produced for a job interview. Everything you need to teach the basics of probability.

 

 

There's so much more on offer that I'm sure you'll find something suitable. Happy browsing!



You are so appreciated!

It's Teacher Appreciation Week. To show how much I appreciate you all, I'm offering 20% off everything in my store from Tuesday through Wednesday, with an additional 10% off when you use the code TPTXO. The total discount amounts to 28% off the original price! Why not take a look today and add items to your shopping cart now? Then when you check out Tuesday or Wednesday, enter the coupon code to receive the full discount! Go to SOS-Supply on TpT to get started! Clicking on the picture will get you there too.

 

I'm just off to fill up my basket now! See you there.

Open House Slideshow - Pirates

Ahoy me 'earties! Shiver me timbers, it's another Open House slideshow, this time with a cute pirate theme. I've l-o-v-e-d making this one - well. what else is a girl to do on a stormy Bank Holiday...?

Currently working on three new themes - sports/team players, carnival and stars. All still just $2 - amazing value when you count up how much time you will save preparing for Open House..

See y'all tomorrow



It's a Back to School Bonanza - Take Advantage of a Huge 40% Discount

Teachers' Notebook's Back To School Bonanza Sweepstakes for a share of $2,500 in gift certificates will kick off tonight at 12:01am CST and will be divided into two individual sweepstakes: one on August 9th and one on August 10th. Members can visit the site and enter to win each day and the winners will receive a $25 gift certificate to Teachers Notebook. Winners will be notified by email and on the site and will be able to redeem their prize just in time for this weekend's big Back To School Sale. Clicking the image below will take you straight there.

To make this a success for everyone I am also running a Back to School Giveaway and a Back to School Sale to coincide with the Bonanza.

Back to School Giveaway

Between Today and tomorrow three lucky winners will have the chance to win a copy of my full First Fractions resource pack.

Back to School Sale

Between August 11th and August 13th I will be running a Back to School Sale in my shop, with everything on sale at a huge discount of 40%. Click below to explore my store.

 

It's a great time to take advantage of huge discounts right across Teachers' Notebook, so make sure you drop by and explore.

More Cheese Please! Photo Pack 2

Thank you all so much for the supportive comments following on from my post about copyright and Cease and Desist. You have come up with some fab ideas for creating a bank of photos and images that we teachers can access free of charge and without fear of any comeback, and I will be working on some of these over the next few days once I have ironed out the detail.

I promised you a second pack, so here it is! This time, summer flowers and trees. I hope you like it and can put it to some use. As before, just let me know how you get on - photos of how you use the images, and any ideas you might have.

Click on the image above to get the photos from Teachers Notebook, or click here for TPT.

All I ask in return is that you leave me your comments - they all help when it comes to putting together the image bank, so keep 'em coming! If, while you're paying me a visit, you want to join me as a follower, visit my Facebook page or tweet or pin about what you have read, then I'd be really grateful - it helps to spread the word about Cease and Desist.

Are YOU Attending the Virtual Teaching Expo...?

I am so excited..

Today I received an email from my friends at Teaching Blog Addict. Nothing new in that, you might say. Except that this email was all about the Virtual Teaching Expo.. My first thoughts? What on earth...?

Well, I read through all the details and clicked on the link that took me to the Virtual Teaching Expo site, and I was intrigued, excited and so proud to have been asked to be a part of it all.

Read on...

For those of you who don't know, the Virtual Teaching Expo is a place to connect teachers around the world to learn from a virtual education community. It is the "go-to" destination to learn everything about Teaching. The goal is to provide teachers with in-depth presentations of all the tools they need to be able to improve their profession and share their wonderful educational resources worldwide! The events are presented by Teachers Notebook, a venue for teachers to buy and sell original teaching resources, and Teaching Blog Addict, the number one rated Teaching Blog, so you can be sure that it's a pretty big event.

I'm very lucky 'cos I'll be joining the Expo as a vendor. I will be operating a booth in the vendor hall, where I will be offering three of my products from my Teacher's Notebook shop at a great, discounted price to attendees.

The vendor hall (and my discounted items) will only remain open to attendees who visit Aug. 25 - Sep. 1, so make sure you sign up now. Clicking the thumbnail below will take you straight there.

See you there!

My Bookshelf

Hello again to all my wonderful teacher friends. I know that many of you are just about to return to school after your summer break, but I have only just started mine. The weather here is not the best, but the Olympics is lifting our spirits - I hope you're all enjoying too.

I have been busying myself (while I wait for the rain clouds to clear) by doing a bit of blog hopping, and I have just come across the most fabulous widget.

Now, if you're anything like me, you will have books piled up in every nook and cranny that you can find - my "shed" is groaning at the seams. I LOVE children's books of all shapes and sizes, and especially picture books. So when I came across this widget I thought it would make the perfect way to display all of my favourites for you to see. How cool is that - a virtual bookshelf! I have started to populate my bookshelf with a few of my own holiday reads that I've enjoyed, just for you to see how it works, but my aim is to present a new book from my collection every week. Hopefully it will give you some ideas on books we use the other side of the pond...

Here is a quick screen shot of my bookshelf, but to see it in more detail just click the image.

The Dreaded Summer Dip And Then Some - A Linky Party.

Happy Sunday everyone! Today we have a window of opportunity - to wash and dry the laundry in between showers! It's rained nonstop here for more than two weeks, and some of you may have seen news reoprts of the flooding that's been happening all across the UK. The lawn needs a good cut but it's just too wet - it's already knee high! Today we have a little breathing space - there are a few clouds but on the whole it's looking pretty good. It won't last, we're told. Something to do with the Jet Stream lying lower than usual. My summer clothes are still packed away, which tells you a lot about the kind of summer we've had so far. Hopefully it will all change when the schools break in two weeks.... I can but wish..

 Now you may have noticed that I've been a bit quiet over the last few weeks (nothing to do with the rain...). I started my new job in June and it's been all hands on deck ever since. I just don't seem to have a minute to down tools. I can always tell when things are busy in work because I tend to work things out in my head at night while I'm "asleep".  I have been known to teach a full lesson in front of an interactive whiteboard in my sleep...

Take the other night, for example. A lot of my students will return home to Poland, Portugal and further afield over the next weeks or so, where they will spend the summer, returning in time for the new term in September. This is great for them because it's so important to see their family and friends, and maintain strong cultural links. Not so great for me because they will have lost much of their English language skill due to not needing to use it. This is the summer dip and then some!

So, on Friday night while I was asleep, I had a revelation. My favourite book store was selling off 2012 diaries (for real) for just 25p (around 40c). I dreamed I went out and bought a load. I gave the diaries to the children with instructions to make sure they wrote in them in English every day while they were away. It could be just one sentence or a whole diary entry. This would help them to remember their summer holiday when they got back (we all know that children have no concept of time and can't remember what they did in school today let alone remember what they did 6 weeks ago!) and also keep their English language skills on the boil. A simple idea, but better than a homemade version that would probably end up in the bin or stuffed at the bottom of a school bag. A proper diary is a little bit special, not to mention grown-up...

So I got up yesterday morning and rushed down to the book store only to find that they'd sold all of their cheap diaries (perhaps someone had the same idea as me)! Not to be thwarted, I scoured the town and managed to find some for the same price. They're not as bright and interesting as the ones I'd originally seen, but they'll serve the purpose.

How do you deal with the dreaded Summer Dip? I'm throwing my first linky party, so join up and leave your tips.