Monday, October 12, 2009

Little Book Day with Guardian Angel Publishing

Today was Little Book Day. It wasn't planned like nap times are planned. It just became a good idea all of the sudden.


Really, a trip to the library was necessary.


The effort to pile into the car and corral the herd at the library just wasn't worth the energy. I opted to print the free ebooks I received from Guardian Angel Publishing.

Due to the fact that I hug a tree every now and then, I opted to print multiple pages on one sheet of paper. The color printer was set on economy, and with scissors in hand I created an air of anticipation and excitement within the Granola boys. (Here is an interesting fact for you: Guardian Angel Publishing prints books only after they are ordered from a customer--if you bought a hard copy, that is.)

Additionally, I was slightly excited because I love small things. You know small Tupperware containers. Small boxes. Small books. They are just so . . . small. Cute. Fun. I have passed this small fetish on to my kiddos. They love small books.

I think that Little Book Day would have been enjoyable no matter what book we were reading, because the important activity that we were doing was being together, snuggling, discussing pictures before the content was read, and making assumptions based on previously acquired knowledge.

Umm . . . so like I said our reading time would have been special no matter what. You are probably wondering why I am typing like I have memory loss. I'll explain, but let me first share with you a little bit of the heart of Guardian Angel Publishing.

Guardian Angel Publishing (GAP) aims

to lovingly create fun, affordable and educational eBook computer & print book experiences for preschoolers and primary age children. And to embed positive, loving and worthwhile meaning into these books.

They publish

both free and reasonably priced books for kids, schools and families. Our e-picture books, e-storybooks and e-chapter books are virtual electronic books to be displayed on a computer device. Our books are available as downloads (available for you to DOWNLOAD directly to your hard drive), CDs and print paperback. GAP eBooks for kids can be read on many hand-held devices too, such as PDA's, BLACKBERRIES, iPHONES, iPods (FYI- Kindles are not in color yet. Our books are full color.)
GAP's goal is to help foster a delightful time of reading between you and your youngster. And that we had. I'm just slightly glad that I didn't pay money for this time together with my saplings.

As many of you know, I am a little bit of a book snob. After all, literature is my major. I think that I have a tendency to be more critical and analytical of chidren's books than adult reading material. My paradigm might shift as my children mature, but I struggle to share literature with my children where a character's questionable behavior is left unchanged . . . untouched, such as Sly in Stubby's Destiny. I struggle to read dialogue to my children that I would loath to hear from my offspring such as, "I was born at the wrong time," from a frustrated little colt named Stubby.

I fully recognize that it is through literature that I can teach, train, and educate my children. I can take a flawed make-believe character and essentially rip him to shreds if I so choose and yet use that discussion to illuminate a behavior in my child that needs to be changed without unnecessarily wounding their soul. (That was a long sentence.)

That said, we enjoyed the far fetched Rainbow Sheep and it was hinted at by a certain Mr. Smackdown that he would like to make some felted sheep (which will be possible since directions exist in the back of this colorful book).

Science was accomplished through the lack of pink book, Maybe We are Flamingos. Did you know that flamingos don't turn pink until they are a year old? And do you know why they are pink? I'm going to be mean and I'm not going to tell you.

Gifts from God offers beautiful photography. However, I could have done without the baby drinking a bottle. The Bible verse used on this page was, "You are the temple of the living God," from 2 Corinthians 6:16. I think it would have been more fitting to see a baby nursing. Yet, the book contained many encouraging promises from God.

If you are traveling and want to lighten your load, I think Guardian Angel Publishing offers an excellent resource to help you vacation with your child, if you own an electronic devise in which to view their resources. It is for this reason, alone, I would recommend a purchase from Guardian Angel Publishing: cheap reading material that fits on your phone for approximately $5.00 a book.

Click on the Homeschool Crew banner to read other reviews on these products.
As a member of the Homeschool Crew, I was given this product to review,
and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post.
All opinions expressed in this post are mine with the help of my children.


6 comments:

Nicole {tired, need sleep} said...

I know why they turn pink. :) It's all the shrimp they eat, right? I know - that weird fact stuck in my head when I read it in a children's book. I'm going to check this site out - thanks for letting us know about it and your thoughts!

Kim Chatel said...

"it was hinted at by a certain Mr. Smackdown that he would like to make some felted sheep"

There is a movie on my website of my daughter and I making a felt sheep to go along with the instructions in the book. www.kimchatel.com.

I'm glad you liked Rainbow Sheep. Thanks for a very thorough review and the mini-books sound like fun!

Donna J. Shepherd said...

As one of the Guardian Angel authors, I appreciate your review. I loved seeing the Little Books. What a great idea! - Donna

Jessica said...

Thank you for all of this info, Jodi! These would be great for me to use in my classroom someday too.

Dixie Phillips said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dixie Phillips said...

Thanks for reviewing "Stubby's Destiny." I loved the tiny books.... Soooo creative!
Dixie Phillips