#26 Halloween eBooks

     Before I begin to discuss the announced subject of this post, I would like to welcome a couple of new members to our audience.  My stats page indicates that readers from Puerto Rico and Luxembourg have recently joined us.  The strength and universal support for children's literacy continues to amaze me.

     This blog, Ebooks4kids.blogspot.com and my other one at jumpup2chapterbooks.blogspot.com have a combined readership from 59 different countries.  It is wonderful, isn't it?!

     Now about Halloween.  The holiday continues to be controversial.  When I was a teacher in public schools, I tried to be sensitive to my parents' values.  We celebrated with a "Fall Festival" instead of a Halloween party. We decorated with fall leaves, did pumpkin math activities, and made root beer.

     However, at home our daughters dressed up in silly costumes and celebrated in a traditional "trick or treat" experience with the rest of the neighborhood .

     I offer the following list only to those of you who wish to have it.  You may want to order a title or two for your favorite goblin's Nook or Kindle because books can make a tasty treat too.

     And Grandparents, have you ever considered the convenience of emailing a gift card for books to that little someone in your life? Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com both offer such a service for you. Just click on the words "gift cards" on their home pages.

*****     

     Here is the list I promised. The following eBooks are available for both Kindle and Nook eReaders from their respective vendors:

     Picture Book

          Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat by Stan Berenstain
                (This one is also available in a "Read and Listen"                              version from Barnes and Noble)

     Emergent Readers

          Boo...and I MEAN it! (A Junie B. Jones book) by Barbara                   Park

          Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve (Magic Tree House                           Series) by Mary Pope Osborne

     Independent Readers

          Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe

          The Witch of Blackbird Pond (the 1959 Newbery Award                      winner) by Elizabeth George Speare

*****

      Next month I will publish a list of Thanksgiving titles, and in December I will post some of my favorite Christmas ones. Don't forget that eBooks make wonderful last minute gifts for holidays because they can be delivered instantly.

     But if you don't mind waiting for a couple of days, you may be interested in knowing that my short chapter book entitled Margaret's Christmas Cookies has just been published in paperback.  I will announce the details in my next post.

     Just keep reading something else while you wait.

      

# 25 EBooks About Crafts and Hobbies for Kids

     Before I begin this post, I want to welcome a new audience to this blog from Croatia.  You represent the 55th country reported on my stats pages to have viewed one or both of my blogs about children's literacy. Thank you for sharing our interest. 

     Learning to read seems to be a universal need.

     This post is about the value of functional reading in eBooks, and specifically in eBooks about hobbies and crafts. I want to begin with a little lesson on how to use the screen menus to find this genre in online stores.

      If you like to shop on Amazon.com, you can find lots of eBooks on any subject by going to the department menu and clicking "Kindle Store", then click "Kindle eBooks" in the drop down menu. You will see another drop down menu. Click "Children's eBooks". Click it and find "Activities, Crafts and Games", then click "Activity Books". You will see a list of book titles such as:

How to draw Cartoons by Brian Platt

250 Fun Things To Do With Your BFF (Best Friends Forever) By Tammy Mitchell

Writing Magic:  Creating Stories that Fly by Gail Carson Levine

Halloween Papier Mache by Dan Reeder

Amazing Leonardo Da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself by Maxine Anderson

...And at least 395 more!

     

     If that seems too complicated, or if you have a specific subject in mind, you can just use the search box window on Amazon's home page. By entering your interests followed by the words "eBooks", you will be offered a good selection of titles.  An example of what you will find if you enter a few subjects followed by the word "eBooks" are as follows: 

LEGO project eBooks: 10 Cool LEGO Mindstorm Ultimate Builder Projects by David Astolfo   

Paper airplanes eBooks:  The Best Paper Airplanes You Will Ever Fly by A. Klutz (could that possibly be a real name?!)  

Manga drawing eBooks:  Mastering Manga with Mark Crilley by Mark Crilly

Building kites eBooks: Kites for Everyone: How to Make and Fly Them by Margaret Greger  

Art lab eBooks: Art lab For Kids by Susan Schwake 

Cook books for kids eBooks: Smart School Time Recipes by Alisa Marie Fleming 

Sewing projects for kids eBooks: The Best of Sewing Machine Fun For Kids by Lynda Milligan 

Kids party ideas eBooks: Kid Party Ideas by Kim Marie 

Origami project ebooks:  16 Fun Animal Origami Projects for Young Children by Paolo Tiberi  

     This genre of books is sometimes called "How To" books. They are very important in the development of functional reading. Their use of diagrams and other types of graphics help to improve a specialized reading skill, so don't underestimate their value. 

     Though the purpose of this blog is to facilitate the use of eBooks for kids, I want to insert a small notice about my recently published paperback entitled Tiny Others. You can find it on Amazon.com, and it will be available for bookstores and libraries within a month as well. Amazon discounts the list price of $9.95 a bit.

     (Tiny Others by Lynda continues to be available as an eBook for both Kindle and Nook for $3.99 from Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.)

     I hope you have enjoyed this post.  I think you will find that most children love functional reading best  when it is supported with related projects.

     Until next time,
     ...keep reading!


     

#24 Thank you for your Patience!

Dear Readers,

     I appreciate your loyalty and patience.  I have sadly neglected my blogs lately while spending much of my time publishing a print version of my book, Tiny Others.  

     My work on it is nearly finished, and I have a great idea for my next post. I plan to offer some eBook titles about children's hobbies and crafts.

     Please check back in about a week.  I look forward to writing posts again on a regular basis.

     Until then, please keep reading.

#23 Kids Like eBooks for Summer Reading

     Welcome to a new audience from Tunisia!  You represent the 54th country reported on the stats page of one or both of my blogs. 

     (If you are interested, my other blog can be located by clicking on the following link:
               www.jumpup2chapterbooks.blogspot.com .)

     I will publish a list of my readers' countries in a future post.  While tracking them with pins on a world map, I have become increasingly amazed at the scope of our shared interest in children's literacy.

     The title of this post, "Kids Like eBooks for Summer Reading" contains a couple of false assumptions, and I apologize for that. 

     First, all of my readers are not currently anticipating summer--Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Brazil in the southern hemisphere, are likely looking forward to winter instead.

     Secondly, the school schedules of our young readers vary widely from place to place, even within the USA. So not everyone is facing decisions about what the children should do with a long break from school work. 

     Stick with me anyway.  This is important.

    Reading is reading, and my objective is to help keep kids interested in it, regardless of their school vacations or which season of the year they may find themselves.

     Technology offers some new tools that children find very attractive, and these might serve to improve your child's appetite for good literature.

     Of course thoughtful parents and teachers may have some legitimate concerns about kid's access to the internet on these devices. I have addressed these worries in a previous post  on this blog (#8 Parental Controls for Ebooks). 

     I also expect that many of you have viewed the cost of the eReaders and eBooks as a hurdle.  While it is convenient to have an ordered book delivered instantly, the price of an eBook is usually higher than a print one from a free public or school library--unless you figure in the cost of gas to get there and back (because you are required to return the book when it is finished). That kind of helps to even out the debate.

     And the price of those basic electronic readers has continued to fall. Watch for bargains, especially around holiday time.  They are out there.  

     Apps for eBooks are also available for your existing home computers, ipads, or smart phones.  (I see many kids today with very nice phones, and the most of the Apps are free.)

     The retail prices of eBooks are often half the price of printed books, and many children's classics are even free. (See my posts #5, #6, and #7). However, some prices of bestselling books are controlled by their publishers, and these may be higher, though still not the full price of print books. 

     Major eBook sellers, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble offer lending and sharing programs. Some of these have a membership fee, but some do not.  

     But do they have illustrations for the younger children? you might be wondering. 

     Of course they do, and not just for the little guys.  Graphic novels are available with a comic book format, but the colored illustrations will require a reading device that displays in color. Otherwise the illustrations are in black and white only.

     Audio editions with professional readers and sound effects are sold for many eBooks, too. Children can read along in the printed text, then after a while parents can turn the sound off, and the children can read the books by themselves--sort of like training wheels on a bike. 

     So don't let your children play video games on the new technology all summer (or in whatever season you are currently experiencing).  

     Investigate electronic reading, and then introduce this new, exciting format to your children.

     And while you are at it, take it for a ride, yourself. You might enjoy the convenience of having 30,000 books in your backpack or handbag when you find yourself waiting in an airport or doctor's office.


     

#22 Topper's Book for Nook

     Topper was having some trouble, and I knew he would have to go into the vet clinic. 

     This was unusual because our spoiled kitty usually sees a special veterinarian who makes house calls--mostly because he throws such a fit when he has to ride in the car.  

     However, everything indicated that this problem would require some lab work. He had stopped eating, drinking water, and was making repeated trips to his litter box.

     He insisted in a loud "Meow" that I do something about it, so I reluctantly shoved him into his hated carrier and took him in.  We came home with two weeks worth of antibiotics--pills to be administered after eating by tossing down his throat twice a day.

     The medicine didn't settle very well in his little cat stomach though, and Topper soon began to be sick at about 3:30 nearly every night.  First I reassured him with appropriate sympathy. Then I had to disinfect spots on the carpet and by the time I finished with that job, I was wide awake. 

     I knitted a lot in those cold, dark hours.  

     At the end of two weeks, Topper went in for a recheck, and the lab report declared that he was cured (though he may have used up two or three of his nine lives).

     ...Cured of everything, that is, but his mistrust and anger--all aimed at me, his faithful nurse. Go figure!

     The photo above was taken during that period of time. At first glance he appears to be sweet and relaxed, but look again.  His eyes are blazing with fury.

*****

     I am happy to report that Topper finally recovered his gentle personality and resumed his job as "Author's Muse" while I published his illustrated ebook for Barnes and Noble's Nook readers. (It was already available on Amazon for their Kindles.) 

     The ebook has a reading level of 4.3 and is entitled In the Mind of a Cat by Lynda.  It sells for $2.99, and is available for computers as well as many mobile devices.

     In gratitude for your support and continued interest, I thank you and Topper thanks you.

     Until next time...

     Please keep reading! 

      

     

#21 eBooks For Nook and Kindle

     You may have noticed that my following eBooks are now available for Barnes & Noble's Nook as well as Amazon's Kindle.  Look for them at http://amazon.com or http://bn.com:

     

*****

     On February 25, the following three will join them in both markets:

*****

     My other two eBooks (Margaret's Christmas Cookies and In the Mind of a Cat) are still listed exclusively with Amazon for Kindle until late April.  I will notify you when they are also available on Barnes & Noble for their Nook.

*****

     Writing takes time.  I am still working on Jessie's Journey, the newest member of the Agent C Series.  I  hope to have it shaped up by the end of this summer.

     Meanwhile, please keep reading...

#20 Kindle Owners Lending Library and Prime

     Welcome to our new readers from Ireland.  You represent the forty-ninth country reported on the stats for my two blogs.  Thank you for supporting our interest in children's literacy.

     In this post I will be discussing a special opportunity for people who have the Kindle reading devices.  It is called the Kindle Owners Lending Library and is offered by Amazon.com . When combined with their Prime membership, it allows readers to check out a free eBook once a month with no due dates.

     A couple of obvious questions are "How much does Prime cost, and what else does the membership have to offer?"

     A Prime membership is $79 per year (and there is currently a free month's trial offer).   For one thing, it allows you the use of  KOLL (the Kindle Owners Lending Library) with its 180,000 book titles for your Kindle, including 100 current and former New York Times best sellers and all seven of the Harry Potter books.

     The membership also gives you access to 25,000 instant movies and TV episodes, and unlimited free 2-day shipping on all Amazon orders.

     Just to clarify, it works like this:  Kindle + Prime = KOLL.  For more information, just click on Amazon's link above and then on the "Join Prime" on the top menu bar.

     All eight of my own books are included in Prime memberships as indicated by the word "Prime" beside their descriptions on Amazon. **  My titles are:

     I hope you find this information useful.

*****

  

     My other blog at Jump Up 2 Chapter Books currently has a post that lists 10 reasons why children might want to choose to read a book. Just click on the link to jump over to that site.

     ...And please keep reading!

     ** UPDATE ** In order for me to add marketing through Barnes and Noble for their Nook reading devices, several of the above publications will no longer be under an exclusive contract with Amazon for their Kindles.  They will continue to be available from Amazon, but will no longer qualify for the Prime membership program described in this post.  Please see Post #21 in this blog for further details. 

    

     

#19 Free Download of Tiny Others

     With a special promotion, I am able to offer you a free download for Kindle of Tiny Others (Agent C Series) by Lynda on January 19, 20, and 21 from Amazon.com. This eBook is also available with a Kindle App for computers, smart phones, and tablets. (Tiny Others is usually offered for $3.99.)

     On any of those dates, just click on the Amazon link above and enter the full title and author's name in the search window. Though you will find a good description of the book on the web site, one is provided here for your convenience:

Tiny Others (Agent C Series)

By Lynda

     Savannah Allen’s busy brain and fertile imagination become ignited on a family vacation to the mountains when a little man working in a country market gives her a ream of very old paper. 

     Upon arrival at the family’s summer cabin, Savannah discovers that she can sun-bleach the pages to reveal a hidden story of “tiny others” who once made their home in the surrounding forest.

     Who wrote the story, and when was it done?

    

     Chip Campbell, Savannah’s new neighbor, thinks he knows the answers, and for some odd reason, that irritates the twelve-year-old girl.

    

     As the two young people challenge each other to accept and use their respective gifts, they begin to understand that everyone has responsibilities to find and develop the things that they can do best, and then to “use them well”.

     This is the first of the “Agent C” series to be published by Lynda as an eBook for Kindle.

     “Agent C” is an embedded reading coach who makes cameo appearances in several of her stories for middle-grade readers.  In Tiny Others, Agent C takes the role of the little shopkeeper, Mr. Pippin, who delivers the ream of old paper.  This gift causes the story to shift in a dynamic way.

     When something causes such a dramatic change in the plot, it is called a “catalyst”.  The “C” in “Agent C” stands for that word.

     More information about this eBook is available on the current post of my other blog at

         http://jumpup2chapterbooks.blogspot.com.  

     Just click on the link to be taken there.

     You may also like to visit my profile page on Amazon's Author Central at

       https://www.amazon.com/author/ebooksbylynda.

     Please share the information about this three-day promotion with others who may be interested. 

     And as always, keep reading... 

#18 Children's Series Available as eBooks

     When children find interesting books, they often want to read something similar.  This is a good thing, especially since there are almost more children's eBooks available as parts of a series than those that are not.

     The following list is incomplete, but it will give you an idea of what is out there for the digital readers.  Some common prices for Amazon's Kindle devices and Barnes and Noble's Nook are noted with the letters "K" and "N".

*****

     The Cat in the Hat series by Dr. Seuss:  K has Audible Audio Editions for $2.95 each. N has eBooks for $3.99.

     Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Parks: K and N both sell eBooks for $4.99 each and collections for $12.99.

     Goonie Bird Green series by Lois Lowry: K sells eBooks for $5.69 each and N for $9.99 each.

     Ramona series by Beverly Cleary: both K and N sell them for $5.69 each.

     Encyclopedia Brown mystery series by Donald J. Sobol: both K and N sell them for $4.99 each.

     American Girl series by Janet Shaw: K sells them for $5.59 each, and N sells them for $5.83 each.

     Boxcar Children mystery series by Gertrude Chandler Warner: K sells them for between $3.82 and $4.49 each. Collections are $27.49.  N sells them for $5.03 each and collections for $28.99.  (This is a huge series, but some of the current ones are not written by the original author.)

     Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing series by Judy Blume: both K and N sell them for $5.99.

     Charlie and the Chocolate Factory series by Roald Dahl:  both K and N sell them for $6.99 each.

     A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket:  K sells them for between $1.99 and $5.99 each. Complete collections are $79.99.  N sells them for between $1.99 and $8.99 each. Shorter collections are $17.99.

     Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan: both K and N sell them for $7.69 each.

     Teetoncey: Cape Hatteras series by Theodore Taylor: K sells them for $7.99 each, and N sells them for $9.30 each.

     Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery: K sells them for $1.29 and the entire series of eleven books for $1.99.  N sells them for $2.99 each or as a collection for the same price. 

     The Wizard of Oz series by L. Frank Baum: K sells them for between "free" and $5.69 each and a collection for $.95.  N sells them for $.99 each or $.95 for a collection.

     Little Women series by Louisa May Alcott: K sells them for between "free" and $.99 each. A collection sells for $.99.  N sells the trilogy for $.99.

     Hardy Boys Mystery series by Franklin W. Dixon: K and N both sell them for $6.99 each. (Be careful when entering the search for this one.  Use the word "Mystery" or you may be led to an adult series instead of the one for children.)

     Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene: K and N both sell them for $6.99 each.

*****

     I hope you will find this list helpful.  

     I must admit that I was a bit disappointed again when I discovered that Laura Ingles Wilder's Little House on the Prairie series and C.J. Rowling's Harry Potter series were not available from these vendors in digital format.  Perhaps they soon will be.

     Those books are available in print, of course, so you may continue to enjoy them anyway.

     Happy New Year, and please keep reading...