#29 Margaret's Christmas Cookies for eBooks

   " 'The Baby is the fourth gift, isn't He,' I reasoned.

   'Not quite, Dear,' she said. 'The Baby was the first gift.'

   I nodded in agreement."

              From the sixth chapter of Margaret's Christmas Cookies by Lynda

Margaret's Christmas Cookies by Lynda

is available as an eBook for both Kindle and Nook.

It has a reading level of 4.8 and can be delivered to your device instantly.

Kids in this digital age love using updated technology.  

You can even load it onto a smart phone, tablet, or a regular computer.  All you need is a free APP.

Look into it at your favorite bookseller's web site.

Thank you for supporting our children's literacy.

#28 Kid's eBooks for Christmas?

The Attraction of eBooks

     Some children have no interest in reading "old fashioned" printed books.  Digital technology seems to be all they really care about.  What is a mother, grandmother, teacher, author, or a book publisher, to do?

     Pictured below are eight of the children's books I have written and illustrated.  The first seven are pictured as paperbacks, but they are also sold as eBooks for Kindle and Nook.  The eighth (In the Mind of a Cat) is sold as an eBook only.

     For more information about these publications, please visit www.amazon.com/author/ebooksbylynda.

     I have published some other posts on the subject of eBook technology for children that may be of interest to you.  The posts are listed on the right hand side of this page under the Blog Archive.

 

           #8 is entitled Parental Controls for eBooks (published 7/2/12)

           #9 is entitled Three Recommended eBooks (published 7/9/12)

           #17 is entitled Christmas eBooks 4 Kids (published 12/1/12)

     Thank you for caring about children's literacy.

     And, keep reading...

    



#27 An Ebook for Easter!

Easter is less than 4 weeks away!

Lynda  has published an eBook,

for your child's Kindle or Nook

on April 20^th.

Order it today from Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com

For more details just enter:

“White Rabbit Time by Lynda”

(without the quotes, of course)

in the search box

on Amazon’s or Barnes and Noble's home page,

 and click on the eBook edition.

A paperback version is also available.
Details are available on my other blog at

jumpup2chapterbooks.blogspot.com 

  

#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.