Book Promo ~ The Hoop Troop

Mother and Daughter Team
Write Children’s Book Together

When the third-grade talent show is announced, Savannah Sage and her best friend Hudson are at a loss for what act to perform. With the help of their 16-year-old babysitter, Jazmin, they learn the art of dancing with a hoop along with the lesson that practice makes progress. Join Savannah and Hudson for this first adventure in this engaging series and become part of The Hoop Troop!

Dana Forman, a second-grade teacher in Larchmont NY, and her 16-year-old daughter, Sasha, co-authored the children’s book “The Hoop Troop,” which centers on two third-graders learning how to dance with a hoop and overcoming their self-doubt to do so, according to Forman. 

One of the book’s themes is that practice makes progress and that you should not give up, Forman said. The book is the first one of a planned series, according to Forman.

Both of them also note that the hooping depicted in the book is different than normal hula hooping and involves a thicker hoop with specific grip tape, and more involved dancing moves set to music. “It’s more like an aerobic art form,” Forman said.

“The Hoop Troop” also features illustrations of the dance moves created by Samantha Caponera, who Dana and Sasha worked closely with, as well as actual hoops that are produced by Hoopologie that children can buy to learn the art themselves, they said. 

About the Authors

Sasha Forman is a 16-year old high school student. In the summer of 2020, Sasha created a program where she taught hoop classes to local children. The grit and determination shown by her young hoopers, in addition to the fun and laughs shared, inspired Sasha to create The Hoop Troop series. She feels grateful to be able to share this experience with her mom, Dana. When Sasha is not writing or hooping, she enjoys reading, acting, and spending time with her family and friends.

As a first grade teacher and lover of children’s literature, it was a dream come true for Dana Forman when her daughter Sasha asked her to co-author The Hoop Troop series. Dana hopes children all over the world will connect with the characters and that it will encourage them all to believe in themselves. Dana loves to spend time with her daughter Sasha, her husband Brett, her son Josh, and take long walks in nature with her dog Daisy.

The Hoop Troop

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BB8RPZHF
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Luminare Press
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 58 pages

Available on AMAZON.COM

Book Promo ~ A Short Good Life

Her Father Tells Liza’s Story of Facing Death

It’s unusual to access a child’s mind during the magic years of childhood. It’s rarer when the child is facing her death. Liza, an ardent child with a deep love of cows and the color purple was diagnosed with leukemia at age four and died two years later in 1996. Liza was an unusually expressive child and her parents, both child psychiatrists, were uniquely oriented to appreciate the richness of a child’s mind. Through writing this book, Liza’s father strove to reveal the inner world of a child’s mind–and a parent’s mind–as few other books can. At its center, this is the story of a child’s psyche growing and striving to understand all she could of her experience, and of a small family coping with life’s biggest challenges. It is a story of love’s power to help a family cope and endure despite loss, and to grow, through darkness, back toward a full embrace of life. Through the process, the family emerges transformed, awed by the capacities of this child.

About the Author

Philip Lister is an adult and child psychiatrist in private practice in New York City. He is affiliated with Weill Cornell, Columbia, and Mount Sinai medical centers and teaches the art of psychotherapy with children and adolescents. In recent years he has worked as a therapist in the Phase 3 research study treating PTSD with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. For more about the book see the author’s website, ashortgoodlife.com.

A Short Good Life

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Toplight Books
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1476685576
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1476685571

Available from
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
McFarland Press
Indie Bound
Books a Million
Bookshop

Book Promo ~ The Big, Bad Coronavirus! And How We Can Beat It

Legendary Actress Writes Uplifting New Book
to Help Kids Cope During Pandemic

When actress Lisa Carroll heard her NYC neighbor’s daughter cry from the fears of COVID-19, she thought there had to be a way to use her well-versed communication and survival skills from her movie, TV and Broadway career in a way to offer comfort in the eyes of her little neighbor—and beyond. That’s why Lisa teamed up with award-winning illustrator G.F. Newland to create The Big, Bad Coronavirus! And How We Can Beat It (Pixel Mouse House, ISBN: 978-1-939322-36-4; November 25, 2020), written by Lisa Carroll; illustrations by G.F. Newland.

The Big, Bad Coronavirus! And How We Can Beat It tells the story of a child named Lisa as she struggles to face the realities of COVID-19. Little Lisa can’t comprehend why she has to wear a facemask, why she has barriers around her school desk or why she’s confined to virtual learning from home. It all doesn’t add up. Because little Lisa longs for the life she once had, she imagines the virus as a giant, scary dragon—fortunately, her mother comes to her side and comforts her—teaching her everything she needs to know to deal with this pandemic from a kid’s perspective. Lisa becomes a stronger and braver girl who inspires her classmates to live without fear.

Author Lisa Carroll’s journey to writing this book is extraordinary. Having appeared early in her film career with stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Rock Hudson—Lisa is no stranger to hitting tremendous highs and overcoming incomprehensible lows to survive. En route from Hollywood to New York City for a Metropolitan Opera audition, Lisa survived a deadly car crash, which killed six. Lisa was told she would never walk or talk again. After six years in rehabilitation, although singing opera was no longer an option, Lisa turned to Broadway instead.

Lisa Carroll is best known from her role starring in “Hello Dolly!” as Dolly Levi, first as Carol Channing’s stand-by and then starring in the National Tour. She later starred in the National Company of “Applause” among others. She was also in numerous episodic TV roles, including “General Hospital.” In addition, Lisa hosted the BBC’s “Night Ride,” had a UK recording contract with CBS Records and starred as a cabaret artist in her own one-woman show at the Savoy in London, the Hilton in Hong Kong, plus stints in California and Las Vegas.

More recently, Lisa learned the art of rapping—paving the way for her mega-hit children’s hip-hop album for Capitol Records, “Rappin’ Up Christmas: Homeys 4 the Holidays.” This inspired her to make her first huggable toy, Hip Hop Randy Bear for Gund, part of a group of 10 plush toys, including Hip Hop Hamilton, inspired by the outstanding statesman Alexander Hamilton. She also appeared on the ABC TV national children’s show “Toybox” where she featured 10 of her toys called “Furry Friends.”

Author Lisa Carroll captures the perspective of this moment that will resonate with children having a difficult time, while emotionally processing the coronavirus. Drawing from Lisa Carroll’s real-life experiences, parents and educators alike can use the book to help children cope with COVID-19.

The Big, Bad Coronavirus! And How We Can Beat It
Publisher: Pixel Mouse House
Written by: Lisa Carroll
Illustrations by: G.F. Newland
ISBN: 978-1-939322-36-4

Available from Amazon.com

Book Promo: Bathing Kitty and Other Mischievous Poems

Whimsical Verses Give Rhythm and Rhyme to Childhood Hijinks

 

From feeding dog food to a little brother, to destroying each other’s toys, to observing nose-pickers in church, nothing is off-limits in L. W. Lewis’s collection of amusing poetry, Bathing Kitty. Told from the unfiltered perspective of a child, the short, whimsical observations are meant to draw young readers in with entertaining, humorous verses that can help young minds think beyond the nuts and bolts of standard prose. Bathing Kitty blends clever wordplay with easy-to-remember rhymes to help build reading confidence and create verses that are fun to say aloud — again and again!

 

Bathing Kitty covers the spectrum of childhood’s mischievous mayhem, with poems about applying lipstick to the cat, getting bubbles in your butt and eating insects. Intended for audiences from grades 4 through 6, the verses take a serious turn at the end, with The Not-Too-Funny Section, which features three touching tributes to the author’s military legacy and the contributions of our armed forces.

 

Along the way, Lewis manages to sneak in subtle lessons about the importance of having high ideals and good morals — undercurrents that should have an impact yet go unnoticed by all but the most perceptive of children.

 

An ideal gift for holidays and birthdays, Bathing Kitty can help children cultivate a penchant for poetry and build confidence in their reading skills, and can teach all of us the value of viewing the lighter side of life with an ounce of whimsy and a pound of humor.

 

Winner of the Bronze Award for Poetry from the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, Bathing Kitty is the fifth collection of poems from L. W. Lewis. His other books include The Tickle Tree and Why Do Flies Eat Doggie Poop? Lewis was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a retired U.S. Air Force pilot and navigator. He was assigned to B-52’s during the Vietnam War and later flew fighters with the Flying Tigers. He was an Air Force instructor pilot. While assigned as an adviser to the U.S. Army, he attended Army jump school and has made 268 military parachute jumps. He earned a B.S. degree from the University of Miami in Florida and a master’s degree from Oklahoma City University. His introduction to poetry began in the sixth grade and has been a part of his life ever since.

 

Lewis provides fun-filled, interactive poetry readings in schools (at no charge), where he uses his contagious enthusiasm to ignite the interests of children in this type of literature.

 

Bathing Kitty
Publisher: Mascot Books
ISBN-13: 978-1643072326

Available from Amazon.com

 

Amazon Review

Newest Addition to my Granddaughter’s Collection

My granddaughter has all of this author’s previous children’s poetry books and she absolutely loves them! So, when I heard that a new book of poems was being published, I just knew that I had to get it for my granddaughter! We first started reading his other books together when she was only 6, now she is 11 and these books remain her favorites. She is always begging “Just one more, Grandma” when it is time to turn off the light at bedtime. Now that she is older, she reads to me! I am convinced that these funny and entertaining poems have helped to develop her excellent reading skills. I am eagerly looking forward to surprising her with “Bathing Kitty” this Christmas and all the new giggles this book will generate!

Mobile Life Support Services Offers Halloween Safety Tips

Trick-or-treating is a big part of Halloween fun. Dressing up in costumes, going door-to-door and receiving candy – all while enjoying a walk in the brisk autumn weather – is a favorite pastime for many, and an activity that several of the region’s children and adults look forward to each year. Mobile Life Support Services, the largest emergency medical provider in the Hudson Valley, shares tips to help keep trick-or-treaters safe this Halloween.

Costumes

• Make sure costumes are the correct size to prevent tripping. Ensure they are fire resistant and visible, even in dim-to-dark lighting.
• Select nontoxic face paint or makeup instead of masks that could cover the eyes and obstruct vision. Remove products before bed to avoid a rash or skin irritation.
• Have children carry flashlights or glow sticks to illuminate walking areas and alert drivers and other pedestrians.
• Put reflective tape or stickers on costumes and bags.
• Do not allow children to eat anything until it is inspected by a parent or guardian.

Walking

• Cross streets at the corners and use traffic signals and cross walks. Make eye contact with drivers before crossing.
• Don’t use electronic devices while walking. Keep your head up.
• Don’t dart into or run across streets.
• If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic and stay as close to the left as possible.
• Stay in groups and stay in lighted areas, whenever possible.
• Don’t enter a stranger’s home.
• Agree on a route and the time children should return home.

Driving

• Be especially alert in neighborhoods and know that trick-or-treaters can be unpredictable.
• Know that it is difficult to see children in dark clothing at twilight.
• Drive at a slower pace than normal, taking time to check for children on curbs and intersections.
• Keep distractions such as phones or food away so you can maintain all concentration on the road.
• Use headlights earlier than normal to see children at greater distances and so they can see the cars.
• Know the trick-or-treat hours in your community so you know when to drive especially cautiously.

Other safety considerations

• Consider decorating the pumpkin with markers or paint, rather than carving, and using battery-operated flameless candles rather than real candles that need to be lighted.
• Put away all tripping hazards in your yard to keep trick-or-treaters from falling.
• If you are sensitive to trick-or-treaters who may have food allergies, put a teal pumpkin out to show them that your home is food-allergen friendly. The movement is called the Teal Pumpkin Project.

“Halloween is a fun-filled night for many families,” said Mobile Life President and CEO Scott Woebse. “We just want everyone to stay safe and enjoy the season and their treats.”

To learn more about Mobile Life, visit www.mobilelife.com. Individuals interested in employment opportunities with Mobile Life should visit the company’s website to submit an application or inquire about educational opportunities to become certified.

About Mobile Life Support Services, Inc.

Mobile Life Support Services, Inc. is a New York State Certified Advanced Life Support paramedic ambulance company that provides emergency services to communities and healthcare facilities throughout the Hudson Valley Region of New York State, including the counties of Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, Ulster, and Westchester. Founded in 1981 by Rick and Gayle Metzger, Mobile Life is composed of more than 500 EMS professionals across the region and operates a fleet of more than 60 ambulances and 26 stations. With a collective population of more than 1,000,000 residents, Mobile Life handles approximately 100,000 calls per year. For more information, visit www.mobilelife.com.

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A MINDFUL APPROACH TO SOCIAL MEDIA, AN EDUCATION IN CYBER CIVICS

By Katie Duffy Schumacher
Publication Date: Tuesday, July 12, 2016
ISBN-10: 0692731814
ISBN-13: 978-0692731819
Paperback | $14.95
Kindle | $9.95

Don’t Press Send: A Mindful Approach to Social Media, An Education in Cyber Civics is a clear and kind approach to aid in preventing the misuse of social media. From the onset, children today grew and evolved with increasingly sophisticated smartphone technology and social media. Author Katie Duffy Schumacher advocates that although adults may feel that they will never be as tech-savvy as the younger generation, they should not shy from their responsibility in the proper protocol and encourage and enforce respectful and safe use of cyber technology.

Don’t Press Send features helpful strategies for parents and educators when it comes to navigating unfamiliar online territory: teaching their children to be respectful of their peers and understanding the power of the written word, developing mindful healthy habits to support electronic engagement, and more. The book serves as a guide for parents to help their children think mindfully about their choices, both on social media and offline. Key things such as, what parents should be communicating when handing their child a cell phone for the first time.

Author Katie Duffy Schumacher comments on the importance of an education in cyber civics, “we have to help our children push past the emotional barrier that the screen creates and internalize that on the other side of it is another living, breathing, feeling human being; a person who must be treated with kindness. Online or off, the rules should be the same. If you aren’t comfortable saying something face to face, then you should not be posting that online or texting it to them.”

The book, Don’t Press Send, removes the guesswork when it comes to communicating electronically and offers guidelines for adults to broach with minors. It gives parents and educators a way to manage their children and students’ activities and behavior in the cyber world. It enforces the concept of leading by example, encouraging children to think mindfully about their choices on and offline, and provides them with the strategies to foster kind and healthy interactions online. The author recommends having this conversation both at home and in schools, to reinforce the ramifications of privacy breaches, cyberbullying, and cyber mistakes that could damage reputations and have serious offline consequences.

Children feel safe, secure, and less anxious when they know what the rules are, irrevocably. This is the objective of Don’t Press Send, to educate and empower children to use technology responsibly and with good intent.

Important topics that are discussed in Don’t Press Send: A Mindful Approach to Social Media, An Education in Cyber Civics include:

• Cell phone directives for parents beyond the rules “don’t break it” or “don’t lose it”
• Strategies that will help to create a kind cyber community by strengthening children’s empathetic skills
• Reinforcing the emotional skills, discipline, and mindfulness that will result in kind and careful online communication to foster a more thoughtful and safer cyber community for all
• How to embrace a healthy balance with technology by teaching kids to being mindful before they press send on a post

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katie Duffy Schumacher has used her years as a teacher, her mindfulness training, and her on the job experience as the mother of three teens to develop the Don’t Press Send Campaign, and the popular app by the same name. As a frequent lecturer, she has been able to spread the message of kind and careful communication to thousands of students, parents, and educators, inspiring them to incorporate a mindful approach to social media. In July 2016, Ms. Schumacher penned her first book, Don’t Press Send: A Mindful Approach to Social Media, An Education in Cyber Civics, to give parents the tools and strategies they need to arm their children to create a better cyber community.

For more information about the Don’t Press Send book and initiative, please visit www.DontPressSend.org

Don’t Press Send: A Mindful Education to Social Media; An Education in Cyber Civics is now available in paperback and Kindle versions on Amazon.

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Combating Teen Homelessness In NYC With Technology

Combating Teen Homelessness In NYC With Technology
Top IT Experts Team Up to Educate Teens in Foster Care

The statistics are alarming. Eighty percent of homeless people in NYC were formerly in the foster care system.  When a foster-care youth reaches the age of 18 and has not been adopted, they “age out” of the system and are essentially abandoned and completely unprepared to be on their own. Almost universally, they have minimal education, very high dropout rates, absolutely no parental or adult guidance, no life skills, no qualifications, and no living arrangements.

That’s why the Techie Youth Foundation’s Founder and President – Eric David Benari, is on a mission. He’s teamed up with other experts in the field to provide free IT education to any youth of employable age in the foster-care system to help combat homelessness.

” It is never the kids’ fault they are in the foster-care system. Most of them enter the system due to severe parental abuse or extreme neglect. Kids who don’t enter the Techie Youth program and age-out of care are likely to become incarcerated within 18-24 months. Many will become homeless, and nearly half of all females will become pregnant within one year. Any of the students who participate in the program could within a very short time be earning much more than what is required to live adequately,” says Benari.

After five months of classes, the Techie Youth Foundation is proud to announce they recently celebrated their first graduating class at the Microsoft Store on 5th Avenue.

About Eric David Benari:

 David Benari, PMP, is the Founder & President of Techie Youth. He is an IT business expert and master-technologist who has founded and/or built the infrastructure for a large portfolio of ventures, spanning sectors of social networks, e-commerce, B2B, open-source, online advertising (while in a senior-role at Yahoo!) and others. Benari has been invited to speak at numerous conferences and universities, including NYU and MIT, and is a published writer for Forbes and MIT CIO Corner, to name a few. Benari  is also the Chairman/Coordinator/Organizer of the world’s largest community of database-technology professionals.

For more information on the Techie Youth Foundation, visit: www.TechieYouth.org
or www.TechieYouth.org/hope.

To see Class Photos, please visit: www.TechieYouth.org/gallery.

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There are children waiting 
in the US  foster care system

Book Promo: “Wilbur’s Birthday House” by Andy Nicholaw

“Wilbur’s Birthday House” from Page Publishing author, Andy Nicholaw, is both entertaining and enlightening; this is a unique and exciting story with a surprise ending.

Andy Nicholaw, a devoted writer, creative artist and author, has completed his newest work “Wilbur’s Birthday House,” a mesmerizing and surprising story of friends being friends to be enjoyed by all ages over and over again.  

“Finding the right creative artist was most important,” Nicholaw says. Teaming up with E. Crowley, she beautifully illustrates how Wilbur and friends are real characters helping to bring an exciting story to a surprise ending with feeling, emotion, and rapidly changing surprises.

Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, Andy Nicholaw’s imaginative work will be a favorite of any child.

All children love birthday parties, but what happens to Wilbur when his friends bring him presents too big for his house? The excitement and energy of friends being friends accelerates as they build more rooms and more rooms.  Masterfully paced and written to enhance “what to expect next” the story unfolds and propels through action filled illustrations to its final conclusion: Wilbur’s Birthday House

This book is also available in a Spanish version: “La Casa de Cumpleañosde Wilbur.”

Readers who wish to experience this creative work can purchase“Wilbur’s Birthday House” at bookstores everywhere, or online at Amazon, Google Play or Barnes and Noble.

Book Promo: Believing in Santa by Chelle Cordero

Believing in Santa

a Holiday Short Story
by Chelle Cordero

Dini didn’t want to think about her past. And, Seth wasn’t thinking about anything but his past. Thrown together as Santa and his Number One Elf at the homeless shelter, Dini and Seth seem to be on opposite sides… of everything. Her past is catching up to her, and Seth may risk his future to protect her.

Amazon Kindle

other books by Chelle Cordero

Invasion of the Overworld: Book One in the Gameknight999 Series: An Unofficial Minecrafter’s Adventure

 

The world of Minecraft comes to life in this thrilling adventure!

Gameknight999 loved Minecraft, but above all else, he loved to grief—to intentionally ruin the gaming experience for other users.

When one of his father’s inventions teleports him into the game, Gameknight is forced to live out a real-life adventure inside a digital world. What will happen if he’s killed? Will he respawn? Die in real life? Stuck in the game, Gameknight discovers Minecraft’s best-kept secret, something not even the game’s programmers realize: the creatures within the game are alive! He will have to stay one step ahead of the sharp claws of zombies and pointed fangs of spiders, but he’ll also have to learn to make friends and work as a team if he has any chance of surviving the Minecraft war his arrival has started.

This action-packed tribute to the worldwide computer game phenomenon is a runaway publishing smash and the perfect companion for Minecraft fans of all ages.

Amazon Customer Review

  Challenged my 8 year old and taught online courtesies

by Kerry A

My 8-year old finished this in 5 days. He said it deserved 5 stars. The ending left you hanging a bit. I guess that leaves the option of a sequel open. He didn’t notice the typos/edit errors, I noticed one confusing sentence in the first 6 pages or so that I read to him to prove the reading was not too challenging for him. I don’t need literary perfection, just something that holds his interest and challenges him a little; it’s getting harder to find books he’ll really dig into when they don’t have pictures or comics anymore, but this one worked. He said none of it scared him, I guess because he has so much experience with the game itself. Another one of the Minecraft novels also caught my eye, but in checking out the writing, the main character was criticizing his parents a lot – trying to stay away from that theme which is so prevalent in some of the kids books these days. Keeping kids positive about school, teachers, parents and family members is hard enough without the influence of books.

Kindle, Paperback & Audio from Amazon

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A Novel Way To Explain Online Bullying To Your Children
Using Minecraft As A Tool & Not A Weapon

“What did I do to deserve this?” asked Mark Cheverton’s 7-year-old son with tears in his eyes.

A short while prior, Cheverton, a former public school teacher of 15 years and an engineer with GE, made the decision with his wife to buy the video game Minecraft for his son, who begged his parents for many months.

“The decision to buy Minecraft turned out better than my wife and I could ever have hoped,” he says. “The game features positive creative and building aspects that are excellent for young children, including resource gathering, exploration, crafting and combat. My son became greatly admired from other children who played the game, and I loved playing the game with him, too.”

Cheverton’s son made plenty of friends. However, it wasn’t long before one of the visitors to his son’s server destroyed everything the child created in the Minecraft universe. The online bully recorded the destruction and posted it to YouTube. The public humiliation was complete – and it would happen again.

As a result, Cheverton wrote “Invasion of the Overworld: Book One in the Gameknight999 Series: An Unofficial Minecrafter’s Adventure,” (markcheverton.com), which is based in the Minecraft universe and explores how to deal with bullying.

“Since publication, the book has had a tremendous impact on children who play Minecraft, including my son,” says Cheverton, who explores how fiction has taught children how to use the game as a tool and not a weapon.

•  You can use narrative to teach children how to play ethically. After six months, Cheverton finished his novel and was able to read it with his son. Before the novel, he’d tried explaining to his son why being bullied wasn’t the boy’s fault, but the message didn’t get through. Reading the novel with his son, however, worked.

•  The idea has also got children writing their own fiction. The idea of writing a book within the Minecraft universe really took off. That first Christmas, the book made it to No. 29 in Amazon’s top 100. It was then picked up by a publisher and recently made it to the New York Times Bestseller’s list.

“Now, I have multiple books being published in 15 countries and being translated into seven different languages,” he says. “More importantly, the book has inspired young children who love the game to do their own writing in the context of Minecraft.”

•  A book about a videogame can get kids reading. “This has been a strange journey – from buying the game for my son to how much of an impact the novel has made,” Cheverton says. “I have received email after email from parents who can’t thank me enough for getting their children to read again. While video games like Minecraft can foster positive lessons and skills for children, reading is an essential skill for lifelong learning and self-improvement.”

About Mark Cheverton

Mark Cheverton (markcheverton.com) majored in physics and math as an undergraduate in college and went on to teach in public schools for 15 years. While teaching he earned a master’s degree in physics. He later went worked for GE’s Global Research Center, where he researched laser welding , 3D printing, machine vision, process monitoring and machine control. He began writing his Minecraft series to help explain difficult lessons to his son, now 11. Those lessons include taking risks, a willingness to try something difficult and how to be brave. His first book, “Invasion of the Overworld: Book One in the Gameknight999 Series: An Unofficial Minecrafter’s Adventure,” addresses the sensitive topic of bullying.