Welcome to Marianne's Web Site

How exciting that now two of my books have been made into Apps! Last year, "Over in the Ocean," was voted one of the best educational Apps of 2012. Now its cousin, "Over in the Jungle" is getting rave reviews. Here's one that was recently on ITunes:

Wow! Interactive fun and a challenge!
"I loved Over in the Ocean, but this onefs even better, representing a big step forward for Malachi Bazan, the appfs creator. Ifm rally amazed at the subtleties in this app. The clay art of the book comes alive and moves with the sounds and music. Dawn Publications has been making beautiful and educational books for a long time, but this new entry into the world of apps is really special. Over in the Jungle has several levels of interaction for young readers. First, there is a fun song to listen to and learn. It has predictable patterns and the tune will keep emergent readers engaged with the illustrated animals for a long time. You can switch off the song and switch on the reading for another way to connect to the language. More advanced readers may choose to switch off the reading and singing altogether. But the interaction with the animals on each page takes great advantage of the possibilities that an app offers. Young readers will come back to the app over and over, just to touch every animal baby and see what they will do! Repeated encounters with the app will give readers a rich literacy experience, over and over. This app is a real winner! Get it."

There is no doubt that Malachi Bazen, the digital sculpturer who is now creating Apps for Dawn Publications is a genius. Check out the three educational Apps that Dawn has now added to the amazing books they publish. How much luckier can I be that two of them are mine!!

http://www.dawnpub.com/apps/

Dawn Publications

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Are you ready to dig into some good books this summer? Thousands of libraries around the country, including the Martin County Library System, are getting ready to kick off their 2013 Summer Reading Club Programs.

In order to prevent summer learning loss and keep kids engaged during the summer months, it's important to keep them reading.

This year the summer reading theme is “Dig Into Reading” and I will be reading my two latest books, What’s in the Garden? and The Tree That Bear Climbed (a really good fit with the “digging” theme) this month at three Martin County Libraries:

In Jensen Beach at Hoke Library on Wednesday, June 12
In Palm City at Cummings Library on Tuesday, June 18
In Stuart at Blake Library on Wednesday, June 19.

Books will be available for autographing after the program and proceeds benefit the Martin Friends of the Library.

So have fun with us as kids make the connection between the natural world and what we eat. What’s in the Garden? will stimulate kids’ appetite for exploring the world of gardens as well as stimulate their appetite for good, fresh food. And as together we read the cumulative verse of The Tree That Bear Climbed kids learn how a tree grows. Hope to see you!

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There have a number of book festivals celebrating a love of reading lately, and I've been lucky enough to participate in three of them: April is for Authors Festivals in Palm Beach Gardens and UCF Book Festival in Orlando and one more this Saturday, May 4 at Pinewood Elementary in Stuart, Florida from 10 am to 3 pm. FREE!

Made possible through a grant from the Education Foundation of Martin County, it's all about Florida and what a perfect year to do this, as we not only celebrate books and reading, but 500 years of Florida history. Five Florida authors will do presentations and book signings, and there will be lots of other fun activities for kids and parents. And be sure to see what the Hobe Sound Nature Center has in store for you. There will be live animal visitors, including Trouper, a blind raccoon, who my friend and author from Sanibel, Kyle Miller, has written about.

Hope to see you as I sign my books at 10:00 in the courtyard, present at 11:00 in the media center, sign in the courtyard again at 12 and present once more at 1:00. Looking forward to a great day with NO RAIN!!
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"Created by a group of dedicated Palm Beach County educators as a way for students to interact with their favorite authors, April is for Authors, provides not only a valuable experience for the children, but also an opportunity for authors and illustrators to connect with their audience as well as key decision makers in the local literacy programs."

This is a fabulous free event for all the family. Come and enjoy this wonderful event next Saturday, April 27 at Palm Beach Gardens High School from 9:30-3:00p.m. I'll be there presenting at 9:30 and 12:30 and on a panel at 1:30. There will be lots of children's, middle grade and YA authors signing books and giving presentations. Don't miss it! Hope to see you there!!

http://www.aprilisforauthors.org/

April Is For Authors

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If you are in the Orlando area, there is a fabulous (free) event taking place next Saturday: the 4th Annual UCF Book Festival, which gets bigger and better every year. Go on to http://education.ucf.edu/bookfest/index.cfm to learn about the many authors and illustrators who will be present, and please look for me too! Would love to meet friends old and new.  Read More 

March 18-24 is National Wildlife Week, and this year the theme is all about trees. Help kids explore the vital role trees have for people and wildlife. Reconnecting youth to the natural world is one of the most important things we educators, parents and authors can do. That's why I write the kinds of books I write; most recently "The Tree That Bear Climbed" and now just released "What's in the Garden?"

On the NWF web site this month, there are lesson plans, posters and other activities to help get kids outdoors and maybe even plant a tree! Actually in this technological age, we all need more Vitamin N as Richard Louv calls it in his book "Last Child in the Woods." University of Michigan researchers demonstrated that, after just an hour interacting with nature, memory performance and attention spans improved by 20 percent. That's tree-mendous! (couldn't resist the pun!) So "branch out for wildlife" as the NWF puts it, as together we celebrate trees and nature!

http://www.nwf.org/Kids/Educators.aspx/

National Wildlife Federation

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Did you know March is "National Nutrition Month?" I couldn't have timed it better! I am so pleased with comments from educators, parents and best of all, kids, who are enjoying my new book, What's in the Garden? And the reviews have been great.

Spring planting time will be here before you know it! (Here in Florida, we are almost ready to "harvest.") Between healthy eating and growing gardens, I'm hoping educators and parents will take advantage of the wonderful teaching activities that go along with this book. Just go to the Dawn Publications web site (www.dawnpub.com) and click onto Teachers/Librarians. Then scroll all the way down to the cover of What's in the Garden?

Carol Malnor at Dawn has a terrific blog that you are sure to enjoy. This month she focuses on eating and growing nutritious food. She even has a contest that you can enter. (Carol does this each month!) You can win an entire set of Dawn's nature books for your home or classroom. The best part (to me of course) is that this month she used the clues from What's in the Garden?" for her "Who Am I?"contest. You'll love her terrific ideas for both "Inside" and "Outside,"so be sure to visit her blog often. Just click onto "Dawn Publications" below.

http://www.insideoutsidenature.com/

Dawn Publications

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It's here! My thirteenth picture book, "What's in the Garden?" is now available. Can't wait to share it with kids, parents and teachers who want to learn more about where food comes from and healthy eating. In this book, with gorgeous illustrations by Cris Arbo, kids have to guess the surprise vegetable or fruit described in catchy rhymes. A "food for thought" section presents interesting facts about each fruit and veggie, and a "how does your garden grow?" section explains facts about gardening and the parts of plants, which of course, are a great connection to Common Core standards. The really fun part, as I wrote this book, was consulting with nutritionists as I made and tasted all the kid-friendly recipes I put in the book. The recipes, along with reproducible bookmarks and more teaching activities are available on the Dawn Publications website.
So "dig" into my latest book. Hope you like it! If you do, would love your comments on Amazon.com.
P.S. Check out "events" on this website to see where I'll be reading it!

http://www.dawnpub.com/our-books/whats-in-the-garden/

Dawn Publications

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The second annual Take Your Child to the Library Day was held this weekend. This grass roots program was launched by librarians in Connecticut with over 120 libraries participating last year. What a terrific idea!

Find out more about this year's event, register your library, get ideas, submit statistics, and more at the official "Take Your Child to the Library Day" Blog.

Public libraries are stocked with so many books waiting to be discovered, so if you haven't gotten there yet, make it a point this month to explore the library with your children and get them their own library cards if they don't already have one. February is also Library Lover's Month, so show your affection (couldn't resist the pun) by checking out a stack of books! Hopefully one of them will be mine!

You can find most of my books in the picture book section under "B", although some have been categorized non-fiction, since I combine fact and fiction. For example, Seashells by the Seashore can be found in the 594 section and Going Around the Sun about the planets is 523! Of course if you can't find what you are looking for "Ask a Librarian!"

HAPPY READING!
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What a great way to start a new year. Just learned that Kirkus voted my best-selling book, "Over in the Ocean, in a Coral Reef" illustrated in vibrant clay art by Jeanette Canyon in 2004 and made into an App by Dawn Publications in Spring 2012, as one of the Best Book Apps of 2012! WOW!

Kirkus has been an authoritive voice in the book industry for many many years. Twelve years ago I was reading their reviews helping select children's books at the Jupiter Library in FL.and now I'm reading mine!! Amazing what positive thinking and perseverance can do.
Thank you, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, for your inspiration many years ago in Pawling, NY.
and thank you Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) for giving me the tools over the years to pursue this wonderful profession.

http://www.kirkusreviews.com/issue/2012-best-of/section/book-apps/?utm_source=kirkus&utm_medium=masthead&utm_campaign=BestofApps2012

Purchase the "Ocean" App for only $2.99 until January 31 at iTunes, on Amazon or on Dawn Publications website. Just click onto Dawn below to see a preview of the App.

 

http://www.dawnpub.com/apps/

Dawn Publications

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

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