DragonQuest

DragonQuest by Donita K. Paul (WaterBrook Press, 2005)

Book 2 in the Dragon Keeper Series, DragonQuest, is just as delightful as the first book DragonSpell.

In DragonQuest, Kale, the Dragon Keeper, goes to school, but soon finds herself headed out on a new adventure - searching for another dragon egg. Her immediate family of minor dragons is enlarged by one surprising member. Kale continues to exhibit her true personality, faults - doubts - bursts of emotion, everything. But still she is a lovable character. She shows her growth in trust in Wulder. Throughout this book, the reader sees Kale beginning to bloom.

Twists, turns, and unexpected events kept this reader continuing to turn the pages. Even after this one was supposed to be asleep!

Go ahead. Enjoy the journey of Kale (and her dragons), Bardon, Dar, - oh, and all the cast. You'll be happy you did.

PS Good clean fun!

I Can Give

I Can Give by Angie Quantrell (Woman's Missionary Union, 2003)

Whoo-hoo! Happy 10 years of publication, I Can Give! I just noticed that it has been 10 years since publication. How time flies.

Meet Juan Carlos and his family in I Can Give. Juan Carlos learns many different ways that he can give to help others. He can give his time, his energy, his ideas, his help, his friendship, his thanks, his praise - even his money. Juan Carlos learns that giving is not just about money, but much more.

I Can Give features single phrase sentences for young preschoolers. Each simple sentence is also given in Spanish, together with the pronunciation. For older children and beginning readers, a longer story tells about Juan Carlos and his adventures. Adorable illustrations show Juan Carlos as he gives to others.

I am so excited to realize that I Can Give is 10 years old. That is a decade worth of young readers. Happy Birthday, I Can Give.

Visit www.wmustore.com or call 1-800-968-7301 to purchase I Can Give. Thank you!

Hmmmm. I'm thinking it's time for some happy cake!

I Can Pray

I Can Pray by Angie Quantrell (Woman's Missionary Union, 2000)

Abby is a young child with a family getting ready for a big change. The words tell about Abby's discovery of her ability to pray for different situations while the illustrations show her family and the world around her. By the end of I Can Pray, Abby is empowered by her prayer connection and understands that she can pray for anything or anyone.

Written for preschoolers and young children, I Can Pray has easy to read, large text. For the youngest readers (or listeners) one sentence lines tell the main points of the story. For beginning and practicing readers, the full page text is large, matches the illustrations, and contains many sight words. Tips for using the book and extra ideas are included for parents, families, grandparents, caregivers, and teachers.

I love this book! My very first book in print - what joy and memories it brings! The hours spent at Inklings Bookshop at a little cafe table plotting and writing away...

Go to www.wmustore.com to get a copy. Please. :)

Other I Can Books:
I Can Give
I Can Do It
I Can Be More Like Jesus

Dragonspell

Dragonspell by Donita K. Paul (Waterbrook Press, 2004)

I have discovered a favorite author!

Donita K. Paul is not new to the field of writing. Nor is my love of her characters and writing style recently discovered. I have been reading her books for several years. Notice my worn copy of this first book in her DragonKeeper series.

After stumbling upon her books while searching for a new read, there has been no turning back. Dragonspell has delightful and real characters set in a fairy tale world. The world of Amara has a spiritual base of Christianity. Wulder and Paladin guide the inhabitants of Amara who choose to follow their leading. Others who choose the opposite follow Risto and his plans.

Meet Kale, a used-to-be-slave-girl, who is recruited by Wulder as a gifted dragon keeper. She has the special talent of discovering dragon eggs. In the scheme of things, there is one very special egg, a meech egg, that is diligently sought out by Risto, who has not so good plans for the egg.

Paul has the fine fingers and voice of storytelling. Realistic details, character personalities and actions, and social interactions of beings on a quest make for a very good read. Paul's writing reminds me somewhat of C.S. Lewis. Now you have to read her books.

Check out Donita K. Paul's Web site to find out about other books, e-books, and even Monday night chats. Visit www.donitakpaul.com.

Happy 10th Year of Publication (2014)!

Tuesdays at the Castle

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George (Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc., 2011)

Princess Celie has a special relationship with the castle. The castle in return, seems to favor Princess Celie.

Not a normal castle by any means, this castle sprouts new rooms, makes new pathways and shortcuts, and even boots out unwanted guests. Everything is fabulous as Princess Celie spends her time mapping new rooms and routes. And then the King and Queen disappear.

This story is great for elementary readers (and some adults, like moi). I enjoyed the imaginative setting, creativity, and fun writing of this book. Perhaps I shall make sure my grand-daughter reads it when she is a bit older.

Definitely a good read.

Stronger, Trading Brokenness for Unbreakable Strength

Stronger, Trading Brokenness for Unbreakable Strength by Jim Daly, President, Focus on the Family; with James Lund (David C. Cook, 2010)

"...choosing the broken road that leads to God and greater strength. We've also explored some forks in the trail that offer more choices. When we choose well, the paths of surrender, relationship, acceptance, and trust lead us even closer to Him and His power." (p. 125).

Tales of tragedy, heart break, loss - brokenness - fill this book with real life examples of people who have gone through storms, no hurricanes, in life, and have survived. Survived stronger.

Jim Daly (with James Lund) simply tells stories from peoples' lives. And then shares how Scripture and the strength of God are available to help us get through terrible situations. Not around them or to make them disappear, but how to get through them. And come out better on the other side. In fact, God uses seemingly insurmountable events to draw us closer to Him; and to make us stronger as we rely on His strength. But first, we have to choose our reaction to the situation - are we going to be beaten, bitter, or broken?

If you are dealing with any significant issue in life, ANY issue, there is probably a story similar to yours in this book. Don't think you are going through this alone. Reach out for help and hope. Read this book.

The Dragon and the Turtle

The Dragon and the Turtle and The Dragon and the Turtle Go On Safari by Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark (sorry, I would give publisher and date, but the books are at school!).



I love books! I recently received (autographed!!!) both The Dragon and the Turtle and The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari.

After chatting with Mrs. Paul (yes, she has a Monday night chat group that chats about writing and plots and characters and food and stuff), she helped me get copies of the books for my classroom of wild and rowdy boys. Who love adventure. And dragons. And safari's (sleep overs). Thank you, Mrs. Paul and Evangeline!

The books were a hit. Being a group of all boys, they especially liked the crunchy bug bits and the sleeping out in the tent. They were very attentive to the illustrations and problem solving in both books. The friendship theme is especially helpful when working with young children (even older children) who are just learning what it means to be a friend.

So jump on board the wonderful fantasy world(s) of Donita K. Paul and her daughter, Evangeline Denmark. Roger (turtle) and Padraig (dragon) will entertain you and the young ones in your life.

www.donitakpaul.com


(I told them to hide their faces but look at the books!)



(Yet another weird blog thing. This photo IS correct on the computer and camera, but sideways in this blog...they are excitedly discussing the illustrations and story I have just read.)