Super Pets Helping People In Distress

**A Geek Daddy received the featured products free to review**

What if pets had the power to save the day for humans in distress?  That is the theme for a line of books by Capstone Publishing called the DC Super-Pets.  In these stories the pets of the heroes and villains from the DC comic book universe have their own super powers which are demonstrated through their embarking on various adventures and challenges.  My seven year old twins really enjoy the DC Super-Pets books and are just the right age for this series which is written for children six to nine years old who are in first through third grade; though I have to admit this 40 year old dad enjoys reading these stories just as much as his kids do.

DC Super-Pets stories are designed to help early readers transition to chapter books.  Each book is normally three chapters long and filled with large-sized text and colorful illustrations so they aren't overwhelming for young readers.  In fact the fun illustrations of the Super-Pets combined with goofy scenarios attract children towards wanting to read these books.

While DC Super-Pets are of course fictional creations there are animals in the real world that help make a positive difference in people's lives.  For example K-9 dogs are trained to help police search for illegal drugs or explosives and service dogs can provide assistance to people with disabilities.  Therapy dogs can also play an important role in helping improve lives by providing affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, schools, and disaster areas and to those with Alzheimer's Disease or Autism.  For example, therapy dogs were brought in to help the survivors of the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newton, Connecticut cope with the incident and are credited with providing peace of mind to the shocked and devastated children and adults these real life super pets interacted with.

Our local public library incorporates assisting with the training of a therapy dog into its children's summer reading program.  Reading to therapy dogs helps kids practice their literary skills over the summer while helping train the animals to be comfortable interacting with people.  It also gets children excited about reading over the summer which is a time when unfortunately books are often tossed aside for other activities.  My kids really look forward to these reading sessions and take a lot of pride in they are helping a dog so that it can help others.  They've been really excited to share their DC Super-Pets stories with a real life super pet who will one day be helping people in distress when reading during the therapy dog training at the public library.

My daughter has been reading DC Super-Pets BACKWARD BOWWOW during her therapy dog training sessions.  In this story, when Bizarro Krypto crash lands on Earth, he can't believe his eyes.  Humans own dogs as pets! On his Bizarro planet, everything is the exact opposite -- canines rule the world! Before returning home, he promises to make things right ... or maybe wrong.  Can Krypto the Super-Dog intervene and prevent Bizarro Krypto from making a huge mess?

 My son has been reading DC Super-Pets THE AMAZING MINI-MUTTS as he helps train the therapy dog.  In this book, Krypto, Ace, and other Super-Pet pooches visit the Bowwow Boot Camp to show a new breed of heroes a few tricks.  But the evil Brainicat wants to teach the canine cadets a lesson as well.  When he shrinks them all to microscopic size, the prep-school puppies must quickly learn to step up!

There are more than twenty DC Super-Pets adventure books by Capstone Publishing to choose from plus a super-sized Character Encyclopedia that provides interesting facts and descriptions of each animals unique powers in the profiles of more than 200 pets.  All of these DC Super-Pets books feature quirky artwork from Eisner Award winning artist Art Baltazar.  The Eisners are the comic book industry's equivalent to what the Oscars are for the movies so only the most talented and creative professionals are honored with this award.  Baltazar's artwork provides a zany vibe that makes reading each DC Super-Pets an amusing endeavor that kids are sure to enjoy.  As a parent, I appreciated that the illustration are numerable enough to capture children's attention and imagination but not so overpowering that they distract a child from immersing themselves into the text of the story.  Adorable characters and amusing plots will have children wanting to pick up a DC Super-Pets book to read.  For more information about this great early readers children's book series visit capstonepub.com/library/products/dc-super-pets

If you'd like to know more on how you can contribute to training therapy dogs or for a referral to obtain the services of one, please visit the Therapy Dog International website at tdi-dog.org.

Enjoy a Super Summer of Reading

Don't let all the hard work the children in your life have put into reading over the previous school year stagnate during their summer recess warns Gabrielle Miller, the president and CEO of the non-profit organization Raising A Reader, which is dedicated to helping families develop, practice, and maintain literacy habits for children ages 0-8 that are critical for a child's success in school and life.  Miller notes that with no homework assignments from teachers many of the 50 million plus children that are on summer vacation will stop reading during this break from school impairing their learning abilities when they return in the fall.  She reached out to A Geek Daddy to help spread the message that parents need to incorporate books into summer vacation activities and establish regular reading routines for their children.

"Summer reading should be all about the parent-child experience," Miller communicated to A Geek Daddy. "Rather than having it be a chore, or a list of must-read books, summer is a terrific opportunity to build family reading experiences.  Whether it's as simple as reading with children so they can see how much adults love reading, or visiting places and doing activities tied to a book, there are a host of ways reading can help children enjoy the summer and be ready to start school in the fall."

Here are a  few Raising A Reader tips for parents on helping their children have a super summer of reading:

• Participate in a local public library summer reading program that will often provide fun educational activities during the break from school plus challenge kids to read in order to earn an invitation to a special event like a pizza party or other  rewards or prizes.  Many libraries across the United States participate in the Collaborative Summer Library Program which provides a uniform theme and resources for libraries to use to encourage kids to read.  This year's theme is Wellness, Fitness & Sports.  Check out what your local library has to offer kids to help keep them reading during the summer.




• Invite the family pet to join the book sharing experience. Even if your child can’t read yet, have her ‘read’ the story to you and the pet. Children who can read will be able to practice their skills and children who have not yet learned to read will begin to think of themselves as ‘readers’ which is very important to lifelong learning. 


• Find books that are centered on summer activities he or she enjoys. If your child likes to go horseback riding, for example, find books about horses or stories with horses as an integral part of the plot. This will give a child a welcome change from the types of books read during the school year and better complement their summer. 


• If you are taking a trip, read books about your destination with your child before you leave. Do some research with them on the location and find things in the area they want to do while visiting. And don’t forget to play “I Spy” with road signs or license plates along the way.


• Write a book with your child about them, your family, their favorite foods or toy, their friends or whatever interests them most. Your child can draw pictures or use actual photos. If you’re worried that your child spends too much time watching TV or playing video games, have him or her tell you or write a story about their favorite TV show or video game. You can also use one of many templates available to create and print the book on your computer.


• Create an outdoor reading area so the whole family can enjoy the summer weather and not feel stuck inside. Children generally read indoors, so being outdoors will create a new environment for enjoying a book and boost a child’s enthusiasm for reading. 


• Let your child choose. Books are great, but so are comic books, magazines and even educational websites such as National Geographic Kids. Let them chase their interests and they’ll be reading more than they realize.

My kids love super heroes so we're encouraging them to enjoy a super summer of reading with DC Super Heroes books from Capstone Publishing, which specialized in children's books and digital products specializing in the educational market serving class rooms, libraries and parents looking for good materials for their children to read.  Capstone Publishing has a wide range of DC Super Heroes books to choose from suitable for all ranges of children to enjoy from those in their preschool years having mom or dad read to them to elementary school students just learning to read on their own to teens who are looking for something interesting to read during their high school years. They generously sent A Geek Daddy a free sample of the books in their super hero collection perfectly matched to my kids reading level to help keep my 7 year old twins reading over the summer months.  Easy to read Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman stories written for a children's elementary school aged audience will keep my kids interested in flipping through books all summer long.  My kids also just discovered through these book Capstone Publishing sent us the world of the DC Super-Pets which is a line of books featuring stories about the unique animal companions to the super heroes and villains of the DC Comic book universe.  My kids have fallen in love with the DC Super Pets collection!

My twins also are participating in our local public library's summer program to help keep them reading during their break from school.  Each week they are provided a list of challenges involving reading books and educational activities that if are completed allow them to grab something from a treasure chest of prizes.  Also throughout the summer they'll have the opportunity to spend some time visiting the library and reading to a therapy dog in training.  They are both excited to share their new DC Super Pets books with the therapy dog when they have a chance to read to it this summer.  At the end of summer there is a party for all the kids who participated that includes a magic show and Kohl's department store provides all the children with Kohl's Cares stuffed animals and books as a reward.  Have you checked out what types of summer activities your community public library has to offer?

For more information about all the wonderful books that Capstone Publishing has available for young readers, visit CapstoneKids.com.  Parents can be super heroes by ensuring their children read over the summer.  I hope all of our A Geek Daddy readers have a super summer of reading!