**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.
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!
Last year my kids participated in a summer program at our local library that included having them read each week to therapy dogs in training to help prepare these animals for interacting with people. Therapy dogs utilize the special bond that exists between humans and canines to provide affection and comfort to people in disaster areas, hospitals and nursing homes. Therapy dogs can also be used by people with autism to help them connect with the environment around them. While working with the therapy dogs seemed like a nice enough project and helped get my kids excited about reading, I truly didn't grasp the impact these companions can have on someone's life until CHARLOTTE'S LITTER reached out to A Geek Daddy to share their story and provide us the two books they've recently published Good Dogs, Great Listeners: The Story of Charlotte, Lilyand the Litter and The Dogs of Newton.
Society tells our kids that scary creatures such as the bogeyman lurking under their bed or beasts hiding in the closet are fairy tales and that monsters don't actually exist in our world. Unfortunately, if you tune into the evening television news broadcast on any given day in any given city it is unmistakable to see that we live in a violent world that truly does have monsters in it. December 14, 2012 was an average day for the Bacon family as they sent their bubbly and inquisitive 6 year old daughter Charlotte to her Kindergarten class. A few hours later the family's reality was forever irreversibly altered by the unimaginable horrific news of an attack by a monster. Charlotte along with 19 other six and seven year old children at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut had been murdered by a deranged man who had invaded the building.
Following the tragedy, therapy dogs were brought into the school helping comfort Sandy Hook's grieving children, one of those being Charlotte's older brother, Guy. Students read to them, petted them and spoke to these dogs providing a calming presence for both children and teachers. The wonderful influence of these animals inspired Charlotte's mom, JoAnn, and dad, Joel, because their little girl had a passionate love for animals, especially her dog Lily, to do something to create some positivity from this tragedy and keep their daughter's spirit alive through helping others. The Bacon's created CHARLOTTE'S LITTER to advocate for and support appropriate therapy dog programs in educational settings.
"We grieve every day for our beautiful, spirited Charlotte, and we'll grieve every day hereafter," JoAnn Bacon communicated to A Geek Daddy. "Our advocacy work and our books are an outlet for our grief. It brings us closer to our little girl and allows us to honor her. We also hope that, through it, we can offer resources, help and hope to other families."
CHARLOTTE'S LITTER promotes the use of therapy dogs to aid in both
children's literacy, as well as emotional support. The group provides
programs and resources to support parents, educators and dog handlers in
maximizing the educational and healing potential of therapy dogs. In addition to the services provided by CHARLOTTE'S LITTER, two books have been published to provide information about the wonders of therapy dogs: Good Dogs, Great Listeners: The Story of Charlotte, Lilyand the Litter and The Dogs of Newton.
Good Dogs, Great Listeners: The Story of Charlotte, Lilyand the Litter was written with the help of award-winning author Renata Bowers is a children's book based upon Charlotte Bacon's actual life and adventures with true-to-life illustrations by Michael Chesworth. The book doesn't reflect upon Charlotte's tragic death but rather honors her life through providing a touching message to its readers. It focuses on a little girl's curiosity and lively imagination which leads her to have some fun adventures with her faithful companion, a dog named Lily, and a faithful litter of stuffed animals but also gets them into a bit of trouble sometimes too.
One day while Charlotte was practicing Tae Kwon Do and jumping around on the her bed with Lily, the dog accidentally fell to the ground and wouldn't get up off the floor. The family rushes Lily to the veterinarian to discover the dog has broken her leg. She'd be alright but needed to be immobilized for awhile to heal up.
While the dog is healing and can't play, Charlotte reads to Lily every day. Through this experience Charlotte discovers a love for reading to and alongside her most beloved companions. Even after Lily healed up, Charlotte continued to always make time to read almost every day to the dog and the litter of stuffed animals that always accompanied the two of them on their adventures.
With its great illustrations and entertaining story about friendship and kindness that also provides a nice educational message about the value of reading, I've enjoyed sharing this book with my own children. As early readers themselves, my kids have appreciated that in addition to dad reading it to them as a bed time story the book is also written at a level that they can read through on their own. My seven year old twins also appreciate the book revolves around a girl who is about the same age as themselves and shares their vivid imaginations and love of animals. To show children that the book is about a real life girl and her pet, the inside cover includes a hand print and paw print from Charlotte and Lily so that they can continue to leave a mark on the world through the publication of this book. I found that to be a very emotional tribute to a girl who dreamed of growing up and getting a job like being a veterinarian where she could help others. While Charlotte sadly won't have the opportunity to grow up beyond the little girl portrayed in this story hopefully this book will fulfill her dream of her life contributing to help others.
CHARLOTTE'S LITTER has also published a book written by Charlotte's brother Guy titled The Dogs of Newton. In the book, Guy Bacon introduces its readers to the therapy dogs that visited and helped him along with the students, teachers, families, and community of Newton cope with the lives lost at Sandy Hook. The Dogs of Newton provides an overview of the unique personalities and attributes of each of these therapy dogs and discusses the impact each of these animals had on the lives of the people they interacted with.
The other day our family had one of those days where my kids were fighting among themselves and screwing around all morning causing me to loose my temper yelling at them as we rushed out the door trying to get to school on time. As I drove them to their school which is a few miles from our house, which is an everyday routine of mine before heading to work, Charlotte and her classmates at Sandy Hook Elementary School came to mind. I thought how horrible it must be to have seen your kids head off to school and that being your last interaction ever with them wondering if anyone had been scolding or arguing with their child in those last moments. So I parked the car a few blocks away from school and we walked the rest of the way talking about their plans for the day ranging from who they were going to eat lunch with to them practicing a song for their upcoming music class. We left each other at the entrance to school with all three of us having big smiles on our face. Both of my kids went into the building than came rushing back out to give me a big hug before going back into class for the rest of the day. Then I took a detour on my way to work stopping by our local library to see if they were going to be doing the therapy dog reading program again this summer. Sign us up I said!
