Runaway Bunny by Margaret Weiss Brown, A Mother's Love

This is a sweet and timeless classic about a mother's love. It features a little boy wanting to run away (it's natural for children to want to separate from their parents) and the boy's mother who will always be there for him and be the place he can always come home to. A delightful classic.



Enjoy!

Bonnie Worthington
Author, Engine Ed's Colorful Train

40th Anniversary of the Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle, Children's Books

This video is an intimate chat with Children's Book author, Eric Carle as he tells the story of the creation of his famous children's book. Watch and enjoy!


Bonnie Worthington
Author, Engine Ed's Colorful Train

You've gotta love Eric Carle

Eric Carle the amazing author and illustrator reads a book he illustrated for Bill Martin. Brown Bear, Brown Bear.

What a great book to teach colors and animals! Watch this video!



Bonnie Worthington
Author, Engine Ed's Colorful Train

Disney Train, A Christmas Carol 3D Movie

Look for the Disney train coming to your town. It left Los Angeles and will wind its way to the East Coast promoting the new Disney 3D movie A Christmas Carol, due out on November 6th. It's a fun exhibit where you can get a sneak preview of the movie and also you can morph your kids into different characters from the movie. Very cool.

Bonnie Worthington
Author, Engine Ed's Colorful Train

Tony Dungy, You Can Do It, a book about finding your purpose

This children's book finds favor with me because of its inspirational message, not only for children, but for all. It's a sweet story about a boy who is frustrated because he feels like he needs to find his purpose. He feels a little lost. Then one day, things change through an experience he has. It is through his experience that he was able to identify his passion and how he wanted to give back to the world.

Bonnie Worthington
Author, Engine Ed's Colorful Train
Children's books about trains

Waves of Oneness by Peter Melton

Peter Melton's wonderful story for children called Waves of Oneness is an insightful tale about how we, as humans, are all interconnected.

Using a big wave and a little wave to tell the story and the analogy of our oneness with the bigger ocean, we see how we remember and we forget our connectedness to the bigger whole.  A spiritual concept like this can be difficult to share with children, but Peter pulls it off beautifully and flawlessly.  His book is a self published book, but you can contact him directly through facebook to get a copy.  Sign into your facebook account and search Peter Melton.  I have attached his YouTube video reading of the story below.

Bonnie Worthington

Author, Engine Ed's Colorful Train

Free Interactive Learning Games For Kids, Educational Games, Math Games, Spelling Games, Memory Games

I'm very excited about the games at EngineEd.com.  They are on the site and ready to go for all kids, parents, teachers and students in classrooms to enjoy.  There is a math game, spelling game and memory game.  All games are interactive games for kids.  Each game was inspired by the memory of my late  mother who dedicated her life to teaching children how to read by increasing their brain power through fun, hand-eye games.  She was an innovative woman who was well ahead of her time.  

I invite moms and teachers to visit http://www.EngineEd.com with their children and students and enjoy learning the fun way while also sharpening your computer skills.

Bonnie Worthington

Creator, Educational Games for Kids

Book Reviews by Bonnie Worthington, I Love You Stinky Face, by Lisa McCourt

This is a sweet and sentimental story book perfect for Valentine's Day. Truly, it's perfect for any day in my book. In this funny tale, a mother's son asks over and over, "what if I were," and lists things like smelly skunks and mean dinosaurs. No matter what the boy imagines, the loving mother in the tale tells the little boy that she would always find a way to be near the boy and would love him, no matter what!

Any loving parent knows the unconditional love we all feel for our children and this book brings those feelings to life for the children in a humorous, very sentimental way. If I had stars to give, this book would get five!

Bonnie Worthington
Children's book author, Engine Ed's Colorful Train

Pogonip Magic by Karen Collett Wilson, Children's Animal Stories, Northern Nevada Stories

This is a darling story of the interaction between the resident cat population of northern Nevada and the wild deer population. I chose this book solely because I received this adorable letter from my little boy:

Dear Mom,

I read a book called Pogonip Magic by Karen Collett Wilson. It was about a deer that took care of a cat by licking him. I think you would like the book because you like cats. My favorite part of the book is when the cat closed his eyes and purred. I hope you will read this book soon.

Love, Your Son

Thank You Angel, Will Do!

Bonnie Worthington
Author, New Chidren's Train Book--Engine Ed's Colorful Train

Winter's Gift, by Jane Monroe Donovan

This is a wonderful story. In the new year many people are filled with hope. If you haven't found a reason to have your hope, perhaps this story might inspire you.

In this beautiful hard-cover, children's story, an old man loses hope because his wife died. While she lived, one of his favorite memories was how they would find and decorate their Christmas tree together and how she would put the white star on the top. The star was her perpetual symbol of hope.

On Christmas Eve one year while in his kitchen, the old man hears a noise outside and investigates. There he finds a lost mare lying in the snow. He brings her into his barn and they both fall asleep. In the morning, when he awakes, he sees the mare has had a baby, on whose forehead there is a perfect white star. The old man realized he was given a special gift and felt hope for his tomorrows.

This book gets five stars from me! :-)

Bonnie Worthington
Author, children's train book Engine Ed's Colorful Train

The Mom Song, By the Go Fish Guys, (Smart Guys)

I love this video. I realize this blog is mostly about books for kids, but this video is just the best. The Go Fish Guys have us moms all figured out. Just watch the video if you haven't already. It will make you smile. My little boy loves it.

My favorite part about the song is at the very end when one of they guys says about moms, "No one could afford that anyway." That always makes me giggle.

Enjoy!

Bonnie Worthington
Author, Children's train story book Engine Ed's Colorful Train

Merry Christmas to All, Christmas, Holiday Cheer

It doesn't matter to me what holiday you celebrate, we all celebrate for the same reason. We celebrate all the Miracles our Creator brought forth for us. More than that, we celebrate love and family, friends and good times. We celebrate children and tradition.

The wish "Merry Christmas" has a universal meaning. It means I send you good wishes for joy and love in this holiday season, no matter what you believe. So Merry Christmas!

Bonnie Worthington
Author, Engine Ed's Colorful Train train boos for kids.

Follow the moon by Sarah Weeks is a sweet story about a baby sea turtle who’s instinct it is to follow the moon at birth to find it’s home in the water. Illustrator Suzanne Duranceau makes this sweet tale come alive, while the soft, rhyming lilt of the author rocks any toddler into quiet slumber.

As the tale unfolds, a little boy finds the newborn turtle on the beach and protects him from harm. There is a beach party in progress that evening, complete with a disco ball for the dancers, which confuses the newborn sea turtle, who in turn goes toward the party instead of toward the ocean. The little boy helps his new friend find his home in the ocean.

I liked this story for its beauty along with its message for respect for all life and life cycles.

Bonnie Worthington
Author, Engine Ed's Colorful Train train books for kids

Charlie Hits It Big

I went to B & N the other day and immediately headed for the Children's section. I was drawn in by the darling cover for, "Charlie Hits it Big". Illustrations always pull me in and these are good. Charlie is a guinea pig who wants to be famous. He heads to Hollywood and finds a successful, fast paced life. This story has a heartfelt ending and is a charming, witty and beautifully illustrated book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but, I am really into whimsy.

Mardell E. Alberico
Author, Perry the Pack Rat Series

Perry the Pack Rat by Mardell Alberico, Good books grow great kids.

Perry the Pack Rat is an adorable character created by Mardell Alberico. I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Alberico this evening at a local Christmas Preview where we were both signing books at the downtown independent bookstore in our area, Lyon Books.



The Perry the Pack Rat stories are stories for kids that teach kids how to do things they might not know exactly how to do without a little help. The book I read was called Perry the Pack Rat Learns to Share. It was a great book about giving things to those less fortunate than ourselves. You can check out Mrs. Alberico's books at http://www.wordsofwhimsy.net/.



Mrs. Alberico illustrates her own books and she is self-published. I encourage anyone who loves children to get check out the wordsofwhimsy website.



Bonnie Worthington

Author, Engine Ed's Colorful Train train stories for children

A Turkey For Thanksgiving, Eve Bunting, Thanksgiving Traditions, Thanksgiving Feasts

This book by Eve Bunting is adorable. Even if your aren't an animal rights activist or a vegan, you are sure to love this adorable story about a moose family and their friends. Mrs. Moose decides she wants to "have a turkey for Thanksgiving" so Mr. Moose goes out to get one for her.

In the end, everyone learns, she meant to have one at her table instead of "on her table." A very cute Thanksgiving story

Bonnie Worthington
Author, Engine Ed's Colorful Train

Stellaluna, Janell Cannon, Fruit Bats

This cute little story of friendship and family is quite enchanting. Janell Cannon has a gift for writing about animals that aren’t thought of as cute and cuddly and making them likable. Stellaluna is like that. Stellaluna is the story of a fruit bat that is separated from her mother by accident and adopted by a family of birds. Stellaluna befriends the birds. The bird family teaches Stellaluna new things and Stellaluna teaches the baby birds new things. One night after a long day of playing with the birds, Stellaluna stays out late and is reunited with her mother. I love happy endings.

Bonnie Worthington
Author, Engine Ed’s Colorful Train

The Swing by Robert Lewis Stevenson

This poem is one of the sweetest poems I've read. It is by Robert Lewis Stevenson, who is one of the great poets of all time. He has a way of bringing very simple things to life like a buried treasure just found. It is short, so I will reproduce it here.

How do you like to go up in a swing
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
ever a child could do.

Up in the air and over the wall
till I can see so wide
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
over the county side.

Till I look down on the garden green
down on the roof so brown
Up in the air I go flying again.
Up in the air and down,

--Robert Lewis Stevenson

This is such a sweet poem about a child's ride on a swing.

Bravo Mr. Stevenson

Bonnie Worthington
Author, Engine Ed's Colorful Train

Raccoons and Ripe Corn, by Tim Arnosky

This book struck me as a little odd. I guess it seemed odd to me because it was the story about some raccoons that went into a cornfield and feasted on a farmers corn. The raccoons managed to destroy a good portion of the farmers crop, stuffed themselves and left. It seemed like a story about vandalism, and that was all there was to the story. There wasn't really a conclusion to the story. We never got to meet the farmer or find out how he felt about or what he did about the invasion. We never found out what happened to the raccoons after their big raid on the corn field. Did they get a stomach ache? Did they go eat dessert? The reader is pretty much just left hanging. I wondered what the point was to the story. Has anyone else read this book?

Bonnie Worthington
Author, Engine Ed's Colorful Train

Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White, Fall, Harvest Stories, Fall Stories

This was a cute harvest story about a woman who lives with her cat companion. She dislikes pumpkins because when she was little, that was all her family had to eat. Now that times are better, she stays away from pumpkins, until one day, a twist of fate made her change her mind.

While driving past her yard, a truck full of pumpkins ejects one onto the street in front of her house after a big bump, and it breaks all over her yard. Later, she finds herself with an entire crop of pumpkins, with which she makes as many pumpkin goodies as she can think of. Then she invites the entire neighborhood over to delight in her cooking.

She and her kitty have so much fun sharing the pumpkin goodies, she changes her mind about pumpkins and plants more for next year.

I love happy endings, don't you?

Bonnie Worthington
Author, Engine Ed's Colorful Train