Football Season!

This Saturday is day one of TROY football season, and I must confess...I am READY! I love the gameday experience, from the tailgating to the great music coming from the Sound of the South. This year I will be right in the middle of the action as a TROY dance team member. So look for me right by the goal post! In relation to this week's book, it's all about Football, baby!

T is for Touchdown

by: Brad Herzog

Synopsis: This is much more than an alphabet book for beginning readers. It is a picture book with large, richly colored, realistic oil paintings, and many facts about football, including some history, rules, well-known players, and famous moments. Each pair of upper- and lower-case letters is represented by one or more terms or people ("N," for instance, is for Notre Dame, the NFL, and Nicknames) and a four-line rhyming verse. "No college team has ever had/as much success and fame/as football's famous fighting N - /noble Notre Dame."

What is really cool about this book is that it is part of a sports series, so you can collect them all! Ages 4-8.

Family Huddle

By: Peyton Manning

Synopsis: Huddle up with the most famous family in football—the Mannings! Peyton and Eli Manning are now NFL superstars, but they are still kids in Family Huddle. Follow along as Eli and Peyton pile into the car with older brother Cooper for a trip to visit their grandparents. Their dad, former NFL star Archie Manning, is at the wheel, with mom Olivia at his side. The boys joke around and play football at every opportunity, running fun plays like the buttonhook, the quarterback sneak, and the hook and ladder.Family and football have always been a big deal in the Manning family. Family Huddle is based on some of the Mannings’ memories from their days in Louisiana and Mississippi. Ages 4-8.

The Dog that Stole Football Plays

By: Matt Christopher

Synopsis: Mike's football team is really put to the test when Harry, his telepathic dog, has to stay home. Can the team win without Harry's supernatural advice? Ages 9-12.

Who Wants to be a Princess?

Next Saturday I will be hosting a fun event at the Columbiana Public Library which is being called Princesses Read! I hope all of you in the area can come out in your best Princess garb and read with me! There will also be a prize drawing for the Princess Book I read! Hope to see you there!

It's OK to Have a Bad Day!

I'll be honest, starting back to school is a very stressful time for me. From what I have heard from my friends and their facebook statuses, it's stressful for many people! So I thought a great book of the week would be one that celebrates our Bad Days. It's OK to have them every once in a while, but the most important thing when dealing with our Bad Days is to remember that we can make our day better with our positive thinking. Check out these books, they might turn your frown upside down!!

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day

by: Judith Viorst

Summary: "I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there's gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."

So begin the trials and tribulations of the irascible Alexander, who has been earning the sympathy of readers since 1972. People of all ages have terrible, horrible days, and Alexander offers us the cranky commiseration we crave as well as a reminder that things may not be all that bad. As Alexander's day progresses, he faces a barrage of bummers worthy of a country- western song: getting smushed in the middle seat of the car, a dessertless lunch sack, a cavity at the dentist's office, stripeless sneakers, witnessing kissing on television, and being forced to sleep in railroad-train pajamas. He resolves several times to move to Australia.


Judith Viorst flawlessly and humorously captures a child's testy temperament, rendering Alexander sympathetic rather than whiny. Our hero's gum-styled hair and peevish countenance are artfully depicted by Ray Cruz's illustrations. An ALA Notable Book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a great antidote to bad days everywhere, sure to put a smile on even the crabbiest of faces. (Ages 5 to 9)

Addies Bad Day

by: Joan Robins

Summary: Addie really wants to go to Max's birthday party, but it is a BAD day. Addie won't take her hat off. And she won't tell Max why. Can Max convince his best pal to throw off her cap and join the party? Great Beginner chapter book for grades 1-3.

My favorite part: FUN ACTIVITIES!
1. Everyone has bad hair days, try creating a picture of the craziest hair day your child can think up. Simply draw a head, and let them decide how crazy the hair will be.

2. Talk about how to get out of our bad moods on bad days, discuss how families can help one another have better days. (For me- chocolate fixes everything! haha)

3. Write a story. Tell about a bad day you have had.

4. Alex can't seem to remember the number 16. Use this number with a little math exercise using paper clips, pennies, whatever. How many times can you divide this number? What else can you do with 16 things?

Back to School!

School is back in session, and I thought now would be the perfect time to read some great children's books about this time of the year. For some it is a fun experience and exciting, but for other boys and girls, it can be intimidating. Take this time to read these great books to your children and help them prepare for school.

I Am Too Absolutely Small for School

by: Lauren Child

Summary: Is your little one apprehensive about going to preschool or kindergarten? Introduce her to Lola, the star of this picture book by Lauren Child. Lola is sure she is "too absolutely small for school," but her older brother Charlie patiently convinces her otherwise by presenting a series of imaginative and funny reasons she needs to go to school. Not only is the story fun, but Child's mixed media illustrations are a delight, vibrant and highly entertaining.

First Day Jitters

by: Julie Danneberg

Summary:This is an excellent book for the child who is worried about changing schools. The author is Julie Danneberg and the colorful and comic illustrations in ink and watercolor are by Judy Love. It’s the first day of school and Sarah Jane Hartwell does not want to go. She will be going to a new school and she is scared. This is a funny book, with a surprise ending that will cause the reader to laugh out loud and then go back and read the entire story again.

First Grade Stinks!

by: Mary Ann Rodman

This book is a special one I thought of for all of my favorite new First Graders, my cousins Sarah and Chrissy as well as Ms. Kendall Dailey! I hope you girls had a great first day as First Graders!

Summary: First Grade Stinks! is an entertaining picture book that can help to ease a child's transition from kindergarten to first grade. In her amusing picture book First Grade Stinks!, author Mary Ann Rodman tells the story of Haley and her first day in first grade. With unexpected sympathy and explanations from her first grade teacher about why so much is different from kindergarten, Haley stops thinking, "First grade stinks!" and begins to think, "First grade is great!"

Here are some fun activities to try:

1. Hold a back to school spa day with your girls, pampering is the perfect prep for a new school year!

2. For the boys, try a day outside preparing for every boy's favorite subject- P.E.! Play kickball or even dodgeball if you dare!

3. Go back to school shopping with a twist- Visit your local Dollar Store and create a back to school kit for an underprivileged child. Explain to your child how we can give back during this time.

Band Camp!

This week has been an incredibly busy one for me. I have been at Band Camp with Troy University's amazing Sound of the South marching band. I am fortunate enough to be a member of the band on the danceline, and have been loving it. Since I was new to marching, I had to learn how to do it correctly. In light of this, I thought it would be neat to give out a children's book of the week with the theme of marching bands!

A Marching Band for Bears

by: Eileen B. Benator

Summary: In "A Marching Band for Bears" Eileen Benator tells a colorful, fanciful tale that will interest children from their "picture book" phase until they are well into their reading years. The story, about a group of animals assembling a marching band, is simple but presented intelligently. This book is best for Baby-Preschool ages. Great book for beginner readers.

Froggy Plays in the Band

by: Jonathan London

Summary: Heck, Froggy doesn't just play in the band, he puts it together, and drills his pals for an upcoming marching band competition. At first they sound terrible, but they keep practicing and do pretty well the day of the contest, except for a mishap or two. Does Froggy do something embarrassing and turn red in the face? You betcha. But he also shows us the value of sticking with something difficult and surprising yourself at how much you can accomplish, if you just stick with it.

Here's some ideas for fun activities with your children:

1.  Go to the nearest College or High School and watch their band perform. (Come check me out with TROY'S Sound of the South!)

2. Perform around the house! March in a line to music and pretend you are holding instruments.

3. Enroll your child in music lessons or dance classes.