Book of the Week: Anna’s World by Wim Coleman and Pat Perrin

Fourteen-year-old Anna Coburn doesn't want to grapple with such terrible issues. Just growing up seems awful enough. Forced from her home and away from her beloved father, Anna is sent to live among the stern people called Shakers. Their strange ways and strict lifestyle are both appealing and difficult for the bright, headstrong Anna.

When reunited with her father, Anna is plunged into upper-class Boston life, where she faces a troubling mystery, new responsibilities, and events that will affect not just herself and her loved ones, but a country about to come apart at the seams.

With a cast that includes Henry David Thoreau, a perceptive Shaker schoolmistress, and a murderous false friend, Anna's World is a powerful coming of age story, widely praised for its vivid characters, gripping plot, and moral stature.

* * * * *“Anna’s World” is a book that takes you into the world of the Shaker’s back in the mid 1800’s though the eyes of a fourteen-year-old girl, Anna. After a terrible flood and bout with Typhoid fever, Anna’s father leaves her in the care of the Shakers. With the promise to return for her, Anna is left to live, work and study with these strict hardworking people.

Her journey to adulthood is peppered with mischievous fun, rule breaking and danger. See how Anna handles growing up in a world that she thinks she doesn’t belong in.

Wim and Pat have done an outstanding job bringing the world of the Shaker’s to life. Their historical fiction shares a part of US history that is fascinating. Their sense of character development makes you a part of the story. You’ll fall in love with Anna, your heart will go out to Sally and you will grow to loath Seth.

How do they take this book beyond reading? Wim and Pat have created an in depth teachers guide and some notes on Utopia living, the Mexican War and the Shaker’s. Check them out over at Chiron Books You can also watch a video trailer there.

You can buy “Anna’s World” over at Amazon in both book format and Kindle format.

See you back here Wednesday with some new and creative ideas to go beyond reading.

posted by Joy Delgado
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Thanksgiving Holidays From Around the World

I'm going to depart from my normal type of post today in honor of Thanksgiving.


As an American, many of us can get into the thinking that Thanksgiving is only an American celebration. Not so. Many cultures around the world celebrate their own Thanksgiving.


Now, they don't celebrate the same way we do, but they celebrate non the less.


Here are a few links that share different Thanksgiving traditions from around the world.


Thanksgiving Around the World

Multicultural Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving World

Thanksgiving day around the world

Some of these may have one or two that are the same, but each one has at least one that's different.

If you aren't from the United States, or have immigrated here, please feel free to share your cultures way of celebrating Thanksgiving.

posted by Joy Delgado
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Creative Wednesday: My ABC Food List and more

Okay, as promised, here’s my list:


A apple, really, I try to eat one every day
B broccoli
C chocolate, I’m willing to bet that many women said this too
D dates
E eggs
F French toast
G grapes
H honey
I ice cream, almost any flavor! Yum!
J jellybeans
K kiwi friut
L lobster, the kind from the Caribbean
M mahi mahi
N nectarine
O oats, raw with pineapple, cinnamon and almond slivers
P pizza
Q quiche
R rasberry
S salmon
T tomatoes
U upside down cake
V vanilla wafers
W watermelon
X xingzi - Chinese for apricot, okay so this one’s a stretch, but it works
Y yogurt
Z zucchini

Okay, so I had to do some searching online and some might be a bit of a stretch, but I had fun thinking about foods I like. I found that certain letters have lots of foods I like and others very few.

I couldn't think of a way to rhyme them, anyone want to give it a try?

posted by Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
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Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa blog

Bilingual Friday: Fun Board Games

In surfing for ways to have fun and learn a second language, I came across the Language Learning Game. This company has created two games to learn basic Spanish. The idea is simple and perfect for children in early elementary school. I encourage you to check it out. Be sure to click on the link at the bottom of the home page. The owner Barbara Bohl tells you about the game and how it came to be.

See you back here Monday with another book review that takes a book beyond reading.

posted by Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
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Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa blog

Creative Wednesday: Favorite Food Alphabet

It's safe to say that we all have favorite foods.

I challenge you to come up with a list of foods that you really like. Now, that's not much of a challenge, so, make your list in alphabetical order and list one food item for each letter of the alphabet. The food has to start with the letter, not just have the letter in the word somewhere. If that's too easy, see if you can make the foods rhyme.

Are you doing this with your children? Have them find pictures of the foods and paste them next to the food name.

Have fun with this and please share. I'll share my list next Wednesday and hope some of you have posted comments so I can share your list too.

Now, could you eat them all in one meal? I dare you, no, I double dare you!

posted by Joy Delgado
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What Takes A Book Beyond Reading?

For many months now I've been sharing books that go beyond reading.

Now it's your turn. Do you have a favorite book that you'd like to share here? If so, leave me a comment and I'll set you up as a guest blogger for a Monday post.

Have other ideas of how to take a book beyond reading? Share them in a coment and I'll add them to a post with credit given to you.

Look for my Tips booklet coming out soon about the 10 top ways to take books beyond reading.

That's all for today, I'll see you back here Wednesday with some surprises to spike your creative writing imagination.

posted by Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Check out what’s going on at the zoo!
Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa blog

Immersion and Dual Language Schooling Is Catching On

Across the United States schools are offering an alternative to single language study. Immersion classrooms are springing up all over. Here are a few articles highlighting different schools in two different states.

FLAG (Foreign Language Academy of Glendale) in Glendale, CA teaches children in Spanish, Armenian, Korean, German and now Italian. This program is working and has been so successful that they were awarded a $2.4 million in federal grant monies.
Read about their interesting approach to the multi-cultural area they are in and why it’s working. (Read full article.)

County schools expand dual-language classes, ESL Assistance

“Research shows that dual language is better for the students,” said Keely Krueger, District 200’s bilingual coordinator. “I think a lot of that reason is [the Spanish-speaking students] do start learning English in kindergarten. And they have those English language models in the classroom.” (Read full article.)

This type of teaching not only benefits those for whom English is a second language, but also for those who it’s their first language and will for a lifetime.
From a personal observation, I speak both English and Spanish. As a demo girl at Sams in Central Florida I have the opportunity to talk with members in their native tongue. It makes them feel more at ease and they always appreciate the effort that I make to speak to them in their first language. As for me, I love having the knowledge of a second language. It enriches my life and has afforded me many opportunities that, if I didn’t speak Spanish, I’d never have experienced.

posted by Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Check out what’s going on at the zoo!
Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa blog