Guardian Angel Publishing. They offer books in ebook, cd, or print form. I chose The Sum of Our Parts: No Bones About It, Hamster Holidays: Noun and Adjective Adventures, Andy and Spirit Go to the Fair, Maybe We Are Flamingos, and Earthquake.
Our science curriculum this year is a journey through all the major body systems, so this one fit right in with our study of the skeletal system. It provided "factoids" and pictures of the major bones in the body accompanied by descriptive rhymes about each one. I printed this one off and used it in pieces, in our order of study, rather than in the order the pages were written. The ebook version is $5, which is appropriate, I think, but the cd and print versions are over $15 after shipping. This one is appropriate for all the elementary grades, and really all the way up, as the rhymes and illustrations could still be used in the high school grades to reinforce learning.
This one is takes the reader through the year with a bunch of hamsters, detailing their celebrations and highlighting the nouns and adjectives in different colors. I really like this one, as it makes grammar colorful and visual and entertaining as well. The author doesn't try to tackle more than the name implies, nouns and adjectives. After the story, there's a long section of lessons and activities, complete with keys, which reinforce learning and dig a little deeper into types of nouns, singular or plural, proper or common. With this one, we will only print the activities at the back, as it would take a lot of color ink to print the whole thing, but it's not a big deal to sit in front of the screen to read this in short portions throughout units on nouns and adjectives. And, at $5 for the ebook format, I think it's a good deal. I really like how it's color coded and doesn't try to teach more than young students can absorb about nouns and adjectives. The story and the learning objectives are on the same level, and I would say this is appropriate for preK-3. You can purchase this in cd and print form as well.
This is a book about a young man with disabilities who teams up with a horse who's a little different, too, to make a winning combination. Many of our children in the homeschooling community are involved in 4-H and county/state fair competitions, so they may feel that connection as they read and maybe even realize opportunities to reach out to others often considered different. This story deals with overcoming insecurity and bullying and the importance of seeing past differences. I think that for young readers, this one can give some insights into what it's like to deal with physical disabilities and still be a kid. This one is for upper elementary aged students as well the younger ones, too.
Two young birds realize they're not like the older flamingos around them. Could they actually be something else? Where do they belong? In the end, not only do they get an answer, the reader gets a little lesson on flamingos as well. Younger (pre-K-3) readers will get so giggly at some of the pictures, but they'll also get the point.
This one was one of my favorites, as it contained several graphs, charts, and maps and really was the most informational of all the ones I've described here. The author, Susan Berger, describes what an earthquake is, what it can do, how it is measured, how long it lasts, and how to be prepared, in a way even younger students can understand. While many of the charts and graphs are more appropriate for an older reader, they provide quite a bit of background information parents and teachers will find interesting. There is a craft section as well, where directions are given for making pockets for emergency materials that can be kept within easy reach should an earthquake occur at night.
Okay, here's my take on all these. I think the ebooks are appropriately priced at $5. And I think many of us are getting more familiar and comfortable with the ebook format. What I like about this format is that I can pick and choose what I want to use and only print out that much, if I need to print it, that is. I personally would choose these over the cd or print versions, simply based on the price issue. And I can see $5 being a reasonable price for what you get. Most of the cd and print versions of the books above would run over $15 with shipping, and in today's world of internet-smart shopping and tight family budgets, that runs a little high, I think, for the level of books they offer.
Now, here's something that won't stretch those budgets. Guardian Angel Publishing also offers several freebies, including books and coloring sheets, which you can see and download here.
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