Children's Books By Carolyn Findlay Davis

I had the pleasure of meeting author Carolyn Findlay Davis recently and she graciously shared her children's book with me.  If you are a parent or teacher looking for books for young people, here are some you might want to check out!

As I was reading What Is Your Name? by  Carolyn Findlay Davis, a smile appeared on my face thinking what a great book this is for children.  Each page is dedicated to learning about a fascinating animal whose story is written in rhyme.  Not only is rhyme fun for children, but there is just enough repetition that it makes the reading both fun and comfortable.  This is a great book for kids to read on their own, or it could be used as a read-aloud.  I can see this as a favorite book to read with children before bed!

 As a teacher, I thought this book would be a great introduction for further study of animals, or better yet, a stepping off point to write poetry following the same pattern as Davis does in her books.  I think even middle school students would enjoy writing poems about themselves or their friends following this pattern.

While Miss Sara's friends are busy taking care of their flowers, Miss Sara enjoys the fruits of their labor while sitting-a-spell outside on her blanket.  When Miss Sara asks her neighbors how she too can have a beautiful and lovely smelling garden, it seems like it would take a lot of hard work.  Miss Sara didn't think she'd like that. Then, one of her neighbors gave her a small sack of seeds and without realizing it, one seed fell out in Miss Sara's yard and soon a sprout began to grow.  She was so excited to see it, Miss Sara began purposefully planting the other seeds from her small sack and taking care of them.  From then on Miss Sarah enjoyed the fruits of her own labor!  Cute story, excellent message!

"If the children aren't here, the surprises don't appear."  That's what Miss Lilly told the townspeople who wondered why so many children loved to go to Miss Winnie Lilly's Extraordinary House.  What made Miss Winnie Lilly's house so extraordinary?  It wasn't just its sheer size, the endless rooms behind closed doors, and the fun treats.  At Miss Winnie Lilly's it was the imagination that made anything possible.  Oh, the adults were skeptical, as most adults would be, until one of the women quietly opened one of the doors. At first, the room was empty.  Then something unimaginable happened.  Or, did something incredible happen because of what the woman imagined?  After this, Miss Winnie Lilly realized she was going to have many more visitors at her home and not just from the children.

What a wonderful story with creative illustrations to help people remember what a great thing it is to use our imaginations!

We have all heard of the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot, and now we have The Moon-Faced Gollywampus!  Deep in the waters off the shores of Scotland, after the sun goes down, the Moon-Faced Gollywampus comes up out of the water with a roar and an unbelievable fury! Colin heard his father tell the story and wondered about this mysterious beast.  

 

One day Colin sets out to go fishing on his own.  His dad is ill and can't go with, but he reminds Colin to be sure to get back to land before the suns goes down.  He doesn't want to risk the wrath of the beast in the water.  Colin sets out and has a very prosperous day of fishing.  As he heads for home, Colin falls asleep in the wooden boat. He is jarred awake when his boat hits a rock.  Water quickly fills the boat, and Colin fears the boat will sink before he could make it home.  As night moves in and the moon shines high above the water, the Moon-Faced Gollywampus comes out and Colin finally learns the truth!  This is a fun book filled with adventure and suspense! 

Santiago's Sombrero is an appealing story for young readers.  Santiago is a cute snake with a friendly personality who likes to sing.  Poor Santiago has a cold and loses his sombrero when he sneezes, so he sets out to find his hat.  He first sees his friend Sanchez the scorpion.  Sanchez can't help him, but sends Santiago to another friend who he thinks might have seen his sombrero. It turns out this friend didn't see the hat either, but his friends keep trying to help.   Santiago continues to slither and sing through the area going from one friend to the next. Luckily, Santiago finds his hat and a new friend along the way. 

Anana the polar bear is like any other child.  She'd rather play and be silly than focus on learning the skills her mom knows Anana needs for survival. When Anana finds herself lost in a blizzard, she realizes how important those skills really are.  As Anana carefully moves along the ice, she finds another young polar bear, Nutara, who is also lost. Now, Anana really appreciates what her mom was trying to teach her and she tries to recall many of the lessons to make sure both she and her new friend get back to their mothers safely.  A Star for Anana is a delightful story that incorporates facts about polar bears and their surroundings.

Each of Carolyn Findlay Davis' books have unique pictures and illustrations that add to her stories. For further information on any of these books, you can visit Carolyn's website at http://carolynfindlaydavisbooks.weebly.com/