CHILDREN’S BOOK WEEK, DAY 4

Giveaway: Hidden Treasures:  50 States of Fun  by Liz Ball

Today’s giveaway is from author and illustrator Liz Ball. The winner will receive Ms. Ball’s new release, Hidden Treasures:  50 States of Fun.  Enter using the Rafflecopter link at end of the review.  Entries close Saturday at midnight.  Winner announced on Sunday.  Now for the review of Hidden Treasures:  50 States of Fun

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Hidden Treasures: 50 States of Fun

by Liz Ball

Hidden Pictures Publishing (SP)

5 Stars

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Back Cover:  How many hidden items can you find?  Hike the Continental Divide, eat blueberries with a moose in Maine, or lasso a Longhorn in the Lonestar State.  From Alabama to Wyoming and from sea to shining sea, 50 States of Fun is the fun–filled way to learn about the USA!  Perfect for classrooms, families and “kids” of all ages.

Review

Have you ever looked for Waldo?  Have you found a needle in a haystack?  Most of us have looked at the clouds above and seen animals, people, and things.  Have you?  If you have done any of those things, or want to do any of them, 50 States of Fun is a perfect match.  Each state has its own page filled with hidden items related to the state, inside a picture of some part of the state.  For example, my home state of Ohio—one page after North Dakota and one page before Oklahoma—claims the motto: With God all things are possible.  The picture is of two birds sitting in a buckeye tree.  One has a list of fun things to do in Ohio, while the other bird is reading a book about the Wright Brothers.  I had to find a lifesaver, the Gemini Space Capsule, a scarlet carnation, a football, a black racer, and an Amish hat, among a few other items.

Not all items were easy to find, but none are all but impossible.  Using intensified observation skills, a wonderful thing for you, and your children to acquire, every item can be found in a reasonable amount of time.  When you open the book, it initially looks like a coloring book.  Once all the items are found, kids can color the page (or color the items when you find them, as I did).  So, in addition to learning about each of the states, honing your observations skills, and finding the state related objects, you can celebrate your accomplishment with a relaxing coloring session.  50 States of Fun has an honest title.  This book is fun with all the hands-on things that it has in store for whoever chooses to open this book.

Buy there is more—a lot more!  Hop on over to the author’s website and not only will you see every Hidden Treasures book she has drawn, you will find many things to do.  Downloadable picture puzzles are available on several pages (“Free Puzzles,” “About Liz,” “Newspapers,” and a page for “Teachers.”)  The “Teachers” page lets schools know about Ms. Ball’s school visits including her presentation schedule.  Packed with information, Ms. Ball’s website contains loads of things to do.  She has included a coupon page, giving buyers special discounts on certain books.

Learning to observe the world is harder than one might imagine.  It is a learnable skill and like all skills, the younger you are when learned the easier it is to learn.  50 States of Fun with its hidden objects, some part of another object, will require closely observing every part of the puzzle page.  Sometimes, you will have to let go of preconceived images in your head to find it in the puzzle.  I find this kind of thing fun, as do most kids.

Ms. Ball has taken information about each state and turned them into hands-on-fun for the kids.  Kids having fun will immerse themselves into the activity, learning and remembering more of the “lesson.”  50 States of Fun is perfect for home libraries, as well as school and classroom libraries.  This book can be a social studies or government teacher’s best friend.  .”  If you and your children like puzzles as much as I like puzzles, 50 States of Fun is a wise choice for an old-fashioned interactive book filled with current objects related to each state in the United States.

50 States of Fun can be in your child’s hands by next week and you do not need to go to the store or open your wallet (although this book is worth doing both).  You can easily win a copy of the book direct from the author AND SIGNED!  All you need to do is follow the link to the contest page.  There are a couple of daily entries and several extra entries available.  Entries are not difficult or time consuming.  So go on, enter to win 50 States of Fun for your puzzle-loving child.  Enter by clicking this link: a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Hidden Treasures: 50 States of Fun

by Liz Ball    book website    website
Hidden Pictures Publishing (SP)
Released April 2, 2013
ISBN:  978-0-9843088-1-1
56 Pages
Ages:  4 and up
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Copyright  2013 by Liz Ball, used with permission.

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