Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Giraffe in the Bath by Russell Punter and David Semple

Giraffe in the Bath by Russell Punter and David Semple is a cute little book which encourages phonemic awareness.  In addition to learning “a” and “i” sounds, your child will enjoy a funny story about a giraffe who just wants to take a bath.

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living

Giraffe has been working in her garden.  She is tired and dirty so she wants to take a bath.  Just as she gets all comfy in her tub, she is disturbed by a series of interruptions.  The last interruption is a doozy that sends Giraffe on an unexpected “adventure.”  She ends up riding the tub down a slop and into a river until she surprisingly wins a river race.

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living

My little learners enjoyed the story.  They loved the illustrations which are credited to David Semple.  The ryhmes made them giggle.  This story only takes a few minutes to read.  It is perfect for times when you only have a few minutes to spend some quality time reading with your child.  The book was first published in 2017.  It’s a paperback.  Further credits go to Alison Kelly and Anne Washtell who served as reading consultants.  Giraffe in a Bath was edited by Jenny Tyler and designed by Hope Reynolds.

At the end of the book, parents are offered more information about phonics and phonemic awareness.  Parents are encouraged to go to www.veryfirstreading.com for more information and resources.  British parents are encouraged to go to www.usborne.com/veryfirstreading.

As far as Giraffe in the Bath goes, I spent some time creating a few simple activities to go along with the book for my little daycare kiddos.  First, you’ll want to order the book from my Usborne Website here.  Then, download the following FREE PDF document.  you’ll find a writing page for children who are learning to write.  There is also an upper case/lower case letter matching page and a giraffe coloring page.  Then, you can cut out 13 flash cards with words from the story.  Finally, there are 6 giraffe themed shape cards.

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

 Get all the above resources FREE by clicking the link below!

Giraffe in the Bath Activities

If your child is just learning to read, you’ll be interested in the Very First Reading Box Set.

Usborne Very First Reading is a fantastic series of fifteen books for children who are just starting to learn to read. It offers the appeal of imaginative rhyming stories and irresistible illustrations, the support of a well-researched framework, and the enjoyment of shared reading with an adult (or other stronger reader). Listen in as Peter Usborne explains this incredible program: Watch a video here! 

Learn more at www.veryfirstreading.com.

The Usborne Very First Reading set is an inspired series of fifteen books for children who are just starting to learn to read.

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You might also like to learn about Usborne Books Subscription Boxes here!

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Shades of Blue by Karen Kingsbury

Shades of Blue by Karen Kingsbury is a story about the after-effects of abortion.  This story is unique because it is told mostly from the heart of the baby’s father, Brad Cutler.  Brad works in a successful advertising agency in New York City.  His boss is also his future father-in-law.  Brad is just weeks away from marrying Laura James when he is trusted with a brand which manufacturers baby items.  While struggling with the campaign, he realizes that his past haunts him.  He cannot move forward with the campaign or his bride-to-be until he apologizes for his roll in his ex-girlfriend’s abortion.  Just weeks away from his wedding day, Brad travels back to North Carolina to find his first love.

Emma Landon is a school teacher in North Carolina.  It has been nearly a decade since she and her ex-boyfriend made the decision to end her baby’s life by abortion.  She has never found the strength to move past November 20, 1999 – the day her baby died.  Soon after that terrible day, her boyfriend, Brad Cutler, left her and her mother passed away.  Emma carried her burden alone – until almost a decade later when on the last day of school, she walked out to her car to find Brad waiting for her.

During the days that followed, God gifted both Brad and Emma with more than either of them thought possible.

Shades of Blue is a story about the after-effects of abortion but it is also a story about forgiveness, both giving it and receiving it.

As great as the story is, I have to admit that the story did not end the way I wanted.  There were times when I thought Karen might end the story the way I hoped, but . . . nope.  My heart broke for everyone involved, but I really wanted the story to end differently.  However, I know that this is a story that could probably be taken from the real lives of countless couples around the world.  This is how real life sometimes plays out.

At the end of the story, there is a letter to the reader.  In the letter, Karen explains how her story came about.  She also shares the reason the topic of abortion is personal for her.  It took her several years to develop the story because she wanted to present it in a non-condemning way.  If you read this book, I highly recommend that you read the letter to the reader at the end.

If you are reading this and you are considering an abortion, please contact someone at one or more of the following resources.

National Right to Life

ProLife Across America

Here is a list of many resources.

Get your copy of Shades of Blue by Karen Kingsbury by clicking the image below.

This item is available here.