Mamafox Books

Children's Author Phoebe Fox

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Ajax, Bound for Glory: Storytime Saturday with Phoebe Fox, Plus How to Draw Ajax!

Let’s celebrate Armed Forces Day with a reading of the children’s book, “Ajax, Bound for Glory,” and a demo of how to draw the main character with the illustrator herself! This picture book was written by Sarah E. Dautel and illustrated by her sister, Hannah E. Dautel. Ajax, the rabbit, has high hopes of being a valiant warrior, but tragedy strikes. With his new prosthetic leg, Ajax realizes he will never hop again. He must find a new way to contribute to the military he has always dreamed of being a part of. “Ajax, Bound for Glory” is a story of ambition and perseverance that celebrates the power of music! Following the reading of this book, Hannah E. Dautel demonstrates how to draw rabbits using a simple circles and shows her process for creating Ajax.

Permission for the reading of this book in its entirety was granted by the author, Sarah E. Dautel.

 

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The Light in Me Sees the Light in You: Storytime Saturdays with Phoebe Fox

The Light in Me Sees the Light in You, a newly released picture book, written and illustrated by Lori Nichols, has made its debut at the perfect time. Last year was, sadly, a year of loss for many children. (There has been much to grieve for all of us during this pandemic.) With its simple, sweet story of friendship and beautiful watercolor and colored pencil illustrations, this book is a gentle introduction to the subject of loss. I am honored to share it as a Storytime Saturdays book and hope that it helps children everywhere.

This is Storytime Saturdays Episode #88 with Children’s Author & Librarian, Phoebe Fox. 

Permission for the reading of this book in its entirety was granted by the publisher, Nancy Paulsen Books.

 

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10 Ballet Dancers: Storytime Saturdays with Phoebe Fox

This unique counting book by Amanda Malek-Ahmadi is beautifully illustrated by Katherine Gutkovskiy. It is a perfect fit for young children interested in ballet, dance, and/or the performing arts. Authentic ballet terms are used throughout, and each one is explained in the book’s glossary, complete with pictures. Educational and fun, this book is a delight! 

*Permission for the reading of this book in its entirety was granted by the author, Amanda Malek-Ahmadi.

 

 

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Sofia’s Stoop Story, 18th Street, Brooklyn: Storytime Saturday with Phoebe Fox

Sofia’s Stoop Story, 18th Street, Brooklyn was written by Teacher, Reading Specialist and Children’s Author, Maria LaPlaca Bohrer, who lives on Long Island in New York. The book’s illustrations were created by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, who have collaborated on over 50 books for children. “On a stoop in Brooklyn, in the 1960s, Uncle Frankie begins telling Sofia and her cousins a story about the day he met Carl Furillo. Meanwhile, Sofia’s Nana is next-door, preparing the Italian family’s Sunday dinner. Nana calls Sofia and sends her on errands to buy cheese, bread, and cannelloni. Sofia returns to the stoop, only to discover that Uncle Frankie’s story is over, and it’s time to eat. When uncle Frankie realizes Sofia is upset because she only heard bits and pieces of his story, he shares his historic tale from beginning to end, and he gives her keepsake that he’s saved since 1947.”
*Permission for the reading of this book in its entirety was granted by the author,Maria LaPlaca Bohrer.

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Grand Canyon Reader Award 2022 Picture Book Nominees!

The Grand Canyon Reader Award is a reader award program for students in Arizona. Students vote annually on their favorite book in the following categories: Picture, Non-Fiction, Intermediate, Tween and Teen. In this video, you will get a glimpse of the 2022 picture book nominees, which include the following: Between Us and Abuela: a Family Story From the Border by Mitali Perkins, Dozens of Doughnuts by Carrie Finison, Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, How I Trained My Dog in 10 Days by Norma Lewis, Jasper and Ollie Build a Fort by Alex Willan, No More Naps!: a Story For When You’re Wide-Awake and Definitely Not Tired by Chris Grabenstein, Otis P. Oliver Protests by Keri Boyle, Ronan the Librarian by Tara Luebbe, There Are No Bears in This Bakery by Julia Sarcone-Roach, and Tomorrow Most Likely by Dave Eggers. Voting concludes April 1, 2022.

 

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Picture Book Gift-Away on Instagram!

Tomorrow is my birthday, and I’m hosting a Picture Book Gift-Away to celebrate! Watch this short video to see the 15 wonderful books (signed by the authors!) that you could win! The contest rules are posted @ Mamafoxbooks on Instagram. Simply go to my most recent post to play along! Good luck!

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Three Billy-Goats Gruff: Storytime Saturday with Phoebe Fox

According to American Literature dot com, “The Three Billy Goat’s Gruff is a famous Norwegian folktale that will charm any child. A mean and hungry troll lives under a bridge. He’s hungry for a meal and would love to snatch and eat any goat attempting to cross his bridge. How can the three goats get across safely? They must be clever! A wonderful children’s story to read out loud in a classroom or before bedtime.” The retelling of this story in today’s Storytime Saturday was illustrated by Ellen Appleby and is “An Easy-to-Read Folktale” published by Scholastic Inc.

 

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Fast Freddie: Storytime Saturday with Phoebe Fox

Fast Freddie, The Legend in a Shell, was written and illustrated by Michael Hale. Fast Freddie is the story of Federico, a desert tortoise who decides that he does not want to live a slow and boring existence. Longing to explore his home in the Sonoran Desert, he does what no other tortoise has ever dared to do… He stands up and runs away. Able to run at incredible speeds, Fast Freddie, as he becomes known, encounters and befriends many of the residents of the desert and has wonderful adventures along the way. Once he has seen and done everything he wanted to do, he races toward the setting sun with buckets of paint that enable him to paint the vivid colors of the Arizona Sunset across the sky.” 

Here’s a fun art project to do with kids after reading this story!

Sunset Art

Supplies: squares of colored tissue paper, glue, unsharpened pencil or dry paintbrush, piece of construction paper or foam board

Instructions: Pour some glue on a paper plate. Using the pencil or paintbrush, twist the tissue squares around the end and dip into the glue one at a time. Place the squares on the construction paper or foam board so that the tissue sticks up like a flower. Create rows of different colors to look like the sky or a sunset!

This project is easy, good practice for fine motor skills, and yields a beautiful piece of artwork!

*Permission for the reading of this book in its entirety was granted by Michael Hale.

 

 

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Little Red Riding Hood: Storytime Saturday with Phoebe Fox

“Little Red Riding Hood” is a classic folk tale. This retelling of the story was illustrated and adapted from the original, written by the Brothers Grimm in 1812, by Caldecott Award-winner Paul Galdone. Despite her mother’s warning to go straight to Grandmother’s house, Little Red Riding Hood stops along the way to converse with a wolf, who seems kind and suggests she pick some flowers for her sick grandmother. When Little Red Riding Hood finally arrives at her grandmother’s cottage, she discovers the sneaky wolf is dressed as Grandmother and lying in bed, just waiting to gobble her up! A warning to all children to be wary of strangers, this folk tale has been enjoyed by families for over two hundred years.

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Bad Monkey Business: Storytime Saturday with Phoebe Fox

“Bad Monkey Business” was written and illustrated by Michael Hale. “It’s a rainy, rainy day and Mrs. J.C. McGoody has just finished cleaning her house. She is about to have a cup of tea when she hears a faint knock on her door. When she opens the door, she finds a wet little monkey sitting on her doorstep. And he means business… Bad Monkey Business. Will Mrs. McGoody be able to stop this Bad Monkey from ruining her clean house or is there something else going on that she does not understand? This illustrated story, told in rhyme, is a humorous tale about an unsuspecting woman and monkey on a mission. A reminder as to why it is important to get all of the facts before you rush to judgement.”

*Permission for the reading of the book was granted by the author/illustrator, Michael Hale.