Iver and Luke and the Friends-for-Others Club by award-winning author Anthony C. Delauney, tells an accessible moral tale about helping one’s friends. With relatable characters and vivid illustrations in a panorama of colors by Chiara Civati, it’s a story that will surely garner the rapt attention of little book lovers.
Life sometimes leads us into unexpected storms, throwing us off balance for a while before we get back to our feet. Some of these setbacks require us to change and recognize that we are not alone. It is during these times of adversity that we discover who our true friends are and how much we can lean on their shoulders to make it through the bad.
Iver and Luke and the Friends-for-Others Club keeps young readers engaged while teaching them the values of resilience, hard work, and true friendship through a cast of endearing characters.
When Iver and Luke’s mother suffers a severe leg injury after falling off her bike, their father takes up the responsibility of being her caregiver while she recuperates at home. Little Iver and his brother enthusiastically offer to help with the many chores at home in an attempt to lighten their father’s duties. They create a “Family Jobs List,” jotting down all the work that needs to be done daily, weekly, and monthly. However, a shadow of doubt is cast upon the two when they realize the duties are too many and they don’t know where to start.
Apprehensive but determined, Iver and Luke start their new tasks with firm resolve as they forge ahead to establish a money-making venture. The two boys are quickly overwhelmed by their new routine. But thankfully, their friends note their sluggishness at school and realize they need to help the two boys. Providing a real-life example that proves true friends are life’s most valuable gifts.
This story offers children vibrant illustrations, characters they can identify with, and a story that will make them see the world through a new lens.
Delauney deftly handles complex issues such as sickness, caregiving, household chores, cooperation, compassion, and the value of being a good neighbor. He creates a safe place for young readers to ponder and slowly digest the lessons learned. The pleasant choice of font, the use of warm colors, and the dynamic designs on each page enhance the storytelling and will keep kids glued to the story.
Delaney’s read-out-loud tale is a great avenue into a conversation about supporting your community for parents who want to cultivate a sense of responsibility and good decision-making in their children.
Iver and Luke and the Friends-for-Others Club by Anthony C. Delauney is an achievement that provides both entertainment and valuable life lessons and should be a staple on every child’s bookshelf.
Motherhood is a never-ending, all-encompassing role that is hard, but willingly taken on by mothers around the world. In the United States, we celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May (this year on May 12) with gifts of flowers, candy, or a brunch prepared at home or enjoyed at her favorite restaurant. It’s a tradition that began in 1914 with the “Mother’s Day Proclamation” to create a federal holiday recognizing the devotion and love we have for our mothers.
A Celebration of Mothers Across the Globe
Countries around the world have created their own traditions to celebrate mothers, with unique activities that make it a special day for their moms. Here are just a few of the many ways people celebrate Mother’s Day across the globe.
Peru
Just as it is in the United States, Peru celebrates Mother’s Day on the second day in May. Along with flowers, candy, and gifts, families gather in cemeteries to honor the mothers, aunts, and grandmothers who have passed away. It’s a joyous occasion for socializing and enjoying food and drinks before cleaning and decorating the grave sites.
Russia
It’s a fall holiday for Russia’s Mother’s Day! A proclamation signed in 1998 by then president Boris Yeltsin dictates the last Sunday of November as a day of celebration “to maintain the tradition of careful attitude to the woman” and “to consolidate the foundations of the family.”
Thailand
Thailand combines the meaning of their Mother’s Day celebrations to recognize their Queen Mother on her birthday, as well as all Thai mothers. Mothers visit their children’s school, where sons and daughters kneel before them as a sign of respect and offer white jasmine flowers to symbolize the purity of a mother’s love. Later, fireworks displays and candle-lighting traditions make the night sparkle.
Mexico
Flowers play a big part in celebrating Mothers Day in Mexico, and children living outside their family home make it priority to stay overnight so they can be with their mother when they wake up the next morning to a mariachi band singing “Las Mañanitas.”
Chanticleer Celebrates Mothers with Inspiring, Fun, and Compelling Stories of Motherhood!
Need some great books about Mom’s? Check out our Mother’s Day Reading List!
Master storyteller Reenita Malhotra Hora’s YA romance Operation Mom: My Plan to Get My Mom a Life and a Man takes us on a charming journey through the life of one teen, Ila Isham.
Hora introduces Ila and her best friend Deepali, two boy-crazy teens on a summer quest. Readers will fall in love with the smart, sassy, angst-filled, rebellious Ila. A typical teenage girl, Ila lives in Mumbai with her mom and Sakkubai, their house manager. Ila’s mother calls her obsessed, but that seems unfair. Is she obsessed just because her every waking minute is spent thinking of Ali Zafar, famous pop icon, singer, and heartthrob? Or is she obsessed with fellow classmate Dev?
VOICES OF NAVAJO MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS by Kathy Eckles Hooker with photos by David Young-Wolff
Voices of Navajo Mothers and Daughters: Portraits of Beauty by Kathy Eckles Hooker is a heartwarming work exploring the relationships between Navajo mothers and daughters, their connections with each other and their families, and their hopes and dreams for their children as they encounter a world far removed from their traditional lives.
In these insightful interviews with Navajo women—grandmothers, mothers, and daughters—the twenty-one families that the author spoke to talked about their backgrounds and histories. They contrasted how the elder women grew up compared to their daughters and granddaughters (such as the lack of amenities like electricity, running water, or internal combustion vehicles). And they explored the many ways that traditional matriarchal Navajo culture continues to enrich their lives today.
LILLY AND MAY LEARN WHY MOM AND DADWORK by Anthony C. Delauney
Lilly and May both wish that their parents didn’t have to leave for work day after day. Discover the power of money and its impact on family in the delightful Lilly and May Learn Why Mom and Dad Work.
They’re both upset one morning, as Mom and Dad go to work yet again instead of staying home with them. Lilly and May’s mother assures them that they will be back later, but they have to go and earn money to support the family. Before leaving, their mother teaches Lilly and May all the ways they need and use money. She shows how it impacts the people and community around them.
Our Time to Dance: A Mother’s Journeyto Joy by Eva Doherty Gremmert demonstrates the importance of advocacy for those who are disabled, intellectually or otherwise.
In the early morning of August 18th, 1979, Eva Doherty Gremmert awoke with a contraction. A young mother already, Eva is worried about how she will cope with caring for two infants. She tried to calm her concerns by remembering that babies typically arrive easier and more quickly the second time around; however, the delivery ends up being long and exhausting. Once her son Nick arrived, Eva could not shake the feeling that something might be wrong. For the first several months of Nick’s life, doctors actively ignored her concerns and told her nothing was wrong with her son.
A GRAVE EVERY MILE: Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail, Book 1 By David Fitz-Gerald Series Grand Prize Winner
Each day’s trumpet blasts the predawn quiet of the sleeping wagon train, demanding that its migrating families face what’s ahead, whether incredible scenery or mortal danger, in David Fitz-Gerald’s A Grave Every Mile.
This beautifully told story mixes adventure, survival, community, and history, all shown through the eyes of Dorcas, a feisty mother of four. She’s dreamed of hitting the trail to the storied West for so long, but much about this trip and their destination remains unknown.
Another wagon travels alongside hers. Who are they? Will they remain strangers, or become friends? Now that Dorcas stands with her family at the trail’s starting point and on the brink of changing their lives forever, a tremor of doubt surfaces about what lies ahead. Is her family strong enough to face their future? Will it be everything she and her husband hoped for? That future is 720,000 turns of the wagon wheels away, and there may be A Grave Every Mile. It all starts with that first pull by the team of oxen.
We would like to wish all mothers, mothers-to-be, stand-in mothers, and those who possess the mothering instinct, a very Happy Mother’s Day!
Thank you for joining us in celebrating the Mothers in our life!
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Thank you again to the authors who wrote these wonderful books, and to all who act as mothers! You are so loved and appreciated! Enjoy Las Mañanitas below!
In Akash and Mila and the Big Jump by Anthony C. Delauney, best friends Akash and Mila excitedly start their first class together at TRIumph Gymnastics.
They enter a building full of athletes of all ages, shapes and sizes. But they also see captivating trophies, banners, and prizes that gymnasts from the school have won over the years, and hope to eventually have their own trophies, too– that they’ll be winners.
Though excited to learn today during this special event the school is holding, they’re both nervous to start because they both have never had any gymnastic training.
A fellow friend, Dash, does the springboard and lands with a perfect pose. Akash tries the same, but lands flat on his belly. He’s worried what the others will say of his first attempt. Mila decides to take a pass on her turn until she feels more comfortable and confident.
Dash learns that Akash and Mila are scared to try because they don’t want to be made fun of by the others. He has the perfect solution. Dash introduces them to his friend and fellow gymnast, Lulu, and he explains that he felt the exact same way when he started doing gymnastics, but Lulu helped him learn to succeed at the floor exercises.
Akash and Mila, feeling a bit more adventurous, both try to do the springboard this time.
The bright and vibrant illustrations allow readers to get fully engrossed in this wonderful children’s story.
Without a doubt, readers will be cheering Akash and Mila on as they make their attempts at learning the springboard. This book teaches children that, if at first you don’t succeed, you should keep trying until you get it right– even if you’re worried what others might say or think of you. Be your own individual and just know that you tried and gave it your all.
The author wrote this as book 5 in the Owning the Dash series, which skillfully teaches children that it’s important to have confidence in yourself because you can achieve anything you set your mind to.
Akash and Mila and the Big Jump is a compelling and effective learning tool for children, without making the learning process to obvious.
The characters were very believable and fun to get to know, allowing children to want to become friends with Akash, Mila, and the other gymnasts at the school. Akash and Mila and the Big Jump was written for ages 4-8 years and fits perfectly for children within that age range.
Author Anthony C. Delauney and illustrator Chiara Civati bring an element of magic and whimsy to a valuable financial lesson in Michael and Hannah and the Magic Money Tree, the next installment of the Owning the Dash series.
At the start of their spring break, Michael and Hannah are excited to go to the Spring Fair – where they’ve heard there will be a magic money tree! Only a handful of children get to see the tree each day, so Michael and Hannah gather their friends and rush to be the first ones there. Once there, they find the tree with money hanging from its leaves.
They are told they can take the money and buy any of the toys and treats available, or they can pick from a list of tasks to earn money for whatever use they please. Michael and Hannah and all their friends rush for the tree and beginning buying toys and treats, but soon they notice some of their group are upset.
Was the game of the money tree fair? How can they make it fair for everyone? Read Michael and Hannah and the Money Tree to find out!
Delauney once again creates an engaging story to start a conversation about money and fairness to children, along with the beautiful and colorful illustrations of Chiara Civati. Parents and young readers should not miss out on this book – or the whole Owning the Dash series.
Continuing his series of important financial lessons told through fun stories, Anthony C. Delauney teaches readers about greed and gambling in Rohan and Nyra and Big Sister’s Bet.
Rohan eagerly waits for his big sister to return home from school for the weekend. Nyra brings home a challenge for Rohan in the form of a game. For every catch of the ball, Rohan will earn one dollar, but if he drops the ball at any point, he will lose it all. Rohan has tons of fun catching the ball over and over, thinking of all the things he will be able to buy with each added dollar. Will Rohan decide to keep the game going even when he becomes tired, or will he stop while he is ahead? Read Rohan and Nyra and Big Sister’s Bet to find out!
The lesson at the heart of the story is an important one, for children and adults alike. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of taking risks.
Rohan and Nyra and Big Sister’s Bet highlights the importance of thinking through your decisions. Of course, one must sometimes take risks, but should do so thoughtfully.
With illustrator Chiara Civati’s whimsical artwork and Deluaney’s simple yet attention-grabbing rhyming, Rohan and Nyra and Big Sister’s Bet is a children’s book not to miss! Check out the other books in the series: Dash and Nikki and the Jellybean Game and Lilly and May Learn Why Mom and Dad Work.
Lilly and May both wish that their parents didn’t have to leave for work day after day. Discover the power of money and its impact on family in the delightful Lilly and May Learn Why Mom and Dad Work.
They’re both upset one morning, as Mom and Dad go to work yet again instead of staying home with them. Lilly and May’s mother assures them that they will be back later, but they have to go and earn money to support the family. Before leaving, their mother teaches Lilly and May all the ways they need and use money. She shows how it impacts the people and community around them.
This heartwarming tale packs a lot of information into a few short passages.
Explaining finance and economics to children may seem daunting, but Delauney makes it easy and fun in this story. Lilly and May learn about the price of essentials like food and clothes, and that money also pays for the services of others so that they can then support themselves and their families in turn. This short tale even explains how taxes support public services in the community such as libraries, schools, and judges.
Anthony C. Delauney’s Lilly and May Learn Why Mom and Dad Work is a sweet story that builds foundational financial concepts, valuable lessons for children to have a healthy financial future.
First in the Owning the Dash Kids’ Book series by Anthony C. Delauney, Dash and Nikki and the Jellybean Game teaches children the importance of patience.
One morning, Dash and his sister Nikki wake up to a surprise from their parents. They find two plates with jellybeans, and a note telling them if they don’t eat them, each hour until dinner time five more jellybeans will appear. Dash and Nikki must choose between enjoying the jellybeans now or waiting for a bigger reward later in the day. Will they be able to resist the instant gratification of sugary goodness? As the two try to stay patient throughout the day, they will also learn the benefits of helping others over themselves.
Author Anthony C. Delauney, a financial advisor, wrote Dash and Nikki and the Jellybean Game and other tales to teach children important financial lessons.
Delauney uses situations and ideas familiar to children, such as the desire for jellybeans, to help them understand more complex ideas of patience and risk.
Illustrator Chiara Civati fills the pages with colorful and inviting illustrations.
Civat’s art highlights the emotions of Dash and Nikki as they play their jellybean game, inviting young readers to follow along on the course of their day.
Dash and Nikki and the Jellybean Game focuses on important lessons that help children build skills for making decisions. These skills extend beyond jellybeans, of course, and into a healthier financial life as they grow up. This story is a fun start to a new series and succeeds in its mission to teach.
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