The Lighting of the Tree at the V Zoo Party 2009

Good morning, Zebee here. Boy! Did we have a great tree lighting party! So many of my boss Joy’s author friends came it was amazing. Many of them brought along their characters too. Let’s see how many we can remember.

Elysabeth Eldering came. She brought along Matt, Guy and Mary Beth, her Junior Geography detectives. They were searching for clues for one of her books.

Lea Schizas was there. Bubba and Giganto were with her. They sure are nice boys and good soccer players. We had a game between the story characters and all of us here at the V Zoo. We lost, but we vowed to have a rematch next year and win. We need a coach. Any volunteers?

Oh, and Bill Kirk came and brought along Ari. We all watched were we stepped so we wouldn’t crush him. He’s really a cool spider.

When Vivian Zabel arrived with Buddy, some of the characters wanted him to teach them how to rope Prairie dogs. Since the closest thing we have to that here at the V Zoo are the meerkats, that just wouldn’t work. Instead he showed them how to rope a fence poll.

Che Dee was there with Odo, the time children, Mashu, Cassie and the Tulies.

Mary Jean Kelso brought along Andy and Spirit. Spirit is a beautiful horse and Andy is amazing the way he can ride.

Dayna Hilton and Sparkles came. Sparkles had us all on our knees again. This time even I could do it. I’ve been practicing.

Rachelle Burk was there with Kenny and Allison. We all wanted to hear about living in a tree house. I’d like to climb up in a tree house someday.

Rena Jones and Dilly came. So did Shari Lyle-Soffe along with Aaron and Horace. Mayra Calvani and Humberto read us some of Humberto’s favorite books. Hugo also showed up with Elizabeth Dulemba with soap for everyone.

I’m sure I forgot some of the authors and their characters. The place was packed and we had a fun time.

Who got to put the star on top of the tree this year? Billy. He climbed up Star’s neck and placed it, very carefully, on the top branch.
Got to go, I need to finish making my gifts. We are all making things for each other this year.

posted by Zebee aka Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Fun ways to help children learn
Books Go Beyond Reading

Book Review: Tree House in a Storm by Rachelle Burk

Good morning Bloggerville reading fans. Zebee here.

We are right in the middle of hurricane season! Remember last year when our boss Joy was going through storm after storm in Puerto Rico? I sure do!

Today's book is about hurricane Betsy and her visit to New Orleans back in 1965. Joy's friend, Rachelle Burk wrote this story and she read it to us this morning. I'm glad we live in the 'V Zoo' and don't have to worry about hurricanes!

Here's Joy's review:

Kenny and his sister Allison are growing up in New Orleans back in the 1960’s. Their favorite way to spend the day is up in their tree house they built together. Then along comes hurricane Betsy and not only destroys people’s homes, but also takes down the mighty oak tree where their tree house is. But keep reading because there is a happy ending.
This story not only teaches about how to deal with loss but also how to rebuild. Rachelle’s personal experience of living through a devastating hurricane is felt through the lives of her characters Kenny and Allison. She shows you what life is like, before and after the storm.

Rex Schneider did a wonderful job illustrating this story. His illustrations give you the feel of the 60’s and show how magnificent a child’s imagination can be.

Rachelle has all kids of fun things for you to do over at her site, Tree House in a Storm. She has coloring pages, puzzles, word games and more. Have fun!

Where can you buy her book?

At Amazon: Tree House in a Storm

Also, a portion of the proceeds will go to Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans, as well as the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey.

See you back here Sunday with more zoo news. If you want me to talk about what's going on at your local zoo, leave me a comment and I'll post it on Sunday. Thanks!

posted by Zebee aka Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
You learned that from a picture book!?!
Books Go Beyond Reading