Celebrate Fourth of July with Champ, the Scamp

Celebrate Fourth of July with Champ, the Scamp
Celebra el Cuatro de Julio con Campeón, el glotón

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Story:

It is the 4th of July, and a family prepares for a special picnic. Champ, the family dog, does not want to miss the celebration. He hides away in the food basket and has a picnic of his own with all the other dogs in the park!

What kind of a picnic will it be for the family without any food?

Non-fiction:

An overview of the history and celebration of Fourth of July with interesting and colorful photographs.

SERIES DESCRIPTION

Each of the twenty four books in this collection dedicated to some of the most important holidays and festivities celebrated in the United States is the combination of two books in one. The first part is an engaging realistic fiction story beautifully illustrated by a diversity of illustrators. The second part is a non-fiction piece that explains the history and significance of the holiday or celebration. This second part is illustrated with bright and unique photographs that will allow children to witness the celebration.

The festivities addressed include:

For more details in the series and the values it presents see the series description: Series Stories to Celebrate / Cuentos para celebrar. There is also an individual page, like this, for each of the books in the series.

Lesson plans and questions to guide the Creative Reading Dialogue can be found on the SantillanaUSA website: www.santillanausa.com/cuentosparacelebrar.htm

CDS DESCRIPTION

There are two CDs with the readings of the twelve stories in English and two CDs with the readings of the twelve stories in Spanish.

The CDs will allow children to follow a professional reading aloud individually or in groups.

They can be beneficial to children learning a second language, whether English or Spanish, since they will be able to read the book in their stronger language and then listen to the recording in the second language, or vice versa.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Picnics have provided delightful moments along my life and I have treasured the dogs I have had opportunity to love. But the real motivation for this story is the firm belief that solidarity is one of the greatest qualities in life.

Children reading this book in Spanish may enjoy the poem “Cuatro de Julio” en Días y días de poesía:

Cuatro de julio
Alma Flor Ada

En el cielo, los cohetes
dejan regueros de estrellas
y el reguero de las migas
que dejamos en el pasto
será mañana temprano
¡el picnic de las hormigas!

Since I am one of the two authors of this book, I can only share my side of the story. You can visit www.isabelcampoy.com to read what the other author has to say.

Many readers are intrigued about how two authors collaborate to write a book. If you share this curiosity you may enjoy reading how Isabel Campoy explains this experience in the chapter authored by her “Writing in Collaboration: One plus One is One or Two” in the book Alma Flor Ada and You, volume II published by Libraries Unlimited.

READERS’ RESPONSES

If you have enjoyed reading or sharing this book, I would very much like to hear from you. Please click here to send your comments.