Thursday, March 19, 2020

All 25 Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems

All 25 Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems I highly recommend all of the Elephant and Piggie books. They are fun, easy to navigate, and have no superfluous words or details in the illustrations, making it easy for new readers to focus on whats important and to enjoy the reading experience. They also stress the value of friendship and getting along with others. Introduce your children to the Elephant and Piggie books and youll find they  will delight both beginning readers and younger children. The Elephant and Piggie books are fun to read aloud to younger children who love the funny stories about the two friends. I recommend the books for ages 4-8 and especially beginning readers from 6-8 years old. Summary of Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems The 25 Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems, which are each 64 pages long, revolve around the friendship of Elephant and Piggie. Elephant, whose name is Gerald, tends to be cautious and pessimistic while his best friend, Piggie, is quite different. She is optimistic, outgoing, and impulsive. Gerald worries a lot; Piggie doesnt. Despite being very different, the two are best friends. The humorous stories by Mo Willems focus on how Elephant and Piggie get along despite their differences. While the stories are funny, they stress important elements of friendship, such as kindness, sharing, and working together to solve problems. Kids love the Elephant and Piggie stories. Unlike some books in a series featuring the same characters, the Elephant and Piggie books do not have to be read in a particular order. The distinctive and spare artwork in the books is easily recognizable and wont confuse the beginning reader. In many of the books, Elephant and Piggie are the only characters. Simply drawn and set against a white background, Elephant and Piggies expressive faces and body language are irresistible. All of the words in each story are dialogue, with Elephants words appearing in a gray voice bubble above his head and Piggies words in a pink voice bubble above her head, like you see in comic books. According to Mo Willems, he intentionally drew simple drawings with an emphasis on what was most important: the words of the story and the body language of Elephant and Piggie.  (Source: The World of Elephant and Piggie) Awards and Honors for Elephant and Piggie Books Among the many awards and honors Elephant and Piggie have won are the following, which recognize excellence in books for beginning readers: 2009 Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal: Are You Ready to Play Outside?2008 Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal: There is a Bird on Your HeadTheodor Seuss Geisel Honor Books - 2015: Waiting Is Not Easy!, 2014: A Big Guy Took My Ball!, 2013: Lets Go for a Drive, 2012: I Broke My Trunk, and 2011: We Are in a Book! List of All the Elephant and Piggie Books Note: Books are listed in descending order by publication date. The Thank You Book (5/3/2016. ISBN: 97814231I Really Like Slop! (2015, ISBN: 978484722626)I Will Take a Nap! (2015, ISBN: 9781484716304)Waiting is not Easy (11/2014, ISBN: 9781423199571)My New Friend is so Fun (2014, ISBN: 9781423179580)Im a Frog! (2013, ISBN: 9781423183051)A Big Guy Took My Ball! (2013, ISBN: 9781423174912)Lets Go for a Drive! (2012, ISBN: 9781423164821)Listen to My Trumpet! (2012, ISBN: 9781423154044)Happy Pig Day! (2011, ISBN: 9781423143420)Should I Share My Ice Cream? (2011, ISBN: 9781423143437)I Broke My Trunk (2011, ISBN: 9781423133094)We Are in a Book! (2010, ISBN: 9781423133087)Can I Play Too? (2010, ISBN: 9781423119913)I Am Going! (2010, ISBN: 9781423119906)Pigs Make Me Sneeze! (2009, ISBN: 9781423114116)Elephants Cannot Dance! (2009, ISBN: 9781423114109)Watch Me Throw the Ball! (2009, ISBN: 9781423113485)Are You Ready to Play Outside? (2008, ISBN: 9781423113478)I Will Surprise My Friend! (2008, ISBN: 9781423109624)I Love My New Toy! (2008, ISBN: 97814231096 17) There Is a Bird on Your Head! (2007, ISBN: 9781423106869)I Am Invited to a Party! (2007, ISBN: 9781423106876)My Friend Is Sad (2007, ISBN: 9781423102977)Today I Will Fly! (2007, ISBN: 9781423102953)

Monday, March 2, 2020

The Basics of Associated Press Style

The Basics of Associated Press Style One of the first things a student in a beginning journalism course learns about is Associated Press style or AP style for short. AP style is simply a standardized way of writing everything from dates to street addresses to job titles. AP style was developed and is maintained by The Associated Press, the world’s oldest news service. Why Do I Have to Learn AP Style? Learning AP style is certainly not the most exciting or glamorous aspect of a career in journalism, but getting a handle on it is absolutely necessary. Why? Because AP style is the gold standard for print journalism. It’s used by the vast majority of newspapers in the U.S. A reporter who never bothers to learn even the basics of AP style, who gets into the habit of submitting stories filled with AP style errors, is likely to find himself covering the sewage treatment board beat for a long, long time. How Do I Learn AP Style? To learn AP style you must get your hands on an AP Stylebook. It can be purchased at most bookstores or online. The stylebook is a comprehensive catalog of proper style usage and has literally thousands of entries. As such, it can be intimidating to the first-time user. But the AP Stylebook is designed to be used by reporters and editors working on tight deadlines, so generally, it’s pretty easy to use. There’s no point in trying to memorize the AP Stylebook. The important thing is to get into the habit of using it whenever you write a news story to make sure your article follows proper AP style. The more you use the book, the more you’ll start to memorize certain points of AP style. Eventually, you won’t have to refer to the stylebook nearly as much. On the other hand, don’t get cocky and toss out your AP Stylebook once you’ve memorized the basics. Mastering AP style is a lifelong, or at least career-long, pursuit, and even expert copy editors with decades of experience find they must refer to it regularly. Indeed, walk into any newsroom, anywhere in the country and you’re likely to find an AP Stylebook on every desk. It’s the Bible of print journalism. The AP Stylebook is also an excellent reference work. It includes in-depth sections on libel law, business writing, sports, crime, and firearms – all topics that any good reporter should have a grasp of. For instance, what’s the difference between a burglary and a robbery? There are a big difference and a novice police reporter who makes the mistake of thinking they are one and the same thing is likely to get hammered by a tough editor. So before you write that the mugger burgled the little old lady’s purse, check your stylebook. Here are some of the most basic and commonly used AP style points. But remember, these represent only a tiny fraction of what’s in the AP Stylebook, so don’t use this page as a substitute for getting your own stylebook. Numbers One through nine is generally spelled out, while 10 and above are generally written as numerals. Example: He carried five books for 12 blocks. Percentages Percentages are always expressed as numerals, followed by the word â€Å"percent.† Example: The price of gas rose 5 percent. Ages Ages are always expressed as numerals. Example: He is 5 years old. Dollar Amounts Dollar amounts are always expressed as numerals, and the â€Å"$† sign is used. Example: $5, $15, $150, $150,000, $15 million, $15 billion, $15.5 billion Street Addresses Numerals are used for numbered addresses. Street, Avenue, and Boulevard are abbreviated when used with a numbered address but otherwise are spelled out. Route and Road are never abbreviated. Example: He lives at 123 Main St. His house is on Main Street. Her house in on 234 Elm Road. Dates Dates are expressed as numerals. The months August through February are abbreviated when used with numbered dates. March through July are never abbreviated. Months without dates are not abbreviated. â€Å"Th† is not used. Example: The meeting is on Oct. 15. She was born on July 12. I love the weather in November. Job Titles Job titles are generally capitalized when they appear before a person’s name, but lowercase after the name. Example: President George Bush. George Bush is the president. Film, Book Song Titles Generally, these are capitalized and placed in quotation marks. Do not use quote marks with reference books or the names of newspapers or magazines. Example: He rented â€Å"Star Wars† on DVD. She read â€Å"War and Peace.†