Dawn Publications Book Review & Giveaway

            We are continuing our mini celebration this week of reaching 3k fans on Facebook and Myka’s upcoming birthday with a review and giveaway for Dawn Publications! Myka LOVES books, so I thought this would be a great giveaway to include!

            I enjoy finding new books for Myka and watching her study them on her own. (I try to read to her. She couldn’t care less most of the time.) As I’m sure you have noticed, I love doing things outdoors, such as hiking and fishing. This is why I was particularly interested when I discovered Dawn Pub’s books. According to their mission page, they are “dedicated to inspiring in children a deeper understanding and appreciation of all life on Earth.” Maybe it’s just me, but that’s refreshing to see in this rapidly growing technology age we live in.

            Dawn Pub was kind enough to allow us to review not one, but two books! “over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef” and “Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme” were both written by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Jeanette Canyon. These are just 2 of the books in the ever expanding “Over in” series by Berkes, which can all be sung or read to the rhythm/tune of “Over in the Meadow.” (Don’t feel bad. I had to look it up too. You can find it on Youtube.) Other titles in this series include “Over in the ‘Forest’, ‘Australia’, ‘River’”, and more! The titles we were allowed to review also happen to be part of a wonderful “Simply Nature Board Books” series for children 1-4 years of age.

            I have to say, both of these books and Dawn Publications in general far exceeded my expectations! First of all, I was in awe of the pictures. For each, the illustrator, Canyon, used polymer clay to mold all of the pictures you see in each. They are absolutely insane and I mean that in a good way! You can tell just by looking at them and all of the details how painstaking they must have been to put together. However, they are beautiful and “paint” a vibrant and colorful, but realistic, picture of what the various creatures in each book really look like.

            A couple of other things I love about these “Over in” books are that their verses rhyme AND they help teach numbers! I love that they rhyme because Myka seems to really enjoy that along with me clapping to the beat. I know she’s still really young, but it’s never too early to start introducing children to the concept of numbers as well!

She LOVES monkeys. ;)

            We already have quite a few books with puppies and kittens. Myka, like most young children, loves animals. That is another reason I enjoyed these books: They include animals, which she already enjoys, but introduces her to new ones! In “Over in the Ocean…” she gets exposed to not just fish, but specific TYPES of fish, such as gruntfish, needlefish, seahorses, etc. “Over in the Jungle…” introduces children to a variety of exotic creatures, from honey bears to ocelots!

            How did Dawn Pub exceed my expectations? First off, I like that many of their books can be ordered in hardback, paperback, and some in board book form like we received. They also include resources for parents and teachers on their website, such as book apps, downloadable activities by book so that you can engage children further after reading, and a specific page just for teachers and librarians! Although it has more to do with the author than the publisher, I LOVE that there are activity ideas in the back of the “Over in” books. For example, there are body movement suggestions for each animal in “Over in the Jungle…” to use as you’re reading the book.
            If you would like to purchase your own “Over in” book or browse through the other great selections Dawn Publications has to offer, click HERE. Or, you can enter the giveaway form below for your chance to win your own paperback copy of “Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef”. Good luck!

Entry-Form