review by Luke Glassock

Review by Luke Glassock

Learning Letter Sounds Now Fun for Daughter

This review is from: A Colorful Journey Through the Land of Talking Letters (Paperback) This is a brilliantly put together book. Being an English major, and parent of two, I have never seen anything like this before. Every book that I have read that helps with the sound of letters comes across as either boring or like it is trying to imprint the information into your child's brain. The approach that this author takes in teaching the young reader, through fun examples of repeating letter sounds helps the child to understand the concept of what sounds each letter can make, without just force-feeding it to them.

Breakdown of the book:
-- Fun characters
-- Witty use of letter sounds
-- Easy-to-understand variations of each letter sound

I'd just like to put on here, that I have no idea where we came about getting this book (I'm guessing from my child's teacher). But my daughter pulled it off the shelf for us to read tonight and I was so impressed with it that I had to jump on here and write something.

I just want to say to the author: Thank you! Fantastic book!

Kirkus Indie Review for my book

TITLE INFORMATIONA COLORFUL JOURNEY THROUGH THE LAND OF TALKING LETTERS
Ed. by Nyssen, Mary Jo

Illus. by Motz, Mike

MOM-BA BOOKS, LLC (38 pp.)

$11.99 paperback

ISBN: 978-0615386430; November 4, 2010

BOOK REVIEW

This unique picture book features a talking, multicolored alphabet to teach basic sounds, from Andy and his apples to Zelda the zebra.

English has many quirks, but Nyssen’s sunny ABC book keeps things simple by addressing only single letters. Except for the co-dependent "qu," other letter pairings—such as "ay" and "ea" and "ch"—have not been included. With characters such as Andy, April, Alma, Grandpa Goose and George the giraffe, the differences in the oft-changing pronunciation of some letters becomes obvious. For example, through "Yolanda the yellow yak," "Lynn" and her "cymbals" and "Kyle’s pig sty," Nyssen clearly explains the letter "y" and its mysterious ability to make three sounds and be both a consonant and a vowel. Beginning in simple, sporadic rhyme, Nyssen opts for an alliterative and more effective free verse for most of the book. The real strength is her novel color scheme for letters that shows, for example, the short "a" in green letters, the long "a" in red and its "third sound" in brown. The biggest problem, however, is the similarity of colors: the red signifying the long "a" in "angel" looks too much like the brown "a" in "all," which may

cause confusion. Similarly, Nyssen’s "cuddly calico cat, Cleo" has a pink "c" that resembles the orange used for the soft "Cynthia" enjoying "cereal, cinnamon and cider." Additionally, one could argue that "x" has more than one sound than the "‘ks’ as in fox." Nyssen also fails to mention the powerful role of some letters to remain silent and how some, like the split vowel "e," can make the "a" in "lemonade" long and the "a" in "obstinate" a short "i." Regardless, Motz’s inventive illustrations radiate charm and imagination, greatly helping to distinguish Nyssen’s book from other early reader alphabets.

An excellent study guide with clever illustrations to assist with the basics.

Kirkus Indie, Kirkus Media LLC, 6411 Burleson Rd., Austin, TX 78744

indie@kirkusreviews.com

November and December 2012 Bazaars

The Holidays are fast upon us.  My first bazaar was in Silverton this past weekend and sold 15 books.  Thought I'd better get the rest of my bazaars listed so you can attend.
Nov. 17-18 - Santa's Treasure Bazaar held at St John the Baptist Parish Center  - 10955 SE 25th Ave., Milwaukie, OR  (Sat. - 9am-4pm and Sun. -8:15am-2pm.)

Nov. 24-25 - Christmas Craft Faire held at Queen of Peace Church - 4227 Lone Oak Rd. SE, Salem, OR (Sat. 9:30am - 7pm and Sun. - 9:30am - 2pm.)

Dec. 1-2 - St. Vincent de Paul School Bazaar held at St. Vincent de Paul School - 1015 Columbia St NE, Salem, OR (Sat. 10am-4pm and Sun. 9am-3pm.)

Dec. 15-16 - St. Joseph Bazaar held at St. Joseph School -373 Winter St NE Salem, OR (Sat. 5:30pm-9pm and Sun. 8am-3pm.)

Come and enjoy good food, holiday spirit and wonderful items for sale!!!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving
and a 
Blessed and Joyous Christmas and New Year.

Multnomah County Fair

We hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.  Our love and prayers go out to all those who have defended our liberties, and for those who died to keep us free and for their families.
It was a cool 3 days this past weekend at the Multnomah County Fair.  Despite the cooler weather there was a good turn out and we got to talk with many wonderful people.  We sold 20 books and had fun showing my book to the little ones who enjoyed looking at it.  I also sold some crocheted hats.

God bless you all and God bless America, the land of the free and the home of the brave.

New Book Review by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

Check out the newest review on my book, A Colorful Journey Through the Land of Talking Letters, by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine for homeschoolers: http://thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Homeschool_Reviews/5205.php

Multnomah County Fair - May 26-28, 2012

If you plan to be in the Portland area over Memorial Day Weekend, stop by the Multnomah County   Fair at Oaks Park - 7100 SE Oaks Park Way, Portland, OR 97202, and enjoy all the food, exibits and activities, and venders' booths.
Memorial Day Weekend I will be at the Multnomah County Fair, Sat. - Mon. from 12 noon to 7 pm selling my book, "A Colorful Journey Through the Land of Talking Letters," and my custom made stylish hats.   Check out my new etsy site for both my book and my hats. maryjonyssen.etsy.com   
I have several different styles of hats for all ages.

Book review for "A Colorful Journey Through the Land of Talking Letters"

"I am encouraging all of my Warner Pacific College Teacher Education students to purchase and use Mary Jo’s book. She focuses on the numerous sounds that many letters make phonemically, and then uses color to visually reinforce the sound of the letters as they are used in morphemes and words. As a grandfather, I have been working with both my five-year old and three-year old granddaughters on their sounds. The five-year old is already learning the basic concepts developed by Mary Jo Nyssen."

Steve Arndt – Senior Associate Professor of Teacher Education at Warner Pacific College, Portland, OR

Merry Christmas

Dear Friends,
For any of you who attended the St. Joseph's Holiday Bazaar expecting to see me Dec. 10-11, I am sorry that I had to cancel do to a family emergency. 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Bazaars

Our bazaars at St. John the Baptist in Milwaukie and Queen of Peace in Salem were great.  As always it is so nice to meet so many new people and we sold a total of 31 books between the 2 bazaars and many craft items.
We will be at our bazaar at
St. Vincent de Paul School in Salem Dec. 3-4 (see info in posting below) 

Our final bazaar will be at St. Joseph Church in Salem Sat. Dec. 10, 5:30 pm - 9 pm and Sun. Dec. 11, 8 am - 3:30 pm. 
Come enjoy the Christmas spirit. 
God bless you all during this joyful and time as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!

Silverton and Polk County Bazaars

November 4-5 at the Polk County Holiday Fair where I sold many craft items and 9 of my books.  My husband and my daughter manned this bazaar while I was at Silverton, but I did have a couple hours at Polk County.

The same weekend I also sold 22 of my books at the Silverton Friends Homespun Christmas Bazaar.  It was a wonderful bazaar and I met so many nice people.

Check below for the information on the upcoming bazaars where I will be selling hats, scarves, scrubbies and dish rags as well as my book.  (more info on times etc. in previous posting)
Nov. 19-20 Santa's Treasure Bazaar at St. John the Baptist in Milwaukie

Nov. 26-27 Christmas Craft Faire at Queen of Peace in Salem

Dec. 3-4 (dates were wrong in my previous posting) - Sat. 10 am - 5pm, Sun. 9 am - 3 pm St. Vincent de Paul School Christmas Bazaar (1015 Columbia St NE, Salem)

Enjoy the goodies and shopping and the holiday spirit.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Book review

It was fun to meet you at the fair - I love your books and the words that the children can read in them! Angie - http://pebblekeeper.wordpress.com

By pebblekeeper on Oregon State Fair on 8/30/11

Upcoming Bazaars for November and December 2011

It is going to be a busy month of bazaars and I will be selling my book, A Colorful Journey Through the Land of Talking Letters, and my scrubbies, dish rags and hats and scarfs as well as other homemade items.  My hands have been busy and my head is spinning with things I want to make.  Too bad I only have 2 hands and only 24 hrs in a day. 
If you are out doing Christmas shopping be sure to stop in and check out all the wonderful items at these bazaars!

November 4-5 (Fri., Sat.) 10 am - 5pm -The 2011 Silverton Friends Homespun Christmas Bazaar (Silverton Friends Church, 229 Eureka Ave., Silverton, OR) I will be manning this bazaar booth.

November 4-5 (Fri. 9 am - 6 pm, Sat. 9 am - 5 pm) Holiday Fair (Polk County Fair Grounds - main building - Dallas, OR)  My husband and daughter will be manning this booth.

November 19-20 (Sat. 9 am - 4 pm, Sun. 8:15 am - 2pm) Santa's Treasure Bazaar (St. John the Baptist Parish Center, 10955 SE 25th Ave, Milwaukie, OR)

November 26-27 (Sat. 9:30 -7 pm, Sun. 9:30 am - 2pm) Christmas Craft Faire (Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 4227 Lone Oak Road SE, Salem, OR)

December 4-5 (Sat. Sun. )  St. Vincent de Paul School - Salem, OR - more details later 

Here's wishing you all the blessings of the Christmas Season.

Oregon State Fair

The Oregon State Fair was a wonderful experience.  I sold 129 books and met many authors and shared ideas and bought a book from almost every author at the booth.  There were 25 of us authors in all.  It was great to speak to so many people and made many contacts for my book.  I would like to share with you the names and sites of the authors I spent 11 days with.  The State Fair previews any books the author wants to sell at the fair and makes sure they are all family oriented.  Most of these authors are self published and most of these books you will not find in the libraries or the book stores.  So I encourage you to check out their sites.
Colene Copeland - Stories of the farm for Children (Priscilla pig)  on facebook
Steve Arndt - Oregon back roads driving tours http://www.roadslesstraveledoregon.com/
John Dashney - Historical fiction and fantasy adventure for age 10-16 http://www.wicklewoodbooks.com/
Florence Hardesty - autobiography during depression as a nursing professor florencehardesty@aol.com
June Harvey - biography of her dad's life in Black Hills, SD 1900's juneharvey12@yahoo.com
Glenn Knight - fictional western history, poetry, fantasy , mystery   http://www.glennknight.net/
Julie Kooch - biography of growing up on Joseph Creek chicojulie@gmail.com
Sandy Carter - oral historical interviews with Crown Zellerbach millworkers willamettefalls@msn.com
LS Fayne - magical adventure for adults http://www.fayneartists.com/
Doug Bolton - his journey from extreme despair to close relationship with God http://www.dailysignsofhope.com/
William Burt - child-young adult fantasy series (like Narnia series) http://www.greencloaks.com/
William sullivan- Oregon history, trails and novels http://www.oregonhiking.com/
Irene Brown - all ages historical and mystery http://www.irenebennettbrown.com/
KassyKeppol - prek-3rd and illustrator http://www.writingillustrating.blogspot.com/
David Espinoza - sports fiction and non-fiction http://www.davidespi.com/
Steve Heine - history and poetry http://www.steverobertheine.com/
Dolores Dahl - inspirational poetry http://www.doloresdahl.com/
Jessie Turner - learning to tat and Aurora quilt show http://www.jessieturnerbooks.com/
Gary Hartman - kid's book of adventure projects - http://www.jgenasplace.com/
RC Marlen - historical fiction http://www.rcmarlen.com/
Kurt Cyress - kid's illustrator/author http://www.kurtcyrus.com/
David House - sci-fi for middle grades and up http://www.space-worthy.com/
Joseph Brown - young adult sci-fi  http://www.imaginativereading.com/

Oregon State Fair

August 26 - Sept. 5,  We will be at the Oregon State Fair from opening to closing times at the authors' booth in the Americraft building selling my book, A Colorful Journey Through the Land of Talking Letters.  If you come to the fair please stop by and see us, either Dick or I will be manning the booth.  If you see a female clown on stilts, she is fantastic.  We met her at the Polk County Fair and she said she would be walking around the State Fair as well, of course on her stilts!

Polk County Fair

The weather was perfect and the people were friendly.  Dick and I enjoyed our time at the Polk County Fair.  I sold many of my books and my scrubbies.    Several contacts were made and we spoke with a number of wonderful people and even met up with old aquaintances.  Kathy Moore, the photographer who took my picture that is on the back of my book, came to the fair and bought my book.  It was great to reunite with her again.  If you need a good photographer check out her  website  www.crystalimagephotography.net.
Also we saw once again a dear woman, Colene Copeland, who is the author of the "Priscilla" pig books.  Just go to her facebook site for more information on her books.

Polk County Fair

Are you looking for something to do Aug. 11-14?  Come to the Polk County Fair!
Thurs. - Sun., August 11-14 I will be selling my book, "A Colorful Journey Through the Land of Talking Letters" at the Polk County Fair in Rickreall, OR.  I will also be selling my dishrags and scrubbies and other craft items.  If you are in the area stop in and see me in the main building.  I will be there all 4 days (Th-Sat - 10am-10pm and Sun.- 10am to 6pm.)  

Meeting other authors

July 16 I had the pleasure of meeting 2 local authors when I took my book to the Jefferson Mint Festival.  Becky Littrell has written children's books and writes thrillers as well. Tyler Burgess writes walking guides for various cities including Salem and Eugene and internationally, and her books are unique.  She also does scheduled walking tours overseas. Check out their blogs and websites at the bottom of my blog. 

My Trip to South Dakota

In June, I went on a trip to Minnesota and South Dakota to visit relatives.  When I got to Minnesota I had to take a bus to Albert Lee to meet my God child, Charlene, whose wedding I was attending.  While I was waiting for the bus, a lady next to me started to talk to me and was very interested in my book.  She ended up buying 3 books. She is from California
When I got to my birth place in Aberdeen, South Dakota, my cousin took me to the library there and I donated one of my hard cover copies to them in memory of my parents.  They were happy to get my book and I was excited to have my book available in the city where I was born.  Other reletives bought my book too.  The most exciting part of my trip, though, was reconnecting with my relatives after so many years apart.

In loving memory of my parents, Jake and Bernice (Pheiffer) Huneger

Great Book for Little Ones Learning to Read

When it comes to reading, "The Alphabet Song" can only take a child so far. Fortunately, beginning readers can now embark upon A Colorful Journey Through the Land of Talking Letters, thanks to this educational collection of stories. On these pages, the twenty-six letters of the alphabet come to life to teach children the variety of sounds they can form by incorporating simple rules of phonics. From "Ahoy! My name is A!" to "Zelda the Zebra," each rhythmic ditty will make learning to read a snap. Mary Jo Nyssen's creative teaching tool has earned praise from parents and teachers alike.

Classroom Book-readings and Publishing Talks

I do book readings and/or publishing talks for classrooms. I have already done book readings for kindergarten through third grade and publishing talks for third grade with good response from both teachers and students. Please see reviews and classroom responses below. For the upcoming school year, I would love to set up appointments with any teachers interested in having me come to their classroom. Please contact me at maryjonyssen@yahoo.com for further information.

Reviews for "A Colorful Journey Through the Land of Talking Letters"

Kindergarten teacher response


By Michelle


"This book is a great educational tool to use at home or in the classroom. There are so many different ways to use it besides teaching the letter names and sounds. It can be used for teaching alliteration, rhyming, and poetry. The bright, colorful illustrations make the book a fun and interactive journey through the land of letters."


Great educational tool!

By Kaelynn

"This is a great book to help children understand the many sounds of our alphabet. We have used the book during handwriting, reading, and spelling time in my kindergarten classroom. I love the highlighted letters to help the children understand the sounds. Thank you for writing a fun journey about letters and their sounds."

A wonderful way to learn phonics


By Elaine

"At last, an inviting book for youngsters to enjoy while learning phonics. The illustrations are colorful and fun, and the text is packed with lively rhymes. It is an appealing book for children while giving them tools for reading. I definitely recommend it!"

Colorful and engaging, a must buy for your child!

By Elika

"This is a wonderful book to read to children. The pictures are colorful and engaging, and every letter has a fun story to demonstrate how you would sound out the letter in different words. Also incorporating poetry and essential vocabulary throughout the book, A Colorful Journey Through the Land of Talking Letters is a must-have in every child's library!"

Excellent Book to Teach Letters and FUN for Kids!

By J. Bower

"Our daughters love reading this book! The short stories for each letter catch their attention, and the illustrations show the letters as characters, which helps them remember the letters. That's not where the education aspect of this book ends: the letters are highlighted in color wherever they appear in the letter's story. It also separates the different sounds of the letters, so children learn, for example, the three sounds of "A": the long sound, the short sound, and the "third sound as in all." Our three year old asks for us to "read it all" when we just sit down to read a couple pages. It keeps her attention with the bright and colorful illustrations. This is a wonderful, educational, and fun addition to any children's book collection."

Engaging and fun for new readers

By Elizabeth

"I like how vivid the colors are in this book and how the letters really come to life to tell stories that are engaging and fun while also helping children to learn. Great for early readers in the classroom and at home. I love the pirate letter A who starts the book off with "Ahoy!" Letters aren't just letters anymore they are characters that draw kids in to learn more than just the alphabet; they learn to read as well."

Doing Book Readings in Classrooms

                                                      

In the past 2 months I have been doing book readings in grades 1 - 3.  The children have been very attentive and enjoyed my book.   I also talked to a 3rd grade class about publishing.  They were very interested in how long it took to write the book and also the details of getting the illustrations and publishing done.

Below are some quotes from that 3rd grade class.

"I like the colorful letters and the sentences.  Those goofy stories make me think of my imagination.  You must have a good imagination too."

"What I found interesting was ... how many errors you went through...(and) being a writer is harder than it looks."

"Something I found interesting was that it took a couple years to make a book,  also it took so much money."

"I love the sounds. They are nice.  I love the pictures.  They are cool.  I love the dreams.  They are so amazing."

"I liked it.  It was cool."

"Writing a book was a good idea because it was a good book."

"Writing a book was fun to learn.  What I found interesting was you put your granddaughters in the book."

"What I found interesting was the book it was so cool."

"What I found intersting is that you put Olivia's name in the book, Jasmin's and mine."

"Something I didn't know about writing a book was you have to send it to a publisher."

"What I found interesting...was when you read the book to us and told us all about what you do."

"When you came you gave me ideas and I actually wrote a book...I really liked it."

"Something I didn't know about writing a book was it takes a lot of energy.  It was probably a little hard to find an illustrator.  I wonder if you are making another."

"What I found interesting (was) that they were rhyming and that there were lots of paragraphs."

"Something I learned was a kid book is a lot of money...to make a book takes a lot of energy."

The quote from the first grade class that I read to was:

"Thank you for reading your book to us.  We love it very much."

If you would like to have me come and do a reading or talk about publishing to your class or home-school group please contact me at maryjonyssen@yahoo.com

Now Available Online: "A Colorful Journey Through the Land of Talking Letters"

You can now buy A Colorful Journey Through the Land of Talking Letters online at createspace.com to have as your own or share with family and friends. Mary Jo Nyssen's first children's book has animated letters as characters who guide children through the sounds letters make from A to Z. The colorful pages are vibrant and come to life as they help children better understand the sounds letters make depending on how they are placed in words. The rules are easy to remember and the short stories that go with each letter are fun and memorable. Children will zip from A to Z in no time and enjoy doing it. Mary Jo originally used these stories to help her own grandchildren learn how to read and write and now she wants to share them with you. On amazon.com, you can get an inside look at some of the pages and write reviews.