Book Review: The Gulf Coast Oil Spill: Poor Little Pelican + A Kidreports Photo-Documentary

Last spring, the Gulf Coast Oil Spill had us all wondering about the oil gushing into the water and being brought to shore by either waves or storms.  What effect did it have on the animals?  How did our young children see this event?

A great new children's book by well known author Carole Marsh has just been released.  This charming story unfolds at the beginning of the oil spill when some young pelicans are out on a morning's adventure.  They soon find something is amiss with the appearance of the Dark Shadow and its effect on a young pelican friend.

Children will eagerly follow the pelicans' plight as they get a helping hand from the local children who are assisting the oil covered pelicans.

This story brings the headlines of the summer to a level where young children can understand the events of the oil spill on the environment.  Followed by a photo documentary by a Gulf Coast girl named Erin, students will learn how our environment and wildlife were affected by the spill.

The book has wonderful reproducible activities for children as they explore the environment.  Marsh has once again brought educators and parents a wonderful resource tool for our children.

The book is available through Gallopade International at www.gallopade.com.

There's a Heaping Helping of Laughter at Della's Diner... Blue Plate Special

Della's Diner... Blue Plate Special, one of Atlanta's longest running musicals, is back! And the audience is loving every second of this great Atlanta classic.

Come on up to Morning Glory Mountain and spend the day at Della's Diner.  It's just a typical day in the life of Della as she breaks her three year old grandson out of reform school for killing her husband.  Then the intrigue begins as strangers and family from the past all arrive to add excitement to the day.  There's nothing like having two husbands, or an old best friend country music star just out of prison, or even a daughter who struggles between her duty to marriage and her career to bring laughter to the audience.

Written in Atlanta, this original country-western-gospel musical played for years in Atlanta during the 1980s.  Original cast member  Robert Ray directs the outstanding all volunteer cast and crew at the Southside Theatre Guild in Fairburn, Georgia.

In no time at all, the audience is engaged in toe tapping in between the eruptions of laughter.  Whether you are seasoned fan of Della or a new visitor to her diner, you'll be thrilled with this troupe's performance of this Atlanta classic soap opera. 

Performances:
Sept 30, Oct 1-2-3
Oct 7-8-9-10
Oct 14-15-16-17

Southside Theatre Guild
20 W Campbellton St
Fairburn, GA  30213

For tickets:  www.STGplays.com or call 770-969-0956

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The 101 Dalmations Musical is Barkalicious!

Sometimes a show gets it just right in its ability to appeal to a wide audience. Sometimes a show manages to be enjoyable for all ages. The 101 Dalmations Musical, now playing at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, is one of those rare shows.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw it the other night. I hadn't read about it aside from knowing it was considered 'family friendly'. I'm glad I chose to go see it! It was fun. It was cute. It was entertaining. It was well worth going to see.

As always with the Broadway Series, it was top notch talent from start to finish. It's a perfect show for introducing the younger generation to the joys of theatre! It's entertaining, has many good family messages, the bad "guy" gets it in the end and everyone lives happily ever after. What more could you want from a Broadway show?

If you don't have tickets yet, I'd suggest you scramble and see if there are any left. Sunday is the last day. Sunday is also going to be the best day to see it here in Atlanta as there's going to be all kinds of extra treats that day! There will be some free events prior to the show (tickets to the show are not required to enjoy the pre-show events).

Jake’s Ice Cream to Serve Spotted Ice Cream, Inspired by “The 101 Dalmatians Musical,” at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on Sunday, November 1

Enjoy the Family Musical and Delicious Treats to Benefit the Gwinnett Humane Society

Atlanta Broadway Series invites you to experience a delicious scoop of “101 Smiles,” the Dalmatian-inspired flavor offered by Jake’s Ice Cream in honor of “The 101 Dalmatians Musical.” The ice cream expert will be on hand to serve up this spotted treat beginning at 1 p.m. and continuing throughout the “The 101 Dalmatian Musical” Send-Off Spectacular on November 1. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Gwinnett Humane Society.

101 Smiles, Jake’s Ice Cream
Sweet Cream Ice Cream with Large Chocolate Chips
$4 a cup, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Gwinnett Humane Society

Sunday, November 1, 2009, 1 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30339770-916-2800

Bring the family together for a fun-filled afternoon that satisfies their sweet tooth while benefitting Gwinnett Humane Society. Event entry is FREE; however, tickets to the show must be purchased. There’s still time to get great seats at http://www.ticketmaster.com/, by calling 800-982-2787 or at the Cobb Energy Centre box office. Prices start at $15.
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Book Review: defining Twilight; Enticing Teens to Learn

"Quick," I said to my teenager. "Define futilely." The eyes that bore back into mine were blank, almost oblivious to my question. "Are you woolgathering?"

"What is this?", asked the teenager who was now experiencing grave misgivings over the decision to walk in to the room with me as I sat reading.

So began my excursion into defining Twilight by Brian Leaf, a delightful book chock full of vocabulary words. What's the deal?

The Twilight book series by Stephenie Meyer has been the latest rage among teens and young adults for a couple of years now. The movie is seen on a regular basis at my house as others descend in droves. The books are so popular that I've walked in and found the teens playing Twilight Trivia or reciting favorite lines of the movie. The books are kept close as a reference so the kids can be sure of their facts.

I admit I had seen the movie, but had not taken time to actually read the book. When asked to review defining Twilight, I knew I had to bite the bullet and jump head first into the land of chaste vampires. The Twilight book was fun to read, and it was full of wonderful words not commonly used by teens today. Do they understand the meanings?

Enter Leaf's defining Twilight, and it's a match made perfect for any student studying to take one of the college entrance exams. Leaf has provided an entertaining way to use the Twilight book as an aid to learning vocabulary. It's a great concept. Read the page in the book, and define the word. There are also quick exercises to use to complement learning the definitions.

It sure beats digging out the old Digests I had to use when I was studying for the SAT. Perhaps I would have scored better on the standardized tests of my day if someone had made learning the vocabulary more pertinent to the times.

Leaf will release his second book in the Defining series in October. I can't wait to see the words he defines and introduce them to my teen.

Staff Report

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Oh, What a Night!

I had a huge problem with Jersey Boys, The story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

Huge.

Monumental.

Rather than bore you with a long explanation I'll be brief:
It ended.
I had to leave.
The singing stopped.
The fun fizzled.

I hated to leave.

I wanted it to keep going. I wish I were in the theater watching it again right now.

I can't remember enjoying a play as much as I enjoyed Jersey Boys in years, if ever.

I found it difficult to be "proper" and sit when what I really wanted was to be in the aisle dancing. I could tell I wasn't the only one itching to stand, to dance, to sing along, to move! If just one person had been brave enough to get things moving, I know the entire theater would have been on their feet throughout the entire performance!

Sometimes it's difficult to make the leaps that some plays make jumping from one song to the next. It's as though they made up something just so they could get a song in and it just doesn't flow. Jersey Boys was seamless.

It was amazing how well the play moved and how clearly it conveyed the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons using their own music. Every little bit of the play was perfect in my estimation.

Jersey Boys, The story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons is playing at the Fabulous Fox Theatre through June 21st. If you love theater and you love music, this play is one you can't miss. Beg, cajole, borrow, give up your lunches to pay for a ticket, do whatever you have to, but make sure you see this one!

Want to learn more? http://www.jerseyboysinfo.com/ or http://www.foxtheatre.org/.
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