Red, White, and True

Tom Tierney is one of America's most preeminent paper doll illustrators. He's been creating paper dolls for Dover books the past 30 years. His paper doll books are truly works of art. A Tudy fave, they showcase current events, history, and fashions of bygone eras.

Today, Tom Tierney has two, commemorative 2008 US presidential paper doll books available for sale at The Tudy Book Shop. These 32-page, limited edition booklets are just a bipartisan, "politically correct", history-in-the-making read. You'll learn about the presidential candidates, their families, and the whole electoral process. It's paper coverage you won't want to miss.

So make the most of this historical event! Cast your vote, secure your own polls, and let a paper doll race you to the White House.

The Fairy's Fizzzzz

Here's the ultimate, thirst quencher for all you trick or treaters!

Flutter home and clear out the butterfly dust and silky webs for this one.

It's a wing stopper!




Gather round:
4 cups Haagan Daz vanilla honey ice cream
(from the bees!)
2 cups Minute Maid orange juice
(from the trees!)
1 cup rice milk
(from the ground!)
Lots of orange wheels
(make sure they're round!)2 Tbsp powdered sugar
(powdery and sweet!)
1 can club or orange soda
(trick or treat!)

Now for some fairy magic (ask the elder fairies to help):

Put the ice cream, orange juice, sugar, and milk in a blender. Cover with the lid. Blend on high until smoooooth. Pour mixture into glasses. Serve as is or top off with club or orange soda. Garnish with lots and lots of orange wheels!

Now, close your eyes, drink it up! Make a wish...

... Poof!!! Wish granted!

BOOks and SpOOks

Just in time for the haunting hour, dig into Neil Gaiman's latest spOOk-of-a-bOOk, The Graveyard BOOk!
What do you do when you're a loney kid and live in a graveyard? Get a few ghosts and other creatures of the night to tutor you (wish I had Silas and Miss Lupescu for my teachers!), explore the haunting worlds that are just a (tomb)stones-throw away, and live a "normal" life just like Nobody "Bod" Owen's. But never, ever leave the graveyard, unless you're ready to dig your own grave!

The Graveyard Book, with haunting illustrations by Dave McKean, is vintage Gaiman and guarantees a ghoulishly good read! You're going to love Bod, and this bOOk, to death!

Beware the Spinmeister

The Spider!and The Fly is a ghoulishly fun read in black and white bling! Winner of the 2003 Caldecott Honor and a Ghoulie Tudy rave, this book will thrill, captivate, and enthrall you. Beautifully illustrated by the talented Tony DiTerlizzi, The Spider!and the Fly does what very few books can: it actually takes you to a movie ~ a 1920s, Hollywood, silent movie! Mary Howitt's classic, "danger stranger" tale is given a whole new, cinematic twist! And what a visual spin it is!

So this Halloween, fall for the trick! Walk into this spider's! parlor and have a howlin', dastardly time. After all, as the sly, dapper spider! so fiendishly reminded us, "spiders! are not the only hunters, and bugs are not the only victims" this time of year."

 True, true!

Happy haunting...

Make Halloween Count!

Go Trick-or-Treating for UNICEF! Create your own coin canister with this downloadable, canister wrapper. Get into spirit (how about a do-good angel or a grant-a-wish fairy?) and go door-to-door for UNICEF this Halloween. Instead of treats, ask for donations to help UNICEF fight poverty by getting water, education, and medicine to kids who need it most!

UNICEF, or the United Nations Children's Fund, has been helping kids around the world for more than 50 years. And isn't it great that anyone, even kids, can help raise money to stave off poverty? Remember, just 6 cents provides water and $2.00 provides nutrition for one needy child. So it's easy, and this Halloween, it's even frightfully fun!

Trick or Treat for UNICEF! Because every boy, girl, and ghoul counts!

blogactionday.org

The Trick's the Tale .....By Tudette

The Monster From TooWoomba

I always do my homework.
I do! It’s true! I swear!

But there’s a monster in my locker,
And it’s blue and huge and smells.

And every time I stow my books,
The monster throws me a hungry lyyk.

So I feed it all my homework.
I do! It’s true! I swear!

And that is why, dear teacher,
My homework’s there, Down Under!

Have You Met...

My little sister, Tudette? I just YYY her! She's impish, funny, and totally into plush! Can you guess what's in her closet?

She's here just in time for trick-or-treating, so help her get into costume! She has a closet full of fun!

Tudy's A+ List

Homework driving you crazy? And poor Mom and Dad are just as clueless with your school work as a deer caught in the headlights? Here's a Tudy list of great websites to help you ace that homework. It's like having the best and most patient tutors right there beside you. Honestly, Tudygirls, who needs study hall?

1. Edhelper
A subscription-based website that offers a whole array of information for any grade level! From History to Science to Spanish and (yes!) SATs, it's one of the best educational websites available. It'll save you a trip to the library or bookstore time and time again. And for $40.00 a year, it's a steal!

2. Math.com
Can't tell an improper fraction from a mixed? Or an integer from an exponent? Math.com to the rescue! It's back to basics with this oh-so-simple-to-follow math website. And it's all there for free! So do the Math, Tudygirls! Click on!

3. Wikipedia.com
Imagine a whole encyclopedia at your fingertips! No time-consuming, heavy-lifting, page-turning agenda! Just type in the subject and presto info (!), it's all there.

4. Fact Monster
Just the facts please! Build your own data base with this fun website and suddenly, a 10, 20, even 30-page (!) inquiry is a finger-typing snap!

5. Coolmath4kids
A really easy-to-navigate website. Who knew numbers could be s000 much fun? There are a gazillion exercises and games to get you going. And a scoreboard to boot! Don't believe me? Just click on the digits!

6. National Geographic Kids
Your e-ticket to exotic lands minus the long line, delays, and security checks! Travel the world without leaving home and learn all about the planet! A Tudy fave, this website is your passport to the world.

So don't fret, don't sweat! Homework help is on it's way. There's never been a better time to get all your sources together. Suddenly, being Miss Smartypants (and you know she really rocked!) is just a click, click away.

What a Steal!

Venice, Italy is one of the most magical places ever! And it's glorious history dates way back to the 13th century (that's 700 years ago!)! Plus you can walk the streets and take a gondola ride on the canals today much the same way as the early Venetians did! And I just love the fact that there are no cars! Imagine that!

Capture the magic and mystery of Venice in Cornelia Funke's The Thief Lord! This breath-taking book will take you on a byzantine journey thru Venice, as Prosper and Bo struggle to survive as orphans and get mesmerized by the shadowy and shady world of the Thief Lord. But they end up learning more than just survival skills - they discover the value of family and friends, and the importance of being true to yourself! A lesson even the Thief Lord has to learn! But will he learn it in time?

So sit back on your gondolas, let your mind take a trip to Venice, and let The Thief Lord steal your heart away!

Tudy's ABC Word Safari

Join Tudy on an ABC word safari! Did you know "safari" means "journey" in Swahili? See if you can add on or make up your own word safari. Either way, it's a fun romp in the jungle. Journey on!

An army of ants. A building of rooks. A barren of mules. A cast of hawks. A crash of rhinoceroses. A dissimulation of birds. A dule of doves. An exaltation of larks. A flight of swallows. A gaggle of geese. A herd of elephants. A husk of hares. A kindle of kittens. A knot of toads. A labor of moles. A leap of leopards. A murder of crows. A murmuration of starlings. An ostentation of peacocks. A pride of lions. A parliament of owls. A rag of colts. A route of wolves. A school of fish. A shrewdness of apes. A sounder of swine. A trip of goats. A troop of kangaroos. An unkindness of ravens. A watch of nightingales. A walk of snipe. And last, but not least (and a Tudy fashion fave!) a zigzag of zebras.

Before the Leaves Fall...

Frame your favorite photos with them! What better way to scrapbook the last of those breezy, dreamy, summer moments than with a Tudy Frame! You know the drill - download the images, resize to fit your pics, and cut out (be careful!). Get framed!

Get Into The Swim of Things!

Swimming is making a huge splash everywhere ~ what with Michael Phelp's Great Haul of China, Rebecca Adlington's remarkable new record, and Dara Torres's spectacular performances (she's 41 years old!)! Even my Fave Sport Poll has swimming winning by a tidal wave! So it's no wonder my Under The Sea Tudy Party is your favorite party theme!

So get into the swim of things with a Tudy~licious book with lots of water in it! (Plus a mermaid, for even more underwater flavor!) Read Natalie Babbit's The Search For Delicious and find out how a word and water can start a war! It all begins with an argument about (of all things!) the meaning of the word "delicious". And with some nasty rumors thrown in, a civil war is about to break out! It's all up to Gaylen, a young boy who means well, to believe in the old legends and, hopefully, save the kingdom! What more can I say? It's a Tudy~licious book about understanding others and believing in what truly matters.