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!EXCITING NEWS! Dr. Elana Ashley is an AWARD-WINNING FINALISTin the National Best Books 2008 Awards sponsored by USA Book News. Ashley is a Finalist in the category of "Children's Picture Book: Hardcover Fiction with Audio CD" with her Bilingual Book [Splunkunio Splunkey Detective and Peacemaker Detective y pacificador Case One: The Missing Friendship Bracelet Caso primero: El brazalete de la amistad desaparecido], Audio CD and Teaching Guide for Educators and Parents. *** Reviews of Ashley's bilingual, mystery adventure have been published throughout the United States, as well as some feature stories about Ashley and the work she does: Literacy Assemblies based on Splunkey's Three-Part Adventure Package by Dr. Elana Ashley – Case One: The Missing Friendship Bracelet, Audio CD and Teaching Guide for Educators and Parents - June, 2008 "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generous donation of your book, Splunkunio Splunkey, Detective and Peacemaker. Having you visit Canterbury in person was a real treat for our students and teachers and they loved receiving a copy of your book, as well. Your enthusiasm in sharing your book with the children made for a very entertaining assembly and motivated the children to read. You also made it seem possible for each student to become a writer. We hope other schools will have the opportunity to meet Splunkey, Ellie and Eli, three highly imaginative characters of immediate appeal to young students!" Dr. Jan Grote, Principal, Canterbury Elementary School, 875 Canterbury Drive, Crystal Lake, IL 60014 The Times Record Volume 39 Number 109 July 11, 2005: Elana Ashley, founder of the nonprofit educational corporation Great Imaginings Inc., is celebrating two decades of instructional and entertaining programs with her latest children's mystery adventure, "Splunkunio Splunkey: Detective and Peacemaker - Case 1: The Missing Friendship Bracelet.' The book begins on a sad note - Ellie Elephant is sobbing because she has lost her friendship bracelet and possibly her bestfriend. She doesn't know what to do... Written both in English and Spanish, the book has earned praise from numerous teachers and several organizations because of its value in teaching creativity and exploring educational values such as conflict resolution, character building, friendship and peace. Ashley, a storyteller, singer and ventriloquist, photographed her puppets in various costumes and situations to illustrate the book. While the concept seems simplistic, the execution is cretive and will prompt some youg, less illustrtive minds to find a creative outlet for their own imaginings. After all, that is the reason for Great Imginings..." For other reviews of Splunkey's Bilingual Mystery in English and Spanish, press the BOOKS navigational button. Take a look at the reviews that appear on the back cover of Ashley's first mystery adventure in English: Splunkunio
Splunkey takes readers into an imaginative situation where they
experience the value of friendship and problem-solve along with the
characters. It is fun and exciting for primary age children. Annie-Jo Fridgeirsson, Children's Librarian, School District 65, Lake Bluff Schools, Lake Bluff, IL *** While in the midst
of a friendship threatening dilemma, Ellie and Eli find an unlikely
source of help in the form of an alien, Splunkunio
Splunkey. This story will be read over and over again by parents
and their children, students and their teachers as they explore situations
close to their hearts, minds and souls. Nora Soyring Rucker, Lead Teacher, Lutheran General Children's Day Care Center, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Des Plaines, IL *** As people have been buying the book for themselves and/or giving the book as a gift for children, families, friends, students, teachers, schools and libraries, they have been sending letters and e-mailing us their thoughts and feelings about Splunkey's mystery adventure. Here are some reviews of Splunkunio Splunkey Detective and Peacemaker, Case One: The Missing Friendship Bracelet written by people who come from a great variety of professional backgrounds. BOOK REVIEWS Judge's Critique of Elana Ashley's New Children's Mystery "Splunkunio Splunkey Detective and Peacemaker - what an original idea! Using photography to illustrate this book was a brilliant concept, and the author/illustrator has done a fantastic job of bringing her main characters to life through her photographs. Kids will love how Ellie, Eli, and Splunkey adorn the pages, acting out the story and solving the mystery of Ellie's lost bracelet. I can remembeer seeing books like this at the public library when I was a child and wishing there were more that contained other types of art besides watercolors and colored pencil drawings. It is so wonderful to see people take their skills and utilize them to create books for young readers. The photography is super, and the creatures are really adorable. I can only imagine the time and effort the author/photographer put into making this book a reality - quite impressive. This book would definitely make a nice addition to any children's library, and I am sure will be getting giggles for years to come. Very imaginative!" Judge's Critique - Writer's Digest 11th Annual International Self-Published Book Awards *** Ellie and Eli are best friends. And like all best friends they sometimes have their misunderstandings. And sometimes they need the help of a mediator. In this fun story, the two best friends just happen to be elephants. And when Ellie accuses Eli of stealing her friendship bracelet, an alien, Splunkunio Splunkey, detective and peacemaker, comes to the rescue. Together these three characters will lead children on an adventure that will help them learn a wonderful message about friendship and solve a mystery at the same time. Charlotte Herman, Children’s Book Author, Chicago, Illinois *** This book is made with so much love and hope for deep world friendship and brotherhood. We are all on a little planet sharing the same burdens and daily struggles, and, if we share love and friendship and understanding - what a BETTER beautiful world we would share. The photography is lovely. The characters are lovable. You do such gratifying work Ada Moriel, Singer-Musician-Composer, Israel Her latest CD -- "Shepherd's Daughter - Celtic Songs of the Heart" -- and Her Previous CD -- "The Many Colours of White" *** Elana's book is a
delight for both children and adults. The story involves many different
themes, and, based on the reader's experience, many different levels
of appreciation. For children, the focus of the book is on finding a
lost treasure and the friendship of Ellie and Eli. For adults who read
to children, the book portrays a real story of resolving conflicts -
with friends arguing, then getting along through the help of a guide
- the peace-loving alien Splunkey! Written
in a humorous and creative way, the book promotes fun and imagination
for people of all ages. Marilyn Rothschild, Teacher and Parent, Morton Grove, Illinois ***
Joan Retnauer, Director, Highwood Public Library, Highwood, Illinois *** Loss at any point in one's life can be a traumatic experience. In Case One of Splunkunio Splunkey's Adventure, how the loss of a friendship bracelet - which was a treasured gift to Ellie from her mother - is resolved can help a child understand the varied emotions one can experience as a result of loss. The story also demonstrates how love and caring from others helps to heal the hurt, as well as the importance of communication. The lessons can be further explored and applied to many situations in a child's experience. Mildred Feldman, Peer Counselor, Former Volunteer Work with Special Needs [Children and Adults], Parent/Grandparent, Niles, Illinois *** Splunkunio Splunkey, the outer space "Sherlockian" Detective, shows children the method of deductive reasoning for finding a missing friendship bracelet. The book helps children to retrace their steps when something is missing, and teaches them positive and constructive ways of handling their frustrations when they can not find or when they misplace things. Through her characters and vivid photography, Dr. Elana Ashley teaches children thoughtful insights about Caring, Sharing and Fairness. Dr. Suzanne M. Cahnmann, Ph.D., Psychologist, Highwood, Illinois *** Your new book, Splunkunio Splunkey Detective and Peacemaker, strikes me as an imaginative way to engage children and create healthy self-respect and good values. There is so much miscommunication, ill will and general discontent in our world population. I am in favor of ways to bridge our differences and create harmony. I think your book achieves this splendidly. Iris Kapp, Parent, Deerfield, Illinois *** Detective Splunkey does a grand job of mediating. He is quite tactful in the way he encourages his friends to reenact the events of the day. Your story line had me guessing wrongly at where they would find the friendship bracelet. I love the color photos. Kids can relate so well to images of real things. Even realizing that the characters are not "alive," children may see them "come to life" within such a realistic setting. Ronnie Rund, Assistant Head of Youth Services, Morton Grove Public Library, Morton Grove, Illinois *** Splunkunio Splunkey Detective and Peacemaker, Case One: The Missing Friendship Bracelet is an interesting story for children. What makes this story beneficial to children is that it is creative, lighthearted and humorous. It sparks children’s imagination and helps them see the value of friendship and loyalty. Well written and well expressed, Dr. Ashley entertains and keeps children’s’ attention with the colorful pictures and creative conversations. Mimika Papavasiliou, Special Features, What’s Happening Community Newspapers, Northbrook, Illinois *** The underlying message of this book is the importance of maintaining friendships. Ellie is quick to respond when Eli is wedged under the bed. By rescuing him without hesitation, Ellie demonstrated the mature ability of seeing the bigger picture of life and friendship. Real life situations have bumps in the road, but they are not insurmountable. I wish that more real people could act so unselfishly and lovingly as Ellie did. However, being young, Ellie made additional choices which did not demonstrate as much maturity, and the ability to handle these issues she had to learn, and did learn by the end of the story, along with the readers of Splunkey's mystery adventure. Despite being accused of stealing the bracelet, Eli was open-minded and willing to accept intervention from Splunkey. Too often in real life, situations arise and the parties involved are unwilling to seek help. It would have been much easier to walk away, but instead, Ellie and Eli chose to move forward. While doing so, they discovered the bracelet had been innocently lost, and more importantly, Ellie learned that being quick to accuse someone is not always the best solution. It is up to the readers of Splunkey's story - children and adults - to explore and discuss together the many and varied messages that lie within its beautifully photographed pages. Caren Kaplan, Life Coach, Teacher and Parent, Deerfield, Illinois ***
Dr. Maurice M. Shapiro, Father, Grandfather, North Bethesda, Maryland *** Dramatic Reading, Discussion and Roleplay with Gifted Students Recommendation from Andrea Aschenbrenner Center for Gifted Workshop Teacher Worlds of Wisdom and Wonder National-Louis University Evanston, Illinois Thank you so much for the engaging and entertaining special program which you gave as part of my Worlds of Wisdom and Wonder "Acting Up" workshop for first and second grade children on Sunday, January 18th, 2004. The students and I thoroughly enjoyed the dramatic reading which you gave of your book, SPLUNKEY SPLUNKUNIO DETECTIVE AND PEACEMAKER - Case One: The Missing Friendship Bracelet. Their responses to your well-organized follow-up questions after the reading exhibited total interest and involvement in the story's plot. I was impressed with your ability to actively engage them in critical thinking about the characters and events in the story. I could see that the children greatly enjoyed being challenged to creatively act out several scenes in the book. Your book's usefulness in teaching values of friendship, respect for others, and the positive results which can be gained when individuals work together to solve problems was especially impressive. I'm glad that
I have had the wonderful opportunity of experiencing one of your excellent,
valuable, and entertaining programs. I know your book and programs will
continue to do much good for our children, families, nation, and the
world. Thank you for all your work in sharing this very special program
with my class and me! Selected Written Responses of Gifted Students [1st & 2nd Grades] to Questions about Splunkey's Mystery Adventure What
did you like most about the story? What
is the story about? Your
favorite character and why? What
did you learn from the story? *** The phrases and words of the children's responses have been left intact. Spelling has been corrected. Elana Ashley *** What could be a better time than right now to get to know Splunkey? Join him in his first, detective mystery!
Case Two is on the way... Learn more about him from his web site - Spokespuppet Splunkunio Splunkey is eager to meet you and your children. Find out when Elana Ashley and her storybook characters will be visiting near you by viewing her program schedule http://www.greatimaginings.com/programs/future/book_reading_signing.html *** The name Spokespuppet is the registered trademark of Elana Ashley. The name Splunkunio
Splunkey is the registered trademark of Elana Ashley. |
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