Imagine stumbling upon a treasure trove of stories that spark the imagination and ignite a thirst for learning. That's exactly what happened when Lucy and I met Christine Platt at a book fair, and her latest children's chapter book, "Frankie and Friends: Breaking News" with illustrations by Aliyah Marley, leaped into our hands. Journey with us as we uncover the world of Frankie, her dynamic family, and how her animated toys and a cat named after none other than the iconic Nina Simone come to life, inspiring us to explore history and culture through a child's eyes. Platt's narrative not only tickles the fancy of young readers but also educates, as we ourselves are now itching to learn more about the legendary singer and the game of Crazy Eights.
Then, as the snowflakes begin to fall, join Lucy and me in the sweet anticipation of cookie season – a time of year that magically stretches our understanding of "seasons." With a goal to sell a staggering 1,500 boxes, we're not just peddling treats but also sharpening our math skills, specifically mastering the six times table. This episode is an uplifting blend of book insights, personal anecdotes, and the life lessons that come from setting goals and persevering. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to you, our listeners, for joining us on this enlightening journey.
Click here to purchase the book: Below you’ll find links to the book on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, Daddy Daughter Bookworms earns from qualifying purchases. https://amzn.to/3HoupDm
For more information on what Care 1st Training Group can do for you. https://care1stcpr.com/
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Speaker 1:
Hey daughter bookworms sponsored by Care First Training Group, where we talk about Trojan's books. Hello bookworms, my name is Lucy.
Speaker 2:
And I'm Alex, and today we're going to learn how to become a news reporter. I think, isn't that right, lucy?
Speaker 1:
Mm-hmm. This week we're reviewing Frankie and Friends. Breaking News.
Speaker 2:
That's great. And who is the author and illustrator?
Speaker 1:
The author is Christine Platt and the illustrator is Aliyah Marley.
Speaker 2:
And who's the publisher?
Speaker 1:
The publisher is Walker Books.
Speaker 2:
That's great. And how did we learn about this book?
Speaker 1:
Well, another book, fair story. I saw the author and you said let's go see what her books are about. And we went over and found out about this book.
Speaker 2:
Yes, we did, and Christine Platt is an amazing saleswoman and writer and just all around great person when it comes to her product, and this is her first book, it looks like, because it says book one on it.
Speaker 1:
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:
And if you get a chance, folks, this is one of the special ones you know when you go to these book fairs. Sometimes you're just like overwhelmed. And she was just captivating the author. So it's definitely we're going to talk about what it's all about, but she's definitely very captivating. So what type of genre is this book?
Speaker 1:
This is a children's chapter book and it has pictures.
Speaker 2:
Really.
Speaker 1:
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:
And what are, I'm sorry, what? Who are the main characters in this?
Speaker 1:
Frankie. Of course. She's a girl who has an older sister and a mom and a dad. A lot of the story is about the mom going on a business trip. Her mom is an award-winning journalist.
Speaker 2:
Really, and are there any minor characters in the story?
Speaker 1:
Yes, frankie's older sister is named Raven. Many of Frankie's toys are treated as characters in the book, such as her toy robot.
Speaker 2:
She's a toy robot.
Speaker 1:
I am a robot.
Speaker 2:
All right, and why don't you tell me about the cover? You have the cover in front of you and why don't you tell me a little bit about it? And what made you think? What did you think of the cover before you read it?
Speaker 1:
Well, I thought that it was just going to be like a game. I didn't know that her mom was a breaking news person and yeah.
Speaker 2:
So why don't you just tell people what the cover looks like?
Speaker 1:
So there's Frankie, friend and center. She has her doll with her, she has her cat, she has a teddy bear on some books and two other dolls.
Speaker 2:
Anything else in the front?
Speaker 1:
cover, I think.
Speaker 2:
Anything else on the front cover that you want to notice?
Speaker 1:
And I see a robot.
Speaker 2:
Okay, what about the back? This particular book? The front and the back have some really great art. Why don't you tell me about the back?
Speaker 1:
Well, it's Frankie at her news station and she's sitting in her chair at her desk. What's it say on top. It says where's that crying noise coming from? Frankie and her friends are going to find out.
Speaker 2:
There you go, so it looks like it's something that you might want to open it up and see what it's all about. Huh, okay, most of the book is about Raven and Frankie's mom going on a business trip, right?
Speaker 1:
Yeah, even the cat Nina Simone was sad In the illustrations. Frankie kept herself occupied by making her news stories, so she wouldn't miss her mom so much. She speaks into a microphone and the news reports are videotaped by her teddy bear.
Speaker 2:
Well, it's kind of interesting that she has a cat named Nina Simone. You know why? Nina Simone is one of the best singers ever and that's who they named the cat after.
Speaker 1:
Oh.
Speaker 2:
Nina Simone is like we're talking music legend.
Speaker 1:
I had no idea.
Speaker 2:
Well, maybe we should try to check out some Nina Simone after this.
Speaker 1:
Okay.
Speaker 2:
Awesome. What are some of the ways that the family is different when Frankie's mom is away.
Speaker 1:
The whole family doesn't get to play card games as much as they would want to.
Speaker 2:
What kind of card games do they play?
Speaker 1:
Crazy eight.
Speaker 2:
Anything else.
Speaker 1:
Not that it says in the book.
Speaker 2:
Have you ever played Crazy Eightes?
Speaker 1:
I have no idea what the Crazy Eightes is.
Speaker 2:
Well, I guess that's something else we've learned. We learned about Nina Simone and Crazy Eightes.
Speaker 1:
Nina Simone is on the cover.
Speaker 2:
Nina Simone is on the cover, so why don't you tell me about some of the news stories that she is breaking?
Speaker 1:
Her dolls King Tut and Cleopatra.
Speaker 2:
The dolls names are King Tut and Cleopatra. Now, king Tut. Do you know who King Tut was? He was a famous king. He was called the Boy King in Egypt. Oh, and Cleopatra was a queen and she was. I didn't know that I know. And she was one of the most beautiful women in the world at one point.
Speaker 1:
I'm speechless.
Speaker 2:
I know. I know you know who she was too, but you'll learn about that maybe in fourth grade. Who were the news stories about?
Speaker 1:
Her dolls, king Tut and Cleopatra, were also helpers. Her first story was a public interest story about two sisters who missed their mom and they needed to check it out each other.
Speaker 2:
Did you connect with any of the characters?
Speaker 1:
I feel a connection to Frankie because she likes imaginary play and I do too.
Speaker 2:
Really.
Speaker 1:
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:
What kind of imaginary play do you like?
Speaker 1:
I like to pretend that I have sisters, even though I don't.
Speaker 2:
Really.
Speaker 1:
Yep.
Speaker 2:
How many sisters and brothers do you have? A lot.
Speaker 1:
Seven.
Speaker 2:
Well, does mommy and daddy have to feed them?
Speaker 1:
No.
Speaker 2:
Or find a bed for them. Nope, you can have as many as you want. That kid Yay.
Speaker 1:
All right, I'm gonna have a hundred.
Speaker 2:
Well, that's great, he, he. There's a lot of conflict and exciting parts in the book. Do you want to tell me about that?
Speaker 1:
The part that interests me the most was the dramatic part when Raven got upset about her mom leaving.
Speaker 2:
Really, mm-hmm. You had said just before that there was some connections with the characters. Mm-hmm, was there anything else that reminded you of the characters?
Speaker 1:
Mm-hmm, I think so. Her cat kind of reminds me of Boris from Cat Party on a Go Noodle video. My class dances to it on Raiden Briggs.
Speaker 2:
Cat Party.
Speaker 1:
We are gonna have a Cat Party.
Speaker 2:
So would you change any part of the story?
Speaker 1:
I would add more new stories in drama.
Speaker 2:
But you like the story huh Drama. Yep, you love some good drama, huh.
Speaker 1:
I'm in drama club.
Speaker 2:
I forgot what Tell us about Breaking News?
Speaker 1:
Breaking News is an event that happens, that is happening at the moment. Journalists often are the first people to tell the public something important is happening in the world.
Speaker 2:
We'll like watch a show and they'll cut in and they'll be like Breaking News dun, dun, dun.
Speaker 1:
Dun, dun dun.
Speaker 2:
Okay, so why don't you tell about the journalism term? They're on the beat.
Speaker 1:
A beat is a subject that a reporter covers. Sometimes reporters work on more than one beat at a time, absolutely.
Speaker 2:
So right now you're in the covering the literary children's beat. Would you recommend this to another person and why?
Speaker 1:
I would recommend the story to second to fourth graders, students and especially kids who are interested in journalism.
Speaker 2:
So, that being said, since it's a journalist, how many microphones would you give it? From one to five?
Speaker 1:
Um.
Speaker 2:
One to five.
Speaker 1:
Oh, um four.
Speaker 2:
You went from eight to four, so you don't wanna give it a five out of five. That's okay. You wanna give it a four. Why do you wanna give it a four as opposed to a five out of five?
Speaker 1:
It's just. I like the story. It's just. I wouldn't have picked it as one of the books that I would normally read.
Speaker 2:
Why wouldn't you have picked it as one of the books you normally read?
Speaker 1:
Like, I like the story, but it wasn't really my style so I wasn't really into it that much.
Speaker 2:
Why wasn't it your style? Like, what about? It wasn't your style?
Speaker 1:
The fact that it was like journalism and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:
Now did the subject matter pique your interest about journalism. Do you wanna know more about journalism after this book?
Speaker 1:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
And did it make you curious about journalism? Yeah, and what type of tools did Frankie use when she was being a journalist?
Speaker 1:
She used a microphone.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, what else.
Speaker 1:
And she used a camera.
Speaker 2:
Anything else.
Speaker 1:
She also used signals.
Speaker 2:
What kind of signals?
Speaker 1:
Like when Queen Cleopatra and King, so they.
Speaker 2:
So when King taught in Cleopatra, what did they do?
Speaker 1:
Dan went and stood behind the camera. Once he was certain that everything was working, he gave a thumbs up.
Speaker 2:
Now is Dan one of her friends.
Speaker 1:
No Daddy Bear.
Speaker 2:
Oh, so does she have any non-stuffed animal friends in the book?
Speaker 1:
Not in the book, no.
Speaker 2:
No, so it's just her imaginary friends when she's home.
Speaker 1:
Yep.
Speaker 2:
And she's not an only child.
Speaker 1:
Nope.
Speaker 2:
Okay, that sounds great. So just because it's a new subject for you, you're giving it four stars.
Speaker 1:
Microphones.
Speaker 2:
I'm sorry. Yes, four microphones All right, but you really think people should try it?
Speaker 1:
Yes, especially if you like journalism.
Speaker 2:
Especially if you like journalism. That sounds like it was a pretty good review and let me ask you it was really cold this week, wasn't it?
Speaker 1:
We got snow.
Speaker 2:
And what'd you do?
Speaker 1:
Playing it.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, did you go sledding.
Speaker 1:
Snow tubing.
Speaker 2:
You went snow tubing. Did you make any snowballs or Yep, with your friends.
Speaker 1:
Well, the snowballs were iced up.
Speaker 2:
Oh, got really icy, Uh-huh. I understand that kind of stinks, but you're looking forward to some more snow. Fun While we have you. Why don't you tell the listeners how they can get in touch with us?
Speaker 1:
To submit your theories and feedback and book recommendation. You can email us at daddydaughterbookwormsjmailcom.
Speaker 2:
You can also check us out on Instagram and TikTok at daddydaughterbookworms, or on Twitter at ddbookworms.
Speaker 1:
And don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Search Daddy Daughter Bookworms.
Speaker 2:
Well, I think we got another awesome podcast here and I know you're pretty excited about going back in the snow.
Speaker 1:
Yes.
Speaker 2:
And how's math going, good or bad? It's okay, the thumb wasn't up or down, but we're learning our sixes, aren't we? Maybe, and why are we learning our sixes?
Speaker 1:
Cookie season.
Speaker 2:
We're selling cookies, aren't we?
Speaker 1:
Yes, and if you think cookie season is an actual season, it is not.
Speaker 2:
It isn't. I thought it was.
Speaker 1:
No, my friend thinks that.
Speaker 2:
Your friend thinks that.
Speaker 1:
Yes.
Speaker 2:
And how many boxes of cookies do you wanna sell? What's your goal?
Speaker 1:
$1,500.
Speaker 2:
Well, no, 1,500 boxes.
Speaker 1:
Oh, 1,500 boxes.
Speaker 2:
And then if you times a time six, then that's how many dollars. But so we're gonna really be working on our sixes this year, huh.
Speaker 1:
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:
It's hard, isn't it? Yeah, but you know what? That's why we Practice and we keep practicing, so Practice. So, that said, I think we've done another great job and thank you for listening to our show. My name is Alex.