Amazon Fifo The Bear Fifo The Bear Category:  Children Publisher: Inkwell Productions ISBN-10:  0981464823 Type: Non-Fiction Pages: 106 Copyright: 2010 ISBN-13: 9780981464824 An award-winner, Fifo 50 States has been honored by the prestigious Mom's Choice Awards, along with the National Indie Excellence Awards, Readers Favorite Awards and the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards for children's literature. In this delightful rhyming story, Fifo, a warm and loveable brown bear, is bitten by the travel bug. Fifo dreams of digging up diamonds in Arkansas, looking for fossils in Kansas, enjoying a delicious bowl of gumbo in Louisiana, and even seeing a Broadway show in New York. Yes, America is an exciting place! Fifo's second book is full of adventure. A colorful geography reference-like book, Fifo discovers the wonders each state has to offer. He learns along the way each state's capital, shape, flag, motto, and much, much more. The possibilities are endless! So, come along with Fifo and you'll soon discover the beauty of America one state to another. A positive experience for both Fifo and the reader.   Excerpt ARIZONA Out in the west lies the 48th state, it is called Arizona and I hear it’s just great. Phoenix is the capital and there are many things to see, like the Saguaro Cactus flower and the Paloverde tree. The bird, the Cactus Wren, lives in Arizona too. It’s a wonderful place to visit, I’d like to go there, wouldn’t you?

Book Dads
I don’t know about other book bloggers out there, but sometimes my first impression of a book comes simply from me holding the book, looking at its cover and leafing through a few of its pages.A couple things impressed me right off the bat with Hayley Rose’s latest Fifo The Bear book, Fifo “50 States.” Before I even read the book, I loved the presentation of the book itself. The cover art of Fifo The Bear looking like the Statue of Liberty was adorable and eye-catching. The glossy illustrations and high quality paper in the book were beautiful as well, and the book just felt good to hold in your hands.

While my two-year-old daughter isn’t old enough to appreciate (or sit through a reading of) the great amount of information presented by Fifo on his tour of the 50 states, I can definitely appreciate the terrific learning opportunity a book like this presents for school-age children. Actually, let me clarify that statement. I learned a great deal myself by reading this book, as I’m only aware of a few state flower’s or motto’s.

All in all, Fifo “50 States” is simply a fun book for kids and parents alike, and for me, the illustrations stole the show. For example, I got the biggest kick out of seeing the illustration for my home state of Pennsylvania, complete with Fifo The Bear dressed up as the famous fictional boxer, Rocky Balboa!
Another nostalgic moment for me was New York. I spent many years living in and just outside New York City, and the illustration, complete with a dedication to the Twin Towers brought a tear to my eye. Now that I’ve spent my last nine years in Michigan, I also had a big grin at seeing the illustration of the Mackinac Bridge, as well as Fifo holding a brochure titled, “Visit the U.P.”
This book presents not only a great learning opportunity for children, but also an excellent way for parents to bond with their kids by sharing some of their memories of visits and times spent in our 50 states. I’m thrilled to have a copy of this book, and look forward to sharing this with my daughter when she gets a little older.


The Children's and Teen's Book Connection
I love books that educate while they entertain. This is certainly true of Fifo “50 States” by Hayley Rose.
In this fun, rhyming adventure, Fifo the Bear invites children to join him on his imaginary tour of the 50 states of America. From Alabama to Arkansas, from Georgia to Indiana, from Missouri to New Mexico, and beyond, readers learn capitals, state flowers, native birds, and more.The states are listed in alphabetical order, which I love, and the repetitive rhymes encourage memorization. Each state’s page also includes the state’s motto. The charming illustrations by artist Jessie B. Orlet include each state flower, bird, and flag, but also other items the state is famous for, which creates an avenue for additional discussion.

I wish I had this book when my daughter was studying U.S. capitals earlier this year.

I highly recommend Fifo “50 States” by Hayley Rose. Learning should always be this much fun.


My Book Retreat
I recently got the opportunity to read a new children’s geography book called Fifo “50 States” by Hayley Rose. I was especially excited to see this book because my kids and I try to do weekly geography lessons, which I write about over on my Just Playin’ Around blog. So I’m always looking for new geography resources, and this one is great!

Each left-hand page features a rhyme that introduces a state by telling what number state it is, the capital, state flower, state tree and state bird. It has the state motto at the bottom of the page as well. Here’s an example:

Up in the north
lies the 23rd state,
it is called Maine
and I hear it’s just great.
Augusta is the capital
and there are many things to see,
like the White Pine Cone and Tassel flower
and the Eastern White Pine tree.
The bird, the Chickadee,
lives in Maine too.
It’s a wonderful place to visit,
I’d like to go there, wouldn’t you?

On the right-hand page, there is a picture related to the state. This is what makes this book so great! While we get some good facts out of the rhyme, it is limited to the same pieces of information for each state. But the vibrant pictures on the right capture so much more. They show the shape of the state, the flag and many unique features of the state.

For example, on the Maine page, we see Fifo the bear standing on a dock holding lobsters in each hand, with a pine cone tucked in his shirt. The state bird is sitting on a boat by the dock reading a book that says Longfellow on the cover. The water next to the dock shows whale tails and Matinicus Isle with puffins on it. In the distance we see land with a lighthouse, pine trees, a moose and lots of logs piled next to a sign that says “Logging.” The state flag flies on the dock and the shape of the state of Maine is shown in the corner.

The level of information provided by this picture is amazing. We learn so much about the state without having to read about it. We can talk about whatever details interest the kids, and ignore the others. I highly recommend this to anyone who would like to introduce young children to the United States. I know we will be using it for all of our state studies in the future.