Books published by Bellissima Publishing

Do you have bunny eyes? Do yo know who does? The answer might surprise you as you read this whimsical story filled with words from the Dolch reading word list. Use this book to have some fun and to practice your reading skills and increase your reading vocabulary at the same time. This delightful book uses all the basic fundamentals of teaching reading, from word repetition to recognizing words by sight to picture/sight word match and more. Laugh at the surprise ending of this book written and illustrated by award winning author, former teacher and attorney, Penelope Dyan; and see if you can figure out the message behind this book. Enjoy the fun and kid-friendly illustrations and poetry that makes this book even easier to read because it is success oriented. If children have fun reading, they will want to learn; and if they want to learn, they will have success both in school and in life. Life is really all about fun, and it is the fun in life that makes life worth living. So have some fun with a Penelope Dyan book, and write a story or poem of your own!

Everyone needs a friend sometime, and nobody likes to be alone. See what happens when some spunky animals get too noisy in the library and are told to leave. Who is left behind, and what happens next? This book combines the concept of friendship with repetition of words and matching words to pictures in one's mind to teach and reinforce some basic reading skills. The simple drawings encourage your child to draw and to write and to create books, all perfectly planned by this author and poet. This book builds on the concept of success, because no child should ever fail when it comes to learning, and with these Dyan books, kids cannot fail. The main thing to remember when it comes to choosing the right books for your young reader is that a book should be more than just a bunch of words strung together, because when a book is fun to read and has a purpose, kids will want to read. When children read, they also learn. Penelope Dyan is a former teacher, an attorney and an award winning writer. Two of her books for children have been chosen by the UK Arts Council and are on display at the Saison Poetry library on the fifth floor of the Royal Exhibit Hall at Southbank Centre, London, two of her other books are listed in the best books (top ten) on the Pukeke Reading list in Australia, and her book "Surfer Girl" was best teen book at both the 2008 New York Book Festival and the 2008 Hollywood Book Festival and is recognized on the Girls Voices In Literature Database, Miami University Florida.

This book is a valentine in and of itself, and it is meant for all of the many valentines out there in the world, who need to be reminded there is no end to love. People express love, animals express love--in this book love seems to be just about everywhere. And while your child and you talk about how much you love one another, you will also read this book and reinforce reading skills at the same time! Who should receive a valentine? Well, everyone should give receive a lot of valentines, because love knows no bounds, especially when it comes to sending and receiving valentines, even if you are two elephants, two frogs, two giraffes or two dogs! Penelope Dyan is a former teacher, an attorney and an award winning writer. Two of her books for children have been chosen by the UK Arts Council and are on display at the Saison Poetry library on the fifth floor of the Royal Exhibit Hall at Southbank Centre, London. Two of her other books are listed in the best books (top ten) on the Pukeke Reading list in Australia, and her book "Surfer Girl" was best teen book at both the 2008 New York Book Festival and the 2008 Hollywood Book Festival and is also recognized on the Girls Voices In Literature Database, Miami University Florida. Read and enjoy this book, a perfect gift for any valentine on your valentine's day list of valentines. Or give it to someone anytime, just to say, "I love you."

This is a book written for a very special little girl named Zoe who has a very interesting perspective on life. And what is that perspective? It is to have a much fun as you possibly can in life and to enjoy every minute of it! And in Zoe's case it shows, and this is why Penelope Dyan wrote this book just for her!This is an age old story of kids and Christmas, and addresses some very serious issues like making sure Santa has his chocolate chip cookies before he goes back up the chimney on Christmas night!Penelope Dyan also makes sure this time that the clothes on her characters really match. Red and white matching red and white is not a good enough match for our little Zoe, because stripes must match stripes, after all.Meet Zoe's house mouse and a cat that looks like a cow. Do you know why the cat looks like a cow? Perhaps you can guess why.Penelope Dyan is a former teacher who is an attorney, and has been widely published in both fields. Her kid friendly drawings are meant to make kids laugh in delight, and they do! They are also intended to show kids drawings do not have to be complex or serious, all they have to do is come straight from the heart. Do not be surprised if your child copies some of the drawings to make his or her own books, because this is exactly what Dyan hopes will happen. If you are a Penelope Dyan fan you know all her books are about beingcreative and about taking a kids' eye view of the world, and this book is no different!

No one should ever be a dreadful DiDi. But exactly what is a dreadful DiDi? Can a dreadful DiDi change her ways so that she is no longer dreadful? If you are a dreadful DiDi or if you know a dreadful DiDi (which most of us do) then this is the book for you!Enjoy the kid friendly illustrations and funny poetry of Penelope Dyan and then think about yourself and if you have ever tested your mother or father just to see how far you could go.Penelope Dyan is an award winning author and poet, a former teacher and an attorney. She loves kids and writes and illustrates her books with kids in mind. Usually, if something bothers her, she just writes a book about it. It's her way of helping others cope with the same things that might also bother them. Dyan is certain your mother and father tell you to be polite and nice to everyone, and she is also sure they tell you to take care of yourself. But sometimes kids just don't follow the rules, and dreadful DiDi is a perfect example of that!So please smell sweet and be sweet. And to find out exactly what this means, all you have to do is read this book!

Take a trip down the Rhine River in Germany with Photographer John D. Weigand former K-12 teacher and award winning author and poet Penelope Dyan and see some of what they saw on their very special trip. You will be surprised at the castles you will see and how colorful the small towns and villages along the Rhine River are. Most of all, you can let your imagination fly as you compose wonderful stories in your head and pretend you are one of the princesses or princes of the castle returning home after a long trip. Then you can return to your very own castle. Do you know where that is? Read this book and find out.Penelope Dyan tells her story, and it seems to go right along with what you are imagining in your mind, because Penelope Dyan really knows and understands kids, Parents, you can use this book before you go to Germany so that your children will know what wonderful things they are about to see. You can also use this book to travel down the Rhine vicariously with them; and if you go for a boat down the Rhine, you can see in advance exactly what you will see, Then compare the pictures in this book with what you are actually seeing as you pass each colorful city and castle. One thing is for certain, there is nothing like a cruise down the Rhine River, and a one of a kind kid deserves a one of a kind adventure, even if it is one only done through the pages of a book. After all, an adventure is an adventure!

You can get very bored on a long train ride, but you won't get bored if you know what is ahead on the tracks. Brenner Pass is a beautiful place, and the exciting thing is that you can see it by train! If you want, you can even stop at one of the many train stations along the way and stretch your legs and talk a walk around one of the several lovely small towns. Brenner Pass is a feast for the eyes. Have your children count how many church steeples they see along the way, or how many small villages they see. Watch for hikers and take in the breath taking beauty. With photography by John D. Weigand and poetry by award winning author, Penelope Dyan, you can delight in the sights and impressions of these two travelers as you talk to your children about what happened along the pass. Brenner Pass served mule trains and carts until a road was opened in 1777. The railway, completed in 1867, is the only trans-alpine rail route with no major tunnel. At the end of World War I international borders shifted. Control of the area has shared between Italy and Austria ever since. During World War II, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini met there to celebrate their Pact of Steel on March 10, 1940. And Brenner Pass was a Nazi escape route after the collapse of Germany in 1945.The pass is beautiful to behold, and with or without its colorful history, the journey is fun and interesting. Travel the pass through the pages of this book, and pretend you can hear the sound of the rails going clickity clack, clickity clack as you trave along the railroad's track.

Penelope Dyan was cruising down the Rhine River in Germany when a wrinkled rather young woman began blowing smoke in her face. Dyan very politely tried to fan the smoke away with a piece of paper; and the woman just laughed at her and held the cigarette closer. Right then and there, as children played nearby, this story formed in her head. In fact, Dyan tried to turn on her computer that very instant to write this story, but the sun was too bright; and she couldn't see the computer screen. Nevertheless, the story was written. It is something that must be said. No one should ever be so selfish as to invade the breathing space of another. Use this book to warn your children about the dangers of smoking and second hand smoke, or give this book to a friend as a friendly nudge to stop smoking altogether. Be brave like the child in this story. Don't be afraid to be a little rude when your health is at issue, and never punish your child for saying something that is true and right.Dyan is a former k-12 teacher and an award winning writer. And as irreverent as this book may seem, it tells a very big truth.,

What do you have lurking in your attic besides dust bunnies and Christmas bulbs and ornaments that you pull out every year? You might be surprised to find out that there are some interesting thingslurking in the unknown, but you don't need to be afraid.Explore one attic with Penelope Dyan and find out what is up there. Have some fun with Dyan's kid friendly illustrations and poetry that will make you giggle. Practice your drawing and draw what you think might be in your attic or even what is in your attic. Make a book of your own!Author Penelope Dyan is a former K-12 teacher, and she has a gift for bringing out the best in children when it comes to creativity. Use this book and the other Dyan books to encourage your child to be creative and to bring out all the fun things that are hiding in his or her mind.Penelope Dyan is an award winning author, and her books are internationally recognized. She gets most of her subject ideas from children, and from the recesses of her own childhood. It is from her own childhood that her dreams began, and her hope is every child will be encouraged by her books to make their own dreams come true, whatever those dreams may be. Explore your attic and this attic and see what you find. Most of all, explore your mind.

You can learn a lot about life from a tar pit, like don't get too close or you just might fall in and get stuck and never be able to get out! Penelope Dyan was inspired by her visit to the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California, because the Tar Pits spoke to her about the origins and the disappearance of so many species. Surprised at how many different species were excavated from the pits, she was reminded about the fragility of life and how we all must work together to preserve what we have. Life does not have to end up in the pits.Join Author Penelope Dyan as she tells her very special version of the story of the La Brea Tar Pits. Dyan is a former K-12 teacher and an attorney who has two of her books containing poetry (not unlike the style of this book) placed in the Saison Poetry Library, fifth floor, Royal Exhibit Hall, London, UK, chosen by the arts council for their children's poetry collection. Dyan's book of poetry, "A Book For Girls About Being A Girl" has also been placed third on the Pukeke reading list of best books of poetry for girls ages 5-9 in Australia. Since life is fragile, we must work together to preserve it. If we all walk away like the ground sloth does in this Penelope Dyan written and illustrated story, then there will be no one left to pull us out of the sticky goo.(The La Brea Tar Pits is a registered U.S.. Natural National Landmark.)

Everyone has dreams and sometimes those dreams you dream at night can be scarey. That's how it was with Ben one night. He had a dream that was both scary and fun, but it was still a dream he was glad to get out of when he saw the vultures and realized he was among so many wild animals.There are basically two types of dreams, the dreams you wish for and hope will come true and the dreams you dream at night. The dreams you dream at night are divided into two additional main categories. One of those categorizes is the good dream, and one is the bad dream. The thing to remember is all dreams come from inside your head, so if you get frightened at night, you are merely frightening yourself, and all you need to do is either take control of your dream or wake up and get out of bed or go back to sleep and think happy thoughts so you have good dreams.Parents can use this book to talk about these things with their children to help them understand what is happening when they dream and also to reassure them all is well, just as Ben's mother did in this book. Penelope Dyan's first Ben Book, "Ben's adventures---Proof Positive A Boy Will Be A Boy" has been honored by being placed in the Southbank Center Poetry Library, London, chosen by the Arts Council, UK. Dyan is an attorney and former k-12 teacher who loves and really understands kids of all ages, even kids who are grown-ups! This is also book for boys that girls can read, because everyone dreams!

A fjord is a long and narrow inlet with steep sides and cliffs created by geological glacial erosion. There are many, many fjords that you can find along the coasts of Alaska as well as British Columbia, Chile, Greenland and Iceland, You can also find fjords on the Kerguelen Islands, in New Zealand, Norway, Labrador, Nunavut, Newfoundland, and Washington state!However, in this case, our author and photographer hopped on the ferry boat at Flam, Norway and headed out to see the famous fjords of Norway. But no matter where you are, and whether you travel through the pages of this book, or you travel in person to far off places, one thing is very clear; and that is that, like the geological make up of this great planet of ours, we are more alike than we are different, and we should embrace our differences as well as how we are alike, because we all live under the very same sun and moon.Use this book by the award wining author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, and photographer John D. Weigand to practice reading skills as you turn the pages of this book. When you are finished, watch the free music video that goes along with this book on Bellissimavideo's YouTube channel. And remember when learning is fun, kids love to learn!

There is nothing quite like the lovely sight of a swarm of butterflies, or even one Butterfly! Butterflies are symbols of being free, and it's not difficult to close your eyes and imagine you are soaring through the air on the wings of a butterfly! Butterflies also remind us that life is forever changing, and that we must ride out the changes of life with all its ups and downs, Sometimes we may feel sad just like the little girl in this story when she couldn't find her caterpillar. But just like the little girl in this story, before we even know it, everything can change; and all that sadness can turn into beauty and happiness and smiles. And then we remember, if nothing ever changed, we wouldn't have butterflies.Written by award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, for a very special someone who promised another very special someone some butterflies, for reasons we will not discuss here, this 'learn to read' book is meant to enrich your learning experience and open the wings of your heart. Then come down to earth, and watch the "Little Caterpillar" music video on the Bellissimavideo YouTube Channel for more learning fun!

Valencia is the third largest city in Spain, after Madrid and Barcelona. Founded as a Roman colony in 138 BC, it got its name from the Romans. (The city¿s name ¿Valenciä means strength and Valor, honoring Roman soldiers.) The middle ages saw the invasion of the Germanic peoples and overtaking by the church which changed Roman buildings into religious buildings. The city then surrendered without a fight to invading Moors in 714 AD. In 1238, King James I of Aragon, with armies of Aragonese, Catalans, Navarrese and crusaders from the Calatrava order, laid siege to Valencia. On September 28, the city surrendered. A mixture of Jewish, Christians and Muslims were all allowed to remain in the city as history moved forward. What we have today is a beautiful city filled with art, culture, diversity and a lot of fun things for a kid to see and to do!You can see some of what award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan and photographer, John D. Weigand saw on their visit to Valencia, Spain, as you turn the pages of this ¿learn to read¿ book filled with word repetition, word recognition and rhyme. Then, to see even more of this city, you can watch the free music video that goes with this book that you can find on the Belissimavideo YouTube channel.

Trapani is a city in Sicily, Italy that was founded way back in time by a group of people called the Elymians. Their Iron age history is basically the same as that of their nearby Sicani neighbors; and they adopted the Greek alphabet into their own language, a language no one has been able to translate to this day. Some Sicilians will tell you they are the same as the Greeks, probably because their histories intertwine.Much of the old city of Trapani dates from the late medieval or early modern period, and Fishing and canning are the main local industries. There is a lot to see and do in Trapani, and many things will catch your eye. This is truly one place where the sky meets the sea, and it¿s a great place to be! So bring your walking shoes and your camera and take pictures of your own as you do a great explore! Mainly, think about the past, the present and the future and how the people intermingled cultures, just as everyone has done since the beginning of time, to create the great, vast world in which we live today. This learn to read¿ book gives you a peek at what you can see in Trapani, and in the hills of Erice. And be sure to watch the free music video on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channel to see even more of this city!

Sometimes we become afraid, and fear knows no boundaries. Sometimes there is really no reason to be afraid. Sometimes there is. Use this 'learn to read' book by the award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, to talk about the concept of fear and what it means to be really afraid. Talk about how fear can help you avoid danger.This book, like the other Penelope Dyan 'learn to read' books, again uses word recognition, word repetition and rhyme, along with kid friendly drawings and words from the Dolch reading word list, to help kids develop reading skills. Use this book to make a book of your own about fear and what fear means to you, and don't be shy; because everyone is afraid at one time or another. When you are finished reading this book, you can watch a free music video that goes with this book on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channel, for even more learning fun.Remember, when learning is fun, kids love to learn! And at Bellissima Publishing, LLC learning is all about fun!

This is a book of encouragement, meant for kids, but with a lesson many adults need to hear. It is a birthday book about making dreams come true, and whether or not it happens to be your birthday, this book is a perfect book for you, if you happen to have dreams that you dream will come true.Written by the award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, this 'learn to read' book uses word recognition, word repetition and rhyme, as it not only helps kids with reading skills, but also teaches a very important lesson about life. Dyan wants her readers to know that while life may be meant for the young, the old are never too old to dream; and if a kid can carry this life lesson throughout life, life will be a much better experience, and a kid will never grow old, because no one is ever too told to dream. Books are places where dreams can be found, where thoughts can come to be, where imaginations can soar. If a book can begin a dream, anything is possible. And then, when you are all finished reading this book, look for the free music video that goes with this book on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channeland let your dreams soar.