Books published by Bellissima Publishing

Everybody gets sick sometime or another, and sometimes kids pretend they are sick so they don't have to go to school. Find out why the child in this story doesn't want to go to school and what happens when her mother takes her to school even though she doesn't want to go there.Say hello to some fun cartoon characters and look for the fun music video that goes along with this book on the YouTube Bellissimavideo channel. Practice reading skills through word recognition techniques and rhyme, and try your own hand at drawing and writing your very own book! This is exactly how the award winning author attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan got started writing her books, and you can do it too! When you're a kid, everything and anything is possible! Dyan believes learning should be fun, and that kids should love to learn and her books use her very own tried and true classroom techniques to teach, and she brings her tricks of the trade to her young readers in again in this book!

There is nothing quite like a mother's love, and there is nothing quite like getting ready for bed, going to bed and getting tucked in by your mother. This book, written by the award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, takes a look at this process as it helps you learn your basic reading skills. Practice word recognition through rhyme and through the use of Dyan's kid friendly illustrations.Dyan believes learning should be fun, and that the only way to really learn and remember what you have learned is to make the learning process fun. Everything she does with her books has been kid tested, and when kids tell her what they like, she listens and tries to give them exactly what they want when it comes to the learning process; and doing things this way really does work!In addition to encouraging creativity through the use of this book, further enhance the learning process by going to the Bellissimavideo YouTube Channel, and look for the video that goes along with this book for even more learning fun!

Passau is a town in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the Dreiflüssestadt or "City of Three Rivers," because the Danube is joined at Passau by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Tourism focuses on the three rivers, St. Stephen's Cahedral and the "Old City." The organ at St. Stephen's was long held to be the largest church pipe organ in the world, now second in size only to the organ at First Congregational Church, Los Angeles, California. Take walk though the town of Passau and look through the camera lens of John D. Weigand to see some of the things he and award winning author, attorney, and former teacher, Penelope Dyan saw as they visited this beautiful, historical little city that looks like it was plucked right out of the past! Remember this is a picture book for kids that will look great on your coffee table. You will see in its pages only the things a child would notice and see, because Dyan and Weigand see though the eyes of a child. Then look for the video on the Bellissimavideo Channel that goes along with this book to further enhance the learning experience. Dyan and Weigand are all about the fun of learning, so expect no stodgy facts here, only fun, please!

The name "Budapest" came from combining the names of two cities, "Buda" and "Pest." Originally, there were two separate cities. Today they are connected by eight bridges crossing the Danube. The two cities became one city, a single city, in 1873. According to chronicles of the Middle Ages the name "Buda" came from its founder, Bleda (or Buda) the brother of Attila the Hun. There are several theories about the origin of the name "Pest." One of these theories believes the word "Pest," came from the Roman times, since there was a fortress "Contra-Aquincum" in this region called "Pession." Others think the name "Pest" came from the Slavic word for cave "??????, peshtera," or from the word for oven "???, pesht."Budapest began as a Celtic settlement that became the Roman capital of Lower Pannonia. Hungarians arrived in the 9th century. Their first settlement was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241-42.The re-established town became one of the centers of Renaissance humanist culture in the 15th century. Following the Battle of Mohács and after nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule, the region entered an age of prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries. Budapest became a global city after its 1837 unification. It also became the second capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a great power that dissolved in 1918, after World War I. Since that time, there was revolution and more war. Budapest was a part of the USSR until its break-up and the fall of the Berlin Wall. This book contains a smattering of what you can see and do in Budapest, but not everything. Photographer John D. Weigand and award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, traveled there in winter, just before the snow; and were so entranced, they vowed someday to return in the summer and spring. The city of Budapest is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and there is plenty for a kid to do and see! Dyan and Weigand look at a place through the eyes of a young child to give them a glimpse of what they might see and to let them know, sometimes the world is not such a big place, after all!

Have you ever wondered what happened to all the stars you used to see in the sky? Our protagonist did and she went on her very own quest and asked everyone she knew where they thought the stars had gone, until she finally found her answer, and what a big surprise when the answer came with a very simple solution. Stars are very important to us as well as to nature. Read this book to find out why.Written by award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, this book once again can be used as a teaching tool to open a scientific discussion as well as to teach some important learning skills. Repetition and rhyme are the tools used to make learning fun. See if you can guess what words are coming next. When you are finished reading the book see if you can write your own story and make your own book about the stars. Penelope Dyan promises it will be fun. Then look up into the night sky and see what you can see up there! And there is also a video that goes with this book on YouTube on the Bellissimavideo channel where you can hear Penelope Dyan sing! Use the video to enhance the learning experience and to make learning new things even more fun. But don't stop there. Learn all you can about galaxies and stars and the far off places in the recesses of your imagination.

Sometimes you have something so dear to your heart that you know that even when you are old, you will never really leave it behind you. This is how it is with our young hero's teddy bear. Do you have something special that you love with all your heart? If you do, then that is a good thing, because love is always a very good thing. Hold it dear. Hold it close.Enjoy the story and illustrations by Penelope Dyan and try to make a book of your own about your favorite things or things. What or who is in your heart about whom you can write a story and make a book?Written and illustrated by award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, for her very own brother, John; this book is meant to teach children not only how to read as it develops reading skills through repetition and rhyme, but also to remind us about other things in life, things for which we have special feelings, and to tell children that all of these feelings are okay, because feelings of all sorts are okay; and love is the very best feeling of all.

Fleas are everywhere, on dogs, on people, on cats and on all sorts of animals; but have you ever found a flea in your tea? Do you even drink tea? This is a very funny story about the journey of a flea as observed or maybe thought of by one little girl. Can you guess where the flea might be going? Do you think this little girl was right about where this flea had been and where it was going? Use this book to make up your own story about a flea, or continue this story and you can decide for yourself what happens next! Think about the deeper metaphor of the flea; and ask if you have any fleas, and whether it is true that even fleas have fleas,and if those fleas have fleas, and so on and so forth ad infinitum. Use this book as a learning resource where you can practice and earn new reading skills through both repetition, rhyme and word recognition, There is also a video by the same name on YouTube on the Bellissimavideo channel that you can use to enhance this learning experience. Written by award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, this book is sure to make you smile. Bellissima has a series of books and videos just like this one, all by Penelope Dyan, that can take you on a journey through books and music that will be certain to make you smile.

Practice your reading skills and your counting skills at the same time and have some fun while you are doing it! Have you ever counted flies? Well, if not then this is your opportunity to count some very funny flies with big green eyes. Everything in nature has its purpose, and award winning author, attorney and former teacher is using her flies in very funny way. See if you can guess what comes next in the rhyme and build your reading vocabulary by guessing what words come next in the rhyme, and by noticing as certain words repeat themselves, because repetition of things is another good way to learn.Look for the song and video that goes with this book on YouTube on the Bellissima video channel, Bellissimavideo, just to have a little more fun. Count and read numbers and numerals as you hunt for them on these pages. See all the wonderful kids' books written by Penelope Dyan that can teach you things and help you learn all while having fun. Dyan was widely published before coming to Bellissima in such children's publications as 'Humpty Dumpty Magazine' and 'The Kindergartner, as well as in 'Instructor Magazine,' the magazine that teachers teachers how to teach. All this proves once again, that you can't go wrong with a book for kids that is published by Bellissima!

Around every corner there is something to see wherever you go in this world. And around every corner is another corner.Award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan and John D. Weigand, photographer extraordinaire, have written another travel book with a big purpose. Dyan knows what kids like to see, but sometimes they need a little help when it comes to seeing all the art surrounding them. And in this case we are exploring corners and around corners and we are encouraging kids to explore around corners as well, and especially the corners of their minds. Malaga, Spain is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, and it is fitting that his birthplace should inspire you to learn, paint, write and draw, especially if you explore all around all its corners. If that doesn't make any sense to you, then you are probably too old for this book. Pablo Picasso once said, "There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into sun." We are not here to paint a yellow spot, and no child should paint a yellow spot. A child can paint the sun! When children travel they see with the eyes of a child. It is all about signs, things alike and things different, about animals in the clouds, and dandelions they can blow and watch as seeds float in the wind; and this should be encouraged, not discouraged.

Sometimes people don't like you just because you are you, and there isn't really anything you can do about it, except to just keep being the great person you are. This book was written to remind everyone who has ever been bullied, made fun of or treated in a mean way (and that just about includes everyone) that this too will pass, and that all you ever need is one true friend. This friend can be anyone. It can be your mother, your father, your grandmother, your sister, your aunt or your uncle or brother. The point is to remember you are never alone, and how you are being treated today may be entirely different from how you are treated when you grow up, because each of you have greatness inside of you.Find out who our protagonist's best friend is and why others made fun of her. It is all rather silly. What you need to to is remember there is nothing wrong with you. There actually something wrong with those who persecute you, just as there is/was something wrong with those Penelope Dyan simply calls "the distractors" in this book. Use this book as a starting point to open a conversation about bullying, what it means and why it is wrong; and explore in conversation why those who do this are merely distractors!

Willemstad, capital city of Curacao, sits an sunny island in the southern Caribbean Sea. Its stylistic Dutch touch comes from being one of the ABC islands, a part of Netherlands Antilles. This UNESCO World Heritage City is a fun place to visit. Its brightly painted Dutch colonial houses, waterfront, and the pontoon bridge over St. Anna Bay, and RIF fort, all contribute to the scene. There are places you can shop; and the moving pontoon bridge is an adventure all of its own, if it just happens to move just as you happen to step off of it, or while you are crossing it!Use this fun, 'learn to read' book filled with word repetition, word recognition and rhyme to practice reading skills and to get a kid's eye view of what a kid will see when they visit the city of Curacao! Then get ready for some 'Caribbean-Dutch' fun! And, of course, because this is an Island, there are lots of great beaches, not to mention the warm Caribbean sun!For even more learning fun, go to Bellissimavideo's YouTube Channel, and watch the free music video that goes with this book! And remember to have fun learning! Because if a kid doesn't have fun learning, a kid won't love to learn!

The Isle of Wight is an island in the English Channel, that sits about two miles off the coast of Hampshire; and you can get there by taking a ferry from Portsmouth, which is another fun place to visit. Wight has been home to poets Swinburne and Tennyson, and Queen Victoria built her summer residence and final home on the Isle of Wight. The island practices wildlife conservation and has some fun attractions for kids that support this practice. It also has some of the richest quarries in all of Europe for hunting dinosaur fossils. There is a train you can take through tunnels to get from here to there, and you can hop off the train and and walk along the streets of Wight whenever you like! Written by the award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, with photographs by John D. Weigand, you can use this 'learn to read' book to see just a bit of the Isle of Wight and practice your reading skills through word repetition, word repetition and rhyme. When you are done reading, watch the free music video that goes with this book on Bellissimavideo's YouTube channel. The Isle of Wight is a must see, must visit place that's only "A Ferry Away!"

Altun Ha is located in Rockstone Pond Village, in Belize in Central America. If you want to learn more about the ancient Mayans¿ culture beliefs and traditions, you can visit Altun Ha where the Mayans left traces of their culture and lives. The Mayans had many social rituals, and they studied mathematics and the heavens. And, no, they were NOT decedents of aliens from the sky, as one may believe from studying their skeletal remains. The upper classes actually altered their appearances by placing their infants' skulls between two boards, making the boards tighter and tighter each day until the skulls were reshaped to the desired cone-head shape effect, giving anew found meaning to the phrase, "the turning of the screws".Use this 'learn to read¿ book written by the award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, and complemented with the photographs of John D. Weigand, to practice your reading skills though word recognition, word repetition and rhyme. You can also travel vicariously through the pages of this book and see things a kid would notice and see as they traveled to this place. And when you are finished, don¿t miss the free music video that goes with this book that you can find on Bellissimavideös YouTube Channel!

Key West has some famous residents, past and present! They include Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Jimmy Buffet, Calvin Klein, Shel Silverstein, Judy Blume, Truman Capote, John James Audubon, Harry Truman, and Ralph Lauren, and Robert Frost, among others. . . clearly showing this place as one that fosters imagination and creative and intelligent spirit. For this reason, Key West also fulfills the Chinese proverb, "When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them."Written by award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Peneope Dyan, and complemented with the great photography of John D. Weigand, this 'learn to read' book is meant to inspire as children practice their reading skills using this book filled with word repetition, word recognition and rhyme. See Key West through the eyes of a child, as this book is also meant to show what a child would notice and see in Key West. But most of all have fun as you travel vicariously through the pages of this book with its extra large print that's perfect for young eyes. When you are all finished reading, watch the free music video that goes along with this book on Bellissimavideo's YouTube channel.

Have you ever tasted rhubarb soup? If you have, then it probably didn't taste anything at all like the rhubarb soup our two heroines, Debbie and Cindy made. And why did they make rhubarb soup in the first place? Well, if you read this 'learn to read' book you will find out exactly why!Written by award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, and filled with word recognition, word repetition and rhyme, this 'learn to read' book is about two girls who wanted to do something and then simply ended up doing something else that was every bit as fun as what they wanted to do in the first place! And maybe it was even more fun, because it was something they figured out how to do all on their own! Decide if you might like to try rhubarb soup as you read this book with its extra large print (perfect for little eyes) and practice your reading skills! The book's size fits perfectly in small backpacks, and it is easily held by small hands. There is also a free music video that goes along with this book on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channel for even more learning fun!

We all need to follow our own dreams, but sometimes we let things get in the way. We seem to get distracted by what others may say to discourage us, and then we never become all that we can be. What a kid needs to remember is we are all different, and we all have different dreams; and what we need to do is stop worrying about what other people are doing and then get on with doing our 'own things!' This book addresses two important social concepts: 1) Do not say bad things about another person; and 2) When someone says bad things about you, turn the other cheek and walk away! (See if you can figure out why as you read this book!)Written and illustrated by award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, this 'learn to read' book filled with word repetition, word recognition and rhyme, is meant to stir the imagination! The extra-large print is made for young eyes, and the book size is perfect for little hands. To make the learning experience even more fun, there is a free music video on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channel that goes right along with this book! So have fun learning, because if you don't have fun learning, you will not love to learn!

There is a very fun stop on the way back to Los Angeles, California from Las Vegas, Nevada, right off the I-15; and that stop is none other than Calico Ghost Town! Whether you are a kid or a grown-up, it's a great place to stretch your legs, pick up a souvenir or two and get something to eat! The town of Calico was built during an 1881 silver strike. It was the largest silver find ever found in California. Calico boomed until the mines began to go dry in 1896. By 1904 it was a ghost town. Walter Knott purchased Calico in the 1950s, and architecturally restored all but five remaining original buildings to look exactly as they did in the 1880s. Today it is a County Park. Written by Penelope Dyan, award winning author, attorney and former teacher, with photographs by John D. Weigand, this learn to read book is perfect to carry along on your road trip, or it can be used simply to practice reading skills. Then look for the free music video that goes along with this book, on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channel for even more learning fun!

There are three things you should always remember and those three things are are: 1) Do not harm another person; 2) Do not harm another person's property; and 3) Do not harm yourself. Add to that the Golden rule, and you pretty much know what is right and what is wrong, because if you only do onto others as you would have them do unto you, then you will be doing what is right, and you will not be doing what is wrong.Written and illustrated by award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, this book is meant to stir the imagination as it begins a very important conversation about the concepts of right and wrong. It is also another Penelope Dyan 'learn to read' book that will enhance reading skills though the use of word repetition, word recognition and rhyme. The illustrations and extra large print made for little eyes, as well as the size of the book, are meant for fun and ease of reading. The words are easy to see, and the kid-friendly illustrations and words can be copied by little hands as kids make their very own books. The book size is perfect for carrying in small backpacks or by those little hands! And there is also a video on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channel that goes along with this book for even more learning fun!

Being mean means that you are offensive, selfish, as well as accommodating, nasty or malicious. A mean person is often small-minded or ignoble, contemptible and despicable. If you do not want to be a mean person then you should be a nice person. Being nice means you are pleasing; agreeable and also delightful, pleasant, kind, always nice to strangers, and that you follow the 'Golden Rule,' which is "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."Award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, knows that no one can be perfect; but she also believes with all her heart that everyone should at least try to be nice most of the time. This is why she wrote this 'learn to read' book on the subject of mean people, to open the discussion. William Shakespeare wrote, "To be or not to be, that is the question." The question everyone needs to ask is whether they want to be mean or nice, and our author votes for nice! Practice your reading kills through word recognition, word repetition and rhyme as you read this book, and then watch the free music video that goes along with this book on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channel.

Sometimes when you play music or sing, a puppy will sing along. No one knows exactly why they do this. They just do! The best thing you can do about it is to just sing with the puppy and enjoy the experience and maybe even giggle and laugh a bit.Inspired by a fellow musician who said he had to arrange for his new puppy to be taken for a walk before he could record some music, because every time he played his guitar or his flute the puppy began to sing, award winning author,attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan got right to work and wrote this 'learn to read' book that is meant to make you smile as it uses the basic concepts of word recognition, word repetition and rhyme to make learning to read not only fun, but easy!Do you have a puppy that sings? If yes, then have fun and enjoyyour puppy! If you want to read another fun book about puppiesthat will help you with reading skills, read Penelope Dyan's other 'learn to read' book about puppies, titled "About Puppies," for even more learning fun. And be sure to watch the music videos that go right along with these books on Bellissimavideo's YouTube channel.

Some claim the Loch Ness monster was first reported in 565 A.D. when, according to legend, St. Columba turned away a giant beast threatening a man in the Ness River that flows into the lake. No one knows if any of the stories and legends are true, and Nessie isn't the only reported sighting of a lake monster; but it is more than likely safe to say Nessie is the most famous of them all! And she has captured the imaginations of adults and children alike. There have been photos of Nessie and descriptions have varied as to her appearance. Some people think she is a living dinosaur.Award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, and photographer, John D. Weigand went in search of the illusive Nessi themselves. Unfortunately, they didn't find Nessi; however, they are determined to return to the Loch Ness again one day in pursuit of Nessie and for a more extended search.In the meantime, they created this book just for kids, to help kids practice reading skills through word recognition, and word repetition and rhyme. This is one of two books they created for kids about the Loch Ness. (Be sure to read, "On The Loch! A Kid's Guide To Urquhart Castle." for even more reading. fun.)There is also a video on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channel to further enhance the fun of the learning process!

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich, UK is the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian of the World. It is also home to London's only planetarium, the Harrison timekeepers and the UK's largest refracting telescope. If you are the scientific type, or if you are just interested in how time is measured and want to try your hand at some fun activities, there are lots of things to see and do at the Royal Observatory, a short and fun walk right up King William Walk. In the 'meantime,' set your watches!See some of what photographer John D. Weigand saw through his camera lens, as you practice your reading skills through the use of word recognition, word repetition and rhyme The simple verse written by the award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, makes learning fun; and this book is a perfect starting point for parents and teachers to begin at to discuss the concepts of time and space. Author, Penelope Dyan believes learning should be fun; and these books are meant for kids, and they depict things that a kid would notice and want to see and to do. The photographs are original, and meant to stir the imagination and to get a child thinking. There is also a free music video on the Bellissimavideo YouTube Channel to further enhance the learning experience, for even more learning fun!

There is an old saying,or maybe it isn't so old, that says, "There is nothing like a warm puppy," or a kitty, whichever you may prefer. Penelope Dyan took some time to think about that, but not as much time as you might think, and then she wrote this book all about puppies . . .well it might not be all about puppies exactly, but more about how she feels about puppies. And here is a secret about this book, while you are reading "About Puppies," you can practice your reading skills through word repetition, word recognition and rhyme as you enjoy the kid-friendly illustrations that help you with word recognition.Penelope Dyan is an award winning author, attorney and also a former teacher, and the techniques she employs in the early reader books she creates are tried and true techniques she actually used in the classroom! Dyan and Bellissima Publishing, LLC believe learning should be fun, and if earning is not fun a kid will not love to learn. With that in mind, look for the free music video that goes along with this book on the Bellissimavideo YouTube Channel for even more learning fun!