Books published by Bellissima Publishing

Do you feel all alone, like you are the white elephant in the room? Do you know what a white elephant is? The term 'white elephant' is an idiom ( a word group with an entirely different meaning from the separate words when the words are said all together) for something you can't afford to keep and can't throw away. The term comes from a story about the kings of Siam (now Thailand) who made presents of their sacred white elephants to those they didn't like in order to ruin them through the cost of caring for the elephants. Since the animals were sacred, they couldn't work or carry loads. The cost of keeping them was not equal their worth, and a gift from the king had to be kept and could not be refused. People should never be white elephants, but sometimes others are not kind; and they can make you feel like one. Find out why you are NOT a white elephant, and why there is (after all) someone who wants you. Award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, weaves a charming story in verse about what one white elephant found out about friendship and how we should treat one another. Enjoy this book as you think about some very important things and practice your reading skills at the same time. Most of all. remember learning is fun!

Former teacher, attorney and international award winning author, Penelope Dyan, wrote this book, "Ben's Elephant!" for her good friend, Ben. Ben calls Penelope Dyan the 'book lady,' and he is full of ideas for stories he wants her to write. One day while drawing an elephant together on I-Pad, they noticed something about the elephant; and this story was born. Can you guess what it was that was different about Ben's elephant and what they did about it?Ben loves art, and he can't stop drawing. He has a very big imagination that never stops, and sometimes he will burst into laughter, and he will give someone a great big hug for no reason at all! Maybe you know someone like Ben. Maybe you are just like Ben. Do your drawings sometimes come to life for you in your imagination? If they do, then perhaps you should sit down and write a story about your own drawings. You could even make a book! That's what Penelope Dyan did when she was a kid! And when she was a teacher, her kids were always making books, drawing and having fun reading and learning, because learning and doing all of those things is always fun!

Peebles is a burgh in the committee area of Tweeddale, in the Scottish Borders, lying on the River Tweed. That said, Peebles, Scotland is a wonderful little town, plucked out of a storybook, where birds fly and dogs run, and red-haired boys and girls ride bicycles and play in the green of the town and vast countryside. Award winning author, attorney, and former teacher Penelope Dyan and professional photographer John D. Weigand invite you to embark with them on a small trip though this colorful town where they ate delicious fish and chips along the river tweed and stayed in a hotel that was a castle!This book, like all the Weigand/Dyan travel books, will not merely spoon feed kids a bunch of facts. It will encourage imagination. See what things your children can find out about this place and make this book their own by inserting their own photographs, drawing, tickets, notes and whatever they want within these pages. This is how a child really learns--by doing, not my memorizing sets of facts. Children always see things very differently than adults, and Dyan and Weigand are able to see what children see and invite them to find out more!

Who is always with us? Can you solve the riddle of this book? Penelope Dyan has used her gifts and talent to create yet another faith based book for you, filled with poetry and based on verses from the Holy Scriptures, set out on each page to give you a hint to the answer to the riddle. What is the question? Read this book and find out! Enjoy the fun illustrations and poetry of this award winning author, attorney and former teacher as you explore your fears and realize you are not alone. Just in case you can't figure out the answer to the riddle, by the time you get to the very last page of this book, everything will be very, very clear. Practice your reading skills as you read the fun poetry of Penelope Dyan set out in extra large print for the littlest of eyes to see, and see how the Bible was written just for you as you read the corresponding bible verses, or have them read to you!

A steam train is a train that is pulled by a head locomotive that produces power through a steam engine. The purpose of a steam train was to pull freight cars and passenger coaches along railroad tracks. All the Steam locomotives are fueled by coal, wood or oil. The fuel is burned to produce steam in a boiler, and this is what drives the steam engine so that it can pull the train cars. Fuel and water supplies are also carried on the train. Beginning in Britain, steam locomotives dominated railway transportation from the start of the 19th century, until the middle of the 20th century. They were gradually improved and developed in their over 150 years of use. Starting in about 1930, other types of engines were developed, and steam locomotives were gradually superseded by the diesel and electric locomotives. So what this means is that they basically stopped using them in favor of more modern means of transport, including the more modern trains. A very fun thing to do when you are in England is to see if you can take a trip on a steam train, because you will be sitting and traveling in a real piece of something that came right from the history books! Try to imagine all the people who might have sat right here you are sitting. Write a story about it. Take some pictures, and put your tickets in this book and make it your very own. See if you can see some of the things Penelope Dyan and John D. Weigand saw when they conceived this book! Written by the award winning writer, attorney, and former K-12 teacher, Penelope Dyan, and accompanied by the always wonderful photographs of professional photographer and videographer, John D. Weigand, even if you don't get a chance to ride this train, you can still get a bird's eye view of it through the words and photos in this book!

The city of Bath was first established by the Romans in 43 AD as a spa resort and was given the Latin name, Aquae Sulis, "the waters of Sulis." However, many believe Bath was known about before that. The Romans built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills of Bath in the valley of the River Avon around hot springs, the only natural hot springs in the United Kingdom. Edgar was crowned King of England at Bath Abbey in 973. Bath became very popular as a spa resort during the Georgian era. This led to major expansion of the city and left Bath with a rich heritage of Georgian architecture. Today, there is even more to Bath than the great Roman baths. There's ice-cream to eat, stores where you can shop and all sorts of musicians and things to see and hear. Use this book as a learning tool when you go to Bath, and see what you can add to this book. Take time to insert your own pictures of what you find inside and outside the Roman baths. You can get to Bath by train from London, rent a car to get there, or go on a sight seeing tour. Here is a secret. (Don?t tell anyone we told you.) You can even see Windsor Castle and Stonehenge on the way to bath (or from Bath) if you like. No professional photographs are allowed inside the baths, so this surprise also awaits your visit. This book was photographed by John D. Weigand, and written by award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan in a way the youngest of kids can learn and understand. It is also a perfect complement to your mom?s coffee table!

There is a reason for the Easter season, and while it is great fun to look for all the colored eggs and fun things the Easter Bunny might bring, there is an even bigger reason for the celebration of Easter.This book uses basic teaching skills, repetition of words from the Dolch reading word list, and rhyme, along with kid friendly colorful illustrations that will encourage your child to be creative. Let your child finish the rhyme, and let him name the characters he sees on the pages after he notices the word patterns presented in the book. This will reinforce his reading skills, and give you a chance to interact with your child as your child reads. It doesn't matter if you think your child is already reading and therefore doesn't need this kind of book, because that isn't the point of the book. The point of this book, and of all Penelope Dyan books, is to promote four things 1) creativity; 2) discussion; 3) enjoyment of reading; and 4) fun! If you meet these goals with your child when it comes to reading, your child will love reading. If your child loves reading, your chid will learn and love learning; because learning will be associated with both the discovery of new things and fun! 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 (of the top ten books) 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 it is also recognized on the Girls Voices In Literature Database, Miami University Florida.

All kids have a favorite something. Maybe your favorite thing is a blanket or a pillow. And maybe you like its smell and never want to wash it, whatever it is. The girl in this book had some socks she liked to wear because of Christmas. She never wanted to take them off her feet. What do you think happened to those socks? Read this book and find out, and find out what other things this girl did to help celebrate the Christmas season.Written and illustrated by award winning author, Penelope Dyan, this story brings us a whimsical side of childhood everyone can enjoy. Two of Dyan's books, "Ben's Adventures, Proof Positive A Boy Will Be A Boy," and "Happy Birthday, A Book About Birthdays, Dreams And Wishes," were recently chosen by the UK Arts council to be placed in the Saison Poetry Library, Southbank Centre, on the fifth floor of the Royal Exhibit Hall, London; and another of her children's books of poetry, " A Book For Girls About Being A Girl," is ranked 3rd on the Pukeke reading list of best books for girls aged 5-8 in Australia. Her book "Surfer Girl" was winner of best teen book at both the 2008 New York Book Festival and the 2008 Hollywood Book Festival, and is recognized by Girl's Voices In Literature Database, Miami University, Florida. "Surfer Girl" is also ranked fifth on Pukeke reading list of best books for early teens.Read this book and think about all of the very little things about Christmas, like your favorite pair of Christmas socks, your favorite ornament upon the tree, or the smell of Christmas dinner; and thenremember how special Christmas is, and carry it through your heart all year long.

Innsbruck, Austria is one of the most beautiful places in the entire world. High in the hills of Austria, you can get a feel of what it was like in the not too distant past, and in the old part of town, they have made great efforts to preserve what has made the town unique. Evidence shows habitation in the early Stone Age. Surviving pre-Roman place names show that the area has been continuously populated. Innsbruck is the capital city of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn Valley at the junction with the Sill River, and it provides access to the Brenner Pass, The word bruck comes from the German word Brücke which means "bridge." Innsbruck literally means "bridge over the Inn." The Austrians and the people of Innsbruck have gone to a lot of trouble to make Innsbruck tourist and kid friendly. When you walk down the streets of the old part of the town, you almost feel like it was created by Walt Disney himself! And even if you can't go to Innsbruck, you can still enjoy going there vicariously through the pages of this book with award winning author, attorney and former K-12 teacher, Penelope Dyan, and John D. Weigand, professional photographer and videographer, Use the pages of this book to insert your own notes, photographs and tickets and things to make this book your very own; because it is only when you make a book your own that you can truly learn from its pages. Research, study and have fun; and if you go to Innsbruck see what you can recognize from this book! That will make your trip there even more interesting and fun, because you will be on a mission of discovery.

Is it true there is a time for everything? Silly Sally and her mother seem to think so. There is a time to relax and a time to have fun; and there is a time to scrub. And there is always time to smile, of course.Take a look at life through the eyes of silly Sally and her mother and see what you can see. Sally's mother does not get upset over the small things and she enjoys Sally and how Sally looks at life.Written and illustrated by Penelope Dyan, an award winning author, an attorney and a former teacher who simply loves kids, this book will make you stop and look at life's big picture, if only in a small way; and this book is meant for moms and dads as much as it is meant for children. Dyan thinks one should not sweat the small stuff of life, and you should, instead, revel in them.Dyan has had two of her books, much like this one, placed in the Saison Poetry Library at Southbank Centre, London, UK, in the Royal Exhibit hall, chosen by the UK Arts council for placement in their collection of children's poetry. Another one of her poetry books, "A Book For Girls About Being A Girl," is also ranked third on the Pukeke reading list in Australia in books of poetry for girls ages 5-9. Dyan's book, "Surfer Girl" is ranked fifth on the Pukeke reading list for best books for early teens, and "Surfer Girl" is listed on Girl's Voices In Literature Database, Miami university Florida. "Surfer Girl" (additionally) was winner of best teen book at both the 2008 New York Book Festival and the 2008 Hollywood Book Festival and has won several other awards, as have several of Dyan's other books.

Eve was the very first woman on the entire earth, and you might say that because she was the first woman to wear clothes (thanks to her eating of the forbidden fruit) that she was also the inventor of style! Do you ever think about what it would be like to live in the Garden of Eden and how you would feel if you had to leave it? The award winning author, attorney and former K-12 teacher, Penelope Dyan, has thought about these things a lot. If you have thought about these things as well, then maybe you can draw some pictures showing what you imagine the Garden of Eden was like! Read the story of Eve and find out how she was tempted by the serpent to eat of the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge. Also find out why and how God showed his mercy to us all as you learn all about the first sin, the original sin, and how we were ALL blessed and given a second bite at the apple of life! Be sure to read all of the bible verses as you enjoy the delightful verse and drawings of Penelope Dyan.

Sometimes when you go looking for answers, the answer is just outside your window. Of course, that does depend on what the question is. Penelope Dyan explores the answer to one question and finds her answer by looking just outside the window. Can you guess what the question is? If someone told you to look outside your window, then what would you see? What answers would you find.Penelope Dyan is an award winning internationally known writer and poet and a former K-12 teacher as well as an attorney, so she is used to asking lots of questions; and she is also used to looking for answers.Take a trip "Just Outside The Window' with Penelope Dyan and see what you find as you enjoy the kid-friendly illustrations and poetry that are in integral part of this fun book that Penelope Dyan wrote for her very favorite people, kids!Think about what is just outside your own window and make up a story and draw some drawings of your very own. and do it just because you can! Kids are the very best at this kind of stuff, and Dyan believes that every kid has a story inside just waiting to come out. After all, she has been writing these books since she was a kid, and when she grew up she just kept on doing the same old thing! Smile, laugh and read, and remember no one can read too many books!

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be a turtle? Just think, you could go anywhere you wanted to go and never leave your home, because you would be carrying your home on your back! (Or at least that's what everyone says.)This is the story of a very funny couple of turtles who like to sing and who never stay anywhere for very long. And Penelope Dyan introduces them to you through her delightful poetry and kid-like illustrations The tale is short and sweet; and it is, of course, the tale of two turtles who enjoy the company of one another very much, ,as you will see. Sometimes it seems like people are like turtles, or maybe turtles are like people. But the truth is that turtles really are turtles, and people really are people, except in a Penelope Dyan story where things just seem to get a little confused. After you read "A Turtle's Life For Me!" you can decide if you are a turtle, or if you just want to live your life like one.

It's 'Off To School' with Penelope Dyan! Use this book to get the dialog going about that first day od school. Dyan knows that sometimes kids are apprehensive about going to school, and so she addresses that apprehension directly in this fun little book and gives parents a chance to explore all those crazy thoughts and feelings with their children.Penelope Dyan is an award winning writer and poet and a former K-12 teacher and attorney who brings all her expertise to the table as she writes. Her books for kids are based on her experience with them, as well as on her classroom experience. Enjoy Dyan's whimsical poetry and child-like illustrations, all done in bright and vibrant colors as you explore the world as only a child sees it.Our little hero is off to school, and first he feels very excited about it, and then he just doesn't want to go at all. Perhaps this is how you felt on your first day of school until you found out just how good school was and how much fun you would really have!And here is a little secret about Penelope Dyan. When Dyan was onlysixteen, she was introduced to a guy named Ted who lived in La Jolla (and wrote children's books) who told her her she was wonderful, and she should send her work to publishers even if she had to write on toilet paper, and to never give up writing and submitting. That guy named Ted turned out to beTed Geisel, Dr, Suess, and his words have been an inspiration to Dyan ever since. This book is dedicated to that guy named Ted.

Photographer John D. Weigand and author Penelope Dyan went to Las Vegas and came back with another very special travel book meant for kids that will look great ion your coffee table. Suffice it to say, this is a new Las Vegas full of lots of surprises as it captures the essence of so many places all over the world! Los Vegas is till the city of lights, but now it is even more!Entertaining and compact, inexpensive and fun, Las Vegas makes a great place to have a family vacation.So take a bit of an explore though this book with photographer John D. Weigand and former teacher, author and attorney, Penelope Dyan. When you see the candy apples, imagine yourself taking a delectable bite, and when you see the gondolas, imagine yourself taking a ride through the Grand Canal of Venice, Italy! Purchase this book as a companion book to "Take A Dam Tour! A Kid's Guide To Hoover Dam, Nevada," (also by Dyan and Weigand), and then see and do it all and more with your kids, beginning with the pages of these books. Or you just travel vicariously though this book, because the mind and your imagination can take you anywhere!Fire up the imaginations of your children with this informative book and ask yourself what kinds of minds created such a diverse, fun and entertaining place that captures the essence of just about everywhere? Perhaps your child will be inspired to become an architect or an artist. You never know where an explore and a dream will lead you!

Three thousand to four thousand years ago, Native Americans first inhabited the the Grand Canyon. The Pueblo Indians built adobe houses around the canyon and made animal figures out of twigs. The Hopi Indians believed when they died, their spirits came to rest in the canyon. The first American to cross the Colorado River was Hamblin in 1864. And in 1869 Major John Wesley Powell traveled the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. In 1905 the El Tovar, Hotel was built on the canyon rim. Seventy-five different species of mammal, fifty species of reptiles, twenty-five species of fish, and three hundred species of bird live in the Grand Canyon. In 1540 Francsico Coronado discovered the Grand Canyon, and congress declared Grand Canyon Preserve a National Park in 1919. The Grand Canyon is a vacation spot you will never forget. Look closely, and you might see a deer, or an elk, or even a California condor! The scenery is ever changing, as much as it is the same. In winter there is snow and in the spring there are wildflowers! You can take a donkey down into the canyon and back, camp out and hike or just stay in the world class El Tovar hotel and order room service! There is shopping and more and so much fun for kids and parents to have as the explore the enormity of the Grand Canyon. Take a walk through the pages of this book and see what photographer John D. Weigand and award winning author, attorney and former author Penelope Dyan saw, and know there is even more beauty and excitement for you when you take your own trip to the grand canyon!

The Roman city of Pompeii was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 79 A.D. It was first occupied in 6th century B.C, and the Romans turned it into a place to vacation in 81 B.C., and it served that purpose (among others) until it was buried, lost, and forgotten under mud and ash.Two million people now live under Mount Vesuvius, and it has erupted more than fifty times since 9 A.D.. It continued to erupt every 100 years until about 1037 A.D., when it went into hibernation for six hundred years. In 1631, Mount Vesuvius erupted yet again, taking 4000 more lives. During the restoration (after the 1631 eruption) workers discovered the ruins of ancient Pompeii! Everyone is curious about Pompeii, because the city was a wonderful, glamorous and modern place that seemed to just disappear (like the tale of Atlantis) from the face of the earth. This is your chance to see a bit of exactly what has been uncovered, as John D. Weigand's photographs and the poetry of Penelope Dyan help you explore this once great and ancient city in the pages of yet another Bellissima book meant for kids that looks great on your coffee table!

Sometimes some people (who are not your parents) may want to tell you how to live your life. They may even become rather bossy. Even though it is difficult, the best thing you can do is stand up for what you believe is right, and for what you want to do in and with your life. You should never try to live a life by someone else's standards, rules or ideas, because even if how they live their own life may be right for them, chances are, how they live their life is probably wrong for you!Use this faith-based 'learn to read'book that is full of word repetition, word recognition and rhyme to practice reading skills, and then make a book of your own, and tell your very own story, a story that is all abut you and who you are and who you want to be.Written and illustrated by the award wining author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, these simple drawings will delight any child, and can even be copied as kids create their own books. Then when you are finished reading this book, don't forget to watch the free music video that goes along with this book on the Bellissimavideo YouTube Channel for even more learning fun!

This is Napoli¿s story; and all it takes is a walk through the streets of Napoli to see, feel and hear it. All you have to do is simply see what surrounds you. From the graffiti on walls, to the artwork and paintings, to the faces you will see . . . it is all a part of the ongoing story.Some Italians believe that if they let the graffiti go and don¿t say anything, the perpetrators will simply get tired of doing it and go away, because they are only doing this for attention. Time will only tell if this is right or wrong; but you can¿t disagree that it all becomes a part of the story, and Italians do love a story!Filled with word repetition, word recognition and rhyme, this ¿learn to read¿ book will show you a bit of what you can see when you go to Napoli. But this book is only the beginning of the story, and whether you travel through the pages of this book, or down the streets of Napoli, it is up to you to add to the story; because we are all an integral part of every story and about every place we visit with open eyes and an open heart. So have fun reading this book, and then see even more of Napoli as you have even more learning fun watching the free music video that goes with this book on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channel.

Everything you have to do in life has to do with attitude, and if your attitude includes doing what is right and not thinking selfishly when it comes to others, then you are on the right track! This 'learn to read' book by the award winning author, attorney, and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, explores the idea of attitude. Do you think you have a good attitude? What does having a good attitude mean? What do you think you might be able to accomplish with just the right attitude?This book explores the concept of attitude as you develop reading skills though word recognition, word repetition and rhyme. The book size is just perfect for little hands and for carrying in a kid-sized backpack, and the extra large print is easy on little eyes.This is meant to be a book about a serious subject, and at the same time it is meant to be a book that is fun, a book that encourages kids to think and form opinions; because a book is about more than merely words on a page. There is also a free music video on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channel to make the learning process even more fun!

Written by the award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, this learn to read book is meant to comfort as it teaches reading skills through the use of word recognition, word repetition and rhyme, with a host of the familiar characters used throughout her learn to read books, from which she hopes kids will copy and draw and make their own fun books, as this was exactly the experience she had as a teacher! Add the fun of music through the free YouTube music video on the Bellissimavideo channel that goes along with this book, and your child will soon become excited about the learning process; because when kids have fun learning, they will love to learn; and Penelope Dyan believes all learning should be fun! The message is one of being bullied. What can you do when this happens? The discussion is whether you turn the other cheek or stand up and fight, and the answer is not a simple one. Each situation has to be discussed according to its own unique merits; and this is why Dyan says, "Sometimes opening a door is a good idea. It all depends on what is on the other side."

If you don't like playing in the rain, then this book is not for you. But if you love splashing in puddles and you like having fun in the rain, then this is the perfect 'learn to read' book for you! So practice your reading skills through word recognition, word repetition and rhyme in this fun book about a kid and her mom playing in the rain, and visit some fun, familiar Penelope Dyan characters who are also playing in the rain!But even if you are a stay inside kid when it rains, you can read this book and pretend in your mind that you are splashing through puddles! And, by the way, award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, never lets a little rain get in the way of a good time; and she wants kids to know there is always an alternative to every dark cloud! Everyone can make something out of nothing, and maybe you can even make a book! Your mind can take you anywhere and everywhere you want to go! There is also a free music video that goes with this book on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channel. Free is also always fun!

Kids always have questions, and sometimes those questions may seem a little silly; but the important thing you want to remember is that the only foolish question is the question you never ask, because it is from our questions that we learn and discover and even create.Written by award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, this book is meant to get a kid thinking as basic, beginning reading skills are practiced. Use the kid-friendly illustrations and word repetition and rhyme to build word recognition skills, and have some fun while you are practicing your reading skills by letting your imagination run wild! This large print, kid sized book is just perfect for little eyes and little hands.The question presented is, "What is a telephant?" So see if you can figure out what a telephant might be before you reach the very last page of this book, and then you can watch a fun and free music video on the Bellissimavideo YouTube Channel for even more learning fun!