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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Book Review - Captain McFinn and Friends

About the Books
Meet Captain McFinn and Friends, an original, innovative, and educational book series designed to promote kindness and friendship for children ages 4-8. Children, parents, teachers, school administrators, and camp staff will all enjoy and benefit from this collection of books and activities which includes 3 hard and soft cover books, an activity book, sing-a-long music CD composed by award-winning songwriter Terry Sampson, and educational materials for teachers, parents and the classroom. eBooks for NOOK, iBook, Kindle and mobile and tablet applications for Android and Apple’s iOS platforms will also be available for back-to-school.

‘Be a Buddy, Not a Bully’ is the underlying theme of this book series. According to the National Association of Elementary School Principals, bullying has become a national epidemic with an estimated 18 million children in the U.S. being bullied each year; negative feelings from being bullied account for 3 million student absences each month. Educators agree it is critical to educate kids about anti-bullying when they are young to discourage this negative trend.


Captain McFinn and Friends was created by Phyllis Cafaro, with inspiration from her grandchildren. In 2006, she began her journey to teach important life lessons to children through fictional stories and music. Her goal is to initiate positive changes in children everywhere.

“My ultimate goal with Captain McFinn and Friends is to make the world a better place in which to live, one child (and fish) at a time,” says Phyllis Cafaro, author and founder of the Captain McFinn and Friends series. “Bullying in schools is a major issue nationwide, occurring on a daily basis. No parent, grandparent, or educator wants children to feel unsafe at school, because schools should be a place for learning, fun, and friendship.”

This engaging 3 book series also includes an activity book with stickers, sing-a-long audio CD, mobile apps, eBooks and a wide variety of educational materials perfect for every educator’s budget. New to hit shelves beginning in June - Captain McFinn and Friends Rock!: The day Captain McFinn and his Undersea Friends start a band, they learn about more than just making great music. When Bella feels left out, it takes some extra Finn Power to get everybody ready for the big contest. Will hard work and friendship win the prize, or will Tox and the Barracuda Brothers ruin the fun?

The Legend of Captain McFinn and Friends: In this story we are introduced to the friendly black tip shark, Captain McFinn, who was once one of the biggest bullies on Sandy Dusty Reef. He meets the Undersea Friends who teach him, through kindness, that being a friend is always better than being a bully. Captain McFinn transforms from bully to leader and protector of the Sandy Dusty Reef.

Captain McFinn and Friends Meet Coral Rose: Captain McFinn and Friends go on an adventure of discovery when they stumble upon a new paradise where they meet their newest friend, Princess Coral Rose - The Princess Between the Tides. \


Captain McFinn and Friends “Finn-tastic” Activity and Sticker Book: This fun-filled activity book, which ties into the series, includes connect-the-dots, coloring pages, stickers, mazes, matching pictures, word searches and more!

Captain McFinn and Friends Mobile App and eBook will be available as a free download this fall for all iOS and Android platforms, Barnes and Noble NOOK and Amazon Kindle devices.

Captain McFinn and Friends ‘Come Along With The Friend-Ship Band’: This sing-a-long music CD is packed with 14 upbeat and catchy songs that young children, teachers and friends can dance and sing-a-long with and find out what all the fish are tapping their fins to! The songs were produced and written by award winning songwriter, Terry Sampson, whose other work includes Angelina Ballerina and Winnie The Pooh.

The entire Captain McFinn and Friends series is available online at www.captainmcfinn.com, and also at the major online retailers www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com. The retail prices for the hard cover books are $17.99 and the soft cover books are priced at $9.99. The music CD retail price is $9.99 and the activity book costs $5.99.

Beginning in the fall, Captain McFinn will introduce S.H.A.R.K. Patrol, an anti-bullying educational program for teachers to educate K-3 students how to recognize bullying, and protect themselves and others against it. S.H.A.R.K. (Students Help Achieve Respect and Kindness) Patrol was developed by accredited educators to prevent bullying by reinforcing positive behavior. The program offers educators tools for themselves, students and parents, such as storybooks, complete lesson plans, puppets, sing-a-long CD, posters, stickers and more. Items will be sold as a complete kit or separately; perfect for any district or classroom budget.

Additionally, a portion of the proceeds from Captain McFinn and Friends product sales will benefit the Captain McFinn Foundation, which supports a variety of children’s charities.

My Take on the Books
This was a great series of books that combined ideas of friendship and anti-bullying. The stories themselves have great messages and are filled with great illustrations as well. My girls loved the stories themselves and asked me to read them multiple times. I did not mind this because of t he messages that the book contained and it allowed me to be able to have some great conversations with them after reading the book as well especially about bullying.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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