The Canterbury Tales begin with the introduction of a group of pilgrims journeying to Canterbury to the shrine of Thomas Becket. The pilgrims include a knight, his son (the Squire) the knight 's yeoman, a prioress (a kind of nun), a second nun, a monk, a friar, a merchant, a clerk, a man of law, a franklin, a weaver, a dyer, a carpenter, a tapestry-maker, a haberdasher, a cook, a shipman, a physician, a parson, a miller, a manciple, a reeve, a summoner, a pardoner, the wife of Bath, and the author of the Canterbury tales, himself, Geoffrey Chaucer They meet at the Tabard Inn and decide to tell stories to pass the time on the way to Canterbury. The host of the Tabard Inn sets the rules for the tales. Each pilgrim is to tell two stories on the way to Canterbury, and two stories on their return. The host will decide whose tale is best for meaningfulness and for fun. They draw lots to decide who will tell the first tale, and the knight wins. The trip and the tales follow, and the interesting thing is that many of the sayings we use so often today come straight from The Canterbury Tales and Geoffrey Chaucer.Penelope Dyan and John D. Weigand traveled to Canterbury, UK so that you could see the destination of these pilgrims. Now while the original tales are told in old English, there is now a version of them everyone can easilyunderstand. The importance of these tales and knowing all about them is that this is the foundation that actually began English literature, and if you know about Chaucer. you will be ahead in your future studies. It is also important to know these tales as a stepping stone for telling and writing stories of your own, because the creation of stories is what Dyan, an award winning writer, former teacher and attorney, wants you to do Every kid should use his or her imagination to its fullest Everyone has a story to tell, and this is the whole point of Chaucer 's Canterbury tales as well

Rome! Magnificent Rome! From the lights of Rome at night to its busy days, there is excitement and magic in the air! There is truly no place quite like Rome. So take a walk through history as you and your child uncover the old Rome and marvel at the splendor of today's Rome. Tour the Colosseum and hear the tales of the games played there. Imagine you are a citizen of old Rome and see how exciting and modern these old Romans really were! Enjoy the photography of John D. Weigand and the poetry of Penelope Dyan as you trace their footsteps through time and marvel at all the glory of the Vatican. Climb the Spanish steps and toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain and make a wish. And remember as you smile and laugh with your child as they are introduced to Rome, that there is truly no place like home, unless you're in Rome; and add this book to your Bellissima travel books for kids that look simply great on your coffee table!

When Penelope Dyan saw the actual house where playwright William Shakespeare was born and grew up, she was nothing short of giddy. To see and hear docents dressed in costume take her through the house where Shakespeare was born, to walk where he walked, and to see where he played and where his father made leather gloves (as was his trade) and to look at the fireplaces and hearths where food was cooked and where William Shakespeare warmed his hands and feet, was an amazing experience for author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan . . . not to mention the excitement she experienced when she saw the bedroom where William Shakespeare was born and the likeness of his cradle And to make things even more interesting, the lens of photographer John D. Weigand carefully captured this place, restored for posterity, right there in the quaint city of Stratford-upon Avon, a place with a magical past sure to inspire even the youngest of travelers So have loads of fun practicing your reading skills through word recognition, repetition and rhyme, and see some of what what Dyan and Weigand saw as you read. Then go to the Bellissimavideo YouTube Channel to have even more learning fun watching the free music video that goes with this book

Best friends, Jan and Jenny are off on a hot air balloon ride, although it should be said that Jenny is on the ride somewhat reluctantly, pressured by Jan to go because it's her bucket list birthday wish, and Jenny could hardly refuse. Find out what the girls fall into this time and who becomes a somewhat reluctant heroine somewhat early on in the book. You might be asking yourself what could possibly happen on a hot air balloon ride on a calm sunny day. Part of the answer to that question is that things seldom stay calm or even sunny for long when Jan and Jenny are around, and this day id no different even if it's Jan's birthday celebration day. Written by twenty year veteran court reporter, Pamela Hillan, and award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, this book is sure to capture your interest as it relates yet another tale to you that is filled with twists and turns. Like Jan and Jenny, our co-authors have been life-long friends, and they intend to continue to be so, because when it comes to true friendship, our authors not only know what that is, they know how to convey it to their readers. This book is another book meant to stir the imagination and excite the soul. There are many lessons to be learned inside this book. The main lesson is all about friendship and what true friendship truly means.

Santa Cruz, California is an extremely fun place to visit. There are miles of Sandy Beaches, a roller coaster that seems to go up and down and on and on forever, bicycles you can ride, a long wharf with shopping and restaurants where it only costs a buck to park for 4 hours, the wonderful Seymour Marine Discovery Center, and more--This list doesn't even include the University of California at Santa Cruz Of course, this beach town is close to Monterey, and part of Santa Cruz faces the Monterey Bay where (in Monterey, California) you can visit the great Monterey Bay Aquarium and see sea otters. Just up in the mountains you can visit and ride the Roaring Camp Railroad where you can take a ride on train driven by an 1800's steam locomotive and see a part of the great redwood forest, which is also the subject of another Bellissima book, 'The Comeback Kids, Book 12, The Redwood Forest.' If you are noticing a theme of fun and learning at Bellissima Publishing, LLC, then you are quite correct Written by award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, with Photographs by John D. Weigand, this book is meant strictly for kids. This book is what kids love to do and see, and about what catches the eyes of a child. Use this book in conjunction with the other Bellissima tools, such as the music video on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channel.

Everyone knows that when life gives you lemons you are supposed to make lemonade, or as Jenny would have it, lemon meringue pie And it seems like Jan and Jenny are always falling into one sort of a mess or another. But what could possibly happen on an all expenses paid trip to London with Jan's eccentric maiden Aunt Bessie? The answer is probably a lot. Our two heroines are destined for another adventure as they head off into the wild blue yonder on a plane straight for 'Jolly Ole London, ' and once again they are out sleuthing. The only difference is this time, instead of helping the FBI, they are assisting none other than the infamous Scotland Yard Learn a bit of history as you explore the historical Tower of London with Jan and Jenny, and learn some things you may have not known about London, UK. Written by twenty year veteran court reporter, Pamela Hillan, and award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, this book is sure to capture your interest as it relates yet another tale to you that is filled with twists and turns. Like Jan and Jenny, our co-authors have been life-long friends, and they intend to continue to be so. And when it comes to true friendship, our authors not only know what that is, they know how to convey it to their readers. This book is meant to stir the imagination and excite the soul. The authors hope it will open the doors of imagination and creativity, and they want their readers to know that true friendship is forever. Note: There is a free music video that goes with this book on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channel.

The American bison, also known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds and became nearly extinct by a combination of commercial hunting and slaughter in the 19th century and the introduction of bovine disease from domestic cattle. The American bison has made a recent resurgence that is largely restricted to a few national parks and reserves.. One of them is Yellowstone National Park, USA, where award winning author, attorney and former teacher Penelope Dyan and photographer extraordinaire, John D. Weigand, set out to see all that they could see Unfortunately, our attitude toward saving the American bison is not a pure one. Because bison is lower in fat and higher in protein than domestic cattle, American bison is now being raised privately for human consumption. American Bison were never domesticated by the USA s Native American Indians. Recent genetic studies of privately owned herds of bison show that many of these animals have domestic cattle DNA in their genetic makeup. However, as to their appearance, an American bison carrying domestic cattle genes looks exactly the same as a wild American bison. It is estimated that there are as few as 12,000 to 15,000 pure bison in the entire world While it is sad the world numbers of pure bison is decreasing, because these animals were nearly extinct, we are happy that they are still among us as another group of comeback kids