Native Hawaiians tell us how Maui got its name in the legend of Hawai'iloa, who was a Polynesian navigator who discovered of the Hawaiian Islands. According to the legend, Hawai'iloa named the island of Maui after his son, who was named after the demigod Maui. Maui is also called the "Valley Isle" because of the large isthmus between the northwestern and the southeastern volcanoes of Maui and the numerous large valleys carved into those mountains. In fact, Maui's landscapes are the result of a combination of the geology, the topography, and the climate of Maui; and each of the "volcanic cones" in the Hawaiian Islands (including Maui) is built of dark, iron-rich, quartz-poor rocks, poured out of thousands of vents as liquid lava, over millions of years. Maui is a "volcanic doublet," formed from two shield volcanoes that overlapped to form an isthmus between them. However, the main thing about Maui is its true Aloha spirit; and when you go to Maui, be sure to revel in it. Go native, hit the beaches, have a barbecue on the beach, visit the Maui Aquarium, sit on a surfboard in the warm Maui water, and taste a piece of sugar cane. Shop in Lahaina. Travel all around the island. Most of all, smell the sweetness of the flowers and bask in the light of the Maui sunsets AND look for the FREE video that goes with this book ("The Deep Blue Sea") on the Bellissimavideo YouTube channe

Pisa, Italy is a surprising place, full of music and fun. You can climb to the top of the leaning tower of Pisa, or you can take a picture alongside of it pretending you are holding it up and that you are keeping it from falling There are colorful shops and restaurants, Italian cookies and gelato and much more. Use this book as a starting point. This book is meant to inspire children, to fill the book with their very own thoughts, to insert their own photographs, to create their very own books, to write in the margins of this book John D. Weigand s photography and the simple poetry of Penelope Dyan, award winning author, attorney and former teacher, are put together for this special purpose. So whether you are traveling vicariously though the pages of this book, or whether you are taking this book along with you on your very own trip to Pisa, Italy, please remember its purpose. Again, what is that purpose? The purpose of this book is to inspire learning and exploration and creativity, to fill in all the blank spaces in the places in your mind. Use the book to guide you. Watch the sun dance on the tower and dance on the walls of the street. Feel it. Become Italian and feel the beauty and the joy of this place called Pisa, Italy. Each of these books is different and is meant to teach young children learning concepts, to guess what is coming next in the rhyme and to point out something new and exciting. reading These are picture books for young children that teach a new thought. And they are meant to draw the young early reader into a new and exciting place. They are meant to be family enjoyed. Penelope Dyan.

The name 'Athens' comes from the Greek goddess, Athena. Athens acquired this name through a legendary contest between Poseidon and Athena. Both Athena and Poseidon wanted to be patrons of the city and to give the city named after them. They competed with one another for the honour by each giving the city a gift. Poseidon made a spring appear by striking the ground with his trident, but Athena created an olive tree, the symbol of peace and prosperity. The Athenians, ruler Cecrops, decided in favor of the olive tree and named the city after Athena. Athens is truly an amazing place. From the Acropolis to the Temple of Zeus to the Olympic stadium and its colorful street markets, the city will be certain to captivate you and your child and draw you both into its spell. Photographer John D. Weigand and award winning writer, Penelope Dyan have again combined their skills to introduce you to the city that is Athens. Add your own stories and adventures to this book by inserting your tickets, postcards, pictures and other small items and affix them to these pages, because this is a book that is supposed to help you grow and learn. There are even some blank pages at the end of the book you can use, or you can make your own book See if you can find everything in this book when you go to Athens, and then look around for more. If you aren't going to Athens, then use this book as a starting point and do some research on your computer (or in other books) to learn about this glorious city. Since Penelope Dyan is a former teacher, she has designed all her books to comport and comply with the concepts of creativity and learning, and this book is no different So take a walk through the pages of this book, and visit Athens through the wonderful photographs of John D. Weigand and the poetry of Penelope Dyan, and remember even though this book is meant for kids, it will look great on any coffee table Penelope Dyan is a former K-12 teacher, published in The Kindergartner, as well as in Instructor Magazine and in Humpty Dumpty children 's magazine. Dyan is the author of Surfer Girl. Surfer Girl was the winner of best teen book at both the 2008 New York Book Festival and the 2008 Hollywood Book Festival and is recognized by Girls' Voices In Literature Database, Miami University, Florida.Dyan and Weigand are also the co-creators of The Comeback Kids Book Series and the Animal Rescue Series, also published by Bellissima Publishing, LLC. Two of Dyan's books (poetry-stories for children in verse) are on diplay and are a part of the Saison Poetry Library in London, UK, chosen by the UK Arts Council. Two of her other books are listed on the top ten AU Pukeke reading list. And her book "There's an Alligator In My Closet" is number five on the National Kindercare recommended reading list. There is a music video on YouTube on the Bellissimavideo channel, and an entire web show for kids that includes a travelogue on Athens at www.stop4fun.org that add to the overall learning experience.

This book is recommended by 'Simply Hotels' and the edicational website 'Maisey Goes To Barcelona.' It is a child's picture book, and sometimes even older children and adults enjoy reading it and looking at the pictures. Children can add things to the book (if they like) and write in the book and on the blank pages at the end of the book, and Penelope Dyan encourages them to do so to make the book their very own. It is a guide for the very young with colorful photographs of a walk down La Ramba (the heart of Barcelona) to the statue of Christopher Columbus pointing the way to America. There are reminders of home for those who feel a little homesick, and there is a video on YouTube that goes along with this book. Author Penelope Dyan is recognized by Kindercare, Girls Voices In Literature Database (Miami University, Florida) and the AU Pukeke recommended reading list places her books in the top ten best books for girls on two different lists Penelope Dyan also has two of her children's books on display in the Saison Poetry Library, Southbank Centre, London, chosen by the UK Arts Council. Southbank Centre is the largest arts center in the entire world, and very few authors outside the UK are placed in this library. ( And these are only a few of her honors and awards.) You need to utilize all you can when you are teaching young children, and this book will keep the yawns and the complaints away when traveling because as one reviewer in an Istanbul, Turkey newspaper noted, these authors truly see through the eyes of a child and know how to keep their interest.

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

The mountain village of Zermatt, Switzerland is nestled in a valley between steep mountains, and it is dominated by the Matterhorn. When you exit your Swiss-red train, and see the cobblestone streets and horses and carriages, you immediately will notice are no cars. The air is clean and fresh, and the people want to keep it that way The main street bustles with people shopping, dining and having a good time, and there are no tour busses anywhere. In short, everything is cute and fun, and you immediately know where Walt Disney got many of his ideas for Disneyland, as you can see the Matterhorn from nearly every prospective in the Zermatt village. And this is exactly why photographer John D. Weigand and author and poet Penelope Dyan went there, to capture some of the magic of Zermatt. It seemed like the perfect spot for kids, nestled in the serenity of the Swiss Alps. . . just waiting to be ogled and explored. The Zermatt nights were even more beautiful than the day as the Weigand photographs portray, but most amazing of all was the Matterhorn, shining white against the sky by day, and full of amazing color by night.

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. Weigands 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