Book Overview
In this continuing tale, an adventuresome queen travels outside her castle to the Volcanic Islands, where she learns how important it is to respect the natural wonders of her kingdom.
Other Works
Queen Vernita invites twelve wonderful friends to visit with her during each month of the year. Queen Vernita and her friends enjoy fun activities throughout the Oceaneers Kingdom. Parents and teachers will love teaching the monthly calendar, days of the weeks and seasons through the storytelling adventures of Queen Vernita and her friends.
In August Marcella came to visit Queen Vernita. Marcella loved to ride horses. So, they rode through the temperate rainforests of the Blue Ice Mountains.
In the rain forest they met the park ranger Mr. Larry.
On Monday, Ranger Larry taught them that it rained 50-60 inches each year.
On Tuesday, Ranger Larry showed them that the rings inside a tree tell how much growth there was that year.
On Wednesday, Ranger Larry taught them about the Sitka Spruce.
On Thursday, Ranger Larry showed them the many different animals that live in the forest.
On Friday, Marcella learned that her favorite animal of the rainforest was the Olympic Marmat.
On Saturday, Queen vernita learned her favorite animal was the River Otter.
On Sunday, Ranger Larry told them that his favorite animal was the Dark-eyed Jinco.
Here are the first two
5 star review
Queen Vernita visits the Island of Enchantment takes us on a trip where I’ve never been before: Hawaii. Author Dawn Menge’s real-life trip is chronicled in this story, including the part of her true life friends, Jeff and Carrie, who are as colorful in real life as they are in this book.
With a warm “Aloha,” from Captain Jeff and Carrie, Queen Vernita’s trip is off and running, and through her life-fulfilling travels, she learned a lot about this enchanted group of Islands, as does the twelve different friends that meet up with her. True to form, Author Dawn Menge makes sure the reader learns a lot as well.
From an adventure in fishing in the deep blue ocean near the Island, to snorkeling in the three types of coral reefs that exist there, the awesome adventure is only beginning. And the reader is along for the ride. From swimming with large sea turtles, who’s ancestors have been around for millions years, to playing with dolphins…and then floating down lava tubes that have been formed by volcanic activity, the adventure is non-stop. And it continues with visits with sharks, with electric eels and ‘herds’ of seahorses. For a horseman, that was extra interesting to me; the only herds I’ve known traveled on land– horses and cows. In a pause between the fast paced ‘learning’ adventure, there is a moment of gentleness, as a blind friend gets to know the nature and creatures around her through her other four senses. And as the sun sets, a Luau takes place…and the tale of Pele’s Revenge is told through dance.
Queen Vernita’s visit the Island of Enchantment shares a lot with the reader, but it only serves to ‘wet the whistle.’ It leaves the reader, at least this one, with the yearning to pack his own bags and visit the Island of Enchantment to learn and experience it on his own.
The latest installment of Dawn Menge’s award-winning Queen Vernita series finds Queen Vernita of Oceaneer on the road once again. Vernita has many friends, not only in her kingdom, but all over the world. In Queen Vernita Visits Gator Country, these friends invite her on a year-long journey through the American South. She spends a month with each friend who teaches her about the rich culture, music, food and history from this part of our country. Beginning on the first of January, Vernita arrives in Gator Country, where her friend Neomi introduces her to the world of Jazz. Vernita marvels at this vibrant blend of African and European music. On each day of the week, Vernita learns a new exciting fact about Jazz, including how it has evolved over the past century. At the end of January, she says a sad goodbye to Neomi, then she’s off to sail down the Mississippi (and learns how to spell Mississippi!). She spends the month of February on a paddleboat with her dear friend Sidney, who tells her all about paddleboats: that they date back to the Roman Empire and were once powered by oxen, and even men! From Joachim, Vernita studies the many forms of life inhabiting the bayou; including the plants, crawfish, and catfish. When it’s time to learn about the gators, Vernita travels with her friend Albert, and even holds a baby gator in her hands! In the course of her travels, Vernita also learns about the often forgotten history of the South: the period before the Civil War, when many people lived on plantations and owned slaves. Thankfully, the brave souls ran the Underground Railroad helped slaves escape via a secret pipeline to the North. Throughout the year, Queen Vernita and her readers learn something new and fascinating with every step of the way. It fosters a love of learning, and a curiosity about the people, animals, and natural wonders of our world. It’s also a fun way for kids to learn the months and the days of the week.
Queen Vernita of Oceaneer rings in the New Year by reflecting on her past adventures, expressing gratitude for her many friends, and wondering what the coming months will bring. She does not have to wait long to find out; before the clock strikes twelve Vernita already has a slew of invitations to visit the Land of Quail. What follows is a whirlwind of sun, sand, and as always, endless opportunities for learning. Indeed, Queen Vernita Visits Baja Quail may be the most exciting installment of Dawn Menge’s award-winning series. The journey begins with her friend Julianna. She and Vernita spend the month of January learning about dolphins …where they live, how they eat and play, even the origins of the word. Vernita gets to swim with these gentle creatures and experience firsthand their gracefulness and intelligence. In February, it’s off to visit her friend Michelle to learn about Grunion, the silvery fish that play in the moonlight. In March, David takes her horseback riding in the mountains and rafting on the Rio Bravo Del Norte, , and in April, her pal Morales takes her walking on the shoreline so she can see the lovely flowers blooming there. Morales explains that the river has many different names, depending on which culture is referring to it. She also learns that the Rio Bravo was formed millions of years ago and used to be travelled by steamboats. For the rest of the year, Vernita wanders through this magical land, learning about regional dances, the Spanish language, German cuisine, monk seals and … most exciting of all … the recently discovered Chrystal Cave. But for Vernita, December is the most special month of all; she spends it travelling with Claudia and Boot, a service dog that cheers up the elderly and people with physical challenges. As all of Dawn Menge’s books, Queen Vernita Visits Baja Quail teaches children much more than facts and figures; it also imparts valuable life lessons.
QUEEN VERNITA MEETS SIR HEATHYBEAN THE ASTRONOMER is the latest volume in one of the more entertaining AND educational books by Dawn Menge. Her books, beautifully illustrated by Bobbi Switzer with large format lushly colorful and designed images, aim to entertain youngsters with her wonderful main character Queen Vernita who lives in a castle in Oceaneer. This gracious elderly hostess invites a guests for each month of the year: in her last book the point was to define the months by name, number of days in each month, the names of the days of the week, and the seasonal changes that come with each month. In a solid but somewhat subtle way Dawn Menge, by repetition, drives her lessons home while creating fanciful ideas that children love to hear and to see.
In this volume Queen Vernita has invited Sir Heathybean (a likely play on the name of Menge’s source on astronomical information, well-informed astronomer from JPL – Heath Rhoades) and Cora the Teacher (ditto the reference to Menge herself) to her castle. Each month (named) is divided into the days of the week (named), and for each day there is a new bit of information about the solar system, a planet for each month – with a few asteroids thrown in to fill the gaps. The visitors are from all walks of life, all races, and include children with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy. In other words, the guests introduce the concept of the equality of all people with the main driver being the excitement about learning.
But a word of encouraging caution: adults who buy this book (and that should be a record number!) should spend some time reading the book before sharing it with children. Packed into the pages of this ‘fanciful book’ is more information about the solar system than most of us remember from college days! This is a very intellectually challenging book to respect and digest before sharing it with children: some moments of embarrassment about lack of familiarity with the subject could thus be avoided. But another way to approach this book is to learn along with the children who hear or read it – yet another fine technique quietly suggested by this delightful joint effort of Menge/Rhoads/Switzer. PS: Queen Vernita let us in on a secret – a books end she suggests the book to follow will be about sea and plant life of that make believe castle in Oceaneers. Grady Harp
Queen Vernita Explores the oceaneer’s coastline—
I find it interesting that someone called this book a child’s book. Perhaps in a way it made this adult feel like one, at least when I read it. A book is extra special when it can teach both a child and an adult something. And, darn it, if this book didn’t do just that!
As a child I rode a western horse to a beach, and marveled at finding a ‘silver dollar’ in the sand, only to learn now it’s true name is ‘sand dollar.” In the Forest Service I worked in the Redwoods of northern California, Queen Vernita, through the energetic pen of Dawn Menge, took me back in time and reminded me of the life that existed there.
I live in the land of eagles and red-tailed hawks, and for the first time I became acquainted with Sproket, a pet pelican that was just one of the species of eight types of pelican. Mountain eagles still go higher than the other birds upon the plain, even though they soar; but this bird, this pelican with the big head, can fly over 10,000 feet in the air, and reach top speeds of 98 miles per hour! All God’s creatures are different, each of them something to marvel at when we become acquainted with them.
I find it interesting that someone called this book a child’s book. Most children books tell a story…and perhaps share a moral in its telling. Dawn Menge’s books do something different, and something better; they take us on a trip to where some of us have never been before, and tells us all about the things we will mostly likely run into. Now, how cool is that? I recommend this book to anyone who can read, no matter their age.
Queen Vernita is off on another wonderful twelve-month adventure around her kingdom. This year she will ride on an Old-Fashioned Paddleboat. Queen Vernita will spend one glorious month with each new friend. During her month-long adventure, she will learn seven new facts about each new area. Queen Vernita will ride on a jet boat, a Model T, and a horse-drawn carriage to visit the wonderful waterfalls and many more adventures.