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.
