The Adventures of Bella and Harry
by Lisa Manzione
GLOBAL GEOGRAPHY TAUGHT THROUGH TWO CHIHUAHUAS IN CHILDREN’S SERIES
– Award-winning author debuts Let’s Visit Maui!
The travels of two cute, cuddly Chihuahuas, stars of the award-winning series The Adventures of Bella and Harry by Lisa Manzione are taking them to a new exotic locale – Maui, Hawaii!
The Adventures of Bella and Harry, Let’s Visit Maui!, the 12th installment in the series, follows the pups as they visit a dormant volcano, attend a luau, and learn to hula – all the fun activities one would expect to experience in Hawaii.
The Adventures of Bella and Harry series is based on the premise that geography is one of the most important parts of learning, and aims to help children think globally, not specific only to the area in which they live. Manzione’s books follow two small dogs as they travel the various major cities of the world, making geography fun and exciting for kids. Keeping with modern themes of global tolerance, Beyond that, readers learn the unique aspects that run deeply within each city’s culture. Each book has received the Mom’s Choice Award, among other accolades.
“I do not believe that there are enough books for children between the ages of five and ten years that address geography, customs, cultures, etc…,” says Manzione. “I thought The Adventures of Bella and Harry series would be a good introduction for children, and hopefully stimulate their curiosity for more knowledge regarding the world in which we live.”
Main themes in the books include:
- Travel – The series gives children an exposure to traveling and the many gains one can acquire from it.
- Culture – Each book includes interesting things like typical food, dress, architecture, and religion.
- History – Landmarks are identified as well as ruins, museums, and even important bodies of water.
- Language – at the end of each book, Manzione includes basic vocabulary from the country explored, such as how to say “hello” and “goodbye”, and “yes” and “no.”
The Bella and Harry website at www.bellaandharry.com also gives kids the opportunity to further interact with these two adorable dogs with coloring book printouts, interactive games, and information about the musical play based on the books. Also available online are study guides available to accompany each book in the series.
Lisa Manzione has traveled to each of the cities that she cites in her books. Manzione started the series after discovering that her children had an inadequate geographical education from their public schools. She is the proud single mother of two college-graduates and currently resides in Delray Beach, FL with her seven dogs. Each title in the The Adventures of Bella and Harry have received the Mom’s Choice Award. Let’s Visit Istanbul! won Creative Child’s Magazine’s Book of the Year, and Let’s Visit Jerusalem! has been nominated for Book of the Year by Foreword Magazine.
For further information on the series please visit http://www.bellaandharry.com
The Adventures of Bella and Harry is available for purchase on www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com. Available later this year will be Let’s Visit St. Petersburg!, and Let’s Visit Vancouver!.
