Learn about All Saints Day and how many of our Halloween traditions today cam about. A perfect read for the upcoming holiday!

Gisela’s Holiday Story is a beginning-chapter children’s historical fiction book. The sequel to Gisela’s Story, the book follows the adventures of Charlemagne’s daughter Gisela.

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Mary’s Story and Mary’s Holiday Story by Tiffany Jansen can now be purchased on Amazon.com for $5.11 each.

The Mary Series won the 2011 Creative Child Magazine “Book of the Year” award for history and education. They have also been reviewed by Alan Caruba of Bookreviews.com and Madeline McElroy at Reader Views Kids.

The Gisela’s series is also available on Amazon. The other books in the Medieval Maidens series will be released at a rate of one series per year.

Gisela was probably born sometime between 770 and 781. No birth date was ever recorded for her. She was the second or third daughter of King Charles of the Franks (Charlemagne) and his wife, Hildegard of Savoy. Gisela’s mother was Charlemagne’s first wife. Hildegard and Charlemagne had 6 children before Hildegard died.

Gisela was educated at Aachen, the site of Charles’ castle. This town is located in Germany near the city of Bonn and close to the Rhine River. Her father was a very religious man and his chapel still stands today. Charlemagne believed in education and thought it important that his children be able to read and write.

Some girls were sent to monasteries to study, but Charlemagne had his daughters educated at home. Gisela would have more than likely been educated by Alcuin, an Anglo-Saxon scholar brought to the castle by her father. In her lessons, Gisela would have studied Latin. Most books were written in Latin. She would have written on wax tablets with a stylus.

When I returned home, I began to investigate this awards program. Over the course of a few days in April, Creative Child Magazine hosts more than one hundred reviewers in Henderson, NV. The reviewers are parents, teachers, and education professionals who review the many toys and books that are submitted. The reviewers rate each product on criteria established for a variety of categories. At the conclusion of the two day event, the reviews are scored and tabulated.

There are three levels of award: Toy of the Year, Preferred Choice, and Seal of Excellence. The winners of the awards for each category are announced in June on the Creative Child Magazine website and are highlighted in the holiday edition of the magazine.

In 2009, I decided to enter the Gisela Doll and book set. I was hoping for some sort of recognition of the product. My hands were shaking when I opened the email from Melissa at the magazine. I was elated to learn that Medieval Maidens had received a Seal of Excellence award for the category of doll with storybook. I was even more thrilled to learn that American Girl’s Rebecca and storybook was also a winner in the category. My doll had been recognized in the same category as American Girl!

The following year, I decided to enter the Gisela book set, Gisela’s Story and Gisela’s Holiday Story in the historical and educational book category. This time, Medieval Maidens was honored with the 2010 Book of the Year award. An even greater joy was to have the Mary series named 2011 Book of the Year. Having Tiffany’s work recognized was an even greater occasion to be proud.

Creative Child Magazine goes to great lengths to provide parents with detailed information about products currently on the market for their children. It has been our honor to be part of their awards program.