Book Review: El Deafo

El Deafo is the story of a young girl, Cece, who comes down with meningitis and loses most of her hearing. At first she feels very lonely because she can't hear anyone and even with the hearing aids she has a hard time understanding what people are saying. Her friends don't understand her and think it's funny when she gets words wrong. For a while Cece goes to a school with other deaf kids but eventually her parents move and she has to go back to a regular school. For her new school, Cece gets a hearing aid that's connected to a microphone that the teacher wears and begins to think of herself as a super hero when she can hear the teacher even when she's not in the room. Unfortunately she still feels lonely and different from everyone else, and likens herself to Batman who has to hide who he is to fit in.

Author Cece Bell did a wonderful job of capturing what it was like to grow up hearing impared. The situations are believable and pulled me into little Cece's world.

The artwork is cute and the frames of the comic are very easy to read and understand. Children around 6-10 I think would connect with this book the best, though I enjoyed the brief sample as well.

It's important for children to be able to connect with people who are different and realize that their own differences are what makes them unique and special. Each child has something about themselves that they believe sets them apart and seeing that it can be a strength rather than an undesirable quality is part of growing up and accepting who we are.

El Deafo comes out on September 2nd and is available now for pre-order in paperback, hardback and for the kindle on Amazon.com.

I received a free sample of El Deafo through Netgalley.com and Amulet Books in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Plant a Pocket of Prairie

This book explores the disappearing plants and animals of the prairie and encourages children to plant a bit of prairie in their own backyard. The first 30 or so pages are filled with great illustrations of prairie wildlife and the text gives the names of the plants as well as what birds and insects might show up to eat the plants. This section of the book is geared towards a young grade school audience. There are only a few lines of text per page so children will be able to enjoy the pictures and ideas without being bogged down by information.

The last portion of the book has more detailed information on the disappearance of our nations prairies with a specific focus on Minnesota. It also gives instructions on how and what to plant to help the species of the prairie avoid extinction. The book ends with brief descriptions of the wildlife found in prairie ecosystems as well as their current endangered status.

All over the world ecosystems are being pushed aside to make room for the ever growing human population. But as we move into new territory it's good to keep in mind the impact we are having on our planet. I liked that this book introduced kids to the problem and gave them a hands on way to be part of the solution. Not to mention I think my own girls would enjoy planting things in order to attract butterflies.

This spring, when we do the Our Green World science unit I plan on reading this with my daughter and finding some native Washington plants to start outside our apartment.

I got to read a digital copy of this book for free through NetGalley

Plant a Pocket of Prairie is scheduled to be released on April 15th 2014.

Kitty Castle Valentines by Celesta and Keziah Thiessen

Kitty Castle Valentines is a fairly short chapter book that is relatively easy to read for young kids. In the story the young royals try to turn a dragon into a kitten using water and some chocolate. Apparently there are magical dragons that are created when kittens are mistreated and splashing water on them turns them back. However, the dragon they are dealing with is real and the water hurts him.

The dragon ends up escaping and plans on going back to exact revenge on his tormentors. Fortunately for the kids they are able to explain why they did it and apologize. In the end the dragons go and enjoy a valentines celebration with everyone in the kingdom.

As an adult I have some issues with this book. The story line wasn't super engaging for me and I wish there were some more illustrations for the kiddos. But that's assuming that this book was written by an adult, which it wasn't. Considering that this story was actually written by Keziah Thiessen who, according to the book, was between 7 and 11 when she wrote the story, this is a great book. I'm always impressed when young kids can come up with detailed stories and put them on paper. It is exactly what I would expect from a young author putting their imagination to work. My 7 year old comes up with stories about dragons all the time and Kitty Castle Valentines reminded me a lot of how she thinks and writes.

When reading this story to kids, be sure to tell them that it was written by someone their age. It makes a world of difference in how they look at the book and may even inspire them to write their stories down.

I received a digital copy of this book through Story Cartel in exchange for an honest review.

Phyllis Root Talks About Writing And Her Upcoming Book: Plant a Pocket of Prairie

Today we are talking with author Phyllis Root about her upcoming children's book, Plant a Pocket of Prairie. 

Hello Phyllis,
Thank you so much for agreeing to do an interview with me.
I read in one of your online bio's that you didn't really begin writing until your 30's, what did you do before that? Did you always want to write books for children?



Phyllis:
I have been writing since at least second grade and, thanks to a wonderful fifth grade teacher, knew I wanted to be a writer from the time I was ten years old. But classes about writing were thin on the ground when I was in school, so after I graduated I worked a lot of different jobs just to pay the bills: bike mechanic, costume seamstress, administrative assistant to name a few. Whenever I tried to write in my free time, though, I came up against my own inability to shape a story. Finally, I confessed to a friend that I really wanted to write for children, and she told me about a class I could take. The class taught me that there are tools of writing -- a revelation to me -- and also that we must write from our hearts about what matters most to us. I started writing for children in 1979 and haven’t stopped since.


People tend to write about what they know. So how do you stay young at heart and write to keep young children engaged in the story?



Phyllis:
One of the best things I do to stay open to all the possibilities of stories is to travel. I seldom travel a long way (although I’ve been to London, South Africa, Spain, Mexico, and Vanuatu), but wherever I go, whether sailing or canoeing in the BWCA and Quetico, or visiting Minnesota prairies to look for native plants, I’m aware anew of the amazing world that we inhabit and the many, many stories that share the world with us. Maybe stepping out of my own life, even if it’s just a little step, reminds me in some way of how amazing our world must look through a child’s eyes.



Is there a driving force behind what you write? Do you have any goals in mind when you begin writing a book? Is there an age group you prefer to write for?



Phyllis:
For me, a story starts with an idea, a line, a character, something that makes me want to follow that trail of breadcrumbs and see where it leads. Many, many of my stories fail in terms of being publishable, but they all teach me something about writing. And because most of the stories that call to me seem to be for young children, and because that’s how the stories come out when I write, I have mostly written picture books and an occasional middle grade novel.

Was there any one of your stories that failed to be publishable that you would consider rewriting or one that you had a real attachment to? 


Phyllis: 
I have several manuscripts right now that are making the rounds that I hope will be published, and if an editor suggests revision, I'm always willing to give it a try. I think of all writing as practice, so even if a story is never published, I'm glad to have worked on it and learned from it. That said, I do have a manuscript about writing picture books that I hope will make it into print sometime

What does a typical day of writing look like for you? Do you have any pre-writing rituals?



Phyllis:
I don’t have a typical writing day, because a good share of my time is taken up with earning a living. I teach in a low-residency MFA program at Hamline University in writing for children and young adults and do free lance editing as well. But I feel as though some part of my brain is always on the alert for possible stories and keeps track of ideas until I find time to sit down and work on my own writing.


What do you do when you're not writing? When it comes to reading, what type of books do you enjoy? Do you have a favorite author?



Phyllis:
When I’m not writing or working, I love to garden and hike and canoe and just generally be outside. And I read—children’s books, of course, but also mysteries and other novels for grown-ups along with some non-fiction. I love too many authors to have a favorite one.


I recently read your upcoming book Plant a Pocket of Prairie. What prompted you to write it? Is the disappearance of prairie wildlife a topic that is close to your heart? Do you have a bit of prairie at your house?



Phyllis:
Plant a Pocket of Prairie seemed like a natural follow-up to Big Belching Bog. I love visiting Scientific and Natural Areas in the spring, summer, and fall to discover the native plants that grow there. Because almost the entire prairie in Minnesota was plowed up and farmed, there really are only pockets left—less than one tenth of one per cent of the original prairie. We really can’t bring that original prairie back because it was gone even before anyone understood all the dynamics of a prairie. I also read Doug Tallamy’s book Bringing Nature Home, in which he shows the connection between native plants, native insects, and native birds and the consequences of losing our native plants. I wanted children to know about the prairie, what an amazing ecosystem it is, how at risk it is, and how even a small pocket of prairie plants can help native insects and birds and other animals. Almost all the grass in my city yard has been turned into prairie or vegetable garden, and now plants grow up that I didn’t plant, whether brought there by birds or simply from seeds waiting in the soil. I feel passionately that we must preserve what we have left of prairie and make every effort to restore as much as we can. Aldo Leopold’s first rule of intelligent tinkering is to save all the parts. We need to save the parts we have left, even if we can never recreate the whole.


If a child were to grow just one of the many plants you mention in your book, which one would you suggest?



Phyllis:
Which plant would I recommend a child grow? That depends on where the plant will grow and how much sun it will get. If the plant is in a flowerpot or box, I might suggest coreopsis or coneflower or aster. If there’s room for a plant in the ground, I might suggest native sunflowers, since they provide so much satisfaction, beauty, and seeds for wildlife to eat, or Monarda (also known as bee balm) or butterfly weed, which monarchs love. But the whole nature of a prairie is that everything in the prairie is related to everything else, so once someone plants one plant or flower, I say plant another, and another, and another. Paul Gruchow wrote, "The prairie teaches us that our strength is in our neighbors."


In your book you answer the question of what the average person can do to help the native wildlife in their area. Do you think a change of perspective towards our nations unique ecosystems will occur in our lifetimes? Will we be able to stop species from going extinct due to a lack of suitable habitats?



Phyllis:
I have no idea what will happen to our ecosystems in our lifetime. I’m not trained as an ecologist or climate specialist or horticulturalist or naturalist. I am someone who loves what we have left in native plants and animals, and I think anything any of us can do, however small, has the potential to make a change.

I really enjoyed reading Plant a Pocket of Prairie. It's not only a lighthearted call to action, but also a great field guide for kids who are curious about what lives in their backyard. Do you have another book in the works?


Phyllis:
Right now I am working on a non-fiction survival story that takes place on Isle Royale and a picture book about cats, with which my two cats are always willing to help by walking over my keyboard an random moments.



There you have it, that was Phyllis Root, author of Big Momma Makes the World, Ten Sleepy Sheep, Big Belching Bog and Plant a Pocket of Prairie among others. 

Plant a Pocket of Prairie comes out on April 15th

Book Review: Good Crooks Book One: Missing Monkey!

Billy Crook is, well, a crook. His parents are thieves and are training him and his twin sister Jillian to become criminals as well. Billy isn't sure he wants to be a thief, in fact, he sometimes wonders what it would be like to help people instead of taking things from them.

One morning, as he's out looking for a bacon burger, dressed as an old woman (his family never leaves the house without putting on disguises) he sees a poster advertising a volunteer day at the zoo. Billy is curious about what doing a good deed would be like so he signs up to help pick weeds near the monkey cages. A short time in, his sister (also dressed as an elderly woman) shows up at the zoo. At first Billy is afraid she will tell their parents what he was doing but Jillian confides that she has been out doing good deeds too.

Everything seems to be going great until their parents show up wondering what they're up to. In an effort to distract his parents Billy points out that the monkeys are mimicking them as they work. This gives his mom and dad an idea, they decide to steal a monkey and train it to pick pockets.

Throughout the rest of the story Billy and Jillian attempt to get their parents to put the monkey back in the zoo. The monkey pours ketchup all over Jillian and eats Billy's ear wax along the way. When the twins finally do sneak the monkey back to the zoo they end up releasing a ton of other animals.

This book kept me smiling the whole way through. My favorite part was when Billy and Jillian were trying to get the elephants back into their pen and Billy makes up an elephant song to the tune of "My Darling Clementine".

"I'm a darlin', I'm a darlin', I'm a darlin' elephant..."

Of course, I had to sing it out loud, which garnered some funny looks from my family. All in all I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the next book in the Good Crooks series.

I got to read a digital copy of this book through NetGalley and Egmont publishing in exchange for an honest review.

This book is due to be released on February 25th 2014

Book Review: FytDroids: BLAST OFF!

Ajay Scout is excited about getting to go on an alien tour with his uncle, that is, until he gets there. The tour takes them to a barn, a diner and a desert where an alien spaceship supposedly crashed. Beyond bored, Ajay pulls out his remote control car and sneaks off to play in the sand dunes. Suddenly his car takes off and even pulling the batteries out of the remote won't stop it. Determined not to lose his toy Ajay chases the car through the desert and finds it parked against a half buried metal box. Just as he's about to look inside his uncle calls him back to the tour group, so Ajay stuffs the box into his backpack before anyone sees.

Back home Ajay finally gets the opportunity to look in the box, inside there are nine rings with tiny rocket ships on them. He puts one on, aims it at the wall and yells blast off. At that moment the rocket shoots off the ring through the wall and gets lodged in an old refrigerator in the backyard. Freaked out but still curious, Ajay runs outside and opens the door to the fridge. A small robot or FytDroid flies out and tells Ajay that he needs his help to save the world from a doomsday device controlled by an evil alien. After recruiting his two best friends, they and the FytDroids head off to the amazon to find the device and save the planet.

Though this book isn't very long, the story line is fun and engaging. Middle school kids will probably enjoy this title as it has a lot of action and the characters are around their age. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that they never addressed what happened when Ajay's parents found the gaping hole in his bedroom wall. Just a thought, but as a parent, that would definitely merit a sit down with my kid.

I did enjoy the story and was happy to see the kids get a little more involved in the pyramid puzzles than just wearing the rings to activate the FytDroids. All in all, not a bad story.

I received a digital copy of this book through NetGalley and Hillcrest Media Group in exchange for an honest review.

To view this title on Amazon go to FytDroids: BLAST OFF!

Book Review: Sheep in a Jeep

What happens when a bunch of sheep try to drive a jeep? It gets stuck in the mud and they need pigs to help push them out.

My daughter and I read this book as part of her literature and comprehension class. Sky was able to read it on her own and learned about changing her tone of voice when she sees exclamation points. She thought it was hilarious when they had to sell the broken jeep at the end of the story.

Sheep in a Jeep has only a few sentences per page and everything rhymes making it easy for little ones enjoy the story. While this book worked great as an early reader for my oldest daughter, my 12 month old's were also able to pay attention as she read it. The pictures of the sheep are very expressive allowing young children to recognize when the sheep are happy or sad.

We have an older copy of this book which didn't include the Make-Your-Own-Sheep activity but Sky did pretend she was a sheep as she retold the story. She got way into it and came up with funny sheep voices.

All together this is a great older book for young kids.

Book Review: Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

Ophelia is eleven years old, has asthma and thinks about everything very scientifically. In fact, she is a member of the Children's Science Society of Greater London. Unlike her mother, who recently passed away, Ophelia definitely does not believe in magic or fairy tales. That is, until her father, who is an expert on swords, gets called in to help with a sword exhibition at a museum in a faraway city.

While there she runs into a boy locked in one of the museums many rooms, the boy claims that wizards took away his name to protect him and he needs her help to escape and defeat the Snow Queen. At first Ophelia doesn't believe him, but as she finds more and more things in the museum that cannot be explained through science she starts to change her mind.

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy is a great fairy tale story for children. There are ghosts, giant birds, wizards, and stone snow leopards that come to life. In the beginning of the book, Ophelia is quite firmly rooted in reality and is still grieving over the loss of her mother. Throughout her epic adventure she learns to be brave and finds a way to connect with her mothers love of fantasy.

Karen Foxlee really brings Ophelia's world to life in her writing. Her descriptions made me feel like I was right there, sneaking through a huge creepy museum. I especially liked the way she described the ghost girls.

"She felt Kyra then, close beside her, breathing right into her ear, and the singed popcorny smell of her tickled her nose."

Who knew ghosts smelled like popcorn?

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy was fun and scary without going overboard. I will definitely be reading this with my girls.

I got to read an advance copy of this book through NetGalley and Random House Children's in exchange for an honest review.

It is due to be released on January 28th 2014.

Book Review: Amelia Bedelia

Amelia Bedelia gets a job as a maid working for Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. On her first day Mrs. Rogers leaves Amelia a list of things to do while Mr. and Mrs. Rogers are away. The list says to dust the furniture and draw the drapes among other things. Unfortunately for the Rogers, Amelia takes everything quite literally. She does exactly what the list tells her, from drawing a picture of the drapes to covering the furniture in dust. Needless to say Amelia's employers are not entirely thrilled when they get back.

I read this book with my daughter as part of her first grade Literature and Comprehension class. She loved that Amelia did everything in a silly way and laughed at her crazy antics. This book is part of the I Can Read series and Sky was able to read almost the entire story on her own (except for the parts in cursive). She also learned what an idiom is.

When I was a kid my mom read the Amelia Bedelia series with me and my younger brother, we always got a kick out of how silly they were. Even though this book was first published in 1963, kids today still love the unique way Amelia Bedelia looks at the world.

To view this book on Amazon go to Amelia Bedelia (I Can Read Book Level 2)

Book Review: Protecting Beauty: Three Horses Against the Siege

The book starts out with three horses going down to a creek to get a drink of water. At the creek they notice that the water has an unpleasant smell, so they decide to head up stream to find the source. Along the way they meet up with Scout (a bird) and explain why they are travelling. Scout flies ahead to see what he can find out. The horses eventually come across wagon tracks and get attacked by a dog who is in turn killed by a mountain lion. Scout returns and tells the three horses that some humans dumped chemicals in a cave near the stream. The horses decide they need some help from humans as chemicals are outside their area of expertise.

That pretty much sums up chapter one, which is about where I stopped reading. While the story does seem to be kind of interesting, the apparent lack of editing and proofreading made this book almost unreadable. Virtually every time a character speaks the sentence starts with <characters name> says. That by itself was enough to pull me out of the story. Not to mention the numerous punctuation errors. There are many instances where the end of a portion of dialogue is missing a quotation mark.  For example:

Amos says, "I am not afraid and sings, "Get along little horsies, get along we go...

All said, this book could really use a good run through with an editor.

I do think they did a good job on the cover image. The bright colors and different style drew me to this book and I would imagine children will like the image as well.

I got to read a digital copy of this book for free through NetGalley and Hillcrest Media Group in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Tools and Treasures of Ancient Egypt

This book is part of the What Can We Learn from Early Civilizations? series. The book has four different sections each highlighting a different aspect of Egyptian history. In the first chapter, The Ancient Egyptians, children learn about the Nile River as well as the surrounding desert. They also get to see a carving of Hapi, the god of the Nile. Chapters two and three cover the class system as well as the culture of the early Egyptians. The last chapter discusses how the Egyptian civilization came to an end.

Tools and Treasures of Ancient Egypt is packed with photographs of Egyptian art, monuments and the landscape of Egypt. Each picture is accompanied with a caption that either gives more information on the photo or asks a question for kids to think about. There is not a large amount of text on each page so a younger audience won't struggle to pay attention. At the end there is a list of recommended books on Egypt.

The photographs in this book are amazing. After reading it I went back and looked through all of them again. My daughter did a history unit on Egypt a few months ago and we read quite a few books on the topic. So I was pleasantly surprised that this book contained information that we had not come across yet. For example, I had no idea that Hieroglyphics were not the only form of writing in Egypt. There was apparently a simpler version that was used by merchants and upper class citizens. I was also surprised when I read that the Greeks ruled Egypt as Pharaohs. I knew that Alexander the Great had conquered Egypt, but I didn't know the Greeks had mostly left the culture intact instead of replacing it.

While this book would work well in elementary school classrooms, I think it would be just as useful to have at home. The pictures alone kept me going back through the book and I imagine a lot of children would enjoy being able look through them a second or third time. I know my daughter will sometimes take out a book like this and use it as inspiration for her art work.

Though this book is relatively short, 40 or so pages long, it is filled with great information. I definitely wish we would have had this a few months ago for Sky's history class.

I got to read a digital copy of this book through NetGalley and Lerner Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

To view this book on Amazon go to
Tools and Treasures of Ancient Egypt (Searchlight Books - What Can We Learn from Early Civilizations?)

Book Review: The Otter, the Spotted Frog & the Great Flood: A Creek Indian Story

The book starts out with Listener the Otter and Honors Himself the Buffalo talking by a fire late at night. Listener hears the spotted frogs singing and calls the loudest over to tell them what they are singing about. Honors Himself does not like the frog and does not want to hear what he has to say so he throws the spotted frog into the fire. Listener pulls him out and the spotted frog looks as though he was never burned, but this action just irritates Honors Himself so he throws the frog back into the fire again. This happens several times until Honors Himself gives up and walks away.

The spotted frog tells Listener that there will be a great flood and that if he wishes to survive he will build a raft and tether it to the tallest tree. Listener does what the spotted frog tells him to in spite of Honors Himself's taunting. Otter Woman wants to believe Listener but in the end she does not board the raft with him. When the flood does come all of the animal people climb a tall hill while the buffalo assures them that they will be safe. The water covers the hill and all the animals drown except for Listener the Otter who is on the raft.

Once the water recedes Listener is all alone and he doesn't know how he will survive. Spotted frog returns and tells him to do as his name suggests and listen. In the end Listener the Otter is turned into the first man and Otter Woman is turned into the first woman.

Great Flood stories exist in virtually every culture on the planet and the Creek Indians are no exception. I have always enjoyed reading myths and legends from other cultures and comparing them with the stories I was brought up with.  This one was unique for me in that it not only told a great flood story but also the story of the first humans.

As much as I enjoyed the story, the illustrations were by far the highlight of this book. They are both beautiful and engaging. I read the digital version of this book and for how good the pictures look even on my phone I can only imaging how much better they would look in the hard copy. Kudos to Illustrator Ramon Shiloh for his excellent artwork

I got to read a digital version of this book for free through NetGalley and Wisdom Tales publishing.

To view this book on Amazon go to The Otter, the Spotted Frog & the Great Flood: A Creek Indian Story

Book Review: Scooby-Doo! The Secret of the Sea Creature

This is one of several new you choose style Scooby-Doo books. The story starts out with the Mystery Inc. gang heading to the beach some summer fun. When they get there they all go off in different directions to enjoy their vacation. While they are there a giant sea monster emerges from the ocean and the gang must find a way to stop it.

At the beginning of the book kids get to pick which character to follow and then what decisions they make along the way. Depending on the character and choices that are made the story ends differently.

As a kid I loved the which way books because it made me feel like I could control the outcome. Reading this with my daughter was a lot of fun as she chose which direction the story took. She followed Shaggy and Scooby as they ate hot dogs and rode the "sea monster" ride. After we finished reading she was excited about making the story end "The right way".

This book definitely engaged Sky in the story. She wanted to see what happened next and what the outcome would be. As an adult I wish the paths were a little longer but for my 7 year old they were just long enough. Also, the text was easy enough that in a few more months she will probably be able to read this book on her own.  The best thing about this book is that the next time we read it she can take a completely different path and the story will be brand new again.

We got to read the digital version of this book for free through NetGalley.

This title is due to be released April 1st 2014

Book Review: The ABC's of Yoga for Kids

This book introduces yoga poses to kids in a fun way. There are illustrations for every pose as well as a rhyme about how to do it. The illustrations are of kids performing the yoga poses and pictures that go with the name of the pose. In the picture of the Dog pose, for example,  there is a boy doing the pose next to a puppy stretching in a similar position. The rhymes explain how to do each one and emphasize not stretching beyond what is comfortable, not to mention they are rather entertaining so it does not seem like a lesson.

I started reading The ABC's of Yoga for Kids with my oldest daughter (7) Sky. She has never really been interested in stretching as she always wants to run and move, so I wasn't sure whether she would enjoy the book or not. To my surprise, Sky loved the book and actually remembered how to do most of the poses she had learned when we read it the next day. Of course, she still wants to move a lot during the exercises but the fact that she stops long enough to try them is a huge win in my book.

While older kids may not enjoy the ABC theme or simple explanations, as an adult I got a lot out of this book. I have some experience with yoga (okay rather shaky attempts at yoga) and I enjoyed the fact that this book made it simple and fun. I imagine if I were to seriously practice I would need to find some more comprehensive instruction but for just starting out this worked well for me.

I got to read a digital copy of this book for free compliments of NetGalley.

To view this book on Amazon go to The ABCs of Yoga for Kids

Book Review: Morris Has a Cold

Sky (my 7 year old daughter) and I read Morris Has a Cold as part of her K12 literature and comprehension class. She loved it, and we read it probably five times yesterday. She especially liked the dialogue where Boris is attempting to get Morris to eat some soup. The best part was that she could read it on her own. 

Morris the moose gets a cold and his friend Boris attempts to help him. Unfortunately Morris is not the brightest and he gets confused about pretty much everything. For example, when Boris asks to feel his forehead Morris replies that he does not have four heads. Boris tries to point out that it is called a forehead but Morris says no that is my one head. 

Throughout the entire story Boris shows an incredible amount of patience in dealing with Morris. Though he does get angry at times Boris never gives up on helping his friend. 

This book was very funny and I imagine we will be reading it another 4 or 5 times tomorrow.

Book Review: Because I Stubbed My Toe

Because I Stubbed My Toe is about a boy who causes a bizarre series of event by stubbing his toe.  It reminded me of when I was a kid and read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Although, I have to say, I like this story a lot more. The illustrations are vibrant and, might I add, hilarious. I especially liked the one where the boy is landing on the overcrowded bouncy house.

The best part about this book for me was that my 7 year old daughter could just about read it by herself. She struggled with a few words but was enjoying the story too much to get frustrated. Of course, as it is a picture book, we had to stop at every page so she could comment on the ridiculous scenarios "Why are the bees chasing the old man? Why don't they turn around and chase the boy?". Of course my favorite comment came after she saw that the kids had run screaming into the zoo, "Oh jeez... that can't be good.".  

The lively illustrations even held the attention of my one year old twins. Which in and of it self is an accomplishment. 

So it seems that whether you have toddlers or beginning readers this book will hold their attention and keep them laughing. Not to mention it provides a great opportunity to discuss cause and effect with the older children. All in all, it's a big win for anyone trying to pass the love of reading on to their kids. 

I got to read an advance copy of this book through NetGalley.com 

It is due to be released on February 1st 

Book Review: Princess Ruby: The Make Up Ballet Class

I got to read a digital copy of this book for free through Storycartel so I figured I'd see what my 7 year old thought of it. The book is about a young girl who is nervous about going to a new dance class because she won't know anyone there. In the end she faces her fear, goes to the class, and has a great time.

My daughter liked the book well enough, though she liked the bright colorful pictures the best. The only reason I gave this a four instead of a five was that it was a little basic for my kiddo. I think this would go over better with four and five year old kids. That said the ballet terms were a little advanced for the age group that I think would like this the best.

For me, I liked that they showed a realistic scenario that a lot of kids (and adults) go through when they step out of their comfort zone. Great premise and I will probably read it to my twins again when they get a little older. 

I placed the review above on Amazon but wanted to add a little more here. 

Along with the digital book I also got to listen to the audio book. The narration is great and I loved the different voices. The narrator did a an excellent job of making the book come to life and I actually enjoyed it more than reading the print version on its own. My oldest daughter also enjoyed the audio book better, partially due to my mispronunciation of some of the words :) but mostly because of the great voice acting. Well done!

Book Review: Swimming to the Moon/ A Collection of Rhymes Without Reason

This book is filled with funny poems that often have life lessons in them. I loved the Pants poem as I have quite a few pairs that are fairly close to the ripped up grass stained ones in the poem that I just can't let go of. The I'm Running for President one gave me a bit of a chuckle as well.

The only negative thing I have to say about it was that the meter was a bit off in a few of the poems. Nothing major but it did make me stop mid poem a few times to see if I had read it correctly.

All in all I've really enjoyed it though. I got to read the digital version for free through Story Cartel but I am planning on getting the print copy for my mom as she is a huge fan of Shel Silverstein. Young or old this book is definitely worth checking out.

The above is my review from Amazon.

I wanted to say a little bit more about one of my favorite poems from Jeff McMahon's Swimming to the Moon. Tree Climbing 101 had me laughing and reminiscing about my own tree climbing adventures. As a kid the first few times I climbed a tree getting as high as I wanted wasn't an issue it was finding a way to get down that presented a problem. I remember my dad said when I asked for help to get out of a tree for the first time, "If you can't get down you shouldn't climb up". Needless to say I had to find a way down on my own. At the time I was angry that I was left up there but having to figure it out on my own actually gave me a lot more confidence and it was a lesson I've carried with me throughout my life.

Tree Climbing 101 brought back some great childhood memories for me. Whether you are still out climbing trees or sitting on a park bench admiring them Jeff McMahon's poems bring out the child in each of us.

To check out this book on Amazon go to Swimming to the Moon / A Collection of Rhymes Without Reason

Book Review: Odd Weird & Little

Woodrow gets picked on... a lot. So when a new kid from Canada shows up wearing a tie and carrying a briefcase, Woodrow is a bit relieved. Finally there is someone stranger than him for Garrett to pick on.  But once Woodrow realizes that he and Toulouse have quite a bit in common they become friends.

Unlike Woodrow, Toulouse seems to excel at everything he does, but this doesn't stop the other children from making fun of him. He is short, doesn't speak much and writes with a quill, not to mention he's the prime suspect when one of the class goldfish disappears. In the process of defending his only friend, Woodrow learns to stand up for himself as well.

I got the opportunity to read this book through NetGalley. I really enjoyed it and I think my 7 year old will too.

The only negative things I have to say about it is that Toulouse's secret isn't difficult to figure out. That being said, I'm not sure it was supposed to be. Also the story seemed too short, while the ending wasn't bad, it left me wanting to read more about the odd duo.

While Toulouse's secret isn't very hard to guess, (just read the table of contents) it doesn't take away from the story at all. Odd Weird & Little does a great job of showing kids that being a little weird is perfectly okay. I also liked that bullying was a big part of the story.

"I scowl at him. One of the rules at school - the kid rules, that is - is that kids don't tell on other kids. If a kid does something against the adult rules, even if it's a kid you don't like, even if what he did is really bad, or even evil, it's against the rules to tell the adults. The adults have to find out stuff on their own." 

Most children do live by the "kid rules" and never tell anyone when they or someone else is being picked on. In the book, Woodrow goes from following those rules, to standing up for his friend, and though at first they are afraid to, eventually the other kids join in. This is more than just a book about a peculiar boy, it's a story about bravery and doing what is right.

For those interested, Odd Weird & Little is due to be released on 01.28.14