What makes a person an American? Is it their citizenship? Is it where they call home? Is it their beliefs? Today we are sharing a picture book that asks and answers this question. The book is I'm An American by Darshana Khiani and illustrated by Laura Freeman. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
How do you remember a loved one who has passed? This is a question I have been focusing on lately. My father passed in January, and we are planning his celebration of life. Today we are sharing a book about the Jewish tradition of the yahrzeit candle. It is a tradition I had not heard of. The book is A Flame Burns On by Richard Ho and illustrated by Carmel Ben Ami. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Sometimes life is difficult. Sometimes family is difficult. And sometimes the hardest thing is escaping and standing up for yourself. Today we get to share a new book written in verse about a young girl and her mother who escape a tough situation. They escape to a ranch that raises dogs to help with bears. The book is called Kestrel Takes Flight and is by Joy McCullouogh. It is recommended for ages 10+.
Happy Memorial Day!! To honor our fallen soldiers, we thought we would share a book about them. We are focusing on the Civil War and the middle grade graphic novel we are sharing is more about how the Civil War was reported to the citizens of the United States and in particular by Alfred Waud. The book is What Was the Turning Point in the Civil War? Alfred Waud Goes to Gettysburg by Ellen T. Crenshaw. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12. It is not only great for Memorial Day but also helps teach some of the history of the USA just in time for the big 250th celebration in July!
Can you believe Father's Day is just a month away? Are you ready for it? I expect this year to be difficult for me, but my goal is to celebrate Steve. My Dad's Celebration of Life will be just over a week before Father's Day. I know he is in a better place and in many ways, we said goodbye to him years ago as his memory and brain went away, but I still miss him. Today we are sharing four picture books that are perfect for Father's Day and just for showing father figures in the life of kids. So many picture books share the mother-child relationship, but these share a father-child or male adult-child relationship. We will start with Dear Dad by Flamingo Books and illustrated by Natalie Lundeen. It is recommended for ages 3 to 7.
It is hard to believe that the United States is celebrating its 250th birthday this year! With this weekend being Memorial Day weekend and the patriotic decor coming out we thought it was a great time to share some of the many books around for learning about the United States and celebrations. Today we are sharing three board books so the youngest ones can learn a bit about our great nation. Our first book involves a favorite children's book character from Eric Carle, the Very Hungry Caterpillar!! It is a tabbed board book called Across the USA with The Very Hungry Caterpillar by the World of Eric Carle. It is recommended for ages 1 to 3.
Boston is one of the host cities for the World Cup this year. We have been hearing about it for months. It is a perfect time to introduce young ones to soccer, and we are sharing a book that is perfect for that! Plus, another board book that is about counting and has airplanes! Starting with the soccer book, it is Hello, World! Soccer by Jill McDonald. It is recommended for ages 0 to 3. It is part of the Hello, World! series.
It is hard to imagine a new take on middle school life. There are many books out there about the average life of middle school students. There are the friendships, first loves and family and everything else. Today we are sharing an interesting middle grade novel about a middle school student who time travels each year and all her family and friends do too! The book is Lily Tripp Diary of an Accidental Time Traveler by Amelia Tait. It is recommended for ages 10 to 14.
There are many sayings about kindness. "Sprinkle kindness like confetti." "In a world where you can be anything, be kind." We teach our kids to be kind. What does it really mean to be kind? When someone is teasing you should you be kind? Today we are sharing a beautiful story about an alligator who shows us what it is to be kind. The book is Alli the Alligator by Cindy Miller and illustrated by Joan Coleman. There is a giveaway at the end of the post and an alligator craft roundup to go with the book! The book does mention being created by God a few times but this is really the only religious reference.
Spring has sprung and to me that means animals return. Some animals stay through the winter, but many migrate or hibernate. I love seeing the animals. This year we had baby foxes living in our yard. Today we are going to share three books (one board book and two picture books) that are animal themed. And let's face it, most kids love animals! We will start with the board book. It is Maxine the Dog Gets a Job by Alexandra Garyn and Bryan Reisberg and illustrated by Susan Batori. It is recommended for ages 3+.
Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with Stephanie Henson and The Children's Book Review to bring you this post.
Little kids always want to be taller. Think about it. When they are surrounded by adults or older kids, they cannot see above the people. It must be a bit frustrating. I think this is why so many of them want to be picked up or carried on someone's shoulders. Imagine the change in view when they are on someone's shoulders. It would be like climbing a ladder or perhaps even like being on the balcony of the penthouse of a high rise. Today I am sharing a fun book about a young girl and her imagination when her father puts her on his shoulders at the beach. The book is Tall as the Sun by Stephanie Henson and illustrated by Yasmin Akhtar. This review has a giveaway at the end of it!
At bedtime, I always loved reading a book about going to bed or with characters going to sleep at the end of it when Hazel was little. I always felt like it was the perfect way to lead to turning off the lights. Today we get to share three very different books of this type. One is about noise. One is a Korean folktale, and the final one is about a sleepover! We will start with The Very Noisy House by Sally Nicholls and illustrated by Gosia Herba. It is recommended for ages 2 to 5.
As spring goes on and the school year gets closer to its end, there are some fun new books that are great for teacher gifts, story time at home and so much more! Today we are sharing three books -- a board book and two picture books -- that share kindness, culture, family, friends and school. We will start with the board book. It is ABCs of Kindness at School by Patricia Hegarty and illustrated by Summer Macon. It is recommended for ages 0 to 3 and is part of the Books of Kindness Collection.
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with Evelina Ruimy and The Children's Book Review to bring you this post.
Spring has sprung here. Have you been seeing any bunnies in the yard? We haven't yet but that may be due to the foxes that moved in. Bunnies are seen as such cute animals and tend to be a sign of spring. Today we are sharing a beautiful picture book about a bunny. It is Hop's Tales: The Kind Bunny by Evelina Ruimy and illustrated by Siska Kalla. There is a giveaway at the end of this post.
Mother's Day is on Sunday!! How are you celebrating? When Hazel was young, I loved all the school Mother's Day events. Now she has big shows every Mother's Day, so I don't really get to see her. This year I am going to visit my mom. However part of what I loved about when she was young were the books, the cards and crafts, songs, etc. Today we are sharing two books perfect for kids to show how much they love mom and see a bit about what Mother's Day is about! The first book is from The World of Eric Carle with some of his beautiful illustrations! It is Thank You, Mom! from Baby Bear and Friends by Eric Carle and Odd Dot. It is a board book and recommended for babies to three.
In our society we are taught that white means good. White is beautiful. White is pure. The good guy wears the white hat or rides the white horse. Brides wear white historically to show purity. Black is seen as the bad guy's hat or the color to wear when mourning. These messages are slowing leaving our society, but they still exist and send messages to our kids. I shared my heartbreaking story several years ago of witnessing a young Black girl say the white Barbie was prettier than the same Black Barbie. Same dress and everything but the skin color and hair color were different. It broke my heart. It is because of stories like this that I feel it is important to have books like I am sharing today. The two picture books for today are celebrating how amazing Black children are. The first one is Black Girl, Bloom Bright by Mahogany L. Browne and illustrated by Sawyer Cloud. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
There are so many amazing books coming out these days. Today we are sharing four--two board books and two picture books that are being released today! Each book has its own lesson from STEAM lessons, friendships, and rhyming words there is fun packed into these books! We will start with the STEAM board books! The first is Manny Matches the Weather by Jenny Lacika and illustrated by Antonieta Muñoz Estrada. It is part of the STEAMWORKS series and is available in English and Spanish. It is recommended for ages 0 to 3.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Earth Day is April 22. However, I feel that as a world we need to celebrate Earth Day every day. Spring seems like a perfect time to think about cleaning our planet. Whether it is helping pick up trash on a street, trail or beach or even a water way, every little bit helps. Today we are sharing a wonderful picture book about how one act of kindness can create a large effect. The book is Ripples by Katie Yamasaki. At the end of my review there is a giveaway too!!
In this day and age, there seems to be a lot to talk about. There are the environmental issues around the world. There are rights and protections that seem to be in the possibility of being lost. Today we are sharing a magical middle grade novel that could lead to discussions about some of these issues. The book is The Genie Game by Jordan Ifueko. It is recommended for ages 10 to 14.
Who is your favorite painter? Or what is your favorite type of art? In elementary school I had an amazing art teacher who took the fifth grade to New York City to go the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts. First, you had to pass a test though. The test was on the Impressionists. I have loved Impressionist art ever since. Monet is my favorite and then probably van Gogh or Degas. Have you ever wondered what inspired them to paint their masterpieces? Today we are sharing a new picture book that is fictional but shares a thought about what may have inspired some of van Gogh's famous paintings. It is called Van Gogh's Dog by Georgia Larson and illustrated by Grace Helmer. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
