My Old Friend, Then -- Book Review, Mindfulness for Kids Round-Up, & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Riverlet Press and will receive a small stipend for this post. All opinions are my own.

Mindfulness has been the rage lately. Have you tried to teach your kids to be mindful? Today I am sharing a book that teaches kids a bit about mindfulness in a manner that is similar to the approach of a child. The book is My Old Friend, Then by Katherine Davis-Gibbon and illustrated by Allie Daigle. 

Oi Gets Lost -- Book Review, Cat Craft Round-Up & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Bright Light Books and will receive a small stipend for this post. All opinions are my own.

Do you have a cat lover in your house? We are all cat lovers here and have two cats in our household including a kitten (at least for a few more weeks). Most kids love animals including kittens. If you have an emerging reader you will want to check out today's book. It is Oi Gets Lost by Lorna Likiza and illustrated by Yeveheniia Melnyk. 

The Kindness Machine -- Picture Book Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Purple Butterfly Press and will receive a small stipend for this post. All opinions are my own.

"Spread kindness like confetti!" and "Be kind!" are two very popular sayings these days. Let's face it, today's world really needs more kindness! We are teaching our kids to be kind to others but are we teaching them to be kind to themselves. Are we being kind to ourselves and others? How do we really teach kindness? The answer to many of these questions can be answered with today's book. The book is The Kindness Machine by Chirstina Dankert and illustrated by Chad Dankert.

Elijah Goes to Cleveland Review & Giveaway & Fun Facts About Cleveland

 

Disclosure: I am working with The Children's Book Review and Mark Darden. I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I will receive a small stipend for my review. All opinions are my own.

Have you ever been to Cleveland? It is not a place that I have visited although I have been to a few cities in Ohio. Today I am sharing a picture book with you that takes us virtually all over the city of Cleveland. The book is Elijah Goes to Cleveland by Mark Darden and illustrated by Anh Bui. 

The True Story of Nick the Firedog with Fire Safety Tips

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Timothy P. Dexter, Jr. and will receive a small stipend for this review. All opinions are my own.

When you hear firehouse dog, I am guessing you don't think about a pit bull. Today I get to share with you a fun new picture book about a firedog who is a pit bull!! This sweet picture book is fun and introduces pet care as well as fire safety to young children. The book is The True Story of "Nick the Firedog" by Timothy Dexter, Jr. 

The Leaf and The Tree -- We Are All Connected

 

Disclosure: I am working with The Children's Book Review and Bruce Nemovitz and will receive a small stipend for this post. I was sent a digital copy of the book in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

We are in the middle of winter here in Massachusetts. The trees are bare, but I am dreaming of spring and warmer weather. Today's book is perfect for this dream. It is The Leaf and the Tree by Bruce Nemovitz and illustrated by Ani Ghosh. 

Finding Family Treasure -- a Middle Grades Novel about Family History & More -- Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I am working with The Children's Book Review, K.I. Knight, and Jane R. Wood and was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am receiving a small stipend for this review.

Have you ever looked into your family history? Perhaps you have gone onto Ancestry or Family Search and looked up your relatives. Did you discover anything? Or perhaps your child needed to share a bit about the country your family comes from. Do you come from just one country? As what I call an American mutt, I cringe at those assignments. How do I pick one of the countries my family is from? When Hazel got that assignment, we went with Steven's family history since he is Italian American. Today I am going to share a middle grades book with you that a diverse class begins researching their own history. It is a tale of genealogy, family, connections and so much more. The book is Finding Family Treasure by K.L. Knight and Jane R. Wood. Oh, and there is a giveaway at the end of the post!

Merry Christmas, Eve! Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Krueger Wallace Press and Riven Rock Project for this post and will receive a small stipend from them.

Christmas is such a magical time of the year. I know some people do not think kids should learn about Santa or his magic, but I think it is part of the fun of Christmas. Today's book shares a bit of the magic. We head to the North Pole where we meet one of Santa's elves, Eve. She begins to search for the spirit of Christmas in hopes of saving Christmas and all of Santa's elves. The story is Merry Christmas, Eve! by Adam Wallace and illustrated by Lena Bardy.

The Friendly Bookshelf Book Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Blossom Children's Media Group, LLC and will receive a small stipend for this review.

Today I get to share a fun picture book with the message of everyone has a story worth telling. It is a sweet story that is about a bookshelf (the first of its kind). The bookshelf feels left out and left behind as the library grows. The book helps teach acceptance, inclusion, as well as confidence. The book itself comes out on November 30, 2021!

This Is Clare -- a fun new rhyming picture book

 

Disclosure: I am working with The Children Book Review and Lindy Nelson and will receive a small stipend for this review. I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I get to share with you a fun new rhyming picture book. It features a sweet dog named Clare who lives in China. The book is written for people learning English but also works well to share a bit of the culture of China with English speaking people! It is This Is Clare by Lindy Nelson and illustrated by Ingrid Lefebvre. 

Jesús, Mary, and Joseph -- a Sweet Religious Christmas Story with Crafts to Go with It & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I am working with Children's Book Review and Kathleen T. Pelley and will receive a small stipend for this review. I was sent a digital copy of this book to write this review. All opinions are my own.

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. I love all the joy and happiness that the season brings. I also love the message of Jesus Christ being born and what that means for us. I always am happy to check out new Christmas books. Today I get to share a really sweet new Christmas book with you.

The Wolf's Curse -- New Middle Grades Fantasy Novel -- Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and HarperCollins Children's Books and will receive a small stipend for my review. All opinions are my own.

What do you believe about death? Is there an afterlife? Does death come to steal your soul? These questions are ones that may pop into your head as you read the book I'm sharing today. The book is a new fantasy novel recommended for ages 8 to 12. It is The Wolf's Curse by Jessica Vitalis.

Fun & Facts Coloring Books Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent digital copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Daniel Gershkovitz and am receiving a small stipend for this review. All opinions are my own.

Today we get to share eleven fun coloring books that aren't just for coloring. They have fun facts about each of the pictures featured in the coloring page. The topics of these books range from animals to vehicles and space. There is literally something for every interest!! The books are We Can Color! Fun & Facts Coloring Books created by Daniel Gershkovitz. They each have 70 pages and are for all ages! Plus there is a giveaway at the end!

Ting Ting the Girl Who Saved China Review with crafts and more!

 

Disclosure: I am participating in a virtual book tour with The Children's Book Review and Ryan O'Connor. I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and will also receive a small stipend.

The Chinese New Year is a very important holiday in China. It is also called the lunar new year and is celebrated in different countries with different traditions. It usually falls in January or February and is celebrated for fifteen days in China and seven to fourteen are public holidays. Now we have shared many books, crafts and more about the Chinese New Year and the Chinese zodiac including this fun facts post with many details about the holiday and celebrations. Today we are sharing a fun book about a young girl learning about her own ancestor's role in the Chinese New Year celebration and how she saved China. The book is Ting Ting, the Girl Who Saved China by Ryan O'Connor and illustrated by Xiang Minghui. 

5 Little Angels Review with Craft Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I am working with The Children's Book Review and Kathleen T. Pelley to participate in this Virtual Book Tour. I was sent a digital copy of the book for the review and will receive a small stipend. All opinions are my own. 

Today I am sharing a new picture book with you from Kathleen T. Pelley. It is a sweet, religious picture book. It is Five Little Angels. After my review I will share some angel crafts to go with this book and there is a giveaway as part of the blog tour!

Review of Six Thousand Doughnuts

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book for this review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Dooney Press and will receive a small compensation for this review. All opinions are my own.

Today I am participating in a Virtual Book Tour for Six Thousand Doughnuts by Thomas Tosi. The book is being released next week, June 4, 2021. It is a middle grade novel with some illustrations throughout it. It is recommended for ages 8-12.

Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey -- Book Review

 

Disclosure: I am working with The Children's Book Review and Harper Collins Publishers to participate in this blog tour. I was sent a copy of this book and will receive a small compensation for my review. All opinions are my own.

Yesterday we kicked off our celebration of Asian-American Heritage Month. Today's book features a young Filipino-American girl so it is perfect for this month. The book is Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey by Erin Entrada Kelly. Today is the release day of this book!! The book is recommended for ages 7 to 12 but I think the sweet spot is for 6 to 9. This is definitely an emerging reader novel thanks to the pictures throughout and larger print size. 

Picture Books that Teach Kindness & Understanding

 

Disclosure: I am working with The Children's Book Review & REED Foundation for Autism by sharing these books with you. All opinions are my own.

April is Autism Awareness Month. I have a close friend who has a son on the spectrum. It is through them that I truly became aware of autism and what it is. Her son is highly functioning, but I know the difficulties he can have. When he was young I was one of the only people she allowed to pick him up from school besides herself or her husband. I feel blessed to have learned more about autism from him and I feel blessed to share these two amazing books with you. These books come from the REED Foundation for Autism. Inside each cover jacket it says: "The 'One Big Canvas' book series is an initiative of the REED Foundation for Autism. The series will feature a growing number of titles, characters, and storylines centered on understanding, accepting, and demonstrating kindness to all." The REED Foundation for Autism is committed to providing individuals with autism the opportunity to learn, live, work and thrive at every stage of their lives. For more information, please visit https://www.reedfoundationforautism.org.

Mesopo -- Middle Grades Fantasy Novel

 

Disclosure: I am working with The Children's Book Review and Eva Dietrich and they sent me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I get to share with you a middle grades fantasy novel. The main character has Iraqi ancestry and the book has ancient world (think Biblical times) references throughout it. The book is Mesopo by Eva Dietrich. Oh, and there is a giveaway at the end of the post!

One Jar of Magic -- new middle school novel about disappointment, dreams, friends, family and more

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and a small compensation gift. All opinions are my own.

Today I get to share with you an amazing new middle grades novel. This post is part of the Awareness Tour hosted by The Children's Book Review which includes a giveaway!! I will start with the publishers information about the book. The book is One Jar of Magic by Corey Ann Haydu.