What do you think of when you hear someone lives on a farm? Do you think of a red bard with animals? Or perhaps big fields of grains and vegetables? Today we are sharing a fun book all about different types of farms. The book is If You Live on a Farm by Kari Ann Gonzalez and illustrated by Marie Hermansson. It is recommended for ages 4 to 10.
Why are diverse books so important? Why is it important for everyone to be exposed to diverse books? There is a lot out there about diverse books. However, I think the author's introduction to this book says a lot about how I feel. In her own childhood and adulthood, she wanted to know where were the stories about people who look like her and in particular women. Even when she was working for a newspaper she felt like they were writing obituaries for famous white men and not really anyone else. Today we are sharing a book that comes from the New York Times Overlooked project. The book is Hidden Heroes: Ten Overlooked Trailblazers by Amisha Padnani and illustrated by Dominique Ramsey. It is recommended for ages 6 to 9.
Before going any further, look at the cover and see if you can identify any of the ten from their illustrated portraits. Personally, I had only heard of one of them before.
During 2020 I rediscovered my love of paint-by-number. I hadn't done them since I was a child. I reviewed another in 2021 and started more on my own. I stopped on one that wanted me to mix colors on my own and haven't started it again. On Fridays I like to share a relaxing activity to help everyone find creativity, screen-free time and a bit of themselves. Recently I was contacted by Davincified to see if I would consider doing a paint-by-number Relaxing Friday. I was excited to try it again and had a hard time choosing from the many options they offer. I finally decided on Sunset Serenity Pink Waves. I received the standard sized rolled canvas with 24 colors. They have options for a standard size and large size. Each painting can come as rolled or stretched canvas. Plus, the artist can choose how many paint colors there will be: 24, 36, and 48. There is even an option to get a hand-painted 24 colored painting.
Yesterday we shared some illustrated chapter books that featured dogs. Halloween is on Saturday so that means the holiday season is upon us. Today we are sharing a sticker book that is perfect for animal and art lovers! It makes a great small gift for either adult or child!! The book is Vanity Fur: The Alison Friend Sticker Book by Alison Friend. All of the stickers are portraits of animals!!
Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Do you have any emerging readers ready to start chapter books but needing to take it slow? Today we get to share an early chapter book series that shares real life problems and solutions that young kids may have. The series is called Dog Days and is by Dori Hillestad Butler and illustrated by Genevieve Kote. There are two books in the series, and we are sharing both of them. The first is Hazel Helps Out. The series is recommended for ages 6 to 9.
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
With teaching and a busy life, I noticed I was not as focused on my spiritual growth as I have been in the past. Every time I go to our church for the past few years I have an allergy attack in the sanctuary. Like an embarrassing cannot stop coughing and sneezing attack, so I haven't been going. Add in getting up early all week and trying to get things done on the weekends and I lost most of my motivation. With Hazel out of Christian school, I also haven't been looking at the Christian books as much. That is going to change. Today we are sharing a fun Christian picture book called The Heavenly Juggler by Demi. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
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 The Children's Book Review and Sam Campbell to bring you this post.
Family, memories, loss, mystery, new friends...today's book has it all and it has words like its title that kids may never have heard before!! Today we are sharing a middle grade novel that is packed with mysterious things and people. It is called Quagmire and is by Sam Campbell. After my review is a giveaway.
What makes a good pet? Is it a cat or a dog? Or perhaps something else? Does it need to have special talents? As the owner of four pets, I have to say I don't think there is one thing that makes a good pet. For me it is that they have to show love and feel loved. Today we are sharing a book all about pets and what makes them good. The book is Better Pets by Leigh Bardugo and illustrated by Liz Climo. It is recommended for ages 3 to 6.
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Halloween is coming fast and that means Thanksgiving is also around the corner. There are so many good Thanksgiving books out there and we have shared quite a few as well as crafts and more. Some of the books are serious about gathering and sharing with others and some are quite fun and humorous. Today we are sharing a fun one. It is Turkey on the Run! by Alayne Kay Christian and illustrated by Neha Rawat. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Do you have someone who has trouble sitting still? Often in school, boys struggle to sit still and get in trouble for fidgeting or not "behaving" because they have so much energy that needs to be released. It is part of why recess and breaks where kids can run and play are so important. I remember when my nephew was visiting us and he was elementary school age; I found him running around our sectional couch in the family room after I put Hazel to bed. He was one of those boys that just had so much energy he needed to release it, and we had so much snow at the time he hadn't been able to get outside much. Today we are sharing a middle grade novel about such boys and a perfect read for such kids. It is actually the second book in a series, but we did not read the first and still found the book great! The book is Muppit Boy and the Wheel of Power by Michael J. Bowler. It is recommended for ages 9 to 12, and there is a giveaway after the review!
Vampires, black cats, monsters, costumes and trick-or-treating! It is that time of the year that the spooky and scary things are out everywhere. When Hazel was young, we couldn't go into stores without her freaking out with all the Halloween products. She would get so scared. We were always on the lookout for Halloween books, activities, etc. that were not so scary. Today we are going to share three picture books and one early chapter book that are not too scary but have a Halloween theme. They have the vampires, black cats, monsters and more in them but are full of fun! The first book is actually more of an emotion awareness book, but it features a vampire! It is Vlad Is Mad! by Su Moon. It is recommended for ages 3 to 6.
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide you with an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Naomi Gruer to bring you this post.
The holidays are fast approaching. Halloween is just a couple weeks away and once it hits all the holidays seem to fly by. Today we are sharing a book about Hanukkah that is perfect for dinosaur lovers! The book is Hear Me Roar! I'm a HANUKKAHsaur by Naomi Gruer and illustrated by Mel Zohar. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8. There is a giveaway after my review!
Over the weekend we traveled to Michigan to see my goddaughter get married and visit two colleges. It was a lot and I will admit I was tired. We woke up Monday to discover our return flight was cancelled, and both Steven and Hazel had to be home for Tuesday, so their free option was not working for us. I decided to take yesterday off from writing book reviews so today I am combining my review for three books released yesterday! One is a board book and the other two are picture books. The board book is Bizzy Bear: It's Bedtime by Benji Davies. It is an interactive board book with tabs to push, pull and slide. It is recommended for ages 0 to 2 and is part of the Bizzy Bear series.
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 The Children's Book Review and Sharique Zea to bring you this post.
I love a good fantasy book and really love a good fantasy series. Today we get to share the second book in the Lionborn series. You can check out our review of the first book here. This series is a fantasy series for ages 10 to 14 that is full of mystery, magic, adventure and friendship. The second book is Lionborn and the Secret of Dark Rider by Sharique Zea. After my review is a giveaway! Get ready to be amazed with the creativity of this book.
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 The Children's Book Review and Karen Henrich to bring you this post.
Facing different things can be very scary especially for young children. It could be simple as facing a new place, having to do something for the first time or as difficult as going through treatment for a serious disease like cancer. One of the best ways for kids to be brave is to be with someone else they trust--family or friend. Let's face it all of us face tough times better with someone else to help. Today we are sharing a beautiful picture book that shares this message. The book is Brave Like Me by Karen Henrich and illustrated by Jordan Foster. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8 and there is a giveaway after my review!
Monday is Indigenous People's Day. A great way to celebrate is to learn more about indigenous cultures. Today we are sharing three fun books that share indigenous stories and reading them is a wonderful way to learn about the cultures as well as celebrate. They are great for any time of the year and also for people who want to celebrate in November, Native American Heritage Month. I get really excited about Native American stories and always have and these three are no different. The first book is First Fire: An Algonkian Story retold by Joseph Bruchac and James Bruchac and illustrated by David Kanietakeron Fadden. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
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 The Children's Book Review and Norton Young Readers to bring you this post.
What makes a home? What is your home? I remember taking a diversity awareness class when I was a pretty new teacher and one of the assignments was to write a paper about who you were and what made you that person. When we shared them, it was really interesting to hear the different stories and different backgrounds each of us had. The group of teachers was unfortunately mostly white but each of us had so many different things that mattered to us in our upbringing and life to create the person we each became. It is a project I would love to do again now that I have a family of my own and am on the other side of my career. Maybe someday I will. The book we are sharing today however reminded me of that assignment. It is A Forest, A Family, A Harbor, A Home by Nikki McClure. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8. At the end of this post there is a giveaway!
How much do you know the 1800s in America--well, San Francisco and the Barbary Coast? We all learn about the gold rush and know it is a bit of the Wild West at this time, but what was life really like? Today we are sharing a historical fiction middle grades novel that shares a bit of insight. It is The Barbary Chronicles: The Lost Prince by Bobbi Miller. It is recommended for ages 9 to 12.
When is a good time to begin teaching kids STEAM concepts? The truth is for some kids, day one seems to work. I know my nephew had a board book about numbers my mom read to him when he was young and he took the knowledge from it and began to add, subtract and multiply on his own before he was three. There are many concepts that can be explored with young kids and today we are sharing the two newest STEAMWORKS books that will help get you started on these concepts with your little ones. One is a board book, and one is a picture book! We love STEAMWORKS books! They are all available in English and in Spanish and all of them have activities to extend the lesson in them. We will start with the new board book. It is Sort, Wash, ROAR! by Songju Ma Daemicke and illustrated by Sian James. It is recommended for ages 0 to 3.
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 The Children's Book Review and Shawn Hainsworth to bring you this post.
Do you have trouble getting your child to finish a book? As kids get older the books get longer and for the reluctant reader it can be hard to finish one. This is where graphic novels come in handy. Think about it, you have a kid who has always struggled with staying still and you are asking them to sit still and read a novel. Graphic novels are usually full of action and entertaining just like we found comic books when we were younger, but graphic novels are longer than most comic books, so they have more of a plot and count as reading a novel in most schools. For kids who cannot sit still, an action-packed graphic novel is perfect. Today we are sharing one that is great for those kids who need constant motion. The book is Zicky: Wrath of the Rat King created by Darin S. Cape and illustrated by Zeno Decrux and Hiorsh Gabotto. It is recommended for ages 9 and up and there is a giveaway at the end of this post!
