We all have those days where we feel alone and scared. There are even more of those days when we are young. It is important to find our strengths and self-love. It is especially important for us to help our children find this for those dark moments everyone has. We get to share a fun book to help kids do just that. It is Live Big with Catch-M by Kat Kronenberg and illustrated by Jomike Tejido. It is recommended for ages 2 to 10. There is a giveaway after my review.
For 2025 I chose the word hope as my word for the year. I am hoping the word will bring me some peace even at the darkest times. I know it hasn't really worked thus far. My 2024 ended a bit rough. Hazel got sick with Covid and then pneumonia. It was a long recovery, and she is finally better. Steve and I went to Connecticut in January to celebrate my mom's birthday. We had a lovely time and then my mom got the flu and had to be hospitalized. She just returned from rehab last week. The health issues seem to be all around this winter. My school was remote on Friday so they could clean out the building. Then there is the politics.
Today I get to share with you a humorous book that has some lessons built in about self-worth, friendships and so much more! The book is The Bravest Warrior in Nefaria by Adi Alsaid. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12 and will have readers laughing and enjoying the story!
Being a children's book reviewer, I read many different books. Every once in a while, I come across one that I feel every child should read and should be read in every class for a certain age. Today I am sharing one of those books with you. It is a book that delves into bullying, body image, and self-confidence and the main character is male!! The book is A Work in Progress by Jarrett Lerner. It is recommended for grades 3 to 7.
Valentine's Day is coming quickly. How do you celebrate it? We just exchange cards and sometimes I do something special with Hazel. Steve's birthday is right before it, so it seems a bit silly to celebrate them both so close together. As I was thinking about Valentine's Day, I thought of some activities to do with different ages of kids. The activities go with today's board book, so I'm going to share them all together. First the book. It is God's Love Is Like Sunshine by Sarah Parker Rubio and illustrated by Dream Chen. It is recommended for ages 1 to 4.
Life has been tough. The past 18 months have been tough on everyone with Covid. However the last month especially has had its own toughness for me. About nine years ago my parents sat Steve and I down at Christmas to let us know my father had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. It was caught pretty early. He asked us not to tell Hazel. Fast forward to about six summers ago when my father was discussing his Alzheimer's Disease openly at the dinner table with Hazel there. It was the first time she was hearing he had it. He had forgotten we hadn't told her. He was still doing all right. Then about four years ago he started a slow decline. My parents moved from the house my grandparents (my dad's parents) built on Cape Cod to a 62 and over condo building. The house was becoming too much for them to handle. My sisters and I took over the care of the house and rent it out for much of the summer. We use it for holidays and off-season vacations mostly. We
