New Takes on Classic Fairy Tales

Disclosure: I was sent these products free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As always I am providing links to the book for your convenience.

Today I am going to share with you three books based on classic fairy tales. Two of them star Hello Kitty and the third is perfect for Halloween. Hello Kitty is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company, Sanrio. She was created by Yuko Shimizu in 1974. She is currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi and worth about seven billion dollars a year!! (Source) Hello Kitty's birthday is November 1st and she is a bright little girl cat that has a heart of gold. She is about as tall as five apples. Her best friend is her twin sister, Mimmy White. (Source)

Little Red Driving Hood and the Three Repairs -- 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 Stacey Rayz to bring you this post and giveaway. 

I always love sharing new versions of fairy tales. It has been a long time since I shared a Fairy Tale from a Different Culture. Although Little Red Riding Hood was not one of the fairy tales we shared from different cultures, we have shared some various versions of it previously. Today we are sharing a modern multicultural version of it. It is Little Red Driving Hood and the Three Repairs by Stacey Rayz and illustrated by Nenad Taskov. There is a giveaway at the end of this post!

Fairy Tales -- New and Old

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Do you like fairy tales? They are a favorite in my house. Hazel LOVES them. Today I am going to share some new versions that have come out this past year, and one even includes some math lessons!! We will start with two Hello Kitty books. The first is Hello Kitty Presents the Storybook Collection Thumbelina. 

Virtual Book Club for Kids: Mixed Up Fairy Tales by Nick Sharratt

This month the author for the Virtual Book Club for Kids is Nick Sharratt. We have really enjoyed his books. He has quite a range of books and then even more that he has illustrated. You can learn a little more about Nick Sharratt on his website.

Fun Christmas Books for Little Ones

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I am going to share two more Christmas books. These are for the younger kids. One is a board book and the other is a picture book. The board book is about the Christmas story and in particular the wise men. The picture book is entertaining and involves many storybook favorite characters. Let's start with the board book, The Story of the Wise Men by Patricia A. Pingry and illustrated by Alice Buckingham. It is recommended for ages 1 to 4.

Dorktales -- a Funny Podcast Series for Families

 

Disclosure: I was paid a nominal sum for sharing and reviewing these podcasts with you. All opinions are my own.

In our world today we have just about everything at our fingertips. We can give our kids our smart phones or tablets to entertain them. Kids today are glued to the television or some form of technology. When Hazel was young we started her at a Waldorf school. One of the things I loved about the Waldorf philosophy was the no technology rule. They actually took it even further for the younger kids. They encouraged storytelling without books or with wordless books. The philosophy believed that preschool kids' bodies were developing so fast at that time that the body should be allowed to do its growing without the burden of trying to work to learn letters and words. The art of storytelling seems to be gone especially during this pandemic. However storytelling is important for our kids' development. From stories kids learn virtues and good character especially from stories that demonstrate it. Kids will often copy the behavior they see or hear about. This is why we turn to fairy tales over and over. The basic tales have good overcoming evil over and over again. The honest, kind, good people are rewarded while the dishonest and cheaters are punished or lose. 

My Giant Fairy Tale Activity Book -- Parragon Book Buddies Review

Disclosure: Parragon Books sent me a copy of this book free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As always I am providing links to the book for your convenience.

This month's Parragon Book Buddies book is My Giant Fairy Tale Activity Book. I was really excited to see this book since we love fairy tales. 

This activity book tells the tales of The Three Little Pigs, Hansel and Gretel, The Princess and the Pea and Little Red Riding Hood. Throughout the story there are various activities to go with it. Things like coloring, mazes, find hidden pictures as well as counting, pattern finding and more. 

Library Book Review and More Books

Today we went to our local library for the Move 'n Groove program. Hazel loves it. It gets her listening to music, singing, playing with instruments (maracas, rhythm sticks) and scarves, dancing, jumping and marching with other kids and their parents. While there we also usually update our Summer Reading Program, check out books and visit our library friends. (I use to volunteer at the library so just about everyone knows us there.)

One book we have been enjoying reading lately is The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney. The only words the book has are the sounds of animals. The pictures are amazing. It is a new twist on the old story and I really enjoy making the story up with the pictures.

Hazel is also beginning to enjoy some of the classic tales. Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears are the first two we have been reading. We read The Gingerbread Man awhile ago and she liked it (however Steve does not so I haven't taken it out again). Today we tried Little Red Riding Hood, but she did not like the beginning of the version we had. We did however buy The Ugly Duckling at the used book store and she liked that story.

After the library we went to the used book store at the mall. I had an idea for Hazel's birthday party (I know, I'm planning way too far ahead, but I like to do these things) and wanted to look for some books to use for decorations. I found them and more and discovered that they were having an anniversary sale of 50% off all used books (they do sell some new books there as well). I spent under $6 on children's books (around 60 cents each) and a little more getting the newest from my favorite authors that I haven't read since having Hazel. Now I can start reading for pleasure again. And we found Hey Diddle, Diddle by Kin Eagle for Hazel since we returned it to the library and a Caillou book (she loves Caillou from when we let her watch tv).

On a very positive note, today was a good day in potty training. We only had 2 accidents. One at the mall (not sure when it happened but when she told me she needed to go she then told me her pants were already wet from prior) and once at home with Daddy. I think we are getting close to being trained at least while awake. Nap and Nighttime are a very different story, but that will come with time, I'm sure.

Have any good toddler books to share?

Chapter Books for Middle Grades (3-7)

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Today I am going to share with you a bunch of relatively new chapter books for the middle grades. There is something for everyone in this bunch!! We will start with Brave Red, Smart Frog: A New Book of Old Tales by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Rohan Daniel Eason. 

Fun Facts About Spiders with Craft Round-Up

 

Last week I shared a fun book for the summer about riding a dragonfly and included fun facts about dragonflies as well as a craft round-up. I have two books to share soon about spiders and thought I would do the fun facts and craft round-up first and then share the books over the next week or so. With one book the dragonfly post got rather long, so I wanted to do this as three posts. The first book is shared!! The second book is shared!

Where the World Ends -- New Fun Picture Book

 

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

Have you ever wondered where the clouds go after they float by? Today's book, Where the World Ends: A Zip, Trik, and Flip Adventure by Davide Cali and illustrated by Maria Dek, begins with three animal friends wondering just this. The three friends decide to go on an adventure to find the end of the world.

A Costume for Charly -- new picture book that introduces the fluidity of gender

 

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

Gender identity is a hard concept for some to understand (and to accept). I know many people in my own generation and the generation before mine that struggle with it. I also imagine it could be a hard thing for young children to truly understand. Today I am sharing a new picture book that features a nonbinary character who is struggling to find a Halloween costume that truly expresses themself. The book is A Costume for Charly by C. K. Malone and illustrated by Alejandra Barajas. It is recommended for ages 4 to 12.

Fairy Tales in Different Cultures & Fairy Tale Baking!

Disclosure: I was sent these products free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As always I am providing links to the book for your convenience.

Now I have been planning on reviewing these two amazing books from Crocodile Books USA. I had planned to write this review on Monday, but this week has gotten away from me, so here I am writing it on Wednesday. I am planning however on bringing back Fairy Tales in Different Cultures back in the new year, so stay tuned!! Our first book for today is The Crystal Mountain retold and illustrated by Ruth Sanderson. 

How to Ride a Dragonfly -- with Dragonfly Fun Facts & Craft Round-Up

 

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

Summer has begun! Today I am sharing a fun, fantasy picture book that is perfect for some summer fun. It is How to Ride a Dragonfly by Kitty Donohoe and illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8. I am also including fun facts about dragonflies and a craft round-up. 

Gift Bringers Around the World

So the other day Hazel came home from school and told me she had been arguing with some of her friends at school about whether Santa Claus is real or not. She asked who was right. In the past (maybe November) I told her Santa Clause only brings gifts to children who believe in him. She grew very concerned that one of her friends at school did not believe in him so she wouldn't get any gifts. At almost six I didn't want to ruin the magic for her, but I was not going to lie to her face. We had a discussion of how she learned about St. Nicholas in her old Waldorf School and how Santa Claus came from his stories. However since St. Nicholas is no longer alive there really is not a Santa Claus alive, so Mommy and Daddy buy the gifts from him since the spirit of Santa Claus is really part of the holiday spirit. She took this information and decided she was right--there is a Santa Claus. The next day she wanted to get her picture with Santa again at the mall when we were there (though she did tell this Santa that she already told the Santa at the other mall what she wanted for Christmas and he did not know what to say to that).

Of course I should add that the two Santas looked very different from each other. Having just written the history of Christmas trees and Christmas tree traditions around the world post, I was curious as to the Santa Clauses or Gift Bringers from around the world. I of course turned to two of my favorite sources for information, Multicultural Kid Blogs bloggers and the library!