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Showing posts sorted by date for query birds. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query birds. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Pop Manga Paint and Ink Coloring Book -- A Relaxing Friday Review

 

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

It has been a very long time since I have done a Relaxing Friday Review! I remember when I did them regularly. However, I have not been getting many adult coloring books to review recently, and I guess the adult coloring trend died down a bit. If you go back to my first Relaxing Friday Review, you will see some ways coloring as an adult can help with your thinking skills. There are advantages to it and I am happy to start doing it again. Today we are sharing a newly released coloring book. It is Pop Manga Paint and Ink Coloring Book by Camilla d'Ericco. 

The Incredible Adventures of Casper the Cat Who Got Lost in Africa: The Ostriches -- Book Review & Giveaway

 


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 The Children's Book Review and Jennifer Ussi to bring you this post.

I love stories that are fun to read and teach about different places and animals. They are even better when they have life lessons in them as well.  Today we get to share the sixth book in The Incredible Adventures of Casper the Cat Who Got Lost in Africa: The Ostriches by Jennifer Ussi and illustrated by Lekshmi Bose. We shared our review of the first book in this fun series previously. This post has an amazing giveaway at the end of it!

Picture Books with Animals Sharing Friendship, Community & More

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

There were many books released this week. Today we are sharing four of them about animals, community, friendship and more. They are all picture books, and each has a lesson in it. We will start with one about a hummingbird's annual migration. It is Hummingbird's Big Trip by G. Brian Karas. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Paper Book for Nature Lovers -- Joyful Sunday Review

 

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

What brings you joy? I know crafting brings me joy as does nature. Today I get to share a beautiful new paper book about nature and I'm sharing a haiku with crafts from it! The book is Paper Book for Nature Lovers by the Editors of Flow Magazine. I've reviewed one of these paper books from Flow Magazine previously too. 

Joyful Sunday -- Finding My Joy During a Time of Grief

 


Joy and grief do not usually go together. The idea of joy however is for joy to be there no matter the circumstances. I have been trying to find my joy this year, and it has been a bit difficult the last week or so. At school, MLK week is tough. We have parent/teacher/student conferences for two and a half days. These are 15-minute online conferences with the entire group of teachers the student has. We work from 8 to 5 with a few breaks. This year was very different for me. On Thursday morning my sister texted me asking me to call her when I had a break. I did. She let me know the hospice nurse was pretty sure our father was transitioning. Now a few years ago an ER doctor told us this and we all ran to his side and got Covid from him. So, the first struggle was, do we go or do we wait. I decided I needed to go after talking to Steve. We gave Hazel the choice of going with us. So, we picked her up at boarding school and drove to Connecticut to say our final goodbyes. Now I missed an afternoon of conferences as a result. I promised Hazel we would not spend the night in Connecticut. She didn't think she could handle it. The next morning, I started conferences again. Steve asked me if I was going to and my answer was, "What else am I going to do? Sit and cry all day?" I made it through all the morning conferences and started my afternoon ones. As my first afternoon conference came to an end, I received the news that he had passed. That was the end of conferences for me.

Raven's Gift: A Feathered Flight of Faith -- #ReadYourWorld Review

 



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

Today is the BIG DAY!! It is Read Your World Day! To celebrate we get to share our last Read Your World review for 2026! The book is Raven's Gift: A Feathered Flight of Faith by Claire Annette Noland and illustrated by Desiree Cordon. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8 and is a Christmas book. But before I tell you about this fun book, let's tell you about Read Your World Day!

Arctic Adventure: A Tundra Tale -- Book Review and Arctic Animal Craft Roundup

 

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

Being back at school this week has been trying. I have been exhausted most nights and haven't been able to share books and more much with you. Today I am going to share a newly released book that is perfect for the winter and animal lovers! It is Arctic Adventure: A Tundra Tale by Jyoti Rajan Gopal and illustrated Alexandra Cook. It is recommended for ages 3 to 6. After the review there is a roundup of arctic animal crafts to go with the book.

Joyful Sunday #1 Joy Journal & Joy Poems

 


As I mentioned previously, my word for 2026 is JOY. I decided to make a Joy Journal. Well actually it is a journal for my words of the year. I picked up a journal with blank pages at Dollar Tree. I also got a bigger sketchbook at Five Below to use for my explorations in joy. When I was reviewing my posts from the past, I found this one sharing the book Joy in Every Moment by Tzvia Gover. I pulled it off my shelf and have started reading it daily and trying some of the mindful exercises in it. I use my journal for this as well as ones I think of. On the first page of the journal, I wrote down all my words of the year with the date. One of the mindfulness exercises was to take time to define what joy means to me. I did this in my journal. It is not a formal definition but words I think of when I think about what joy means.

The Language of Birds

 

Disclosure: I was sent an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I will admit that the title of today's book intrigued me. After all anyone who has been following Crafty Moms Share knows I have a thing for birds. This book is not really a book about rather connections for a young bird lover with social anxiety. The book is The Language of Birds by Jon-Erik Lappano and illustrated by Zach Manbeck. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Growing Senses & Imagination with Books About Nature and the Seasons

 

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

This week I spent three days in the woods in Vermont with some of my students. Every year our school goes on a field trip to an outdoor center in Vermont. The high school students can choose to go for two nights and the middle school and 5th and 6th grade are required to go for four nights. The time there is tech free for the kids. The goals are team building, bonding with one another and getting them out of their comfort zones. For many it is the first time they are away from their parents for this length of time. As much as I hate being away from home, it is a great experience, and I always enjoy it a bit more than I think I will. It is important for everyone to get into nature and enjoy it. Today I am going to share two new picture books about nature and uses your senses and imagination. The first is Tree Spirits Around the World words and photographs by Louise Wannier and illustrated by April Tatiana Jackson. It is recommended for ages four to nine but could work with any age.

2026 Calendars for Different Uses

 

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

We all have calendars on our phones and computers. Do you use them? Or do you prefer paper calendars? Or perhaps you are like me and want both. When Hazel was younger, we had a "family" calendar hanging in a common room so we could keep track of everyone's appointments, meetings and Hazel's classes. This allowed us to figure out care and rides for Hazel. I had fun with that calendar, and some years even did photo calendars with pictures of Hazel from the past year or photos from a big trip like Hazel's first trip to Disney World. Other times I just picked a special calendar that I liked the pictures, messages and had big enough squares for us to write the appointments on. Now I use my phone calendar to keep track of my appointments and meetings as well as Hazel's appointments. We still hang a calendar in the same spot but don't write on it as much! Steve actually hangs a calendar in just about every room in our house. He takes all the ones companies send us and place them around just in case we wonder the date or perhaps to decorate the room. To be honest I hardly ever see the one hanging on the back of my bedroom door. However, I have found as a teacher and a blogger I need different types of calendars for different reasons. When Workman Calendars asked me to review some, I was very excited! They have different types as well as so many different themes! There is truly something for everyone! My uses for these calendars vary from at home and at school. I will review them by type starting with wall calendars.

New Sticker Books Perfect for Crafting

 

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

When you were young did you love stickers? I did. Growing up stickers were such a big deal. We were just discovering Lisa Frank. She became even more popular and well known in the 90's. I always wanted a sticker book but also didn't want to waste my stickers by putting them in a book. Sticker books in the 80s were really just notebooks or journals where you kept your stickers forever. Stickers are not just for kids though!! Nor are sticker books. Today we are sharing three new sticker books (two released last week and one being released this week) that are not children's sticker books. Along with my reviews I am going to share some ways to use these stickers in crafts. The first book is A Book Lover's Sticker Book illustrated by Christina Chun. 

Christiana Figueres, Friend of the Rainforest

 

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

It is hard to believe that is September already. I start school today! Summer is over and fall is around the corner. So is Hispanic Heritage Month! Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 until October 15 each year! Today and tomorrow we will be sharing some new picture books perfect for Hispanic Heritage Month and both are being released today! Today's book is Christiana Figueres, Friend of the Rainforest by Margarita Engle and illustrated by Nazareth Hidalgo Lobo. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8. 

Loon Cove Summer -- Middle Grade Novel

 

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

How is your summer going? Mine has been good and relaxing. I am trying to make a dent in my summer reading pile but have not gotten very far. It has grown since I last shared it. And I have two more that are coming out in August!

Origami Resources Extravaganza -- Craft for Any Time

 

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

Summer is always full of fun, but there are those days when the weather doesn't agree with getting outside. It can be too hot or too wet. And kids can get bored inside. Personally, I have always loved origami. It can be made as a lesson, I use it in my geometry class all the time, as part of a gift or craft, or just for fun. Today I am sharing some new origami resources for different ages and abilities as well as roundup of resources we have reviewed previously. Today's new resources include four books and three packs of origami paper. We will start with the book that comes with its own paper and is for ages 6 to 9. It is The Origami Kid: A Paperfolding Adventure by Robert McGuire. The previous review roundup includes over 100 products and projects!

Daisy Rewilds -- New Picture Book

 

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

Have you seen all the social media posts about how we are killing off the bees and other insects as well as birds and other animals that eat the insects? Or maybe the one about how we spend so much time and money on our lawns, yet it is what is not native or healthy for our environments to have the green lawns. Today I am going to share a magical new book (released yesterday) with you about a little girl who decides to help nature rewild her neighborhood. The book is Daisy Rewilds by Margaret McNamara and illustrated by Kerascoët. It is recommended for ages 3 to 6.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Sea Star -- Book Review & Giveaway with Sea Star Craft Roundup

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Kathleen Welton to bring you this post.

Happy First Day of Summer!! To kick off this season I get to share a fun book about sea creatures. Every summer Hazel and I always studied something about the ocean/beach. We always have a beach trip since we get the Cape house for a week. Plus, there are always great crafts to do with the treasures you find on a beach. So, to go with today's book I am sharing a roundup of sea star themed crafts! The book today is Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Sea Star by Kathleen Welton and illustrated by Chau Pham. 

Summer Themes: Bird Watching -- Turn This Book into a Bird Feeder -- Book Review with Craft Roundup

 

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

When Hazel was younger, I loved coming up with different themes to focus some of our books and activities. As she got older, it became themes for the summer. Now she is in high school and I'm lucky to watch television with her. As I was finding products to review, I realized many would lend to fun themes to focus your kids this summer. They range from educational, nature, crafts and more. Today's theme is bird watching! To introduce this theme I am sharing a wonderful book with you. It is Turn This Book into a Bird Feeder by Lynn Brunelle and illustrated by Anna-Maria Jung. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12 but could be for younger kids with adult help! After my review there will be a roundup of DIY bird feeders, bird crafts and other bird books to learn about them.

New Picture Books Perfect for Summer Reading

 

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

It is hard to believe that school is almost out, and summer is almost upon us. We had the high school graduation on Friday. I have some classroom cleanup to do and then conferences next week, but otherwise I am done! Summer means so many things. Of course, there is often a summer reading assignment as well as summer reading programs at libraries and Barnes and Noble. Grades 1 through 6 can read eight books this summer and get a free book at Barnes and Noble. When Hazel was younger, I liked to come up with different themes for us to explore in the summer. This summer I plan to share some themes and resources with you. We will start today with a roundup of new picture books that are perfect for 4 to 8-year-olds. With each book there are ideas of activities or more books to check out with it. Happy reading!

Picture Books Featuring School & More!

 

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

It is hard to believe it is almost the end of May and thus almost the end of the school year! When are your kids out of school? I only have a week and half left of work with kids in my room. Today I am going to share three new books that have different school themes to them. The first book is Together, a Forest: Drawing Connections Between Nature's Diversity and Our Own by Roz MacLean. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.