The Berenstain Bears' Easter Blessings -- A First Look Review

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge from Worthy Ideals. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

What is Easter about for your kids? Is it about the candy, the egg hunt and the Easter basket? Or do they get the amazing blessing Easter really is for us? Do we really get that? 

The Rabbit Who Wants To Go To Harvard -- A Parody on Our Society

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation.  As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

According to Merriam-Webster a parody is defined as a piece of writing, music, etc. that imitates the style of someone or something in an amusing way. (Source) Today's book is a parody and to me it is a reminder of how awful our push for success for our kids can be. The book is The Rabbit Who Wants To Go To Harvard by Diana Holquist and illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos. Now it is a picture book, but it is not a book for children at least young ones. Hazel wanted me to read it to her and we did not get far with it. She was confused and did not like it.

Exploring Purim -- Jewish Holiday

Costume parades in the spring? What is going on? Halloween is in October and not in the spring. Well for many Jewish people costume parades and wearing costumes to synagogue in the spring (usually in March) is common. Why? Well they are celebrating a holiday called Purim. Purim is celebrated on the fourteenth day of the Hebrew month of Adar. The Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar so it changes from our days and months each year. It is a joyous holiday with much celebration. Why do they celebrate? To remember how Queen Esther saved the Jewish people in Persia around 500 B.C. Now Esther's story is a book in the Old Testament of our Bible as well and Queen Esther happens to be Hazel's favorite woman in the Bible. We know her story well and really wish we celebrated Purim as well. In fact she dressed up as Queen Esther for our Christian Halloween Party. 

Charm Love Friendship Bracelets -- Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: I was sent these books to review free of charge from Quarto Books USA. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

I have a confession to make. After a few failures with polymer clay, I'm a bit intimidated by it. However Charm Love Friendship Bracelets by Sherri Haab brought back fond memories of my teenage years so I had to check it out.  I was always making those fancy designed macrame bracelets out of embroidery floss.  (My father still has an IOU from me for one. Oops!! He seems to pull it out every time I visit.) Well Charm Love Friendship Bracelets shows how to make those fun bracelets and add homemade charms!

Madagascar's Lemurs -- Global Learning for Kids

This month Global Learning for Kids is exploring the African country of Madagascar. Madagascar is an island just east of Africa (the green island in the map below). Being separated from the mainland it has some unique wildlife that exists in the wild only there. This is what I decided to focus on with Hazel since she loves animals and has seen several of the Wild Kratts episodes where they were in Madagascar. In many ways she was teaching me this month!

By Shosholoza (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons