The Wishing Flower -- New LGBTQ-Inclusive Picture Book

 

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

June is Pride Month. As a straight ally and teacher, I feel it is important for us to take time to support the LGBTQ community. Today I get to share a brand-new picture book about a first crush between two girls. The book is called The Wishing Flower by A.J. Irving and illustrated by Kip Alizadeh. The recommended ages are 4 to 8.

Alycat and the Sleepover Saturday -- 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 Alysson Foti Bourque for this blog tour and will receive a small stipend for the post.

Today I get to share with you the newest Alycat book. Last year I got to share with you a different book from this series. The Alycat series is a fun series of picture books that are set in a cat world without people or dogs. They are full of lessons. Today's book is Alycat and the Sleepover Saturday by Alysson Foti Bourque and illustrated by Chiara Civati. 

Mermaid Tales Book 18: Fairy Chase -- Multicultural Children's Book Day Review

 

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

Have you been enjoying my reviews for Multicultural Children's Book Day? The big day is next Friday (1/29/21). You can stop by here to see the links of all the amazing books reviewed. I have shared some of the picture books with you--nonfiction and fiction as well as an easy reader. Today I am sharing an easy reader chapter book suggested for ages 6 to 9. The book itself is not all that multicultural but it is the 18th book in a series of 21 and the series itself is multicultural. The series is Mermaid Tales by Debbie Dadey and illustrated by Tatevik Avakyan. Today's book is Fairy Chase. 

Exploring Japan Part 4 -- Fun Facts & Resource Round-Up

For the last three Mondays we have been exploring Japan. We started with some picture books, then looked at crafts and artists and then origami. Today we are looking at fun facts about Japan and doing a resource and activity round-up. But first some facts about Japan itself. Japan is called Nihon or Nippon in Japanese. It means "land of the rising sun". It was once believed that Japan was the first country to see the sun each morning. The country is made up of 6,582 islands, but has four main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Three tectonic plates meet near Japan and cause many earthquakes. Japan experiences 1,000 earthquakes in a year. Some of these cause tsunamis. There are also 200 volcanoes in Japan. Sixty of them are still active. Almost three quarters of the land is covered by mountains and forest which make the land hard to farm or use for industry or residential. The Japanese Alps run down the center of the island of Honshu. Mount Fuji is the highest mountain/volcano in Japan and is considered sacred by many Japanese people. 

Valentine's Day Crafts--Decorating with Love

Disclosure: I was sent these papers in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

This year after taking down Christmas I really had a strong desire to decorate for Valentine's Day. I didn't want to use our regular decorations that we have from years past. I wanted to come up with my own new ones. I helped at Christmas time at Hazel's school with a Christmas station where the kids colored and made 3-D ornaments. I decided to make my own for Valentine's Day. I came up with six different hearts to color using My Memories. 

A Dress for the Father Daughter Snow Ball -- a Crafty Weekend Review and Link Party

Hazel and Steve went to the Father Daughter Snow Ball this weekend. Back in January Hazel asked me to make her a dress for it. I like making her a  dress because I can control it a bit and make sure it is age appropriate and modest. Let's face it the fashion out there for tweens is not always age appropriate and it is hard to find if it is. Therefore, I'm happy to make her something. We looked at patterns on line and then I pulled out my supply that I have stocked up when they go on sale at Joann Fabrics and she picked Simplicity 8271 view B.

A Look at Japan for Asian / Pacific Island Heritage Month

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

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Multicultural Kid Blogs is hosting a blog hop today for this heritage month and I decided to focus mostly on Japan. I have a bunch of fun books to share with you to help focus on Japan and its culture. It is a mixture of coloring books, origami kits, a novel and an Asian cookbook. The first book I am going to share is another book in the Friendship Dolls Series from Candlewick Press. I reviewed the other two previously. Today's book is Dolls of Hope by Shirley Parenteau. 

Friendship Novels for Grades 1 to 7

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

It can be tough being young. Friendships can change and people treat you differently than what you expect. And then there is peer pressure. Talk about stress!!  Today I am sharing five books about friendship and dealing with different issues. These books vary in the range of first grade to seventh grade. There are even some that are about a piece of history. We will start with the two for first grade through fourth. They are a bit of an easier read than the others. They are also part of The Fix-It Friends series from Macmillan Kids  by Nicole C. Kear with illustrations by Tracy Dockray. The Fix-It Friends is a group of friends that help others with problems that arise in regular life of kids. Veronica Conti is the self-claimed president. The group includes her older brother, Jude, and his best friend, Ezra, and Veronica's best friend, Cora. Each book in the series has the group helping someone through a problem. At the end of each book is a Fix-It Toolbox with strategies for dealing with the same issue. Today I am sharing books five and six. The first book today is Eyes on the Prize.