The Lollipop Monster's Christmas | Book Review

STATS:
Author, Eric T. Krackow, Heather M. Krackow
Published, September 28th, 2014
Publisher, Schiffer Publishing
Kindle edition, 64 pages

DESCRIPTION FROM GOODREADS:
Larry's favorite time of the year has arrived.  He races around his home trying to make everything perfect before his friends arrive for Christmas morning.  During the celebration, he discovers a lonely monster named Walter, who is very sad.  Larry asks him why he is sad and Walter explains that Christmas is a difficult time of the year because he is always alone and has no family.  Larry invites him to spend the holiday with him and his friends.  Walter shyly accepts the invitation and follow Larry back to him home.  Walter is welcomed by Larry's friends and ends up having the most merry Christmas ever.

MY THOUGHTS:
I love the illustrations in this book!  They are so colorful and festive.  Completely beautiful.
This is a great non-traditional Christmas book and non-scary monster story.  Larry the Lollipop Monster is so happy that it is Christmas and he is having a party with his friends.  But then he meets a sad monster that has never celebrated Christmas.  Larry finds out the true meaning of Christmas.  It is a great story to help children understand that Christmas is about more than food, gifts, and Santa.
It would be a great addition to your Christmas reading list.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Scaredy Squirrel | Halloween Children's Book Review

STATS:Author Melanie WattHardcover, 64 pages
Published August 1st, 2013
Kids Can Press
Series: Yes, Scaredy Squirrel Series

Description from Goodreads:From costume ideas to trick-or-treating strategies, Scaredy Squirrel helps readers plan for the spookiest night of the year! Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween is the second in a series of nutty safety guides featuring everyone's favorite worrywart.

My Thoughts:
Wow. This little squirrel is afraid of everything. I mean everything. Due to this fact, he likes to prepare in advance.
This book is a great way to explain Halloween Safety to children. Scaredy Squirrel goes over costumes, candy, dealing with monsters, carving pumpkins, and how to go trick or treating. I loved that when the book talked about candy safety, it called the adult the Food Quality Control Specialist.
This book is creative, entertaining, and informative. It tells the importance of being prepared and of safety itself in a way that young children, and parents alike, will love.
This is the first book in the series that I have read. The recommended age on Amazon is 4-8 and I found that to perfect. The book has eight chapters but there are a lost of pictures so don't be intimidated. I can't recommend it more!

It is important to note that I received this Kindle edition as a courtesy from Kids Can Press via NetGalley in return for a book review. That being said, the feelings expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced by an outside source.

NEW Children's Books | Book Review

We recently received some awesome children's books to review. Today I would like to share three of them with you.

Author, Helen Docherty
STATS: Hardback, 32 pages
Published October 1st, 2013
Illustrator, Thomas DochertySourcebooks Jabberwocky

Description from Goodreads:
One dark, dark night in Burrow Down, a rabbit named Eliza Brown found a book and settled down...when a Snatchabook flew into town.
It's bedtime in the woods of Burrow Down, and all the animals are ready for their bedtime story. But books are mysteriously disappearing. Eliza Brown decides to stay awake and catch the book thief. It turns out to be a little creature called the Snatchabook who has no one to read him a bedtime story. All turns out well when the books are returned and the animals take turns reading bedtime stories to the Snatchabook.

My Thoughts:
This was such a sweet story and it was educational to boot. It teaches children about the quality of sharing and also to be able to speak their mind in a nice way.
Elisa is determined to find out where the books are going. Snatchabook is stealing the books from Burrow Down and he has no one to read to him. He soon finds out that you Elisa is willing to share her books if he only asks.
It is a precious story about loving bedtime, sharing, and asking for things instead of just taking. Lessons that any parent would like to pass along to their children.

Author, Charles Ghigna
STATS: Boardbook, 20 pages
Publihsed September 2nd, 2013
Illustrator, Ag JatkowskaPicture Window Books

Description from Goodreads:
Iguanas, pandas, tigers too its a letter parade just for you!
From the Learning Parade series. For ages 1-3. Board books.
Author Charles Ghigna, also known as Father Goose, charms with lyrical rhyming text that is engaging and fun for even the youngest readers! This series helps preschoolers learn the basics: letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. Bright and delightful illustrations make the concepts come alive.

My Thoughts:
While this book was a little young for my 5 year old, it totally reinforces letter recognition. Young children will love the bright, colorful pictures and older kids are able to pick out the letters on the page.
It is an adorable way to learn the alphabet and start to put words with letters. The rhyme is wonderful and the book as a great flow. It is a wonderful pick for the young children.

Author, Karen KilpatrickSTATS: Paperback, 24 pages
Published July 9th, 2013
Illustrators, Tara L. Campbell and Matthew WilsonPumpkinheads

Description from Goodreads:
Find out what listening is really worth as Sage makes music from the sounds of the earth. Banging away on her drum, Sage can really make a racket! Stopping to listen to the world around her, Sage learns that music surrounds her in the simplest of sounds. This sensory exploration teaches the value of listening and inspires and awareness of the beautiful music nature creates.

My Thoughts:
While the book is about Sage making music, it is also a great lesson for children to take the time to listen to the "music" around them. The sounds that are sometimes overlooked. Those of the animals, birds, and insects around us all the time. It is a wonderful story that reminds parents and children to slow down and take in the world around them. You never know what you might hear.
This is a very colorful book which helps to hold the attention of the smallest child. The artwork in the book is amazing and goes with the story very well.It is also written in beautiful rhyme.

It is important to note that I received these Kindle editions as a courtesy from the publishing companies via NetGalley in return for a book review. That being said, the feelings expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced by an outside source.

Change The World Before Bedtime | Children's Book Review

Change The World Before Bedtime

By

Mark Kimball Moulton

Josh Chalmers

Karen Good

Today I want to tell you about a great children's book.   I love children's books, especially ones that have a great story and learning experience.  Change The World Before Bedtime is one of those books.  

This book is well written and the illustrations are beautiful and colorful.  It is a simple rhyming book that is perfect for the ages it is suggested for (Pre-K - 2nd grade). 

It teaches children that they can change the world around them in even the smallest ways.  Eating right, helping people that have less than them, helping the sick, and taking care of the world around them.  That is something that my son already loves.  He is the drive behind recycling in our house.

It also lets children know that by helping do things in bigger groups, you can change even bigger things in your life and in the lives of others.

It is a very positive book that reassures children that the things they do really do count and mean something to the world. 

It is important to note that I received this book from NetGalley in return for a book review.  That being said, the feelings expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced by an outside source.

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Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize that they were the big things.  - Robert Brault

Fall Books

Taft has really enjoyed learning about fall at school.  They have made so many projects with leaves and apples.  So - Taft and I picked up a few Fall books at the library.  These are a few of our favorites.

Our Apple Tree by Gorel Kristina Naslund

Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell

Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood

Pumpkin Town by Katie McKy

It's Pumpkin Time! by Zoe Hall

The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall

Why Do Leaves Change Color? by Betsy Maestro

God Gave Us Love | Book Review

Lisa Tawn Bergran wrote the children's book series, God Gave Us.  This is a short board book so any age child can enjoy it.  The book not only talks about the love that God gives us but also about loving others.
The story takes place between a grandfather and a grandson.  He is taking the grandson on a fishing trip and the otters are scaring away the fish.  It gives the grandfather the perfect time to talk to the boy about how God wants us to love everyone even if they are doing things that we don't like.
It talks about different kinds of love.  Love between mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and friends.  It also talks about how God loves us all, all the time.
The book is a great size.  The illustrations by Laura J. Bryant, are very cute and colorful.  The content of the book is great and fairly easy to understand.  However, the recommended age for the book is 0-3 years.  I think that it may be a little too complex for this age group and I believe that it would be perfect for 3-6 year olds.
Overall, we loved the book.  My son is 4 and he loved the bears and the illustrations.  I also think that he understood most of the concepts.  I will differently read more of this series to him in future.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. However, the opinions therein are all my own.