Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Flower Girl

Being the flower girl in your big sister's wedding is an important and sometimes scary job. The flower girl gets to wear a pretty dress, carry a basket of flowers and walk down the aisle before the bride. Knowing all of this, the little girl still has one problem. She is anxious and nervous about "messing up" her part of the wedding. Follow the big event from the engagement to the wedding ceremony. The vocabulary is controlled, the sentences are simple and the text is broken up into short lines to make reading easier. This children's story stays fairly strong and the illustrations provide clues if a child can not figure out a word. This children's book is for kids reading levels ages 4-8. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your friends. Remember to always praise your child.
Flower Girl

Friday, June 5, 2015

Geronimo: Four Mice Deep in the Jungle

How do you feel about your success around the world? Are you excited to meet American children?
GS: Holey cheese! I'm always pinching my tail because I can't believe all the success I've had. I'm just so amazed that children want to read about ME -- I'm just a mild-mannered editor after all. I just happen to always get my nose into the most unusual predicaments. And America! I've always read many wonderful stories that take place in America and I just couldn't wait to get here. I've had the most fabumouse time meeting all the children.
Why do you think kids love your stories?
GS: My stories are full of adventure and excitement, but they also are entertaining and make children laugh. I'm always getting into trouble and for some reason my readers seem to find that amusing. And my stories are about things that children deal with on a daily basis, such as friendship, sincerity, respect, love, and peace. My books give each young reader a message of hope that will help them grow.
What do you want to convey to your readers?
GS: A love of reading. I love writing my stories and nothing delights me more than if a child enjoys reading them!
Do you prefer being the editor-in-chief of your newspaper, The Rodent's Gazette, or writing your adventures?
GS: I love running the newspaper -- that is my job, after all. But writing stories is my passion and I hope to be sharing my adventures with children for many more years.
How do you spend your time when you are not busy writing or editing?
GS: Holey cheese! I'm just your average mouse...although I am afraid of a few things and I don't like to travel because I get carsick, seasick, and just plain dizzy most of the time. I prefer to stay at home in my nice, cozy mouse hole. I'm a very traditional mouse, I like classical music, good books and old-fashioned cooking -- no meal is complete without a nice chunk of cheese! But what I love to do most is write, so I always make sure there is plenty of time for that. And of course, no day is complete unless I get to read a story to my favorite nephew, Benjamin.
This children's book is for kids reading levels ages 4-8.  Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your friends. Remember to always praise your child.
Geronimo: Four Mice Deep in the Jungle

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

The Boxcar Children Books Mysteries 1-4

Since its original publication of The Boxcar Children in 1942, Gertrude Warner's Boxcar Children books have enchanted children across the country. Now the first four in this popular series are together in one box! Join Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden (the Boxcar Children) as they join forces to uncover lots of suspenseful and puzzling mysteries. After the orphans find their new home and a new grandfather in the beloved classic The Boxcar Children, Surprise Island finds them spending the summer on Grandpa Alden's nearly deserted island and dealing with its many obstacles. The adventures continue in the third book, The Yellow House Mystery, in which the Aldens backpack their way to Maine in hopes of discovering an empty house's secret, and Mystery Ranch has the children trekking out west, where Grandpa Alden's sister Jane is living alone on her ranch. This children's book is for kids reading levels ages 7-12. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your friends. Remember to always praise your child.
The Boxcar Children Books Mysteries

Friday, May 22, 2015

Sunflower House

Rich watercolor and colored pencil illustrations display the sun-drenched setting of the beautiful outdoors as a young boy creates a summer playhouse made from sunflowers that he planted. The children's story is told in rhyming verse, and it follows the boy and his friends through a whole summer of fun and make-believe in their sunflower house. In the fall, when the sunflowers begin to fade, the children decide to save some of the seeds to plant the following year. Sharp-eyed readers may notice the wide scattering of seeds that occurs in the last scene and deduce that the following summer will yield an even larger bunch of flowers where the children play. This children's book is for kids reading levels ages 4-8. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Keep on praising your child.
Sunflower House

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

My Weird School Daze #5: Officer Spence Makes No Sense!

A.J. is a student at Ella Mentry School, where school is anything but boring. A missing peanut butter sandwich at lunchtime in the vomitorium brings about another day of weirdness, where Officer Spence accuses one and all of stealing A.J.'s sandwich, starting with the teachers and eventually arresting the entire school. Told from A.J.'s view, complete with commentary on adults and the English language, the child reading this next volume in the "My Weird School Daze" series will enjoy the story while the adult will appreciate the puns. Whether considering that WOW is MOM upside down, or listening to Officer Spence listing all the synonyms for jail, the reader will be in hysterics, wondering at the lunacy of the police in this school's community where a crossing guard is arrested for jaywalking and a bus driver for drinking coffee while driving. This children's reading book is for kids reading levels ages 8-12. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other kids books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your friends. Remember to always praise your child.
My Weird School Daze

Friday, May 15, 2015

Karate Kick

Cole is an 11 year old karate student getting ready to test for his green belt. In Karate Kick, he is confronted by a bully, helps someone come back to karate, steals something and has to make up for it, and discovers that jealousy is useless. The tone is sometimes preachy. The kids story book seems to assume the reader has martial arts experience or knowledge, but unlike other sports, martial arts vary by discipline and even by dojo. Belt colors do not always go in the same order and kata and block, kick, punch, and stance names are not always the same. Because if this, it was often confusing for my children who have been taking martial arts for almost a year and a half. Overall, an okay kids book with a nice, feel good ending. This children's reading book is for kids reading levels ages 9-12. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other kids books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Keep on praising your children daily.
Karate Kick

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Rapunzel

The cover of this children's book is so beautiful that you can almost feel the texture of Rapunzel's golden tresses as she gazes into the distance from her isolated tower. This variant on the kids story is immensely satisfying, and the lengthy author's note provides a provenance and rationale for Zelinsky's retelling. The magnificent oils transport readers to the Italian countryside. The fabrics, skin textures, hair, and the detailed interiors are exquisitely rendered. Zelinsky will certainly have his wish to inspire readers to seek out more Renaissance art fulfilled. Readers can not help but want to see more art like that which he has created. This children's book is for kids reading levels ages 4-8. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your friends. Remember to always praise your child.
Rapunzel

Friday, May 8, 2015

Fraction Fun

For many young students, the mere mention of fractions brings on headache, tummyache, and confusion. But no longer! This simple, hands-on concept book is clear and concise. The simple definition of a fraction, that it is a part of something, introduces a pizza pie that is divided, studied, compared, and, of course, eaten. Weighing coins determines how many make one ounce, and what the fractional value of each coin is. The cartoon like illustrations are colorful, whimsical, and humorous; they also make the concepts clear. Without a fraction of a doubt, parents and teachers will find limitless possibilities in this book. This children's book is for kids reading levels ages 9-12. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other kids books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Keep your child reading.
Fraction Fun

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

The Joker

Building on Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight(although long before the movie's debut), Azzarello creates a memorably cringe-worthy story. Rather than a natty Clown Prince of Crime, this Joker looks like a glam rocker gone to toxic seed. Newly released from Arkham Asylum, he begins disorganizing the criminal establishment of Gotham City. Although he claims to want power and money when he confronts Two Face and his peers, he really seems just to enjoy playing with people-shooting them, setting them on fire or skinning them alive. Accompanying him is Jonny Frost, a young thug who takes a long time to recognize the drawbacks of seeing a vicious sociopath as a role model. Like Jonny, however, readers may find that, horrifying as the Joker is, they can't take their eyes off him. Even Batman, when he inevitably enters the action, functions largely as the Joker's partner in a dance of death. Azzarello has learned how to create a menacing, morally ambivalent atmosphere in his years of scripting 100 Bullets, and Bermejo's jagged, shadow-saturated art sustains the mood. The result is fascinating, but extremely dark. This kids graphic novel is for kids reading levels ages 9-12 and also for young adult readers. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other kids books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your friends. Remember to keep on reading with your children.
The Joker

Friday, May 1, 2015

Pretty Little Liars #6: Killer

I love the Pretty Little Liars book...they're amazing!!! I have never read a teen book that made me so NERVOUS and ANXIOUS to find out who A is and Ali's murder!! I think I know who A is as well... My friend and I (well mostly her) came up with what I think is an award-winning theory!! Well first of all I believe that there are three A's, well 2 now since Mona is dead, and I think they were all working together. The second A I think is...Jenna. Why? Because if you remember in Flawless, Toby wrote a letter to Emily and Jenna gave it to Emily. When Jenna handed Emily the letter she said "your part is somewhere in the middle.."....ummm how did Jenna know that??? She can't read...she's blind!!! Yeah I doubt that she is... but she's probably out to get them b/c they were mean to her in middle school.
Okay, this is going to sound so crazy but our 3rd A suspect is.....Alison!!!I know crazy, right? She's dead. Yeah, well I don't believe that!! Why? Remember in , I forgot other Perfect of Unbelievable, Emily was in the yearbook room and she was looking at the page dedicated to Ali and she saw the pic that Mona had in her purse of Ali and then Mya came in and asked who was that and Emily said "Alison" and then Mya said "that doesn't look like Ali"...what Mya said was very IMPORTANT!! Who out of Aria, Spencer, Hannah, and Emily saw Ali's body in the ground of her backyard??? None. However, Mya did. so what mya was saying was that the "Alison" in the pic doesn't look like the "Alison" who was in the ground dead!!!! So the "Alison" who is dead isn't the real Alison..It's someone else!! And if you read Wicked,Ian proved this theory. He said "there were two blondes in the woods that night". and if ali's alive,she killed Ian.And i think Jason knows that's why he said he doesn't communicate with his family because "they're too messed up"... I mean how AMAZING would that be to end the series with the final A being reveled as Alison!!!?? This teen book is for teens reading levels ages 12-18. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other teen books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends.
Pretty Little Liars #6: Killer