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Picture Book Round-Up

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

Today I am going to share some new picture books with you. These books are mostly aimed towards preschool and lower. Each is fun and have good lessons in them. I hope you will read my reviews and check them all out!!

Kyle's Little Sister -- Review of New Middle School Graphic Novel

 

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

Do you have siblings? Where do you fall in the order? I am the youngest of three girls. I went through my elementary school being called my middle sister's name and then in middle school one of the art teachers kept calling out my oldest sister's name for an end of the quarter review and when he finally used our last name I realized he meant me. He had never taken the time to learn my first name and my oldest sister is truly an artist so he remembered her. (She earned a degree in art.) So I can completely relate to today's book. The book is Kyle's Little Sister by BonHyung Jeong. It is a graphic novel for middle school ages (age 8-12).

Baby & Sibling Fun -- Book Reviews

Be sure to check out my on-line Thirty-One Review & Party!! Get all your summer organizing essentials!!
Disclosure: Candlewick Press gave me a copies of these book free of charge to 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.

As we enter our summer I think about family. Summer to me is a time for family. It is when our family reunions happen or have happened and when I had more time to spend with my siblings. It is also when we took our family trips. Today I am going to share three books with you. The first is about a baby (gorilla) and the other two are about siblings and their relationships with a bit of a twist. First we will start with Who Woke the Baby? by Jane Clarke and illustrated by Charles Fuge. 
http://candlewick.com/cat.asp?browse=Title&mode=book&isbn=076368662X&pix=y

The Girl With More Than One Heart -- a Middle Grades Novel about Dealing with Loss as Well as a Sibling on the Spectrum

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

Today I am sharing a book that is suggested for grades 3-7. It is touching and such a real life story. It deals with death, a sibling with autism and being a 13-year-old and all life brings with it. The book is The Girl with More Than One Heart by Laura Geringer Bass. 

Saving Sunshine -- Middle Grade Graphic Novel Review with Turtle Craft Round-Up

 

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

I feel like it has been a while since I shared a middle grade book. I am behind on my reading. Today however I am sharing a new (out today) middle grade graphic novel. This book delves into the differences of people and cultures as well as a bit about a loggerhead turtle. To go with this book, I am providing a round-up of over 30 turtle crafts, activities, and more. The book is Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi and illustrated by Shazleen Khan. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12. 

Sins of Our Mothers -- Mommy Time Review

 

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

Today I get to share with you a dystopia adult novel. It will have your mind thinking about the roles and rights of women and men in our society. The book is Sins of Our Mothers by Nicole Souza. 

Bella Santini in the Troll War -- Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I am working with The Children's Book Review and Angela Legh to present this review. I will receive a small stipend for my review. I was sent a copy of the book in exchange for the review. All opinions are my own.

Today I get to share with you the second book in The Bella Santini Chronicles. Now I have not read the first book but am interested in it after reading the second one. The book I am reviewing is Bella Santini in the Troll War by Angela Legh. However, the giveaway is for both books in this series!

Quinceanera -- Exploring Hispanic Heritage

Congratulations to Sara S. for winning the WordWorld Kooky Spooky Halloween DVD!

Since Hazel loves birthday parties, I thought reading some books about a quinceañera would be right up her alley. A quinceañera is a fiesta for a Latina girl who turns fifteen. The fifteenth year is traditionally when girls turn into women in Latin American cultures. The traditional celebration differs from country to country. Most include a special dress for the quinceañera and a dance with her father (often a waltz) followed by a meal, dancing and a cake. Often there is a mass before the fiesta to honor the girl. In some countries the quinceañera has a court of friends ranging from 7-14 of each gender. (Source)

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief -- Middle Grades Fantasy Novel Review

 

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

Did you go through a unicorn phase? I remember loving unicorns in middle school. In fact one of my graphic arts projects in middle school was screen printing a unicorn on a mirror. I had the mirror for a very long time and may still. I'm not sure where it is though. I remember seeing it when my parents moved during college. Unicorns have become a big thing. They are always cute and sparkly. They apparently poop rainbows now. And every animal can become a type of unicorn. I see the marketing for a caticorn or llamacorn. Have you seen it? Let's face it today's kids are going crazy for anything unicorn. Today I get to share a new middle grade fantasy novel. It is described as a book for Percy Jackson fans, and I wholeheartedly agree. The book is about a world with unicorns, but unicorns are not what we think they are. The book is Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman. It is the first book in a series that will be extremely popular!! It has an 8- to 12-year-old reading level. 

The Tiltersmith -- Fantasy Middle Grades Novel

 

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

Today I am going to share a book that I should have shared with you awhile ago. Unfortunately, I am still trying to find balance between teaching and life and finding time to read. The book I am sharing today is The Tiltersmith by Amy Herrick. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12. 

Hide and Shh! -- a Multicultural Children's Book Day Review

 

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

I am so excited to be a Multicultural Children's Book Day reviewer this year!! I somehow missed signing up last year and it made me really sad. It was the only year I didn't participate in this amazing event. I am blaming going back to work full time. However this year I made sure to sign up as a reviewer!! Today I am going to share the first of the books I am reviewing and it is such a sweet book about inclusion. It is called Hide and Shh! A Not-So-Sneaky Sister Story about Inclusion by Christine Dendy and illustrated by Nathalia Takeyama. It is recommended for ages 5 to 7.

Teddy Bear Picnic Food

Special announcement: I was quoted in an article at Ballooning Nest Eggs. Please go check it out!! I'm so excited!

Well we hosted our Teddy Bear Picnic the other day. It was so much fun. The idea came to me when we went to one at a local museum, and I was not very impressed. It was too large, loud and chaotic for the kids to focus. Hazel enjoyed visiting the museum but really did not enjoy the picnic. So I told her we would have our own. We did. We e-mailed some invitations and two of her friends were able to come (three if you count the three-month-old sibling). I made teddy bear ears for all the kids and the moms. The tutorial for them can be found here. I have to admit that one of the other moms and I were the only ones who wore them the whole time. Hazel and I spent a lot of time preparing for it. We made some sugar cookies in bear shapes. We used a mix. Then left them for the kids to decorate. Hazel had a bit of fun with the frosting and decorations. She always overdoes it!

We also made some bear paw cookies. We were going to use bear claw cookies, but I found this easy recipe on Disney Family and I liked that they actually looked like the bear paws. Since the two friends coming are allergic to nuts I had to find something to replace the almond slices. We used freeze-dried banana slices that I cut. It worked and it gave a nice taste to the cookies. Aren't they cute?
We also served some food we could buy that were teddy bear shaped. We used Teddy Grahams and gummy bears. It is not easy to find gummy bears that have no nuts or were not prepared where nuts were. I ended up with some without any, but they were prepared on the same equipment so the friend who is deathly allergic could not eat the gummy bears. 
Our final food was a fruit arrangement. We love Edible Arrangements, but I do not like their prices. My mother-in-law often buys these to bring to Hazel's party. I have kept all the containers and sticks, so we reused the small one. We used our cookie cutters to cut teddy bear watermelon and cantaloupe (Hazel did this with the slices I cut). Hazel also put the berries on the sticks. She also chopped the banana for me and put the slices on sticks. We then froze them and dipped them in chocolate like we saw at Sharing Saturday from School Time Snippets (we just put them on sticks as well). I also dipped some strawberries in chocolate. The only problem we had was that it melted a bit outside, but it was enjoyed by everyone!
I should also add that I asked everyone to bring their own lunch and let them know we would provide the dessert and drinks. With everyone's food allergies and what they eat, I figured this was easier. Tomorrow I will share some of the games, etc. we played. And now I will start planning our next mini-party with a butterfly theme. I hope you are enjoying your week! Happy Family Times is still open if you would like to share your family together time this week and inspire all of us to have more time with our families!

Chapter Books for Middle Grades (3-7)

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

Today I am going to share with you a bunch of relatively new chapter books for the middle grades. There is something for everyone in this bunch!! We will start with Brave Red, Smart Frog: A New Book of Old Tales by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Rohan Daniel Eason. 

Picture Book Round-Up -- Picture Books for Everyone

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

Today I am going to clear off my picture book shelf and share with you eight books for younger kids! We will start with a book that is perfect for the new baby or mom. It is To the Moon and Back for You by Emilia Bechrakis Serhant and art by E.G. Keller. The suggested ages for this book is 4 to 8 but I am thinking that is for the child to read the book him or herself. 

Black Authors -- #blacklivesmatter Series

 


Today we return to your Black Lives Matter Series. I am working through a list of Black people that some of my Black teacher friends suggested everyone should know. Today I am going to focus on three famous Black authors that my friends added to the list: James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Toni Morrison.

Chapter Book Extravaganza -- Beginning Reader through Young Adult! Part 1

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

Ok, I have had this group of books growing on my shelves for awhile. It is time for me to clean house and get ready for the new year. I will admit I have not read all of these books (I have started most of them). Hazel has read some of them so I plan to let her share her opinion on the ones she has read. I hope you will check these out.

Books looking at the world in different ways

 

Earth Day picture books
Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

Earth Day is Thursday. I have been sharing books each week to use as resources for it and today the books I share work for Earth Day but two of them work with a twist. All three books are picture books recommended for preschool and early elementary (ages 3-8). We will start with the book that is perfect for Earth Day. It is Once Upon Another Time by Charles Ghigna and Matt Forrest Esenwine and illustrated by Andrés F. Landazábal. 

Summer Reading -- Fun Picture Books

Disclosure: I was sent these books free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As always I am providing links to the book for your convenience.

Are your kids working on their summer reading and/or summer homework? I know we are and I have to admit I find it to be a bit of a pain. The part we enjoy however is the daily reading. Hazel reads at least a book or a chapter if it is a chapter book to my parents each night before bedtime. If they are not available, she reads to me. She is loving reading from her summer reading list but she also loves to read some of the new picture books we have received. Here are four fun ones to share today. Next week we will share some middle grade chapter books and have some suggestions throughout the summer. Be sure to check back for all of our recommendations. The books today are fun books. Many of them are rather funny.

Stories of Love for Young Kids #ValentinesDay

Disclosure: Macmillan Publishers gave me copies of these books free of charge to 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.

Wow, it is February tomorrow. That means love is in the air. Today I am going to share some books about love for younger kids. Two are board books and the rest are picture books. Most of these are about family love and friendship love. The first is a fun board book called Love You Always by Roger Priddy and is part of the Shiny Shapes series. 

Sharing Saturday 18-7



It is time again for Sharing Saturday! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts, crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts. So glad you joined us!!

On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And for all your diverse/cultural posts be sure to share them at Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop