Book Review: Witches

Author: Cheryl Christian
Genre: Children's Book; Picture Book
Release: August, 2011
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 5/5

Description: Halloween night to remember. Whimsical, colorful illustrations overflow with charming details that will engage young readers to read the book again and again to discover all its charms.

Review: Witches are visiting homes on Halloween night! Children will love this book. The colorful illustrations capture the story perfectly. And I love that the witches are diverse. If I remember correctly, there's even a witch in a wheelchair. The revelation of the witches' identity, for adults, is predictable (we'd already know), but children will love it. This is a charming story perfect for Halloween!

Book Review: Carrot

Author: Cheryl Christian
Genre: Picture Book; Children's Book
Release: May, 2011
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 3.5

Description: Carrot is a delightful story about a common house cat who finds that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. Carrot envies the fancy white cat she sees on a yacht in the bay and fantasizes a life of wealth. Finally Carrot realizes her “common” life has much to offer that idleness aboard a yacht could never fulfill.

Review: Carrot gets her name from her orange-colored coat. She loves her life, til she sees Buffy, a white cat on a fancy yacht. Then, Carrot wonders what it would be like to live like Buffy, having everything she could ever wish for, including the best caviar and a collar made of diamonds and pearls. After thinking up how wonderful her life would be, Carrot thinks about her life now. She realizes that maybe Buffy's life isn't as superb as it looks. Maybe Carrot's life is just perfect. I loved the vibrant colors in the illustrations! This was a cute book perfect for preschool/early elementary children.

T is for...Turkey Monster Thanksgiving (Book Review)

Author: Anne Warren Smith 
Genre: Fiction, Children's Novels 
Release: September, 2011 
Rating: 4/5 

Description: This year, instead of celebrating Thanksgiving in the family's traditional way by eating pizza in their pajamas, nine-year-old Katie wants to create the perfect holiday and be just like a "real" family. But by Thanksgiving Day, Katie has invited guests Dad didn't expect, festooned the house with what may be poison oak, and set the sweet potatoes on fire. Ultimately everyone sits down to a most unusual dinner--one that succeeds because it comes from the heart.

Review: Nine year-old, Katie, does not have what we'd call a "normal" family. Her mom is off chasing her country star dreams, so it's just Katie, her dad, and her three year-old brother, Tyler. It is a tradition in the household to order pizza, stay in their pajamas, and watch football all day on Thanksgiving. The perfect Thanksgiving for Katie until now. Her supposed best friend, Claire, who lost her mother in a car accident the year before, keeps bragging about how she and her dad were going to have the perfect Thanksgiving. Suddenly, pizza and football doesn't sound so perfect compared to what Claire says they'll have. So, Katie works to come up with a perfect and normal Thanksgiving. But the more she thinks of, the more her plans go awry. Will Katie's Thanksgiving turn out to be the best - or worse - Thanksgiving?

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

• Claire was annoying, but that's how it was supposed to be. Her character fit in.

WHAT I LIKED

• I liked how the single dads were represented in this book. There are plenty of children's books with single moms, but not enough with single dads. It was awesome to see them well represented.
• I liked the message - that because your family may not be a "normal" family doesn't mean it isn't a real family.
• I loved the family tradition of pizza, pajamas and football! Sounds awesome.
• I can picture what was happening in the book as well as feel what Katie was feeling.

This is a cute book with an awesome message about family. Perfect for your 2nd or 3rd grader.

B is for...Big Sisters are the Best

Author: Fran Manushkin
Genre: Picture Book, Fiction, Children's Book
Release: February, 2012
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 5/5


Description: Becoming a big sister is an exciting time full of smiles, smells, hugs, and kisses. For ages 2-5.

Bringing a new baby into the home is a time of wonder and challenges. Author Fran Manushkin celebrates this special time with tales that emphasize that there is plenty of love for everyone, baby and all.

Review:  

WHAT I LIKED

• The sentences were short and sweet...perfect for children since they're attention span lasts a short while.
• This book can help children appreciate and understand the role of a big brother or big sister. Children who aren't sure or too happy about the new baby can understand that they can become helpers for mommy and daddy. The book also gives it an "I'm the boss" feel to it.
• The illustrations are colorful and pleasing to the eye.
• It explains the joy of being the older sibling. Doesn't make it out to be such a bad thing.
• This book shows that just because there's a new baby, doesn't mean parents love you any less.

This was a cute book, not only for older siblings, but for younger siblings also. There's also a Big Brothers are the Best version too!

My Face Book by Star Bright Books

Author: Star Bright Books
Genre: Children, Board Book
Release: August, 2011
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 5/5

Description: Babies love looking at other babies and these charming baby faces, smiling, frowning, and laughing are sure to captivate and delight toddlers and babies. They will ask to look at and to read the book again and again. Self-expression has never been more adorable!

Review: This is a cute board book for parents of toddlers. It features faces of other toddlers with different facial expressions. And I must say, the babies are so precious! I love the fact that it features babies of different races...not just one. My Face Book is a short and sweet read!