Author: cvegnad

12 Days of Christmas Book Review

Celebrate the magic of Christmas time with this well-loved traditional poem, The Twelve Days of Christmas, beautifully illustrated by Laura Hawthorne.

About 12 Days of Christmas

Take a walk through each beautiful scene brimming with details that will remind you of the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas. Perfect to read with your true love.

This is the second title in the series, The Christmas Choir, which beautifully illustrates beloved Christmas carols. Don’t miss Silent Night, the first title in the series.  

Our Thoughts

12 Days of Christmas is a beautifully illustrated children’s book featuring the famous song. It had us singing and laughing as we prepare for the holiday season. We have read this book several times over the last two weeks (it is my personal favourite song) and each time we have found a way to sing it slightly different and be a little sillier each time. Finding moments of laughter and light with family, especially during a time that has been clouded with COVID, is so important for us right now.

The book also contains a history of the carol, something that I was never aware of and never thought to look into. I had no idea that the carol originated in the 1700s France! There is also an activity at the end of the book that you can do with your child, where you try to find all of the items/people that are mentioned in the song. The illustrations are stunning and bring to life the joy and happiness of Christmas.

This is a beautiful, Christmas treasure that families can read over and over again. It brings light and fun into the home as we prepare for the holiday season and all that comes with it. It also sparks great conversations about Christmas traditions, favourite songs, foods and gifts over the years. We learned so much about each other. This will be a book that you can bring out yearly and enjoy together.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

About the Author

Lara Hawthorne is an illustrator based in Bristol, UK. After graduating from Falmouth University in 2013 where she studied illustration, she has had work shortlisted for the Lowry Children’s Book Award and has written and illustrated Herberto, a picture book published in Portugal, Brazil, Slovenia, France and South Korea. Her other books include The King of Christmas, Carol Ann Duffy’s 2016 Christmas poem, published by Picador, and The Night Flower, published by Big Picture Press. As well as focusing on narrative work, Lara also sells a variety of prints, notebooks and cards. Through Betty & Dupree, her prints are distributed to shops throughout the UK and internationally.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review, all opinions expressed are my own.

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Ways to Say I Love You Book Review

A picture book for younger children celebrating all the ways that creatures on our planet say “I love you.” 

About Ways to Say I Love You

From snuggling garter snakes to big, cozy bear hugs, this book in verse shares how animals that we would expect, and some that we wouldn’t, express affection for each other. Each animal interaction is compared with a similar human one, in blended illustrations composed by the talented Alette Strattoff—showing that we are not so different from our animal neighbors.

Find out more about the animals in the back pages and discover how to say “I love you” in different languages.

Our Thoughts

Especially during this crazy time, it so important to let those in your life know that you love them and there are so many ways to show your love and appreciation. We are always trying to teach our children that we can do little actions each day to make the world a better place and to show our love to our friends (and to our mates as they get older!).

We loved how this book had on one page an example of how animals expressed their love and feelings for each other and on the opposite side was the similar human interaction (our personal favourite – the smelly path that deer’s leave and the baths that humans take). The writing is simple but full of impact and at times left us in giggles. The illustrations are just beautiful and really help bring home the message that animals and humans, we are all the same when it comes to love.

Ways to Say I Love You is a beautiful book for young children as we explore love, ways to express our feelings and how at the end of the day, we are all the same. This would make a beautiful holiday gift this season, especially as we find new ways to share our love and time with out families during COVID.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

About the Author

Marilyn Singer is a multi-award-winning children’s author who has written many books, spanning poetry, picture books, fiction, and non-fiction. Her awards include the 2015 NCTE Award for Excellence in poetry, the Cybil Award for Poetry 2011, and several Children’s Choice and Parents’ Choice Awards, among others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Alette Straathof is an illustrator who lives and works in Paris, France. She graduated in January 2016 at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Alette tries to hide small details in every one of her illustrations for people to discover – see if you can find them all. 

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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North Pole / South Pole: Pole to Pole A Flip Book

Fully-illustrated and with a fun and innovative flip-book format, the book provides the perfect way to explore and compare the extreme environments of the two Poles.

About North Pole/South Pole: Pole to Pole A Flip Book

Take a trip to the ends of the earth and discover the extreme environments of the North and South Poles. Find out which animals live where, what the weather and climate is like and the effect global warming is having. 

Beginning with the North Pole, the book introduces the geography and climate of the Arctic. Readers will discover how climate change is affecting sea ice and why multi-year ice is so important to walruses and polar bears. Find out what ice floes are and what lives under the ice. The many uses of the Arctic are explained, from the home it provides to whale hunters to the rocket and missile test sites it houses. 

And then flip the book over and you arrive in the South Pole… The famous race to reach the pole in 1911 is retold and readers will discover why the orca is the ultimate polar predator. The huge tabular icebergs, sub-glacial lakes, and ice chimneys of the Antarctic are brought to life in all their impressive glory, not to mention the sea spiders, ‘death star’ starfish and other undersea giants!

My Thoughts

Pole to Pole: A Flip Book is one of the most beautiful, unique books that I have ever read with my child. The book explores the two extreme yet beautiful environments of the North and South pole. I think we are all intrigued by these two wild and beautiful environments, from the weather to the incredible animals that call these places home.

The book covers a wide range of topics for both poles, I learned a great deal about the geography of the South pole – I never knew that the South Pole has the most active volcano, Mount Erebus! The sides of the volcano have openings in the ground called fumaroles, where steam and hot gases escape (I had such a hard time picturing this in my mind when I think of the South Pole – I still struggle picturing lava and an active volcano in a place that I picture as cold and harsh). We learned about the animals that call these places home, we learned about new animals (Crabeater seal, Antarctic shag, and so many more) that encouraged us to do our own additional research.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful and suits the tone of the book (the colours felt warm, calming and made me think of softness versus the harshness I associate with the North and South pole). The book has a great balance of information and beautiful illustrations that both parent and child will appreciate.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

About the Author

Michael Bright is an executive producer with the BBC’s Natural History Unit. He and his colleagues are based in Bristol, England, but they scour the entire world for stories and images. He is the author of over 75 natural history books, including Andes to Amazon; the producer of countless television and radio programs, including the award-winning television series Natural World and Wildlife on One; and has been editorial consultant on several reference works.

Nic Jones graduated from the University of Bolton with a degree in Animation and Illustration. She often finds herself inspired by the intricacy and beauty of the natural world, and applies this to her illustration and design. Her illustrations are influenced by a passion for traditional drawing techniques, and they combine rich, vivid colors, with explorative, textured brushstrokes. Nic creates her bold illustrative work in Photoshop, and she has masterfully adapted her digital painting style to convey traditional illustration techniques, whilst maintaining the commercial advantages of working digitally.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book, all opinions expressed are my own.

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A History of Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult

Discover the beguiling history of witchcraft, magic, and superstition through the centuries in this stunningly illustrated title.

About A History of Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult

A History of Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult charts the extraordinary narrative of one of the most interesting and often controversial subjects in the world, covering everything from ancient animal worship and shamanism, through alchemy and divination to modern Wicca and the resurgence of the occult in 21st-century literature, cinema, and television.

Providing readers with a balanced, and unbiased account of everything from Japanese folklore and Indian witchcraft to the differences between black and white magic, and dispelling myths such as those surrounding the voodoo doll and Ouija, the book explores the common human fear of, and fascination with spells, superstition, and the supernatural.

The perfect introduction to magic and the occult, this wide-ranging volume explores forms of divination from astrology and palmistry to the Tarot and runestones, mystical plants and potions such as mandrake, the presence of witchcraft in literature from Shakespeare’s Macbeth to the Harry Potter series, and the ways in which magic has interacted with religion.

The most comprehensive illustrated history of witchcraft available, A History of Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult will enthrall and fascinate you with its lavish illustrated, accessible entries, whether you are a believer or skeptic.

My Thoughts

This is a stunning book that covers many time periods and beliefs accompanied by gorgeous photos and historical quotes and events.

This book is broken down into the following time periods: Ancient Roots (prehistory to 400CE), Curse or Cure (400-1500), Scholars and Sabbats (1500-1700), Secrecy and Ceremony (1700-1900) and Modern Magic (1900 and onward). Each time period highlights many different magical beliefs, cultures and practices with stunning imagery to accompany each page. They provide you with just enough information to explain the topic but it also encourages you to learn more by doing your own research. The information is presented to you as facts – they do not add any bias commentary to sway the reader in any way. This is the practice at that time, right or wrong, and this is what happened and this is how it evolved.

I love how this book shows how much the belief of the supernatural (magic) is intertwined with culture and religious beliefs. I grew up fascinated by witchcraft and would spend hours reading books on this topic. For me, this book is a treat – exposing me to new information and encouraging me to learn more. I have quite a few topics that I want to learn more about after reading through this book.

As a reader, you can read through it from start to finish, you can go to specific time periods, you can glance over some areas but I guarantee that you will find something that will spark your curiosity to learn more. This is a great library addition for those readers, who love to learn about history, cultures and beliefs.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and Chapters.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Act of Revenge Book Review

Dr. Jim Bob Brady once again finds himself doing a bit of investigating, this time on behalf of a colleague.

About Act of Revenge

Plastic surgeon Lou Edwards’s life is complicated by two major issues.

One, his wife has lupus, possibly due to leaking silicone from breast implants that Edwards himself inserted. And two, his malpractice insurance has been canceled (as it has been for many other plastic surgeons) due to the breast implant problem.

But it gets worse.

Shortly after Edwards threatens an insurance company president on national TV, that same president is found murdered in his penthouse.

Dr. Jim Bob Brady once again finds himself doing a bit of investigating, this time on behalf of a colleague. But how well does he know this colleague? Is the investigation worth the threat to Jim Bob’s own life? Will he discover that it was a burglary gone bad? A lover’s quarrel? Or is this an act of revenge?

My Thoughts

I love the Doc Brady series – Dr. Brady is a man of many talents – including investigating crimes! He does so while balancing home life and a busy schedule as an orthopedic surgeon.

In this novel, a chance encounter (a quite funny one at that too) brings together Dr. Brady and Dr. Edwards and takes them down a path of murder, malpractice, death threats and more. Doc Brady wants to believe Lou, especially after the bond his wife makes with Lou’s wife, but Lou is making it very hard to believe in him. He says and does things he should not to do, making him a prime suspect in a murder!

But Doc Brady has a soft spot for both people and solving crimes, he cannot resist getting his hands dirty solving this case. He dives right in with the investigation, following leads that even the police did not uncover. The plot is complicated, and what seems like an easy open and close case is so very far from that as Doc Brady uncovers. There are many complex, interwoven layers of lies and Doc Brady must move quickly to connect them (while protecting his own life as he quickly learns). I was quite surprised by the end of the novel, it was not what I was expecting but was fitting to the way the story evolved.

Act of Revenge is a well written novel with characters that you can’t help but adore. You could definitely read this novel as a stand alone but I would strongly recommend reading the other two novels in this series, Act of Murder and Act of Deception.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Dr. John Bishop has led a triple life. This orthopedic surgeon and keyboard musician has combined two of his talents into a third, as the author of the beloved Doc Brady mystery series. Beyond applying his medical expertise at a relatable and comprehensible level, Dr. Bishop, through his fictional counterpart Doc Brady, also infuses his books with his love of not only Houston and Galveston, Texas, but especially with his love for his adored wife. Bishop’s talented Doc Brady is confident yet humble, brilliant yet a genuinely nice and funny guy who happens to have a knack for solving medical mysteries, and above all is the doctor who will cure you of your blues and boredom. Step into his world with the first three books of the series, and you’ll be clambering for more. The Doc Brady medical thriller series is set in the changing environment of medicine in the 1990s. Drawing on his years of experience as a practicing surgeon, Bishop entertains readers using his unique insights into the medical world with all its challenges, intricacies, and complexities, while at the same time revealing the compassion and dedication of health care professionals. Dr. Bishop and his wife, Joan, reside in the Texas Hill Country.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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