From war-torn Italy to the belpaese of today, All the Way to Italy is a tale for those in search of a balance between wanderlust and the necessity to come home, a reminder that although we may be fragments, we are never a lost cause.
About All the Way to Italy
Until her dad died, Little considered herself a Californian. Now, thanks to half a letter, a symbol she can’t quite remember, and writer’s block, she finds herself back in Italy, the country of her birth. In a headlong rush to return to her beloved San Francisco, Little will journey throughout Italy, hoping to find the answers she needs to move on with her life so she need never look back. She’ll enlist the help of the woman who raised her, Sira, her father’s sister; but Sira has secrets she’s kept for decades, and Little underestimates the power of the country she fled years before.
In this powerful story of mixed cultures in a world trying to globalize, one girl’s struggle to leave her home behind will lead her back to the women in her family and the memories each of them has safeguarded through the generations. From war-torn Italy to the belpaese of today, All the Way to Italy is a tale for those in search of a balance between wanderlust and the necessity to come home, a reminder that although we may be fragments, we are never a lost cause.
Born just outside of Rome, Flavia Brunetti grew up bouncing back and forth between Italy and California, eventually moving back to the Eternal City and confirming her lifelong commitment to real gelato. Flavia holds a Master of Arts degree in Government and Politics from St. John’s University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from John Cabot University. Today she travels the world working for an international humanitarian organization and spends her free time writing and wandering around her beloved Roma in constant search of bookstores and the perfect espresso. You can find her city blog on Rome at whichwaytorome.com and her portfolio of published writing at flaviinrome.com.
After reading What’s Weird on Earth, Earth will never seem the same again to your child and to you as the parent!
About What’s Weird on Earth
Find weird and wonderful facts about our extraordinary world, like all the wind patterns on the planet or each country’s national dish or the bizarre rock formations on each continent. These are shown visually on world maps, making them easier to understand and breath taking to behold.
Geography, history, STEM concepts, sociology, reading, technology, and more all come together in this exciting and educational atlas that presents the world’s weirdest facts visually on maps page by page. See hidden underground waterways and ancient patterns carved in the desert sand. Learn how 29,000 rubber duckies helped scientists trace ocean currents after a shipwreck. See where lightning strikes the most on Earth, and where it never strikes at all. See maps from previous centuries to understand how people perceived our planet thousands of years ago. Planet Earth will never seem the same again!
Our Thoughts
What’s Weird on Earth is a beautiful, hard cover 160 page book full of everything that you wanted to know or didn’t even know you wanted to know. Man eating trees? Red snow in Russia? All of the bizarre and spectacular things you didn’t even know will come to life in this amazing book.
This visually stunning book is divided into several sections; nature, supernatural, people, places, history and fun facts with sub-topics in each section. I am a visual learner myself and this book is perfect for children and adults alike as the stories and facts pop to life. You are immersed in a brilliant colorful display of history and facts as you take a trip around the world. You want to touch the pages and take it all in at once. The illustrations are bright and bold which helps to capture and hold your child’s attention.
Like many of their books, this one is colour coded so you know which section you are in allowing you to skim through to find exactly what you are looking for based on interest. Each two page spread contains a map of the world with pop up images and captions of interesting facts over their location on the map. They do a great job of capturing a wealth of information into a short blurb (which is no easy task). They give you just enough information to spark an interest in a new area which you can use to help them dive deeper into their educational journey by doing more research and discovery together, whether it be in the library or at home through Google. How can you resist not learning more about something as interesting as man-eating trees or monsters spotted in the ocean? Your imagination will soar with all of these new and somewhat bizarre facts about the world around us.
We could not put this gorgeous book down. We have read it several times already as we seem to pick up on new bits each time. It comes in hard cover format which is great for young readers who are not always as gentle as we like them to be and they can bring it everywhere with them. It is a great read for young and older children who love to learn and explore the world around them but who also appreciate the bizarre and different things in the world which makes it special.
You can purchase a copy of this book on DK Canada and Amazon.
Rating: 5/5
Disclosure: We received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
The adorable Shopkins, which are North America’s number one toy (and my niece’s favourite) are hitting the stage live in Canada in their Shopkins Live! Shop It Up! Tour.
About Shopkins Live! Shop It Up!
The beloved Shoppies make their theatrical debut in an original live show featuring musical performances by Jessicake, Bubbleisha, Peppa-Mint, Rainbow Kate, Cocolette, Polli Polish and more! The fun and fashionista Shoppies are joined by the Shopkins – Apple Blossom, Strawberry Kiss, Lippy Lips, Kooky Cookie, Poppy Corn, Slick Breadstick and Shady Diva. An ensemble cast of multi-talented performers brings the show to life on stage through urban style music, song and dance.
All of Shopville is in a tizz as preparations get underway for the annual, “Funtastic Food and Fashion Fair.” Shady Diva showcases her latest fashion designs; Lippy Lips gives colorful advice at the nail salon; Kooky Cookie tries to get in a beauty nap! No event is complete without a few hiccups! Who has high-jinxed the fashion pageant? Where is the super-secret celebrity guest? Will Slick Breadstick ever find a dance partner? The Shopkins and Shoppies need your help because as we all know – the show must go on!
Our Thoughts
Music, dancing and all of your favourite Shopkins characters can be found in this adorable live show now touring in Canada.
In this show, the Shoppies are given specific tasks to complete in order to make the festival a success. There is a fashion show to prepare, booths to finish off, sweet dishes to make and a special celebrity guest to meet. No one wants to disappoint the ever so cheeky Shady Diva (who was honestly my favourite part of the show, she had me in tears laughing with her cheekiness!). Jessicake is responsible for meeting the celebrity guest but in her rush to please Shady Diva assigns the task to Kooky Cookie and the guest disappears! They must work together to solve the mystery of the kidnapped celebrity and still pull off the show.
The show had a fantastic story line that was delivered extremely well. I found myself laughing out loud at the humour which was great for both parents and children a like. I loved the one liners like “This is not how we party!”, “OMGG” and “Can’t a cookie get some beauty rest”. I knew a bit about the Shopkins going into the show but my niece was an expert and would fill me in throughout the show on the characters names and what they are famous for. I was blown away by how much the children there knew about the Shopkins. The characters are beyond precious and I can relate to why young children LOVE them. Rainbow Kate was my favourite Shoppie with her burst of fresh air and optimism – you couldn’t help but smile when she came out.
While the show itself is full of humour and fun, it had some great underlying messages. We learned about friendships and sticking together because with our best friends by our sides we can do anything. We learned that it is okay to make a mistake but that you need to own up to your mistake, try to fix it and even apologize to others if it affected them. We also learned that we shouldn’t always judge a book by its cover – everyone has feelings and they can be easily hurt.
One of the most heart warming parts of the show was watching the young audience dancing in their seats, in the aisles, screaming (literally screaming) every time their favourite character came on stage. The Shoppies had a fantastic stage presence and really drew you into the show. You felt as though you were part of the action which is so important for young children who were enthralled by the characters. The Shoppies and Shopkins truly came to life for them and you could see the amazement in their faces.
This show is a definite must see for all young fans. The show runs until the end of this month in Canada, to find more tour dates head over to their website here.
You can also follow Shopkins Live! On Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest information.
Shopkins Live! Trailer
Disclosure: We received tickets to the show in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Have you ever wondered how the tooth fairy tradition started? In The World’s First Tooth Fairy….Ever we find out!
About The World’s First Tooth Fairy….Ever
Have you ever wondered how the tooth fairy tradition started? Join Abella, a precocious little fairy on her journey through Tulip Hollow with her friend Darcie. Abella finally has the chance to venture out of the castle and fly to a party with Darcie when she is snatched by a big old bee and flown out of Tulip Hollow. Find out how Abella frees herself from the bee and discovers children for the first time. Follow along as she shows great courage and resourcefulness to solve an unexpected problem and return home to Tulip Hollow. It is during this challenge that Abella accidentally starts the tooth fairy tradition. The World’s First Tooth Fairy… Ever is a delightful book about adventure, bravery and how being curious is often a very good thing.
Our Thoughts
As parents, how many times have you been asked about the tooth fairy? Where did the tooth fairy come from? Why does she take our teeth? What does she do with them?
I am sure I am not alone in saying, my kids stump me when they ask these questions. I am not really sure what to tell them about how the tooth fairy began her task of collecting the children of the world’s teeth and leaving them a token of surprise in exchange. The World’s First Tooth Fairy….Ever helps you to explain the legend of the tooth fairy in a fun and exciting new way.
In this book, we have sweet Abella who longs to explore the world but her parents are cautious and don’t want her to leave the walls of their home. Fair enough – the world is tough when you’re the size of a fairy! She finally convinces them to let her out on an adventure to a party with her best friend with very strict instructions. Which she follows but a big grumpy bee catches her on her way and puts her completely off her path! We had quite a few giggles at this point in the book especially with how Abella escapes the bee. While she escapes the bee, she is now in a world that she does not know, her dress is ruined, she has lost her pearl and feeling sad. She comes upon two children – one of whom has just lost a tooth. The tooth reminds her of her lost pearl and voila! An idea of how she can solve her problem and make it home to her parents is born. Not to mention the legend of the tooth fairy but you have to read the story to find all the exact details as the first tooth fairy encounter doesn’t go quite as expected!
This was a precious book that was fun to read out loud to my son. Zane puts a clever take on words and the story flows so nicely which is a must for children’s books. It was both silly and serious which allowed us to have fun reading it. The tooth fairy legend blossoms out of her adventure in such a unique way that we were not expecting. The illustrations are beautiful and suit the story and Abella’s character.
Abella is full of courage and determination. She never gives up hope in any part of the book even when she was feeling alone and discouraged. She would just get right back up and figure out how to solve the problem she was in (which is such an important message for children).
This is a special book that will make a great addition to your home library and perfect for bedtime reading. You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Zane and her husband Brady reside in Houston, Texas. She is actively involved in the Houston Grand Opera, Houston SPCA and the Discovery Green Conservancy.
In addition to owning Carson Marketing, LLC, Ms. Carruth is a certified etiquette professional and has published articles in several high-profile magazines. Both she and her husband are avid thoroughbred horse racing enthusiasts. When not traveling, she cherishes spending time with her 3 grandchildren, Chloe, Carson and Truett.
Ms. Carruth has recently completed her second hardback book going to publication next week. The World’s First Tooth Fairy…Ever Presents: The Adventures of Abella and Her Magic Wand. After years of fantasizing and months of studying, Abella finally receives her magic wand. This precocious little fairy vows to take the responsibility of wand ownership seriously and all the power that comes with it. It is a delightful book about facing challenges and accepting responsibility – even when you make mistakes. Luckily for Abella, her best friend Darcie, is with her every step of the way, doing what best friends do best.
On May 1st, Maya, the little bee with a big heart, is back for another adventure.
About Maya the Bee 2: The Honey Games
Maya The Bee 2: The Honey Games is based on the well-known children’s novel and popular animated series in Europe, Australia and Asia and offers an immersive cinematic adventure into a spectacular macroscopic world. A must-have for fans of all ages, the film is an instant classic that delivers wholesome family entertainment— emphasizing the importance of friendship, responsibility and courage.
After a slow harvest season, the very survival of the hive is threatened. Maya, and her sidekick, Willy, go to Buzztropolis, where the Empress invites them to participate in the Honey Games. But if they lose, the hive will have to give the Empress all of their summer honey! Needless to say, Maya and Willy’s teammates are neither enthusiastic nor athletic, but Maya remains positive and exclaims that “every bug has a talent!”.
Can Maya and Team Poppy win and secure her hive’s future? Only if Maya is able to gain new friends and learn about teamwork, accountability, and overcoming preconceived notion.
One of the best-known and beloved children’s brands of all-time, the stories of Maya The Bee have been passed down among generations of families for years. Originally a German children’s novel by Waldemar Bonsels, The Adventures of Maya the Bee was published over a hundred years ago in 1912. Since the original publishing, the book has been translated into many other languages and enjoyed by children all over the world. In addition to the book, Maya The Bee is also a comic book series, appeared in various iterations as animated series and now as major animated feature films.
Our Thoughts
Maya has to be the cutest little bee ever! This animated character has a very special message for children about teamwork, friendship and working together. She shares this message in her adventures and through her actions.
This DVD is all about teamwork and having the courage to go outside our comfort zone. Maya who isn’t as athletic as others has to compete in the Honey Games in order to save her hive. While this is daunting for her and her friends, Maya encourages them to do their best. Every person (or bee) has a special skill that makes them unique.
This is a fantastic family movie that makes for a fun family movie night. It is geared for younger children.
You can purchase an early copy of this DVD on Amazon.
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