Category: book review

August 28, 2014

DK Math Boutique: Build Up Those Math Skills for BTS #review

Math can either be the easiest subject for your child to master or it can cause frustration and tears. We have seen both in our house. Some units are easier while other units can take a lot to master – I still have nightmares of calculus and I am dreading the day when I have to help my son with this!

We were sent the DK Canada Math Made Easy. Each Math Made Easy book is divided up by grade and you choose the correct grade for your child.

For our son we chose the grade he was entering into in September. It started off with the easier math problems and slowly advanced as he made his way through the book. We had to help a little bit but it was a great confidence booster. It also helped to give him a glimpse into what the math program will be like this year. He hasn’t made it through the book (it is quite big!) but we are working on two pages a day. It has helped to reinforce all the lessons that were taught (and beginning to fade!) since last year.

Math skills are so important to practice on a daily basis as each lesson is based on the previous and a child can quickly become lost. Supplementing short lessons at home is so important and these books made it easy for us as parents!

For a limited time, DK Canada is offering 30% at the Making Math Fun! Boutique.

How do you help your child at home with math skills? Do you have your own program? Or do you use resource books?

Disclosure: I received a free copy of the above mentioned books. All opinions expressed are my own.

August 27, 2014

Home To Chicory Lane by Deborah Raney #review

Family, home and the first year of marriage – all of these are important aspects of our life but can cause great stress as well. Especially that first year of marriage! All of these combine to make a wonderful, heart warming story of family and love in Home to Chicory Lane.

Audrey Whitman’s dreams are starting to take root. Now that their five kids have grown and left the family home, her husband Grant and herself are turning their beloved family home into a cozy bed and breakfast just a mile outside of Langhorne, Missouri.

Opening weekend makes Audrey anxious with friends and family coming from all over to help celebrate the occasion. When Audrey’s daughter, Landyn, arrives with the U-Haul making it clear she is not just there for a couple of days. Audrey immediately has questions. What happened in New York that sent her daughter running home? Where was her daughter’s husband Chase? What else was her daughter not telling her? The only thing she knew for sure was that Chicory Inn was off to a rocky start. Can Audrey still realize her dream and at the same time provide comfort of home to her daughter that she desperately needs.

While reading this novel I felt an almost instant connection with Landyn – it was like that was me in my undergraduate years, struggling with the pressures of “real” life, learning that money doesn’t grow on trees as well as balancing a pregnancy. I loved how their faith in God helped Landyn and Chase through the darkest moments of their life. Many times when I am scared or nervous about starting something new praying or attending mass is the most calming experience for me. It helps to clear my mind and see the path that God wants me to follow. Many readers will be able to connect both with Landyn and her Mother, Audrey. It is a wonderful story of family and the struggles we all go through on our journey – at the end of the day we are all the same and on the same path!

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour here.

Rating: 4.5/5

Deborah Raney’s books have won numerous awards, including the RITA, National Readers Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, and the Carol Award, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. She and her husband, Ken, recently traded small-town life in Kansas—the setting of many of Deborah’s novels—for life in the (relatively) big city of Wichita.

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

August 25, 2014

Starting the School Year Right with DK Readers #review

Reading is one of my favourite past times. It is also an essential skill that I want my children to master and feel comfortable with while still loving it. Sometimes children can become frustrated with their reading, not knowing a word, the material may not be something that they like or the book itself is too complicated.

DK readers are designed to allow readers to find their current reading level and gain confidence as they develop their reading skills. Readers will progress through simple to read sentences, simple words to more challenging story lines and vocabulary. The image below is the how their levels are determined as well as the corresponding descriptions of how each book is set up (vocabulary and sentences).

The books in this boutique range from historical to science to nature all the way to super heroes and Star Wars! With such a great selection your child will have plenty to chose from without being bored.

Our youngest chose Little Dolphin and Stars Wars A New Hope. Both of these books were a Level One and had short, simple sentences (although the names in Star Wars were a bit tougher for him to grasp). The illustrations were large and kept him entertained while we read the story together. The books are light weight and easy for him to hold. Our eldest got in on the fun and read the stories to his brother (made my heart melt watching them!).

DK Canada wants to help your child get back into the reading routine the right way and is offering a special deal in their DK Readers boutique – buy two and get one free! Make sure you head over there and get a look at their full collection.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned books free of charge. All opinions expressed are my own.

August 7, 2014

Eyewitness Dinosaur @DKCanada #review

The iconic Eyewitness book series has been the most trusted non-fiction series in classrooms and in homes for 25 years! DK Canada has updated this popular series to paperback (a first in North America!) as well as adding new covers, improved layouts and a better ratio of text to photo. You can check out the full twelve updated Eyewitness Series books here on the DK Canada website.

My kids are huge dinosaur fans (as if you couldn’t tell from my other post here!). To be able to combine that love with learning is my number one goal as a parent. Eyewitness books are perfect for this! With clear and bold heading they highlight for our son what the page will be about. In Eyewitness Dinosaurs the images on each page are striking and in full colour making you feel as if they are really bringing the dinosaurs to life. With over 150 images this book kept him (and me) engaged for hours!

I read the book before giving it my son (I have to be honest with you, I love learning new things and this book was incredible for this). I spent an hour going through each page reading all the tidbit information and looking at the beautiful photographs. I learned so much (who knew they can classify dinosaurs into two groups and many had feathers?!). If we stumbled on anything we were not sure of there was a fantastic glossary at the end of the book. Together we were able to follow their evolution straight to extinction.

Right now DK Canada is offering 30% off the Eyewitness series (making the books only $7.69 CDN!). Make sure to check them out here.

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

August 4, 2014

The Big Book of Things To Make from @DKCanada #review

Are your kids hitting the mid summer slump yet? You know the point where the idea of school being out has worn off and now they just want to do be doing more (anything more – science, physical activity and learning to name a few!) – mine are.

The Big Book of Things To Make from DK Canada has over 200 activities ranging from simple to a little bit more complicated to keep your child learning and having fun at the same time. Activites include simple science experiemnts, learning to juggle, building castles as well as outdoor activities. There is the perfect combination of physical activities and more sedentary activities to keep your child engaged.

We did several of the experiemnts already including making solar systems and soap monsters. We cooked, we were outside playing our favourite games (those ones that they always say they hate but now somehow they are super cool because they are in the book – yup those ones!), they practiced juggling (ouch!) and so much more. We have so much more to get through in this last month of the summer and can’t wait!

Feeling like you need some more summer time fun to keep the kids active and learning? Don’t forget to check out the Summer Fun Boutique running now over at DK Canada with 30% discounts!

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product free of charge. All opinions expressed are my own.