Category: childrens books

November 30, 2020

Oliver the Ornament Book Spotlight

Oliver the Ornament is a heartwarming tale of one family’s cherished Christmas ornaments.

About Oliver the Ornament

Oliver the Ornament is a heartwarming tale of one family’s cherished Christmas ornaments. The story centers on Oliver, who has been with this family since Mom and Dad’s very first date. Years later, Oliver, now injured and bullied, still has the magic of Christmas in his heart. “The story follows Oliver’s excitement for Christmas, his heartbreak, and his determination to overcome all odds to save the day. Oliver, along with his friends, will warm your heart with his kindness, humility, and love for his family and friends. We hope the story will bring families together to tell the stories of their own ornaments and the special meaning that so many of them possess. Because after all, “Every Ornament Tells a Story.”

You can purchase a copy of this book on their website here.

Book Trailer

About the Author

Todd Zimmermann, the creator and author of the “Oliver the Ornament” series, is on a mission to spread kindness and anti-bullying messages within his charming stories. The first story in the series focuses on a little ornament who faces challenges, but is able to overcome all odds to save the day. Charity is at the heart of Oliver the Ornament. A portion of proceeds from the sale of each book will be donated to various children’s charities. Starting with 5% from the first book, 10% from the second book, and increasing to 100% of the seventh book, Oliver the Ornament is committed to making a difference in children’s lives throughout the world.

You can connect with Todd on his website, Twitter and Facebook.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour, I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

November 15, 2020

The Science of Goo! Book Review

The glorious world of goop and gunk this book has it all – from pus, snot, and mucus to mud, snail slime, and sticky plants!

About The Science of Goo!

If you’ve ever wondered how much snot you make, or how spider silk is made, this is the book for you. Full of strange but true science, The Science of Goo! explores all manner of gunge, sludge, ooze, and goo!

Awesome CGI illustrations and stunning photography will show goo in all its glory, while fun trivia and scientific explanations will make you an expert in all things sludgy. For example, did you know that sea cucumbers can vomit their sticky insides when threatened, yet still survive?

The Science of Goo! is here to give you a new appreciation of the weird and wonderful world of gooey matter, in all its many kinds and wherever it shows up.

Our Thoughts

Science is fun, exciting and gross all at the same time. It is so important to get children interested in it at a young age by making science fun, interesting and something that they can relate to. We want to encourage young children to love science so that they don’t give up on it as they move into their pre-teen and teen years.

Kids love gooey, gross, slimy things and this book is full of it! This book teaches us all about fungus, slime, snot, eyeballs, saliva, snails, mucus, pimples and so much more. Each topic in this sixty page, soft cover book has two pages dedicated to it. We learn fast facts, the science behind the goo and even cool facts (I loved this one: In one week, a person makes enough saliva to fill 30 soda cans – gross!). While each page is full of information, it is also engaging with bold photos and colours that will engage your child and want them to learn more. The imagery and colours work well to help guide you through the information so that you don’t become overwhelmed.

We loved The Science of Goo! – it is full of great facts on things we never thought we wanted to know and even encouraged us to learn more. This will make a great gift for that budding scientist in your home.

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

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

October 16, 2020

Juan Has the Jitters

A story about inclusion, diversity, and the power of math to help one boy with autism thrive among his peers.

About Juan Has the Jitters

Juan claps his hands to get his Jitters out. They make his tummy swoosh and swirl. His Jitters happen when there are too many people, too much noise, or too many changes to his day. Juan doesn’t like surprises.

Tomorrow there is an athletic event planned at school, which makes Juan very nervous. But his teacher has the perfect solution: math–Juan’s favorite subject! Counting, sorting, and matching help Juan calm his Jitters. By making math part of the day’s athletic games, and by appointing Juan the official judge, his teacher can make sure that Juan will have fun and feel included. The class is calling it the Mathletic Games!

Our Thoughts

Juan Has the Jitters is a very special, important book for young readers, a book that they may find themselves relating to personally.

Juan is a bright young boy with autism. He loves math but some of the other subjects can make him nervous. One of these things that was making him nervous was an athletic event planned at school. Juan marked it on his calendar but it was causing him such stress in the days leading up to the event. He was experiencing jitters – the jitters affect his stomach and causes buzzing in his ears. Juan uses clapping to help him cope with this stress, which I can relate to – when I get nervous or feel overwhelmed I tap my fingers on tables and my toes on the ground as I find it helps to soothe me. His receptive teacher and kind classmates help him through the day by creating the Mathletic Games! Sorting, matching and racing events were played to ensure that Juan felt included and not overwhelmed at any time.

Juan Has the Jitters is a beautiful book that shows the power of inclusion and compassion. This made a huge impact on Juan and while he started the day clapping because of a few jitters by the end he was clapping in fun. He felt that he belongs, which every child should feel. Juan is a bright young boy who has so much to offer his classmates and this was highlighted in his judging skills and attention to detail throughout the event.

Juan Has the Jitters is a great resource for young children to explain the importance of inclusion, kindness and compassion. We all have differences and these should be celebrated. The illustrations are beautiful and match the theme of inclusiveness. This is a such an important topic for young children and this books open up conversations for you to have with your child.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

About the Author

ANETA CRUZ is a pre-K teacher and children’s book author. She holds a credential in early childhood special education, a BA in English literature, and an MFA in creative writing. When she’s not reading, writing, or eating Nutella by the spoonful, she teaches her class of preschoolers how to love books (and other things) as much as she does. She divides her time between the Czech Republic and Southern California, where she lives with her husband, two children, and Poe, the cutest ugly dog in the world.

MIKI YAMAMOTO has been drawing since a very early age, Most of her childhood was spent in her room sketching, coloring, and painting to entertain herself. She studied illustration at Cal State University, Long Beach and has worked for Hallmark Cards, Disney, and Amscan Party. Miki has won numerous awards as a children’s book illustrator. She resides in Southern California with her wigglebutt Aussie, Bella.

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

October 16, 2020

The B on Your Thumb: 60 Poems to Boost Reading and Spelling

The B on Your Thumb is a book of 60 hilariously illustrated rhymes and delightful ditties to boost early reading—each poem teaches a specific sound, spelling, or rule.

About The B on Your Thumb: 60 Poems to Boost Reading and Spelling

The B on Your Thumb is a book of 60 illustrated rhymes to boost early reading—each poem teaches a specific sound, spelling, or rule. Using rhythm and wordplay, they promote phonics awareness, thinking skills, and literacy. This book delights young readers with the fun and silliness of the English language.

An introduction instructs grown-ups on how to use the book and extensive activities at the end allow children to build on their learning. Grouped into four categories—sounds, silent letters and secrets, spellings, and words that sound the same—the poems include:

See with Two Ees
The Story of Q and U
The Rain in the Train
Ridiculous Ph
Enough of Uff
Certainly a C
The Most ImportANT
Which Witch

Our Thoughts

Can we just be honest and say the English language has some of the most hardest rules to follow (silent letters, spellings, words that sound the same). It can be so difficult to explain the reasoning around this to children, because that is just the way it is. This book helps adults and children tackle these rules in a fun way.

This book starts with a very helpful introduction for adults. They teach you how to use this book and how to read it aloud. This made a world of a difference when reading with my child. I loved that they also encouraged you to be creative, read them out of order, and to not overdo it – read just a few rhymes at a time to help your child absorb what they are learning. The note to children made me giggle (please be patient with us adults because we too make mistakes!).

I loved the rhymes, they made it so much easier to be silly and take a somewhat hard topic to teach and make it fun. We even sang a few and had a few good laughs (oi, oi, oi!!). The illustrations are perfect for young readers and match the tone of the book, fun and engaging.

The B on Your Thumb is a fun, engaging book that will make you laugh while learning.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

About the Author

Colette Hiller is a writer, arts producer, and mother of twins. Her arts projects have reached hundreds of thousands of participants—she is the woman who put pianos and ping-pong tables in countless locations across the UK, and is also the mind behind the hit Talking Statues project.

Her children’s rhymes have been featured on BBC Words and Pictures and her children’s LP, Applehead, has been a hit with kids across the world, selling over 50,000 copies. An advocate of early learning, Colette believes that even very young children are receptive to the joy of wordplay (she taught her own twins to read by the time they were three).

Tor Freeman is a London-based illustrator. In 2012 she was awarded the Sendak Fellowship. In 2017 she won the Guardian Graphic Short Story Prize. Her books include the Digby Dog and Olive series.

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

October 1, 2020

ABC What Can I Be?

ABC What Can I Be? presents a wonderful world full of career possibilities—from Astronomer to Zoo Keeper and everything in between. Representing kids of all kinds, this book shows that there are no limits to what a kid can pursue.

About ABC What Can I Be?

Whether they are fascinated by animals, trains, flowers, teaching, or more, kids can grow up to be whatever they want! ABC What Can I Be? presents an alphabet full of exciting, thoughtful, and wonderful things that children can do.

Pairing a career with each letter of the alphabet, ABC What Can I Be? features colorful illustrations and careers to get kids thinking about all the possibilities for their future. Each page introduces a letter of the alphabet with bright artwork and highlights a career that is fun, challenging, and makes a big impact in its own way. The twenty six careers— including Dentist, Floral Designer, Meteorologist, Robotics Engineer, Train Conductor, and Wildlife Conservationist—are just some of the things that a kid can become! A fun read for the whole family, ABC What Can I Be? is not only perfect for teaching toddlers their ABCs, but also for encouraging them to consider all the careers that they can be when they grow up.

Our Thoughts

ABC What Can I Be? is a beautiful, hard cover book for young children that both inspires and educates.

I loved the bright, bold illustrations paired with amazing career choices (EMT, quantitative analyst, youth director and so much more). We learned about so many inspiring careers in this creative book – I never would have thought about a user experience designer career to encourage for a child. You will enjoy exploring these new careers and even adding in your own ideas. We made a challenge for ourselves to add two new careers for each letter (we did have to google it sometimes). We also loved how the book breaks down gender and social stereotypes – young children regardless of their gender or culture will find themselves in this inclusive book. The book encourages you to find yourself in any role and reminds you that you can truly be whatever you set your mind to.

ABC What Can I Be? is a must have book for children of young ages – it is engaging with its bold, bright illustrations, inclusive and inspiring. We had a fantastic time reading the book aloud and even added in some of our own ideas.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

About the Author

Sugar Snap Studio is led by Jessie Ford, an English illustrator whose colorful view of the world has been brightening people’s lives for the last decade. Her graphic shapes, bold color palette, hand-drawn typography, and textured layers create a handmade effect that has been commissioned by clients such as Harry N. Abrams, Rodale Kids, Volkswagen, Samsonite, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Unilever, and Westin Hotels. Her books include ABC: What Can She Be?, ABC: What Can He Be?, and ABC: What Can I Be?

Jessie Ford is the illustrator behind Sugar Snap Studio. She lives on the south coast in Hove, England. Visit her online at sugarsnapstudio.co.uk.

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