Category: childrens books

May 15, 2020

We Are Water Protectors Book Review

“Water is the first medicine.
It affects and connects us all” – We Are Water Protectors

About We Are Water Protectors

Inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, We Are Water Protectors issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption – a bold and lyrical picture book written by Carole Lindstrom and vibrantly illustrated by Michaela Goade.

When a black snake threatens to destroy the Earth and poison her people’s water, one young water protector takes a stand to defend Earth’s most sacred resource.

Our Thoughts

This book first grabbed my attention with the front cover. It features a strong, proud and brave young girl with swirling water around her. There was something about her stance and the determined look on her face that grabbed my attention and made me want to read the book.

The story shows us how we come from water in the womb and that water is what nourishes us – water is vital to life. We learn about the black snake, that has been foretold to destroy the land, poison plants and animals and spoil the water. This black snake is found now in our current world and it is our job to have the courage to stand up to the black snake, to come together to defend those who cannot fight and to protect our water and lands for years to come.

This is a beautifully illustrated book with an extremely important message. We are all one living on this land and it is so important to care and fight to protect it. We need to address and speak up about how we are polluting our water and what we can do to stop this. I loved how this book empowers youth to take a lead and to stand up for our home. The flow of words is perfect and I loved how the illustrations captured the meaning of each page. The illustrations are spectacular, they are full of movement and emotion. They help guide you through the page and leave a strong impact. I love art and the attention to detail is incredible, from the details in the animals to nature, they are beautiful (I found myself running my hands over the pages!).

This is a powerful, beautifully illustrated book for children, youth and even adults. It is a definite must have in your home library and would be a great resource to have in a school classroom or library.

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

About the Author

Carole Lindstrom is Anishinabe/Metis and is a proud member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe Indians. She was born and raised in Nebraska and currently makes her home in Maryland. Michaela Goadeis an artist and graphic designer living and working in Juneau, Alaska, where she was also raised. Her childhood was spent in the forests and on the beaches of Southeast Alaska and her artistic style is rooted in the depth and beauty of its landscapes. Forever inspired by the coastal wilds of Southeast Alaska, she works to capture its magic and honor its vibrant cultures. Michaela is from the Raven moiety and Kiks.adi Clan from Sitka, Alaska.

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

May 14, 2020

The Great Big Search and Find Activity Book

I am sure by now you are looking for new ways to keep your child engaged and learning. The Great Big Search and Find Activity Book gives you so many options to keep your child having fun during this difficult time.

About The Great Big Search and Find Activity Book

This action-packed activity book is full of things to find, amazing scenes to color, and spot-the difference puzzles.

The book features a wide range of topics, from dinosaurs to the solar system, and with fun facts to discover throughout, it is guaranteed to provide hours of entertainment!

Our Thoughts

I am sure that all of you are going through the same struggles we are right now – finding activities to keep your child engaged and busy. Our kids have been home since roughly the second week in March – so almost two months! While the first few weeks were fun, boredom has set in and we have been struggling to come up with new activities that are fun and that we can make last for a good chunk of time.

The Great Big Search and Find Activity book is full of over five hundred activities for your child to do. The book is organized into different sections that include: geography, dinosaurs, ocean, jungle, farm, city life, museums, zoos and even space. In each section, your child will be challenged to spot the differences and find specific items. The book is also full of great facts that help to support learning around a wide range of topics.

Your child can work their way through the book in any order that they feel like, you don’t have to go from start to finish. They can skip a few pages in each section – whatever works for them and you! The images were bright and fun, perfect for young children to help gain their interest and encourage them to do more.

This is a great resource for parents and caregivers as we look to find new and exciting ways to keep our children learning and their minds active. While our son could have easily worked on the activities alone, we had a great time completing them together.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

About the Author

Joelle Dreidemy has drawn and painted ever since she can remember. After graduating from the prestigious Emile Cohl School she moved to Paris, from where she now illustrates for English, American, French and Korean publishers, as well as teaching at Emile Cohl.

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

May 14, 2020

My Best Friend Book Review

This deliciously dark tale of a mouse and the “best friend” who wants to eat him will delight fans of Rob’s previous books.

About My Best Friend

Mouse lives in the tree with his best friend, Giant Owl. They used to do the most fun stuff imaginable, they would play chase and Giant Owl would nearly catch Mouse, but not quite. Giant Owl loved Mouse so much that she would give him as many donuts as he wanted and the most amazing presents, including his own house (a cage)! But then one day something happened, and now Mouse has found himself stuck in a very dark place. Will his best friend help come to his rescue?

Our Thoughts

This book was absolutely adorable and hilarious.

We have the sweet and innocent Mouse – he only sees the best in his friend, Giant Owl (who looks like quite the grumpy, dark character!). Giant Owl found him one day and made his life so much better by bringing him to live in his tree. He feeds him, houses him and even plays with him. To Mouse, Giant Owl is one of the best type of friends a mouse could have. Or is he really? Does he have a more sinister plan up his sleeve? You will have to read the book to find out! We loved the ending, it was just perfect for this book and touches your heart.

This is wonderful, witty book for young kids. It was easy to read together, engaging and made us laugh. The illustrations are perfect and fit the theme of the book. I loved the carefree, sweet mouse and the grumpy looking owl – their illustrations helped to bring the story to life. This is a great, fun children’s book that you will enjoy reading over and over again.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

About the Author

Rob Hodgson was born in a seaside town in the south of England in 1988. He studied Illustration at Plymouth University. Today, he lives in Bristol, UK, where he spends his time making a mess and turning it into illustration projects, quality paper goods and books. His first author-illustrated book, The Cave, was published in 2017 to wide acclaim and has since sold in 10 languages and been chosen for the Booktrust Time to Read Campaign for 2019, meaning it will be distributed to 760,000 schoolchildren in September 2019. The Woods, his second picture book, published in 2019. My Best Friend, his third picture book, will publish in April 2020.

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

May 7, 2020

Marvel Amazing Powers Book Review

Marvel: Amazing Powers is a level 3 Reader for children beginning to read alone.

About Marvel Amazing Powers

Whose suit is reinforced with the metal Vibranium? Who loves climbing up walls? Who has unlimited strength? Discover these answers and all the amazing powers of your favourite Marvel Super Heroes. Meet the Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, Thor, The Hulk, Black Widow, Captain America and many more!

Marvel: Amazing Powers is a level 3 Reader for children beginning to read alone. It combines DK’s four-level reading program with the ever-popular Marvel comics, helping kids learn how to read–and learn to love reading. Featuring high-quality images from the Marvel comics, Marvel: Amazing Powers was created in consultation with literacy experts. Young readers will learn about Wolverine, Black Panther, Ant-Man, and Wasp, as well as many more awesome heroes. Discover their extraordinary abilities, and remember, evil Super Villains are lurking just around the corner.

Our Thoughts

Marvel Amazing Powers brings all of your favourite Marvel characters, good and bad, and key events in one place.

We love the Marvel series, they are strong, funny characters who struggle with important moral decisions that can save the world. While they have these amazing abilities, they are also human with matching emotions that so many of us can relate to. We always set aside time in our busy schedules to watch the new releases, re-watch movies and episodes when they are shown on cable. We each have our own favourites for different reasons but each one is incredible in their own way.

This book looks at a wide range of characters including: Spiderman, Captain America, Black Panther, The Wasp, Captain Marvel, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, The Guardians of the Galaxy and so many more. It even include some of the top villains, including Ultron and Thanos. I liked how the book even includes key time periods in their lives, including the Surtur Saga and the road to Civil War. We learn about each character, some of the facts you may have already known but some may be new to you (I never knew Black Panther married the woman who would later become the hero Storm!). Each character has roughly one page dedicated to describing their past and their accomplishments and one page dedicated to illustrations. The story was engaging and exciting as we worked through each character. It was perfect for our young reader to read to his parents with a great balance of imagery to keep him engaged. This has become a favourite book for us to read daily and we have even organized a new binge watching schedule for the Marvel movies.

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

About the Author

Catherine Saunders is an author and editor who has written several licensed books and readers, including LEGO Friends Character Encyclopedia, LEGO NINJAGO: Team Ninja, LEGO Friends: Let’s Go Riding!, and Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight.

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

May 5, 2020

Amazing Animal Journeys Book Review

Kids will learn all about animal migration with this fascinating book.

About Amazing Animal Journeys

Kids will learn all about animal migration with this fascinating book. Whether flying or walking, animals are constantly on the move! Join different animals on their exciting travels as they seek out food, shelter, and warm weather. You won’t believe how fearless and strong these brave creatures are!

Stunning photographs combine with lively illustrations and engaging, age-appropriate stories in DK Readers, a multilevel reading program guaranteed to capture children’s interest while developing their reading skills and general knowledge.

Our Thoughts

Are you looking to expand on the current e-learning situation we as parents are finding ourselves in? Or perhaps looking to go in a new direction? Keep your child entertained and learning with Amazing Animal Journeys.

Animals are incredible and this book focuses on one of the most amazing journeys animal make – migration. Animals migrate for many reasons (give birth, find food, escape cold weather), and your child may have seen this happen without really understanding it (the Canadian geese heading South for the winter). This book looks at four specific animals that migrate in North America: caribou, Monarch butterflies, Gray whales and snow geese.

Each of the four sections dedicated to an animal gives us a brief background of the animal, where they live and where they migrate to and why. The book then dives right in following the animals migration monthly, where they travel to and what they face on their journey.

We loved learning about these four animals and the journey they go through. We had never heard of snow geese, who make their home on Baffin Island and really enjoyed learning about how they raise their young and travel South to stay warm during the summer months. We learned many new facts about how the animals raise their young, their predators and were amazed at how far they travel and how many months they go without food! The young animals make very long journeys at such a young age, reminding you just how amazing and strong animals are. At the end of the book, several pages are dedicated to how humans can be harming these animals by taking over their habitats, drilling, oil spills and more.

Beautiful pictures and great facts can be found in this engaging book all about the migration journey of four animals. This is a great resource to start your child learning about migration, animals and how we may have an impact on these animals without realizing it (not to mention what we can do to help stop this).

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

About the Author

Liam O’Donell is a Toronto-based educator and author of books and graphic novels for young readers. His many titles include DK’s Amazing Animal Journeys, West Meadows Detectives series, and Tank & Fizz books.

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