“Before you were born my heart always knew I wanted to be a good parent to you” – You are my Heart
About You are my Heart
You are my Heart puts into words some of the magical moments we share with our children every day as they grow into our hearts forever. The joyful love we feel and all the emotions straight from pregnancy to birth and beyond.
My Thoughts
I fell in love with You are my Heart. This book puts into words every emotion and feeling you have for your child. The love we feel for them is all-encompassing and this book delivers all of that and more. I actually teared up reading it to my kids (which caused them to tease me endlessly!). Through all the good moments and the bad moments we love our children and it is important to remind them of this.
I can easily see You are my Heart becoming a favourite for baby showers as it is a story you will enjoy reading to your child over and over again. It is always important to tell our child how much we love them and You are my Heart does that and more!
The illustrations in this book are wonderful both light and airy that fits in perfectly with the story. Marianne uses colour to coordinate with the words she writes perfectly.
You are my Heart, not only makes a perfect gift for expecting parents but is also suitable for children ages 2-8 years.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Marianne Richmond is both an author and illustrator (and does both in You are my Heart) who has touched millions for nearly two decades with her award-winning books, greeting cards and gift products that help to connect individuals. She lives in the Minneapolis area. She is the author of If I Could Keep You Little, Big Girls Use the Potty and I Wished For You: An Adoption Story.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Facing an awful snowstorm, who can the city turn to save the day? Supertruck of course!
About Supertruck
Every truck in the city has a special job. Some trucks rescue others, some tow while others transport. But the garbage trucks just collects garbage.
When the colossal snow storm hits the city everything comes to a standstill. The trucks can’t do their job. So who comes to the rescue to dig them out? Supertruck of course!
But who is this mysterious superhero? And why does he disappear after the storm?
My Thoughts
A simple and beautifully written story – our son fell in love with this book right from the start (he had us re-reading it five times the very first time we opened it up!). The story was easy to follow along with and our eldest son was able to read it to our youngest as well. It was easy to read aloud which makes it the perfect bed time story.
Supertruck has a lovely message about not judging a book by its cover. A person is not always what they seem and everyone has a special job to do. Supertruck is one of those people. His true identity is one you would not expect showing our children that everyone is special and has a special job to do. Or as our youngest says, we are all superheroes inside!
The illustrations are bright and bold. They draw you right into the book and enhance the story.
This is the perfect story for children ages 2-6 years old.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Stephen Savage is the illustrator behind the New York best-selling picture book, Polar Bear Night, which was named a New York Times Best Illustrated children’s book and an ALA notable book. His editorial illustration has been featured in dozens of major newspapers including: The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Betting on Hope follows the story of a bet gone wrong, a small town community and their meddling and a cowboy intent on saving his ranch.
About Betting on Hope
Maggie Hope is an advice columnist whose background leaves her with little advice to give and it is beginning to show. When Maggie fills in at an interview with champion horse trainer, Tru Monahan, the on camera chemistry between the two of them is undeniable. Maggie’s bosses see this as the opportunity she has been looking for to launch her career and their bank accounts. In order to save her column, Maggie takes Tru up on the bet that he can teach her to ride a quick stepping cutting horse like any cowgirl despite the fact that she has never been on a horse. In the meantime, she can get the scoop on the man under the cowboy hat.
Tru has been on the competition circuit for longer than he would like but he knows it is the only way he can afford to keep the Four of Hearts Ranch that means so much to his ailing Grandfather. So when his sponsors see the opportunity for Tru’s fans to get to know the star on a more intimate level, he knows that he must oblige. To his dismay, Maggie not only invades his small town of Wishing Springs but she also invades his heart and that is something he cannot let any woman do – for her own good.
In Wishing Springs, Maggie finds what she has always been looking for: a community and a home. But when her past catches up to her, it threatens everything, even the tender hope that this town holds all of her heart’s desires.
My Thoughts
I love a good romance and Betting on Hope delivers this and so much more! It is a story of grace, trust and believing in yourself. Both characters have to look past their past experiences and misconceptions that surround us. Each character was believable and have internal conflicts that many of us can relate to on some level. They have each tried hard to move forward from their past experiences but somehow they each keep catching up with them.
There were quite a few twists in this novel which added to the suspense of this fairly light read. I loved how easy it was to get into Betting on Hope and it was a perfect read at bed (or in my favourite reading spot – my bubble bath!). This novel will be the perfect addition to your romance collection!
You can find more reviews of Betting on Hope on the Litfuse Blog tour page. You can purchase your own copy of the book here.
Rating: 4.5/5
About the Author
Debra Clopton is a multi award-winning novelist and has written more than twenty-two novels. Along with writing, Debra helps her husband teach the youth at their local Cowboy Church. Debra’s goal is to shine a light toward God while she entertains readers with her words. You can find Debra online on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
A Life of the Twentieth Century is the story of Aya, a young girl alone in the world after the death of her parents who must face the horrors of the Second World War.
About A Life of the Twentieth Century
Aya loses her parents at the tender age of three. At the age of twelve, she was sent to a boarding school in Budapest that was forced to close after one year due to the Nazi army marching into the city.
Aya was left alone to face the Nazi occupation and to experience the horrors of the war. She faced many life threatening situations, such as prison, bombardment or even the possibility of execution on the spot without really comprehending the gravity of it all.
The end of the war was supposed to mean liberation, the return of hope and freedom for most people however this did not happen for Aya, who was part of a youth group on their way to Palestine. The destination of this youth group was to reach Italy and the Jewish Brigade. They crossed the Alps on foot from Austria to reach Italy.
As they reached their destination Aya met a solider from the Jewish Brigade who was supposed to be her hero, her Saviour but who turned out to be the devil incarnate. From day one this solider of the Jewish Brigade took control of Aya’s life when she was only fifteen years old.
After divorce, destitute and once again alone, she had no direction and almost no hope. From deep inside her she heard a voice telling her to go back to school. It took all her courage to apply to university where she was accepted and after five years was granted a B.A. and a Diploma in Teaching. She spent the rest of her life teaching and as she contemplated her life she said to herself that is she had had all the choices in the world, she would have chosen teaching.
My Thoughts
It is hard to know where to start with such a powerful book. Even more so when the story is a true story of the struggles a young girl faced during the Second World War right through to adulthood. I felt humbled and honoured to read her story as Irene draws us into the story of Aya.
At such a young age, Aya could hardly understand the complexities and the dangers around her during the war but she faced them bravely and without fear. She describes events that gave me goosebumps and a strong sense of appreciation of how brave she was despite being so young (can you even begin to imagine crossing the Alps on foot to reach Italy??!). It is hard to believe that she accomplished so much before the age of sixteen but she did as many like her did as well out of necessity and the need to survive.
I was heartbroken for her as she struggled with depression and a marriage that was unhappy. Like many that suffer from depression it is hard to accept and reach out for help. I was glad to see her pull out from the fog of unhappiness and depression and reach for her goals of teaching. I was even happier when she left the dangerous marriage that she was in. Her marriage only put additional strain on her as a person both mentally and physically.
A Life of the Twentieth Century is a memoir that reads like an unpredictable novel with the beauty of being a true story. A truly lovely memoir of a powerful, brave and determined young lady who grows into an even stronger woman as she struggles on the journey of life. A definite must read especially for young women who will most likely identify with many parts of this memoir.
Irene Even was born in Hungary. As a child she lived through the Second World War using false papers to survive. After the war, she immigrated to Palestine and lived in a Kibbutz. She then later married and immigrated to Canada with her family. She returned to Israel to teach English and remained there for twenty-two years. After writing her memoir, she now lives in retirement in Montreal.
The Giveaway!
You can now enter to win one of ten e-book copies of A Life of the Twentieth Century. This giveaway is open internationally and ends March 21st. Good luck!
Pants! No Chance! by Susan Lanyi follows the tale of Lulupop, a dress loving young girl who refuses to wear pants.
About Pants! No Chance!
Lulupop rarely puts up a fuss for her Mother. Except for when it comes to pants.
Dresses, dresses, dresses is all she will ever wear! With time, a little drama and no lack of imagination, Lulupop realizes that wearing dresses is not always the best idea.
My Thoughts
Lulupop is an incredibly imaginative young lady that sure does love her dresses! She loves her dresses so much that she does not listen to her Mother’s sound advice and compares wearing pants to the most extreme situations.
Lulupop and her imagination had us giggling throughout the book with her comparisons and even reminded us of someone in our own little family with her ‘I would rather”. In Pants! No Chance! we are able to follow along with Lulupop as her Mother tries to make her understand that sometimes even when we don’t like something it may be the best solution for a problem.
Through humour and gorgeous drawings, Susan brings home this message in a way that children and adults can relate to. How many times have you had the conversation with your child – do you remember what happened the last time you made this choice? I know we have many times! This story had us giggling and saying, ‘oh Lulupop!’.
A fantastic story line that is easy to read out loud and gorgeous, bright illustrations make Pants!No Chance! a family favourite that you will enjoy reading with your child over and over again. Rating: 5/5
About Susan Lanyi
Susan lives in Montreal with her husband, three children and their family puppy. Susan is a writer who has been previously published in Globe and Mail. When Susan is not busy writing or doing Mom stuff she is busy shopping for pants for her daughter who refuses to wear dresses! You can connect with Susan on Twitter and Facebook.
Giveaway Time!
Susan is giving away five copies of her book, Pants! No Chance! This giveaway is open internationally and ends March 6th. Good luck!
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