book review

Journal Book Review: Take Me to Museums

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Take Me To Museums by Mary Richards

Take Me To Museums: The Young Explorer’s Guide to Every Museum in the World
by Mary Richards
5 out of 5 stars

This guide offers the reader the perfect journal for recording their experiences while exploring any type of museum, really noticing the things they see in different exhibits. You can draw a map of the museum layout, sketch a famous painting, and design your own poster to promote the museum. There are little tidbits of information about the history of museums and different famous museums around the world.

I loved the colorful pages full of fun activities and journal prompts! Doing these activities is really relaxing and thoughtful. It forces you to consider a different perspective and see things in a fresh way. I really liked all the cool illustrations and bits of history.

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Baby Book Reviews: It’s Bath Time, and Rhyme with Me!

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It's Bath Time! Indestructibles by Carolina Búzio

It’s Bath Time! Indestructibles
by Carolina Búzio (Goodreads Author) (Illustrations)
5 out of 5 stars

When the babies get dirty, it’s time for a bath. Little elephants get splashed with water from their parent elephant’s trunk. Parent lions lick the fur of the lion cubs to get them clean. And human babies have a bubble bath!

I love the cute artwork in this book! Every page is so colorful and fun. This would make the perfect gift for little babies and toddlers!

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Non Fiction Book Review: Book Nerd

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Book Nerd by Holly Maguire

Book Nerd
by Holly Maguire
5 out of 5 stars

This book is full of cute illustrations and quotes and factoids about books. It includes a flow chart so you can find out if you should buy that book, and a quiz to match the famous opening lines to the correct book. There are even some bookmarks at the back of the book that you can detach!

I love the cool artwork in this book! Every page is so colorful and fun. This would make the perfect gift for anyone who is obsessed with books!

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Book Review: Twenty-One Balloons

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The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois

The Twenty-One Balloons
by William Pène du Bois
5 out of 5 stars
Professor Sherman is sick of teaching mathematics to unruly children in San Francisco, so he decides to take a year-long balloon ride around the world and never touch land in all that time. However, within days his balloon crashes near the mysterious island of Krakatoa, and he discovers the secrets of the island where a most unusual society is flourishing and fabulous diamonds are available to anyone.

This is such a fun and entertaining story! The plot has all these hilarious details all about the reception for Professor Sherman when he returns to San Francisco, his arrangements for his balloon house and how he planned his balloon trip, and the strange society that lives on Krakatoa and how they organize their days. Most of the narrative is explaining things, so there isn’t a ton of action, but the descriptions are so wild and interesting that you never feel bored.

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Non Fiction Book Review: Top Secret

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Top Secret by Crispin Boyer

Top Secret: Spies, Codes, Capers, Gadgets, and Classified Cases Revealed
by Crispin Boyer
5 out of 5 stars

This book has everything you could ever want to know about spies and secret codes. You can learn the history of spies and secret plans, and how to crack ciphers and codes. There are sections about famous spies, gadgets, secret fortresses, and classified information!

I love the design of this book! There are colorful photographs on every page, and the information is divided into boxes that make it easy to read all those factoids and snippets of history.

I especially liked the section about myths vs. facts, that debunks a lot of common misconceptions about secret agents and what they do. And there are cute things like how to come up with your own secret handshake to share with your friends, and how to create your own disguise.

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Picture Book Review: Sweet Pea Summer

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Sweet Pea Summer by Hazel Mitchell

Sweet Pea Summer
by Hazel Mitchell (Goodreads Author)
5 out of 5 stars

A little girl has to stay with her grandparents because her mother is sick. She starts working in her grandparents garden to grow the best sweet pea blossoms for the flower competition. There are challenges and set backs, but the little girl learns to weather the storm until her mother is better again.

This book was so cute! The little girl is so sweet and vulnerable, but she finds that inner strength and starts to gain confidence in her gardening abilities. The grandparents are loving and kind, and the whole atmosphere of the garden is soothing. I love all the positive messages in this book!

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Picture Book Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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William Shakespeare's a Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare's Globe

William Shakespeare’s a Midsummer Night’s Dream
by Shakespeare’s Globe, Jane E. Ray (Illustrations), Georghia Ellinas (reteller)
3 out of 5 stars

When the Fairy Queen Titania and the Fairy King Oberon are fighting, no one is happy. Least of all Puck, who is tasked with finding the nectar of a magical flower that will make people fall in love. Puck is up to mischief, making all the wrong people fall in love. There is a lot of merriment in cases of mistaken identity, but can Puck put things right again?

This retelling of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream condenses the main story of the play, but keeps all the main characters and plot fairly intact. Even as much as it is condensed, the story still feels too long and complicated for a picture book for young children. I’m sure a child would have trouble keeping track of the many characters. The text is also too wordy and long for a picture book.

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Book Review: Island of the Aunts

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Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson

Island of the Aunts
by Eva Ibbotson
5 out of 5 stars

The aunts need help, so they decide to kidnap some children and train them up. But these will have to be special children; children who can be trusted with the greatest secret of the island.

Fantastic and imaginative! I loved it! I had me gasping in surprise, and laughing and crying and laughing some more.

Update: Reading this the second or third time is just as enjoyable and magical.

I love all the weird and wacky characters! The aunts are just hilarious, Minette is utterly sweet, and Fabio is such a brave little fellow.

I love all the magical creatures, the mermaids, and selkies, and other wild creatures. It’s all so imaginative and interesting. The details make it all feel real and exciting.

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