book review

Non Fiction Review: When the World Feels Like a Scary Place

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When the World Feels Like a Scary Place by Abigail Gewirtz
When the World Feels Like a Scary Place: Essential Conversations for Anxious Parents and Worried Kids
by Abigail Gewirtz

2 out of 5 stars


This book has some good ideas about talking to your kids in a calm and productive manner. It has techniques for defusing anger with compassion, and managing stress and anxiety when your children are confronted with difficult issues.

There are example conversations and situations that deal with circumstances like bullying, immigration, social justice, climate change, violence, activism, technology, and more. Some of the issues are definitely following a political agenda, instead of just giving general advice. I didn’t like that the author was pushing politics and a leftist world-view. Continue reading →

Activity Book Review: Origami City

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Origami Neighborhood by Taro Yaguchi
Origami City: 75 Models to Fold and Build: A Fold-by-Number Book
by Taro Yaguchi

5 out of 5 stars
This kit has everything you need to create an origami paper city! There are pre-printed papers and a book with instructions for folding 75 different elements in the city, like buildings, vehicles, trees, and even animals.

Gradually the book moves from simple designs to more complex designs that require more folds. Everything is explained with detailed instructions and diagrams that clearly show each fold. The thing that makes this so easy is the numbered lines on each piece of paper. You just have to find the number and fold along the pre-printed line.

I love the colorful designs for libraries, fire trucks, and trees. There is even a fountain and a clock tower! Each design has beautiful details that make it really special.
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Book Review: The Elephant

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The Elephant by Peter Carnavas
The Elephant
by Peter Carnavas

5 out of 5 stars

Olive imagines her father’s sadness like a gray elephant that follows him around and weighs him down. She enlists the help of her best friend and her grandfather to figure out how to chase away the depressing elephant and cheer her father up.

I am so impressed with this thoughtful and sweet middle grade novel. The story is really emotional, and the writing gently leads us through the journey that Olive takes to reach out to her father. All the elements in the story dove-tail together so beautifully: a project that Olive is working on for school, an old broken bike, a colorful pigeon, a paper airplane that floats on the breeze, and a jacaranda tree in Olive’s backyard. Olive and her grandfather have a favorite song they love to sing together. Olive’s best friend, Arthur, reads a huge book all about elephants and shares it with Olive. There are a dozen little details like these that make this book truly special and meaningful. Continue reading →

Activity Book: Paint By Sticker Dogs

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Paint by Sticker by Workman Publishing
Paint by Sticker: Dogs
by Workman Publishing

5 out of 5 stars

This activity book has 12 beautiful designs, and hundreds of stickers in little mosaic shapes! Each design shows a different breed of dog running, playing, fetching a ball, swimming, or cuddling. It’s so easy to put the stickers into place, and the finished product looks wonderful. It’s very relaxing and helped me to get creative. You really feel a sense of accomplishment when you finish!

The stickers are sturdy and easy to remove from the sticker sheet. The colors are vibrant and it’s simple to follow the instructions to find the right placement for each sticker. I really loved that the pages are perforated, so that you can tear out the sticker sheet or the design or both. That way you don’t have to keep flipping back and forth in the book. Continue reading →

Book Review: Princess Pistachio Treasury

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Princess Pistachio Treasury by Marie-Louise Gay
Princess Pistachio Treasury
by Marie-Louise Gay

4 out of 5 stars

This treasury includes “Princess Pistachio”, “Princess Pistachio and the Pest”, and “Princess Pistachio and Maurice the Magnificent”.

In the first book, Pistachio is convinced that she is actually a kidnapped princess. She receives a mysterious crown in the mail, and believes that her real parents, the king and queen, will be coming to take her away to a palace. When she wears her crown to school, the other children make fun of her. Eventually, Pistachio learns to appreciate her family even if they aren’t royalty. She even learns to love her bratty little sister, Penny. Continue reading →

Manga Review: Silver Spoon, Vol. 3

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Gin No Saji, Vol. 3 by Hiromu Arakawa
Gin No Saji, Vol. 3 (Gin No Saji, #3)
by Hiromu Arakawa

4 out of 5 stars


Hachiken attends an agricultural high school even though he has no interest in pursuing an agricultural career. In this 3rd volume, Hachiken is conflicted about his favorite pig, Pork Bowl, being sent to the slaughterhouse. He has to work through his feelings about raising animals for slaughter, and it brings up a lot of debate among his classmates. He works hard to earn the respect of his teachers and classmates, and his thoughtfulness and kindness draws people to him.

This manga is hilarious! The characters are fun and some of them are really silly. After their summer break, they all come back to school with renewed energy and more of a sense of class unity. I really love the character dynamics and their friendships. Continue reading →

Manga Review: Silver Spoon, Vol. 2

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銀の匙 Silver Spoon 2 [Gin no Saji Silver Spoon 2] by Hiromu Arakawa
銀の匙 Silver Spoon 2 [Gin no Saji Silver Spoon 2]
by Hiromu Arakawa, 荒川 弘

4 out of 5 stars


Hachiken attends an agricultural high school even though he has no interest in pursuing an agricultural career. In this second volume, he discovers an old brick oven, and his classmates beg him to make homemade pizza for them. Hachiken has to find all the right ingredients, and even bribe the teachers to get cheese for a huge pizza party. If he can pull it off, he’ll be the most popular guy in school.

This manga is hilarious! The characters are fun and some of them are really silly.

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Picture Book Series Review: Timo’s Garden, Timo’s Party, Timo Goes Camping

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Timo's Garden by Victoria AllenbyTimo's Party by Victoria AllenbyTimo Goes Camping by Victoria Allenby
5 out of 5 stars
These children’s books are completely adorable! I loved every single one, and was very impressed with the lovely writing. The artwork is beautiful, and the stories are really special and sweet.
These books would be perfect for young readers who are just starting to read short chapter books on their own. Each “chapter” is 4-7 pages long.
Keep reading to read my review of each book!

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Book Review: The First Crystal

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The First Crystal by J.M. Bergen
The First Crystal
by J.M. Bergen 

3 out of 5 stars

This short story follows the villains of the Elandrian series, Arius and Arriana, as they search for a mysterious crystal and have to survive the booby traps of an ancient cave to retrieve it.

There wasn’t much to the story other than getting past the booby traps, and showing how heartless and power-hungry Arius and Arriana can be. I would have liked a longer story with more meat on it. For instance, how did they know which was the right cave to search? The story begins just outside the cave, and we never get to see the actual search. Continue reading →