Picture Book Review: Want a Hug?

Want a Hug? by Christine Babinec MA  LPC  NCC

Want a Hug?: Consent and Boundaries for Kids
by Christine Babinec MA LPC NCC, Vivian Mineker (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

This book talks about consent and boundaries in a simple way that is easy for young children to understand. Sometimes we don’t want to hold hands or hug, and that is okay. Sometimes we are happy to say yes to a hug, and then might change our mind later. That is okay too. Maybe we don’t want to be pushed higher on the swings, or maybe we don’t want to be tickled. It’s good to say “No” politely. We need to respect when other people say “No” as well.

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Our World Board Book Series Review

Our World by Aya Khalil

Our World: Egypt (Board book)
by Aya Khalil ( Author), Magda Azab (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

In this colorful board book, a little girl begins her morning with hugs from her mother and father (Mama and Baba) and has a hearty breakfast of bread and ful (a breakfast dish of beans). She visits her grandparents (Geddo and Teita) and sings and dances with them. She watches the boats, buys fruit at the market, and finally goes to bed after a wonderful day in Egypt.

Our World by Aunyarat Watanabe

Our World: Japan
by Aunyarat Watanabe (Illustrator), Emily Satoko Seo

5 out of 5 stars

In this board book, two siblings wake up for an energetic morning in Japan. They greet the morning by saying “Ohayo!” They exercise under the cherry blossoms, have a delicious breakfast of rice with pickled plum, and visit the market to do some shopping. They bow politely to each person they meet. A visit to the garden shows us beautiful bamboo water fountains. In the evening, it’s time for a relaxing bath and a peaceful night on their traditional Japanese floor mattress.

Our World by Evelyne Holingue

Our World: France
by Evelyne Holingue (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator), Margaux Carpentier (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Children in France take their “dou-dou” stuffed animal toys with them for all types of activities. They eat breakfast together and say “miam miam” (yum). They count all the dogs at the park “un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq.” They listen to street musicians, eat at a fancy restaurant, play coucou (peekaboo), and finally settle down for a peaceful night of sleep.

I love all these beautiful board books that teach children about different cultures around the world! At the back of the books, there are explanations about the words that are in a different language, along with guides to learn how to pronounce them correctly.

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Workman Activity Book Reviews

The Reverse Coloring Book™ by Kendra Norton
Paint by Sticker by Workman Publishing

Paint by Sticker: Plants and Flowers: Create 12 Stunning Images One Sticker at a Time (Paint by Sticker)
by Workman Publishing

5 out of 5 stars

This activity book has 12 beautiful designs, and hundreds of stickers in little mosaic shapes! There are pictures of gorgeous flowers and plants, and descriptions of the flora on the back of each page. I love that the description tells you the Latin name for the plant, and a little something about the history or uses or ecosystem of the plant.

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Book Review: Stress Less

Stress Less by Kate Hanley

Stress Less: Stop Stressing, Start Living
by Kate Hanley (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

This book gives little tidbits of advice about reducing stress, living with kindness and compassion, and finding ways to alleviate tension. Most of the advice is commonplace, but presented in a fresh way that makes you think a little differently about it.

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Book Review: The Rat Queen

The Rat Queen by Pete Hautman

The Rat Queen
by Pete Hautman

2.5 stars
Annie’s father teaches her to write down all the bad things she does and feed the paper into a little hole in the floor of their house. After she drops the paper into the “sin eater” hole, her regrets and guilt go away and she feels better. Annie hears a mysterious skittering and chattering in the cellar, and the neighbors begin to report seeing rats around the neighborhood. Annie learns about her Litvanian heritage and the dark secrets of her family past.

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Book Review: Complete Book of Meditation

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Meditation by Shai Tubali

Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Meditation: A Comprehensive Guide to Effective Techniques for Calming Your Mind and Spirit
by Shai Tubali (Goodreads Author)

1 out of 5 stars

I had to DNF this book because the philosophy of meditation did not at all line up with my personal beliefs. There were several ideas in this book that actually felt dark and scary to me, and that go against Christian teachings about meditation.

There was one practice that encouraged you to leave your personality behind when you meditate. “I am no longer my name or my person.” That seemed very strange and scary to me.
When I meditate, I am MORE myself in Christ, not less. I am MORE of a person how He created me to be, and my name is MORE who I am because I belong to Christ. I understand that author is trying to get you to shift your perspective, but it was not in the right direction.

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Book Review: The Folk of the Faraway Tree

The Folk of the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

The Folk of the Faraway Tree (The Faraway Tree, #3)
by Enid Blyton

4 out of 5 stars

Three siblings and their friend, Connie, visit the wood behind their cottage, and at the center of the forest is the Faraway Tree. It is the largest tree in the world; so large that the top reaches the clouds, and at the very top the Faraway Tree connects to a magical land.

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Picture Book Review: Upside Down

Upside Down by Katarína Macurová

Upside Down
by Katarína Macurová

5 out of 5 stars

A gardener sees a little green plant growing in his rose garden. No matter how he waters it or tends to it, the plant does not bloom. Little does he know that underground a massive carrot is growing down into a rabbit hole. The rabbits have a grand feast, eating most of the carrot. What will the gardener say when he finds out the truth?

This is such a cute book! I actually laughed out loud when I read the ending. It’s so clever and fun!

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Non Fiction Book Review: Professor Wooford McPaw’s History of Astronomy

Professor Wooford McPaw's History of Astronomy by Elliot Krusynski

Professor Wooford McPaw’s History of Astronomy
by Elliot Krusynski

4 out of 5 stars

Professor McPaw teaches all about astronomy in this comic-style book. We learn the history of how man began discovering more and more about the planets and stars. Following the Ancient Greeks, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, and Albert Einstein, we learn how mankind has always asked questions about what lies beyond our horizon.

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Picture Book Review: Little Hearts

Little Hearts by Charles Ghigna

Little Hearts: Finding Hearts in Nature
by Charles Ghigna (Goodreads Author), Jacqueline East (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

The animals wander through the country, looking for things in nature that look like a heart. Flower petals look like little hearts. Strawberries, the inside of an apple, a spider web, or a bird’s wings can look like a heart. Some clouds look like a heart shape. Each one is a treasure that the friends discover together.

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