Picture Book Review: Christmas Fairies for Ouma

Christmas Fairies for Ouma by Lindsey McDivitt

Christmas Fairies for Ouma
by Lindsey McDivitt (Goodreads Author), Katarzyna Bukiert (Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars

A little girl draws fairies on a postcard and mails it to her grandmother in Cape Town, South Africa. But without an address, with no proper name, and with no stamps, how will the postcard ever reach her Ouma? The Christmas fairies that are sketched onto the postcard charm the postal workers and they send it on to the next postal station until it finally arrives in Cape Town. The wind blows the postcard down the street and right into the hands of Ouma!

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Non Fiction Review: I Begin With Spring

I Begin with Spring by Julie Dunlap

I Begin with Spring: The Life and Seasons of Henry David Thoreau
by Julie Dunlap, Megan Elizabeth Baratta (Illustrations)

3 out of 5 stars

When Henry David Thoreau was a boy, he explored the forests and meadows and ponds surrounding his beloved home in Concord, Massachusetts. This book gives us a look into his writings, his life, and the nature that inspired him.

The illustrations are beautiful. Some of them are sketches and maps from Thoreau’s own notebooks. The sketches of birds, plants, and animals are all beautifully and delicately drawn.

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Non Fiction Review: Ringed Seal

Animals Illustrated by William Flaherty

Animals Illustrated: Ringed Seals
by William Flaherty, Sara Otterstatter (Illustrator )

5 out of 5 stars

This book contains interesting information about ringed seals, their habitat, their hunting, and their young pups. There are two to three paragraphs of information in each section, giving tidbits of information like how the seals have a layer of blubber fat that keeps them warm. Seals are intelligent and good at swimming away from predators like polar bears. They have strong claws on their front flippers for digging their way out of the ice. There is even a section about how Inuit tribes will use seal meat for food and make sealskin boots.

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Book Review: Jasper and Scruff The Café Competition

The Cafe Competition by Nicola Colton

The Cafe Competition
by Nicola Colton

5 out of 5 stars

Jasper the Cat and Scruff the Dog have their own restaurant with their special signature dish, a cheese sandwich. When a fancy restaurant opens across the street, the recipe for their signature dish is mysteriously stolen, and the fancy restaurant announces that they will be serving a special cheese sandwich! How can Jasper and Scruff compete with the fanciness? Jasper comes up with a whole new menu, hoping to impress the food critics. But their new menu is a disaster! Jasper and Scruff learn that they can count on their loyal costumers to keep their restaurant afloat.

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Book Review: Duck’s Backyard

Duck's Backyard by Ulrich Hub

Duck’s Backyard
by Ulrich Hub, Jorg Muhle (Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars

Duck lives all alone in her yard. She has a wonky leg and has to use a crutch, so she never ventures out into the world. When a blind Chicken wanders in, she invites Duck to join her on a journey to find the land of wishes. Duck and Chicken embark on a journey fraught with peril and danger and deep ravines and dark forests and high mountains. Duck narrates to Chicken about all the sights and dangers along the way, and Chicken helps Duck to make the weary journey with her wonky leg. They bicker and argue, but in the end they learn that the true wish of their heart is just to have a friend.

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Comic Review: Monkey and Robot

Monkey & Robot by Peter Catalanotto

Monkey & Robot: Flights of Fancy
by Peter Catalanotto

2 out of 5 stars

Monkey has some wild ideas about becoming famous, studying turtles by dressing up like a turtle, and maybe becoming a superhero from a radioactive spider bite. Robot patiently helps Monkey to realize that his flights of fancy are not always smart, but there are other ways to realize his dreams in smaller more manageable ways.

This is a weird little comic. The art work is not very good, and looks like a child drew it. The storylines are extremely simple and kind of boring. I guess it has a sort of innocent charm that a child might enjoy, but it is not very polished or professional-looking.

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More Picture Books from Candlewick Press

Mum, Me and the Mulberry Tree by Tanya Rosie

Mum, Me and the Mulberry Tree
by Tanya Rosie, Chuck Groenink 

5 out of 5 stars

A little girl and her mother take a trip to visit their mulberry tree. The tree is all alone in a big field of grass. First, they pick the mulberries from low branches, then the mother climbs up into the tree to reach higher berries. Their hands and mouths are sticky and stained from eating so many mulberries! They bring buckets of mulberries home as the sun sets. They warm up the oven, and roll out the pastry, and whip up the cream. When the mulberry pie is ready, they each get a big slice. At bedtime, the little girl cuddles into her warm bed, dreaming of their special mulberry tree.

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Picture Books from Candlewick Press

Lupe Lopez by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo

Lupe Lopez: Rock Star Rules!
by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo (Author), Pat Zietlow Miller ( Author), Joe Cepeda (Illustrator)

Lupe Lopez is a rock star! …in her imagination. She drums with her pencils on everything in the classroom, making lots of noise. When the teacher insists that Lupe must follow the rules, Lupe comes up with her own rock star rules and ignores the teacher. She gets into trouble and realizes that maybe even rock stars have to follow the rules.

This is such a cute book! I love how Lupe slowly begins to realize that the rules are important, and she learns that having friends is better than having fans. Lupe has a lot of energy, and she learns to direct that energy into good things within the limits of the rules.

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Book Review: Clarice Bean Think Like An Elf

Clarice Bean by Lauren Child

Clarice Bean: Think Like an Elf
by Lauren Child

4 out of 5 stars

Clarice Bean is worried that her family is losing their Christmas spirit. Her grandmother tells her to think like an elf, and find ways to help the people around her. She finds little things to do to serve others, and discovers that the Christmas spirit is not in the gifts you receive, but in showing others you care.

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Paint by Stickers Kids: Holly Jolly Christmas from Workman

Paint by Sticker Kids by Workman Publishing

Paint by Sticker Kids: Holly Jolly Christmas
by Workman Publishing

5 out of 5 stars

This activity book has 10 beautiful designs, and hundreds of stickers in little mosaic shapes! 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!

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