Board Book Review: Zoom Farm Adventure

Zoom Farm Adventure by Susan    Hayes

Zoom Farm Adventure
by Susan Hayes

5 out of 5 stars

Bo goes on an adventure at the farm! He feeds the animals, harvests vegetables and fruit, milks the cows, and collects honey from the beehive. The goats escape from their field, and he has to round them up again by feeding them raisins. He loads up his crop onto the big farm truck to take his harvest to the market.

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Picture Book Review: Quizas…

Quizás… by Chris Haughton

Quizás…
by Chris Haughton (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

A tres monitos se les dice que no vayan al árbol de mango porque hay muchos tigres alrededor. Pero dicen que “quizas” estaría bien solo mirar el árbol de mango. Y tal vez estaría bien comer solo un mango. Pero rápidamente aprenden que la situación es más peligrosa de lo que creían, ¡y hay tigres acechándolos por todas partes!

-Keep Reading for the Review in English!-

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Activity Book Review: Pretzels de Yoga

Pretzels de Yoga by Tara Guber

Pretzels de Yoga: 50 Actividades de Yoga Para Chicos Y Adultos
by Tara Guber, Leah Kalish, Sophie Fatus (Illustrations)

5 out of 5 stars

Este conjunto de tarjetas de yoga incluye posturas y meditaciones para niños con instrucciones claras. Hay tarjetas para ejercicios de respiración, posturas de equilibrio, flexiones hacia adelante, flexiones hacia atrás, giros y posturas de pie. ¡Incluso hay tarjetas para posturas de yoga con un compañero, y hay juegos que puedes jugar! Estas tarjetas te ayudarán a ser creativo con tu práctica de yoga y a mantenerte seguro mientras pruebas las diferentes posturas con una buena alineación.

Keep Reading for the Review in English!

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Picture Book Review: The Think-Ups

The Think-Ups by Claire Alexander

The Think-Ups
by  Claire Alexander (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

Kiki and Anna are playing a “Think Up” game. Whatever they imagine can come true! Kiki thinks up a bunch of bunnies. Anna thinks up a moose. But soon the animals are out of control! The “Think Up” game has let their imaginations run wild, and the house is a disaster. How will they ever get things back to normal again?

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Book Review: The Little Bookroom

The Little Bookroom by Eleanor Farjeon

The Little Bookroom
by Eleanor Farjeon, Edward Ardizzone (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

This charming collection of short stories includes elements from fairy tales, from Victorian England, and even from WWII. The settings are just as varied, sometimes in England, sometimes in a fairy land, sometimes in Italy or Ireland. There are magical giants, kings, and dragons, and sometimes just a donkey, a parlormaid, or a plain peach tree. The fantastical and the ordinary are blended so beautifully in each story.

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Non Fiction Review: Life Skills 101

Life Skills 101 by Maria Gorina

Life Skills 101: All You Need, But Won’t Learn in School
by Maria Gorina

4 out of 5 stars

This book covers topics such as emotional resilience, relationships, self-esteem, health, managing your time, and reaching your goals. It gives practical advice for navigating common pitfalls of life and being successful and happy in whatever you choose to do.

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Book Review: The Last Mapmaker

The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

The Last Mapmaker
by Christina Soontornvat (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

Sai pretends to be from a wealthy family in order to get an apprenticeship with a mapmaker. She hides that her father is a criminal, and uses her skills as a forger to help the mapmaker copy maps and documents. When the mapmaker goes on a sea voyage to explore new regions of the world, Sai is eager to leave her past behind and start a new life. There are tales of dragons and dangerous seas in the South, but the riches and rewards could be immense.

I loved this story! It’s so exciting as they travel further and further from Sai’s home, and the people on board the ship begin to divide into groups with very different goals. Both the adventure and the emotional journey have a lot of tension and suspense. There are so many great twists in the plot!

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Board Book Review: Bumblebee Grumblebee

Bumblebee Grumblebee by David Elliot

Bumblebee Grumblebee
by David Elliot

5 out of 5 stars

If a bumblebee breaks his toy, he becomes a “grumblebee”. If a rhinoceros drops his ice-cream cone, he becomes a “crynoceros”. If a hamster eats an entire jar of jam, he becomes a “jamster”. Each of the animals have a twist on their name, until at the end of the book the turtle does something unexpected!

This board book is adorable! It’s especially fun to read aloud and giggle over the silly names.

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Children’s Book Reviews from Candlewick

I'm a Neutrino by Dr. Eve M. Vavagiakis

I’m a Neutrino: Tiny Particles in a Big Universe
by Dr. Eve M. Vavagiakis, Ilze Lemesis (Illustrations)

3 out of 5 stars

This children’s picture book introduces the idea of neutrinos to young readers in a simple way. The text is in rhyme, and the illustrations help the reader to visualize an imagined concept of neutrinos even though they are so small that we can’t see them.

Neutrinos can pass right through us all the time because they don’t have an electrical charge, so they don’t interact with matter in the same way that other particles do. Scientists are still studying neutrinos and learning more about how they work. This book encourages the reader to someday study physics and maybe make their own discoveries!

Since the author is a physicist themselves, the information appears to be reliable and accurate. I appreciated the scientific integrity in the wording of some of the theories presented.

I loved the cute artwork! The bright colors are attractive, and each page illustrates something interesting about neutrinos. At the back of the book, there are more detailed explanations about some of the properties of neutrinos and how physicists are studying them.

I actually learned some new things from this book! This would be such a great gift for any kids who are interested in science.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

The Stardust That Made Us by Colin Stuart

The Stardust That Made Us: A Visual Exploration of Chemistry, Atoms, Elements, and the Universe
by Colin Stuart (Goodreads Author), Ximo Abadía (Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars

This book teaches the reader about the periodic table, how the elements were discovered and categorized, and how each element behaves. We learn about the scientists throughout history who studied and discovered new elements, and how scientists today are still searching for new super-heavy elements.

I especially liked the parts that explain how we use various elements in our everyday lives. There is fluoride in our toothpaste, neon in bright signs, helium in balloons, chlorine in our stomach acid, and iodine in our salt. Bromine is used in flame retardants, boron is in bulletproof vests, and bismuth in makeup and hair spray. We have chromium coating on our cutlery, and our pipes are made of copper. Indium makes our smartphone screens touch-sensitive.

I also liked the explanations of how the different elements got their names. They are named after cities, famous scientists, Greek gods, and planets. There is an entire chapter all about the Nobel prize, and the most famous Nobel winners who also have elements named after them. It was so interesting to learn all the history behind the periodic table!

The artwork is so colorful and attractive. The design of each page is beautifully organized with factoids and bits of information in separate boxes on the page. It makes it easy to read, and it catches your attention.

One thing that I appreciated about this book is that when they are talking about a scientific theory, they make it clear that it is a theory, not proven fact. The writing is careful to be accurate about how they word things, so as not to give the impression that things are facts, when it’s really just a theory. I love scientific books that have integrity like that!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Marshmallow Clouds by Ted Kooser

Marshmallow Clouds: Two Poets at Play among Figures of Speech
by Ted Kooser, Connie Wanek, Richard Jones (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

This book of poetry is divided into sections for Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. The poems range into various topics about thunderstorms, nightmares, animals, trees, stars, technology, and a flyswatter.

My favorite poem was “Harpist”, about a harpist playing her instrument like it is a giant golden butterfly. She strokes the strings like the veins of a butterfly wing.

None of the poems are in rhyme, and there is no meter. There are some lines with clever similes that I really enjoyed, and other similes that just sounded dumb to me or didn’t make sense. But that is poetry. It speaks to people in different ways.

Each poem is beautifully illustrated in soft colors. The artwork is fuzzy and misty and imaginative.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.