books.

Picture Book Review: Stolen Words

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Stolen Words
Stolen Words by Melanie Florence

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Such a beautiful book! This emotional little story shows a grandfather explaining to his granddaughter that he cannot teach her to speak his native language, Cree, because he has forgotten it. As a boy, he was placed in an Indigenous boarding school, separated from his culture, torn from his family, and punished if he spoke Cree.

In just a few poignant words, this book had me crying. It deals with a very dark issue in such a sweet and loving way, and shows that while cruelty may impact our heritage, there is also healing to be found. The story is told in a simple way that is appropriate for young children, but also has an emotional impact for good. Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: Don’t Dangle Your Participle

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Don't Dangle Your Participle
Don’t Dangle Your Participle by Vanita Oelschlager

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A hilarious and silly way to teach children about participles and what makes them dangle! Any English teacher would be incredibly happy to use this book in their classroom.

The bright illustrations are hilarious, and the various weird situations that the incorrect sentences describe are brought to life in every picture. If you leave a participle dangling in the wrong place, it could be the children at the zoo who are growling over their snacks, instead of lions growling as they should be!

One of the best things about this book is that it demonstrates how important it is to communicate clearly with language, and what silly results you will get if you aren’t careful with your words. Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: Argyle Fox

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Argyle Fox
Argyle Fox by Marie Letourneau

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So much adorableness!!!!! I want to read it again and again, and I’m 35 years old. I don’t care! So cute!
Little Argyle wants to play outside, but the strong wind keeps messing up his games, knocking down his fort, and blowing away his hat. He decides that he hates playing in the wind, and sulks indoors until his mother tells him to think carefully of something that would be good to play in the wind. Argyle thinks carefully and creatively to come up with the perfect solution!

Cute little Argyle!! So sweet!! He’s full of imagination and really pours himself into his games. Reminds me of me when I was little; I was a very imaginative child who played lots of elaborate games of “pretend” with my siblings. Argyle plays pirates, dresses up like a spider, builds a castle fort, becomes a famous soccer star, and fights a dragon! I love this kid! Continue reading →

Book Review: The Professor

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The Professor
The Professor by Charlotte Brontë

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There were so many things about this book that made me angry enough to spit nails! I can barely believe that my beloved Charlotte Bronte would write such stupid things.

The main character, William, analyzes the personality of everyone he comes into contact with, and he rips these people to shreds! Criticizing and never seeing anything good in anyone around him. Even if they have one good quality, he has to mention again and again how ugly they are or physically weak. What a nice guy!

He’s also really manipulative! He holds back a student’s paper, just to see their disappointed reaction when their paper isn’t graded, and they think they have failed his class. What a jerk! Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: You Can’t Win Them All, Rainbow Fish

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You Can't Win Them All, Rainbow Fish
You Can’t Win Them All, Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rainbow Fish is confident in his abilities to win every game of Hide-and-Seek, but when he loses to a fish younger than himself, Rainbow Fish is upset and storms away, refusing to play with his friends anymore. It takes the gentle wisdom of Red Fish to convince Rainbow Fish to apologize for his poor sportsmanship and resume playing the game.

I loved the colorful illustrations, and the sparkly images of an underwater game of Hide-and-Seek! Rainbow Fish is a sweet character and all his little fishy friends are adorable. This book strongly reminded me of the simple excitement of a childhood game, and I could see my whole childhood wrapped up in this little story. Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: Milo and Georgie

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Milo and Georgie
Milo and Georgie by Bree Galbraith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Milo and Georgie have to move to a new town, and Milo is so upset that he won’t go outside to explore their new neighborhood. But Georgie loves their new house, and wants to explore. Milo ties a string of yarn around her and lets her loose on the neighborhood, but when he tugs on the yarn twice, Georgie is supposed to come home. One day, Milo tugs on the yarn, but Georgie doesn’t respond! Milo has to go looking for his sister, and discovers a whole neighborhood full of new friends! Continue reading →

Book Review: The Finches’ Fabulous Furnace

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The Finches' Fabulous Furnace
The Finches’ Fabulous Furnace by Roger Wolcott Drury

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One cold winter, when the Finch family moves into their new house, Mr. Finch and his son find a tiny volcano in the cellar, pumping heat and steam into the house instead of a furnace. They decide to keep it a secret, so as not to alarm the ladies of the family, but when the summer heat makes the volcano unbearable, Mrs. Finch and her daughter are determined to know why their house is always so hot! The townsfolk begin to suspect that Mr. Finch is hiding something huge in his cellar, and they pester him for answers. Mr. Finch has to decide whether or not the volcano is a threat to the town, but his children have something to say about that too!

I loved all the clever little details about a family living in a house with volcanic activity! The snow melts off their roof, and their plants bloom in the winter. There are strange updrafts and strong winds surrounding their house as the steam rises from their cellar. All those details were so fun to read about! Continue reading →

Book Review: Death at Glamis Castle

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Death at Glamis Castle
Death at Glamis Castle by Robin Paige

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kate and her husband, Charles, are called up to the mysterious Glamis Castle to covertly search for the missing Prince Eddy, who has been in hiding after his staged death 10 years before. The murder of a local servant-woman, in addition to the disappearance of Prince Eddy, has Kate and Charles scrambling to find out the truth amongst local gossip, rumors, and lying townsfolk.

I enjoyed this mystery, mostly because of the human interest, the little romance woven into it, and the continuing backstory of Charles’ bachelor days before he met Kate. Every character we meet has their own little part to play in the mystery, and their own hopes and motivations that propel them into the adventure or keep them out of it. Continue reading →