Ben Rothery’s Deadly and Dangerous Animals
by Ben Rothery
This book has sections about teeth and claws, and hunters who work together in teams or who hunt alone. We learn about the fastest animals, the stealthiest animals, the ones with the best eyesight, and ones that can mimic plants to fool predators. Each page is full of factoids about amazing animals!
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The Golden Goblet
by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
3.5 out of 5 stars
Ranofer’s only dream is to become a goldsmith like his father was before his death. But Ranofer’s half-brother, Gebu, beats and starves him, and won’t allow him to be apprenticed to a goldsmith. Ranofer is allowed to work for a goldsmith as a lowly errand boy, but he is not allowed to learn the trade as an apprentice. He begins to suspect that Gebu is involved in some kind of thievery, but he has no proof! He must change his circumstances if he ever wants to become a master goldsmith someday.
The Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame, Abridged by Lou Peacock, Kate Hindley (Illustrations)
I really liked this adaptation of Wind in the Willows. The story is condensed and simplified for a young audience, but still captures the charm of the original and has most of the main plot points. The editor did a great job abridging the story, but still keeping the integrity and grace of the original.
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Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny
by Emily Ann Davison, Deborah Allwright (Illustrator)
Yo-Yo is a bouncy bunny. She can never sit still. Her grandpa tries to teach her some yoga poses to help her learn to be calm and still. But Yo-Yo gets distracted and races after a butterfly. She runs so far that she gets lost. Yo-Yo starts to panic, but then remembers the yoga poses and breathing exercises her grandpa taught her. It helps her to stay calm and find her way home.
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Heidi
by Carole Aufranc (Illustrator),Johanna Spyri
This picture book tells the basic story of Johanna Spyri’s Heidi in just a few pages. I love how the story is condensed to only a few sentences on each page, but the spirit of the story is intact.
Heidi loves living with her Grandfather on the mountain, but her aunt takes her away to live in the city and be the companion to a rich invalid girl, Clara. Heidi loves Clara, but she misses her mountain home.
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Basil in Mexico (Basil of Baker Street, #4)
by Eve Titus, Paul Galdone (Illustrator)
Basil is the Sherlock Holmes of the mouse world. He listens in on the cases of the great Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker Street, to learn at the feet of the master. Then Basil can use that knowledge to solve mysteries among the mice of the world. In this book, Basil and his trusty sidekick Dawson are on their way to Mexico to investigate the theft of a famous painting.
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The Dragon of Doom (Moongobble and Me, #1)
by Bruce Coville, Katherine Coville (Illustrator)
4 out of 5 stars
Edward becomes the assistant to a new magician who just moved into a cottage outside of the village. But Moongobble is not a very good magician. He is still learning magic and hoping to be admitted into the exclusive magician’s guild. He has to complete several quests in order to prove his worth to the other magicians, and Edward is coming along to help!
Continue readingChristmas and Winter-Themed Books from Candlewick Press
Merry Christmas, Anna Hibiscus!
by Atinuke, Lauren Tobia (Illustrator)
Anna Hibiscus has always wished to see snow, and now she is going to Canada to visit her grandmother! But Anna worries that she will miss her family too much. She worries that she will have to eat strange food. She worries that there might be a mangy dog in the house who will bite her. When Anna arrives in Canada, her Granny welcomes her with open arms and a whole new outfit of warm clothing to stay warm in the snow. Anna meets a dog and makes some new friends. She tries to ice skate and goes sledding in the snow. She makes snow angels and learns about her Canadian family.
Continue readingI received the Penguin Clothbound Classics Jane Austen boxed set for free from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. I’m so grateful to Penguin for sending me these beautiful editions!
Not only are the covers absolutely gorgeous, the box itself is beautiful too! I love that each book has a ribbon bookmark attached. Each book has a scholarly introduction, a timeline of Jane Austen’s life, and lengthy notes at the end explaining aspects of Regency history like money, class, marriage, titles, and everyday life.
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Buttons
by Kalli Dakos, Nichola Cowdery (Illustrator)
A young girl contemplates all the different buttons there are in life. Elevator buttons, doorbell buttons, and buttons to fasten our clothes. Buttons on planes and tractors that make engines go, buttons that turn on computers, and buttons that turn on lights. But there is one button that is all her own… her bellybutton!
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Luminous Libro 