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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How Do Scientists Ask Questions?: A Book About the Scientific Method
by Madeline J Hayes, Srimalie Bassani (Illustrations)
This children’s book introduces the scientific method, teaching children how to conduct their own experiments, collect data, and draw conclusions or theories. There are experiments and crafts to try at the back of the book to prove Newton’s laws about gravity, create your own DNA model from candy, or make a fossil from salt dough.
One section has inspiration from great scientists in history, like Isaac Newton, Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison. It also includes a little section about Charles Darwin, saying that he was the “originator of the theory of natural selection.” I was glad that this book makes it clear that natural selection and evolution are theories and are not proven fact.
This is such a fun book! I love the cute illustrations and the hilarious characters. The information is clearly explained step by step in a playful way that makes it memorable.
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.
How Do You Share With Your Friends?: A Math Book About Fractions, Decimals, & Percents
by Lucy D Hayes, Srimalie Bassani (Illustrator)
We use fractions and percents in our everyday lives without even realizing it. We use fractions to tell time, saying “half an hour”. We use decimals to calculate money when we buy or sell something. We can even use these math skills to divide up the work between friends, cut up slices of cake to share, or run a lemonade stand and split the profits.
I really liked how this book makes math simple and fun. There are so many everyday scenarios where we need to use fractions or decimals, and we can even use them interchangeably for the same amounts. Some of the examples are hilarious as the characters have to do their chores, or clean up the kitchen, or eat a pizza. If they only do half the chores, or eat 1/4 of the pizza, they are using their math skills!
This is such a fun book! I love the cute illustrations and funny characters. The information is clearly explained step by step in a playful way that makes it memorable.
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
Insectopia: The Wonderful World of Insects (Large Encyclopedias)
by Jiri Kolibac, Pavel Dvorský (Illustrator)
There are millions of species of insects in this world, and in this book we get to learn about some of the interesting habits, environments, and communities of various insects. There are sections about beetles, butterflies, ants, and flies. The book begins with an introduction to the body structure of insects and how different insects are scientifically categorized. We learn about how insects are born from eggs, how some of them metamorphosis and mature, and even how they communicate with each other or hide from predators.
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Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (Five Little Peppers, #1)
by Margaret Sidney
The Pepper family are quite poor, living in a small house in the country. They have five children who all get the measles, and poor little Polly is in serious danger. A kind doctor helps the family and nurses them back to health.
One day little four-year-old Fronzie Pepper is nearly kidnapped and is rescued by Jasper, a boy from a wealthy family on vacation in the country. The two families start up an unlikely friendship, leading to opportunities and adventures for the Pepper family.
The Little Mermaid
by Hans Christian Andersen (Original Author),Ashly Lovett (Author / Illustrator)
5 out of 5 stars
The Little Mermaid awaits the day when she will be old enough to swim to the surface and observe the world above the sea. Her older siblings are each allowed to see the surface when they reach their 18th birthday, and finally it is her turn. She rescues a prince from drowning, but he never knows that she was the one who saved his life. She makes a deal with the sea witch to exchange her voice for a potion that will give her human legs, but each time she takes a step she feels as though she is stepping on broken glass.
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Cat’s Seasons (Child’s Play Library)
by Airlie Anderson
Cat and her kittens go through the seasons, absorbing the colors of each change in the weather. In the summer, they turn yellow as the warm sun. In the fall they jump in a pile of leaves, and the kittens turn every color of orange, red, and brown. In the winter, the kittens are blue with the cold. In the spring, they have green fur with pink flowery blossoms on their backs. A storm turns them grey as the clouds, until a rainbow appears and they are every color!
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The Fearless Little Farm Boy
by Astrid Lindgren, Marit Tornqvist (Illustrator), Polly Lawson (Translator)
Goran the bull has decided to be angry and snort and charge at the farmer. He will not calm down. He roars and stalks around in the barnyard. The farmer cannot get into the barn to milk the cows. The situation goes on for hours, until the entire village has come to see the wild bull. While they are discussing how best to deal with Goran, a little boy sweetly calls to the bull. Goran stops to listen to the boy’s whispering voice. He meekly walks over and allows himself to be petted. The tiny boy holds onto the big bull’s nose ring, and gently leads him into the stall in the barn. The village are all astonished, and the boy gets a reward for his courage.
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Luminous Libro 