Non Fiction Book Review: Brain Quest Pre-K

Brain Quest Workbook by Liane Onish

Brain Quest Workbook: Pre-K
by Liane Onish
5 out of 5 stars

This book has colorful activity pages for young children to review their knowledge of the alphabet, colors, shapes, numbers, and basic words. Once the book is complete, you get an award certificate. There is a cute alphabet poster included that you can put up on the wall to review throughout the school year. And there is a whole sheet of alphabet stickers too!

The sections are mostly the alphabet and numbers, colors and shapes. But some sections also have more reading comprehension, phonics, numbers, and science. There are answers in the back of the book to check your work. There is also a set of flashcards that you can cut out of the book for testing your knowledge.

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Familius Affiliate Program

I have read and reviewed a lot of books from Familius this past year, and I have fallen in love with their books! When they asked me to be part of their Affiliate Program, I said, “Absolutely Yes!”

This post is NOT sponsored, but does contain an affiliate link.

Familius Affiliate Link <— Click here to buy some Familius books!

If you make a purchase using this link, I may receive a small affiliate commission before taxes and at no additional cost to you. I only recommend books and products that I actually enjoy myself, and all the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts. Thank you for your support!

The reason I am so excited about becoming a Familius Affiliate is because I really believe in their company. Familius is all about promoting family togetherness through reading. All their books are focused on helping families play together, eat together, work together, laugh together, and heal together.

Each of their books are high-quality and well-written. They publish books in various genres including children’s picture books, teen and middle grade books, memoirs, cookbooks, parenting and marriage, and gift books. Here are some of my favorites:

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Picture Book Review: The Seedling That Didn’t Want To Grow

The Seedling That Didn't Want to Grow by Britta Teckentrup
The Seedling That Didn’t Want to Grow
by Britta Teckentrup (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

Ant and Ladybird find a seedling that won’t grow, and they encourage it to sprout and grow into the sun. Gradually leaves begin to appear, and the little plant grows out and up looking for more sunshine away from the shade of other taller plants. The little plant begins to blossom and flourish with the help of her little animal and insect friends.

I loved the sweet story of encouragement and growth in this book! It’s such a simple story, but with a powerful message. I also love that the growth doesn’t happen all at once. The little seedling has to gradually journey up to the sun, in small steps day by day. The animal friends stay by the side of the little plant, guiding the growth, clearing the ground, and offering help and support. Continue reading

Board Book Review: Little Fingers Ballet

Little Fingers Ballet by Ashley Marie Mireles
Little Fingers Ballet
by Ashley Marie Mireles, Olga Skomorokhova 

5 out of 5 stars

This board book features finger holes where the reader can make leg movements for the ballerinas in the illustrations. There are even little “finger tights” that you can wear like little ballet slippers to match the costumes of the dancers!

I can’t stop playing with this book! It’s so adorable!
The ballet scenes are taken from famous ballets and includes characters like Romeo and Juliet, the Snow Queen, Coppelia, and Cinderella. The text also includes ballet terminology like “plies, grande battements, grand jete, pirouettes, chasse steps”, and more that I didn’t understand but would be fun to learn about! Continue reading

Activity Book Review: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt: Christmas

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Candlewick Entertainment
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt: Christmas Activity Book
by Candlewick Entertainment

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

This sticker activity book features Christmas crafts, sticker pages, cookie recipes, games, and activities for children.
There are charts for counting down the days to Christmas and even a weather chart to keep track of the weather each day. Some of the crafts include masks, bird feeders, table setting cards, snowflake paper chains, and a Christmas wreath.
The games include a Christmas treasure hunt for indoors; exploring for leaves, pine cones, and bird feathers in the outdoors; as well as on-paper activities like a word search or puzzle.

My favorite part of this book are the coloring stickers that are left blank so you can color them in yourself before using them on the sticker activities. There is even a page that prompts you to write your own holiday song!

These look like such fun activities to do with children at Christmas time!
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Picture Book Review: One Wild Christmas

One Wild Christmas by Nicholas Oldland
One Wild Christmas
by Nicholas Oldland

5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


A bear, a moose, and a beaver all come together to celebrate Christmas. The moose loves to bake and cooks a fabulous holiday meal for the friends. The beaver is especially good at decorating and puts up twinkle lights. The bear does the heavy lifting, piling up massive armfuls of presents and gifts for everyone.
They search for the perfect Christmas tree to cut down and bring home, but the bear loves all living trees and will not allow his friends to cut down any trees! Will Christmas be ruined without a Christmas tree to decorate?

I loved this book! The characters are so cute. The storyline is interesting and imaginative, and the writing is charming and simple for young readers. The story made me smile! Continue reading

Picture Book Review: The Green Giant

The Green Giant by Katie Cottle
The Green Giant 
by Katie Cottle

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


When she goes to visit her grandfather in the country, Bea discovers a green giant made of plants in the greenhouse next door. They have a lovely summer together, playing, swinging from trees, flying kites, and jumping rope with vines. But soon, Bea has to return to the city, and the green giant gives her a magical gift.

I thought this story was charming! The giant tells Bea all about when he was a young sapling in the city, and how he had to move out to the country because of all the pollution that made it hard for him to breathe.
Bea herself is an adorable character. Curious and sweet, she enjoys simple summer activities and is friendly to everyone (and every plant).

I like the crayon look of the art style, but the artwork isn’t very polished or symmetrical. Sometimes Bea’s eyes are different sizes, and the green giant’s design is severely lacking. He just has a plain smiley face for a face! Just two dots for eyes and a line for a mouth. I would have expected something a little more imaginative from an artist. And his body doesn’t seem like it has any structure. He’s a boneless blob of green and yellow leaves. He looks weird, instead of endearing.
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