children’s book

Book Review: Basil in the Wild West

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Basil in the Wild West by Eve Titus

Basil in the Wild West (Basil of Baker Street, #5)
by Eve Titus

5 out of 5 stars

Basil and his faithful friend, Dawson, are travelling from Mexico into the American West. They hear about a gang of smugglers who are stealing ancient artifacts from Mexico, smuggling them across the border disguised as ordinary souvenirs, and then selling them on the black market. A desperate hotel owner begs Basil to visit the Grand Canyon where their hotel is being terrorized by a mysterious “Thing”. Basil and Dawson travel through various areas of the Wild West, helping other creatures and solving mysteries along the way.

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Book Review: The Wind in the Willows

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The Wind in the Willows by Lou Peacock

The Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame, Abridged by Lou Peacock, Kate Hindley (Illustrations)

5 out of 5 stars

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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Picture Books from Nosy Crow

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My First Lift-The-Flap Nursery Rhymes by Ingela P. Arrhenius

My First Lift-The-Flap Nursery Rhymes
by Ingela P. Arrhenius (illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

These familiar nursery rhymes are made special by the inclusion of lift-the-flap designs that reveal a cute character or animal behind them. The reader can find Little Bo Peep’s sheep hiding behind a bush. The piggy that stayed at home is reading a book by a cozy fire. An energetic cow jumps over the moon. A spider is revealed inside Miss Muffet’s bowl of curds and whey. An elephant and fox row row row their boat. Humpty Dumpty takes a terrible fall behind the wall on the largest flap.

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Non Fiction Review: Transported

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Transported by Matt Ralphs

Transported: 50 Vehicles That Changed the World
by Matt Ralphs, Rui Ricardo (Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars

This book gives information about 50 amazing vehicles, including boats, cars, planes, motorcycles, chariots, wagons, rockets, and bicycles. It’s really amazing to see how history has changed over the centuries and especially in the last one hundred years just because of mankind’s ability to travel.

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Non Fiction Book: A History of the World in 25 Cities

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A History of the World in 25 Cities by Tracey Turner

A History of the World in 25 Cities (British Museum)
by Tracey Turner, Andrew Donkin, Libby VanderPloeg (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

This book goes through history, giving information about different cities around the world at their height. We start with Jericho and end with Tokyo. There are ancient cities that now lie in ruins, old cities that kept getting renewed and rebuilt through the centuries, and modern cities that are comparatively young.

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Picture Book Review: Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny

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Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny by Emily Ann Davison

Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny
by Emily Ann Davison, Deborah Allwright (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

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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Picture Book Review: Heidi

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Heidi by Carole Aufranc

Heidi
by Carole Aufranc (Illustrator),Johanna Spyri

4 out of 5 stars

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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Book Review: The Music of the Dolphins

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The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse

The Music of Dolphins
by Karen Hesse

4 out of 5 stars

Mila is a wild girl, growing up on a deserted island with a family of dolphins. When she is rescued, she is placed with a doctor who studies the way that humans learn language. The doctor hopes to learn the girl’s dolphin language, and uses music to capture the sounds dolphins make. Mila begins to connect with her caregivers and their families; even the janitor cannot help connecting with this unique girl. At first, Mila is interested to learn English and learn how humans interact and live. But soon, she begins to miss her dolphin family and the simplicity of her life on the island. Her spirit starts to despair and turn inward, searching for the music she used to know.

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Book Review: Griffin’s Castle

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Griffin's Castle by Jenny Nimmo

Griffin’s Castle
by Jenny Nimmo

3 out of 5 stars

Dinah and her mother move into a dilapidated old house, where Dinah discovers a small griffin statue. She names the house the Griffin’s Castle, and hopes that they will be able to stay forever. But her mother is not exactly reliable, and the landlord can’t stand children. Dinah notices animal statues in the city, wishing that they could protect her new home. The misty spirit of a lioness statue follows Dinah home, and Dinah can see and feel the lioness even though no one else can. Soon, more of the animals statues begin to follow Dinah home, and they become so real that others can feel their presence. Dinah’s friends at school are worried about her. Are the animals really protecting the house, or are they imprisoning Dinah within the crumbling walls?

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Book Review: Basil in Mexico

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Basil in Mexico by Eve Titus

Basil in Mexico (Basil of Baker Street, #4)
by Eve Titus, Paul Galdone (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

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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