children’s book

Book Review: The Cricket in Times Square

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The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

The Cricket in Times Square
by George Selden, Garth Williams (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Chester the Cricket gets lost in New York City and is adopted by a little boy named Mario who works at his father’s newspaper stand in the subway. Chester befriends a mouse and a peaceful cat, who enjoy listening to his beautiful cricket music. The animals are not the only ones who notice Chester’s talent for music. Soon the humans are also enchanted with Chester’s cheerful chirps.

This is such a beautiful classic children’s story. It has a soft charm. I love the old-fashioned style of the writing and the delightful illustrations by Garth Williams.

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Book Review: Bedknob and Broomstick

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Bedknobs and Broomsticks by Mary Norton

Bedknobs and Broomsticks
by Mary Norton

3.5 out of 5 stars

Carey, Charles, and Paul are visiting their aunt for the summer when they meet the neighbor, Miss Price. Miss Price is secretly a witch, and the children see her riding on her broomstick in the night. When she crashes her broomstick, the children help her and in return Miss Price gives them an enchanted bedknob that will magically take them anywhere they wish. The children get into some troublesome adventures and discover that magic is not as simple as it appears.

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Graphic Novel Review: Two-Headed Chicken

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Two-Headed Chicken by Tom Angleberger

Two-Headed Chicken
by Tom Angleberger (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

A brother and sister two-headed chicken duo travel through parallel universes, and in each universe they are chased by a hungry moose villain who wants to eat fried chicken.

This is an extremely silly graphic novel. I’m not sure I enjoy quite this level of silliness. I was rolling my eyes and shaking my head in confusion for most of the book. But I think that children who enjoy wild and weird stories will like this one! It’s too chaotic for me, but it is definitely imaginative.

I didn’t particularly like the art style. It’s jumbled and haphazard, like the story. I prefer both art and story to have more structure and polish. But for people who like weird art, this is cute! It is certainly colorful.

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Book Review: Bumpfizzle the Best on Planet Earth

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Bumpfizzle the Best on Planet Earth by Patricia Forde

Bumpfizzle the Best on Planet Earth
by Patricia Forde (Author), Elīna Brasliņa (Illustrator)

1 out of 5 stars

A little boy named Daniel pretends to be an alien sent to observe Earthlings. He is upset that the new baby is getting more attention than him and he feels unloved, so he lashes out and causes trouble for his family. He eats the cat food and makes himself sick to get attention. He locks his older brother in his room during a game of hide and seek. He ties the family pet into a bag and throws it in the trash bin. Thankfully, the cat escapes and makes it back home, but what a horrible thing to do!

I ended up DNFing this book. I didn’t get the weird sense of humor, and I hated the main character. What a little brat! He’s so mean and destructive. He’s selfish and horrible to his family. All he does is criticize everyone and say mean things about them in his diary. Apparently, he warms up to the baby at the end of the book, but that doesn’t mean I want to suffer through chapter after chapter of his bad behavior to get to one chapter of reconciliation at the end.

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Mermaids Rock Series Review

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The Floating Forest by Linda Chapman

The Floating Forest (Mermaids Rock #2)
by Linda Chapman, Mirelle Ortega (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Coralie and her friends are playing at the magic whirlpool, transporting to different oceans around the world to explore. Coralie travels to a kelp forest and discovers a map that seems to point to a treasure. The friends plan a treasure-hunting expedition, but the nosy Glenda is spying their plans. The mermaids are also worried about encountering dangerous animals like orcas or sharks in the kelp forest, and they try to make a plan to stay safe. But you never know what might happen out in the ocean!

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Familius ABC Primers and Counting Books

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Let's Count Georgia by Christopher Robbins

Let’s Count Georgia
by Christopher Robbins, Volha Kaliaha (Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars

Children will learn to count up to ten with these special things about the State of Georgia! The Masters Golf Tournament, the Braves baseball team, and those famous Georgia peaches all make an appearance, along with gators, oak trees, dogwood trees, and old Civil War cannons. Some of the places mentioned are Tybee Island, Jekyll Island, and historic downtown Savannah.

I loved this book about my home state of Georgia! It’s so fun to teach my little nieces about these famous things and places around Georgia, and they get to practice their numbers too.

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Picture Books from Tiger Tales

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Supermouse and the Volcano of Doom by M. N. Tahl

Supermouse and the Volcano of Doom
by M. N. Tahl, Mark Chambers (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Supermouse patrols through Mouseopolis, stopping bad guys and saving the day! But there are so many crimes and accidents and dangers that Supermouse can’t handle it all. There is just too much daring-do to do! He begins to interview some possible superheroes to join him in the newly-created League of Remarkable Rodents. At first, he is not sure if their particular talents will be useful in the crime-fighting business, but they quickly prove their worth when a massive fondue cheese volcano begins to erupt right outside the city!

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Book Review: Always, Clementine

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Always, Clementine by Carlie Sorosiak

Always, Clementine
by Carlie Sorosiak (Goodreads Author)

3.5 out of 5 stars
Clementine is a lab mouse. A genetic experiment has given her super-intelligence and she does her best to solve every maze and puzzle that the team of scientists give her. Clementine befriends a chimp named Rosie in one of the lab cages. When a scientist with a guilty conscience sets Clementine free, she begins a wild journey to prove her worth and hopefully save Rosie from the lab too. In the meantime, Clementine writes letters to Rosie (which are never written or posted) and tells Rosie all her adventures.

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Book Review: The Philosophy Resistance Squad

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The Philosophy Resistance Squad by Robert Grant

The Philosophy Resistance Squad
by Robert Grant

3 out of 5 stars

Milo begins the school year at his new school, one of the highest ranking schools in the world. He and his two best friends are thrilled to have been accepted into this elite school until they meet the headmaster, Dr. Pummelcrush. The older students act like mindless zombies, going to classes, eating the disgusting food, and never breaking any rules. Milo begins to suspect that they might be brainwashed. He discovers a garden hidden away on the school grounds. In the garden, he meets a teacher who used to teach philosophy (before the school banned the class because it made students think for themselves). Milo and his friends start to learn all they can about philosophy, hoping that an open mindset will help them to resist being brainwashed.

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Book Review: Harley James and the Peril of the Pirate’s Curse

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Harley James and the Peril of the Pirate's Curse by Leah Cupps

Harley James and the Peril of the Pirate’s Curse
by Leah Cupps (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

Harley travels around the world with her archeologist dad, visiting historic sites and learning about ancient legends. While in Jamaica, Harley hears the legend of the Perla Azul (The Blue Pearl). If the pearl ever touches dry land, a hurricane and earthquake could wipe out the entire island. It already happened once before in 1692 when a young pirate boy witnessed the destruction of half the town of Port Royal. Most of the town sank below the waves and still lies buried in the sand. Harley and her friends discover that the pirate boy wrote a diary where he left behind clues to the pearl’s location in the sunken city. Harley has to find the pearl before her archeologist father and his diving team stumble across it and bring it back to land!

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