children’s book

Book Review: My First Animal Activity Book

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My First Animal Activity Book by Krissy Bonning-Gould
My First Animal Activity Book: For Kids 3-5
by Krissy Bonning-Gould 

5 out of 5 stars

This book has coloring pages, mazes, spot-the-difference puzzles, and dot-to-dot activities all with an animal theme. The activities are perfect for ages 3-5 with simple designs and bright colors. Not every page is colored, some are black and white, but all the designs are so cute! The animals are adorable.

The activities include things like drawing a line from an animal to its type of food, helping a penguin through a maze of icebergs, or finding 3 differences in two pictures. The first pages are very simple, and they gradually get slightly more complex towards the back of the book.

Every page looks so fun, and is sure to catch the attention of young children!

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Book/ Game Review: Build a Castle

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Archicards by Paul Farrell
Archicards: Build a Castle
by Paul Farrell

5 out of 5 stars

This game has 64 cards that are designed with the towers, turrets, windows, portcullis, flags, and shields of a medieval castle. Each card has cut-out slots so that you can connect them with each other to build a 3D puzzle of a castle in any shape you want! The cards are sturdy cardboard, and printed with bright colors and a simple design.

I can’t stop playing this game! Every day for the last several days, I sit down and construct something new. I’ve done three individual towers, two towers with a bridge in between, one long building, and one L-shaped building with one big tower. I keep changing it up, and I feel so creative! It’s completely fascinating because it fires up my imagination and there are so many options for how to put the castle together. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Princess Games

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The Princess Games by Danai Kadzere
The Princess Games
by Danai Kadzere (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

Emma and Laralyn are two peasant girls, one beautiful and one plain. When the King and Queen decide to adopt a Princess, the girls become contestants in the Princess Games to win a place in the royal family. Emma is sturdy, clever, and hard-working. She only cares about the food. Laralyn is dainty, demure, and determined to win. She only cares about pleasing her money-loving mother. How can they compete with the dozens of other girls who all want to be the new Princess?
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Picture Book Review: That’s Life

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That's Life! by Ame Dyckman
That’s Life!
by Ame Dyckman ( Author),Cori Doerrfeld (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

When Life knocks on the door, one child learns that Life is weird and wacky and not always what you expect. But if you can embrace Life and weather the storms, Life can be a beautiful journey.

This book is so cute! “Life” is portrayed as a little gray monster dude who cavorts around, pulling pranks, and having adventures.
The text of this book is full of wisdom and encouragement, but the illustrations are what make it so fun and silly!
The text says “Life is short.” and the illustration shows Life trying to reach up a tall table to get a cake. The little Life monster guy is ACTUALLY too short to reach the table. haha! The book is full of silly puns and jokes like that. I love how clever the story is! Continue reading →

Book Review: Celtic Mythology for Kids

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Celtic Mythology for Kids by Christopher Pinard
Celtic Mythology for Kids: Tales of Selkies, Giants, and the Sea
by Christopher Pinard

5 out of 5 stars

I love these fairy tales from Celtic myths! They are retold in a simple manner for children, and each tale is between 3-7 pages long. The tales use a few Irish and Scottish words, but they are explained and there is even a glossary of Celtic words in the back of the book. I love how the rich Celtic culture is celebrated in this book!

The stories themselves are wonderfully interesting and full of magic and history! At the end of each story, there are some questions to prompt discussion and get the reader thinking about the choices made by the characters in the story. Continue reading →

Activity Book Review: Ocean and Zoo Animals

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Ocean Animals by Bethanie HestermannZoo Animals by Bethanie Hestermann

Zoo Animals: A Search and Find Book for Kids
Ocean Animals: A Search and Find Book for Kids
by Bethanie Hestermann , Josh Hestermann(Authors), Sara Lynn Cramb (Illustrator)
4 out of 5 stars

These search and find books have tons of wonderful facts and information about the ocean and zoo! The illustrations are colorful and vibrant with all those tiny details to look for in the scenery. The ocean scenes cover a multitude of areas, including tide pools, coral reefs, arctic oceans, shipwrecks, the deep sea, and swamp lands.  The zoo scenes include African plains, jungles, Asian mountains, the Amazon, Arctic tundra, and deserts around the world.

Each page is loaded with factoids and interesting information about ocean and zoo creatures, and a sample picture of what to look for in the scene. There are ocean facts about mammals, fish, coral, plants, crustaceans, sea birds, and even geological formations found in the ocean like thermal vents.  The zoo animals include reptiles, bugs, endangered animals, nocturnal animals, and mammals and birds of all kinds.

The only thing I didn’t like is how the colors tend to blend in with each other, making it more difficult to see what you are searching for, and a lot of the items are half hidden behind other things, making it difficult to find them. I wouldn’t recommend this for little kids, but ages 7-10 would enjoy the challenge.

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.

Activity Game Review: Build a Story Cards: Space Quest

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Build a Story by Barefoot Books
Build a Story: Space Quest
by Barefoot Books

5 out of 5 stars


These are cards with pictures on them with characters, settings, and objects in outer space. You can create your own imaginative story using the cards to guide your story. There are aliens, spaceships, astronauts, and even a hamster. You can use the cards to solve problems. If the astronauts are hungry, there is a card with food on it. If the cockpit is on fire, there is a fire extinguisher card. If an astronaut gets injured, there is a medical kit. But what can we do when the hamster escapes into outer space?

I love that there are many ways to use these cards. You can keep it extremely simple or make it complex. You can look for opposites, solve problems, make the characters interact, or just imagine a silly story. There is even a search-and-find activity to look for a green bug on some of the cards. Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: The Bedtime Book

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The Bedtime Book by S. Marendaz
The Bedtime Book
by S. Marendaz

5 out of 5 stars


Mouse has lost her favorite bedtime book, and Frank the Dog is determined to help her find it. They ask Bella the Cat and they ask Owl to help them, but poor Mouse is very upset to have lost such a beloved book. How will Mouse ever get to sleep without her bedtime book?

This book is so adorable! The story is charming and sweet, and I loved the way the text draws the reader into the emotions of the story and the suspense of the mystery. The story has some excellent repetition in it, which is perfect for young readers. The pacing flows smoothly, and I loved the twist at the end. Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: I’m Sorry

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I'm Sorry! by Barry Timms
I’m Sorry!
by Barry Timms, Sean Julian (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Swoop and Scribble are an owl and a squirrel who are best friends. They decide to move into a house together, but begin to squabble over who can use the beautiful porch. Swoop wants the porch to be her workshop, and Scribble wants the porch to put on elaborate stage plays. Things escalate into a fierce argument, and there’s only one word that can repair their relationship. But even the word “Sorry” doesn’t work unless you really mean it.

I loved this adorable picture book! Swoop and Scribble are so cute! I love the way the story goes back and forth between the workshop and the stage, until finally the friends learn to compromise. I love how the writing is so insightful to remind the reader that saying you’re sorry doesn’t always work. You have to really BE sorry, and then do something to repair the emotional damage. Such a positive message told in a charming story! Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: Its Impossible

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It's Impossible! by Tracey Corderoy
It’s Impossible!
by Tracey Corderoy, Tony Neal (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Dog dreams of visiting the ocean, but it’s so far away that he never goes. One day Crab magically appears in his laundry basket, and Dog is forced to finally follow his dreams to the ocean as he helps Crab to get home. Dog thinks the trip is impossible, but with Crab’s encouragement he finds a new confidence that they can do anything together.

I liked this cute picture book! It has a positive message about confidence and trying your best, and the characters are really funny. The plot takes many twists and turns as Dog and Crab go on their journey to the ocean. Continue reading →