children’s book

Board Book Review: Snap, A Happy Book of Colors!

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Snap by Patricia Hegarty
Snap (My Little World)
by Patricia Hegarty, Fhiona Galloway  (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

A mischievous crab snaps at the other sea creatures and surprises them. Crab meets a pink jellyfish, a seahorse, a blue fish, a starfish, and a sea turtle. They are all startled by the snapping sound. But when a big shark comes in sight, little crab decides to hide.

I love the die-cut openings in this board book! As you turn each page, the crab’s pincers get smaller and smaller as the cut openings get smaller.

The artwork is very cute and colorful! Just right for little readers who are attracted to bright contrasting colors. The art style is cartoony and simple, with fun ocean floor backgrounds. Continue reading →

Board Book Review: Harris Finds His Feet

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Harris Finds His Feet by Catherine Rayner
Harris Finds His Feet
by Catherine Rayner

4 out of 5 stars


Harris is a young hare who is self-conscious about his very large feet. His grandfather helps him understand how useful large feet are for a hare. He learns to jump high, run fast, and even to dig holes in the ground.

I loved the sweet illustrations in this board book! The art is lovely in a watercolor and ink style, and done with earthy colors. Harris and his grandfather are so cute! You can really feel the energy in the illustrations when the hares run and jump.

This story has such a great message of acceptance and love!

Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: Mindful Games for Kids

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Mindful Games For Kids by Kristina Sargent
Mindful Games For Kids: 50 Fun Activities to Stay Present, Improve Concentration, and Understand Emotions
by Kristina Sargent

5 out of 5 stars


This book has easy and fun games and meditations for children that helps them to navigate tough emotions, calm their impatience, and learn to listen. The activities are grouped in categories for focusing on the breath, the senses, the body, and on gentle thoughts and calm emotions.

Each game has a cute illustration that demonstrates the imaginary things we are thinking of during the meditation. One meditation says to imagine that you are a mountain, standing tall as you raise your arms above your head, while you feel connected to the ground. And there is an illustration of children standing tall and strong like mountains. Continue reading →

Puzzle Book Review: Ocean Life!

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Ocean Life! by Jill Richardson
Ocean Life!: A Coloring and Activity Book for Kids
by Jill Richardson

4 out of 5 stars

This book has word searches, coloring pages, mazes, spot-the-difference puzzles, and dot-to-dot activities all with an ocean theme. Dozens of different ocean creatures are featured with some interesting facts about each kind of wildlife, including many endangered species.

Did you know that a stingray doesn’t have bones? Or that squid swim backwards? And the sunfish is the heaviest fish in the ocean? There are so many cool facts in this book! Continue reading →

Puzzle Book Review: Brain Candy

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Brain Candy! by Rockridge Press
Brain Candy!: A Challenging and Fun Maze Book for Kids
by Rockridge Press 

5 out of 5 stars

I had no idea this book would be so colorful and have so many different designs for the mazes! I am truly impressed with the variety of themes and artwork for each maze. Every page is so vibrant with all the colorful little details around the maze!

There is a maze designed like a huge man’s curly mustache! haha! There are mazes designed like robots, an airplane landing on the tarmac, a chicken crossing the road, geese flying through wind and clouds, a dog digging for a bone, a lost porpoise looking for its pod, a submarine diving for sunken treasure, and a maze that leads through the Empire State Building to the very top! Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: 1,2,3, Animals!

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1,2,3, Animals! A First Counting Book for Toddlers by Bethany Lake
1,2,3, Animals! A First Counting Book for Toddlers
by Bethany Lake

4 out of 5 stars


The circus animals are getting ready to perform in the big top! The lion is the ringmaster. The dogs are clowns. Elephants play the drums while the toucans play trumpets. Kangaroos sell snacks and treats. The bears dance ballet. Eight tigers balance on unicycles.

This book has such cute illustrations! The animals are colorful and fun! I liked the crazy costumes and the energy on every page. The text has nice pacing and some good rhymes that fit the story.

I really like that the book counts from 1 to 10 as the animals prepare for the show, and then while they are performing in the show we count backwards from 10 back to 1. This is a wonderful technique of teaching children to count both ways! Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: Letters from Maisy

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Letters from Maisy by Lucy Cousins
Letters from Maisy
by Lucy Cousins

5 out of 5 stars


Maisy is going on a vacation, and she sends letters to all her friends describing the places she has seen and sending little gifts to her neighbors back home. Every other page has an envelope pocket with a letter and a small paper gift.

Maisy shops at an outdoor market and sends a beautiful paper fan to her friend, Ella. The book includes a real paper fan for the reader!
Maisy goes on a river safari, and sends Eddie a search-and-find game with animals from the jungle. The reader can play the game too!
Maisy rides a carousel, and sends a paper horse to her friends Tallulah. A sturdy paper horse is included with the letter in the book pocket for the reader to play with too.
The book even includes a REAL postcard for the reader to mail to a friend. Continue reading →

Board Book Reviews: Maisy’s Animals, and Maisy Explores

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Maisy's Animals by Lucy Cousins    Maisy Explores by Lucy Cousins
Maisy’s Animals: A First Words Book
Maisy Explores: A First Words Book

   by Lucy Cousins

5 out of 5 stars


In Maisy Explores, Maisy explores a variety of different ideas, like the weather, types of plants, insects that change from caterpillar to butterfly, body parts, textures from rough to smooth, sounds, colors, and everyday items. The only text is labels for each type of item, but the drawings show Maisy playing the drums, planting a seed, flying a kite, and painting a picture.


In Maisy’s Animals, Maisy travels all over the world and interacts with animals in different places. The only text is labels for each type of animal, but the drawings show Maisy riding a camel in the desert, dog-sledding with a husky in the Arctic, swimming with fish in the ocean, and feeding chickens on the farm, and putting out cat-food for her kitty at home. Continue reading →

Book Series Review: Warren the 13th Trilogy

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Warren the 13th Trilogy

by Tania del Rio (Author),  Will Staehle (Illustrations)
5 out of 5 stars

I loved this trilogy! The design is elaborate and the plot is mysterious. I loved the characters and the writing style. I flew right through the pages, and enjoyed the action in every chapter.

Warren is such a likable and interesting character! I really appreciated his curiosity, his resilience, and his love for the hotel. He feels connected to his parents and to his ancestors through their shared history in the hotel, and it gave the story a lot of depth to have that heritage. He finds clues that his father left behind for him, and that gives him the courage to face difficult circumstances.

There are so many great supporting characters, all unique and quirky and memorable.

Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: Meditation for Kids

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Meditation for Kids by Tejal V Patel
Meditation for Kids: 40 Activities to Manage Emotions, Ease Anxiety, and Stay Focused
by Tejal V Patel

5 out of 5 stars


This book has easy and fun meditations for children that helps them to navigate tough emotions, calm their impatience, and learn to listen. The meditations are grouped in categories for increasing your positive energy, improving concentration and creativity, and opening your heart to kindness and compassion. There is an entire chapter of meditations just for bedtime, to soothe and calm the mind and body. Continue reading →