Book Review: Epic Factopia

Epic FACTopia! by Rose Davidson

Epic FACTopia!: Follow the trail of 400 extreme facts (FACTopia!, 8)
by Rose Davidson (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

Did you know that the deepest part of the ocean, the Mariana Trench, is deeper than Mount Everest is tall? There is a rare plant that only blooms every 100 years. The largest candy bar ever made was 9 feet long! The world’s longest bridge is 102 miles long.

This book gives amazing facts about everything under the sun (and beyond) with colorful artwork and photos on every page. Each fact connects in some way with the previous fact, leading you around in a trail of random information that is sure to grab your attention.

Continue reading

Book Review: Ivy Newt and the Storm Witch

Ivy Newt and the Storm Witch by Derek Keilty

Ivy Newt and the Storm Witch
by  Derek Keilty, Magda Brol (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Ivy is distraught when her royal witchy parents disappear during a terrible storm. She goes searching for them with the help of her “familiar”, a shapeshifting wolf boy. A friendly witch examines dust left behind from the disappearance and discovers that there are traces of “taint”, a cursed ingredient. They travel to the land of the Cunning Folk, and get help from a boy with a flying carpet. But can they discover who cursed their parents before it’s too late and more people start to disappear?

Continue reading

Book Review: The Smallest Kitten

The Smallest Kitten by Holly Webb

The Smallest Kitten (Holly Webb Animal Stories Book 53)
by  Holly Webb, Sophy Williams (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Zara and Amina are twins who have just moved to a new home and they are about to start at a new school. Quiet Zara is worried about trying to make new friends, but Amina is confident and talkative. They get a new kitten named Pixie, and are excited to show her to their new school friends. But when a disagreement arises, Pixie gets scared and runs off to hide. The twins are desperate to find her and are blaming themselves. Can they put aside their differences and work together to find their lost kitten?

Continue reading

Book Review: The Classified Catnapping

The Classified Catnapping by Colleen Nelson

The Classified Catnapping: Mystery at the Biltmore #2
by Colleen Nelson (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

Elodie has her own detective business, and she has to help find a missing cat. But this isn’t just any old cat. This cat is famous. This cat is in the middle of shooting a movie and having a biography written. This cat is a wealthy heiress!

Continue reading

Book Review: The Pinchers and the Curse of the Egyptian Cat

The Pinchers and the Curse of the Egyptian Cat by Anders Sparring

The Pinchers and the Curse of the Egyptian Cat
by Anders Sparring, Per Gustavsson (illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

The Pincher family are all thieves and liars. They love to steal and cheat, except for Theo who gets a stomachache if he tries to tell a lie or do anything dishonest. It doesn’t help that their next-door neighbor is a policeman! When Theo and his sister quarrel over an old cat statue, they break the statue and unleash the curse of the Egyptian cat! Their moralities are switched, and not Theo wants to steal and cheat, and his sister wants to be honest. Can they get switched back or will Theo be cursed to a life of crime?

Continue reading

Book Review: The Forest Yet to Come

The Forest Yet to Come by Sam Thompson

The Forest Yet to Come (Wolfstongue Saga, 3)
by  Sam Thompson

3 out of 5 stars

Sally and her brother Faolon don’t know where they came from. They were found as orphans and raised in The Land, a settlement enclosed in walls where mysterious “shapes” assist in healing and growing food. When the fox trickster Reynard arrives in The Land, he is curious about the “shapes” and tricks Sally into helping him by promising to lead her to answers about her past.

Continue reading

Picture Book Review: Surprise

Surprise by Mies van Hout

Surprise
by  Mies van Hout

5 out of 5 stars

Birds wait in anticipation until the little eggs can hatch. Then the parent birds care for their little ones and comfort them and encourage them. They listen and tease and enjoy their time together cherishing one another. Eventually the little birds learn to fly away on their own, and the parents must let them go.

Continue reading

Book Review: This is My Treehouse

This Is My Treehouse by Guillaume Guéraud

This Is My Treehouse
by Guillaume Guéraud

5 out of 5 stars

A child with a vivid imagination has wild adventures in their treehouse. They pretend to be a pirate and the treehouse is their ship. They enjoy watching the rain from inside the treehouse. They pretend the treehouse is a helicopter or a fairy tale palace. They pretend to be a monster hunter or a scientist who can talk to giant bugs. They read books and eat their snacks and find peace in their daydreams.

Continue reading

Picture Book Review: Miro/ I Look

Miro / I Look by Gavin Bishop

Miro / I Look (English and Spanish Edition)
by Gavin Bishop

5 out of 5 stars

This board book has English and Spanish words side by side to teach small children to identify the parts of the face and different objects. We learn about ears, nose, and eyes, chin, hair, and eyebrows, etc… We learn about spots, stripes, and all the colors. We learn the words for various toys and objects like eyeglasses and keys.

Continue reading

Picture Book Review: Barnaby the Runaway Sheep

Barnaby the Runaway Sheep by Maria  Antonia

Barnaby the Runaway Sheep: A Parable of the Lost Sheep
by  Maria Antonia (Goodreads Author), Sayani Mukherjee (illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Barnaby is afraid of getting his wool sheared off, so he runs away from the farm. While Barnaby lives out in the wild, his wool gets longer and longer until he can barely see or move around. He gets homesick for his shepherds, and he misses their gentle care. The shepherds find Barnaby cowering in a cave and they take him home. Barnaby discovers that the shears don’t hurt at all, and he feels so much lighter without all that wool weighing him down.

Continue reading