children’s book

Picture Book Review: Unicorn and Horse

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Unicorn by David W. Miles
Unicorn (and Horse)
by David W. Miles, Hollie Mengert (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Horse is plain and frumpy. He’s jealous of the gorgeous Unicorn, who eats pink cupcakes and makes rainbows. Unicorn dances around spreading cheer and sunshine. Horse eats hay and scowls at everyone with a grumpy attitude. Can these two ever resolve their differences and becomes friends?

This story is hilarious! It’s so much fun that I read it three times in a row!
I laughed and laughed at the funny predicaments poor Horse has to deal with. The illustrations are a big part of the humor, with silly expressions on the character’s faces and background details that make the story even funnier. I just love the soft cartoon style of the illustrations. The artwork is bright and vibrant with adorable animal characters and plenty of action. Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: Goodnight Whispers

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Goodnight Whispers by Michael Leannah
Goodnight Whispers
by Michael Leannah, Dani Torrent (Illustrations)

5 out of 5 stars


“You are strong. You are brave. You are so incredibly good.” A father whispers words of affirmation to his baby daughter as she falls asleep every night. She grows into a toddler, then a teen, and a young woman. Through every step of her life, she hears his voice encouraging her.

This book is so sweet and heartfelt that it actually made me cry! I am blessed to have a kind and loving father like the one in this book, and it brought back old memories of times that my Dad encouraged and supported me.

I love the soft illustrations and the muted color scheme. The artwork really brings the story home, and draws the reader into the emotions of the characters.

Continue reading →

Board Book Review: Little Fingers Ballet

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Little Fingers Ballet by Ashley Marie Mireles
Little Fingers Ballet
by Ashley Marie Mireles, Olga Skomorokhova 

5 out of 5 stars

This board book features finger holes where the reader can make leg movements for the ballerinas in the illustrations. There are even little “finger tights” that you can wear like little ballet slippers to match the costumes of the dancers!

I can’t stop playing with this book! It’s so adorable!
The ballet scenes are taken from famous ballets and includes characters like Romeo and Juliet, the Snow Queen, Coppelia, and Cinderella. The text also includes ballet terminology like “plies, grande battements, grand jete, pirouettes, chasse steps”, and more that I didn’t understand but would be fun to learn about! Continue reading →

Book and Puzzle Set Review: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Book and Puzzle Box Set by Rebecca Sorge
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Book and Puzzle Box Set
by Rebecca Sorge (Illustrations)

5 out of 5 stars


This boxed set of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book and puzzle makes a beautiful gift set! The paperback book has a beautiful cover just as shown on the front of the box, however there are no illustrations inside the book which was a little disappointing. I was hoping for more gorgeous artwork like the cover!

The puzzle is a 500 piece puzzle included inside its own separate box inside the gift set. The puzzle picture is the same as the cover. I just love that artwork and the bright colors and all the details in the background, which makes it perfect for a puzzle!

The box itself is a delight, with a magnetic clasp and lovely endpapers. You could use it like a treasure box if you didn’t want to keep the puzzle inside it. Continue reading →

Board Book Review: Let’s Make Yoga Magic

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Let's Make Yoga Magic by Heather Leah
Let’s Make Yoga Magic
by Heather Leah, Sandie Sonke (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

This board book has interactive levers, wheels, and pop ups that help to teach children about different yoga poses. The text explains the pose in very simple terms, along with something for the child to imagine while they do the pose.

For example, in bridge pose you can imagine that a river is flowing underneath you and your legs and arms are the bridge across the water. Children can pretend to be a snake, a dog, a mountain, a butterfly, a dancer, a tree, a plane, a pretzel, a boat, a warrior, and a dragon! All of these correspond with the traditional yoga pose, and add an element of fun and awareness to the practice of yoga.

The text is told in rhyme and beautifully written!

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Non Fiction Review: The Story of Abraham Lincoln

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The Story of Abraham Lincoln by Carla Jablonski
The Story of Abraham Lincoln: A Biography Book for New Readers
by Carla Jablonski

5 out of 5 stars


This children’s book tells the history of Abraham Lincoln, from his childhood to his death.
I like that the story is told with a simple writing style, easy for a child to understand, and there is a glossary at the back from some of the bigger or unfamiliar words. This would be a great book for 7-10 year old readers.

There are fun cartoon illustrations showing Abe as a young boy on the farm, as a young politician, as a family man, and finally as President of the United States. I really like the bright colors and design of the book! Continue reading →

Book Review: Mary Poppins and the House Next Door

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Mary Poppins and the House Next Door by P.L. Travers
Mary Poppins and the House Next Door (Mary Poppins, #6)
by P.L. Travers

5 out of 5 stars

A new neighbor has moved into the house next door on Cherry Tree Lane, and the Banks family are horrified. Only Mary Poppins has the magical wisdom to deal with the drama that threatens to engulf the whole street.

I love the whimsical writing and the funny magic! Mary Poppins is perfect as always, and the Banks children are silly and adorable. The plot has some interesting turns, and I love how all the neighbors on Cherry Tree Lane have their own little additions to the story.

Mary Poppins is just the right mixture of sweet and strict. She plays games with the children, but also lays down the law in the nursery. I love how she reacts to each twist in the plot with grace and elegance.

Non Fiction Review: Logic Puzzles for Clever Kids

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Logic Puzzles for Clever Kids by Molly Lynch
Logic Puzzles for Clever Kids: Fun brain games for ages 4 & up
by Molly Lynch

5 out of 5 stars

With sections for Sequencing, Comparisons, Abstract Thinking, Patterns, Analogies, Deduction, and Critical Thinking, this book has simple puzzles and activities to help a young child learn to put things in order, analyze information, and choose the next step.

Each page has a simple activity for a child to do, like coloring in the pattern, circling all the shapes, or choosing which pictures match each other. The designs are colorful and bright, drawing attention to the fun exercise.
At the bottom of each page there is a prompt for the parent to use, asking the child a question or giving them instructions to complete the task.

This book is wonderful for parents and little kids to have fun together learning and enjoying the puzzles! Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: Awesome Brain Games for Kids

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Awesome Brain Games for Kids by Tori Cameron
Awesome Brain Games for Kids: STEAM Puzzles and Facts for Curious Minds
by Tori Cameron

5 out of 5 stars

Broken into sections for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, this book gives challenges, questions, factoids, word problems, puzzles, word search activities, mazes, crossword puzzles, secret codes to crack, and dozens of other activities! I especially liked the games about music and note values, since I am a musician.

Each game is worth a certain amount of points, and you can tally up your score for each section. In case you get stuck, the answers for each game are in the back of the book, along with a glossary for some of the larger words. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Skull of Truth

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The Skull of Truth by Bruce Coville
The Skull of Truth
by Bruce Coville, Gary A. Lippincott (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

Charlie is a liar. He meets the Skull of Truth and is cursed to always tell the truth, and his life changes in unexpected ways. Telling the truth gets him into a lot of trouble, and the curse begins to affect other people around him.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as some of the others in the Magic Shop series. I thought some of the plot points didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the story. There were some radical leftist political ideas that I didn’t agree with. I was surprised to find them in a children’s book.

I was pleased to find that the skull himself is not scary at all. He’s a humorous and silly character, and there’s nothing frightening or creepy about him other than the fact that he’s a skull. Continue reading →