children’s book

Picture Book Review: Maisy’s Christmas Party

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Maisy's Christmas Party by Lucy Cousins
Maisy’s Christmas Party: With 6 Festive Letters and Secret Surprises!
by Lucy Cousins

5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Maisy is inviting all her friends to a Christmas Party, and they each reply with a special letter. Eddie sends Maisy a little calendar to count down the days until the party. Cyril sends her a recipe for gingerbread. Tallulah sends Maisy a star to put on her tree. Charley includes a joke book with his letter, and Maisy laughs and laughs at his jokes. Finally, it’s the day of the party, and the friends have a good time together.

This is such a special Christmas book, with pockets for each of the letters the friends send to Maisy. Inside each envelope/pocket is a letter and a different decoration, recipe, or tiny booklet. Continue reading →

Non-Fiction Book: My Preschool Workbook

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My Preschool Workbook by Brittany Lynch
My Preschool Workbook: 101 Games & Activities that Prepare Your Child for School
by Brittany Lynch

5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


This workbook has games, coloring pages, and activities to help little ones learn their colors, numbers, alphabet, and basic shapes. Including simple puzzles and challenges, this book teaches children that learning is fun, and coordinates with basic lessons they will be learning in preschool and kindergarten.

There are tracing pages to help little fingers learn how to draw letters and numbers. There are connect-the-dot games and matching games to get them thinking with logic, and to improve their memory. Moving from identifying basic colors into finally reading small words, there are even sections about rhyming words, and counting the syllables in a word. The pages gradually teach the reader their colors, shapes, numbers, alphabet, and simple spelling as they grow throughout the school year. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Magic Christmas Ornament

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The Magic Christmas Ornament by James Barbato
The Magic Christmas Ornament
by James and Victoria Barbato (Authors),  Joe Huffman (Illustrator)

2 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Three siblings hear the story about how their father found a magic ornament when he was a boy. When they examine the ornament on Christmas Eve, the children are whisked away to Santa’s Workshop in the North Pole, where they play with toys and meet Santa’s elves. They are given an ornament off Santa’s own Christmas tree, and they return home full of the joy of Christmas.

The writing is good, but has a stiff style, especially in the dialogue. It doesn’t flow as well as it could, but it’s not bad. The story is interesting, but rather simple. There isn’t anything particularly memorable or special in the plot, but it is a sweet story.

The illustrations really bothered me.

Continue reading →

Non-Fiction Book Review: Code This!

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Code This! by Jennifer Szymanski
Code This!: Puzzles, Games, Challenges, and Computer Coding Concepts for the Problem Solver in You
by  Jennifer Szymanski, Carlos Bueno 

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

This fascinating book teaches children the concepts and ideas behind computer programming, and provides simple coding problems to be solved. The challenges include activities, games, and crafts that can be completed to solve the puzzles, as the reader learns computer coding approaches like binary code, directions, algorithms, loops of code, debugging when there is a problem, and optimizing the commands given to the program. Using logic and simple commands, the reader learns to understand the basic structure of a computer program. Continue reading →

NonFiction Review: Encyclopedia of American Indian History and Culture

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National Geographic Kids Encyclopedia of American Indian Hist... by Cynthia O'Brien
Encyclopedia of American Indian History and Culture
by Cynthia O’Brien

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


This book lists the major characteristics and customs of over 160 Native American tribes, dedicating one or two pages to each tribe and including illustrations and photographs, both of historic cultures and modern people.

The book is grouped by region, showing how the environment and climate shaped their culture and livelihood. Time lines demonstrate the changes and historic events that developed their societies.
Each region section has a tribal story that is a part of that culture’s traditions and beliefs.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Doctor Dolittle and the Secret Lake

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Doctor Dolittle And The Secret Lake by Hugh Lofting
Doctor Dolittle And The Secret Lake
by Hugh Lofting

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Doctor Dolittle returns to the Secret Lake hidden in the depths of Africa to interview the oldest living animal, a massive turtle named Mudface. His journey is perilous, but he has his trusty animals by his side. With the help of Chee-chee, Polynesia, Dab-Dab, Cheapside, Gub-Gub, Jip, and his faithful assistant Tommy Stubbins, the Doctor travels through swamps and jungles to find the old turtle and hear the story of the Flood.

I loved the plot in this one! The first part of the book is taken up with the Doctor’s preparations for the journey to Africa, and then his travels to get inland from the African coast to the Secret Lake. Once they find Mudface, the rest of the book chronicles his adventurous story about Noah and surviving the Great Flood.

The writing is charming and hilarious! The animals are all so funny and full of life, and the ridiculous situations are interesting. I’m amazed at how imaginative all of the Dolittle stories are, and the books never seem to run out of wild material for an adventure.

Book Review: Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary

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Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary by Hugh Lofting
Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary (Doctor Dolittle, #11)
by Hugh Lofting

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Doctor Dolittle hears the full story of a green canary’s life, from the time she was born in a cage to her tragic separation from her owner, the window washer. After their success in the Canary Opera, Pippinella and Doctor Dolittle set out to find the missing window washer, and restore Pippinella to her favorite owner.

I enjoyed this book so much! The characters are hilarious, and I loved Pippinella’s varied life experiences and all the weird circumstances that made her change owners so frequently. She lives with a coal miner, a marchioness, a troop of soldiers, an innkeeper, and a tramp. She also lives in the wild for a short time before being captured, stolen from her rightful owner, and sold in a pet shop to John Dolittle. Continue reading →

Picture Book Reviews: Disney Stories for 2 and 3 Year Olds

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Disney Stories for 2-Year-Olds by Editors of Studio Fun Inter...Disney Stories for 3-Year-Olds by Editors of Studio Fun Inter...
Disney Stories for 2-Year-Olds
by Editors of Studio Fun International

5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

With 14 stories about Mickey Mouse and his friends, this picture book is the perfect treasury of Disney stories for young toddlers. Each chapter is a simple story about Mickey and his friends as they go on a picnic, ride a fire truck in a parade, visit a pet shop, and work on a dairy farm. Donald Duck, Goofy, Daisy, and Minnie are along for the ride too, ready for each adventure!

I love this adorable collection of short stories about Mickey! The stories are simple and easy to read with colorful pictures that make it perfect for little readers. I especially enjoyed that each story has a little lesson about being true to yourself, sharing with your friends, working as a team, or being brave in difficult circumstances. The writing makes this easy to read out loud, and the colorful illustrations are designed to capture a child’s attention. Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: Frankie’s Scared of Everything

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Frankie's Scared of Everything by Mathew Franklin
Frankie’s Scared of Everything
by Mathew Franklin

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Frankie is afraid of every noise that he hears in the dark, imagining that there are monsters after him. But his mother assures him that there is nothing to fear from nightly noises, and his imagination can be his greatest tool in fighting off his fears, instead of letting his imagination run wild.

I really enjoyed the story, especially how Frankie’s mother encourages him to harness his imagination and control his fears. The writing is excellent, and I appreciated all the alliterative noises the monsters make, like “crashing, creeeaking” and “scraping, scratching”. Those details make it fun to read, and paint a vivid picture.
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Back to School Books for Kids

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Brain Games: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42183016-brain-games
Beginner’s World Atlas: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42924686-national-geographic-kids-beginner-s-world-atlas-4th-edition
Student World Atlas: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42924683-national-geographic-student-world-atlas-5th-edition Continue reading →