children’s books

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

Posted by

0

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

Posted by

0

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

Posted by

0

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

Posted by

0

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

Posted by

0

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

Posted by

0

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 →

Book Review: Chasing Redbird

Posted by

0

Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech

Chasing Redbird
by Sharon Creech, Marc Burckhardt Illustrator

1.5 out of 5 stars
Zinnia blames herself for her aunt’s death, because she scared her aunt with a snake resulting in a medical episode that ended with her death. Zinnia decides to follow an old overgrown trail up in the hills and uncover the markers along the trail as penance. Zinnia’s uncle begins to lose his mind after his wife’s death. He insists that he can see her up in the hills, and he spends most of his days chasing her ghost. Zinnia’s little brother also insists that can see his aunt’s ghost around the farm.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Alice Eclair Spy Extraordinaire: A Recipe for Trouble

Posted by

0

Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire by Sarah Todd Taylor

Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire: A Recipe for Trouble (Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire!, 1)
by Sarah Todd Taylor 

3.5 out of 5 stars
13-year-old Alice has been receiving mysterious coded instructions to do some spy work. In 1930s Paris, Alice knows that spies are always at work to protect France and counteract other foreign spies. Her own uncle was a spy until his death, and he taught her all about codes and ciphers. Alice receives a mission to board the famous Sapphire Express and steal some papers from a foreign spy. She is hired as a pastry chef on the luxurious train and begins to observe all the wealthy first-class passengers very carefully, looking for any suspicious behavior. Everyone is a suspect, but after some strange clues are revealed, Alice begins to wonder what is really going on aboard the Sapphire Express.

Continue reading →

Book Review: The Secret History of Tom Trueheart

Posted by

0

The Secret History of Tom Trueheart by Ian Beck

The Secret History of Tom Trueheart (Tom Trueheart, #1)
by Ian Beck 

Tom comes from a family of adventurers in the Land of Stories. He has six burly older brothers, all named Jack, and when they receive a commission from the Story Bureau, they follow their instructions and complete a daring adventure, awakening cursed maidens with a kiss, defeating giants up a beanstalk, or outwitting evil witches. But Tom is still too young to go on adventures like his brothers do. One day, the brothers all receive a new story commission and set off on new adventures, but they are each lost in the Land of Stories and they never return.

Continue reading →

Book Review: The Great Turkey Walk

Posted by

0

The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr

The Great Turkey Walk: A Graphic Novel Adaptation of the Classic Story of a Boy, His Dog and a Thousand Turkeys
by Kathleen Karr

4.5 out of 5 stars

Simon wants to start his own business so he can get away from his bullying aunt and uncle. He asks his schoolteacher to invest in the business; they will buy 1,000 turkeys and herd them to Denver where they will fetch a better price. But Simon also needs a driver to drive the mules and wagon, so he hires a worn-out drunk, gets him cleaned up and sober, and they start on their trek across the wilderness with a massive gaggle of turkeys. Along the way they meet thieves, they befriend a runaway slave, and they struggle to survive in the wild prairies while keeping their flock together.

Continue reading →