children’s books

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 →

Non Fiction Review: Pocket Flyers

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Pocket Flyers Paper Airplane Book by Ken Blackburn
Pocket Flyers Paper Airplane Book: 69 Mini Planes to Fold and Fly
by Ken Blackburn, Jeff Lammers

5 out of 5 stars

This book has sixty-nine colorful airplane designs with clear instructions on how to fold each paper plane. I was amazed at the variety of the designs and how detailed and colorful the artwork is. There are planes that look like butterflies, aliens, bombers, and all kinds of interesting things.

There are several different ways to fold the planes as well. There are rotor planes that spin, and diving planes that will swoop up and down, and gliders that will stay up for long periods of time.

The instructions have illustrations that show each step and where to fold along the dotted lines. It’s easy to follow and simple to put together. There are also flying tips that tell you how to launch the paper planes, and how to bend the paper to get the best flying results. Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: Eyelike Stickers Series

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eye

by Workman Publishing

5 out of 5 stars

These books have hundreds of stickers, and glossy endpapers that can be used as a background for the stickers to be placed and reused in a scene. The stickers are sturdy and don’t lose their stickiness over time. I even tried placing a sticker on a plain piece of paper, and it stuck just fine and then came right off without leaving any sticky residue.

The designs for each sticker are colorful and fun! You could use them on the background scene provided with the book, or use them in notebooks, cards, journals, or on any hard surface. There are so many stickers to choose from! Some of them are duplicates, but most are individual designs. I love the vibrant colors!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Board Book Review: A Day at the Zoo

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My Big Wimmelbook—A Day at the Zoo by Carolin Gortler
My Big Wimmelbook—A Day at the Zoo
by Carolin Gortler

5 out of 5 stars


This is an entertaining search-and-find book with a beautiful chaos of different people and animals at the zoo. Everywhere you look there is something interesting happening and a story line to follow!

I love the colorful and detailed illustrations! Each page is beautifully drawn with fun little details to draw the reader in. I’m 38 years old, and I was fascinated with each intricate scene!

It’s so fun to search for people in the hustle and bustle of the scenery and follow them from page to page as their little story unfolds. Suzy is looking for her teddy bear, and Hamid is having trouble with his camera as a bee bothers him. Animals everywhere are eating and playing. People all over the zoo are acting out their own dramas and the animals are a focal point of the entire book. Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: Turn It Up!

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Turn It Up! by National Geographic Kids
Turn It Up!: A Pitch-Perfect History of Music That Rocked the World
by National Geographic Kids

5 out of 5 stars

This book gives an overview of the history of music and how music developed over time to include different styles. With paintings and photographs showcased in a colorful design, this book is sure to capture the attention of anyone interested in music!

I really love how the information is organized in easy-to-read text boxes. Each chapter focuses on one era of music history, covering Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionist, Modern, and Post-Modern music.

This book has biographies and songs of music styles like Jazz, Pop, Big Band, Blues, Rock, Reggae, Heavy Metal, and a dozen more, featuring music stars, composers, singers, musicians, conductors, and influencers who created the music we know today. Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: We Love Babies!

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We Love Babies! by Jill Esbaum
We Love Babies!
by Jill Esbaum,  National Geographic Society 

5 out of 5 stars

This adorable picture book features dozens of baby animals from familiar species like the Elephant and Rabbit, to strange species like the Long-Eared Jerboa and the Serval. The photographs of these cute little babies are colorful and sweet! There are tiny cartoon characters drawn into the corners of the pages who cheer for the babies.

The text describes all the things we love about animal babies, their soft fur, their stripes, and fins. Their hooves, and paws. Their snuffles and snorts, their squawks and peeps. “Big or tiny, fast or slow” we definitely love animal babies!

Photographs of the animal babies are placed in a colorful background design that is sure to capture the attention of little readers.

Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: Harriet Tubman

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Harriet Tubman by Barbara Kramer
Harriet Tubman
by Barbara Kramer

5 out of 5 stars


Harriet Tubman was born as a slave and escaped to freedom. She worked tirelessly to free other slaves and even served as a spy during the American Civil War. She is best known for her work as a “conductor,” guiding slaves to freedom through the “Underground Railroad,” a series of safe houses called “stations” that allowed slaves to travel undetected to the Northern United States and Canada.

I loved the simple writing style, easy for a beginner to understand. There are fact boxes in the corners that explain the meanings of words, and give direct quotes from Tubman. Continue reading →