Book Review: Terrible, Horrible Edie

Terrible, Horrible Edie
Terrible, Horrible Edie by Elizabeth C. Spykman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A completely marvelous harbor summer on the beach, messing around with boats, camping out, fishing, surviving a hurricane, and of course catching a burglar or two. When the Cares spend their summer by the ocean, one thing is for certain, that the incomparable Edie will get into trouble in every chapter.

Edie is curious, resourceful, courageous, and has a deliciously rebellious and independent spirit. She is always generous and does her duty, but somehow trouble seems to follow her around. Her hilarious misconceptions about the world lead her into ridiculous situations, such as when she was certain that another Civil War must have started and the enemy were breaking into her house! Haha! Continue reading

Children’s Picture Books Reviews

Dot And Dash Play Together
Dot And Dash Play Together by Emma Dodd

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dot is a little dog with spots, and Dash is a kitten with stripes, and the two friends find a lot to do when they go out to play with their friends. They swing and slide and skate and see-saw the whole afternoon!

An adorable picture book with pull tabs and pop-ups and little windows that open. I loved stuff like that when I was a kid, amazed that a simple piece of paper in a book could magically move and enhance the story.

Dot and Dash are sweet characters, and the colorful pictures show all the bright fun in the outdoors on a sunny day. The animal friends (elephant, mouse, and giraffe) that come out to play add another layer of interest to the story.
I love how clean and bright the artwork is!

This would be the perfect book to read aloud to a child 3-5 years old. Old enough not to destroy the pull tabs and pop ups, but young enough to enjoy the simple story.


One Little Penguin and His Friends: A counting board bookOne Little Penguin and His Friends: A counting board book by The Top That Team

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A cute little board book for counting Artic animals! This one would be fun to read aloud to a child learning their numbers, because the book asks questions of the reader. (“Who is swimming in the ocean?” and the answer is 10 whales, etc…) Since the book is full of animals, the child is also learning types of artic animals; seals, polar bears, artic fox, reindeer, artic hares, puffins, orca, etc…)

The illustrations are colorful and with backgrounds of wintery snow and ice for the animals, and at the end is one little Eskimo in an igloo! That little surprise ending was so charming and cute! After all the animals, there’s one Eskimo child in the middle of this frozen wonderland.

I’m not sure why the title only mentions Penguins. It makes it sound like one particular penguin is the main character or something, but penguins are NOT mentioned once in the entire book!!

 

Love is You & Me.
 Love is You & Me. by Monica Sheehan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This sweet little board book, told in rhyme, is all about what love means, what it looks like, and how it works. With adorable illustrations of a dog and mouse who care about each other and express their friendship and love, this book is perfect for a parent to read aloud to their child, or even for a gift to any loved one.

Love is smiling together. Love is fun and free. Love holds us together. Love makes us belong. Love wipes away tears. Love means sharing. The book tells these and many more with colorful pictures and rhymes that trip off the tongue.

The pictures are lovely, some are a little bittersweet, and some are so funny they made me laugh! I love the art style and the expressions of the dog and mouse. They really captured my attention and made me look closely.

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Book Review: The Penderwicks at Point Mouette

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Every Penderwick is a phenomenal person! I have so much love for this beautiful Penderwick family, I can’t even contain my emotions long enough to write a decent review. Every book in this series is absolute gold, every character is delightfully unique, and every single word in every chapter is genius. I love how the author takes small everyday doings and makes them dramatic and interesting and fun! Just building a campfire on the beach and toasting marshmallows becomes an adventure fraught with peril and meaning. Continue reading

Book Review: God’s Gift

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God’s Gift by Lee Ann Mancini – 5 stars

Christian is a little turtle who is excited to get presents at Christmas, but the starfish Jacob says that he gets more presents at Hannukah because he is Jewish. The boys start to fight about who gets more presents, until their parents teach them the true meaning of Christmas and Hannukah combined.

I thought this was a sweet little book about not being greedy during the holidays, and celebrating God’s love together. It’s well-written, with a coherent plot and interesting details. Each character is distinct and lovable.
The illustrations are colorful and beautiful, and there are hidden symbols on every page for readers to hunt and find! This would be perfect to read aloud to children! g

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for a free and honest review. The opinions stated in this review are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

MKs in Cambodia

 

These MKs in Cambodia just received a package of books, and they have huge smiles on their faces!  They obviously love reading!

“We were all absolutely thrilled!  Since they arrived a few days ago our son has been asking to read books first thing after breakfast (instead of asking for cartoons). Love it!  And our daughter adores all things science so she’s been fascinated by the book about the Human Body. ” -Missionaries in Cambodia

 

You can donate to the MKs, and help them get the reading material they need!

Donate now at PayPal!
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Picture Book Reviews: Super Fish

Super Fish
Super Fish by Mary Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A cute little story told by a turtle who claims to have met the famous Super Fish, with her purple cape and her super-strength and super-hearing. She helps sea creatures in trouble, and the turtle tells the story of how Super Fish saved him.

The illustrations are cute! The story is funny and snappy! This would be a good book to read aloud to children and make funny voices for the characters.

Super Fish 2: The Stare Wars Super Fish 2: The Stare Wars by Mary Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Super Fish has a purple cape, super-strength, and super-hearing, but does she have super-staring abilities? When the octopus gets into a staring contest with Super Fish, nothing in all the oceans will distract either opponent from their unblinking competition, until Super Fish pulls out her secret weapon!

The illustrations are so cute! Super Fish is an adorable and strong super-hero, and the story is hilarious and snappy! This would be a good book to read aloud to children and make funny voices for all the characters.

 

MK in West Africa

This MK in West Africa just received some books about art, and immediately started coloring and drawing!

“We got the books and one little girl was so excited!! She has been drawing and drawing and drawing! And asking me to read the books over and over! One day when she become a famous artist, I will have her paint a picture of you!!!
Thank you so much for brightening her day and thinking of her. What a sweet blessing!” – Missionary in West Africa

You can donate to the Missionary Kids, and put a huge smile on their faces! These children need books to inspire and encourage their little hearts!

Please donate at http://www.gofundme.com/booksformks !

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Author Interviews

 

 

Follow Live Oak Public Library at @liveoakplga
Featured Authors:
Keith Hemstreet http://travelswithgannonandwyatt.com/…
Ame Dyckman http://www.amedyckman.com/
Ted Dunagan http://teddunagan.com/
James and Kimberly Dean http://www.petethecatbooks.com/
Jane O’Connor https://www.fancynancyworld.com/creators
Varian Johnson http://www.varianjohnson.com/books.html
Rebecca Emberley http://www.rebeccaemberley.com/
Robert Quackenbush http://rquackenbush.com/
Bob Shea http://bobshea.com/
Jose Lucio http://www.joselucio.com/#heaveho

Books for MKs is a charity organization that donates books to missionary kids on the foreign mission field all over the world.

Donate now at http://www.gofundme.com/booksformks to help these children get reading material! Continue reading