non fiction

Non Fiction Book Review: Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts

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Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts in One Big F... by Jen Haberling

Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts in One Big Fat Notebook: The Complete Middle School Study Guide
by Jen Haberling (Editor), Elizabeth Irwin (Contributor)
5 out of 5 stars

This book really does have everything you need to know about reading, writing, and understanding the English language. There are chapters about Grammar, Language, Reading Fiction and Non Fiction, and Writing. It covers the basics of sentence structure, clauses, and figurative language, and also explores plot structure, character development, textual analysis, and how to write a convincing argument and present the facts correctly.

Don’t be fooled by the “middle school” label. This is information that most college students and adults have probably forgotten and would need to review (or learn for the first time because they missed it in grade school.) This would be a very helpful resource to anyone who wants to write, or who just wants to get better at understanding what they read.

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Non Fiction Book Review: Brain Quest Pre-K

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Brain Quest Workbook by Liane Onish

Brain Quest Workbook: Pre-K
by Liane Onish
5 out of 5 stars

This book has colorful activity pages for young children to review their knowledge of the alphabet, colors, shapes, numbers, and basic words. Once the book is complete, you get an award certificate. There is a cute alphabet poster included that you can put up on the wall to review throughout the school year. And there is a whole sheet of alphabet stickers too!

The sections are mostly the alphabet and numbers, colors and shapes. But some sections also have more reading comprehension, phonics, numbers, and science. There are answers in the back of the book to check your work. There is also a set of flashcards that you can cut out of the book for testing your knowledge.

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Book Review: Steal Like an Artist

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Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
by Austin Kleon (Goodreads Author)
5 out of 5 stars

“There is nothing new under the sun.”
The truth is that originality does not exist. Everything has been done before, and when we see something that is “new”, it’s actually just a remix of whatever came before.

This book explores how to use what came before to inspire and guide your creativity. The author gives advice on how to steal ideas from the masters of the past, and make it your own thing.

I was really inspired by this book! It doesn’t just apply to art, but also to music, writing, or any creative endeavor. I loved the advice about how to hone your ideas, and keep yourself motivated. And it’s not just about the spiritual, mental, and emotional inspiration. There are entire chapters with practical advice about how to actually get the work done and create something worthwhile.

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Book Review: So Many Feelings Stickers

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So. Many. Feelings Stickers. by Pipsticks®+Workman®

So. Many. Feelings Stickers.: 2,700 Stickers for Every Mood
by Pipsticks®+Workman® (Publisher)
5 out of 5 stars

This book has 50 pages full of stickers! There are 2,700 stickers of all kinds! There are dinosaurs, flowers, embroidery, banners, planets, lions and tigers, balloons, yoga, typewriters, ice cream, pigs, bees, cups of coffee, cats, vegetables and fruit, sweaters, and birds. And a happy little avocado dude who dances.

I am just amazed at the variety of stickers in this book! And so many of them have cool sayings like, “Busy as a bee, Sly as a Fox, Fearless, A Breath of Fresh Air, Free as a Bird, Hungry as a Wolf, Deep like the Ocean, Loud as Thunder” and a whole bunch more. These stickers could apply to almost any situation. Even if your mood is…. “mood”. There’s a sticker for that.

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Book Review: Atlas of Amazing Architecture

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Atlas of Amazing Architecture by Peter Allen

Atlas of Amazing Architecture: The Most Incredible Buildings You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of
by Peter Allen
4 out of 5 stars

This book explores beautiful architecture around the world. These are some lesser well-known buildings and structures that aren’t as popular as the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben, but have been influential nonetheless.

I loved this cool book! It was so interesting to learn about these buildings, the architects who designed them, and the places where they were built. I like that the book doesn’t just tell you about the building, but also about the history behind it and the culture of the country that influenced it.

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Non Fiction Reviews: What Adults Don’t Know About Art and Architecture

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What Adults Don’t Know About Art by The School of Life

What Adults Don’t Know About Art: Inspiring young minds to love and enjoy art
by The School of Life, Alain de Botton (Goodreads Author) (Editor)
5 out of 5 stars

This book is geared towards children, introducing them to the world of art, and teaching them why art is so important. I love the approach here, and the simple way that the book leads the reader into a better understanding of beautiful art. It begins with a simple question, “What is art, and why is it important to each person?”

I love the philosophy in this book about how art can shape our experiences and our culture, connecting us to our past and reflecting our personal emotions. Art teaches us to focus on the things that are truly important in life; a baby’s smile, that particular shade of blue in the sky, the powerful weight of a mountain, or a delicious fruit. The little things in life are the most important and enduring.

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Gift Book Reviews: The Magic of You, and Yes You Can

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The World Needs More Smiles Like Yours by Laura Jane

The Magic of You: A Colorful Book of Happiness
by Laura Jane
4 out of 5 stars

This cute little book is full of inspirational sayings that encourage the reader to dream big and create beautiful things! Each affirmation or mantra guides you to make your dreams and goals a reality, pushing aside fear and embracing faith.

The book is divided into sections for Self-Love, Dream, Believe, Grow, and Create. The artwork in each section has a main color scheme: pink for Self-Love, orange for Dream, green for Grow, etc…
It’s a clever way to give some structure to the otherwise random little sayings.

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Book Review: Scribbles, Sorrows, and Russet Leather Books

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Scribbles, Sorrows, and Russet Leather Boots by Liz Rosenberg

Scribbles, Sorrows, and Russet Leather Boots: The Life of Louisa May Alcott
by Liz Rosenberg (Goodreads Author), Diana Sudyka (Illustrations)
3 out of 5 stars

Louisa May Alcott is best known as the author of the popular classic Little Women. However, her life before she became a famous authoress was full of difficulty. She grew up poor and needy in an unstable though loving home. Her sisters, whom she immortalized as the March sisters, were her closest friends and companions. But it was her parents, Abbey and Bronson Alcott, who had the deepest influence on her life.

Bronson Alcott was insane. He literally had insanity running in his family tree. He told people he was “the Messiah of education”, and thought he would completely reform the American education system. However, all his attempts to start a school failed miserably once the parents found out what nonsense he was teaching their children. He was more interested in his daydreams than in providing for his family’s everyday needs, so it fell to Abby and eventually to Louisa to work and scrape to put food on the table.

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Non Fiction Review: The Abolition of Man

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The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis

The Abolition of Man
by C.S. Lewis
4 out of 5 stars

Lewis shows the implications of the philosophical ideas that emotions are crude and invalid, and only “reason” should dictate our actions. Reason without emotion is unreality, and even if it were true it would only lead to the abolition of mankind. Lewis attacks the issue from several angles, debunking popular arguments that the purest form of reason is our instincts, or that benevolent actions can be found through pursuing “science” as the best moral compass for mankind to follow.

Lewis proves that moral absolutes do exist and that they are universal through all generations and cultures throughout all of time. These moral absolutes appeal to both our reason and our emotions, and you cannot cut them out of a person’s life without destroying that person. There are basic truths that are self-evident and omnipresent in all mankind.

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Fairy Tales and Knowledge

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Learning About the Garden with Sleeping Beauty by Štěpánka Sekaninová

Learning About the Garden with Sleeping Beauty
by Štěpánka Sekaninová, Linh Dao (Illustrator)
4 out of 5 stars

In this retelling of Sleeping Beauty, the princess spends her childhood tending the palace gardens and learning about all the plants and flowers there. But when the evil witch introduces a thorny plant into the garden, the princess pricks her finger and falls into an enchanted slumber.

The reader learns all about flowers, herbs, thorny bushes, fruit trees, and flowering shrubs. There is even a vegetable garden in the palace!

Discovering the Underground with Snow White by Tom Velcovsky

Discovering the Underground with Snow White (Fairytale Encyclopedia, #4)
by Tom Velcovsky, Jakub Cenkl (Illustrator)
4 out of 5 stars

This book combines the fairy tale retelling of Snow White with information about underground structures, animal burrows, plant root systems, underground rivers, caves, subways, and mines. There is even a section about mythological creatures who traditionally live underground like trolls, gnomes, and dragons.

I love the design of the pages, where the main page has the fairy tale story, and then you can pull out the big folding page to reveal all the information about the garden plants and underground burrows.
The illustrations are all so delicate and graceful! I love the soft art style, and the beautiful colors.
The fairy tale retelling is delightful, and the information about the garden is organized into small paragraphs that make it easy to read.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of both these books 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.