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Non Fiction Review: The More or Less Definite Guide to Self-Care

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The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care by Anna Borges
The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care: From A to Z
by Anna Borges (Goodreads Author)

2 out of 5 stars


This book gives practical self-care ideas organizing from A to Z, including things like healthy social interaction, meditation, cleaning and decluttering, making time for hobbies, using positive affirmations, taking a walk, listening to music, and practicing compassion. There is a flow chart quiz at the back of the book to help you determine what type of self-care you need the most.

I took off one star from my rating because of the heavy profanity in the book. It was completely unnecessary, and ruined my enjoyment of the book. I’m not sure why a book about calming self-care would include such ugly words. I thought the point was to surround yourself with positive thoughts and beautiful ideas to enhance the quality of your life. And the profanity completely destroyed that. Continue reading →

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: Dot Journaling

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Dot Journaling by Rachel Wilkerson Miller
Dot Journaling: A Practical Guide: How to Start and Keep the Planner, To-Do List, and Diary That’ll Actually Help You Get Your Life Together
by Rachel Wilkerson Miller

4 out of 5 stars

This book is perfect for anyone interested in the Bullet Journal method, but not sure how to get started. With simple explanations for each step of the set-up, there are many options for how to lay-out your schedule, habit trackers, goals, and diary.

I appreciated how organized this book is, giving clear instructions in each chapter and offering various modifications to make the planner fit your own style.
There are examples for each layout and beautiful photographs of simple bullet journal pages. I got inspired to try out some new ideas in my bullet journal! 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 →

Non-Fiction Review: Susan B. Anthony

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National Geographic Readers by Kitson Jazynka
National Geographic Readers: Susan B. Anthony
by Kitson Jazynka

5 out of 5 stars

Susan B. Anthony worked tirelessly to secure votes and liberty for women in the United States. This book gives an overview of her life and her work, with explanations about petitions, laws, newspaper articles, and how these things influenced Anthony’s work. There is also interesting information about clothing styles, employment, habits, and how people lived in at the turn of the century.

I loved the simple writing style, easy for a beginner to understand. There are sections for an adult to read aloud, and then a smaller section with easier words and larger font for the child to read. It’s a great way to teach a child new words, and get them involved in reading together!

The colorful design and old-timey photos captured my attention. There are also activities and questions that get the reader engaged and make them think carefully about the ideas in the book. I appreciated how thoughtful the questions are and how much goes into the design! Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: Men’s Prayer Journal

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Mens Prayer Journal by Romal Tune
Mens Prayer Journal: A Place for Reflection, Praise, & Thanks
by Romal Tune

5 out of 5 stars


This simple journal is the perfect companion to a daily prayer time, with plenty of room for writing in thoughts or prayers, and a Scripture verse at the bottom of each page.

I like that there is NO introduction telling you how to pray, or how to use the book, or some long personal story about the author’s prayer journey. There are NO journal prompts or condescending “uplifting” stories about Christian life. It’s just blank pages ready for writing and a verse to inspire you. The simplicity of it is perfect!
Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: Essential Chakra Yoga

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Essential Chakra Yoga by Christina D'Arrigo
Essential Chakra Yoga: Poses to Balance, Heal, and Energize the Body and Mind
by Christina D’Arrigo

5 out of 5 stars


This book guides the reader through an incredible journey using yoga to balance the energy in the body known as chakras. The first chapters give an overview of the seven main chakras, and how they affect your physical, mental, and emotional health. Each chakra overview includes positive affirmations about the area of life that corresponds to that chakra, such as emotions for the heart chakra, or expressing yourself with the throat chakra.
Then there are yoga poses, illustrated with simple drawings, that activate and clear each chakra for a smooth flow of energy throughout the body. Continue reading →

Non-Fiction Review: The Fascinating Animal Book

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The Fascinating Animal Book for Kids by Ginjer Clarke
The Fascinating Animal Book for Kids: 500 Wild Facts!
by Ginjer Clarke

5 out of 5 stars


Divided into chapters for mammals, insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and birds, this book gives amazing facts and information about each animal. Did you know that male lions will often sleep for 20 hours a day? Did you know that fireflies can speak to each other through the patterns of flashing lights? And that the smallest bird in the world is the bee hummingbird, which is only 2 inches long?

Every page is covered with beautiful photographs of animals in the wild. Each photo is vibrant and energetic, with the action of racing predators, diving birds, or a busy ant colony.
Continue reading →

Non-Fiction Review: How To Raise a Reader

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How to Raise a Reader by Pamela Paul
How to Raise a Reader
by Pamela Paul , Maria Russo

2 out of 5 stars


This book gives advice for encouraging a child to read at every stage of their lives into adulthood. There are guidelines for reading to newborn babies and toddlers, guiding a child to read on their own, encouraging a middle grader or preteen to love reading, and influencing a teenager in their reading choices. There are chapters for each age group with suggestions on when to let a child explore books on their own, and when to step in with a subtle influence and inspire them to read.

There were some things that I liked about this book. The writing style is good, but a little pretentious in places. The authors write as if they know everything there is to know about parenting, reading, and which books are best.
They criticized some of my favorite childhood books as being too “preachy” and “moral”, so right away they lost my respect for their opinions. They would have done better to be more accepting of different tastes in books, instead of being so quick to judge certain books as “boring” or unappealing to children. Well, those books were appealing to me when I was a child, and they are STILL my favorites! Continue reading →