review

Picture Book Review: Mother Earth’s Lullaby

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Mother Earth's Lullaby by Terry Pierce
Mother Earth’s Lullaby: A Song for Endangered Animals 
by Terry Pierce (Author), Carol Hyer (Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

This bedtime story shows various endangered animals and their babies/chicks/cubs settling down for the night, and snuggling in, ready for sleep. Each animal is shown in their native habitat and briefly described in rhyme.
The beautiful illustrations are delicate and cozy with soft colors and little details in the background. It’s the perfect book for reading before bed with little ones! Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: If DaVinci Painted a Dinosaur

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If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur by Amy Newbold
If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur 
by Amy Newbold (Author), Greg Newbold (Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


This hilarious book poses the question, What would it look like if various famous artists had painted dinosaurs? The results are dancing ballerina dinosaurs in the style of Degas, Dino Noodle Soup a la Andy Warhol, a Frida Kahlo dinosaur, dinos in Mary Cassatt’s garden, jazz band dinosaurs in Aaron Douglas’ style, and of course, the incomparable Dino Mona Lisa!

Throughout the story, a little hamster/gerbil artist appears on each page with a paintbrush, chalk, crayon, or scissors in hand… um… paw. He guides us through the various art styles, and discovers a new friend at the end of the book. His expressions are so cute, and he adds a little flair to the story!
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Picture Book Review: Monster, Monster, Who Are You?

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Monster, Monster, Who Are You? by Alexander Vanags
Monster, Monster, Who Are You? 
by Alexander Vanags, Nina Gvozdeva (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
This adorable book introduces a whole group of monsters, each with their own unique look and their own favorite hobby. On each page, we ask the monster, “Who are you?” and they respond in rhyme to tell us about their wings or their tail or fur, and something that they are doing. Continue reading →

Book Review: Cybele’s Secret

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Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier
Cybele’s Secret (Wildwood, #2) 
by Juliet Marillier

5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Paula travels with her merchant father to Istanbul, hoping to acquire a religious artifact of rare and precious value. There is fierce competition for the artifact, and unscrupulous merchants will use violence to get their hands on it. Paula’s father hires a bodyguard, Stoyan, to keep his daughter safe on the dangerous streets. Paula befriends a wayward pirate captain, Duarte, hoping to get information from him about the artifact. The powers from the Other Kingdom send Paula on a quest, to retrieve the artifact, to unravel the riddles surrounding its history, and to learn from her perilous voyage the meaning of love and friendship.

My heart is too full! I can barely think, my mind is still reeling with all the complex details of the story. I have cried and laughed and clutched the book with white knuckles. What a journey! My heart just went on a rollercoaster ride, and I am still gasping for breath. Continue reading →

Book Review: Dragon of the Month Club

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The Dragon of the Month Club by Iain Reading
The Dragon of the Month Club 
by Iain Reading

4 out of 5 stars


Ayana and Tyler find a magical book that teaches them a new dragon-summoning spell every month. When one of their spells goes wrong, they are whisked into a magic land that manifests from different books and furniture in Tyler’s bedroom. They conjure several dragons to help them in their adventures, until they have a little entourage of creatures following them. Travelling across the wilderness, crossing oceans, and encountering strange characters from Tyler’s books, the two friends struggle to reach the tower of Professor Mobius, who they hope has the ability to send them back to the real world.

I enjoyed this book so much! The plot is really imaginative and interesting. The writing and pacing are excellent, keeping the reader on their toes with lots of plot twists and surprises.
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Picture Book Review: Three Wild Pigs

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Three Wild Pigs by Lisa Anne Cullen
Three Wild Pigs: A Carolina Folktale 
by Lisa Anne Cullen (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

The three wild pigs are fishing in their boat off the Carolina coast, when a hurricane begins to blow in from the sea. They scramble back to shore and hunker down in their homes of dune-grass, thicket branches, and strong conch shells. The voice of a wolf is heard on the winds of the storm, as the wolf-winds try to blow down the homes of the pigs. Together, they survive the hurricane winds and the rising waves, despite the howling wolf-winds.

I liked the story of these three wild pigs! There is a lovely fluidity to the pacing, and there are lots of little details that make the narrative special.
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Picture Book Review: Poppy’s Pants

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Poppy's Pants by Melissa Conroy
Poppy’s Pants 
by Melissa Conroy

2 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Penelope calls her grandfather, Poppy, and when he gets a hole in the knee of his pants, she offers to sew it up for him. But sewing up a hole in the fabric proves to be more complicated than Penelope expected, especially since Poppy is color blind and doesn’t what type of thread Penelope should use! Continue reading →

Kitty Hawk Series Review

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http://www.iainreading.com/
Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold
Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway’s Ghost
Kitty Hawk and the Icelandic Intrigue
Kitty Hawk and the Tragedy of the R.M.S. Titanic
Kitty hawk and the Mystery of the Masterpieces

Book Review: Claudia

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Claudia by Barbara Brooks Wallace
Claudia 
by Barbara Brooks Wallace

4 out of 5 stars on GoodREADS


12-year-old Claudia’s best friend, Duffy, is an 8-year-old boy, and together the two get into mischief of all kinds. Her parents think she should be making friends with girls her own age, but Duffy is the only one who really understands and accepts Claudia. When the mean girls at school begin to make trouble for Claudia, it seems even more impossible to make other friends. Claudia finds the strength and imagination to stand up to bullies, navigate the treacherous waters of neighborhood kid politics, and find a new appreciation for her boring normal family.

I loved this book! Poor Claudia is so awkward, but her heart is pure and strong. Duffy is adorable as a sidekick for all Claudia’s adventures, and I loved all the supporting characters in Claudia’s family. I hated the villainous mean girls, and cheered for the good guys in every scene!

Great writing, and a wonderful plot!

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