A Christian family talks about how to stay strong while dad is deployed in military service. The older brother and sister help with chores, assist their baby brother and create projects to send dad and keep his spirits up. Though it is difficult for them, they understand the meaning of his sacrifice and are proud of him.
This picture book is recommended as a resource for families in military service.
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An adorable, little counting book for toddlers and preschoolers. The illustrations are vibrant and fun; the text is easily read aloud.
The author uses sandpipers as her subject. Beach scenes feature counting from one to ten. The bonus features include a song to sing and interactive identification of other sea creatures for the young reader to search out and identify.
Highly recommended and fun for both children and adults.
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What is Supply and Demand?: Personal Finance for Kids
Written by Kelly Lee
Kids love ice cream and cookies. What a creative and fun way to explain the concept of supply and demand to young children!
The author uses animals to explain what happens to the owner of a cookie and ice cream shop when supply and demand change. Ava and Hank are customers who visit the shop in different seasons and note the differences. There are clear explanations and beautiful illustrations.
I especially love that the author makes the book interactive by posing different scenarios for children to think about and offering solutions. Parents are also provided with tips to illustrate supply and demand with their children in everyday situations.
Highly recommended for parents and teachers of children ages three through eight.
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Publisher: Beach Lane Books | ISBN-13: 9781534451056
About the Book: Discover the true story of how a shy miner’s daughter became one of the most legendary costume designers in Hollywood in this inspiring nonfiction picture book biography.
As a child in the small mining town of Searchlight, Nevada, Edith Head had few friends and spent most of her time dressing up her toys and pets and even wild animals using fabric scraps. She always knew she wanted to move somewhere full of people and excitement. She set her sights on Hollywood and talked her way into a job sketching costumes for a movie studio.
Did she know how to draw or sew costumes? No. But that didn’t stop her!
Edith taught herself and tirelessly worked her way up until she was dressing some of the biggest stars of the day, from Audrey Hepburn to Grace Kelly to Ginger Rogers. She became the first woman to head a major Hollywood movie studio costume department and went on to win eight Academy Awards for best costume design—and she defined the style of an era.
Jeanne Walker Harvey studied literature and psychology at Stanford University and has worn many job hats, ranging from being a roller coaster ride operator to an attorney, a middle school language arts teacher, and a long-time docent for school groups at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She is the author of several books for young readers, including the picture book biographies Dressing up the Stars: The Story of Movie Costume Designer Edith Head,Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas, and Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines. Jeanne lives in Northern California.
Diana Toledano is an illustrator, writer, and educator. She is also a Pisces who loves children’s books, patterns, and dancing her heart out. Originally from Spain, Diana (pronounced the Spanish way: dee-ah-na) grew up in Madrid where she studied art history and illustration. Now she lives in San Francisco with her husband and two fluffy cats. Her mixed media art seeks to capture the magic of the ordinary. Diana’s product designs, picture books, board books, and chapter books have been published and sold all over the world. Diana also teaches workshops for kids and adults. She enjoys doing school visits and speaking at conferences.
This is a beautifully illustrated picture book that relates the biography of Edith Head, the famous Hollywood costume designer.
Edith seemed an unlikely candidate for such a career. She grew up in isolated mining towns in the desert; her father worked as a mining engineer. Edith grew up with few friends, so she dressed up pets and invented make-believe friends with scraps of fabric. When she moved to Searchlight, Nevada, Edith created costumes for her two girlfriends.
Life changed when her mother sent her to high school in Los Angeles. There she fell in love with the movies. After attending college, she got a job drawing costumes. At first, she failed, but Edith worked hard until she became an Academy Award winning costume designer.
Edith provides a strong female role model for young girls everywhere, proving to them that through arduous work, determination, and perseverance, anyone can achieve a dream.
I would highly recommend this gorgeous picture book for primary grade readers, especially those interested in fashion design and the movies.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a set of five copies of Dressing Up the Stars: The Story of Movie Costume Designer Edith Head!
Five (5) winners receive:
A set of five copies of Dressing Up the Stars: The Story of Movie Costume Designer Edith Head
Pigeon in the Pinewoods: a shifter paranormal adventure (The Hinterland Chronicles Book 1)
Written by Kevin George
Book One of this series begins with the birth of Niko and the disappearance of his mother from the hospital. The author describes Niko in such a way that readers immediately empathize with him. They follow him on a long journey that involves his bouncing from one home to another.
Niko is no ordinary child. He possesses strange abilities and powers. For middle-grade readers who enjoy adventure and the paranormal, this book is a good choice. Niko is a shifter, the scenes are done tastefully with just enough of a edge. Children who enjoy magic and fantasy but also a bit of the darker side should enjoy the quick read.
The author does a good job of moving the plot along. Short chapters contain much dialogue but no illustrations. Older readers will not be disappointed.
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About the Book: Mrs. R Snugglesworth is 70 pounds of low-to-the-ground PRECIOUS. She is the Best at Finding Slightly-Used Sandwiches and the Best at Loving Ham—and now she’s looking for her next big challenge. To her surprise, she finds it at the local Bark Park, when she discovers a passion for the law. Dog law, that is.
In two wags of a tail, she enrolls at Wagsworth Legal Academy, eager to become a lawyer. Turns out, it’s not that easy learning to be the Best at Law School. But when Mrs. R. learns that her friend Pitter-Patter needs help, she can’t wait to take on her first case. Only one small issue: she hasn’t quite finished her law degree. Some dogs might consider this a problem, but not Mrs. R! After all, Pitter-Patter needs a lawyer, and she is ALMOST a lawyer. Which everyone knows is practically as good as being a lawyer, right?
She’ll just juggle her law classes, naps, walks, power naps, chasing tennis balls, snacks, naps, and work on Pitter-Patter’s case at the same time! What could possibly go wrong?
Amy Flanagan is an Instructional Designer and children’s author living with her family in the Chicago suburb of Batavia. She began writing Mrs. R. Snugglesworth, Attorney-at-Law in early 2021 to stay busy during the long pandemic winter. She wanted to create something that would make kids (and adults) laugh out loud. She is already working on the second book in the “Mrs. R.” series. Like you, she wonders what the ‘R’ stands for.
Jon Davis is an award-winning freelance illustrator living and working in Cumbria, UK. He always loved drawing as a child, thinking up characters and stories – paints, pencils, felt tips, crayons, anything would do. So he decided to study Illustration at Glyndwr University, Wrexham. He works digitally in Photoshop with a tablet and pen because the ‘undo’ function saves him from the depths of frustration.
What a fun book choice for a beginning or middle-grade reader! Flanagan tells her story from the point of view of an English Labrador who serves on jury duty and becomes interested in a law career. He enrolls in Wagsworth Legal Academy and soon finds himself practicing law.
The hilarious adventure entertains both children and the adults fortunate enough to read this book. Flanagan appeals to dog and animal lovers with the humor and compassion contained on every page. The black and white illustrations extend the fun displaying playful scenes.
At just under one hundred pages, reluctant readers will gravitate to this tale. Readers may choose to read independently, or teachers may select it as a page-turning read-aloud in the classroom. I hope there will be more adventures with Mrs. R. Snugglesworth in the future.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Mrs. R. Snugglesworth, Attorney-at-Law, and a $50 gift card to bookshop.org*.
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
An autographed copy of Mrs. R. Snugglesworth, Attorney-at-Law
Written by Elizabeth Jenner, Kate Wilson, and Nia Roberts
Illustrated by Alex Scheffler
This book is available in kindle, audio, and paperback editions. It is laid out in a question-and-answer graphic novel format.
The characters ask questions about the origin, symptoms, spread, treatments, preventions, vaccines, and social-emotional issues. There is an effort to include examples of diversity and disabilities so that all types of children are included. It provides a great deal of information without advocating a specific approach.
I do think that the print size in the kindle edition could be made much larger. It is rather difficult to read. A larger easy-to-read font would be friendlier to those with visual problems.
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Ninjas Go to a Party: A Rhyming Children’s Book About Parties and Practicing Inclusion
Written by Mary Nhin
Those fun-loving ninjas work hard all week, but they do love to take a break occasionally to party. When they do let their hair down, Inclusive Ninja makes sure that everyone has an enjoyable time. He welcomes all to eat, share activities, and work as a team.
This book is part of a series that employs lovable characters to teach life lessons and values like friendship, empathy, compassion, and inclusiveness.
The entire series is available in boxed sets, individual books, and collections arranged by theme.
A fun book to read aloud, for a bedtime story, or for classroom discussion.
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The Choices I Make: Children’s Book about Making Choices, Anger, Emotions Management
Written by Michael Gordon
Illustrated by Max Larin
A nice, rhyming picture book to open up a discussion on how to deal with anger for preschoolers and elementary school children.
When Josh discovers that his sister took his favorite toy, he lashes out at her. Josh’s dad hears the shouting and offers some advice to his son. Why not stop and think for a minute and then count backward?
In the coming days, Josh learns other ways to control his feelings when he feels anger rising to the surface. He does not like losing a game to his friends, being refused candy, or waiting patiently for his needs to be met.
Adorable illustrations and simple scenarios teach young children how to control their emotions.
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When Lily May returns home from school in a bad mood, her mom knows just what to do.
What happened to put Lily May in such a foul mood? All her classmates made fun of her favorite ruby heels. The other children seem to favor dull brown flat shoes. Lily’s mom, her cat, and her favorite book are the magical ingredients to rescue Lily May from her funk.
She is reminded of just what a dull place the world would be if we all looked and behaved the same. By the end of the tale, Lily May is celebrating her uniqueness.
This book is written in crisp rhymes with adorable multicultural illustrations. I especially enjoyed the quick exercises that the offer includes for creating, brave, proud, respectful, empathetic, and mindful young readers. Parents and teachers will want to try them all. Highly recommended for primary grade children.
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September 28, 2022
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