A picture book that is a feast for young eyes. The pictures come in brilliant colors that seem to pop off the page.
A brother and sister come across a Tyrannosaurus Rex on the way home from school. Quickly deciding that he is hungry, the female sibling names him Henry and offers him a sandwich. When she decides to bring Henry home to her kitchen, the mischief escalates.
This book is part of a series of fanciful adventures for young children. Rhymes are crisp and sharp. While the vocabulary is challenging, it serves to enrich a young child’s language skills. Recommended especially for children with active imaginations in the three to six-year-old range.
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It’s no fun to have a cold. Children are not the best of patients. In this whimsical tale, the protagonist is a young boy who wakes up with all the symptoms of a bad cold. His mother tucks him back into bed and informs him he will not go to school today.
The little boy does not know how to fight a cold, but he meets Boogie in a dream. Boogie takes him on a journey to meet the worst elements of a cold. He shows the boy how to defeat them.
This book has beautiful illustrations that will have both children and adults amused. The rhyming text and large font are pleasing to the youngest reader. Children learn a lot about colds and how to combat them.
This book is a sequel to How to Catch a Cold and part of a series that will appeal particularly to boys but appropriate for all elementary school age readers.
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Celebration Babies: Highlighting Special Events for Babies, Toddlers, and Children, from Around the World
Written by Stephanie Seidler
Illustrated by Pete Olcyzk
This picture book packs a lot into forty pages. The author covers countries from around the globe and their cultural celebrations. These include celebrations connected with religion, holidays, heritage, and environment.
The description mentions that the book is appropriate for babies and toddlers. While the illustrations will enthrall that age group, the vocabulary and length of sentences are too complicated for that audience. Parents and teachers will need to adapt it to make the concepts clear for them. I would suggest making the font of the text a bit larger so that new readers might be able to handle it better.
Nevertheless, this is a beautiful book to place on a parent or teacher’s bookshelf to celebrate the best of all our cultures and remind children of the beauty of diversity and multiculturalism. I especially recommend it for ages five through nine.
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I grew up in New York City and had occasion to visit Coney Island. The illustrations in this adventure to Luna Park will blow your mind. Based on original vintage photographs, they pop off the page and draw young readers into the story..
Selena, a courageus young rabbit, faces eviction from her beloved home among the sand dunes. A new development named Luna Park will erase it from memory. Millie spies Selena and they become good friends. Together they transport readers on a fantasy adventure as the amusement park materializes. I was impressed by the historical accuracy of the tale, but it is the whimsical fantasy adventure combined with lovable, delightful characters capture the young readers’ attention.
A fine way to introduce history, empathy, friendship to the minds and hearts of readers ages three to eight.
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The Amazing Snowman Duel (bedtime story, children’s picture book, preschool, kids, kindergarten, ages 4-8, Snowman Paul): A humorous tale about friendship, bullying and rejecting violence
Written by Yossi Lapid
Illustrated by Joanna Pasek
Another fabulous adventure in the Snowman Paul series written and illustrated by this talented team. This time around Bill and his friend, Snowman Paul are challenged to a duel by a Nick, a local bully, and his Snowman Nick. Nick is much larger than Paul and very well-armed, but Paul agrees to fight as long as Nick sticks to “snowman rules.” Will this bully play fair?
On the night of the duel, animals arrive by land, sea, and air, to watch the battle. Bill covers his eyes because he fears for his friend, Paul. Who will prevail? Are Paul’s fears justified? I am rooting for Paul, who always seems to come up with the right idea.
This book teaches preschoolers and primary grade children lessons on how to treat a bully, reject violence, and develop the skills to get along with others. I recommend that teachers, parents, and librarians add this beautiful picture book to their collections.
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Santa’s Lost Sleigh: A Christmas Book about Santa and his Reindeer
Written by /Rachel Hilz
Illustrated by Ramesh Ram
This book is part of a series of picture books about Santa’s problem, losing things. In Book One, Santa ventures outside to find the parking spot for his sleigh empty.
He enlists the help of his elves and reindeer to search. When he finds the answer, all are astonished to find out the reason. It appears there was no bad intention. The lesson for readers is to ask before you take something, which is certainly important for primary grade children to understand.
This book is written in rhyme and illustrated though some of the pictures are a bit strange. My suggestion would be to enlarge the size of the text as it is difficult for the target audience to read.
This book would be especially enjoyed by children who love humor and nontraditional types of storylines.
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This book is part of a series of illustrated, beginning chapter books featuring Tweet Tweet and her penguin friends.
In this adventure, the Aurora Borealis is beginning to appear in the skies. Tweet Tweet, siblings, and friends understand this means it is almost time for the Christmas festival on Christmas Eve. They wait for their teacher to assign each a special role to prepare. They work together to prepare food, gather stones to decorate the tree, dance, and prepare for the parade. This book teaches children the lessons of the need to prepare ahead of time, work as a team, share tasks, and show empathy for each other.
The illustrations are in full-color that provide extra encouragement for beginning or reluctant readers. I recommend this series for readers in the six to nine year old age group.
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What Am I? Christmas: A Picture Book of Read-Aloud, Rhyming Christmas Riddles
Written by Shana Gorian
Illustrated by Art Porta
A beautifully illustrated Christmas holiday picture book!
Children (and adults) love solving riddles. This book could easily become a family holiday tradition passed down from one generation to another. These rhymes contain riddles about easily recognizable holiday objects appropriate for all ages from preschool on up.
Suggested for families and classrooms. Siblings or classmates might even want to turn the fourteen riddles into a competition to see who might get the most correct answers. Fun for all ages.
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Schoochie and Skiddles: Schoochie’s Adoption Story
Written by Tom Tracy
Illustrated by Dustin James
Scoochie has been adopted by two men. She understands that her mother needed help in raising her. Scoochie explains the steps in the adoption process and how she feels loved and accepted. The subject is handled in a non-judgmental way that clearly explains the adoption process for children of all ages to understand. Non-traditional families with two dads as the adopters willing to maintain a relationship with birth mother and sister are presented simply and logically so that even the youngest child may grasp the situation. This picture book is part of a series that focuses on the non-traditional family.
I would highly recommend it for all parents, teachers, elementary and middle-school children as a springboard for discussion about both adoption and non-traditional families.
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Publisher’s Synopsis: The world is not always a perfect place. Needles, a scraggly little tree, must endure criticism, laughter, and setbacks to realize his goal of becoming a beautiful Christmas tree.
This is a story of dreams, desires, hope, determination, and never giving up. It also offers the observation that what others think is beautiful may not really matter. Beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder and paired with the spirit of Christmas, maybe we can make the world just a little more perfect!
Richard Wagner grew up in Southern California. When he was fourteen years old, a business friend of his father’s had a small Christmas tree delivered as a thank-you. Their family already had a large tree decorated in the house. Not being able to find anyone who needed a tree, that small Christmas tree stood outside by itself for the remainder of the Christmas holiday. Needles, the Forgotten Christmas Tree is a tribute to that little tree and what might have been, but more importantly, to all the beauty, goodness, and hope that Christmas brings to us all. Mr. Wagner continues to reside in Southern California with his wife and two children.
What a perfect picture book to celebrate the meaning of the season! Needles is a short, scruffy evergreen tree growing on a Christmas tree farm. The adjoining trees make fun of him, but Needles firmly believes he will achieve his goal to become a beautiful Christmas tree in someone’s home.
The trees are cut down and brought to market but as day after day passes, Needle’s friends are chosen, while no one seems interested in him. When the owner of the lot, decides to gift Needles to a friend, Needles is elated. Now he will have a home! Will he achieve his dream to become a beautiful Christmas tree?
The story contains many twists and turns. Children (and the adults who read this story to them) remember that the promises of faith and hope are at the heart of the Christmas season. Even more important that sharing and caring for others is the true spirit of Christmas.
A perfect holiday choice for a bedtime story or read-aloud with elementary school children.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a copy of Needles, the Forgotten Christmas Tree, autographed by Richard Wagner.
One (1) winner receives:
– An autographed copy of Needles, the Forgotten Christmas Tree
January 8, 2023
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