Bright Star: Empowering Children to Believe in Themselves and Follow Their Dreams
Written by Heather Dodge
Little Star is struggling to find her way in the world. Can she perform her job well? As she experiences failures and successes, Little Star discovers how to believe in herself and follow her dreams.
Children develop self-confidence and self-esteem, how to develop courage and resiliency. The questions and reflections prompt young readers to develop empathy for Little Star while building up the same skills within themselves. It enables readers to enjoy the adventures through the interactive experience.
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It’s time for Judah’s jiu-Jitsu tournament but he is paralyzed by his fears. He is not afraid of losing but of the monsters. He sees them everywhere, even in the mirror in his bedroom.
When the lion monster pulls Judah into the mirror, he must confront the bully, but he is not alone. There are many children with similar fears.
How will Judah respond? Will he face his greatest fear? What will happen to the other children?
This multicultural picture book is well-written and beautifully illustrated. All children can see themselves and learn to face their fears.
Recommended to parents and teachers of children ages five through twelve.
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Fatso Runs Away from Home: An easy reading adventure following a cat’s adventure
Written by Garth and Mo Reason
Illustrated by Harriet Kim Anh Rodis
Fatso is a spoiled cat. For many years he has lived a comfortable life in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Reason.
One day a visitor to the home brings a dog named Maria to the home. Fatso wants to become friends but Maria is bossy and unwilling to share. So Fatso ventures out into the outside world he has never seen.
At first, Fatso sees his outing as an adventure. He meets a neighborhood cat, Sebastian. When Fatso gets lost, he becomes frightened until he meets up with Fluffy and her family.
Will Fatso survive in the outside world? Does he ever find his way back home?
This picture book uses a cat world view to teach children how to have courage, resilience, and empathy. The author includes activities to encourage young readers to think about what happened in the story and enhance reading comprehension skills.
I would suggest this book as a picture book for younger children or a beginning reading for older elementary school readers.
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A Dreidel of Wonders: A whimsical Hanukkah story with a twist for kids
Written and Illustrated by Edith Naaman
This book combines a whimsical tale of the dreidel with an informative guide for teachers and parents. The first part of the story written in rhyme teaches children about Hanukkah and the role of the dreidel.
Each year when the holiday season passes, Nana packs the dreidel away. One year the dreidel objects and asks why it cannot remain on the shelf with the other toys. Nana accedes to his request.
The second part of the book reflects on the theory of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Program) which is a collection of research, practices, and ideas that assist children to connect with their abilities and other people. This section of the book shows how the dreidel prepares children to conquer pain, fear, and find the courage to try within themselves.
Children as young as three can enjoy the first part of the story, while the second part is a useful resource for caretakers and parents.
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A little girl enjoys visiting the garden where her guardian angel stands behind her giving her the courage to share adventures and later to face challenges in school. As the girl grows older, she faces new challenges but the angel is always there to support and encourage her.
When the girl becomes an adult and moves away the angel is sad. Life has become difficult for both of them. Will the woman find the strength to move forward? Can the guardian angel find happiness once more?
The picture book contains beautiful illustrations and valuable life lessons. An uplifting story for any age.
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The author is an educator and parent of six. She shares the hopes that most parents have for their children. Courage, resilience, empathy, and kindness are a few of these. The short rhymes are easy for young children to remember. Illustrations are multicultural and include references to the author’s own family as revealed in the fun facts at the end of the story. Adults and children will enjoy learning about the symbolism of nature and the themes included in this book.
A delightful read-aloud or bedtime story for elementary age readers.
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Hopper, the rabbit, is so excited. He has just learned that an amusement park is opening near his home. That excitement soon turns to fear when he realizes that the park also contains his greatest fear. Hopper does not want to reveal that fear to his friends who think he is brave.
Hopper avoids invitations to the amusement park from friends until one his his best friends decides to have her birthday party at the park. That forces Hopper to face that fear. Will his friends be disappointed?
The tale ends with a twist that teaches young readers strength of character and courage. While the book is targeted for preschoolers, the lessons may be better understood by primary grade readers.
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Chanterelle is a squirrel who lives in the park. She possesses an unusual passion for music. Chanterelle longs to hear musicians play each summer.
One day she hears music in the distance. Chanterelle is hesitant to leave her surroundings, but the sweet sounds lure her on. A raven gives her some advice. He encourages her not to be afraid. Chanterelle timidly ventures forth into the city.
Chanterelle meets Nina and her handicapped father. Nina plays a balalaika, the source of that sweet sound. But Chanterelle will also encounter bandits, bullies, and other dangers. Will she succeed in returning to the forest? Can this plucky squirrel achieve her musical dreams?
I consider this book a beginning chapter or middle-grade tale that inspires young readers to stand up for their rights, maintain their dreams, and oppose bullies. Recommended for readers ages seven through twelve.
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Publisher’s Synopsis: When the survival of their hometown is threatened, two unlikely comrades join forces on a quest to defeat a dangerous enemy and bring back the only one who can save them all.
Beyond the frozen mountains there lies an oasis from the frigid cold and the howling winds. A place the animals call Lake Zuron. What a wonderful place, happy creatures of all kinds, living in harmony and warmth thanks to their very own fire-breathing dragon named Daniel.
But one day everything changed when the unthinkable happened. The Dragon fire goes out and immediately the air begins to chill. Things were not looking good but just when all hope was lost, an unlikely hero steps up. Join Spark the mouse on an adventure of a lifetime as he and his friends do their part to save their town from an icy demise.
With the magical power of Daniel, the Dragon there could be hope. But first, they must face and defeat a dangerous enemy, the vile beasts who own these mountains where nobody passes through.
Along this journey maybe you will discover that it’s that little Spark in each of us that really matters, and that a little Spark could save them from the coming cold. The story reminds us that we all need something in life every day to ignite our passion and spirit – to help the world be a “warmer” place and to look for ways to “Be That Spark.”
Ages 7+ | Publisher: Zuroam Media | October 1, 2020 | ISBN-13: 978-1735145501
About the Author
Chris Parsons grew up in the small fishing village of Flatrock, Newfoundland where he was surrounded by storytellers. When he became a father, he began creating his own children’s stories, and soon he was sharing them with a wider audience.
Over time, his audience grew up, but he continued to create his stories and colorful characters mostly for his own enjoyment. One day he had a flash of inspiration about a little mouse named Spark and began to create the world of A Little Spark.
Today, Chris lives in Dallas. He has left the high-tech world of innovation and business development behind and is focused on his real passion – to create new meaningful experiences for children centered around powerful and engaging stories like ” A little Spark.”
Together with his wife, Kathleen, daughter, Maggie, and son, Kealan, they share a love for all God’s creatures.
Mike Motz is a children’s book illustrator and publishing professional based out of Toronto, Canada. Motz has helped writers around the world fulfill their dreams of publishing their works. To date, Motz has been responsible for the creation of the artwork for over 300 self-published children’s books.
About the Narrator
Brandon McInnis is a voice actor and singer known primarily for his work on animation and video games. He voices Sir Nighteye in My Hero Academia, Ganos in Dragon Ball Super, Finral Roulacase in Black Clover, Asagiri Gen in Dr. Stone, Yuna D. Kaito in Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Frodo Baggins in Lord of the Rings Online, Patrick Phelps in Black Butler, Sonosuke Izayoi in Danganronpa 3, Erlang Shen in SMITE, and many more.
With a deep love for music production and originally trained as an opera singer, Brandon also produces music for release on YouTube and Spotify. He can be followed on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram: @BranMci.
About the Music Producer
Bruce Faulconer is a musician, composer, and record producer based in Dallas, Texas. He is the owner and founder of Faulconer Productions Music, and CakeMix Recording Studio. Faulconer writes music for orchestra, various instrumental and choral groups, along with the music for feature films, and TV series, including the anime Dragon Ball Z. He recently completed twelve songs for A Little Spark, included in a new audiobook, an interactive children’s book, and an animated feature film in development. He resides in Dallas with his wife Lisa and is the father of two sons.
My Review of A LITTLE SPARK
SMALL BUT MIGHTY
A Little Spark
Written by Chris Parsons
Illustrated by Mike Motz
This interactive book is a valuable resource for young children’s minds on so many levels. It is innovative, inspiring, and entertaining.
The target audience range is a wide one. This book contains rich illustrations that could place it in the picture book category. But with a length of more than one hundred fifty pages, it also might be considered a chapter book or a middle-grade reader. What it delivers is a range of fascinating animal characters which are personified with a range of human emotions and aspirations. There are fire-breathing dragons, bears, mice, weasels, goats, cats, and raccoons. They live in Lake Zuron, an oasis on the edge of a frozen world. Their world survives only because of the warmth provided by Daniel, a fire-breathing dragon. Lake Zuron is not an ideal society. The “Supervisors” contain the stronger animals, a ruling class. Far below them, “The Streeters,” perform all the work.
One day, Daniel loses his ability to produce fire. Lake Zuron faces extinction. But Sparky, a tiny mouse, finds within himself the courage to make the perilous journey over the frozen wasteland of their enemies, the Scabes, to follow a rumor that another land survives on the other side of the mountain. He and Veen venture to the other side. Will they discover salvation or face extinction?
Young readers learn many lessons from the colorful cast of characters as the adventure unfolds. Hope, courage, friendship, equality, fairness, and responsibility are exemplified in the faces and actions of the characters, both large and small. But Parsons provides much more than an excellent book. Embedded within its pages are a collection of twelve songs, private video messages from the characters, the ability to take a photo with your favorite character, or an opportunity for readers to share their personal opinions on the interactive lesson pages at the end of the book.
I highly recommend this unique educational resource for readers age eight through eighty-eight.
PURCHASE LINK
Before October 1st, pre-order your copy, email the team at Zuroam Media, and they’ll give you the audiobook free so you can enjoy it while you wait for the book to arrive. You can find all the email address and links to your favorite bookstore here:https://bethatspark.com/shop/.
The Sunny Adventure: a story about true friendship (Animal World Alice Ira Book 1)
Written by Alice Ira
Illustrated by Elena Teplova
Translated by Nina Kutia
This book is a tender tale about a little fox named Redkin and her first hunting quest. Redkin is rather lazy. She reacts with shock where her mother tells her to go out and find her own food. A bit reluctantly, Redkin sets off on her quest. She looks up at the Sun and decides that it looks like a delicious pancake. She decides to bring it home to her mother.
Redkin meets a frog named Loudcroak along her route. They decide to become partners. Redkin remains fearful but Loudcroak provides the courage and inspiration to continue their search. Other animals offer advice, but the sun continues to elude them.
How will Redkin handle her defeat? What does the fox learn about friendship, compassion, and bravery?
This book is targeted for ages six through twelve. While the length of the book is appropriate for a beginning chapter book, some of the vocabulary is a bit advanced for the lower end of this audience. I would recommend the book particularly for reluctant readers; the illustrations are beautiful and suited to the mood of the tale. Recommended especially for readers ages eight through twelve.
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November 6, 2022
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