Meatball’s Adventurous Appetite: A Pet Cat’s Funny, Entertaining, and Engaging Read Aloud Thanksgiving Story Picture Book for Kids 3-8
Written by Dr. Feng Zheng-Ward
Illustrated by Roka Studio
This book is part of a series about Meatball and his family. When Mrs. Jones needs to run to the store, she leaves their Thanksgiving turkey on the counter. The cat sees his chance, but fails to foresee the danger.
What follows is a hilarious adventure that creates havoc for the entire family and the fire department.
Will Meatball learn his lesson? What happens to Thanksgiving dinner?
The picture book is a delight for young cat lovers and fans of humorous stories. It includes fun to read highlighted words and story questions.
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG FOR NEW BOOK REVIEWS EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY.
Mommy Has a Monster on Her Back!: A Story about Chronic Illness
Written by Liz Long
Illustrated by Ethan Roffler
The author and illustrator have succeeded in creating a beautiful picture book with an important message for young children.
This book is done in soft pastels and features words in bold that play on the different feelings engendered by chronic physical or mental illness. The illness is compared to a monster on mommy’s back. Some days are easy and others hard but mommy learns to deal with the illness and the child sees the need for resilience and acceptance. By using humor and analogies, even a preschooler can understand chronic illness.
Highly recommended for families and counselors who deal with chronic or physical illness.
Mommy Has a Monster on her Back!: A Story about Chronic Illness
Written by Liz Long
Illustrated by Ethan Roffler
The author and illustrator have succeeded in creating a beautiful picture book with an important message for young children.
This book is done in soft pastels and features words in bold that play on the different feelings engendered by chronic physical or mental illness. The illness is compared to a monster on mommy’s back. Some days are easy and others hard but mommy learns to deal with the illness and the child sees the need for resilience and acceptance. By using humor and analogies, even a preschooler can understand chronic illness.
Highly recommended for families and counselors who deal with chronic or physical illness.
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG FOR NEW BOOK REVIEWS EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY.
Thankful Day In Animalsville: Thanksgiving Story About Being Thankful And Showing Kindness to Others By Serving The Community
Written by Virtuous Nyamesem Cornwall
This book is a beautiful and effective way to explain the meaning of giving thanks and putting the message into action. It is particularly effective for young children.
Using animals as the main characters, the author explains that the town has decided to express gratitude on Thanksgiving Day by doing kind things for others. Thinking as a community, each family decides on a way to help someone outside their own family. Then the families of Animalsville present the action steps. Examples include visiting a food pantry, cleaning up trash, visiting a nursing home, assisting the homeless, and cleaning house for the elderly.
At the end of the book, young readers receive a list of suggestions to practice their own action steps of gratitude in their own communities.
Highly recommended for parents and teachers of children from ages five and older to teach the values kindness, respect, gratitude, and civics.
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG FOR NEW BOOK REVIEWS EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY.
The author explores the different locations for homes that both humans and animal creatures inhabit. They could be underground, underwater, up in the trees, or under open skies. Some are found in cold climates, and others in warm areas. They might be built of different materials like ice, stone, wood, or even the shell on the animal’s back. Most important, a home can be found anywhere as along as there is a loving support group.
The rhymes are crisp and sharp, the illustrations colorful and alluring.
I highly recommend this book exploring the diversity of our world to parents and teachers of preschoolers and primary grade children.
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG FOR NEW BOOK REVIEWS EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY.
Publisher’s Book Summary: With bright, watercolor collages, My Love for You Is Like a Garden celebrates unconditional love with vibrant garden scenes that will delight fans of Lois Ehlert and Eric Carle. Perfect for baby showers, bedtime read-alouds, or anyone you love!
Say “I love you” with this charming picture book families will love reading together over and over again. Bold, colorful illustrations of flowers, butterflies, and animals will inspire readers of all ages to explore the natural world—and maybe even plant their own garden. Children will delight in finding ladybugs hidden throughout, and a glossary provides the names of each plant and animal featured. A beautiful book to share with a child, parent, or anyone who means the world to you!
If you’ve already purchased a copy of My Love for You Is Like a Garden, head on over to Laura Smetana’s website to receive two free downloadable 8×10 watercolor collage art prints:
–Print 1 – My love for you is like a garden
–Print 2 – My love for you flows freely
ABOUT THE AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR
Laura Smetana is the author and illustrator of My Love for You Is Like a Garden, a joyful picture book that celebrates unconditional love with bold, watercolor collages of garden scenes. She is also the author ofIce Cream with Grandpa: A Loving Story for Kids About Alzheimer’s & Dementia (illustrated by Elisabete B. P. de Moraes), which was winner of a Northern Lights Book Award, and Little Squiggle’s Lake Adventure, which she co-authored with her son, Stirling Hebda.
shaWhen she isn’t writing or painting, Laura can be found talking to kids at school author visits, gardening in her sunhat, and spending time with her family outdoors. Laura lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and son. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the Downers Grove Artists’ Guild.
What a beautiful way to express a message of love! This simple picture book contains soft, watercolors that match its gentle message. Smetana compares her love to the elements found in a garden like the warm sun, the smell of lilacs, the blades of grass, water flowing, and butterflies dancing, to name a few.
Its message correlated with our senses in short sentences presented in an easy-to-read font appeal to children of any age. Smetana includes a glossary at the end of the book. Young readers become participants when they search for each character mentioned in the story and the ladybug hidden on each page.
I would suggest this book as a fantastic gift for a reader of any age, including adults. Surely, a memento to be treasured or a valuable tool for a parent to express love for a child.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a glorious garden-themed grand prize, including a hardcover copy of My Love for You Is Like a Garden, autographed by Laura Smetana!
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
A cotton tote bag filled with:
-A hardcover copy of My Love for You Is Like a Garden, signed by author & illustrator Laura Smetana
– 4 oz of tea from Adagio Teas
– A bar of Italian rose soap
– Cherry blossom & tea rose hand lotion
– Sunflower & ladybug garden stake
– A 12 piece colored pencil set
– A mini sketchbook with elastic closure band
– 5 blank cards & envelopes featuring art from My Love for You is Like a Garden
Two (2) winners receive:
-A paperback copy of My Love for You Is Like a Garden, signed by author & illustrator Laura Smetana
An enjoyable historical fiction read based on real characters. A well-researched tale that follows several families during World War II and the Spanish flu pandemic.
The characters are believable and well-developed. Readers are drawn into the tragedies, the struggles, and at times, a bit of humor despite the awful circumstances. Each of the separate stories hits the mark and makes a deep impression on the reader.
If you enjoy historical fiction, adventure, and in-depth characters, you will like this tale.
If you would like more book reviews, please subscribe by clicking on the word Follow or by hitting the RSS Feed button in the upper-right hand corner of this page.
How The Cockroach Lost Its Voice: After Dinner Conversations
Written by Samuel Reifler
This book certainly will provoke unique discussions. The protagonists are two cockroaches who venture on a journey to the top of the refrigerator. They carry on a conversation about the squishy humans with three eyes. The third eye is their brain. Unfortunately, their brain allows them to focus on the past and the future as well as the present. That makes them unable to appreciate the beauty around them.
The book contains approximately 17 pages. While I found the plot interesting, it ended rather abruptly and left me wanting to hear more. Readers are provided with discussion questions and a link to a podcast group.
I believe families and couples might enjoy these books to stimulate interesting conversations. Recommended for children and adults ages eight and older.
If you enjoyed reading this post, please subscribe by clicking on the word Follow or by hitting the orange RSS Feed button in the upper right-hand corner of this page.
May 18, 2025
bamauthor
Comments Off on A THANKSGIVING TO REMEMBER
Barbara Ann Mojica's BLOG 
You must be logged in to post a comment.