Grandma, It’s Me!: A Children’s Book about Dementia
Written by Y. Y. Chan
Illustrated by Pearly L.
So many families contain an elderly member suffering from dementia. This book goes a long way toward explaining and humanizing the difficult situation.
The protagonist is a young girl named Riley. It follows her diary entries over a period of time. One day Riley notices that her grandmother is forgetting things. As time passes, grandma wanders off and forgets the names of family members. She needs constant care and that is a burden on the family. Chan shows how to combine love with patience as the family must constantly adjust their situation.
This book is a great resource in explaining dementia to young children. I liked the multicultural images, the characters, and the abundant resources included. Readers receive a list of questions and reflections about what they read as well as activities to download.
This book is highly recommended not only to parents and teachers but also counselors who work in mental health facilities or in schools with children.
Publisher: Jodi Dee Publishing (2025) | ISBN: 978-1736209363
Publisher’s Book Summary: Myles is an average thirteen-year-old boy until one day, Sally Munson shows up with purple pants on that look like a Halloween costume. As classmates tease and make fun of her, Myles starts to see these negative words as fireballs of energy being thrown at Sally. He finds himself in the middle of a war zone, invisible to everyone but him!
In a suspenseful, supernatural tale of self-discovery and friendship with constant, unexpected twists and turns, Myles tries to understand his newfound superpower. He not only learns about the energy exchange between humans but the energy of all things.
Myles and his friends discover the new ZS phone is stealing people’s energy. Follow Myles as he navigates this new reality and works to stop the theft of this energy with the help of his friends.
Jodi Dee is an award-winning author of the best-selling books The Dirt Girl and The Seeking Tree. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and History and a Master’s in Education from Clark University. She is a dedicated mother of three with more than twenty years of experience in education. Jodi is a passionate advocate and teacher of self-love, self-awareness, emotional mastery, and empowering children to learn through independence, creativity, self-exploration, and discovery.
OUT OF THIS WORLD Energy Wars: The Awakening Written by Jodi Dee
This book is the first of a new series of thrilling adventures. Dee succeeds in developing interesting and complex characters that challenge the imagination, but also compels the middle- grade reader to pay attention to the important underlying messages.
The protagonist, Myles, is a typical thirteen-year-old who lives in a somewhat dysfunctional family. His father pays him little attention, and his mother disappeared shortly after his birth. One day his ordinary life is transformed by the discovery of a superpower. He learns about his mission to spread happiness through his ability to observe the energy fields of others.
As Myles draws his two closest friends into the mystery, they research the science and psychology of energy fields. The plot comes to a climax when Myles’ grandfather gifts him five boxes that belonged to his grandmother revealing more strange truths.
Readers won’t want to put the book down until all is revealed. The ending sets up the next installment.
GIVEAWAY
Readers who follow the tour can enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a hardcover copy of Energy Wars: The Awakening. One grand prize winner will win one of the signed first copies of the second book in the series, releasing in Fall 2025.
Publisher’s Book Summary: Fairytale Land’s baddest girl is about to head to a prince’s ball. A modern, twisted retelling of Cinderella.
Once upon a time in Fairytale Land, there lived Sylvia Locke—the baddest girl around. So bad that her grandparents have shipped her off to live with her uptight Aunt Marjorie and two goody-two-shoes step-cousins. When an invitation to the prince’s ball arrives, Sylvia is determined to attend at any cost, even if it means enlisting the help of an evil fairy godmother (against Fairytale Land laws, but has that ever stopped her?). Along this chaotic quest, Sylvia stumbles into some unexpectedly imperfect friends. But will she also learn to appreciate those who truly care for her?
The second book in the Tairy Fails series of modern, twisted retelling that puts a hilarious, rebellious, new spin on the classic fairy tales. Perfect for elementary school kids and early chapter book readers.
David Horn lives in New Jersey with his wife, two daughters, and a funny dog named Trixie. He is the author of the popular Eudora Space Kid early reader humorous sci-fi chapter book series. He enjoys making kids laugh.
Sylvia Locke’s Cinderella and the Evil Fairy Godmother (Tairy Fails Book 2)
Written by David Horn
Illustrated by Judit Tondora
Sylvia Locke has a reputation for being bad. Her parents disappeared and she lives with her grandparents. In despair Sylvia’s grandparents decided to ship her off to her Aunt Marjorie and twin cousins in the suburbs to learn manners.
Sylvia is distraught. She continues to make mischief. When an invitation to the young prince’s ball arrives at the house, Sylvia weasels an invitation by enlisting the help of an evil fairy godmother, but her plans go awry.
The book contains cute black and white illustrations to appeal to beginning readers. The characters are fun and the humor age appropriate. Cinderella fans will love the twists and turns of this remake of the classic fairy tale.
Although the book is part of a series, this book is independent of the first book. It is not necessary to read them in order.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a paperback copy of Sylvia Locke’s Cinderella and the Evil Fairy Godmother and a $25 Amazon gift card!
September 11, 2024 bamauthorComments Off on NAUGHTY BUT NICE – Sylvia Locke’s Cinderella and the Evil Fairy Godmother (Tairy Fails #2) – VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR AND GIVEAWAY
Publisher’s Book Summary: This is the story of Webster the beagle and his adventures at the Rappahannock River, whose tale of hope will inspire you to never give up on your dreams. Sometimes, we think we’re lost when, really, we’re just hoping to be found.
Frank Payne’s energy and enthusiasm are contagious, so dog breeds such as beagles and Labradors are a perfect fit for him. He is an avid hunter, tennis player, and fan of all things James Madison University. Frank is also active in his community and enjoys exploring new ventures—from owning racehorses to oyster farming.
Frank is vice president and a minority owner of PD Brooks Company Inc., a traffic control company in Richmond, Virginia. He lives in Richmond with his wife, Caren, and their two dogs: Billy, the beagle, and River, the black Labrador retriever. On July 1, 2022, Frank adopted Billy the beagle from Richmond Animal Care Control (RACC). Billy was one of over four thousand beagles rescued from Envigo and adopted across the country. RACC was instrumental in protecting and fostering many of the beagles in Virginia.
Webster the Beagle and His Adventures at the River
Written by Frank Payne
Illustrated by Romney Vasquez
This picture book adventure features a beagle named Webster who narrates his adventures from season to season along the Rappahannock River in Virginia.
Webster is a lovable beagle who especially enjoys meeting the creatures who inhabit the river. In the spring, he meets the ospreys who return to make their nests and raise their young. Summer finds him accompanying his master to go crabbing. In the fall, they harvest oysters from the river. Winter finds them bundling up to fish for rockfish. When not cruising down the river, Webster enjoys life at home with his friendly neighbors and his brother and family member, River, a black labrador retriever.
The illustrator presents vivid multicultural images that portray the emotions and mood of the tale. Payne introduces the young reader to a plethora of information about each of the creatures that inhabit the river. This book is a good jumping off point to encourage a child to explore them in greater detail. Also, the author donates part of his sales from the book to charity, which provides a good example to his primary grade reading audience.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a free signed copy of Webster the Beagle and Webster the Beagle and His Adventures at the River.
Faithful Trail: Women’s FictionHistorical Saga (Courage on the Oregon Trail: Book 2
Written by A. T. Butler
This book is a work of historical fiction appropriate for adults and young adults.
Olivia is an Virginia orphan raised by her aunt and uncle who treat her with little dignity. Her monotonous life changes when she meets a preacher and falls in love. When he decides to join a wagon train and head West to Oregon, she anticipates a great adventure but finds more hardship along the route. Will she be liberated by this marriage and promise of a new independent life or will she continue to find disappointment?
For the most part, the book is a historically accurate telling of life on the Oregon trail. The author reflects the experience from the point of view of different characters in the story. On the other hand, the book is marred by errors in proofreading which detracts from the flow of the story.
Fans of historical fiction will find it an enjoyable read.
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This middle-grade book will be especially enjoyed by preteen girls. Lilah is a twelve-year-old seventh grader who faces a myriad of challenges.
In the opening scene, Lilah is at her mother’s wedding when she is stuck by lightning. Fortunately, she is not seriously hurt and makes a quick recovery. Unfortunately, there is one lasting result. She now has acquired the qualities of a medium and hears dead voices. Lilah encounters them at home and in school. She cannot seem to get rid of them.
How much can a twelve-year-old handle? Lilah really wants to go to the school dance with Andrew, her crush, but she keeps hearing his dead father’s voice. Lilah’s own father doesn’t want to take her advice. An eighth-grade girl is bullying her. Lilah somehow copes with all of these problems with a sense of humor.
Middle-school readers of divorced families, victims of bullies, those adjusting to fitting in with peers and family relationship difficulties will empathize with Lilah and her struggles.
Highly recommended for the middle school audience.
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Charlotte-Solana and the Sun (Charlotte’s stories series)
Written by Silvia Tabor
Illustrated by Dorina Casapu
Charlotte’s second name is Solana, which means the sun. A good match because the sun is her best friend. Every day, her first move is to open the curtains and greet her friend.
Charlotte teaches her primary grade readers that the sun is a star, there are eight planets orbiting around it, and she introduces the dwarf planets as well. She is delighted where her parents allow her to plant sunflower seeds. Charlotte reasons that these plants could become friends for the sun, who must be lonely out there by itself.
This book contains vibrant illustrations that pop off the page to attract young readers to its message.
Recommended especially for ages four through seven.
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This book is much more than a rhyming picture book about shapes. It teaches young children colors, empathy, compassion, kindness, gratitude, and diversity.
A rhombus introduces us to her shape family. Each member is different but they all live happily together. When the rhombus goes to school, she discovers a world of diversity and begins to feel left out because she has fewer material possessions. Soon, she learns that appearances can be deceiving.
Toddlers and preschoolers learn shapes and colors, older elementary school age readers will better understand the value of uniqueness and diversity.
Recommended for toddlers through grade three.
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Positivity is My Superpower: A Kid’s Book about Managing Negative Feelings and Feelings(My Superpowers Books 10)
Written by Alicia Ortego
This book is part of a series that focuses on dealing with children’s emotions and turning them into superpowers.
In this book, Lucas is the protagonist. He is facing a move to a different city. That releases a flood of emotions, most of them negative. Lucas is dealing with anxiety, uncertainty, and fear of the unknown. He does not want to leave the house he grew up or the friends he cherishes.
Lucas’s mom comes to the rescue She reassures him with gentle words and simple actions like blowing bubbles that turn his negative feelings into positive ones like hopefulness, confidence, and a sense of adventure.
This rhyming picture book serves as a good teaching tool for elementary age students to enhance social-emotional skills.
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Have you experienced decision fatigue? I’m sure you have, you may just not have had a word for it. It’s that feeling when you get toward the end of a busy and even stressful day, and you simply can’t make another decision. You can’t figure out what you should cook for dinner, and even the idea of picking something to watch on Netflix seems like a chore. Those are the days you’ve been suffering from decision fatigue.
We all experience them, and the more taxing your job is, and the more you’re required to make decisions throughout the day, the more you find yourself suffering from decision fatigue. That shouldn’t come as a big surprise. When we spend all day walking or running around, we feel tired in the evening and our muscles fatigue. If you’ve ever participated in any endurance sports event (or gone for a long run after a period of inactivity), you’ve experienced muscle fatigue. Why shouldn’t we experience the same when we tax our mind with lots of decision making?
Not only does decision fatigue impair our ability to make decisions altogether, but it also affects the quality of our decision making and our willpower. In short, after a long day of making good choice after good choice, we tend to start making bad ones. There’s a reason we see a lot of “Made for TV” products and infomercials on TV late at night and it isn’t just because of the cheaper advertising rates. It’s because that’s the time of day we’re most prone to making impulse purchases. It’s also when we give up on our diets and healthy eating intentions.
Keep this idea of decision fatigue in mind when you try to get a few last minute tasks done at the end of a long day. That may not be the best time for important choices or tasks that require well thought out responses or clear decision making.
Similarly, you should expect your team members, coworkers, bosses, and loved ones to experience the same. Asking your boss for a raise right before quitting time on Friday may not be a good idea. Your chances of getting a yes significantly increase if you wait until first thing Monday morning. Don’t expect your family to make healthy dinner and snack choices in the evening. Instead, plan your meals early on in the day and have them figured out well before lunchtime.
Important Lesson #1 – Don’t tackle important or difficult decisions late in the day, particularly if you’ve made a lot of decisions in the hours leading up to it already.
Now that we’ve established that there is such a thing as decision fatigue, we’ll investigate some things we can do to void it. The answer is simple. We need to find a way to reduce the number of decisions we make on a daily basis. Here are some simple ideas for cutting some of them from our lives.
Use Habits and Routines To Your Advantage
Let’s start with something you already know how to do. You may just not realize it. That’s creating routines and habits to cut back on the decisions you have to make. You don’t have to decide to brush your teeth every morning or talk yourself into deciding to go to work today. Instead, it’s a habit and something you do without having to think about, and more importantly without having to waste one of your precious and limited decisions.
As you go about your day and make decisions, particularly if they are decisions that you make on a regular basis, stop yourself and see if there’s a way you can turn that decision into a habit or routine.
Instead of spending the first minutes of your day figuring out what you should wear, create a simple uniform for yourself. Find a few pairs of similar pants and a couple of mix-and-match tops. Rotate through those outfits, so you always know what to wear on a given morning.
If there is a recurring task at work, you should schedule to do it first thing in the morning or right before you head to lunch. That gets it out of the way without having to decide when to take care of it.
Plan Ahead
Another great solution is to batch your decisions and plan ahead. Let’s use your food choices as an example. We all eat, and we make quite a few daily decisions about what to eat. You can cut those out of your daily routine by creating a weekly or monthly meal plan. Start with dinner. Sit down and come up with your dinner ideas for the week. Write them down and post them on the fridge door. When you go grocery shopping be sure to pick up everything you need. That way you don’t have to agonize about what to fix for dinner when you get home after a long day at the office. From there, expand and include breakfast and lunch plans as well. You can even choose a daily snack for yourself. For bonus points, create a couple of these menus and start rotating through them week after week. Once you’ve made your original meal plans, there’s no more decision making involved.
You can easily adapt this principle to other areas of your life and work. Sit down and make out a to-do list first thing in the morning or before you head home in the afternoon. You can batch a whole bunch of decisions together and have a game plan for your workday. Think about other ways to incorporate this into your life and cut back on the decisions you make.
Delegate And Cut Down Choices
Last but not least, start reducing the choices you have to make altogether. Not every decision has to be made by you. If you’re working in a team or have people under you, don’t be afraid to delegate. Yes, in the beginning, it’s a little extra work to explain what needs to happen and what’s involved. But as you start to delegate and give these people more and more responsibility, your decision making tasks will be considerably cut back. That allows you to focus on the critical stuff.
Another great strategy is to simply cut down on the number of choices you give yourself (and others). Get in the habit of trimming the list before you even attempt to choose.
These tips may seem like little things, but they will quickly add up. It doesn’t take a lot of decision cutting back to notice a big difference in when and how hard decision fatigue hits. Give it a try.
I thought we should end on a high note. The good news is that your decision-making abilities replenish and they do so regularly. In the last section of this short report, we’re going to go over the various ways we can encourage that replenishment and when and how it happens naturally.
In general, your decision-making ability replenishes with rest and with relaxation. Since we’re getting less and less of that in these busy times, it’s no wonder decision fatigue is becoming a big issue.
Decision-Making Ability Replenishes Overnight
Don’t panic when you find yourself unable to make another decision at the end of a long day. Sleeping replenishes your ability to make smart choices overnight. You’ll be back to a clear head and able to make important decisions in the morning. Use this to your advantage. If you feel decision fatigue is setting in you should rein things in for the rest of the day. Don’t schedule important meetings in the evening and use your mornings wisely.
Sometimes It Pays To Take A Mental Health Day
We all get busy, and we all get stressed out from time to time. When a good nights sleep doesn’t seem quite enough to bring your decision making batteries back to full strength, it may be a good idea to take the day off.
Do something fun, relax, destress, and most importantly make as few decisions as possible and certainly no important decisions. You’ll come back refreshed and ready to go.
Go Outside And Get Some Air
Sometimes taking the day off or waiting for the following morning isn’t an option. An important decision is expected from you before you leave the office, or within the next hour or so. If you’re feeling decision fatigue is setting in when a decision is needed there are two things I want you to remember. The first is that all other decisions can wait. Focus on making just the one more that can’t wait.
Go outside, get some air, and clear your head before you make your choice. While this won’t work as well as sleep or a day off, it may be just enough to give you that little boost of energy and willpower you need to make the right decision.
It May Be Time For A Vacation
Last but not least, let’s talk about taking a few days off and going on vacation. You know from experience how invigorating and restful a trip can be. Take advantage of this and come back ready to make those important decisions about the future of your company, your family, or what projects you want to tackle during the next quarter.
Above all remember to use your decision-making skills wisely and learn to recognize decision fatigue before it leads you to make a bad choice.
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February 9, 2025
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