The Tent Mouse and the RV Mouse

Written by Loretta Sponsler

Illustrated by Kathrine Gutkovskiy

A pleasant retelling of the City and Country Mouse fable. In this modern-day picture book, two cousins both love to camp but have different views on how to do so.

Thomas takes to the road with his tent, while his cousin, Harvey likes the comforts of his RV camper. Thomas convinces Harry to go camping with him in his tent. Both enjoy their daytime adventures but Harvey hates the inconveniences of sleeping in the tent. Next time, they try it with Harvey’s RV. Thomas does not think sleeping in an RV affords the real feel of a camp experience. Will they continue to disagree or can they find a way to agree to disagree?

This is a cute picture book with a lesson worth remembering. My only complaint is that the small size of the text is a bit difficult for the beginning reader that it is targeted for to read easily. Recommended for beginning and elementary school age readers, particularly camping enthusiasts.

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The Eye of Ra

Written by Ben Gartner

This book is the first in a series of fast-moving time-travel adventures for middle-grade readers.

Sarah and Jack are in the midst of preparing to move from Colorado to Maryland. While on a hiking adventure, they discover a cave. Sarah cannot contain her curiosity and she entices her brother to follow her.

They enter a portal that leads them to ancient Egypt where the siblings meet Zach, the son of an architect who is building the pyramids. The threesome will encounter crocodiles, cobras and assorted dangers of the Nile as they try to uncover who is beheading statues and stealing from tombs.

Will this brother and sister find their way back to the cave entrance? How will this adventure change their lives going forward?

This book is well-written with interesting characters and plot lines. Recommended especially for readers in grades three through six.

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Outback Hero: Max Conquers Outback Australia Book 2 in the Max series

Written by Sally Gould

Max and his family are ready to embark on an adventure vacation, except Max does not really want to go. They are going to the outback; Max is deathly afraid of crocodiles. His older brother Charlie delights in frightening him making matters worse. Mom and Dad insist that he must overcome his fears.

Max’s fears are confirmed when he falls overboard and must escape the crocs. Charlie and his brother will have to flee for their lives more than once, and Max narrowly escapes death when he falls off a cliff. Charlie and Max are typical brothers who are constantly competing with each other, yet deep down love each other to death. On the journey, the boys will meet up with another family who appear to be dauntless and unafraid. Upon their insistence, the two families climb up the Uluru. Will they be able to make it down again safely? Will Max be able to overcome his fears and insecurities?

This is the second book in this series targeted for middle grade readers ages nine through twelve. Lots of adventure, sibling rivalry, competition, and somewhat complicated family relationships keep the plot moving. Boys especially will find the series interesting. Readers unfamiliar with Australia will enjoy learning about the outback. While the text is age appropriate, the vocabulary is not overly difficult and the length at less than 150 pages allow the read to be appealing for reluctant readers. This is a series worth investigating.

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SO MANY CHOICES

CATERPILLAR SHOES

Written by Angela Muse

Illustrated by Ewa Podles

Patches, a happy-go-lucky caterpillar, lives in the forest looking forward to new adventures each day. Because a caterpillar has six pairs of feet, one of her important choices is to make the proper shoe selection for her daily explorations. She might choose ballet shoes, sneakers, hiking boots, rain boots, or fluffy slippers at night. What does Patches do when she cannot decide on one adventure?

The illustrations in this book are adorable. They are colorful, bold, expressive and present well on a kindle HD fire. Tale is written in rhymes which are crisp and sharp. What a wonderful choice for a bedtime story or classroom read aloud! Recommended for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarten readers.

About the Book

Title: Caterpillar Shoes | Author: Angela Muse | Illustrator: Ewa Podles | Publication Date: March 26, 2015 | Publisher: 4EYESBOOKS | Pages: 28 | Recommended Ages: 0 to 8

Summary: Patches is an energetic caterpillar who is trying to decide what activities to do. In the end, she doesn’t put any limits on herself and lives her life to the full.

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About the Author: Angela Muse

Angela was born in California to a military family. This meant that she got used to being the “new kid” in school every couple of years. It was hard trying to make new friends, but Angela discovered she had a knack for writing. In high school Angela began writing poetry and song lyrics. Expressing herself through writing seemed very natural. After becoming a Mom in 2003, Angela continued her storytelling to her own children. In 2009 she wrote and published her first rhyming children’s book aimed at toddlers. Since then she has released several more children’s picture books and released her first young adult romance series, The Alpha Girls, in 2012.  Angela’s husband, Ben Muse writes suspense/thriller books that can also be found on Amazon.    Check out what else she’s working on by visiting www.4eyesbooks.com

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