Pennygirl is an adorable Lab mix who lived on a farm in Texas with Grandma Adeline. One day Pennygirl is called upon to help Grandma in a time of need. She does not realize it would be the last time she would see her home.
Grandma never returned to the farm, and Pennygirl finds herself in an animal rescue shelter. One day turns into the next, but Pennygirl never loses hope. After a time, Pennygirl learns she will be going to a new shelter, far away in Canada. Does this mean she will find her forever home?
This book is well-written with just enough challenging vocabulary. Though a picture book, it would be suitable as a beginning reader or middle-grade choice for a reluctant reader.
I would suggest it for children ages five through ten.
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Bembe’s Heart: An old as Earth…this is a story about a boy born without a heart but full of his mother’s love
Written and Illustrated by Marin Darmonkow
This book is a beautifully illustrated folk tale that delivers a message of hope, resilience, dedication, and love.
Readers meet Bembe, a boy born with no heart. That does not deter him from working harder than most, laboring in the fields with his mother by day, and helping her at night while she knits ponchos to make ends meet. All the villagers believe Bembe will not survive.
On the eve of Bembe reaching maturity, the shaman comes to visit their home to see what will happen. The story builds to a climax as the shaman and Bembe’s mother wait. Readers have no idea what to expect.
This book is suggested for elementary age readers, but I feel its message will be better understood by readers in the eight to twelve age range.
Highly recommended reading for parents and teachers to include on their bookshelf.
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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.
Publisher’s Book Summary: Marion is a kind, creative, and easy kid… but he’s faced with BIG emotions. Help Marion identify those BIG feelings in this interactive children’s picture book.
Guess How Marion Feels is a transformative experience that lays the foundation for emotional intelligence and meaningful connections. A gentle Social Emotional Learning (SEL) tool to guide parents, caregivers, and teachers to teach kids who struggle to pick up social cues and have challenges in social situations.
This book is made to celebrate and honor the feelings of our little ones, foster open communication, and create inclusive learning with our neurodivergent kids. Written by a neurodivergent author, Miss Kaye aims to support kids and everyone struggling with social interactions.
Miss Kaye was born in the Philippines. She had challenges as an adult neurodivergent. This serves as her inspiration for writing fun, engaging, and educational stories to teach life skills and mindfulness to kids.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Miss Waitthk is from Hongkong. She enjoys making people feel happy and joyful through her drawings. As a kid, she remembered drawing anime characters and coloring them with colored pencils. Since then, she kept on drawing.
MY REVIEW OF THIS BOOK
IT’S OKAY TO FEEL THIS WAY…
Guess how Marion Feels
Written by Miss Kaye
Illustrated by Miss Waitthk
A beautiful, interactive picture book that allows young children to explore and communicate their emotions with others.
Marion wakes up happy to start the day. When his mother reminds him that today is the first day at school, his feelings switch to being scared and apprehensive. As the day progresses, readers watch Marion, and his feelings change. A new situation creates mixed feelings of excitement, worry, hope, anger, confusion, and relief.
Young readers are asked to guess what Marion is feeling in each situation by studying the pictures and text. At the end of the book, they get a summary of the book when Marion discusses the whole range of emotions with his parents.
The book is targeted for readers ages one through seven, but I feel the message in the tale is just as valuable for older children.
GIVEAWAY
Enter the giveaway for the chance to win a 1-hour FREE coaching session to launch your own picture book, along with signed copies of Guess How Marion Feels (one to keep and one to share with a neurodivergent charity of your choice under your name).
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
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/.
Book and Soundtrack Review: Wishapick: Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk
HOPE FOR TOMORROW
Wishapick Tickety Boo And The Black Trunk
Written by M.M. Allen Wishapick Music and Lyrics by Deborah Wynne
I agreed to review this book as part of a blog tour, and was really delighted once I opened it. Targeted for a middle grade audience of 9-12 year old children, this well-written book contains elements of adventure, fantasy, magic and humor in just the right combination.
Jack and his younger sister Lilly are the main protagonists. Since his father’s death two years before, Jack has remained angry and sullen. In the opening scene, readers feel this tension between them when Lilly accidentally breaks the spy drone Jack has built for a science project. But Lilly has a surprise for Jack; she has overheard their mother talking on the phone and now knows the location of the key that will open the mysterious black trunk his father left behind. Their mother has expressly forbidden them to open it. Jack cannot contain his curiosity. When he opens the trunk he falls inside, and down into a black hole surrounded by snakes. Unknown to Jack, Lilly follows him inside. So the adventure begins….
The siblings will meet a fascinating cast of animal characters including snakes, possums, skunks, and wolves. They will learn the meaning of their mother’s mantra, “Breath of all good things.” The mystery of their father’s death will be revealed, and they will discover the value of embracing hope versus despair, while displaying courage and teamwork.
This book reminds me a bit of Charlotte’s Web and Alice through the Looking Glass, but this plot is unique and the language colorful. Length of the book is under 150 pages, one that I feel is just right for a middle grade audience. As a bonus, readers may purchase a companion CD with music that matches the various moods and scenarios presented in the book. Listening to the music and closing one’s eyes, the reader can easily feel transported inside a Disney movie.
I highly recommend this Five Star Readers’ Favorite book to middle grade readers interested in a humorous, imaginative adventure fusing realistic and magical elements with characters with whom they can easily empathize. Librarians and teachers could use this book as a read aloud to open up discussion on many topics relevant to this audience.
About Wishapick: Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk
Darkness. Utter blackness. Was this why his mother had refused to let Jack unlock his father’s old trunk? It had been two years since his dad had died, and all Jack could think about was examining whatever treasures were stored inside the beloved trunk. But when he finally lifted the lid, he didn’t just fall in—he fell through it into a pit of rattlesnakes!
Trying to recall his mother’s stories about “the Breath of All Good Things”—anything to shed light on his current situation—Jack wishes he’d paid better attention rather than mock the tales as childish myths…and that he’d waited to enter the trunk with his sister, Lilly, so they could at least face this together.
Like L. Frank Baum’s Oz and C. S. Lewis’s Narnia, M. M. Allen brings to life the fantastical world of Wishapick—a land of courageous animals ruled by a cruel rattlesnake king who has condemned the villagers to live without light. Chosen as the reluctant hero to save the villagers, Jack must face terrifying creatures and overwhelming odds if he wants to help his new friends—and return home himself.
“… a breathy and fantastical storytelling style, imaginations will flourish and the tale will be enjoyed by kids ages 8-12 who enjoy the genre of fantasy.”—The Children’s Book Review
Wishapick: Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk is available on Amazon.
Fun Stuff
Wishapick Soundtrack
Be sure to check out the companion music CD, Wishapick, for purchase or download from DeborahWynne.com
M. M. Allen, author of the acclaimed children’s picture book Let’s Play Ball, is the mother of two adult children and aunt to twenty-three nieces and nephews, including ten great-nieces and great-nephews. MM is a former teacher and university lecturer. She has also worked extensively in marketing and communications with varied businesses and non-profits. MM lives in a picturesque northern California town where she enjoys writing, tending to her rose garden, and caring for her West Highland terrier, Pip.
Composer and lyricist Deborah Wynne created a companion CD of songs to accompany Wishapick: Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk. Wynne’s primary talents lie in choral singing, stage musicals, and composing. Her musical projects include the 2013 album Strands of Gold and 2007 musical Moment of Truth. She is an active singer and composer in Santa Barbara, California, where she lives with her husband and their two shelties, Sparkle and Gracie.
Enter to win an autographed copy of Wishapick: Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk written by acclaimed author M. M. Allen; plus an Apple iPod Nano to listen to your downloaded copy of the Wishapick: Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk soundtrack composed by the talented Deborah Wynne!
Giveaway begins November 5, 2015, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends December 31, 2015, at 11:59 P.M. PST.
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This collection of poems of approximately one hundred pages hits on many of the issues so important to the teens of past and present generations. The author organizes her poetry collection by age rather than theme; the poems become more sophisticated and complex as the chapters and maturity levels progress through time.
Poems are listed by title only, the reader must peruse through to the end to find the theme. But the underlying themes match the trials and tribulations that coming of age brings upon all of us. Several of the poems relate sorrow at not having a mother present while growing up. At age twelve the author writes about her “best friend forever” Renee. There are poems expressing fear and frustration, relationships with boys, and feeling left out of things. Many poems express hope and optimism like “The Stars,” “My Shadow,” and “What You Do.” In the very last section of poetry written in the period from ages twenty-two through twenty-seven, the author finds her true love, David, and then becomes the mother of Kayleigh in whom she places her hopes and dreams.
I think many that teens will enjoy having these poems to read as they pass through the many moods, phases, ups and downs of adolescence. Nice book to have when you feel the need to take a moment or two to reflect on the joys and sorrows of growing up and life in general.
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William O’ Brien is not only a talented storyteller but a gifted poet as well. This collection of poems is meant to accompany his children’s book, Peter, The Darkened Fairytale. In that story, Peter is the protagonist who must fight and overcome the forces of evil.
In this wonderful poetry collection, the author presents us with a mix of lighthearted poems that inspire us with hope and love. On the other hand, we meet dragons, demons and witches waiting to snare the unwary child. O’Brien sets the tone in his first poem, “Drawers and Doors.”
The thoughts one thinks may not be real And sometimes they will make you squeal Biting, scratching, tastes hang true Inside this book, you’ll meet things new Must be careful, for if you fall These evildoers will seize all.
These words present a challenge that most children will be glad to take up! There are silly poems like “Wandering Twondle” and “Cuthbert,” scary poems like “Devil’s Wish” and “Zombie Queen,” and fantasy creature poems titled, “Elves and Goblins,” and “The Vaandorg Dragon.” Some of the nature poems remind me of William Wordsworth.
Spells that dust the sleeping flowers May just drip with April showers In summer lands frolic and sing Still protected by nature’s wing
One thing children always seem oblivious of is the element of time. O’Brien addresses the concept in his poem titled, “Eternal”
Fairy love Starlight blessed In your heart Feel the test
Touch and wander Your spirit through Flowers speak Holding new
Bash of rain Sleet and snow Leaves do fall Please don’t go
Apples, chestnuts Tease my eyes Always there Never dies
The author employs alliteration, personification and metaphors to make the reader feel that she is on a magical journey to a very special place. So close your eyes and lose yourself in the recesses of your mind. Tweens, teens and adults will enjoy the ride.
December 10, 2025
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