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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In partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Kathleen T. Pelley.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Five Little Angels
Written by Kathleen T. Pelley
Illustrated by Dubravka Kolanovic
Ages 3-7 | Pages 54
Publisher: Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. | ISBN-13: 978-1649491794
Publisher’s Synopsis: Join this celestial romp with five little angels, who hop on a cloud to take a peek at the world below, and see all sorts of loving acts of kindness, which sends them into a frenzy of delight. A lyrical read aloud to teach your little angel how kindness can build heaven on earth.
KATHLEEN T. PELLEY is a native of Glasgow, Scotland, but spent most of her childhood summers playing on her grandparents’ farm in Ireland. Her passion for stories stemmed from listening to them on the radio during the BBC children’s story hour. She is the award-winning author of seven other picture books and hosts her own storytelling podcast, Journey with Story.
What a charming and sweet message for young children. The author has created a reverse counting book written in easy to read and listen to rhymes. As the story opens, five little multicultural angels are looking down on people on earth. Some of these are practicing acts of kindness like crowning their sleeping mother with a crown of flowers, others are arguing or showing signs of frustration. When the angels witness a good deed, they dance for joy. Unfortunately, that sometimes leads to a fall. The young reader is asked to study the pictures to see where each angel lands. That invites the child to become an active participant in the tale.
The language is easy to understand and full of words that encourage the child to imagine the scene and use his senses. Soft watercolor illustrations are pleasing to the eye. They are reminiscent of a child’s crayon drawings.
I highly recommend this picture book as a read aloud discussion activity with young children. It will encourage them to become little angels bestowing empathy and kindness on friends and family.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a Five Little Angels prize pack!
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
A set of seven books by Kathleen Pelley, including Five Little Angels
A $25 Barnes & Noble gift card
One Hugging Plush Angel Slap Bracelet
Your child’s name mentioned in the Journey with Story podcast
Five (5) winners receive:
A hardcover copy of Five Little Angels
One Hugging Plush Angel Slap Bracelet
Five (5) winners receive:
A paperback copy of Five Little Angels
One Hugging Plush Angel Slap Bracelet
The giveaway begins May 26, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends June 26, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.
This book relates the sweet tale of a young girl with blonde hair who loves horses. She cannot have her own, so she is working in a barn with a horse trainer for the summer. A gray pony balks at everyone, but this young girl succeeds in developing a special relationship with the pony. As the summer wears on, the two seem to complete each other’s thoughts, hence the phrase, Me Too.
At the end of the summer, the pony is sold. For many years, their paths diverge. The girl begins college. Then she starts to reminisce and dream about the pony. She wants to reconnect. Will she succeed in tracking down the pony and can she restore that special bond of empathy, trust, and kindness?
The soft pastel illustrations impart a whimsical and light-hearted mood to the rhythmic storyline. Highly recommended for elementary grade readers.
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INSPIRE KINDNESS: A Rhyming Read Aloud Book for Kids About Empathy and Kindness
Written and Illustrated by Lily Lopez
Lily feels out of place on her first day at a new school. She doesn’t look like the other students and they seem to ignore her in class, at lunch, and in the playground.
When one girl approaches her to welcome her, Lily is overwhelmed by one simple act of kindness. The author includes 24 tips a young child can use to express kindness and a kindness calendar that can be used as a reminder to express kindness to others.
This is a short multicultural picture book for primary grade readers. Lovely illustrations with short rhymes.
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Millie the Mouse decides she wants to get a birthday gift for her grandfather. When she asks her grandmother what to get for him, Grandma suggests something magic.
Millie takes her grandma’s suggestion and searches everywhere for magic. She enlists the aid of a badger, a chicken, and a frog who try to direct Millie. At the end of the day, Millie is tired and exhausted.
Will Grandfather be disappointed that Millie does not have a birthday gift? What special message does he have for her that she will remember for the rest of her life?
Cute illustrations with easy to read text make this book a good choice for a bedtime or read-aloud tale for preschoolers and early readers.
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What a charming book to encourage children who have social anxiety fears! This book will certainly benefit children who are moving into new neighborhoods or schools or those who are shy and introverted.
Kayla has just begun class in a new school. She desperately wants to follow her grandma’s advice to try new things and the words, “What’s the worst that can happen,?” echo in her brain. But somehow she is afraid to approach classmates or new situations. She feels physical and mental anxiety.
One day, Kayla is invited to a party that will open the door for her.. Kayla also reveals her kindness toward her younger autistic brother.
This beautifully illustrated multicultural book teaches empathy, kindness and social-emotional skills to primary grade children in an easy to understand format. Highly recommended to parents and teachers.
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Janelle and Janiece are on a trip with their parents. Janiece is having so much fun. She forgets and leaves her stuffed elephant, Ellie on the swing. Now Ellie is a very smart stuffed elephant. She knows that the family will depart soon. Ellie desperately tries to run and jump up into the camper before anyone discovers her missing. To her dismay, she is not successful.
Ellie finds a chipmunk who says he can help. Chippy directs Ellie to a mole who tells her about The Underground Toy Society that helps reunites toys with their owners. Ellie discovers it’s not so easy to find Murry the Mole. Along the way, she meets a toy train and a bunny who also try to help her. Readers learn about the kindness of all these toy characters. Ellie wants to get home before Janiece discovers her missing because she does not want Ellie to feel sad. Ellie displays much love and concern for her owner.
Readers get the underlying message that children need to take good care of their toys and develop a sense of responsibility. There are a few wonderful child drawings to personalize this beginning chapter book for early readers.
A little bear is selfish and does not like to share. One day he comes across his friends on the swings. He reflects on how he has treated each of them recently and figures out they will now not want to share with him. The bear decides to build his own swing. He gathers material and makes a large swing. Bear did not plan well. One of the ropes breaks. Can you guess what might happen? Will Bear realize why it is important to share and be kind to your friends?
This is a rather short book. The illustrations are appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers. I was puzzled about the fact the Bear was not given a name to help personalize the character. Recommended especially for children ages three to six.
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This book is part of a series that features a girl named
Emma and her menagerie of personified stuffed animals. Each of these has a
distinct personality and a kind heart.
In this volume, Emma and her fluffy friends are playing in
the living room when they hear a loud crash outside. After looking out the
window, they discover a small bird lying still on the grass. When they
investigate, they discover a chickadee who has been seriously injured. Emma
gets a box and lines it with a doll blanket. She and her friends bring the box
inside and patiently wait for hours to see if the bird will recover.
After what seems an interminable amount of time, Emma picks
up the box and places it under a tree outside in the yard. They are happy to
see the bird sitting up. A few minutes later, the chickadee flaps its wings and
flies up into the tree.
Emma and her friends demonstrate patience, kindness and a love of nature. Children learn what and what not to do to help an injured animal. The illustrations are bright and effective. My only suggestion would be to vary the color of the text to make it a bit easier to read. Recommended for preschoolers and early elementary grade school readers.
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SEEDS AND TREES: A Children’s Book About the Power of Words
WRITTEN BY BRANDON WALDON
ILLUSTRATED BY KRISTEN AND KEVIN HOWDESHELL
This book features a young prince as the protagonist. He lives in a castle by the sea. Every day he goes out to collect seeds. The prince soon realizes that some of these seeds become dark seeds, while others remain green. As the trees he plants grow, the dark seeds develop thistles and thorns. The green seeds blossom into beautiful shade trees. The reader comes to understand that the green seeds represent good words that are beautiful and true, while the dark seeds represent harmful, cruel words. As the prince becomes older, he notices that the dark trees are overshadowing the others. One day he meets a young girl who always speaks true and kind words. She carries with her the tools to remove the dark trees. She helps him take care of and nourish the green trees while removing the dark trees.
This tale is a beautiful way to teach children the importance of the type of words they use. Harsh words lead to hurt, bullying, and the destruction of good relationships. I would highly recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in elementary and middle school. It provides lots of material for a variety of discussions on behavior and developing good, strong relationships with peers and adults. The illustrations complement the text beautifully.
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September 22, 2021
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