Blog Archives
Vivian’s Perfectly Imperfect Adventure
Vivian needs some treasure to make today’s adventure a success. Her mother’s necklace will work perfectly. Now, the first quest is to get it out of her mom’s jewelry box without her noticing. She plans on bringing it back when she’s done playing, but when she loses one of the stones during her fun-filled adventure, she and her brother search for the stone until the sun sets. Will she find the stone? Will her mother forgive her?
Author Brandy Clark has written a fun-filled adventure that is built upon something most children will be able to relate to. Taking something that is not theirs. Vivian is a lively character that exudes a passion for life and the lesson she learns through the story is vividly portrayed thanks to the fantastic artwork by illustrator Jade Fang.
I enjoyed how the valuable life lessons are delivered in this wonderful children’s book. I did not even notice it until near the end of the story. How Vivian’s brother gave up his time to help his sister. I liked how subtly this was handled in the story. When Vivian comes to the realization in the story that she made a lifelong ally, so does the reader, and this sudden awareness is so much more impactful.
Vivian’s Perfectly Imperfect Adventure is a delightful picture book that teaches young readers an important lesson while entertaining them with vivid artwork and an enjoyable story.
Pages: 32 | ASIN: B0B9RDPRK2
Novo the Space Robot: How to Solve the Mystery of Crying
Novo The Space Robot: How to Solve the Mystery of Crying, written by Charly Froh, is a whimsical story about a robot named Novo that lives on planet Infinita. It is a usual Monday morning when he goes about shopping and when he arrives home, his beautiful venus-bot flowers are ruined by a storm. Novo is so upset he begins to cry and cannot make the tears stop flowing, which makes matters even worse for Novo. So what will Novo do to make the tears stop before he rusts?
This charming children’s book is incredibly sweet from front to back. The illustrations are incredibly captivating and playful. The story is written with young readers in mind, given the simplicity of the verbiage, and is easy to follow along. I loved the message of expressing one’s emotions and being able to verbalize them as well, especially to our friends or family. It shows the importance of communication and how healing it can be. Demonstrating talking our feelings out is the best remedy. There is also a message of having confidantes and being a part of a community that comes together to help one another through difficult times.
Novo The Space Robot: How to Solve the Mystery of Crying is a well-written children’s book with fun characters and a meaningful message. I believe this would make an excellent addition to any reader’s library, especially families with young kids learning about emotions and how to express themselves positively.
Pages: 40 | ASIN : B0BNVKL6KQ
The Little Regenerative Farmer and The Dairy Farm
Lina is happily gardening and playing outside when her father tells her some sad news. They’re moving. At their new home, Lina makes a new friend in the old farmer across the road. They share their love of farm animals, educate one another, and help implement a regenerative agricultural practice.
Lina is a hardworking and inquisitive child whose passion for life is evident from the first page of this vibrant children’s book. There is a variety of lessons young readers will pick up throughout the story, but the one that stood out to me the most was Lina’s determination. When Lina hears some disheartening information from her friends at school, she works for months to prove them wrong. There are many children’s books where a lesson is learned quickly, but I appreciated how the lesson learned in this book is achieved over a long period of time, and through the child’s own hard work. This is a fantastic message to send to kids. Young readers will also learn about farming, sharing information with others, and being adaptable.
The artwork by illustrator Yana Gorbatiyk is rich and brilliant and makes each character look adorable. Lina’s chicken was very cute and I loved seeing it on the page every time. Young kids will be drawn to all of the bright imagery in the book.
The Little Regenerative Farmer and The Dairy Farm is an educational picture book that shares several valuable life lessons, some of which are rarely seen in other children’s books. This is a heartwarming story that spreads a positive message that has the potential to improve the world.
Pages: 43 | ASIN: B0BNWHTGTR
Nature Study Buddies
Nature Study Buddies, is book 3 of Leigh’s Wheelie Adventures by Charlene McIver and Claudia Gadotti. In this educational book readers follow three young children who have been tasked with an assignment from school to study animals of their choosing. Tara, Cosmo, and Leigh decide nocturnal animals would be fun and know just where to find them. In Leigh’s backyard in his gum tree, because he see’s glowing eyes in the tree at night sometimes. There is only one catch, how will Leigh, who is wheelchair bound, get up into the tree to study these nocturnal animals?
I absolutely love the idea of children who are fascinated by animals and learning all they can about them. It connects them to the world around them and feeds their curiosity. Sometimes we think disabled people are not able to fully enjoy things abled bodied people could do, and I enjoyed that this book invited that thought in and shattered it quickly. We must do things differently sometimes to have the same desired results if one is disabled, and when Leigh stayed put on the ground, staying quiet in the night, he was able to see all the beautiful nocturnal animals he was worried he would miss out on.
Nature Study Buddies is an inspirational story showing friends coming together and working on something they love. The illustrations gave life to the story and brought out the rustic look of the wild animals at night. This will be an uplifting book to read to young children at bedtime, and will be perfect for any teacher that wants to educate their students on nature, accepting others, and building friendships.
Pages: 36 | ASIN: 0645483109
A Place to Belong
When a talented tiger finds himself without a place to call his own, although he may be unconventional, it is exactly his uniqueness that guides him to precisely where he needs to be. In A Place to Belong, by Edwin Kim, we follow Tae the tiger as he journeys from town to town looking for a place to fit in. He meets like minded friends along the way that bring him joy and the sense of belonging that Tae has been searching for.
This is a wonderful children’s book that promotes self-acceptance and also celebrates our differences. The characters are charming and relatable. Young readers will be able to understand the characters experiences as they are similar to what some people go through when feeling casted out, shamed, or shunned. It is important for people to have a place they feel seen and cared for and this story conveys that message well. This would be a perfect picture book for any child in that the message is delivered in a manner that young children will understand. Add to that some vibrant illustrations that are absolutely captivating and you have a story that will be easy to read at bed time.
I highly recommend A Place to Belong to any parent who is looking for a way to start a conversation about diversity and self-acceptance. This kids book is a fantastic tool that shows how vital finding the people we connect with is to our inner happiness.
Pages: 74 | ASIN: B0BMB9Z31Y
The Unstoppable Artist
The Unstoppable Artist by Barbara L. McCulloch is a detailed guide that will help readers find purpose, meaning and creativity in their art. The author discusses how many artists get stuck creating “art” for money. Being an experienced successful artist, she explains how to make art speak to your soul while still making money. She puts her readers through a series of exercises that will help them discover their own signature style using an artist medium they are most comfortable working with. By creating a unique style, it will speak to an audience that is willing to buy their pieces and add meaning to their life.
The author does a great job of assigning projects that give artists a way to free themselves of the struggles of making art and just focus on the joy of creating pieces that speak to one’s soul. She does this through the use of projects which teach practical techniques on how to work with various mediums as well as discusses the proper tools to have to create the best art one can, therefore creating art that appeals to an audience.
This is a fantastic resource for artists. I would’ve liked a little more elaboration on how to sell my art as what was given was useful and I thought a bit more information would help me understand better. I enjoyed the various projects that it offered because I felt like every bit of it was designed to inspire creativity. I certainly walked away from this book feeling like I was a better artist.
The author’s passion for art shines throughout the book, which I expected, but I didn’t expect to also feel how passionate the author was about educating others, which was key to me fully embracing the lessons. The Unstoppable Artist is a critical resource for budding artists, or anyone looking to develop their skills and take them to the next level.
Pages: 179 | ASIN: B0B62XQYYT
Myra the Grumpy Puppy and Wise Old Dimple
Myra is a little grumpy, and because of that none of the other puppies want to play with her. On her way back home, she runs into Old Dimple. He wants to help her be happy and have lots of friends so he gives her a challenge: for thirty days Myra needs to look around her and find something to be grateful for. Can Myra complete the challenge? Find out in Myra the Grumpy Puppy and Wise Old Dimple.
This is an inspirational children’s book that will give young readers the tools they need to see the positive side of things. There is one page for each day of the challenge. On each day readers are treated to a bit of Myra’s story, they need to circle the day of the week, and they’re prompted to think of something they’re grateful for. This provides several different opportunities to learn. Children will learn the days of the week by repeatedly finding and circling the day of the week. And I love the prompt before the section where they can write in what the reader is grateful. This is because I find that many children struggle with thinking of something to be grateful for. The prompts help place them in the right state of mind. Examples include, “Think about your room. What do you like about it?” and “Think about your family. What do you like best about them?”.
In this vibrant children’s book kids will find that they appreciate many things in their life, just like Myra. By the end they’ll see that they have plenty of positive things in their life and that will inspire them to be happy. Myra the Grumpy Puppy and Wise Old Dimple is a wonderful resource for parents and teachers who want to educate their kids on what it means to be appreciative and to see the good things in their life.
Pages: 35 | ASIN: B0B9DRCSJL
There’s a Nanny in MY House!
On a regular Monday morning, someone rings the doorbell. Who can it be? It’s Millie and Freddie’s new nanny. Millie feels a little unsettled, but when her parents leave for work Millie and Freddie spend the day with Nanny Riah. Will Millie and Nanny Riah get along? Find out in There’s a Nanny in MY House!
Author Maria Culley has created a wonderfully educational children’s book that will help children come to terms with having a nanny. It can be difficult for kids to have a stranger in their house. This book shows children all the wonderful things that a nanny can do for them and with them. It showcases all the fun children can have with a nanny to help soothe their unease.
This picture book contains wonderful sketch art on every page. I loved how Freddie was giggling and happy throughout. Millie’s anxiety can be clearly seen on her face, and I enjoyed seeing her emotion slowly change so that we can see that she’s having a good time by the end of the book.
There’s a Nanny in MY House! is a fantastic resource for parents that want to prepare their children for having a nanny in their house. The book also includes helpful transition tips at the back of the book for parents. Children will love the illustrations and be able to relate to Millie in this educational picture book.
Pages: 61 | ISBN: 173981908X
LITERARY TITAN 