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Addison Braves Brazil
Addison’s family is planning a trip to Brazil, and Addison is preparing herself for quite the adventure. What begins as some light reading to become familiar with the beaches she is looking forward to visiting becomes something a little less inspiring. Before she knows it, Addison is reading about some of Brazil’s less appealing features, and she begins to dread their trip as she pictures herself amidst a plethora of jungle-dwelling bats, bugs, and snakes! Will her trip be everything she fears? Or will she find a different side of Brazil–one that will amaze her and leave her with fun memories?
Addison Braves Brazil, written by Laura James and illustrated by Jasmine Smith, follows young Addison as she travels with her family, meets new people, and finds herself having a very different experience than the one she anticipated. James’s book offers young readers a look at Brazil while also addressing issues with which readers will relate to including bullying, some common medical problems, and children’s misconceptions.
Addison Braves Brazil is the second in a series by the author. This book has a unique structure and offers readers a thorough look at a long list of words that begin with the letter “b.” While it is written for readers who are typically older than those who are studying initial consonants, it is a great addition to school libraries and classroom libraries for grades K-5. There are many ways James’s book can be incorporated into a curriculum. The author has essentially handed parents and teachers a wonderful tool filled with vocabulary words and their definitions used in context–a teacher’s dream come true.
Addison Braves Brazil is a children’s adventure story that is a great addition to a child’s library. Within one book, young readers will be introduced to nearly 40 pages that are filled with challenging vocabulary words. James’s work is an asset to any parent, homeschool, curriculum, or classroom. It is short enough to read in a couple of sittings and lays the framework for some great discussions for both teachers and students. As a teacher, I look forward to more installments in this series.
Pages: 41 | ASIN : B09SBS5622
Grandma, Granddad, We Want to Praise God
Grandma, Granddad, We Want to Praise God is the third book in the Families Growing in Faith series. This beautiful children’s book follows children as they question their grandparents about how and when they should praise God. They want to know what praise is and how they should go about offering praise to God. The answers they get sometimes surprise the children, and they are astonished at all the ways that they can show God thanks and praise each and every day.
Author Vanessa Fortenberry, with illustrator Sharon Grey, tells the heartwarming story of children, from all ethnic backgrounds, asking their grandparents about God. Each page shows a different family and asks a different question. The rhyming stanzas will engage and entertain young readers and make for fun family reading. Each situation can be read and discussed as its own topic, making this a great study book for young children as well. Kids will love seeing how things they love to do each day, like singing, dancing, and attending church, are all ways that you can praise God.
The illustrations are done in a soft portrait style using a combination of bold and muted colors to create dynamic images that will capture the attention of children looking through this book. The diversity of scenery and subjects makes it so that each child can find a situation they can personally relate to in this fantastic book.
Grandma, Granddad, We Want to Praise God is a beautifully written picture book that captures the meaning of faith and love for God. The lyrical story combined with the memorable images create a children’s book that preschoolers and kindergarteners will love to read over and over again. Adults will find the story meaningful and will want to read it as much as the kids. This lovely book will teach praise and worship in a gentle and engaging manner.
Pages: 30 | ASIN : B08SJ1N7M6
No Names to Be Given
Spanning over fifty years, No Names To Be Given is a moving and heartbreaking historical novel about three different women from the 1960s who had to give up their children out of wedlock. Inspired by actual events, it takes the reader through the roller-coaster lives of Becca, Faith, and Sandy – from the day they met in the Magnolia Home Hospital to 25 years later, where their darkest secrets are threatened to be exposed.
This is author Julia Brewer Daily’s debut novel, but it feels like she’s been writing this story all her life. Perhaps that is the case, given that she was one of those babies adopted from a maternity home hospital during this period. While there were probably mountains of research to write this novel, it would be believable if Daily wrote this story purely from memory and family history.
Her tender prose shows that she’s writing from the heart. Despite that, she tells the story with some emotional distance. The journeys of the three women are told in alternating chapters that are so unflinching that the whole novel almost feels like a documentary. Additionally, this is based on very real traumas. Daily allows the story to shine on its own with the respect it deserves. She writes with an assured and confident voice and isn’t afraid to challenge the reader if it means telling the story the way it’s supposed to be.
It’s clear why Daily chose to alternate the story between chapters. It’s a complicated story, spanning generations, that would not have felt complete if done in a singular manner. The alternating chapters also emphasize the diversity of the characters’ situations. Becca falls in love with an African American man during the height of racism in America; Faith gets sexually assaulted by one of her father’s employees; Sandy becomes involved with a married mobster. If only one of these stories were told, it would not have done any justice for this disparaging historical truth.
No Names To Be Given is a through-provoking historical fiction novel. Readers will experience the heartbreak and fear these women live through, having their worst moments in life brought back to haunt them. A look into women’s history, adoption, and motherhood from the perspective of women in the 1960s.
Pages: 334 | ASIN : B09B157HLR
LITERARY TITAN 