Blog Archives
The Scary Snakes
Shelly is terrified of snakes, so much so she is unable to enjoy outings with her family for fear there is a snake everywhere. When out on a picnic with her family, she is afraid to even walk on the ground, and her dad has to carry her all over. She is worried that when she gets bigger and her dad can no longer carry her that she will not be able to go out with her family on these adventures. When she gets home, she calls her Grandma to tell her how upset she is, but Grandma has a plan to help her. The next day Grandma shows up with her yarn and knitting needles and together work out a plan to get past her fear of snakes.
The Scary Snakes by Tuula Pere and illustrated by Catty Flores is a creative picture book about one girl overcoming her fear of snakes. With her help of her, Grandma Shelly knits all sizes and colors of snakes to put all over her house. Seeing the harmless, fun snakes all over helps her overcome her fear.
What I love about this story is that no one makes fun of Shelly’s fear; it is taken seriously, and instead of making her feel bad, her family does things to help her overcome them. In addition, there is a strong bond between Shelly and her Grandma; it is heartwarming to see them connect over making snakes.
I loved how Catty Flores gave the characters so much energy. You can feel the excitement as Shelly gets over her fears and has fun with her Grandmother. The illustrations are colorful and have great details bringing the knitted snakes to life.
The Scary Snakes is a beautiful children’s book about overcoming fears and building confidence. This is an excellent story for kindergarten and young elementary students to learn how being afraid of things is normal.
Pages: 32 | ISBN : 9523572989
Do You See Me when We Travel
Traveling with small children is a challenge at times. They often don’t understand why things take so long, they get bored easily, and do not like having their routine changed. Do You See Me when We Travel by Tuula Pere is a whimsical look at traveling from a child’s perspective. It helps children with things like long car rides, strange food, new places, and sleeping in a strange bed.
As a parent, I recognize many of the questions and comments the small child makes in this picture book. This is an amazing book to read to a preschooler or kindergarten child before taking a long trip to someplace new. It will help them understand that things may look and feel different, but that is ok. The child in the story was able to find things that were more like they are used to and learn to enjoy being someplace new.
Majigsuren Enkhbat illustrations are colorful and fun to look at. Seeing the child and only the legs of the adults really puts the perspective on a level for small children to relate to. The use of different color text in for the adults vs the child was also a brilliant choice. The text is written like a conversation between the adults and the child so having the different colors makes it so young readers can easily identify the parts that are from a kid’s perspective.
Do You See Me when We Travel is a heartwarming picture book that children and adults can appreciate and enjoy? This book is perfect to take when traveling to help keep kids entertained on the way anticipating all the fun they can have on their adventure.
Pages: 32 | ASIN : B09JMFWKRM
Do You See Me at Home
Do You See Me at Home written by Tuula Pere is a picture book that feels like you are looking into the mind of a child. This story is written from the perspective of a child’s thoughts and their parent’s responses to their feelings. All the interactions are everyday occurrences that parents and children can identify happening in their own lives at one point or another. Things like excitement and wanting to share their day, being scared by something they see on the TV or computer, things too loud, or having to stop playing in the middle of an adventure are experiences children have all the time.
My first thought when reading this realistic children’s book was, I have been here with my own children. I could identify with almost every situation the child and parents were experiencing. This would have been a wonderful book to have had to read to my own children when they were in preschool and young elementary kids. I can see how this expressive picture book would allow children to see their feelings are valid and normal.
The illustrations done by Majigsuren Enkhbat are vivid and bold. There are strong colors that work well together, helping to portray the child’s mood from page to page. When the child is scared by something on TV there is a mostly black page with an angry red fire. When the parents are comforting the child it is bright white with a sky blue and yellow that is soothing.
Do You See Me at Home is a beautifully written picture book that teaches children that their feelings and emotions are normal and ok to have. It is ok for big situations to be difficult for small children and parents and family are there to help them through. This is an ideal children’s book for preschoolers and kindergarten-age kids.
Pages: 32 | ASIN : B09JMDTFRC
Axel Washes the Rug
Axel is a little boy visiting Granny for the afternoon. She decides today’s snack will be blueberries. Axel loves blueberries and can’t wait to eat them. Unfortunately, someone comes to the door, and Granny has to go talk to them. Axel, unable to wait, grabs the bowl of blueberries and spills them on the floor. He tries cleaning up the mess, but they have left blue splashes of color all over Granny’s light-colored rug. Feeling bad, he flips the rug over to hide the mess. During nap time, Axel sneaks to the kitchen and drags the rug into the bathroom to wash. He has the right idea but accidentally puts bleach into the tub with the rug. Now Axel has to tell Granny what happened.
Axel Washes the Rug, written by Tuula Pere and illustrated by Nyamdorj Lkhaasuren, is a heartwarming picture book about asking for help, taking responsibility for your actions, and forgiveness. Axel tries to do things on his own but, in the end, needs to ask for help. He tried to hide things when he stained the rug and while trying to fix it accidentally made things worse, so he admitted he had done something wrong to his Granny and feared the worst. However, Granny is more worried about Axel getting hurt with the bleach than her rug.
Children will see when reading this story that it is important to let adults know when there is an accident and let them help fix things. It also shows that just because they make mistakes does not mean they will not be loved. Granny showed compassion and love to Axel even though her rug was ruined. The message that people are more valuable than things comes through with the text and the illustrations.
The illustrations are fun and colorful. The style of the drawings is appealing to children, and the emotions are evident in the pictures. You can follow the story through just the illustrations as the details and expressions match what the author has written.
Axel Washes the Rug is an entertaining and meaningful picture book with important messages presented in a way that preschoolers and kindergarteners will be able to understand. Teachers and parents will love sharing this feel-good story with kids.
Pages: 36 | ASIN : B09K49ZVVG
The Star Of This Book Uses A Wheelchair
Medieval Mashup follows a boy who is struggling with accepting himself and wants to fit in with the cool kids. What was the inspiration for your book?
The inspiration behind this and all my stories is my late son, Leigh. He was born with a physical disability and struggled many times to keep up with his peers from a very early age. The difficult situations Leigh, the character, encounters in these stories are loosley based around Leigh’s child-hood.
Leigh struggles with wanting to be cool and still be himself. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s personality?
Of course, the “real” Leigh, my son. He had a beautiful, shy caring nature and a little cheekiness about him which often surfaced when he was feeling confident. Unfortuantely, his lack of confidence with body image and mobility was always a major concern for him.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
It was important to highlight some of the issues that children with limited mobility face which other children and adult, may or may not have considered.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Book 3 in Leigh’s Wheelie Adventures is currently in production and will again highlight another issue children with special needs may encounter.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Leigh’s Wheelie Adventure series continues with Medieval Mashup (Book 2).
A special book focusing on the challenges children with different needs face on a daily basis.
Leigh just wants to look brave and strong…
Leigh, Tara, and Cosmo are making costumes for the school’s Medieval Fair. But Leigh is afraid of looking silly and keeps snapping at his friends. Will Leigh overcome his fear of not looking cool and make up with his friends?
Based on the true story of Leigh who was born with a severe physical disability.
A beautifully illustrated story of courage, friendship, and fun.
QR Code on back cover to watch the full video and read along
Cool Kids
Michael is excited to start the year at his new school. He is going into 4th grade with two of his best friends. Together they all dream of playing football at this new school like they did last year. Michael makes several new friends in the first few weeks of school, and they all get along great. One day, Michael sees some boys playing football, and they will not let him join in. He is not one of the ‘cool kids.’ Disappointed, Michael decides to find a way to get into the cool kid’s group. Unfortunately, he learns that he must be mean and become a bully to be part of this group. Michael starts seeing himself as a monster and questions if being cool is worth it.
Cool Kids by Arlene Freeman takes a serious topic of bullying and presents it in a way that older elementary grade kids can understand and relate to. As a parent, I have witnessed bullying from this age group multiple times, and I think addressing it at this age level is vital for teaching just how harmful it can be to others. Kids will be able to relate to Michael and his desire to fit in and join others that are doing the activities he wants to do. I am impressed with how the author shows readers the ugly side of bullying. Being a bully makes you feel ugly inside, even when you look like the cool kid on the outside.
The artwork by Amelina Jones brings the story to life with detailed emotions for the characters and a style that fits between whimsy watercolors and graphic novel imagery. Children will enjoy the bright colors and realistic representations of a day in school. For younger kids who can’t read all the words yet, the images do a fantastic job of telling the story independently.
The theme of friendship and acceptance is just as strong as bullying in this children’s book. Michael is not the only kid to learn the real meaning of ‘cool kids,’ and seeing that people can change is helpful for this age group. It is a good reminder that sometimes we all make bad choices and that we can fix things by apologizing and making good choices after.
Cool Kids is a feel-good children’s book for elementary-level kids. Dealing with topics that kids struggle with at this age and presented in an approachable and relevant manner, this makes an excellent book for classrooms and caregivers to discuss the issues of bullying, kindness, and friendship.
Pages: 38 | ASIN : B09L5LKSST
My Day With Grandma
My Day With Grandma by author Reesa Shayne and illustrated by Juanita Taylor tells the story of a little boy who gets to spend the entire day with his grandma. Together they play hide and go seek, read stories, go for a walk, color with chalk, sing, dance, and watch a movie till it is time for her to go home. Readers will see all the fun things they like to do together and see the special bond between a grandma and her grandson. Finally, the little boy declares that Grandma is his best friend, and he can’t wait till they have another exciting day together again.
Multigenerational families are a wonderful thing for a young boy to have. However, being able to share a day of fun and play with a grandparent is not something every child gets to experience. For children who do have grandparents, this is an excellent reminder of how special they are, and for those that don’t can get a glimpse of what it is like to have one and understand when people talk about those relationships.
Shayne’s writing style is magical, with cute and fun rhymes that make reading this story exciting for adults and children. The simple phrases are easy for preschoolers and kindergartens to follow and for young elementary aged children to start reading. This heartwarming book spans several age groups and can become a favorite for years to come.
The illustrations done by Taylor are vivid, bold, and colorful. Watching the expression on the little boy’s face with each new activity, you can feel the excitement and love he has for his Grandma. For children who cannot read the words yet, just flipping through the pages will allow them to understand what is happening and grasp the feelings portrayed.
My Day With Grandma is a beautifully written picture book about spending the day with Grandma. Children will find this joyful story captivating and will want to read it over and over again.
Pages: 32 | ASIN : B09HJRFS8W
Medieval Mashup
Medieval Mashup by Charlene McIver is about a boy named Leigh who wants nothing more than to win the school’s Medieval costume contest. Leigh is in a wheelchair and wants to prove that despite his disability, he can be cool, brave, and strong. His friends Cosmo and Tara try to help Leigh come up with ideas, but he doesn’t like any of them. Leigh gets angry with his friends for suggesting silly or impractical ideas for his wheelchair. Eventually, Leigh gets tired of their ideas and rolls outside for a few minutes to collect himself. After taking a break, Leigh realizes he needs to rethink and lets his friends help him come up with a fun costume that is funny and strong.
I love how Cosmo and Tara accept Leigh the way that he is and encourage him to embrace being himself. He is naturally silly, so he should not try and hide that part of himself or change just to fit in with the “cool” kids.
His friends accept his disability and do not treat him as less of a friend because of it. Instead, they try and include him in all their fun ideas, and when he mentions that he can’t do something because of his wheelchair, they problem-solve to come up with a solution that will work. The message to children that they can be creative and find solutions is excellent in a world where many people look for a quick answer.
This well-written picture book is illustrated by Caroline Keys, and is filled with images of inclusion, realistic situations, and expressive characters. As this children’s book focuses on emotions, seeing the characters’ faces so clearly helps young readers understand the feelings that Leigh and his friends are going through.
Medieval Mashup is a heartwarming picture book about inclusion, friendship, and confidence. The children in the story are relatable to young readers and will help them develop their own confidence and see what real friendship looks like.
Pages: 34 | ISBN : 0648417883
LITERARY TITAN 