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The Ghost of the Torn Underpants
A ghost has the unfortunate luck of getting bestowed the name Ghost of the Torn Underpants. Now the way it works is once another ghost gives a name to an unnamed ghost, it can not be changed; that is just how it works. Upset and frustrated at the constant teasing he endured after receiving this name, Ghost of the Torn Underpants moved to a new mansion alone. He was very lonely, but it was better than being teased nonstop over a name he could not change.
One day the ghost postman brought him an invitation to a party at his old mansion. He decided to give it a try as he was lonely all alone. He found a girl ghost sitting alone when he arrived, looking sad. When he asked her what her name was, she shyly said it was Ghost of the Backwards Dress. She was teased just as much as he was, and they formed a friendship. Together they learned to love their unique names and realize being different does not make you a bad person or less worthy of friendship and respect.
The Ghost of the Torn Underpants, written by Isabel Ricardo and illustrated by Pedro Pires, is a captivating children’s story about differences and accepting those that are not the same as you. With the increase in diversity in schools, there are many names children have never heard before. I think this book is an excellent resource for teachers and parents to show that names are unique and not something to be teased about. Ricardo teaches children about acceptance of themselves and others, standing up for themselves, and the value of friendship.
The bold and beautiful watercolor illustrations bring this meaningful story to life. The Ghost of the Torn Underpants has bright red hair that waves like a flame. This makes him stand out visually as well as his name, drawing attention from the other ghosts that fit a more traditional appearance. All the illustrations are engaging with small details that children can pick up on and look for. This is further enhanced by an exercise at the end of the book. The author asks questions about what children saw in the pictures, like how many letters the postman carries.
The Ghost of the Torn Underpants is a well-crafted children’s book combining important messages about acceptance, diversity, and friendship. The author writes in a manner that young kindergarten children will understand the message but is mature enough that children in older grades will be drawn to the story as well.
Pages: 37 | ASIN : B08QG9NGK8
The First UniBear
A brave bear cub loves to explore the forest he lives in. There are so many wonderful animals and things to see in nature. One day he follows a butterfly even into the dark part of the woods he hasn’t been into before. Continuing to follow the butterfly, he finds a clearing with shimmering light. Laying in the clearing is a horse that looks hurt, and Bear rushes over to help the horse. The horse is caught in a vine, and Bear is able to free him. He is rewarded with seeing the horse for his true self, a unicorn. Bears good deed starts a chain reaction of kindness and compassion through the woods, and soon the unicorn magic is spreading to all the animals in the forest.
The First UniBear, written by Kathleen J. Shields, started as a project when she was only ten years old. This beautifully written picturebook contains the messages of kindness, compassion, and faith. Bear’s pure heart and compassion for others allowed him to receive his horn. His good friend Bunny prayed for a chance to meet a unicorn and had faith that they existed even though she had never seen one. Once Bunny helps save a baby squirrel, she gains the ability to see a horn on Bear. Surprised, Bear and Bunny talk to Unicorn again and learn how kindness spreads and how showing compassion is contagious.
At critical moments in this story, there are references to scriptures. This is a great way to introduce the sometimes confusing concepts of scripture to young children. The whimsical rhyming style by Shields gives the story an excellent flow and makes it a joy to read aloud to children.
Complementing the touching storyline is the bold and colorful artwork of Aashay Utkarsh. The art style brings characters to life with expressive faces, and the scenery highlights the emotions that go along with the story on each page.
The First UniBear is a heartwarming picture book sharing the love of God with children and teaching them how they too can spread love and kindness to help make the world a better place.
Pages: 45 | ASIN : B09DM64V6F
The Tree House Night
Emma and Oliver are best friends that live next door to each other. They decide they are going to build a treehouse in the backyard between their homes. Oliver is apprehensive, but Emma encourages him to help her make it. At one point, Oliver decides he is uncomfortable with the treehouse and refuses to climb up and leaves Emma to finish the job herself. Once it is finished, she proudly shows her work off to her parents and tells them she wants to spend the night up in the tree. They tell her no, it is not safe. Later, Oliver climbs up the tree to talk to her and tells her he heard what she said and wants to support her plan. That night when Emma sneaks out to stay in the treehouse, Oliver watches over her from his bedroom window.
The Tree House Night, written by Tuula Pere, is another fantastic work by this author. This excellent picture book focuses on friendship. Two friends who do not always agree still find a way to remain friends and focus on what matters, supporting each other in their dreams and goals. Even though Oliver disagrees with Emma’s plan, he supports her in the only way he can, shining light and watching over her as she sleeps in the treehouse. Knowing her best friend is watching over her gives Emma the strength to overcome her fears of the dark and the noises she hears.
So many children’s books on friendship focus on the good times children have. I like that this book showed that friends do not have to always agree on the same things or have the same goals. Even with these differences, they can still support one another and help each other make their dreams come true. This is the beauty of people. They don’t all have to be the same or have the same ideas and goals to be kind and be friends. This excellent picture book shows children they can be friends with people different from themselves and support one another.
The artwork done by Catty Flores is genuinely superb. The characters have so much personality children who can’t read will still be able to feel Oliver’s mood as he is concerned about things happening. But, equally, Emma’s excitement and confidence radiate off the pages as she builds her dream treehouse. The bond they share shines through the pages, and children will relate to the images presented in this captivating story.
The Tree House Night is a beautifully written picture book with an inspirational message about friendship and supporting those you care for. Children, teachers, and parents will all enjoy reading this remarkable story and will be able to relate to the message that the author has presented.
Pages: 32 | ASIN : B09K6MNF52
The Adventures of Super Obi: Nothing to Fear
When Obi’s mom forgets to turn on his nightlight at bedtime, he becomes afraid, thinking there is a monster in his closet. Then there is a monster downstairs! Finally, the monster comes upstairs and is standing at Obi’s door. Can he hide from this monster? What will happen to Obi?
The Adventures of Super Obi: Nothing to Fear by author Dominique Okonkwo and illustrated by Mariana Hnatenko tells the story of a little boy that is afraid of the dark but realizes, with his dad at his side, that there is nothing to be scared of and how to be brave. At the beginning of the story, Obi is afraid of the shadows in the dark, but his dad helps him see things as they really are and helps him find his courage. This allows him to overcome his fears.
This heartwarming picture book examines the concept of fear, courage, being brave, and family relationships, and it does all of this while also touching on faith and trust in God. This educational kids book is told from a perspective that preschoolers and kindergarten children will be able to comprehend.
The fantastic artwork is a mix of bold colors, comic style accents, and expressive character designs. You can really see the emotions on the father’s face as he listens to his son’s fears. The idea of being afraid of the dark is something many children can relate to, so this is the perfect book to use to teach the lesson of God’s love and that you can always bring your fears to God.
The Adventures of Super Obi: Nothing to Fear is a beautifully written picture book that will captivate young children and teach them that fear is normal and that you can overcome your fears through prayer and trust in God. The charismatic character of Obi will spark children’s imaginations and encourage them to face their fears.
Pages: 39 | ASIN : B09MNLPVHR
THE HEART OF A LION: AND THE BODY OF A CAT
When a young lion cub is often sick, it is hard to stay in on the days when he feels better. One day, the young cub was feeling ok and decided to run out and play. The next day he was sick. It took a long time for him to get better again, but he ran back out to play as soon as he was able to. The cub’s parents have warned him to stay inside when the weather is terrible, but he would not listen. He just knew he had to run and play as hard as he could while he felt good. The next day the cub was sick again. This time it took longer for the cub to get better. Will the little cub, learn how to play safely so he does not keep getting sick?
The Heart of a Lion: and the Body of a Cat is written by Shani Night and illustrated by Reggie Howard. Together they tell the story of a cub that is battling an illness. While the cub’s illness is never stated, the story is inspired by the author and illustrator’s own little girl that has Sickle Cell Anemia Disease. This book is written for all the children that must fight a debilitating disease each day. Knowing the background for this amazing story made it even more emotional to read.
This picture book is filled with images that range from cartoonish to fine line drawings that look like the lions could jump off the page. However, the contrast of illustrations is appealing, and children will find the bold color of the characters accompanying the story to really draw them into the narrative.
The Heart of a Lion: and the Body of a Cat is a heartwarming picture book for children in preschool through elementary school age. It is a fantastic way to open up discussions on disabilities that are not something you can see on the outside. It is an inspirational children’s book that will help kids fighting diseases like Sickle Cell Anemia to know they are not alone and are seen.
Pages: 79 | ASIN : B09R6T6K13
Kraken Crew
The Kraken motley crew of pirates have big plans to sail to Mount Doom and steal the gold treasure from the fierce dragons. This dangerous mission has never been accomplished before but Captain Kraken knows his crew is up to the job and with teamwork they can reach the island and get the gold. Banshee, Storm Boy, Elf Witch, and parrot sail the ship with Captain Kraken. Together they encounter several dangerous obstacles and each time, a member of the ship uses their special skill to help the crew escape. When they reach Mount Doom, it looks hopeless as the swarm of dragons comes out and attacks. Can the crew use teamwork and defeat the dragons or will they too end up at the bottom of the sea?
Kraken Crew is written and illustrated by Dan Malster. This picture book is written in a fun rhyme scheme that will draw in children and keep their attention. There is a good balance of scary situations with fun and laughter with the crew. The illustrations that go with the text are fantastic. The artwork is bright and colorful, the images have a lot of details that you can pick out from each scene. Each page has something hidden, a mouse, a worm, or a fun detail to highlight the power each crewmate has. My favorite little detail was the list of ship rules when the crew is eating, number six is “Captain’s hat is not a toilet!”
The moral messages presented in this creative story make this fun book spectacular. Malster shows that everyone has special talents that can be helpful and every person is valuable. He also shows that teamwork is needed to accomplish big goals, that no one person can do everything themselves.
Kraken Crew is a magical children’s fantasy picture book for kindergarteners and young elementary students. This enchanting story will enthrall children with musical rhymes and dramatic artwork.
Pages: 36 | ISBN : 1739824601
MANSA’S Little REMINDERS The Money Workbook for Kids Part 1
MANSA’S Little REMINDERS The Money Workbook for Kids is part of the Mansa’s Little Reminders series. This is a workbook designed for teachers, educators, parents, and caregivers to be able to teach six to twelve-year-olds about budgeting, saving money, and age-appropriate entrepreneur skills. This workbook outlines activities for adults and gives them worksheets, example pages, quiz questions, and links to print off additional resources.
When looking through this fantastic workbook I was impressed with the amount of information that is presented. Authors A.D. Williams and Kendal Fordham have laid out the materials in a clear step-by-step manner with vocabulary sheets, activities, questions, and everything someone could need to create a lesson plan either for a classroom or homeschooling.
The exceptional workbook is filled with bold and colorful illustrations done by Taylor Bou. The images jump off the page and present the concepts clearly. With clean lines and entertaining expressions, children will be drawn into the pages and better able to understand the information being presented.
What educators will like is that the information is realistic, the authors bring up failure and how it is a natural part of the process. Discussing how to manage failure and how to learn from it is often overlooked especially for children. This process sets aside time each week just for evaluating what works and doesn’t work. This is an important step towards learning and I am happy to see it highlighted.
MANSA’S Little REMINDERS The Money Workbook for Kids is a great workbook to continue the lessons that are started in MANSA’s Little REMINDERS: Scratching the surface of financial literacy. This workbook will help put into practice the information from the first book and give children a hands-on application for the lessons covered. This is a great resource for any adult that is trying to give kids an early start on understanding budgeting and saving money.
Pages: 49 | ASIN : B09QMGY4LM
Lifelong Friends, No Matter Where You Go
The Whole Dollar follows two brothers that love each other and share everything as they grow up. What was the inspiration for your story?
This is a true story about my two oldest sons. When something is an event from a real-life situation, the story literally writes itself. As a parent, I tried to capture and take note of those precious everyday moments that are fleeting. When you’re raising children, you feel you’ll never forget something and yet, you do. This is one of those events that was burned into my memory and was the hallmark of what a sibling relationship could and should be.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
The obvious idea is the lifelong joy of a loving sibling relationship. The other major idea focuses on the act of sharing. I wanted to emphasize that sharing isn’t only about “giving something away.” It’s the act itself that brings the giver something precious in return. I also wanted to give the children reading this a hint of how sibling relationships change, and in some ways never change, as they get older. It was important to me that this book be a reminder that your brothers or sisters aren’t just a childhood relationship. They can be your closest and best friends for life, no matter where you go.
What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
I think it was to write about what you know and to write the stories the way I tell the stories. Humor, excitement, nostalgia, and sweetness among other things – especially when writing for children.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
The Whole Dollar is releasing on March 4th. I am currently working on 2 additional books and one of those will likely be available early in 2023. The next book will focus on how children experience feelings of anger, anxiety, fear, being tired, being hungry, and how those feelings can make them act in ways that get them in trouble. This book will be a means of helping parents, teachers, and caregivers start meaningful conversations and teach children how to talk about and manage their feelings.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
LITERARY TITAN 