Blog Archives
What I Tell Myself About Talent
What I Tell Myself About Talent is a fun children’s book that places exploration and self actualization center stage. What are you good at? What’s your talent? How can you ever know until you try. This book helps kids make the connection between their current talents and their future jobs, whether it’s an innate talent or something they have to work at. Rather than telling children to be one thing or another, What I Tell Myself About Talent let’s readers know that it’s okay to not know, and exploring the possibilities is part of the fun.
Michael Brown has once again created a book on a topic that I have rarely, if ever, read about in a children’s book. Talent, and how to find it in everyday places with a little exploration, is accomplished in this book with simple rhymes and vibrant illustrations of diverse children doing different activities. This picture book will encourage readers to get out into the world and try things out. It will open their eyes to the idea that they can continue to do the things they like even into adulthood. From doctors to construction workers Michael Brown makes it clear that going out and finding what your good at is part of the fun. The ending of the book has Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which is a great opportunity for further discussion beyond the book. What I Tell Myself About Talent is a great way to start a conversation about finding talent in everyday activities.
Pages: 30 | ASIN: B08CBQR6XJ
The Not-So-Haunted House
![The Not-So-Haunted House by [Colonel Carney, Anne Hurst]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51NlvzeGjiL._SX260_.jpg)
The Not-So-Haunted House is a charming children’s book that tells the story of a farmer who thinks his house is haunted. He sleeps in the barn to avoid all the spookiness going on in his house until one day his friend comes over and shows him that the scary things in his home were really just normal sounds a house makes.
Colonel Carney does a fantastic job of simplifying the fear that children have of the unknown and presenting it to them in a way that is easy to understand. The story is told through simple lyrical rhymes that are effective in capturing the attention of young readers. I loved the bright illustrations on every page which always had something on the page for children to point at and engage with the story. This book will help parents and teachers have a conversation about fear. It shows how many of the things we are scared of have explanations as long as we are brave enough to look for them. I found many of the farmers expressions to be laugh-out-loud funny and, although it’s a ‘haunted’ house, there’s really nothing to fear here except a fantastic book.
Pages: 29 | ASIN: B08BXTSBCC
Honeycake Book Series
Medea Kalantar is a multi-award winning author of a delightful children’s book series called Honeycake. The Honeycake books teaches valuable life lessons on diversity, kindness, mindfulness, trust and gratitude. With all the negativity in the world, the Honeycake series is a glimmer of hope and positivity which exactly what the world needs right now. Honeycake books will enlighten, empower, educate and entertain children and their families for generations to come.
The Boy in the Blue Boots – Trailer
A boy named Henry is seeking adventure in his life as the middle child. There is a new baby in the house and his older brother has begun preschool. Henry’s shoes are not holding up to his toddler lifestyle. One day at the park, his older brother tells Henry about the magical blue rain boots that take him on adventures. Will Henry be able to get his own spectacular shoe experience?
A little bit EXTRAORDINARY
A little bit Extraordinary is a children’s picture book that follows a cute young girl named Juliette who has Down’s syndrome. Throughout the book readers learn what Down’s syndrome is and helps readers learn that we’re all different, which is what makes us special. This is a beautiful story told in rhyme that promotes acceptance and celebrates diversity.
I loved this charming book. This book explains the physical differences in someone with Down’s syndrome as well as the science behind the differences. It does so easily so that anyone can understand it. Even as an adult I found this book educational as I wasn’t fully aware of what causes the syndrome and the effects it has on people. I was so wrapped up in the story and learning about Juliette that I didn’t realize the story is told in rhyme because it flowed so easily. The story discusses topics such as bullying, recognizing and celebrating differences, and showing kindness. The illustrations are exceptional, with bright colorful images on each page that provide context to the words.
I recommend this book to parents, teachers, and even adults, like me, who don’t know much about Down’s syndrome. There are more than a dozen talking points provided at the end of the book. This really highlights the major benefit this book has; it begins a discussion. Whether you know someone with Down’s syndrome or not I highly recommend reading this with your child so that you are both knowledgeable and ready to accept anyone for who they are.
A Different Type of Diversity
Lefty Saves the Day follows Gracie as she tries to overcome her anxiety about an upcoming baseball game. What was the inspiration for the setup to this lovely children’s story?
From a personal experience, the first time I played baseball someone put the bat in my right hand. I swung and missed each time. Then, I switched hands, which felt natural to me. I swung. The bat made contact with the ball. I was told to run. I made it to the make-shift base which was a sweatshirt. I am left-handed. Ruth Craver, the illustrator, is left-handed. Neither of us had read much literature about being left-handed.
Gracie is presented with some unique challenges for being left handed. Why was this an important topic for you to discuss?
There are so many different approaches and mannerisms left-handed people adapt to such as reading the print on a pen (upside down if you hold in your left hand), measuring cups, rulers, and wall-fastened pencil sharpeners to name a few. Being left-handed is a different type of diversity and one that comes with some challenges but can be accomplished with awareness.
The art in this book is cute and lively. What was the art collaboration like with Ruth Craver?
Ruth and I have known each other for over twenty years. Ruth is a very creative illustrator. Our first work together was in N Is For Noah, then with the debut Lefty novel, Don’t Call me Lefty. We work well together even though distance makes it rare to discuss the books in person. We go over all of the artwork and placement of Ruth’s illustrations within the book. I really appreciate her timeliness, gift, and dedication.
Lefty Saves the Day is the second book in your Don’t Call Me Lefty series. What can readers expect from book three in the series?
Gracie Carter will address other challenges for being left-handed. The next few books in the series are a bit more humorous and of course, Scott and Gracie bump elbows. The exact book from the remaining four has not been determined so the precise lefty challenge cannot be revealed.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website
A group of Gracie’s classmates join the Carter’s play ball. Gracie hopes for rain. The surprise was Gracie could throw a ball but that’s all. She could not bat especially when the pitchers are all right-handed.
The day of the game arrived, and the sun was shining. Gracie wanted to pitch but her class already had a pitcher. She also did not want to bat. Then there was her nemesis, Scott Collins, who referred to her as trouble.
Gracie was not sure why teams switched places. Then, it was her turn and she felt like throwing up. She saw a relief pitcher warming up before going to the mound.
“I got this,” Gracie said.
Oink and Gobble and the Missing Cupcakes
Oink and Gobble have very little in common, but that doesn’t stop them from being the best of friends. No matter what others on the farm may say about either of them, they manage to ignore it and live happy-go-lucky lives. When Oink’s cupcakes go missing, the two best friends set out on a mission to find the culprit. With Gobble’s love for logic and Oink’s overactive imagination, the pair is bound to solve the mystery–with some light-hearted moments along the way.
Oink and Gobble and the Missing Cupcakes, written by Norman Whaler and illustrated by Mohammad Shayan, is a children’s book filled with humorous moments between farm animals and best friends on their way to solving a mystery. Bright and colorful illustrations clearly convey the story line and further add to the plot. Included is a page with the names of each farm animal complete with labels.
I enjoyed this book, but I felt like the story line belongs in a book for children ages 2 to about 6 while the verbiage and some of the exchanges between characters I think might be above the heads of most children in that age group. I enjoyed the asides and the humor injected into the dialogue but found it more appropriate for older readers. I would recommend the plot of the story for young children, but the narrative is much more fitting for young adult readers.
Well-written and superbly illustrated this book will bring a smile to readers’ faces. I think this book is best read with parents or teachers as it presents many learning opportunities. Oink and Gobble and the Missing Cupcakes is a fun and funny picture book.
Pages: 30 | ASIN: B07YN4W37Q
LITERARY TITAN 