Blog Archives
Hugo Deani Runs Late
![Hugo Deani Runs Late by [Sharon CassanoLochman, Pearly Lim]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51XmII0bRkS.jpg)
Hugo Deani Runs Late is a charming children’s story about a boy who is given a task by his grandmother to get some cake and flowers and hurry home. But along the way he gets distracted by all the fun things happening around him.
This is a fun and relatable children’s book that really builds a sense of urgency. After he’s told by nearly everyone he meets that he must hurry home Hugo, l like any child, just wants to have fun, and has plenty of opportunity to do so. This is a fantastic children’s book that teaches kids to stay on task and not get distracted. The words in the story are simple, in context, and repeat so new readers will have an easy time reading the story and build their vocabulary in the process. The wonderful graphic art has a spray-painted feel with lots of depth that really catches your eye.
Although Hugo often gets distracted he knows he must hurry and his race to both have fun and get home gets the interest of those he encounters along the way and I loved that they all followed him home, creating a parade of characters near the surprise ending.
Hugo Deani Runs Late is a fun kid’s picture book that is reminiscent of classic children’s literature. This is a great book for parents and teachers that want to educate their young readers to stay on task in a fun way.
Pages: 33 | ASIN: B095J4M7R1
Grandman Dean’s Preschool Adventures
![Grandman Dean's Preschool Adventures (Adventures with Pop Pop Book 2) by [WARREN MARTIN, Star Huddleston, Karen Tucker]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61dJllgTNPL._SX260_.jpg)
The second book in the Adventures with Pop Pop series follows Grandman Dean to preschool. Readers get to follow along as Dean learns about all the fun activities that happen at school. This is a great story to read to children that are about to go to school for the first and might be apprehensive about what they will encounter. This is one of the few children’s book that I’ve read that shows a great variety of the different activities that can happen at school. I even remember the day when I was young when a firetruck showed up to school. Each scene at school shows a different activity and shows what is great about it in an easy-to-understand manner.
This is a beautifully illustrated children’s book with lots of cute and colorful pictures that will sure keeps kids’ attention as their parents read the story. My favorite scene was of Dean holding a picture of his family that he drew. It was so cute. Warren Martin’s book provides plenty of fun and education as Grandman Dean goes on his preschool adventure.
Grandman Dean’s Preschool Adventures is an enjoyable and instructive children’s picture book that is perfect for young kids who want to read a fun story or need a little encouragement to get to that first day of school.
Pages: 58 | ASIN: B08XX3HC3K
Itchy Witchy Magic: A magical adventure rhyme
![Itchy Witchy Magic: A magical adventure rhyme (Itchy Witchy Magic - Magical Adventure Rhymes) by [Annie Hesse]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51qrFs7uwdS.jpg)
Itchy Witchy Magic takes young readers on a Halloween themed rhyming adventure filled with beautifully illustrated pages, a cute little witch, and fun rhymes on every other page. Readers go on a bewitching adventure where we join a friendly witch to brew a potion, make some bat-spit soup and take off on a flying broom to play a trick on an owl that ends in disaster.
What I loved most about this charming children’s story is the pages that are filled with items of all sorts. Children will love looking through each page trying to find different things. It’s sort of a mini reward for every rhyming page that is read, a colorful page filled with interesting things comes next. The story is simple and cute. The rhyming words help new readers develop reading comprehension skills as words are repeated and small words are used throughout the story.
This is an enchanting picture book as well as an enjoyable activity book. Several pages of activities come at the end of the book with puzzles, coloring pages, and seek-and-find activities that are sure to keep kids busy well after the story is over, and keep kids coming back to find items they may have missed. All the items filling the pages also makes this book suitable for toddlers. As parents read the story, they can ask their child to find different items on the page, helping with item identification and name recognition.
Itchy Witchy Magic is a fun and colorful children’s picture book that is sure to delight young readers and is a fantastic addition to any parent or teachers reading list.
Pages: 43 | ASIN: B093PMPDGM
What I Tell Myself About NO
![What I Tell Myself About NO by [Michael A Brown, Michelle Mathews]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51HJSvF-QJL._SX260_.jpg)
What I Tell Myself About NO teaches young readers about the value of know in a positive light. The story presents several situations where parents often tell their children no, and follows it with an explanation of why they said no. What readers learn along the way is that ‘no’ is actually saving them from danger, preparing them from rejection, and making them into better people by teaching how to bounce back.
As a parent, sometimes we say no so much it loses meaning. For me, eventually it just feels like something negative your putting in the air. But this teams teaches children, as well as parents, why no is important and how it’s a teaching tool rather than a tool for punishment. This provided a great opportunity for me to have a discussion with my child about why they hear no so much and how they should see it.
The book teaches children about the power of ‘no’ but it also teaches them how to deal with different situations and emotions, like rejection. I enjoyed the various ways in which no was used and the lyrical why in which it is all strung together.
What I Tell Myself About NO turns a negative comment into a positive teaching tool with fun and colorful art that is fit for an animated cartoon. Once again, author Michael A. Brown teaches children a potent lesson in a short but entertaining picture book.
Pages: 32 | ASIN: B08KRWR4GQ
My Black Life Matters
Malik is smart. He loves school, and he runs–he has to. He is teased by kids just like him for loving learning. Malik knows this is unfair, and he is tired of living this way. He isn’t alone. His friend, Keisha, knows how he feels. She and Malik have been there for each other through many difficult days. Matt is their friend, too. Not unlike Malik and Keisha, Matt’s days are spent running from trouble in his own way. One afternoon, while the three friends are gathered at Keisha’s house, the doorbell rings and things change in a way none of them could have guessed.
My Black Life Matters, by Michael A. Brown, is the story of young Malik and his friends, three African American elementary students who explain how they deal with the abuse and bullying endured on a daily basis. Malik, Keisha, and Matt live with mistreatment on many levels, the most painful of which comes from their own peers and family members. Readers of all ages will find Malik’s story relatable, and teachers and parents will recognize many children in Keisha and Matt. They represent a large part of the African American population all of whom deserve to have their voices heard.
Author Michael A. Brown brings to light the incredibly challenging lives of children across the country. In making sure that their lives matter, he gives them voices through his vibrant and engaging characters. Brown’s book is a must-have for school counselors. Brown deals with triggering content in a tasteful way that parents and counselors can easily incorporate into important personal discussions. Kudos to Brown for giving readers a story grounded in real-life with a positive and uplifting message.
Pages: 44 | ISBN: 1735604194
Impatient Patience (What I Tell Myself)
![Impatient Patience (What I Tell Myself) by [Michael A Brown, Lovyaa Garg, Michelle Mathews]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/513VsTYjdaS._SX260_.jpg)
Impatient Patience follows a little girl named Patience who is very impatient. When in line, or ordering food, or riding her bike she is a very impatient child who is about to learn why patience is a virtue. A simple and colorful rhyming book brings into focus a quality that a lot of children often struggle with. Being patient is not easy, but being impatient can bring painful consequences as Patience soon learns in this educational picture book.
Patience represents a lot of children, or all children in at least one moment in their lives, when they want everything now. With easy rhymes and repetitive words, this charming kids book also serves as a great beginners reading book.
This marvelous book shows Patience being impatient throughout the story, it then shows the consequences of being impatient, and it also shows several moments at the end where her mother is speaking to her, in very calm terms, about patience and why it is important. This was my favorite part of the book because I think this provides a wonderful opportunity to show children where their parents fit into their life lessons.
Impatient Patience easily conveys a singular but important lesson to children in elementary school with cute imagery throughout. Talking to children about patience can often be abstract, but author Michael A. Brown gives parents and teachers a fantastic tool to teach children that sometimes slowing down can be a great thing in this fast paced world.
Pages: 17 | ASIN: B08LQY4VB1
Stay on Track!
![Stay on Track! (What I Tell Myself) by [Michael A Brown]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51uWyheMcYS._SX260_.jpg)
Stay on Track! Is a colorful, and lyrical, children’s book that follows a train, and an engineer, as they shuttle passengers to Oakton Park station, learning a valuable life lesson along the way. Will Eddie the Engineer know what to do when the train takes a wrong turn? Luckily Travis the Train is there to support his friend and provide sagely advice to get them back on track.
Author Michael A. Brown adds another beautiful book to his What I Tell Myself series that helps kids understand that mistakes are normal and, while it’s okay to aspire to be like others, everyone is different and take different paths in life. The art in this book, like in many of Michael Brown’s books, is vivid, cute, and emotive. This story is reminiscent of Thomas The Train, but readers will enjoy the modern suburban feel in this story.
Kids’ books rarely surprise me. I knew that something was going to happen to challenge our character, like many stories do, but I didn’t see this one coming. I was like Eddie the Engineer, distracted by the fun time and Oscar the other Train Engineer, that by the time the turn came and Eddie missed it, I was just as shocked.
The story is easy to read, with rhymes throughout, ensuring that new readers will easily be able to follow along and build their vocabulary. Stay on Track! is a fun children’s picture book that conveys a valuable life lesson.
Pages: 31 | ASIN: B094HLM5DG
True Colors
![True Colors by [Aditi Nair, Morgan Colonna]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41W9pbRo4CL.jpg)
Crystal, a magnificent peahen in her own right, is looking for answers. She wants to know the secret to becoming as beautiful as her best friend, Alejandro, a peacock. Crystal prepares herself for a journey of self-discovery without realizing that she will meet new friends and be reintroduced to her true self along the way. From the very beginning of Crystal’s adventure, she meets with fabulous creatures who offer her words of wisdom and the encouragement that makes all the difference in her own confidence. She soon finds out that what she seeks was inside her all along.
True Colors, written by Aditi Nair and illustrated by Morgan Colonna, is the beautiful story of Crystal, the peahen, and her desire to change her dull feathers with the help of the magical green elephant. This is much more than an ugly duckling tale. Crystal, the book’s main character, learns a slightly different lesson from each of the animals she meets on her journey. The story gradually builds with each of the characters tacking onto her lesson another aspect of self-confidence and inner strength as Crystal’s story unfolds.
This book is the perfect story with which to introduce or review the concept of a central message to elementary students. Nair’s book is the ideal length for in-depth discussions and offers teachers and students ample opportunities to analyze character traits and motivations. Nair has produced a real asset for classroom teachers.
True Colors gives young readers engaging characters from which to learn some very important life lessons. This beautifully illustrated book is a must-have for teachers in grades 2-5.
Pages: 29 | ASIN: B08VFH7ZJF
LITERARY TITAN 