Blog Archives
It’s Music Time
It’s Music Time by T.C. Bartlett is an incredibly detailed and enchanting children’s story. When a young boy is on his way to his music lesson, he finds himself getting distracted by a group of animals playing their own music. He finds it exciting and joins them, but he risks being late to his class!
T. C. Bartlett has created a children’s picture book with almost no words except on the first and last page to give some context to this visual story. The author does an amazing job of using just illustrations to tell a fun story. Every page is easy to understand and is illustrated with rich color, charming characters, and movement. The transition between black and white and bright colors helps set the mood throughout the book, helping you to better understand the boy’s emotions the entire time. The story is very cute and the art is very well done and I am blown away by T.C. Bartlett’s ability to convey such an enjoyable story with only images.
The use of Bartlett’s beautiful artwork makes the story so much more enticing and makes this book stand out in the children’s picture book genre. The storyline is easily told by character’s expressions and movements, making it an easy read for kids. It’s Music Time is easily the best children’s book I’ve read this month.
Pages: 50 | ISBN: 0998471690
My Buddy Knows
My Buddy Knows… Letters is an educational picture book that teaches children about the alphabet in a fun and playful way. What inspired you to write this book?
I was helping my high school aged daughter study for a chemistry test and we were using flash cards. Afterwards, I was marveling at how often we use flash cards to test our memory.
That got me thinking, “Why don’t we use flash cards for teaching early concepts?” My Buddy Knows series was born.
Fun fact: each of the “Buddies” in the books are named after my children.
I loved the art in this book. What was the art process like in putting this book together?
Surprisingly, all of the art in the books were acquired from a site that offers royalty-free images, approved for commercial use, free of charge.
It was a case study, of sorts, for my YouTube channel for authors, Keith Wheeler Books. I wanted to prove that you didn’t have to spend a lot of money to produce a book, if you focused on quality content and provided your reader with an amazing experience.
How does this book help young children with their alphabet comprehension?
The simple answer is that it makes learning fun. It’s like a game. Plus, as you turn the page, Josh(the “buddy” in the book) pops up in different places.
I can’t tell you how many parents tell me that their child loves to see where he’s going to pop up next.
This is volume one in the My Buddy Knows series. What are the other books in the series and what is the goal for the series overall?
There are currently 4 volumes in the My Buddy Knows series. They are:
My Buddy Knows Letters
My Buddy Knows Numbers
My Buddy Knows Colors & Shapes
My Buddy Knows Baby Animals
I’m also in the process of creating a spin-off series: My Buddy Knows Languages. I’m in the process of creating the first 5 books in the series:
My Buddy Knows Spanish
My Buddy Knows French
My Buddy Knows German
My Buddy Knows Italian
My Buddy Knows Japanese
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Learning the alphabet? My Buddy can help. Big, bright illustrations catch the eyes of youngsters, delighting them and grabbing their attention. The unique flash card approach helps them to learn their alphabet while building their confidence, turning learning into a fun game.
Your preschooler will look forward to learning their letters with this fun and unique book.
My Buddy Knows the answers… Do you?
My Buddy Knows…Letters
![My Buddy Knows...Letters by [Keith Wheeler]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/510ff3LGQTL.jpg)
My Buddy Knows… Letters is a delightful children’s picture book that teaches young kids about the alphabet. The story stars Josh, who knows a lot about letters. He shares his knowledge of all twenty-six letters throughout the book by showing the reader a cute picture of an object and then showing them the letter that the object starts with. This is a fantastic way to teach children about the alphabet while also beginning spelling comprehension by associating letters with objects.
The art is simple, bright, and keeps the focus on the object and the corresponding letters, which I found helps kids stay focused. Josh pops up throughout the book in different spots on the page, which I enjoyed, but I would have liked to have seen him in different poses.
My Buddy Knows… Letters is an educational book that is perfect to leave lying around the house for your little ones to pick up and explore themselves after you’ve introduced them to it. Author Keith Wheeler has created a great tool for teachers and parents to begin early alphabet comprehension with their kindergartener or toddler.
Pages: 58 | ASIN: B01N44DWRF
Charlotte’s Snowman
![Charlotte's Snowman by [Lainey Dee, Sarah-Leigh Willis]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/5187B6OW5VL.jpg)
Charlotte’s Snowman, by Lainey Dee, is an exciting and touching children’s story of a little girl that builds a snowman for Winter. She expects her snowman to be normal when suddenly, he starts talking! He begins to complain of the cold and she does her best to keep him warm. But, the next morning, Charlotte finds a surprise that she never expected.
Charlotte’s Snowman has an adorable storyline that is easy for children to follow. Charlotte is an incredibly empathetic and generous young girl. She’s a perfect role model for anyone to follow, with a great fashion sense too. This is a great story for parents to read with their children, as it provides topics of conversation on helping others and being empathetic. The art is very detailed with a soft color palette that shows emotion and movement well. The illustrations allow the reader to better understand how Charlotte and the snowman feel throughout the whole book. It was an art style that was reminiscent of Charlie Brown and I truly enjoyed it.
Charlotte’s Snowman is a cute and imaginative story perfect for children and parents to read together during the holidays. It teaches a valuable lesson with an easy to follow storyline along with cute artwork.
Pages: 25 | ASIN: B08P1P97F1
Who’s Jerry? (The Seen and Not Heard Series)
![Who's Jerry? (The Seen and Not Heard Series) by [T. M. Jackson]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41ytlnRHTYL.jpg)
Who’s Jerry?, by T.M. Jackson is a heartwarming children’s story of little Imani’s experiences with her Schizophrenic mother. It shows her struggles of not understanding her mother’s behavior, and how it affected her. We get a look at Imani’s life at school and her many jumbled emotions. Then, as Imani learns about her mother’s mental illness, she begins to understand why her mother behaved in such a harsh and hurtful way. Finally, little Imani gets to spend time with her mom again, and do all the things they love.
T.M Jackson succeeded in writing about a sensitive topic like Schizophrenia without it being frightening or uncomfortable. The story was told from Imani’s perspective which allowed us to relate to her feelings and understand what she’s going through. The art all throughout the story was a great visualization of the character’s actions and emotions, it was definitely the strongest component of the book.
I am giving Who’s Jerry?, by T.M Jackson 5 out of 5 stars for its inspiring and heartfelt storyline accompanied by gorgeous artwork. The story is easy for children to understand and is a great tool for kids who may have family members with a mental illness. T.M Jackson was able to show that even if someone in your family has a mental illness, it’s not a bad thing and you can still have a great time together.
Pages: 36 | ASIN : B08N5F5PT7
Milli Mermaid’s PEARL OF WISDOM: An important Discovery
![Milli Mermaid's PEARL OF WISDOM: An important Discovery by [Amelia Gleeson]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Hd4vaRtXL._SX260_.jpg)
Milli Mermaid’s Pearl of Wisdom by Amelia Gleeson, is a charming and fun filled children’s story about a young girl, named Milli, who finally gets to be a mermaid. She wakes up in the ocean to find that she is a mermaid. With her seahorse friend Sammie by her side, she is able to explore the ocean and learn a valuable lesson along the way.
Author Amelia Gleeson has written an enchanting kids picture book. The hand drawn art provides a unique touch that I enjoyed and added to the overall charm of the book, but I felt that the mixing of art style made things feel a bit inconsistent. The story follows Milli as she learns to love who she is. This is a valuable lesson to teach young kids and this book makes it easy to approach that topic in a fun and gentle way. This is a great conversation starter for parents and a good topic of discussion for teachers. The book includes simple rhymes that move the story along and keeps the text engaging.
Milli Mermaid’s Pearl of Wisdom is a fascinating kids book with an amazing message. I think children will be able to relate to the hand drawn art, and there is plenty of fish and other interesting things on the page for children to point out, giving this book an interactive element. This is a good book for parents and children to read together.
Pages: 43 | ASIN: B08P4X9Y37
Voyage To Bravery
Sam is tired of the hospital and tired of treatments. Wishing for the life he considers normal, Sam tries to reacclimate himself to his life at home and away from the life to which he has grown accustomed in the hospital. When Sam’s mother brings him home, he is greeted by a most wonderful display of love and support. Even the amazing show of generosity by a local running group isn’t enough to fully lift Sam’s spirits. He yearns to feel normal and he wants, more than anything, to know his purpose. Will he recognize it when it presents itself to him?
Voyage to Bravery, written by Jeremiah Shelton and illustrated by Sarah Hameed, is the beautifully woven tale of Sam, a young boy seeking his purpose in life. When he decides to follow the signs he is being given and push himself to overcome his feelings of despair, things begin to turn around for Sam and in a big way.
As I read, I couldn’t help but think what a wonderful companion book Shelton has written. Each year, my third graders complete a unit study on Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Sam’s story is a fantastic paired reading for Sadako’s story. There are some great parallels between Sadako’s real-life experience and Sam’s. The focus on strength, bravery, and power is an important one for readers of all ages.
I am giving Voyage to Bravery, written by Jeremiah Shelton and illustrated by Sarah Hameed, an enthusiastic 5 out of 5 stars. Hameed’s intricate and breathtaking illustrations are beyond stunning and pull readers even further into Sam’s adventure. I intend to use the story of Sam and his fantastic voyage in a theme unit on strength of character with my students. I highly recommend Shelton’s work–a definite must-read for young readers.
Pages: 72 | ISBN: 1649531060
www.VoyageToBravery.com
Harrison Waits
Harrison Waits follows a boy who is waiting. Who is he waiting for? You’ll have to wait and see. This book will help children understand the sometimes nebulous idea of waiting. What are you supposed to do while you wait? Just sit there? No way! Author Missy Hagen, teaches children how taking up different activities can help the time go by.
Harrison Waits is quite simply the cutest book I have read in quite some time. Each page has a cute picture, illustrated in a soft color scheme, that is reminiscent of the classic cartoons in newspapers. I know that I have told my young child plenty of times to ‘wait’, and I just expected them to know what I was talking about. This book gives parents and care givers the perfect opportunity, and resource, to talk about the idea of waiting. It also helps give children the tools they’ll need to wait, by showing them different activates they could be doing while waiting.
Author Missy Hagen has written a wonderfully charming book, with rhymes and cute images, that will keep children’s attention and educate them as well. This is perfect for parents or teachers that are caring for young children that find themselves waiting.
Pages: 30 | ISBN: 0988904888
LITERARY TITAN 