Big Words Small Stories: The Missing Donut Book Review

Big Words Small Stories: The Missing Donut

Judith Henderson (Author)

T.L. McBeth (Illustrator)

Kids Can Press

Children’s Fiction, Picture Book

Publication Date: September 4, 2018

Five short stories about a boy named Cris and his cat named Crat come together. Each story also features the Sprinkle Fairy and her helpers the Sprinklers who insert BIG WORDS into the story - words like purloined and bamboozled. Each of the big words is then used in the last story.

To be honest, I was a little worried I wouldn’t like this book when I first read about the Sprinkle Fairy and her Sprinklers, but the easy to read stories are humorous, the illustrations are fun, and I know many kids who would love reading this book and learning some of these “big words.” Big Words Small Stories: The Missing Donut is a cleaver approach to developing a larger vocabulary for children.

If you’re interested in reading Big Words Small Stories: The Missing Donut, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Anna at the Art Museum Book Review

Anna at the Art Museum

 

Hazel Hutchins, Gail Herbert (Authors)

Lil Crump (Illustrator)

Annick Press

Children’s Fiction, Picture Book

Publication Date: September 11, 2018

Going to the art museum has A LOT of rules, and all of those rules make the museum boring. When Anna roars at a lion, she’s told to be quiet. When Anna starts to climb on something that looks like it’s for children, she’s shown the “do not touch” sign. Even when she tries to have a snack, Anna’s told “no eating.”

When a half-open door piques Anna’s interest, she’s surprised when she’s allowed to go in. Inside the “secret workshop” Anna finds a painting of a grumpy girl – a grumpy girl just like her! Anna quickly discovers that art often mirrors and imitates life.

Kids will easily relate to the constant stream of “no’s” that Anna encounters through her time at the museum. Kids will also delight in re-reading the book to study the pictures. Once Anna realizes that art often imitates life, kids also notice that Anna’s life often imitates the art around her. The subtle and clever illustrations blend Anna’s life and famous works of art together, mirroring each other – something that children and adults will appreciate as they read.

If you’re interested in reading Anna at the Art Museum, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Quote of the Week

The Third Mushroom Book Review

The Third Mushroom

Jennifer L. Holm (Author)

Random House Books for Young Readers

Middle Grades, Upper Elementary, Children’s Fiction

Publication Date: September 4, 2018

Ellie’s grandpa Melvin just moved back in with her family. But the strange thing about grandpa Melvin, who is a world-renowned scientist, is that he discovered a way to reverse-age himself. While grandpa Melvin is incredibly smart and has two PhDs, he’s in the body of a smelly-footed 14 year old boy who now attends the same middle school as his granddaughter Ellie.

Ellie decides to team up with her grandpa for the science fair and their project is nothing short of stunning – a possible formula for the fountain of youth. When Ellie’s beloved cat gets sick, Ellie becomes even more desperate to see how far their experiment can go.

Though The Third Mushroom is the sequel to The Fourteenth Goldish (another great read!) this book still stands on its own. With interesting characters and a touch of middle school romance middle grade readers will devour it!

If you’re interested in reading The Third Mushroom, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Meet Yasmin! Book Review

Meet Yasmin!

Saadia Faruqi (Author)

Hatem Aly (illustrator)

Capstone

Children’s Fiction, Chapter Book, Diversity

Publication Date: August 1, 2018

Yasmin is an energetic and lively second grader. While she gets into problems occasionally, she’s quick to find ways to solve them. It is refreshing to see a diverse, female protagonist like Yasmin who faces easily relatable problems for young readers. Meet Yasmin! is a great beginning chapter book for elementary-aged readers!

If you’re interested in reading Meet Yasmin!, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Good Egg and Bad Apple Book Review

Good Egg and Bad Apple

 

Henry Herz (Author)

Luke Graber (Illsutrator)

Schiffer Kids

Children’s Fiction, Picture Book

Publication Date: September 28, 2018

Bad Apple and Second Banana terrorize the other food items in the fridge. After a streak of bullying, Good Egg finally confronts the pair and is picked on himself. Taking a different approach, Good Egg decides to invite Bad Apple to play a game of capture the flag with the other produce. Bad Apple is taken by surprise and is very excited to be included by everyone else. In the end, everyone has a good time and the bullying ends.

Good Egg and Bad Apple offers a positive (though not always effective) way to deal with bullies. It also has A LOT of idioms, puns, and other word play. While this word play is fun, the sheer amount of it is a bit overwhelming especially for younger readers where much of it might go over their heads. Upper elementary students or students who are learning English may be a better audience for diving in to the idioms and understanding the fun of the text.

If you’re interested in reading Good Egg and BadApple, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Dino-Christmas Book Review

Dino-Christmas

Lisa Wheeler (Author)

Barry Gott (Illustrator)

Carolrhoda Books

Children’s Fiction, Picture Book, Christmas

Publication Date: September 1, 2018

From the author and illustrator who brought the Dino-Sports series (my son LOVES these books) comes a new Dino-Holidays series starting with Dino-Christmas!

Santa Claws is coming, so Dinos of all sizes play in the snow, decorate the town, have snowball fights, eat cookies, and have a parade as they eagerly await the big day!

Written in rhyming verse and paired with fun, bright illustrations, dinosaur lovers will want to join in the fun as they see Raptor, Stegosaurus, T-Rex, Triceratops, Diplodocus, and many more dinosaurs prepare for Christmas!

If you’re interested in reading Dino-Christmas, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Quote of the Week

Am I Yours? Book Review

Am I Yours?

Alix Latimer

(Author, Illustrator)

Peachtree Publishers

Children’s Fiction, Picture Book

Publication Date: September 1, 2018

A lost egg is looking for its parents. As dinosaurs gather, it asks, “Am I yours?” In rhythm and rhyme, the friendly dinosaurs inquire about what the egg looks like inside its shell since they can’t see in. After multiple attempts, the egg’s parents still can’t be found. But the group of dinosaurs is determined to help the egg find its home.

Am I Yours? is a cute story with great illustrations. Kids will enjoy the wonder and suspense of finding out just who is in that egg.

If you’re interested in reading Am I Yours?, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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The Steves Book Review

The Steves

Morag Hood

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Children’s Fiction, Picture Book

Publication Date: September 4, 2018

When a puffin named Steve meets another puffin who is also named Steve, the competition is on! One of them hast to be the best, most Stevest Steve, right? This competition quickly escalates and turns into name calling and hurt feelings. Can the Steves work out their differences (or similarities)?

With bold pictures and mounting tension, The Steves will make a great read aloud. Teachers (and parents) will want to read the book before presenting it to kids to make sure the name calling isn’t too much for their kiddos or that it can be thoroughly discussed as a bad choice with kids. Overall, the book is funny and will make kids laugh while realizing somethings are just silly to argue over.

If you’re interested in reading The Steves, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Sloth at the Zoom Book Review

Sloth at the Zoom

Helaine Becker (Author)

Orbie (Illustrator)

Owlkids

Children’s Fiction, Picture Book

Publication Date: August 15, 2018

Sloth arrives at her new home the Zoom where everyone goes so fast they don’t have time to stop and chat or relax. She thought she was going to the Zzzzzoo where animals live at a slower pace, but she finds her way (slowly) around the Zoom and tries to make friends. When she finally meets a friend whose more her speed, they’re able to enjoy a snack together, and the other animals who are normally too busy take notice and decide to relax a bit too.

In a fast-paced world, it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day hustle, but Sloth at the Zoom is a cute and clever reminder that we all need to stop and enjoy the life around us. Sometimes a slower pace is necessary and rewarding.

If you’re interested in reading Sloth at the Zoom, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Poppy and Sam and the Leaf Thief

Poppy and Sam and the Leaf Thief

Cathon

(Author & Illustrator)

Owlkids

Children’s Fiction, Comic-Book Style

Publication Date: August 15, 2018

Poppy and her panda bear friend Sam hear crying in their garden. Someone has taken a bite of one of Basil’s leaves! Poppy and Sam are on the case. They ask different insects where they were that night, they hideout to watch the next night, a honeybee helps make a sticky honey barrier around Basil so the thief is caught, but nothing works. Finally, Poppy comes up with an ingenious solution. Basil helps teach the thief that everything tastes better when offered freely rather than being taken.

Poppy and Sam and the Leaf Thief is composed in a comic-book style that kids will really like. Its illustrations are great and the garden makes for an interesting setting filled with talking plants and insects.

If you’re interested in reading Poppy and Sam and the Leaf Thief, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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