Tuesday, December 13, 2011

I Love You More Than Chocolate by Melanie Milburn

I Love You More Than Chocolate is a cute rhyming picture book about how much the mother loves her child. However, author Melanie Milburn, spoke to my heart when she put her book to music and included it on an enclosed CD. My kids love music, so I love being able to sing them another sweet song about how much I love them!

Illustrator Cindy Coleman made some nice pictures to go with the book, but the real treasure is in the song! My two boys, age 1 and 4 also seem to enjoy the book and like looking at the pictures.

(ISBN: 978-1-60458-720-3  Copyright 2010)
 
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author through Bostick Communications (http://www.bostickcommunications.com). I was not encouraged or required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Friday, December 10, 2010

Eraserheads by Kate Banks- pictures by Boris Kulikov

The EraserheadsEraserheads is another collaboration of Kate Banks and Boris Kulikov and I am, again, really impressed with the creativity of the story line! This is about a day in the life of three eraser heads. While helping correct a mistake, they get stranded in the two-dimensional drawing they feel confined to. Well written and well illustrated, it's a great adventure that appealed to my three year old and a few older kids hanging out near us in the library! Banks and Kulikov are both doing what they do well!

(ISBN-13: 978-0374399207 copyright 2010)

Max's Words by Kate Banks- Pictures by Boris Kulikov

Max's WordsI stumbled upon Max's Words at our local library and I love it so much I wanted to tell you about it.  In this book, Max's brothers have impressive collections of coins and stamps, so Max wants to start a collection.  He decides to collect words and discovers that when he arranges his collection he doesn't just have a pile of stuff, he has a story! I love how Max uses his imagination and how the illustrations capture the crazy turns the story takes!

(ISBN-13: 978-0-374-39949-8 Copyright 2006)

Allison Investigates by Nicoletta

Allison Investigates: Does Chocolate Milk Come From Brown CowsAllison Investigates; Does Chocolate Milk Come From Brown Cows, Written and Illustrated by Colette Omans Nicoletta is a wonderful books for kids of all ages! The words per page are few enough to keep an active two year old interested. At the same time, the content is unique enough to keep older kids attentive as well.  The book, about how chocolate milk is made, reminds me a bit of that show "How It's Made" (but not as dry as the show).  I also really love the the illustrations. In a children's book, so much in conveyed in the pictures that they are, in my opinion, just as important as the text.  These are informative without being so detailed that the kids miss the point.  I truly hope Nicoletta will do many more Allison Investigates books!

(ISBN-13: 978-1-59298-356-8  Copyright 2011)
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author through Bostick Communications (http://www.bostickcommunications.com). I was not encouraged or required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Thursday, October 7, 2010

The Dreaded Weaved Catcher

Adventures of the Thundering Whales: The Dreaded Weaved Catcher (Volume 1)Review by Julie
The Dreaded Weaved Catcher is the first book in a series called The Adventures of The Thundering Whales by Stephen Vadakin.  Vadakin is a artist, sculpting and drawing marine animals.  His love for the ocean and it's residents is obvious in this book and in his dedication to create an marine education program that has already been shared with 50,000 elementary school children.

The story is about three dolphin friends and their adventures to reunite after one gets pulled away when caught in a fishing net.  The 55 page book is very educational (maybe a little too educational?) and introduces many different animals, concepts and advanced vocabulary words.  I'm guessing a child in grade school would enjoy having this book read to them, but my preschooler got lost in the unfamiliar vocabulary and complex relationships.  That's probably for the best though because the chapter where the dolphins are hunted by Orca Whales might have been a little too scary for him. The art work in the book is colorful and interesting, with a full color page for every two or three pages of text. I'll be interested to see if my son takes to the book when he's older.

(ISBN 987-1439263877 Copyright 2009)
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author through Bostick Communications (http://www.bostickcommunications.com). I was not encouraged or required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Saturday, June 5, 2010

The Rescuers by Margery Sharp

(review by Julie)
Disney's The Rescuers (Disney's Wonderful World of Reading)I've been looking for some longer picture books to read to my two year old on those days that his attention span seems a little longer.  Our library has a small collection of such books but I've been disappointed at the weak plots and uninteresting characters.

However, a month or two ago, my mom saw The Rescuers at a Thrift Store (a great place to buy cheap books!) and got it, with a bunch of others, for her stash at home.  I LOVED this book as a kid- it's one of the few I remember, so I swiped it (with mom's permission, of course) and have read it to my son a few times.

It has an engaging plot line, memorable characters, and classic Disney style artwork. I think it's probably about the same length as Level 3, I Can Read book.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Summer Reading Programs

Summer is here and so are the summer reading programs!  Deanna and I were just discussing all the great  programs available for kids, so I thought I'd summarize what I was aware of. If your children are too young to read, most of these programs allow you to read to them in place of them reading the book themselves, so don't pass up starting a great summer tradition just because they're young! 
  • Your Local Library: Almost every library has some sort of program, so check it out!
  • Barnes and Noble: Kids, grades 1-6, read 8 books and get a free book from the list with their Passport to Summer Reading Program by 9/7/2010.
  • Borders: The Double Dog Dare program where kids under 12 who read 10 books get one free from their list. Bring your list to a Borders or a Waldenbooks by 8/26/2010.
  • Hastings: The Summer Reading Program offers monthly coupons and a chance to win giftcards when kids turn in their reading journal by 10/2/2010.
  • Half Priced Books: Kids 13 and under earn a $3 gift card for each week they read 15 min a day with their Feed Your Brain program from 6/1/2010 through 7/31/2010.
  • Bookmans: Free Summer Kids Events are scheduled 5/31/2010 through 8/7/2010. I can't tell if this is more crafts or more books. (Bookmans is an Arizona chain of used book stores)
  • Scholastic: The Summer Challenge program gets kids to compete for the world record.
  • Chuck E Cheese: Use their Reading Rewards Calendar to get 10 free tokens with a pizza purchase (limit one per day until 12/31/10).
  • Pottery Barn: The Book Club story time is every Tuesday from 11:00 - 11:30.  Your child will receive a special gift after attending 5 times.
  • HEB: The HEB Buddy Reading Club (click on "Clubs and Contests") offers cool prizes to kids who read 10 books and send in their completed form by 10/1/2010.  Since this one is done all by mail, I think you could participate even if you don't have an HEB grocery store near you.
  • TD Bank: Their Summer Reading Program gives kids $10 into their Young Saver Account. (TD Bank is also in the Northeast).
  • National Amusements: With Bookworm Wednesdays, kids get free admission to a special kid movie when the present a book report. (National Amusement Theaters are mostly in the Northeast.)
Do you know of any others? Post them here in a comment!