Over-scheduled Andrew

by Ashley Spires

Age range: 4 to 6 years old

Andrew loved his drama club so much, that he thought he would work in improve his performance. He joined the debate club to improve his public speaking, and ballet lessons and karate class to improve his coordination. To this activities followed chess class, tennis team, french movies club, Spanish, and even bagpipes lessons. Andrew can't stop adding activities to his routine. All the progress he had made at the beginning started disappearing. He is exhausted. His schedule starts getting all mixed up. He has little time to play with his friend Eddie, and he usually falls asleep during their play dates. This is not looking good. What should Andrew do?


Great story about prioritize and enjoy. In times when kids seems to have schedules as complex as adults', Over-scheduled Andrew celebrates the importance of moments for having fun.
The pictures are beautiful. Ashley Spires is a great illustrator. We have enjoyed The Most Magnificent Thing before.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dr. Nicole's books in English and French

by Nicole Audet

Age range: up to 5 years old

Are you eating my lunch? Illustrated by Kathy Kerber. Xavier can't find his lunch while visiting the zoo. He asks for his lunch at each animal, and there he learns what the animals eat. Where Xavier's lunch could be?

Strike at Charles' farm. Illustrated by Mylène Villeneuve. Poor Charles... The animals on his farm don't want to work anymore. They have a lot of demands for him. How will Charles solve this problem?

Both stories are written in English and French, with cute characters and colorful illustrations. A funny way of approach a new language.

I received copies of this books from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Mesmerized

by Mara Rockliff

illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

Age range: 6 years old and up

When in 1776 Benjamin Franklin visited Paris, he found the city absolutely berserk about Dr. Mesmer, who claimed to have discovered a powerful force. He also claimed to be able to use this force to make people "feel" things that weren't there, or taste water like vinegar or strawberries, etc. Some people was sure they have been cured by Dr. Mesmer's force.

Ben Franklin volunteered to be mesmerized too, but nothing happened to him. That's when he hypothesized about the force being in the patients' mind, and not in Dr. Mesmer's hand. He used the scientific method to test his idea, and asked Dr. Mesmer to apply his "force" to blinded patients. Needless to say that nothing happened. The test supported his hypothesis. Dr. Mesmer's force didn't exist.  

The book explains in an engaging and clear way not only this story about Ben Franklin and Dr. Mesmer, but also what being mesmerized is, and how we still use this principle in placebos. This story includes history, science and the illustrations are amazing. Strongly recommended!

Doodle Adventures: The Search for the Slimy Space Slugs!

by Mike Lowery

Age range: 6 and up

As soon as you open this book you'll discover you are not just a simple reader. You are actually the new recruit to go on a space mission with Carl the duck. So go grab a pencil because you'll have some doddle to do here. You'll need to do some paperwork, like fill a form and sign the Terms and Conditions of this book. This is an important mission. You are headed to the K-82 planet, the slugs planet, in order to recover a jar with a secret content that was stolen by Sleezoog, the slimy ruler of the planet. You'll need to help Carl to solve many situations along the way, so don't put your pencil down!

The idea of this book is really creative. The story is totally interactive. There are many spaces along its pages where the recruit is asked to draw and write as a way to be part of the mission. 5 stars! Looking forward to being part of more doodle adventures in the future!

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Perfectly Percy

by Paul Schmid

Age range: 2 to 6 years old

Percy is a cute, sweet and prickly porcupine. His favorite thing to do in the world is play with balloons and, as you can guess, this is a HUGE problem when you have your body covered by needles... Percy thought hard trying to find a solution, and when none came to him, he thought even harder. Despite the lack of an idea, he decided to think a little more. And just when he was about to give up, a bright solution finally came to him!

A lovely illustrated story about don't desist when a problem looks unsolvable. Even in the most hopeless of the situations, you can puzzle it out!

Little Red

by Bethan Woollvin

Age range: up to 6 years old

What would have happened if Little Red Riding Hood would have felt strong and confident enough to defy the wolf by herself instead of waiting for the woodcutter's help?

Interesting version of one of the most popular tales for children. The white, grey and black illustrations highlight Little Red, who is a purposeful smart girl worth of highlighting!

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Whale in my swimming pool

by Joyce Wan

Age range: 2 to 6 years old

The last thing you want to find in your swimming pool on the hottest day of the summer is a massive whale not willing to share it with you!

Funny and sweet, this book is the type you'll need to read to your little ones several times in a row. We had fun thinking in many ways to make the whale move out of the pool!

A warm read for this cold weather...