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...

Last stop on Market Street

by Matt de la Peña

illustrated by Christian Robinson

Age range: 3 to 6 years old.

Every Sunday after church, CJ rides the bus with his Nana all the way to the last stop in Market Street to help in a Soup Kitchen. CJ has many questions for his Nana. Why they have to wait for the bus under the rain? Why they don't have a car? Why everything looks so dirty at Market Street? And Nana always finds an answer focused in the positive aspects about the ride: the things they see, the people they meet, the moments they share together.

A beautiful teaching is contained in the pages of this book, and the pictures are colorful and attractive. Who can resist such a beautiful orange cover?

Winnie

The true story of the bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.

by Sally M. Walker

illusrated by Jonathan D. Voss

Age range: 4 and up

If you are thinking that this book is of interest only for Winnie-the-Pooh lovers, let me tell you that this is a story absolutely worth of reading by itself. None of us here is really a fan of Winnie-the-Pooh, but we enjoyed knowing the story of the real Winnie, that will engage any animal lover.

Winnie (short for Winnipeg) was an American black bear who had her mom shot when she was around 7 months old. The shooter only realized about the cub after he shot the mom. He didn't want to let her by herself, but he couldn't take care of her either, so he decided to sell her. Harry Colebourn, veterinarian and soldier, bought her in a Canadian train station. Winnie became the mascot of Harry's regiment, and when the regiment moved from Canada to England when World War I started, Winnie went with them. As the war worsened and the regiment had to go to the French front, Harry decided to leave Winnie in the London Zoo until the end of the war so she wouldn't be at risk, but by that moment Winnie was so used to her new home, that Harry decided to don't take her with him to Winnipeg again. Winnie was very gentle and loved to play with kids at the zoo. One of the kids who loved Winnie as soon as he met her was Christopher Robin, son of author A. A. Milne, and the bedtime stories about Winnie that followed the zoo visit eventually became a book.

The book, besides being beautifully illustrated, contains amazing photos of Winnie. Great non-fiction option!

If you were me and lived in... ITALY

by Carole P. Roman

Illustrated by Kelsea Weirenga

Age range: 4 and up

Although I have seen this series before, this is the first time I read one of its books. I'm glad I did it! Each book introduces the readers to a new country, and this time is Italy's turn. The narrators are from Italy, and they will tell you how it would be to leave there. Starting from where in the globe Italy is, its ancients times and its capital city, the trip includes beautiful place to visit, delicious food to try, family customs, popular sport, and a few holidays. One of my favorite things: trying Italian words!

All of this in an entertaining way, and a text ease to understand. Great non fiction option.  I'm definitively interested in put more of this series' books in my kids hands.

I received this book from the author via Bostick Communications in exchange for an honest review.

Don't touch this book!

by Bill Cotter

Age range: up to 6 years old

It's good to meet Larry again! Larry has a lot of rules, like Don't push the button!, and now Don't touch this book! But thankfully Larry is really bad at follow his own rules too. So the new rule is quickly downgraded to "only one finger!", and of course as soon as you drag one finger on the page magic happens, because that's what happens with good books, you touch them and magic happens. You know what I am talking about. So Larry allows you to use all your fingers! And... wow! Now there's no way to stop this! Let's wiggle, and spin, and... and... you better discover it by yourself!

Another great, funny, colorful, interactive picture book to enjoy and treasure.

Stinky Cecil in Terrarium Terror

by Paige Braddock

graphic novel

Age range: 8 and up.

Cecil has a relaxed life at the pond, where his worst problem is hawk blocking the sun when he is trying to take a nap. This changes the day a group of school children arrives at the pond for a field trip. They find Cecil and take him to their terrarium at school. Any other creature would have been terrified, but lazy Cecil quickly learned the benefits of the terrarium, being the most remarkable being fed. Nesbit the chameleon, his "roommate", is a different story. He can be really annoying.

At the pond, Cecil's friends start planning a grand rescue. But they are not the only ones who want Cecil back at the pond.

Funny story with adorable characters. And a graphic novel for middle grade children is always welcome!

At the end of the book you'll find a chapter with fun facts about the chameleon and the garter snake (the other roommate at the terrarium), plus a guide to make your own terrarium.

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

You look Yummy!

by Tatsuya Miyanishi

Age range: 4 to 8 years old

When baby Ankylosaurus hatches, he finds himself all alone in a place unknown to him. The first dinosaur he finds is the Tyrannosaurus, whose intentions are not difficult to figure out. But it happens that the baby thinks the Tyrannosaurus is his daddy and shows him so much love, that soon the Tyrannosaurus starts liking him back. He protects him and teaches the baby all he knows. He even eats berries instead of meat!

The baby repeats the whole time he wants to be like his daddy, and at some point the Tyrannosaurus understands this can't work. The baby won't grow to be like him, he is not his real daddy. There's only one right thing to do. The Tyrannosaurus tricks the baby to race him to the top of the mountain where he will find his real family, where he belongs.

The most interesting thing about this book is the ending. It is a happy ending, but a different kind of happy ending we are used to. Be aware that it could seem a little sad at the first moment, but at the same time will bring a great chance to talk about why this is actually a happy ending...

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

Sam and Dave dig a hole

by Mac Barnett

illustrated by Jon Klassen

Age range: 4 to 8 years old

On a beautiful Monday morning Sam and Dave decide to go on a mission, the mission of finding something spectacular. Then they dig, and dig, and dig. The reader can see that they are close to something spectacular, but then Sam and Dave decide to stop digging straight down, since it doesn't seem to be working. And when the reader can see something even more spectacular than before is going to be discovered, Sam and Dave decide to split up! And when the most spectacular thing of all is just one scoop away, the boys decide to change their digging direction again!

The story is really funny. It's difficult not to shout to the boys to continue just a little more! The illustrations are exactly what the story needs. And the end is kind of open, so I let you figure out your own theory about it. In any case this is not usual in a picture book, so extra points for the funny, good, and thought provoking discussions it brings!