Tag Archives: dogs

Roger and Wesley by Elizabeth Hastings (Book Review)

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery.  I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
 

Oh my goodness gracious, what an adorable book. Even the pages leading up to the story were cute. I loved the smiley faces on the glue bottles and teddy bears. (Illustrated by Brittney Hassinger). Roger and Wesley were also adorable. Their happy expressions made me smile. 

The page where the toy split and stuck to Wesley’s rear end was funny. I know young kids will be giggling over this image. 

At Roger and Wesley’s repair shop, you’ll meet a lot of animals who have a common dilemma—their favorite toys were broken. For toddlers, use this opportunity to teach or reinforce the names of animals and their unique sounds. You could also point to a picture and ask the color with all the vibrant colors utilized. Babies might not understand the words, but I think they’ll like all the colors! 

Roger and Wesley by Elizabeth Hastings is a good book for those learning to read on their own. There are one to three lines per page and house words that (for the most part) should be not too difficult for children to pronounce. I think maybe only a couple stand out, which might be tricky. With that being said, I give it a couple of attempts, and they’ll know those words too! 

Roger and Wesley has the potential to appeal and be used by toddlers through kindergarten.

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

 

Elizabeth Hastings lives in Manchester, Michigan with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. She never imagined writing was in her future, at least not until she had her daughter. She decided to capture those precious moments of inspiration after seeing her daughter’s love for her favorite dogs.

Reedsy Link

 

 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

The Moon in the Sky: Poems Your Kids Would Have Written (If Only They Could Write) by Bruce Shutts (Book Review)

THE MOON IN THE SKY: Poems your Kids Would Have Written (if only they could write) by Bruce Shutts

 
Children have the power to turn simple everyday tasks into moments of intrigue and laughter.

When getting dressed, they might just think:

“My pants are really easy
Since both my feet will fit.
And after I put both legs in,
I pull them up. That’s it!
But shirts are very tricky;
They have three holes, not two!
And if you pick the wrong one,
Your head just won’t go through!”

 

Delight in thirteen whimsical poems that capture the simple honesty of everyday childhood activities written from the perspective of three-to-six-year-olds. From getting dressed, eating snacks, or having stinky feet, you and your child will recognize yourself in these poems. Crafted to make you laugh, smile, and build memories with your kids.
 
 
 
 
 
 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
 
Bruce Shutts’s poems were topics that kids and parents could absolutely relate to: getting dressed, car rides, walks outside, bathroom breaks, and much more.


We’ve all seen our children struggle with dressing themselves—head in armholes or backward attire. Most times, their first attempts are pretty humorous.


For many people, we use car seats or strollers quite regularly. Kids love the outdoors. Those poems were 100% accurate, including all the spills as well. I think my daughter dropped more crackers than what she ate.


I have sneaking suspicion that children will love “Picking My Nose” the most. While parents think it’s gross, kids think it’s hilarious. Face it, you know they have their finger up there most of their younger years. Amy Wummer’s image of the boy, looking out the corner of his eye while digging for gold, was cute and funny. I know I’ve caught my kids many times in the act. Eww!


The poems dealing with food could lead to asking your child or class what foods they like to eat for snack, lunch, or dinner.


I want to end my review by addressing “A Bug in the Bathroom.” My daughter screams at the top of her lungs when she spots a bug. That little girl, in the story, was so brave. Heck, I think she might be more courageous than some adults I know. 🙂


Bruce Shutts (author) and Amy Wummer (illustrator), you two made a great team. I loved every poem, and the drawings were spectacular too.


The author’s recommended age group is 3-7. I think that’s accurate.

 
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: 
❤❤
 
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:
Bruce Shutts has spent countless hours reading children’s picture books to his three children and five grandchildren over the past forty years. He also loves to create humorous poems for nearly every occasion he can imagine. Coupled with the fact that he often thinks and acts like a three-to-six-year-old, it makes his entrance into the world of children’s books a natural fit. He currently is retired with his wife of forty-five years and loves to travel, play golf, and (you guessed it) read books at night to his grandkids! 
 
connect to the author: goodreads

 

 
 
 
 
 

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Bentley’s Best Birthday Ever! by Claire Eckard (Book Review)

BENTLEY'S BEST BIRTHDAY EVER! by Claire Eckard
 
 
Bentley’s Best Birthday Ever!

Bentley is back, and it’s his birthday! Bentley is excited to share his special day with his new friends, but they are nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Bentley meets Bella, a lost dog whose family has recently moved to Bentley’s neighborhood. Tia, Bentley’s Fairy Dogmother, and the Dog Pack have a BIG secret! They are planning a surprise birthday party for Bentley, and when Tia is around there is always some magic. Wait till you see Bentley’s reaction to his surprise party, and especially to the special guest that Tia brings!

This book once again highlights Bentley’s kind nature, and also shows that moving to a new neighborhood can be fun! Beautifully illustrated by Anne York, Bentley fans will not be disappointed as they follow Bentley’s latest adventure. 

 
 
Buy the Book:
Claire Eckard
Amazon B&N ~ IndieBound
add to goodreads
 
 
 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
 
You can tell by the cover that Bentley’s Best Birthday Ever! by Claire Eckard will be a fun read. I loved the expression on Bentley’s face, and the cake looked cute, too, with its dog bone candles and color scheme


Well done, Anne York (the illustrator)!!


The cuteness did not stop with the cover. The entire story and illustrations were adorable. If you’ve read Bentley and the Magic Sticks!, you’ll recognize familiar faces from that story. If you haven’t read it, no worries. You’ll still adore watching Tia, Fairy Dogmother, and many of Bentley’s friends work together to give him the best dog party ever! If you love the color pink, you’ll flip for Anne York’s drawing of Rachel. She’s hard to miss. 😉


Everything about Bentley’s Best Birthday Ever! screams fun. 


There was a couple of sad moments, but, in the end, every dog had a massive smile on their face. 


After the story, there’s a “Bentley’s Fun Page.” It contains “special Bentley words” and “how many” questions. Perfect bonus features for at-home or in-class school setting. 


Great job, Claire Eckard, on creating an incredible story with lovable characters and a sweet plot. 

 
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: 
 
 

 

 

Meet the Author:

Author Claire Eckard
Claire Eckard is an animal lover and believes in volunteering to give back to her community, especially to the homeless animals that need to find their forever homes. Her animals often inspire her writing, weaving their way into the stories that she writes, blending reality and fiction to entertain, teach, enlighten, and share the joy that animals bring to our lives! Claire is an author, poet, songwriter, wife, mother and grandmother! She lives in Arizona, splitting her time between her home in Yuma, Arizona and her ranch in the mountains of Prescott. Claire has three dogs, eight horses, and a miniature mule!
 
connect with the author: 
website ~ facebook ~instagram ~ goodreads ~ bookbub
 
 
 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Cindi’s Chocolate Valentine by Beverley Reichman (Book Review)

CINDI'S CHOCOLATE VALENTINE by Beverley Reichman
Cindi isn’t sure about this holiday called Valentine’s Day, but after her people pair dress her up like a flamingo and take her for a walk in front of her friends, and her handsome new neighbor dog, Chip, she doesn’t like it at all! She and her BFF, Pitty Pat, have been watching Chip ever since he moved next door. She wants to meet him, but not like this! Have you ever changed your mind about something? In this outrageously funny story, meet some of Cindi’s fur-friends and find out if she changes her mind about Valentine’s Day.

Cindi’s Chocolate Valentine is an especially SPECIAL book because it features 17 pets that were chosen as winners in the Cindi Features a New Friend contest last summer.  As you can imagine, their ‘people families’ are beyond excited about their pets being part of the story.  They had over 750 pets, including dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, hedgehogs, and even a chicken, goat, donkey and monkey enter the contest!   

 
Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ B&N
BookBaby

18% of the Cindi series book sale proceeds is
donated to animal rescue and shelter organizations.

Picture

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
 
Special note:
As with most children’s books I review, I share them with my daughter. This review and rating is a joint effort by the two of us. 🙂

We thought it was cute how Cindi and Pitty Pat experienced embarrassment over what their owners wanted them to wear. As humans, many of us can relate to outfits our parents made us wear that were not cool, hip, or whatever words kids are using now. 🙂

We also liked the diversity in animals. My daughter’s favorite canine was the dog with two different colored eyes. She told me that was very rare. She thought it was nice to see a dog with one eye and two dogs using walkers. I agree; it was nice to see the variety of animals.

While some illustrations were a hit, others struck out with us. My daughter pointed out Pitty Pat’s arm, pointing at the calendar, and remarked it looked odd. She also asked me why the older woman had a mustache and goatee like her dad. Okay, truth be told, I laughed at her question. I can see what she means. I have to explain those are wrinkle lines.

The colorful note from Chocolate ‘Chip’ was lovely, and so was the heart-shaped dog-bone.
 

Final Note: 
Cindi’s Chocolate Valentine by Beverley Reichman is listed for children ages 3-7. While young children will enjoy the pictures and storyline, I think the text will be too complex for them to read unassisted. 

 
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: 

Amazon ~ B&N
BookBaby

18% of the Cindi series book sale proceeds is
donated to animal rescue and shelter organizations.

Picture
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:

Author Beverly Reichman

Beverley Reichman is a devoted mom, retired elementary school teacher and author. She co-authored her first book, Justice and Honor for My Sister: The Story of Margie Grey in 2018 and published her first children’s book, Kevin Can, in 2019. The second book in her Kevin series, Kevin is a Smart Cookie, and the first book in her popular Cindi the Teenie Chiweenie series were published in 2020. Her delightful and beautifully illustrated Cindi book series include: Cindi’s Chocolate Valentine, Cindi and Sparkles Howl-oween Ghoulfriends and Cindi’s Christmas Kitten Surprise, which earned a 5-Star Readers’ Favorite review.

Beverley teaches, tutors, and mentors children and shares with them her passion for learning, literature, living in faith, and experiencing life to its fullest. Beverley currently resides outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

 

connect with the author: 
website facebook ~ instagram goodreads

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Happenstance Farms: A New Home by S. McMichael (Book Review)

Picture

 
​Change can be difficult, especially for Savanna. When she gets a new trainer at a new barn, she can’t help thinking about how much she’ll miss Colts & Company. More than that…she’s a little scared. What will happen when Savanna swallows her fear and takes a chance on Happenstance Farms?
A fun, relatable story about a girl and her pony, your child will love keeping up with the adventures at Happenstance Farms. With charming characters, lots of laughs, and social-emotional learning, this book is the perfect addition to any home or classroom library.
 
 
Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble
 
 
 
 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 

No matter the age, people experience first-day jitters. We fear, as being the newbie, if people will like us. We wonder if we’ll fit in. When we start a new school, class, job, etc., insecurities surface. In Happenstance Farms: A New Home by S. McMichael, Savanna faced fears upon her first day at the new farm. 


No matter where your “first day” happens to be, no matter your age, you might encounter emotions like Savanna. This book will create a perfect opportunity to ask your child(ren) if and when they’ve experienced first-day jitters and how they handled them. 


For teachers, maybe read Happenstance Farms: A New Home on the first day of school when many students feel uneasy. Ask students if they’ve ridden a horse before or live(d) on a farm. Happenstance Farms: A New Home can also be read before taking a field trip to a farm. 


As for my house, we plan on taking riding lessons this coming summer, so this is the perfect book for my home. Even if we weren’t planning the equestrian event, this book would be a welcomed addition to our library. We enjoyed the story and the lovely illustrations by Justo Borrero. Coffee, the horse, was pretty and Eli, the German Shepherd, was adorable. We loved how expressive Eli was in all the images. You could almost see him bouncing off the pages, excited to play with Savanna. 


I highly recommend this book. 
 
Amazon info:
Reading age: 3-8 years
Grade level: preschool – 3

 
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: 
❤❤
 
 
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:
Picture

 
McMichael serves as the Senior Manager and Information Technology Business Partner for Training Solutions and Global Training Systems & Services in Boeing Global Services. She is a disabled veteran with more than 16 years of domestic and international experience in air traffic management and operations.  

McMichael holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, a master’s certificate in project management, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Southern Illinois University.  She is a recipient of The Boeing Company CTO Technical Excellence Award, Women of Color in Technology

“Rising Star” award, U.S. Air Force Air Traffic Training Achievement Award, and the International William A. Parenteau Memorial Award from the Air Traffic Control Association.  McMichael serves on the Advisory Board of SSM St. Charles Health Center, and the Missouri Hunter Jumper Organization board.

 

 
 

3 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized