Tag Archives: moon

What Bird Heard (Traveler Series, Book 2) by Tricia Gardella (Book Review)

In Book 2 of this Traveler Series, Mouse and Bird are busy at work resolving Bird’s Book 1 mistake– trying to fly an airplane to the moon. Everyone knows it takes a rocket. But are there any other things Mouse and Bird need to be aware of?

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

 

What Bird Heard, book two in the “Traveler” series, picks up where its predecessor left off – trying to figure out how to get Mouse to the moon. 

We all have aspirations in life and reasons behind life choices/goals. Mouse’s reasoning for wanting to visit the moon is simple; he’s looking for cheese. Oh yes, this tiny rodent hasn’t gotten the memo that the moon isn’t made of cheese. 

The farm animals band together and use their resources from the scrap heap to construct a rocket. Their design was quite good based on the materials they had. The core was a soda code, and the base was from a can of tuna. The top, a funnel.

Construction, manufacturing, engineering, and space travel involve problem-solving. In the case of Bird and Mouse’s rocket, they need fuel. What Bird Heard teaches children to work as a team to brainstorm ideas. Why? Because teamwork makes the dream work, of course. 

When a creator’s design doesn’t go as planned, it’s essential to understand that alternative solutions must be considered and utilized. Good lessons to pass on to young minds!

Through talking to his friends, Mouse realized that the location was the issue; his goal was to see the world. Earth is a vast land with countless sights to explore. A trip to a library opened Mouse’s eyes to the wondrous world around him and made him realize they were so much to see, touch, taste, and experience here on Earth. Maybe one day the rodent will make it to the moon, but for now, he’s content to explore the planet he calls home. 

What Bird Heard had a couple of pages where the text overlapped the background; most of the text was clear. The illustrations were fantastic, like in “ABSURD,” SAID BIRD (Traveler Series Book 1).”

What Bird Heard encourages creativity, problem-solving, and exploration. I recommend this book to children 3-8.

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤1/2

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Meet the Author
 

Tricia’s books are influenced by ranch, animals and family life. She has tried it all, and almost mastered some: canning, cooking, knitting, fiber arts, rug-making, gardening. She has a BA in Ancient History and lots of grand children, giving her much food for thought. She lives in California.
 
 
 
 
 

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“ABSURD,” SAID BIRD by Tricia Gardella (Book Review)

Mouse promises to bring back cheese for every farm animal to help him build the plane he thinks he needs to get to the moon. He ignores Bird who all the while warns Mouse that his plan is absurd. The fun comes when we discover the reason Bird calls the plan absurd in this short and to-the-point tale.

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

 

The joke that the moon is made up of cheese has been floating for as long as I remember. Family members often ask one another, if it were made up of cheese, what kind would it be? The mouse in “ABSURD,” SAID BIRD. also believes the moon is composed of cheese ad plans to snatch a chunk. The barn animals are curious about his mission and how mouse plans to build a plane for the extraordinary trip. 

The farm animals agree to help him with his project after he promises them he’d bring back a moon souvenir, in other words, cheese! Ginger Nielson did a phenomenal job taking barnyard junk and morphing them into a recognizable plane. The windmill for the propeller was ingenious! 

This short story teaches children that not everything will go as planned when transitioning from concept to construction. Mouse faced such a predicament. But engineers never quit; they return to the drawing board and brainstorm ideas. Mouse leaned on their team for help, and his actions made him a great role model to future engineers. When in doubt or trouble, always ask for help! 

Did mouse ever make it to the moon? Did he and the farm animals get their cheese? Those questions can only be answered by reading “ABSURD,” SAID BIRD. by Tricia Gardella. 

Amazon has this children’s book listed for 3 – 8 years. Even children younger than that will love the story. Babies will love the bright illustrations. And the drawings will help teach toddlers farm animal names and then sounds. Of course, readers in the recommended age bracket will enjoy the adventure story. Let them draw their conclusion before starting the story. Let your young readers explore how the tiny mouse could reach the moon through art, Lego building, play dough, or brainstorming ideas from your family’s “scrapheap.” 

I loved this story, and I believe your family will too! 

 

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

 
 
 
Meet the Author
 

Tricia’s books are influenced by ranch, animals and family life. She has tried it all, and almost mastered some: canning, cooking, knitting, fiber arts, rug-making, gardening. She has a BA in Ancient History and lots of grand children, giving her much food for thought. She lives in California.
 
 

 

 

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Our Moon Festival by Yobe Qiu (Book Review)

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“Our Moon Festival” is a beautifully illustrated children’s book celebrating the unique ways the Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese communities celebrate the Moon Festival.

The story highlights different families and their traditions as they observe Zhong Qiu Jie, Tết Trung Thu, and Tsukimi!

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

 
Earth is a big, majestic world-encompassing so many beautiful people and traditions. It’s crucial teachers and parents educate children on different cultures inhabiting it. Our Moon Festival by Yobe Qiu would be an excellent book to choose for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, May. 


In September, you could also read the book to celebrate the different festivals portrayed in the informative but entertaining children’s book: Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhong Qui Jie), Vietnamese Moon Festival (Tết Trung Thu), and Japenese Moon Festival (Tsukimi).


If a child isn’t familiar with the foods listed, this would be an excellent opportunity to introduce new dishes to their diet. After reading Our Moon Festival by Yobe Qiu, I began looking up recipes for mooncakes (dessert). If my daughter and I can make them successfully, we might hand them out to our neighbors. Who couldn’t use “best wishes for peace, health, and happiness!” 😀


The illustrations by Christina Nel Lopez gave me ideas for art projects. We could make starry night paintings, paper lanterns, or a rabbit (like in Tsukimi). For public and homeschoolers, teachers might have the students write a haiku about the moon. What can I say? The teacher in me always finds ways to expand on a story to fit various subjects. Our Moon Festival by Yobe Qiu checks off many boxes. If you don’t want to expand on the story, then don’t. Your child will still find it very enjoyable. 


My only slight change to the story would be the color choice for some of the text. A couple of lines/words were difficult for my daughter to see and read because the black text blended too much with the background images. Other than that, we found no issues. 

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

 
 
 
Meet the Author:
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Yobe is an educator, entrepreneur and mom who lives in NYC. As an educator, she focused on teaching families to embrace love, diversity and different cultures. Through the years working in the classrooms and closely with other educators, she noticed the lack of multi-cultural resources that represented children of color. That is when Yobe decided to create multicultural children stories that feature Asian children, families and cultures! Yobe loves spending time with her daughter, reading to children and taking long walks during the day!
 
Connect with the Author:  
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Sand and Shadow by Laurisa White Reyes (Book Review)

Winner of the 2015 Houston Writers House Competition!

SandandShadowEbook2

Seven Survivors.

One Monster.

Nowhere to hide.

Mission Specialist Adán Fuentes awakes from cryo-hibernation to discover that most of his fellow crewmates are dead and the shuttle Carpathia is not where it’s supposed to be. Surrounded by a vast barren landscape, he and the other survivors wonder how they can accomplish their mission, to establish a home for future colonists.

When an unseen creature attacks them, the Carpathia’s crew must turn their attention to surviving and solving the true purpose behind their mission.

Inspired by the 50’s sci-fi flick FORBIDDEN PLANET, SAND AND SHADOW plumbs the depths of the human psyche and the power of its influence. As the Carpathia’s crew’s secrets and flaws are revealed, readers may find themselves compelled to examine their own dark places.

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Europa, Jupiter’s moon

Zarmina, Gliese 581g

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

 

What makes Sand and Shadow by Laurisa White Reyes so spectacular is it capitalizes on the possibility and probability certain events in the story can happen. 

Earth is dying. Leading experts are trying to buy us more time, but is it working? And if their efforts aren’t working, would they tell us the truth? Would they disclose how close we are to the end of life on Earth?

See, I do believe it’s probable NASA would be secretive in this knowledge. Humans would go bat-shit crazy if they knew we had so many years…weeks…days…or even hours left. The world would erupt in chaos. 

In the story, life in space wasn’t without major pitfalls. When the astronauts woke up from their cryogenic state, things did not go according to script. When you are exploring or starting over on a new planet, you have to expect the unexpected. The crew members had no way to predict or prepare for what attacked them or what would continually attack them. 

Earth has perished.

Numerous astronauts have died as well. 

But, hope is not lost. 

Recommend: Yes! 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤1/2

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About the Author:

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Laurisa White Reyes is the author of the SCBWI Spark Award winning novel The Storytellers and the Spark Honor recipient Petals. She is also the Senior Editor at Skyrocket Press and an English instructor at College of the Canyons in Southern California.
Laurisa White Reyes | Skyrocket Press | Facebook | BookBub


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When the Sun Met the Moon by Simran Mohinani (Book Review)

(Ages 3-7), 38 pages

 

In this enchanting tale of the origins of the Sun and the Moon, the Sun flies across the universe on an adventure to look for someone whose light matches his own. When the Sun Met the Moon is a story filled with so much love, excitement, and equality that you won’t want to put down, and can be told for years to come. After centuries of brightening up the sky by himself, the poor Sun is exhausted, lonely, and in need of some help. So, he decides to search the galaxies for someone whose light is as strong and powerful as his to help him shine down on the people of Earth. When the Sun decides to take a holiday to go on this adventure, Earth is left with its first-ever nighttime where the sky goes dark and cold, leaving people afraid to come out of their homes. Will the Sun be able to find somebody whose light is equal to his? Find out in this gorgeous love story how the Sun met his perfect Moon.

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

 

I want to begin my review of When the Sun Met the Moon by congratulating Simran Mohinani and Leo Hartas on their sweet, lovely cover. It immediately captured my five-year-old niece’s attention. She adored the smiley faces drawn on the sun and moon. 

While I thought the story was cute, her attention remained on the images. 

She loved the kitty cat sitting in the window and the stars which lit up the night sky. The sun and the moon kissing made her giggle. Every-single-time. 🙂 

Even though she wasn’t too engrossed by the words on the pages, she enjoyed the pictures and wanted to draw a starry scene. I believe in time she’ll be reading me the story. 

For now, any book that makes her laugh is a winner in my book. Plus, it inspired her to create a work of art. Another win! 

Would I recommend this book? Yes. 

 

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

Amazon ~ B&N ~ BAM
Mascot Books

 

 
Simran Mohinani, otherwise known as Simi Moh, was born on September 8th, 1998. She is a graduate of Northeastern University, studying entrepreneurship with a minor in global fashion. She was born and raised in Hong Kong, and now lives between there, London, and Boston. She first worked for the United Nations with their environmental conservation team before also collaborating with Amazon, Marriott, and Snupps. She published her first trilogy of books comprised of poetry and short stories which are very successful. She now owns and runs three of her own businesses in the fields of consulting, denim supply, and commercial goods. She also has her own charity: The SiMission. After college, she also worked full-time at her family business, which deals with properties in Europe. On the side, she still loves to write, which came to fruition with When the Sun Met the Moon, for your enjoyment and pleasure.
 
connect with the author: website facebook instagram goodreads
 
 

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