Tag Archives: summer

Dazzling Daisy Playing Outside In The Four Seasons by Risa Bardo (Book Review)

Dazzling Daisy is a picture book about an energetic girl who likes to play outside in 4 seasons and different weather— a perfect gift for young children who are inspired by outdoor adventure.

Daisy is a dazzling and cheerful girl who is always smiling. She always finds something fun to do! Daisy enjoys many activities outside of her home with her family and friends. Each page is filled with colorful and imaginative illustrations. Every page introduces new ideas and provides an opportunity to expand vocabulary!

It is an educational and fun story book for children aged between 3 – 6 years old.

This story was created by Risa and Mike Bardo who were inspired by the love for their children. This story is meant to inspire children to re-engage with outdoor activities.

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

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

 

Dazzling Daisy Playing Outside In The Four Seasons begins with Ollie, a red-headed woodpecker, introducing Daisy to readers. With her parent’s permission, Daisy enjoys spending time outdoors. Rain, snow, cloudy, or full of sunshine, Daisy is ready to enjoy what each season offers. Michael D Bardo’s fun illustrations show Daisy zooming down a hill on her side and chasing after butterflies with a net. He drew Daisy at the beach and the park. These are outdoor activities that a lot of children have partaken in. 

Risa Bard wrote a lovely story explaining the four seasons in a fun and exciting way that children will understand and enjoy. Young listeners will learn that spring rains help flowers grow. They also learn a new and creative use of a rain poncho. 

Summer means warmer weather and more time spent outdoors: parks, beaches, and water toy fun. This time also means more clothing choices, which Daisy adores! Me too! 

Michael D Bardo’s illustrative introduction to fall was very creative. I like how he spelled out “FALL” using leaves. The color choices were spot on too! Through drawings and text, children will learn that fall brings a color change in our leaves and layered clothing. It is also the best time to roll around in leaves and harvest all the big fruits and vegetables. The last part is a fun fact that many children might not know. 

Dazzling Daisy Playing Outside In The Four Seasons finishes the story with winter. Michael D Bardo gave us another magnificent introduction to the season, too. Depending on where you live, winter might mean snow and cold temperatures. With snow comes snowpeople, sledding, and snowball fights. The artist drew out each activity beautifully.

No matter the weather or season, Daisy is always ready to make the most of her day with family and friends. 

Dazzling Daisy Playing Outside In The Four Seasons is an educational and fun storybook for children aged between 3 – 6 years old. The author wrote the story to inspire children to re-engage with outdoor activities. It will do just that! 

 

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

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Summertime with Snowman Paul by Yossi Lapid (Book Review)

Sure, Paul is a snowman – but should that preclude him from having fun with his best friend all year long (including the Summer)?

Snowman Paul doesn’t think so, but hot summer days do pose some obvious problems for a snowman.

Snowman Paul is ready to give up when his best friend (Dan) comes up with a brilliant idea that saves the day.

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

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

 

Joanna Pasek, marvelous job on all your illustrations. My family liked the images that dealt with summer activities. My daughter was curious what would’ve happened if Snoman Paul did a cannonball in the pool. We also pondered if the beach sand stuck to his snowy feet and backside.

I must give props to Richard Bruning for art direction, lettering, and design. First impressions matter and the cover for “Summertime with Snowman Paul” caught my eye immediately. If I saw this in a bookstore, I would buy it for sure!

For the majority of the book, the word choices were simple. I think only one word might trip up kids 4 – 8 year-olds (Amazon’s recommended reading age), and that’s chagrin. I know Yossi Lapid was trying to find a word to rhyme with “in,” but I would’ve stuck with a word that children understand. No offense, but I wondered how many adults know the meaning of “chagrin” or use it regularly in everyday interactions.

“Summertime with Snowman Paul” did have many positive qualities. The book teaches children about the seasons, which season was not the snowman’s favorite (at first), and why. These seasonal pages led to a lovely discussion with my child on which season is her favorite and why. She loves fall because it’s not too hot or too cold. It’s just right. Oh, and it has Halloween in it.

When you’re a snowman living in hot temperatures, you must think outside of the box to survive the heat from the sun. Summertime with Snowman Paul by Yossi Lapid teaches more than just the seasons. It teaches children how to problem-solve.

My daughter enjoyed “Summertime with Snowman Paul” by Yossi Lapid, and so did I. I will be recommending it to my parenting groups, especially those with children who are beginning readers.

 

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

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

Meet the Author

Yossi Lapid was born in a small town in Romania where toy stores were absent, but stories and snowmen were abundant. Lapid holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University. He has three children and lives with his wife Susan and a little dog named Sasha in New Mexico.

Reedsy Link

 

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KidVenture: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue by Steve Searfoss (Book Review)

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Chance Sterling launches a pool cleaning business over the summer. Join Chance as he looks for new customers, discovers how much to charge them, takes on a business partner, recruits an employee, deals with difficult clients, and figures out how to make a profit. He has twelve weeks to reach his goal. Will he make it? Only if he takes some chances.

KidVenture stories are business adventures where kids figure out how to market their company, understand risk, and negotiate. Each chapter ends with a challenge, including business decisions, ethical dilemmas and interpersonal conflict for young readers to wrestle with. As the story progresses, the characters track revenue, costs, profit margin, and other key metrics which are explained in simple, fun ways that tie into the story.

 
 
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.

 
Whether you are opening a roadside lemon stand, mowing grass, babysitting, or embarking on a larger-scale business, your child should read KidVenture: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue (Vol. 1) by Steve Searfoss.

When Steve Searfoss said, “Math is your friend,” he couldn’t have been more correct. In business, you need to understand key terms such as profit and loss, expenses, and venture capitalist. These words and many other words used in KidVenture: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue (Vol. 1) would be perfect glossary and spelling words for a classroom setting. 
 
Extended Activity: Have your students create a flyer like Addie did and present it to the class. Homeschool students can also partake in this activity! 


Math lesson: Steve Searfoss offers various scenarios in which Chance can make more money by gaining more customers or increasing rates. He also discusses unexpected expenses. It’s broken down in a simple format. Extend the math lesson by importing your own prices and have the students solve the equations.  

 

KidVenture: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue (KidVenture Vol. 1) also offers numerous discussion questions at the end of each chapter. Example: “How could you get more leverage?” “Would you take on a new partner? Why?”
With all the possibilities for extended learning activities, I encourage ALL households and schools to add and use this book. It’s a great learning tool, plus the story is very entertaining. Even the illustrations are fantastic. 
My score will be a 5, but I wish I could give it more. Outstanding job, Steve Searfoss.  
 
 
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: 
❤❤ (deserves more) 
 
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:

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I wrote my first KidVenture book after years of making up stories to teach my kids about business and economics. Whenever they’d ask how something works or why things were a certain way, I would say, “Let’s pretend you have a business that sells…” and off we’d go. What would start as a simple hypothetical to explain a concept would become an adventure spanning several days as my kids would come back with new questions which would spawn more plot twists. Rather than give them quick answers, I tried to create cliffhangers to get them to really think through an idea and make the experience as interactive as possible.

I try to bring that same spirit of fun, curiosity and challenge to each KidVenture book. That’s why every chapter ends with a dilemma and a set of questions. KidVenture books are fun for kids to read alone, and even more fun to read together and discuss. There are plenty of books where kids learn about being doctors and astronauts and firefighters. There are hardly any where they learn what it’s like to run small business. KidVenture is different. The companies the kids start are modest and simple, but the themes are serious and important.

I’m an entrepreneur who has started a half dozen or so businesses and have had my share of failures. My dad was an entrepreneur and as a kid I used to love asking him about his business and learning the ins and outs of what to do and not do. Mistakes make the best stories — and the best lessons. I wanted to write a business book that was realistic, where you get to see the characters stumble and wander and reset, the way entrepreneurs do in real life. Unlike most books and movies where business is portrayed as easy, where all you need is one good idea and the desire to be successful, the characters in KidVenture find that every day brings new problems to solve.

 
Connect with the Author:
 
 

 

 

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Rambee Boo’s Lake Vacation by Reena Korde Pagnoni (Book Review)

Rambee Boo's Lake Vacation by Reena Korde Pagnoni

Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7),  24 pages

 
The Rambee Boo Crew take a summer vacation to the Lake. Rock and Rambee are having so much fun that they don’t realize that Rambee Boo keeps dropping his Sock. Will Sock make it home with the duo at the end of the trip?
 
Buy the Book
Amazon ~ Waman Books
 
 
 
 I received a complimentary copy of this book from
iRead Book Tours.
I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
 
Frances Rose Español really brought Rambee Boo’s Lake Vacation to life with the stupendous, brightly-colored illustrations. Rambee Boo is mischievous and adorable. He’s your typical puppy. You know, always on the go and ready for the next adventure. 


Hiking, swimming, fishing, boating, Rambee Boo is up for everything Rock, his human friend, wants to do as long as he has his favorite Sock with him. Luckily for Rambee Boo, the (human) mom always makes sure he has it nearby for his next adventure. 


After reading Rambee Boo’s Lake Vacation, follow the directions on the back cover and see if your child can remember every place Rambee Boo left Sock. Once done, I’d suggest heading over to Reena Korde Pagnoni’s website, where she has many activities that’ll entertain and delight your child, such as coloring pages, word searches, and designing cards. Unfortunately, unless you have a printer, you won’t be able to print them. However, these pages would be helpful in a daycare or school setting. 


No matter if you use the bonus activities or not, Rambee Boo’s Lake Vacation will soon become a favorite book in many households. 

 
 
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤
 
 
 
 
 
Reena Korde Pagnoni
Author Reena Korde Pagnoni

 
I began writing THE RAMBEE BOO SERIES after we added a fur baby to our family, during the Covid-19 pandemic quarantine. The characters in the series are based off my youngest son Rocky (aka Rock), and our rambunctious puppy Rambo (aka Rambee Boo). Whenever there’s trouble, these two are usually at the center of it! I graduated from West Windsor-Plainsboro High school in 2000 and went on to get my B.A. from Rutgers University, New Brunswick. I currently live in New Jersey with my husband, my three children and of course…my Rambee Boo! I’ve always had a great love for children’s books and started collecting them in college. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to write my own series to add to our collection. I hope these books will continue to grow and foster children’s love for reading. I can only hope that my readers enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoy writing them!

connect with the author: website facebook instagram goodreads

 
 
 

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