Stars: *****

• Does your child take an hour or more to get dressed because most of her clothes don’t feel right against her skin and she complains about the seams in her socks?
• Is he constantly on the move and if ‘made’ to stay still, constantly squirming in his chair and acting up?
• Does a walk around the block take over an hour because she keeps stopping to investigate the smallest thing? Like the ants on the ground or a loose balloon floating up so high you can barely see it?
• Are his feelings hurt really easily? Is he overly dramatic and does his emotions change quickly? Does she lock into her point of view and refuse to waver?

  Perhaps his first reaction to every question or suggestion is no. Maybe she is very serious or has irregular eating and sleeping habits.

If any of these describe one or more of your children, than this in THE book for you.

Celebration Edition Over 20 Years in Print

Stars: *****

I received this book for review from Annick Press.

I've read a LOT of potty books lately as I'm trying to train my 2 year old but this one is different (in a good way.) Instead of showing how a child goes potty, it shows what would happen if different animals tried to use the toilet. For example, an elephant would crush it to pieces, a lion would think it was it's throne and a seal would slip right off the seat.

This new edition has new illustrations and a few new creatures added. The back says: "Guaranteed to bring on giggles, Toilet Tales is the perfect companion for both the toilet-ready toddler and kids who have passed this stage." I have to agree with that. Kids in the (anal stage ??) would love this book since they are so focused on toilet habits. My daughter loves it.

Art by Heather Collins
Anniversary Edition 20 Years

Stars: *****

I received this book for review from Annick Press.

Toddlers and Preschoolers are by nature interested in the human body. It's all pretty new to them and it's interesting. Bodies are something to be proud of and we shouldn't be teaching them that certain parts of their bodies are something to be ashamed of. Sure we don't want them parading around nude in public but that doesn't mean we should change the subject when they ask what the names of their privates are.

Stars: *****

This is the first audio book I’ve ever heard/read. I listened to it on my ipod mini as I walked to and from playgroups and the library with my kids. I’ve always been wary of audio books for two reasons. 1. I didn’t think they were really reading, that they didn’t count. 2. I didn’t think I could follow it.

Stars: *****

I'm including this as a book for the Africa Reading Challenge but will still be reading all the other ones since this is just a picture book.

This is book I just picked up at the library. It’s in the 2-3 years section but I think it should be 4-8. The book goes through the alphabet and for each letter something about African life is talked about.

For example:
“Cc is for a Canoe to paddle down the river. Canoes are used for fishing and carrying goods to market. People may visit their friends or take their children to school by canoe.”
“Rr is for river. Africans believe many rivers are sacred. In villages, they take care to keep their river clean and they set aside special areas for fishing, washing and swimming.”

The pictures are full-colour photos of kids and people in Africa. When I read it to my 2 year old I just explained each picture in my own words and she really enjoyed it.

Stars: *****
I received a copy of this book to review from Tundra Books back in the Fall but it slipped into the back burner of books to read. Now that I’ve read it, I wish I had read it sooner! I'm counting it towards the Book Around the World challenge too.

Summary: The setting is Sri Lanka, 1980, and it is the season of monsoons, Fourteen-year-old Amrith is submerged in the cheerful, well-to-do lifestyle in which his vibrant Auntie Bundle and kindly Uncle Lucky have raised him. Still, Amrith can’t seem to shake the blurred memories of his life “before,” when his doting mother was still alive. School is out for the summer and Amrith’s holiday plans seem unpromising. Until, like and unexpected monsoon, his cousin arrives from Canada, and his life suddenly becomes storm-tossed. Shakespeare’s Othello, with its powerful them of disastrous jealousy, plays in the backdrop of the drama in which Amrith finds himself immersed.

Photography by John Uher
Stars: *****
I received this cookbook for review. It was also read for the Soup's On Book Challenge. My dad’s family is Jewish and so we go to a Passover dinner, although it’s quite reformed. I’ve never brought a dish myself because I’m still a beginner cook and I wouldn’t have known where to begin to make a good Passover dish.

That’s where this cookbook comes in. The author has other books called Kosher by Design and so 130 recipes from these books have been adjusted for Passover and presented here along with 30 brand-new recipes and a few décor ideas.

Stars: *****

I received this book for review. It was also read for the Pub in 08 and In Their Shoes challenge.

Stars: ***** I won this book from 5 Minutes for Mom (5 Minutes for Books.) I also counted it towards the Canadian Book Challenge.

Well I don’t know about EVERYTHING. I find it hard to believe any book could contain EVERYTHING but it does a good job of covering many aspects. The Categories are Astronomy, The Earth, Plants, Animals, The Human Body, Our History, Today’s World and The Arts. The book is full of very colourful graphics, illustrations, graphs, maps and other diagrams. There are also Timelines, mini-biographies, famous quotations, colour photographs and kid’s questions and answers.

Stars: *****
This review is part of a Blog Tour by Multnomah Books. I also read it for the Pub in 08 Challenge.

Summary: When a man turns up dead in a teddy bear costume, Ginger and the other ladies of the Bargain Hunters Network learn a lesson about trusting in God rather than in wealth as they try to solve the crime and clear one of their own

First of all, I gotta say, that when I got the offer to review this book, I had a good laugh. After all, how often is it do hear a book title like this one? There was no way I could say no to this one, I just HAD to know what it was all about. I’m sure glad I did say yes because I relished every moment I was reading this book.

It’s not too often you have such humour mixed in with a murder mystery. I could definitely see the two being mixed in such a way that detracts from the book but Sharon Dunn put them together spectacuarly.

Stars: *****

I chose this book because I picked it up at a library sale but I’m 95% sure I’ve actually read this once before. This is also the first 5 Star book of 2008. (Even thought it's not the first 5-star review posted.) I also read this for the Casual Reading Challenge.

It’s the story of Lauren and her friend Andrea who both feel too fat and want to lose weight. Only Andrea takes it too far. It’s the story of Anorexia and a teen girl’s pressure to be thin. It’s told very well and I think it would be the perfect book to read along with your teen and discuss. I think if more parents discussed this book with their teens, we might make teens more aware of anorexia and the warning signs.
I HIGHLY recommend this book to all teen girls ages 12 and up.

Welcome, Little Baby by Aliki
Stars: *****
The perfect first book for baby. It’s not a board book (at least the version I read) but it’s perfect for reading to your newborn, before they can even hold and chew on a book. The text is directed at the baby saying things like you are very small and all you want is to sleep and eat. Also how you’ll grow up and learn to walk and talk etc… It’s a breasfeeding friendly book which means it shows a nursing baby, no bottles. It’s also gender neutral. The baby is in yellow clothes and could be a boy or girl.

Stars: *****

This is children’s non-fiction about bananas. This one has larger print, less detailed info and is easy to understand. I actually enjoyed this one a bit better than this one. It is more light hearted and it included more varieties of bananas and recipes too.

Stars: *****

This is children’s non-fiction about where bananas come from and how they are harvested. Part of a How Did That Get Here? Series. I want to read the rest of them.

It has beautiful colour photos and information on Where bananas originated, how they travelled to North America, where and how they are grown, diseases that threaten them, banana plants and the environment, banana companies, field to supermarket, different varitites of bananas and the future. It's a great book for students doing studies or essays on bananas.

Ages 10 and up

**Giveaway at end of review!!**

Stars: *****

The creators of Discovery Girls magazine has created a set of four books for preteens about situations they often encounter. Discovery Girls asked me to review one of their books and I was happy to. The four books in the series are Friendship Hardship, Sticky Situations, Getting Your Questions Answered and Getting Through Tough Times. I received The Fab Girls Guide to Friendship Hardship.

Stars: *****

I read this book for the Newbery Project, From the Stacks, Winter Reading Challenge and Back to History challenges.

When I found out it was Historical fiction I was nervous as this isn’t a genre I usually read. However I needn’t have worried. One of the few histories I do read about is African history. This story is based on what happened June 3, 1840. A slave ship called The Moonlight shipwrecked in the Gulf of Mexico. Of the 13 crew and 98 slaves, only 2 survived.

Stars: *****

This book was read for the 2nds Challenge.

Summary:

Mitch Albom began visiting his old college professor Morrie Schwartz after seeing him on ABC’s “Nightline” talking about his fight against Lou Gehrig’s disease. One Tuesday visit turned into another, resulting in a “final class” between professor and student in what you learn about life once you truly prepare to die.

Stars: *****

I recieved this book for review from Random House.
Wow. Received for review and I’m so glad. This is similar to A Far Cry From Home but mostly the story of one girl instead of many. I have not read Girlbomb which is the author’s story of herself homeless.

Stars: *****

I read this book for the bibliography challenge.

This one was even better than the first! Great follow up to Booked to Die.

I love the way the books are written and the information about book dealing is awesome. It makes me want to take it up but don’t have the money to start. Loved trying to figure things out as the mystery unfolded and was wrong the whole time. I love not being able to guess what’s going on. I look forward to reading The Bookman's Promise.

Stars: *****

I read this book for the Bibliography challenge.

I'm glad I found and read this book. Dunning is a great author and I thoroughly enjoyed his writing. Reading about buying and reselling books was very interesting and makes me want to learn more about it so I can make some money finding good deals. There is some really good information on the hobby too, not just a passing mention. The way the book is written, it could almost pass as a memoir. It all sounds so real, I kept having to remind myself it wasn't.

The story was very intriguing. The plot was well thought out. I had trouble stopping reading for the night