Stars: **** I received this book for review from Annick Press. This is a really short but sweet book about two sisters. My two year old girl (who has a 10 month old sister) loves it. It depicts the younger sister doing things like sitting in a box or sleeping on the older sister's bed. It shows the younger sister annoying the older sister as well as the two of them getting along and showing affection. What a cute book!

Stars: **** I received this book for review from Annick Press.

This is a non-fiction book about animal babies for ages 7-10. It would be interesting for ages 5 and 6 if you read it to them. Each double page spread is a different animal baby. There is a colour photograph of the animal baby, the name it is called, a sentence or two about the animal baby and some fun facts. There are also illustrations by Mariko Ando Spencer in each section.

Stars: *****

I received this book for review from Annick Press. Although it’s not by the same author, it’s similar to Cheetah Cubs and Beetle Grubs and Naturally Wild Musicians. This book shows us the past and ancient past of six modern animals: Dragonflies, Crocodiles, Camels, Sloths, Armadillos and Beavers. It covers the first known type of that animal, how it evolved into what it is now and why it may have changed. The book also explains how ancient time is explained (Mesozoic era, Precambrian eon, Pleistocene epoch, cretaceous period etc….

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: ****1/2

This is a great pagan parenting book with great sabbat sections. The book has original stories by the authors.

Stars: ****

I recieved this book for review from Annick Press.

Shoe Shakes is a picture book for ages 4-5 although my 2 year old enjoyed hearing me read it. Instead of being one story it's a bunch of poems, both short and long. In this book, each one has to do with shoes or feet or walking.

It's a really cute book and really cute poems. I also own one of her other books, Nothing Beats a Pizza which is cute too but Shoe Shakes is much better, especially for preschoolers.

Stars: ***1/2

I received this book for review from Annick Press. I am counting it towards the Great Canadian Book Challenge.

Summary: "Every kid is good at something. But imagine doing it so well that grown-ups flock to see you in action. Meet nine prodigies who were born with extraordinary gifts - and worked like demons at their passions. Phillis Wheatley, a black slave in colonial Boston, was 14 when her first poem was published. Stevie Wonder wowed audiences with his harmonica solos at the age of 12. And future film star Buster Keaton was hurtling through the air in a family stage act when he was only three. But the life of a wonder kid is not necessarily an easy one. Find out about how they were discovered, the struggles that shaped their lives and how their dazzling talents stunned the world.”

Stars: ****

I received this book for review from Annick Press.

Summary: When Gus’s mom asks what he did at school today, he gives his usual reply: “Nothing.” But his soaking shoes and socks indicate otherwise. Mom pushes for details, so Gus begins a remarkable tale of a school gone wet.

This is a really cute story. Gus tells a whopper of a story as to why he's wet when he comes home. Very creative storytelling. After reading this with your child, you could have them come up with stories explaining how something happened and have them be as creative and wild as possible. You could always write it down for them.

I could see the author making more books like this with just a different explanation for something simple. *hint hint*

Stars: ****

I was sent this book to review by Annick Press.

It is a short children’s non-fiction book about the songs that animals sing. I was surprised to find out fruit flies, damselfish, mice and moths “sing” The book is divided into the ways music/song is used in animal kingdom such as recognition of family, attracting a mate, scaring away predators etc…. Colour photos are a great touch.

Stars: ***

I was sent this book to review from Annick Press and chose to read it during the read-a-thon.

I was excited to read it because I like explanations of how math is used in real life. However I was a little dissapointed, the whole idea was great, it wasn’t just non-fiction, it was fiction too as everything was told as a story. However the explanations weren't very simple and I was lost on a few of them and I’m an adult!

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: *****

I recieved this book from Annick Press for review. I also read it for the Baby Steps challenge.

Red Rage is a translation of a German book. It is about a teen girl with a violent temper and an unstable home. It is a very good book but very hard to read. It made me angry when she was angry and feel depressed when she was depressed. Don’t read if you are already depressed, definitely not if you are severly depressed. What is says on back of book is totally true: “Filled with raw emotion and unflinching honesty, Red Rage is a vivid portrait of one teen lost in the vortex of her own aggression.”

Toilet Paper

This morning, elbows on knees
I gazed at a roll of it,
Wondering what the ancients did.
Long ago. Way before toilets even.
And which came first, the toilet
Or the paper?

All we really know is that
Everywhere, ubiquitously,
There is some -- or so we hope.
But it is even beyond hope.

I received a copy of this book to review from Tundra Books.

Stars: ***

A cute and simple book about what different animals eat. There’s a picture of the animal and what it eats and the only words are the name of the animal and the name of the food. My toddler likes it and it’s very vibrant and colourful. My only problem with it was that it said rats each cheese which is only a little bit right. Rats eat scraps of food which may be cheese but can be almost anything else as well. It also says dogs eat bones which isn’t exactly true but is more true than the rats one.

Stars: ***1/2

I’m not sure what to say about this book. The full title is You Are Your Child’s First Teacher: What Parents Can Do With and For Their Children from Birth to Age Six. I picked it up because I figured it would help me in my early homeschooling. Here’s a little from the back of the book:

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.

Stars: ****1/2

This book was read for the Newbery Project and the Decades 08 Challenge.

NOTE: The picture isn't of the version I read but I can't find it right now. When I go home I'll write down the ISBN and next time come and find the right graphic.

I had never heard of Doctor Dolittle until the Eddie Murphy movie came out and although the movie was silly, the idea of being able to talk to animals was an interesting one. So when I found out it was a book first I knew I wanted to read it. One day I found it at a library sale and I took it home.

Stars: ****

I received this book for review from Annick Press. I also read it for the Planet Earth 2008 Challenge.

“Burn explores the potent and dynamic role of fire over the course of human history, from facilitating communication, as a powerful agent in the natural world, to its use as an instrument of war.”

This book is marketed for young readers ages 10-12 but I wouldn't recommend it for the under 12’s as it talks about death, natural disasters, war, guns and other sensitive issues. In fact the first two paragraphs of the whole book talk about a very sad and upsetting disaster that had ME upset so I’d be careful with sensitive kids.

Stars: *****

This was read for the Book Awards Challenge, Read it Again Challenge and Newbery Project.

I first read this in grade school and loved it. When I saw I needed to read it for the Newbery Project I decided to reread it and I'm glad I did. I remembered it almost exactly and I enjoyed it very much again. I love his writing and would like to try some more of his books to see if they are as well written.

Stars: ****

I got this book for review from Annick Press. I also read it as part of the Baby Steps challenge.

This book was very interesting. I’m not usually one for Science Fiction type books, especially ones that depict a very high tech future, however this one intrigued me. In this “near-future” advertising has taken on a whole new meaning. Cars have ID so that when you go through a Drive-Thru, a sign overhead can greet you by name. It also automatically debits your account when you make a purchase. Children are outfitted with Safety Sentinel’s which is basically a GPS tracker to keep track of where your children are. There are ads on the back of cars so the car behind it can see them. There are large ads on the sides of buildings. Life-sized dummies just inside stores talk about the stores features and sales. It’s crazy!

Stars: *****

This book was read for the Book to Movie Challenge.

I always loved the movie and I'm glad I read the book. There were some differences like the shoes were silver and not red (ruby) and there were lots of new things like more creatures than the munchkins. It was very creative and interesting. There are more than 20 books in the series, 14 of which were written by Frank Baum and I'd love to read them all. Unfortunately my library has 1, 2, 4, 6 and 11. *rolling eyes*

Highly Recommended.

Stars: *****

This book was read for the Celebrate the Author challenge and the Heart of a Child challenge.

So I read this when I was a child although I didn’t really remember much about it. What a cute little book! Just like how she captured the thoughts of Socks the cat in her book Socks, Beverly Cleary has captured the thoughts of a five year old rambunctious girl. I don’t remember much about being five but I’ve worked with five year olds and I do think that most of how Ramona behaves and what she thinks is consistent with a five year old. Ramona is what we are now calling a Spirited Child.

Stars: ****

I received this book for review from Tundra Books.

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.

Collected by Zora Neale Hurston, Adapted and Illustrated by Christopher Myers
Stars: **

This book was read for the Zora Neale Hurston Challenge.

Perhaps I just don’t understand the point of this book but I didn’t like it at all. It is very weird. I don’t mind the whole tall tales part (“I once knew a man so big….”) but the text is written like they spoke way back when, with improper English. I understand keeping it that way for historical fiction but reading this book just hurt my head. For example:

“That drives over me. I know a man so big that when he went to whip his boy, the boy runned under his stomach and stayed hid under there six months.”

“That man was so black till he could spit ink.”

There were one or two that didn’t even make sense to me. NOT Recommended

I received this book to review along with two giveaway copies. Details on giveaway at end of the review!

Stars: ****

Stars: ****

The author of The Bare Naked Book and Red is Best has a new book!

Summary: The farm is the perfect place for a little girl's playful - and sometimes surprising - observations of the things found "inside" other things. With questions that encourage preschoolers to chime in, this delightful picture book is an ideal read-aloud.

My daughter likes this book, marketed for ages 2-5. Children of this age love repetition and while the things keep changing, the fact that they are inside something else doesn’t and I think that’s what will attract children to it. Also a question is asked first (Can a tree have a cow in it?) which encourages children to interact and give an answer. My daughter found this fun.

Stars: ***1/2

Summary: The only witness to a tragedy loses her memory and an innocent may be in prison for the crime. Whale Song asks the difficult questions: which is the higher morality - love or law?

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book other than there would be whales in it. The summary above comes from the back of the book and doesn't say much. I'll tell you a little more about the book so you can properly decide if it's your kind of book but don't worry, I'd never reveal too much or spoil and ending.

The main character is an 11 year old girl whose family moves to a small town where most of the inhabitants are Native Canadians. The book is Children's Fiction but for older children, say 12 and up. A large portion of the book has stories, myths and history of Native Canadians, specifically Huuayaht. I found this very interesting.