Wednesday, February 26, 2014

When I Grow Up I Want To Be... a Teacher! - Wigu Publishing



Age Range: 6 and up  
Series: When I Grow Up I Want To Be... 
Paperback: 60 pages 
Publisher: Wigu Publishing
About the book: Carlee always wanted to be a teacher when she grew up, until her mother is hired as a teacher at her school! Some of her friends are even in her mother's class. Carlee is worried. What will her friends say? Will her mother do something to embarrass her? Carlee vows never to become a teacher like her mother, but as she journeys through the first day of school with her own new teacher, Carlee makes some surprising discoveries.

My review: When I was younger, my mother taught at my school. Unlike Carlee, I actually loved her being there. But it does make me wonder what my daughter has thought about me going to her different classrooms and volunteering. Seeing how I am in the room she is in and not just on the campus. 
Off the bat, I can tell you my daughter absolutely loved this book. When she saw the book after I had pulled it out of the mailing envelope, she immediately said, "Wow, can I read that?" and sat down and started to read it. The illustrations on the cover with the young girl and her backpack, I believe is what drew my daughter's attention to the book. It made it relatable for her. The illustrations inside the book follow the same pattern where Carlee and her friends are in cartoon form and other things are real. Another thing that I felt made this book very interesting is that it has little sections of information on actual people. For instance, when Carlee's teacher is speaking about geography, there is a page about different travelers and all of their information, i.e. Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, and Lewis and Clark. Each time Carlee learns about something new, the reader also is treated to learning something new with a page showing historical people and what made them famous. Whether the reader realizes it or not, they are taken on a learning journey with Carlee.

When I Grow Up I Want To Be... a Teacher! is part of a series of books that let children know that there are an endless number of things waiting for them to explore in their future. I believe that every family should have this series in their home so that their children can be able to understand that there are options out there and other kids (like the girl in the book) are going through the same thing as they are when trying to decide what their future holds. As I stated before, the book is exceptionally illustrated and wonderfully written.

This book was given to me for my honest review.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Missy Mila Twisted Tales Vol. 1 Review + Giveaway

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.














Mila is an 8-year-old quirky, energetic tomboy who loves to tell you traditional story-tales but with her own twist. Kids will be inspired to use their imagination and to become storytellers themselves. Audience participation is triggered by Mila's direct-to-camera asides all along the episode; her questions and games bring kids right into the story. Join Mila, laugh at the zany dialogs and fresh art in this innovative series which explores the world of classic tales.
        Traditional tales are timeless stories that everyone loves to delve back into, generation after generation. Far from old-fashioned clichés, the series “Missy Mila: Twisted Tales” revamps this cultural heritage through the imagination and spontaneity of a present-day little girl. Mila’s stories are peppered with spicy anachronisms and offbeat re-interpretations. So, don’t act surprised if you see a prince applying hair gel before setting out to rescue a princess, unless the latter is a kung-fu champion, that is! As for the dreadful Minotaur, Mila prefers to picture him as the Toupouloupou, a sweetie pie with a sweet tooth. And why do the wolves always have to be depicted as the bad guys? And, in her very personal adaptation of the Three Little Pigs, Mila swaps the awfully shy big bad wolf for an affable bull that… rocks!

Missy Mila Volume 1 includes the episodes: The Hidden Princess, The Toupouloupou, Baba Yaga the Witch, Djoha’s Last Lie, Piboule and the Bear, Strabiwolf the Telltale, the Donkey and the King, The Houses of the Pig Brothers, Elvis, Captain Bloody-Nose the Pirate, The Leprechaun’s Treasure, Aurel the Mocker, Pancho Pimento’s Riddle.

My views: My child is a little older than the age for this particular DVD, but that didn't stop her from wanting to watch it. The first thing that grabbed her attention was the color of the DVD. Second, were the titles of the stories. Since she is older, she was able to read the titles for herself. As she was reading them, she was getting excited to actually watch to see what the different stories were going to be like compared to their titles.

Mila really grabs your attention with her happy hyper self. She really attracts the attention of your young one and will have them watching for hours, or at least an hour and forty minutes. She engages your child by asking them questions about the particular episode they are watching. She moves around just like a young person would, so your child can identify with her and stay more interested.

I highly recommend this DVD for you and your child to sit and watch together. Like I stated before, the stories are very engaging and they will fall in love with Missy Mila and enjoy watching her pop up in each of the stories.


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Safe With Me, by Amy Hatvany

 

Author: Amy Hatvany

Publisher: Washington Square Press

Number of Pages: 352

Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1 inches

ISBN: 978-1476704418

Official Release Date: March 4, 2014





 How long has it been since you picked up a book and found out that you just couldn't put it down until you came to the last page? Well, that just happened to me over the weekend with Amy Hatvany's new book Safe With Me. It has been a while since I have been able to get a book and read it and not care about what was going on around me except in the pages that lay ahead.

 Safe With Me examines the lives of three females (Hannah, Olivia, and Maddie) that have been intertwined through some unfortunate events. Hannah is a strong independent woman who will not let anyone get in her way of doing what she wants. Not being able to control every aspect of her life, she chooses to have a child on her own. The day that starts it all is when her only child is killed in an accident. She then makes the decision to allow her daughter's organs to be donated to other recipients. Olivia is also just as strong, but in her own way. She is willing to go through whatever it takes to make sure her daughter gets the organ transplant that she needs, even if that means staying with a person who is not so good for her. This brings me to Maddie, a young girl who just wants to have a normal life. She has had the unfortunate circumstances of needing an organ transplant and the fortunate event of receiving Hannah's daughter's organ.

 I know I didn't say much about the book. But for once in my life, I don't want to give too much away. Amy Hatvany's style of writing draws you into the book, first page I might add, to where you are actually feeling as though you are right there with them every step of the way. I could actually picture each character in the book and their surroundings. When I saw that the chapters were divided by the character's names, I was a little hesitant. But after I started reading, I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen or how the character felt later on in the book. I have never read any of her books before; by have vowed to get her other ones based off of this one. So, my recommendation is to get this book and curl up on the couch and not plan on moving until you have come to the last page.

I want to thank Kathleen Zrelak for giving me a copy of this book for my honest review.