Anthony Ant Goes To Egypt, by Julie Bettendorf

Title: Anthony Ant Goes to Egypt

Author: Julie Bettendorf

Publisher: Outskirt Press

Date: November 30, 2014

Paperback: 31 pages

Genre: Juvenile Fiction/ Humorous Stories




About the Book
Where Will Anthony Ant Go Next?

Anthony Ant knows how to travel in style—since he’s so small, he can go just about anywhere, unnoticed! This time, he curls up in a suitcase and gets out in Egypt, ready for the fabulous adventure of a lifetime. Anthony Ant is in Cairo, Egypt…and luckily he meets an expert tour guide, Babu Beetle. Together they explore Egypt’s history, culture, and food, with adventures including a camel ride, and a visit to the famous pyramids…and more! The second book in the Anthony Ant series continues to introduce kids to the excitement of world travel, with an enjoyable companion who is ready to share his experiences.


My Take
This a really cute book. If your children like books that rhyme, which I am sure most children do, they will like this one. The story is about a little ant that travels through Egypt. While you follow the ant traveling through Egypt, your children will learn different things about the country. For starters, they will learn about the capital, different foods that can be eaten there, how they travel, some sights you would see, and what one would buy in the market place.

Another nice thing about this book are the illustrations. They are very colourful and the pictures will draw the attention of any child into the book. There are people of different nationalities in the book, which I fell will help children identify a little more with the story.

If you are looking for a nice book to cuddle with your child and read, this is the one.

This complimentary book was given to me by Bostick Communications and the author for an honest review.




About the Author
Julie Bettendorf is an enthusiastic world traveler, with a background in history and a degree in archaeology. Through her books, she shares the wonderful world of travel with children and their parents, as Anthony Ant teaches kids about other cultures, customs, and traditions. When Julie is not traveling with her daughter Erin and son Max, she lives in central Oregon.

I Love Grass, by Maria Boston

Title: I Love Grass

Author: Maria Boston

Publisher: Outskirts Press, Inc.

Date: March 27, 2014

Paperback: 24 pages



About the book:
There are so many things to love about grass. We can love the way it looks, the way it smells - even the way it changes its green from season to season! Read on to add to your experiences with grass.

About the author:
Maria Boston has always written children's stories. She pulls on her rich experiences from her own and her daughter's childhoods. "I Love Grass" is her first published book. She lives in Virginia with her two daughters and their dog. 

My take:
I just received this book and had to review it right away. I absolutely loved it. I review a lot of children books, so I think I know when I see a good one, and I have to say, this is a good one.

First, I have to say I really love the art work in this book. All the pictures are designed out of yarn. The houses, bench, grass, sky, ground, flowers, etc. It really adds to the creativity of I Love Grass. Each time the "grass" changes, you get to see from the different colors of yarn. I believe this will really hold a child's attention when they see it. There is also a little grass design on all the pages with words. It is just a beautiful book.

Second, the story. It is just as cute as the book. You can really tell how passionately the author feels about grass and how much she really wants one to love it just the same. Her words are simple, so a younger reader can read it to themselves. One can also learn from it as the author explains the different changes and seasons and shows it along with the pictures in the book. The book isn't very long so young children's attention span won't be lost.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I think everyone should get I Love Grass for their kids. They will love it and want to read it over and over again.

This complementary book was given to my by the author through Bostick Communications for my honest review.

A Christmas Pray, by Amy Parker

A Christmas Prayer, written by Amy Parker and illustrated by Marijan Ramljak, is a cute little book that tells of one little girl's perspective on Christmas.


Most kids think about what gift they are a going to receive under the tree vs. what they have given or the true gift of Christmas. In this book, the opposite happens. The little girl thanks God for every thing that was a part of the "first" Christmas. For example, she thanks God for the star that led the wise men to baby Jesus. Or more importantly, she thanks God for Gabriel who came down and told Mary about her unborn child.

I had my daughter read this book to see what she thought about it. She liked it. She was especially drawn to the colorful pictures in the book. The style of the poem was also simplistic enough for her to read and understand on her own.

I believe this would make a cute addition to any child's book collection. And even though it is not Christmas yet, the book is nice to have so that when December comes, I have something to pull out for her to read.

This book was given to me by Thomas Nelson Publishing for an honest review.