Book Review: Harold and the Poopy Little Puppy by Ellie Crowe - #BookReview

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Harold and the Poopy Little Puppy
Author: Ellie Crowe
Illustrated by: Janet King
Reading level: Children's Book
Genres: Humorous | Animals
Release: August 31st 2018
Review Source: Author | TCK Publishing

It's hard to be a good dog, but Harold, the golden retriever, really tries. Then the Dad brings home Prince, a silly little puppy that the Dad says is smart and brave.

Prince! “Smart and brave!” Harold can hardly believe his ears! And, even worse, when Prince does a doggy-doo right in the house, the Dad blames Harold!

Harold thinks Prince is a poopy little puppy. How is he going to live with him in his house?

Kids with baby brothers and sisters will sympathize with Harold.

This book is laugh-out-loud funny for kids and parents. Perfect for early readers and the Common Core. Adults are allowed to laugh along as well.

This book is for early readers and young readers, ages 6-8 or grades 1 to 3 who like:

• Funny books about dogs
• Roald Dahl or Shel Silverstein
• Juvenile fiction
• Humorous stories

Fans of the Down Girl and Sit Series by Lucy Nolan, The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin, or Ice Cream Soup by Anne Ingalls will love this book.

Harold and the Poopy Little Puppy is a cute book that will read easily with children in elementary school. It's not your typical children's book as far as illustrations. You'll find that it has a couple pictures spread out through the chapters, but mostly words. So possibly the younger kids, might not be captured right away. I think for student's that are more advance in their reading, this is a good book to practice with.

The story itself was cute, with a some humor. Harold is the main dog that has lived with his owners for some time, and cue the new puppy into the family. That would be Prince. Harold is just not pleased at all that Prince is part of their lives. When Harold barks, his barks are describe as sentences in the books. So as if he was having a conversation with his owners and Prince. Now Prince, doesn't have this feature when he barks.

The story centers around Harold learning to live with Prince, while he keeps getting in trouble for things Prince has done. Of course Harold tries to explain this in hi sparks, so his owners know he didn't mean to make them get upset. But they lack the understand of his barks. Then towards the end of the story, Prince and Harold have a wonderful moment and everything finally begins to click with them two.

The book is a quick fast read and perfect for all dog lovers.

Books to Read During Mental Health Awareness Month

Books to Read During Mental Health Awareness Month

In observation of Mental Health Awareness Month, HarperCollins Children’s Books offers a sneak peek of our list of upcoming titles promoting mindfulness and greater understanding of mental illness.

My Magic Breath: Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing written & illustrated by Nick Ortner

9780062687760. $17.99. Ages 4-8. On Sale 5/15/2018.

From New York Times bestselling author Nick Ortner comes a beautiful picture book that will help children discover calm through the magic of mindful breathing. Sometimes it’s hard to feel happy. But with this interactive picture book, children breathe along as they learn how to make angry or sad thoughts disappear. In a world that is sometimes too busy, with too many things going on, My Magic Breath will help steer children into a serene space of mindfulness, self-awareness, and balance. A wonderful classroom and naptime story, this book is perfect for fans of Susan Verde’s I Am Yoga and I Am Peace, Mariam Gates’s Good Night Yoga, and Deborah Underwood’s The Quiet Book.

Stanley Will Probably Be Fine by Sally J. Pla & illustrated by Steve Wolfhard

9780062445797. $16.99. Ages 8-12. On Sale 2/6/2018.

Nobody knows comics trivia like Stanley knows comics trivia. It’s what he takes comfort in when the world around him gets to be too much. And after he faints during a safety assembly, Stanley takes his love of comics up a level by inventing his own imaginary superhero, named John Lockdown, to help him through. Help is what he needs, because Stanley’s entered Trivia Quest—a giant comics-trivia treasure hunt—to prove he can tackle his worries, score VIP passes to Comic Fest, and win back his ex-best friend. Partnered with his fearless new neighbor Liberty, Stanley faces his most epic, overwhelming, challenging day ever. What would John Lockdown do? Stanley’s about to find out. This funny and moving second novel from the author of The Someday Birds features comic trivia, a safety superhero, and a super-cool scavenger hunt all over downtown San Diego, as our young hero Stanley Fortinbras grapples with his anxiety—and learns what, exactly, it means to be brave.

“The story never dumbs down or oversimplifies Stanley; he’s a multidimensional character of great depth who gradually learns how to calm his worried mind…. Add to the growing list of intelligent books about kids whose brains operate outside the norm.” – Kirkus Reviews

Light Filters In: Poems by Caroline Kaufman & illustrated by Yelena Bryksenkova

9780062844682. $14.99. Ages 13 & Up. On Sale 6/5/2018.

In the vein of poetry collections like Milk and Honey and Adultolescence, this compilation of short, powerful poems from teen Instagram sensation @poeticpoison perfectly captures the human experience. In Light Filters In, Caroline Kaufman—known as @poeticpoison—does what she does best: reflects our own experiences back at us and makes us feel less alone, one exquisite and insightful piece at a time. She writes about giving up too much of yourself to someone else, not fitting in, endlessly Googling “how to be happy,” and ultimately figuring out who you are. This hardcover collection features completely new material plus some fan favorites from Caroline's account. Filled with haunting, spare pieces of original art, Light Filters In will thrill existing fans and newcomers alike.

Blog Tour: Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers + Guest Post

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Here We Are
Author: Oliver Jeffers
Reading Level: Picture Book
Genre: Contemporary
Released: November 2017
Review Source: Penguin Young Readers

Our world can be a bewildering place, especially if you’ve only just got here. Your head will be filled with questions, so let’s explore what makes our planet and how we live on it.

From land and sky, to people and time, these notes can be your guide and start you on your journey. And you’ll figure lots of things out for yourself. Just remember to leave notes for everyone else...

Some things about our planet are pretty complicated, but things can be simple, too: there are lots of us on here, so be kind.

Creatures that Live in Thin Air

Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers is a sweet book that introduces kids to the world, our world. Children are able to learn about space, our land, the sea, air and other facts about our planet. So to add to this introduction, I thought it would be great to talk about couple of creatures that live in thin air.

Alpine swift are known to be able to stay aloft in the air for up to seven months! They have very short legs which are used for clinging to vertical surfaces. They drink on the wing, but roost on vertical cliffs or walls.

Llamas! Yes, these creatures live in grassy open spaces at very high altitudes of 7,400 - 12,800 feet. They have more red blood cells per unit volume of blood than any other mammal.

Himalayan marmot is a marmot found  throughout the Himalayas and on the Tibetan Plateau at elevation from 3,500 to 5,200 m (11,500 to 17,100 ft). They dig large burrows, which generally restricts them to areas with light-textured and adequately deep soil.

Yak (Bos mutus) are  long-haired domesticated bovid in which their coat helps to insulate them in their cold environment. They can lives up to 6,100 m (20,000 ft) and make their homes in treeless areas which are on mountains and plateaus.. Their horns are used to break through the snow and reach
plants.

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Oliver Jeffers makes art.

From figurative painting and installation to illustration and picture-book making, Oliver Jeffers’ work takes many forms. His distinctive paintings have been exhibited in multiple cities, including Lazarides Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Brooklyn Museum and Spring Break Fair (Armory Week) in New York, and Gestalten Space in Berlin.

Oliver’s picture books — including The Incredible Book Eating Boy,  This Moose Belongs to Me, The Day Crayons Quit  and its sequel The Day The Crayons Came Home ( both #1 NYTimes Bestsellers)  and Once Upon an Alphabet — have been translated into over 30 languages. Working in collaboration with Studio AKA, Oliver’s second book Lost and Found was developed into an animated short film that has received over sixty awards, including a BAFTA for Best Animated Short Film.

Picture book awards include the The New York Times Best Illustrated Books, Smarties Award, Irish Book of the Year, The Red House Book Award, British Book Design Award, and The Blue Peter Book of the Year. Oliver won a NY Emmy in 2010 for his collaborative work with the artist and director Mac Premo. In 2013 Oliver co-directed with Mac Premo the video for Ordinary Love by U2, and more recently made art for, and helped art direct, U2’s Innocence and Experience World Tour.

Oliver is from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Book Review: Santa's Moose by Syd Hoff

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Santa's Moose
I Can Read Level 1
Author: Syd Hoff (Illustrator)
Reading Level: Preschool - 3
Genres: Holidays | Beginners | Humor | Picture
Released: September 19, 2017 (Reprint edition)
Review Source: HarperCollins

A holiday classic by the author of Danny and the Dinosaur, available again—and now with full-color art!

Milton the moose wants to help pull Santa’s sleigh. “I have never used a moose before,” says Santa, “but I’m willing if you are.” At first, clumsy Milton is not very good at landing on roofs. But when Santa’s sleigh becomes too heavy for the tired reindeer, Milton comes to the rescue. This reissued edition is a funny holiday twist on Santa and his reindeer by Syd Hoff, celebrated author of Danny and the Dinosaur.

Santa’s Moose is a Level One I Can Read book, which means it’s perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.

Oh how much I loved reading this story. I was not familiar with it before. It was originally printed in 1979. Milton the Moose is pretty awesome. I think all preschoolers would really enjoy this story told in the classroom at school. If a teacher is not familiar with this story, then please acquire this book.

Santa's Moose is classified as a Level 1 in the I Can Read books. It's a good little book to get new readers interested in reading, the illustrations are wonderful and colorful and this story is so much fun. They will want to know what Milton the Moose is up too. It will encourage them to want to practice their reading.

Now on to Milton and his story. Oh my gosh, so Milton is a moose in the woods, that is super excited about Christmas coming up. So when he comes across the 8 reindeers, on their way to the North Pole. Milton decides he wants to help Santa too. And what do you know, Santa says yes and away they go. Of course Milton is quite large since he is a moose and has a bit of trouble at first, but they he gets the hang of it and ends up saving Christmas you can say. It's a really adorable story. Perfect for the upcoming Christmas season.

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Since this is a Christmas book and Christmas is all about sharing, I will be giving away a brand new paperback copy Santa's Moose. Just enter below. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Heartwood Hotel by Kallie George, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin + Giveaway

Welcome to our stop on the Heartwood Hotel tour for Kallie George, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin. This tour is hosted by Rockstar Book Tour.

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Heartwood Hotel
Book #1
Author: Kallie George
Illustrated by: Stephanie Graegin
Reading Level: Childrens
Genre: Fantasy
Released: July 3rd 2017
Review Source: Disney-Hyperion

When Mona the Mouse stumbles across the wondrous world of the Heartwood Hotel in the middle of a storm, she desperately hopes they'll let her stay. As it turns out, Mona is precisely the maid they need at the grandest hotel in Fernwood Forest, where animals come from far and wide for safety, luxury, and comfort. But the Heartwood Hotel is not all acorn souffl and soft moss-lined beds. Danger lurks, and as it approaches, Mona finds that this hotel is more than a warm place to spend the night. It might also be a home.

This delightfully enticing start of a new chapter book series tells a tale of friendship, courage, and community, with exquisite black-and-white illustrations throughout..

A mouse named Mona was lost in the woods after a scary storm torn her home. With no place to go, she began walking until she discovered wolves eyes staring at her. The poor mouse then fell in a river that lead her to an unknown place. Luckily she was able to open the "HH" door, met a kind badger, and found a place to stay, with conditions. Hard work, but with the wonders of the Heartwood Hotel.

As Mona learn the rules of Heartwood, she began taking care of things on her own. Yet, little by little she began breaking the rules. She talked to the guests at the hotel. Which Tilly, the squirrel, warned her not to. It was an accident at first, as she was stuck in a tub and the guests were scared off. Thankfully, Mona is very clever, and was able to assist them. And these smelly guests, were happy for her help. Then, the second time she spoke with a guest at the hotel was to let a lonely soul feel wanted and special. Then she left the premises to assist a bear find his way home! Another time, she let a six legged guest stay, even if they are not allowed. When Tilly found out, she was so furious and scared Mona out of the hotel. Gratefully, Mona return to save them all, after discovering wolves were planning to attack the hotel.

Heartwood Hotel is a sweet story that teaches that breaking rules for good and kind gestures isn't bad. Sometimes we will need to break the rules and do what's right. Mona wasn't scared to break these rules because she knew these fellow animals needed her help. She was kind and compassionate. We also learn that facing our fears and being brave is hard but at times we must face reality and our fears. Also, that working as a team many things can get accomplished.

Mona with fierce determination saves all the animals. She was home and she didn't want anyone or anything to be ruined. With her kindness, even the bear was willing to help! It shows that kindness can go a long way. And home is where the heart is.

For its lessons, I would recommend mothers to buy this book to their kids between ages 4-7. It's short and sweet. I know my niece enjoyed it as much as I did. Never be afraid, my little ones.

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KALLIE GEORGE is the author of the Magical Animal Adoption Agency series. She works as an author and speaker in Vancouver, Canada, and has a master’s in children’s literature from the University of British Columbia. She also leads workshops for aspiring writers. Kallie happened across the Heartwood Hotel on a hike with her husband. Visit her online at kalliegeorge.com.

STEPHANIE GRAEGIN received her BFA in Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She later attended Pratt Institute, obtaining a Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking. Stephanie now lives in Brooklyn. Visit her online at graegin.com or on Twitter @Steph_Graegin.

3 winners will receive a finished copy of HEARTWOOD HOTEL, US Only.

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FOLLOW THE TOUR

Week One:

6/26/2017- YA Book Nerd- Author Post

6/27/2017- Seraphina Reads- Review

6/28/2017- Just Commonly- Review

6/29/2017- BookHounds YA- Author Post

6/30/2017- Once Upon a Twilight- Review

Week Two:

7/3/2017- Mundie Kids- Review

7/4/2017- Word Spelunking- Author Post

7/5/2017- Mommy Ramblings- Review

7/6/2017- Batch of Books- Review

7/7/2017- Between the Cracks of Here and There- Author Post

Blog Tour: If You Were Me and Lived On … Mars by Carole P. Roman

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If You Were Me and Lived On ...Mars
Author: Carole P. Roman
Illustrator: Mateya Arkova
Reading Level: Children's Book
Genres: Education | Astronomy
Release Date: January 9th 2017
Review Source: The Children's Book Review

Join Carole P. Roman when she blasts off to colonize the planet Mars, in the newest book of her informative series. Learn about how life would be living on the Red Planet. Travel to Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system. Look into the sky and watch Phobos and Deimos, Mars’ two moons. Discover what you would wear, and how the seasons change. See Mars through the eyes of an adventurous youngster like you and understand what life is like in a trip of a lifetime. Don’t forget to look at the other books in the series so that you can be an armchair traveler.

If You Were Me and Lived On ...Mars delivers a fun story to read which at the same time children will be learning facts when they do without realizing it. So not only do they get to read and see some great illustrations, they will be learning facts about Mars and Astronomy. So I call it fiction with a twist.

In If You Were Me and Lived On... Mars, to take a journey like if your family will travel to Mars in the future and live there. The trip in its entirety will be around 3 years, due to the distance of Mars and so forth. See where the kids will learn while reading. And the story continues explaining how it would be to live in Mars with how different the climates are between Earth and Mars. How activities will be altered because of Mars climate. What would happen if a bad sand storm is taking place or if its summertime. All things gets explained throughout the book while the child reads like they are taking this journey.

I really liked how the author takes the kids on the journey and still teaches them. She did a great job executing this task. The illustrations also help the story, so that the kids aren't looking at the usual text book pictures, but instead illustrations that match what one is reading while using a great color palette.

So overall, this is a great book. Definitely a book that should be in all school libraries. I will be recommending If You Were Me and Lived On... Mars to all my friends with younger children and all the Elementary school teachers & Librarians I know. So if you have a little one at home, this will be a great book to add to the bedtime reading ritual.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carole P. Roman is the award-winning author of the Captain No Beard series. Both Captain No Beard: An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate’s Life and Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis have received the Kirkus Star of Exceptional Merit. The first book in the series was named to Kirkus Reviews Best 2012. Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis has been named to Kirkus Reviews Best of 2015. Each book in the series has won numerous awards including the NABE Pinnacle Award, IAN Award, Moonbeam Award 2014, National Indie Excellence Award Finalist, Shelf Media Outstanding Series Award, ForeWord Review Five Star and Finalist in the Book of the Year, and Reader’s Views Children’s Book of the Year 2013. Roman is also the author of the award-winning non-fiction culture series, If You Were Me and Lived in… that explores customs and cultures around the world. She has co-authored a self help book, Navigating Indieworld: A Beginners Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing. She lives on Long Island with her husband and near her children and grandchildren.

OFFICIAL LINKS
CarolePRoman.com | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

Ages 4-8 | CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform | 2017 | 978-1540869722

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GIVEAWAY
Enter To Win An Autographed Copy Of If You Were Me And Lived On … Mars, By Award-Winning Author Carole P. Roman, And A Stomp Rocket: Ultra LED To Light Up The Night Sky.

One (1) grand prize winner receives:

• A copy of If You Were Me and Lived On … Mars, autographed by Carole P. Roman
• A Stomp Rocket: Ultra LED set
• A bonus autographed picture book selected from one of the 35+ books written by Carole P. Roman

Four (4) winners receive:

• A copy of If You Were Me and Lived On … Mars, autographed by Carole P. Roman
• A bonus autographed picture book selected from one of the 35+ books written by Carole P. Roman

Age Range: 4-8
Giveaway begins February 7, 2017, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends March 7, 2017, at 11:59 P.M. PST.
Giveaway open to US and Canadian addresses only.
Prizes and samples provided by Carole P. Roman and The Children’s Book Review.

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Book Review: Star Wars: Original Trilogy the Graphic Novel by Alessandro Ferrari

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Star Wars: The Original Trilogy the Graphic Novel
Author: Alessandro Ferrari
Reading Level: Children's
Genre: Science-Fiction
Released: March 1, 2016
Review Source: Disney Lucasfilm Press

Everyone's favorite tale of good versus evil takes on a whole new look in this graphic novel! Join Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, and the rest of the heroes and villains from a galaxy far, far away in this graphic novel collection that retells the original three Star Wars films: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. You'll experience the saga in a way you never have before!

A long time ago in a glaxay far, far away...

For fans of Star Wars: The original trilogy, they'll love this book. It's a comic book, which makes it a quick read! If you've ever read a comic book you know that it becomes a quick page turner. And that's exactly what this book does.

And if you're a fan of Star Wars, sure you already know the story and have seen it on screen, but seeing the cartoon character's is adorable. And you get all three films in one book. If you sat down for all three films that would take a whole day! Now, with this comic book it will only take about a half a day - depending on how fast you read. But with this comic, it shouldn't take anyone too long!

With character's that we all know and love and already have an attachment to it becomes an even deeper bond once you pick this book up. You will not be disappointed!