Series Review: Millie Maven by Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker

Millie Maven, a fearful orphan girl who lives with her strict, evil aunt is trapped in a life of cruel punishment without any friends. So on the night of her twelfth birthday, when old Aggie of the woods invites her to take a journey that can change her life forever, Millie knows she has to go. Unsure but desperate, Millie embarks on a great adventure that takes her to the distant, mysterious world of FIGS, the FarPointe Institute for Gifted Students, where she might discover her true value through gifts that defy belief. 

I was not actually expecting these books to be as good as they were. There are three books in the trilogy, and they didn't take long for me to read. (Mainly because they're for 8-12 year olds... which I am not) I ordered these for my classroom during a Black Friday sale. I love the idea of a Christian portal fantasy aimed at kids, and I was hoping the storytelling wouldn't be too hokey, as sometimes happens in this sort of genre. Thankfully, I enjoyed the series. My one complaint is that I feel like the books could have been longer. They didn't really thresh out the depth of all the characters they were trying to spotlight. The worldbuilding also suffered from the lack of length, leaving somewhat to be desired with the world of FIGS. It felt rushed. So much happened, what could have taken a whole year at magical otherworld boarding school, and it only took three weeks or less from what I can tell. However, when I finished the last page of the last book, I wanted to go back and enjoy the adventure again, and I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to FIGS. I think the world of Millie Maven is a good choice for the age group, however, there are some spooky parts that the younger end of the range might be creeped out about. I enjoyed delving into the message of the series though and I think it's awesome for a children's series to so heavily emphasize that God's love, infinite, eternal, will strengthen us through every trial we face. I would say the theme of the series is that our identity is found in Christ, not feelings. I would recommend this series if your children enjoy fantasy type settings and you're looking for a clean but still magical story.

CelebrateLit Tour: Review: Oliver's Moving Day by Vicky Sluiter

It’s moving day, and five-year-old Oliver is excited for the adventure ahead. He is full of questions as, along with big sister Edith, Mommy, and Daddy, Oliver moves from The Big City to The Country.

He has never been to The Country and has only seen pictures in his books. What will it be like? Where will they live? Will there be lots of people and tall buildings? Join Oliver and his family as they wave goodbye to The Big City and journey through the suburbs and into The Country. Will Oliver have his questions answered? Read along and find out!

Click here for your copy!

REVIEW:

Oliver's Moving Day is a sweet little story that won't take long to read. If you're about to move, I think your children would be really excited to learn what it will be like. Oliver's Moving Day answers many questions that children have when going through a big transition like moving. The characters of Oliver and his family are sweet and lovable. Pre-schoolers and kindergartners especially will be attracted to the story. Although the illustrations aren't my favorite, I still think children will enjoy this book, and I'll be putting it on my shelf when I get my own classroom. 4 Stars! 

I received a copy of this book through Celebrate Lit in exchange for my honest and fair review.

About the Author

Vicky Sluiter has had a passion for reading since she was four years old. She started with the back of cereal boxes and moved on to everything else, including books, magazines, and t shirts. As a wife and mom, gramma to five boys, and the proud owner of a bearded dragon named Elliott, she has learned what boys like Oliver want to read. You can follow Vicky’s blog and book reviews at vickysluiter.com.

More from Vicky

I love writing children’s fiction because children are so much fun. So lively and expressive. You never really know what will happen when a child is involved but usually it will involve laughter. I have five grandsons so have experienced this many times over the years. The boys are ages 5 yrs to 14 yrs. Being at different stages the house is full of fun when they are all together. The youngest adores the oldest, and it’s reciprocated even if he won’t admit it. The middle three enjoy hanging together and getting into mischief. This Gramma loves every second of it!

The idea for a little guy on a farm was birthed when I was taking classes in writing fiction for children 30 years ago. I grew up on a hobby farm in farm country so the setting was pretty natural for me. And all the neighbors were boys so that’s what I’m used to. I could drive a tractor and bale hay right along with them. Having Oliver move from The Big City to The Country was inspired by my three youngest grandsons. That’s what they did and when they come to visit me they get excited to see the tall buildings in The Big City. And yes, they actually use that phrase. They are thoroughly convinced that Oliver’s Moving Day was written about them. In a way it was!

I’m so glad I didn’t give up on my dream. It was temporarily set aside, but in the right season it bubbled to the top again. Never let go of your dreams!

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Vicky is giving away the grand prize package of a copy of the book and toy truck!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/fa66/oliver-s-moving-day-celebration-tour-giveaway

Blog Stops

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 16

Book of Ruth Ann, May 17

Captive Dreams Window, May 18

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 19

Inklings and notions, May 20

Older & Smarter?, May 21

Live. Love. Read., May 21 (You are here)

A Reader’s Brain, May 22

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, May 23

deb’s Book Review, May 24

For Him and My Family, May 25

Texas Book-aholic, May 26

The Becca Files, May 27

Splashes of Joy , May 28

Stories By Gina, May 29

CelebrateLit Tour: Darling Hedgehog Goes Down a Foxhole by Auralee Arkinsly

Darling Hedgehog learns about the animal nature of things in high humor and carefree, cute, and winning episodes. This childhood story reads a bit like Aesop’s Fables or a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, for children 4-8 or preschool and kindergarten, as a read-to-me picture book, and first grade and second grade as a chapter book.

Pictures similar to the Mercy Watson series are characterized and painted in full-color, though the pages are set up like a chapter book.

This book helps to train children in natural wisdom, analysis, and discernment. It helps to balance the teachings of acceptance of everyone and friendliness to all. There may be good purposes for everyone to exist under heaven, yet all purposes may not be good for a child. So, beware, be discrete, and flee from crafty foxes especially when they are holding your parents in the pantry.

This book was a fun little read. I enjoyed how sweet Darling was. The story could be a little frightening for children, but probably not more so than any other fairytale where children are eaten up by goblins or such. The illustrations were nice, and I think my little sister will enjoy this book. I'll probably even put it in a future classroom of mine. The first chapter was a bit disproportional to the rest, but that's a-okay. Definitely a book you'd want to grab from the library, but unless your child is a die-hard hedgehog fanatic, library is fine. I'm glad I read this one. I'm always looking to expand my knowledge of children's lit. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but it's all my own opinion.

About the Author

Auralee Arkinsly writes in good humor about serious subjects because kids of all ages can learn a lot from laughing. She is a strong believer in right and wrong but knows that getting onto the right path can mean falling down a slippery slope. She reckons if she can save some from the bumps and bruises, then she has done her job

More from Auralee

I’m so excited to launch my children’s book, Darling Hedgehog Goes Down a Foxhole with the Celebrate Lit crew!  You are a river of hope for a new author.

 

So, here’s the story behind the story.

 

My friend and fellow author, Kathy Joy, left me a small hedgehog in a tutu as a going away gift on her guest bed after she had been visiting. I put it on the windowsill in my bedroom, and every morning, I would see it when I awoke.

 

I don’t know if you can relate to this experience, but I often wake up from a good night’s sleep with the gift of a problem being solved.  Sometimes, I wake up with a creative idea.  Well, one day, I awoke to find that I had the beginnings of a child’s story about where the hedgehog found her tutu.

 

Initially, it was a simple story about Darling Hedgehog finding a foxy friend who helps Darling find her calling.

I wrote out the story and then asked a talented neighborhood girl if she would like to draw the pictures for the tall tale. Having seen a lot of Julia’s sketches as she grew up, I thought that she might like to know what it felt like to earn money from her talents and at the same time, learn about the process of creating a book with an author to propose to a publishing company.

 

She agreed. Julia was in ninth grade. She was at the age where she was beginning to think about high school jobs and even to make plans for college and a career.

The same day we wrote out our contract, Julia sent me her first image of what she imagined Darling to look like. It clearly was not a mistake to hire this young artist!

When I awoke another morning, I believed God had given me another bit of advice. I needed to do better research on the nature of hedgehogs and foxes, their habitats and characteristics. The outcome caused the story to take a turn towards intrigue.  It became a fable. It became an action-adventure animal story. It became better.

 

A librarian encouraged us to continue with it no longer as a picture book for very small children but as an early reader chapter book for second graders learning about similes.

I hope that we can teach children to notice facts and objective truth as they are being trained for life. So, I’ve accepted that my child’s fantasy had to grow some legs of gravity and wisdom.  I’ve trusted my editors and beta readers that this is true, but I’m not above being told off.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Auralee is giving away the grand prize of a set of Darling Hedgehog greeting cards!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f33e/darling-hedgehog-goes-down-a-foxhole-celebration-tour-giveaway

Blog Stops

A Baker’s Perspective, December 11

A Diva’s Heart, December 11

Girls in White Dresses, December 11

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, December 12

For Him and My Family, December 12

Older & Smarter?, December 13

Emily Yager, December 13

For the Love of Literature, December 13

Just the Write Escape, December 14

Blogging With Carol, December 14

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 15

Bigreadersite, December 15

janicesbookreviews, December 15

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, December 16

Jeanette’s Thoughts, December 16

Blossoms and Blessings, December 17

Southern Gal Loves to Read, December 17

A Reader’s Brain, December 17

Aryn The Libraryan 📚 , December 18

Lights in a Dark World, December 18

Remembrancy, December 19

Inklings and notions, December 19

Lighthouse Academy, December 19 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, December 20

Live.Love.Read., December 20 (You are here!)

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, December 21

Sara Jane Jacobs, December 21

The Christian Fiction Girl, December 22

Where Crisis & Christ Collide, December 22

Maureen’s Musings, December 23

With a Joyful Noise, December 23

Texas Book-aholic, December 24

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 24

UPDATED REVIEW: When The Squirrel Sings by Shana Hollowell

The girls wanted to review another book, so we're going to get their thoughts on this picture book. It's short, but sweet. (You've already read mine, but if you missed it you can catch it here)

Julie, 7: It was amazing. Great great great! My favorite page was the colorful, rainbow page. The story was great. The art was beautiful. My favorite part was looking for the hearts. It's my favorite shape! 🐾🐢🐧 Five stars. (She's chanting FIVE STARS over and over.)

Taylor, 11: The art was really good. I liked looking for the hearts. Some of them were really hard to find.
(Taylor is a girl of few words, and she feels like she's too old for picture books.)

I received this book complimentary from the author.

Review: Don't Drink The Pink by BCR Fegan

Don't Drink The Pink is a wonderful story about a little girl who receives a special potion on her birthday each year from her grandfather. She has lots of adventures with her adorable cat. This story will have your kids laughing and smiling the whole way and wishing that they had a potion-making grandfather too! I'm giving it five stars...

BUT..... Don't just take my word for it because...

Today we're having special guest reviewers, Taylor and Julia. I know you're going to love getting a real life opinion from real life kids. These gals are well-read, so they know what they're talking about. But here's a warning. There are SPOILERS!

Julia, aged seven: It was great. It was funny. Why did the grandfather have to die? My favorite potion was when she turned into a mermaid. My other favorite potion was when she could go back in time. And my third time was when every time she clapped her hands she got more money in her hands. The pictures were great great great great. Five stars. 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁 😺😺😺😺😺😺😺😺😺😺

Taylor, aged eleven: The story was ridonculous, and the sad and hilarious story is great for kids. The illustrations get a thumbs up. My favorite potion was when she multiplied. That would be my best dream ever. Four stars. 

Don't Drink the Pink is available for preorder at Amazon. Release date is August 1st!

I received an ARC of this book from the author free of charge.

Review: When the Squirrel Sings by Shana Hollowell

Once again, I've been given the privilege of reviewing one of Shana's wonderful storybooks. When the Squirrel Sings is a beautiful picture book that tells little ones all about what squirrels are thinking of when they play outside. With sweet rhymes and a delightful story, little ones are sure to be excited about hearing the squirrel's song and learning about not only squirrel habits, but those of the other animals in the sweet symphony too. (Of course, I do have a soft spot for "squails" and always try and strike up a conversation with them when I pass them at school!) But one of the most striking things about this book is the wonderful illustrations! Children will love the realistic, yet magical, renditions of our furry grey friends gracing each page. AND they'll enjoy looking for the heart hidden on each page. (I know I did! Can you spot the heart on the cover?) Treat your toddlers and yourself to a lovely bedtime story that will probably become one of their favorites and yours!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author.

Christmas Eve Eve 2018

Hey guys,
I know I've been way behind in my blogging, and my plans for another grand Blogmas didn't quite go off as expected. So instead, I'm going to throw out some titles that I think your family will love to read this Christmas season, because mine sure has! Half today, and the others tomorrow.

First... In honor of it being Christmas Eve Eve is Eloise at Christmastime, one of the mostest magicallest stories of all time, in my humble opinion. A long time favorite of mine, this story is sure to have gales of laughter flowing from your house.

Second, we have Corduroy's Christmas. Not very long, and definitely suited for younger kids, the flaps in this story make it interactive and fun. Plus, it's super cute.

Third, The Velveteen Rabbit, which isn't actually a super Christmas-y story. Still, it's quite the tale, and while sad, it has a heartfelt message that anyone can enjoy. Plus, the illustrations are awesome.

More tomorrow! I can't wait to share.
I hope you can forgive me for my delinquency this semester. I'll try to do better next. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a million and a half reviews to write!


MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Review: The Day That A Ran Away by BCR Fegan

You may remember my post a while back of my review on Grumpface, an adorable book with wonderful illustrations. The Day A Ran Away is another delightful picture book by the same author. With sweet rhymes and a funny storyline, this book will have your little ones laughing as they learn their ABCs. The kids will love the cute letters, who all, for some reason or another, run away from Jet's schoolwork. Will Jet be able to convince his teacher that it's not his fault or not? A story that you'll love reading your kids over and over. 5 stars!

I received this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Series Review: Millie Keith by Martha Finley

*Not the original unabridged. The Life of Faith set.*

The Millie Keith series follows Millie from early adolescence to married life. Millie first must leave her home in Lansdale, Ohio, to begin life anew in Pleasant Plains, Indiana, a veritable frontier wilderness. As the oldest of 8, Millie helps her mother look after the mess of siblings, including impetuous, loveable twins Cyril and Don, and tag-a-long tomboy sister, Fan. Keeping those three out of mischief is almost a full time job in itself. Aunt Wealthy comes along to help them, and with her propensity for forgetting names, and having adventures, she quickly becomes a favorite for all readers. The books range in topic from frontier life, to slavery, to Southern balls, and even hit on South American culture, specifically Bolivia. I went through all the emotions while reading these books. Laughter, Sadness, Indignation.... I cried for joy. I cried from heartbreak. I saw the power of God through the circumstances that happened, and it takes more than my brain can give to realize that this series is a work of fiction and not a tale of a missionary family "Called by God to witness to the frontier of Indiana" or some such thing. Surely it can't simply be fiction? No, what I read here was more than that. I have to give this book 5 stars. I've just gotta.

Review: Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

Billy has got hounds on the brain. Not just any ol' dog will do. He wants coon-hounds. Fine, beautiful, coon-hounds. And one won't do him. No sir. He's just got to have two. Two years of hard work later, and Billy has enough money to buy Old Dan and Little Ann. The three bond instantly and have many fine adventures in this classic set in the wonderful Ozarks.


I've got to give this book all 5 stars.

1: This is the kind of book (like My Side of the Mountain) that makes little boys (and a few little girls I'm sure) run away to live in the mountains and have larks of all kinds, not realizing that the thing they suddenly have a craving for isn't a place, it's a time. A time long ago that is almost assuredly lost to us forever, except where it lives on in the pages of wonderful classics like this.

2: You can tell You can feel the strength of Billy's love for his dogs. It's a love that reaches out and takes you captive too, partly due to the first person narration (Which only works in really good books!) Another way you can see who is important to Billy is the frequency of their mentions. Grandpa was his hero, his Papa and Mama were very much loved, and his sisters... well he loved them very much too, but they never even got names! I honestly didn't know his Grandma was even alive until 75% into the book. Yes, Dan and Ann are the center of Billy's universe.

3: Can we say classic coming of age story? Typical, and non-typical at the same time. I do believe its difficulty to classify is one of the things that makes this a classic. It's good for all ages. Can we also compare this book to The Yearling and Ol' Yeller?

4: Okay, so since I can see that I've been rambling without maybe reviewing, I should say something that sounds good..... The characters were believable and realistic (I had a hard time thinking of this book as fiction), the setting was perfect.... I used a Sharpie a little bit (since I was fixing it for our Junior Highers) but it wasn't really a lot, and half of them had two meanings (I just didn't trust the JH'ers to pick the right one!) There was a great amount of God answering Billy's prayers in so many miraculous ways.

5: Apparently I haven't seen the movie (I had thought I had but if I did it was ages ago) so I was pretty shocked near the end there. And at the same time not. It definitely had one of those nostalgic endings (Like I was saying in point 1)

To put it simply.... I picked it up and had to struggle with myself anytime life actually forced me to put it down. I'm so glad I read it. (People have been recommending it for years. I guess I just needed a copy shoved in my hands. Thanks Mrs. G!)

Review: Little Mouse's Sweet Treat by Shana Hollowell

In this sweet picture book Little Mouse asks all his friends to help find a sweet treat. Unfortunately, they all have different tastes when it comes to what is delicious. The sweet rhymes in this book are great and the illustrations are beautiful. I think all kids would love this picture book, and I'm sure they would giggle when Cow tells Little Mouse that grass is a very good treat. This is one to share with the kiddies for sure. You'll be asked to read this one over and over I'm thinking, and you won't actually mind that much. I'll probably read it to my sisters when I see them. Thank you, Shana, for sending me your book. It was a pleasure.  And it's not all that often that I actually like picture books this much. You did great! I'm giving this little book 5 stars.

(See how sweet that cover is? Look how cute Little Mouse is!)

Review: Brightley and Glow by Sophie Carmen

I grabbed this book the other day when it was free on Amazon Kindle. I am so glad I did. It's so weird, but I actually loved this book. And it's like 20 pages. But 20 pages of adorable, kinda deep, brother-love. Brightley is a shooting star, but his brother is a shining star, and the two of them don't want to be separated. I'm definitely giving this sweet book 5 stars. I may actually read it again... to myself. And then again to my sisters. And if I had it in print I'd read it to the kids at work. Wow. This is not a reaction I usually get from picture books. I kinda like it. (The feeling... not the book. I love the book.) And the pictures are great too.

12 Days of Blogmas Day 9: The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

I'm going on the assumption that since the story opens up with the Rabbit being in the Boy's stocking, that this is a Christmas story. If you don't agree, well.... whatever. The Velveteen Rabbit is the story of one little toy bunny's journey to becoming Real. It's a short story, with adorable pictures, and I really think your kids would love it. It's the type of story that needs to be read by the light of the Christmas tree, with kids in warm pajamas snuggle up close to you, studying the sweet pictures. It's a surprisingly gripping story for being a picture book. No wonder it's loved so much, and has lasted so long! I'm giving this touching story 5 stars.

Happy Blogmas! I hope you and your kids love this story. Comment below! I'll be checking to see what you have to say!

Series Review: Trixie Belden Mysteries by Julie Campbell and Kathryn Kenny

I recently picked up one of these "to refresh myself as to why I liked them". Turns out... once a good book... always a good book. Before I could blink almost, I found myself finishing four of them. And I'd be reading more right now if I didn't have a large stack of library books needing my attention. Trixie Belden is a 13 year old, freckled mess. A tom-boy who is, in the words of most who know her, "Fresh as paint". She and her brothers and neighbors form a club, and sometimes new members are introduced. The lingo is definitely only something that a nerd like me would still use in daily conversation, but the stories can't fail to touch the hearts of both boys and girls. It's a series that will bring a smile to your face. And the characters actually have math homework that they aren't good at. Can we get any more relatable than this? Not for a teenager anyway. I'm giving this series 4.5 stars.

Review: If You Have a Hat by Gerald Hawksley

(Remember, I try and keep the review shorter than the book) This is your typical rhyming picture book. It's funny. The pictures are great. It's short, just the right length to keep the attention of your rambunctious toddler. I'm sure this sweet story will have your kiddos giggling up a storm. Basically, this is the most pleased I've been with a picture book in, I don't know... three or more reviews. 5 stars from me, and I just bet 5 from the little ones too. (When I'm writing this, it's a free ebook on Amazon. When I post, it might not be, but it's worth looking up.)

Audiobook Review: Peter Pan by J M Barrie read by Christopher Casanove

When you're in the mood for reading, but you're house is a royal mess, what do you do? Listen to audiobooks obviously. But you have to have a really, really good reader or that's the absolute worst. As you can probably tell by the title, I decided on Peter Pan. I have to be honest, this was the first time I'd ever read/heard the actual unabridged book. (Disney only, to my shame.) First off, it was much more violent than I had expected. But it was still super awesome. I love how the lost boys all adopted Wendy as their mother, and she just totally rolled with it and fussed over them and scolded them. It was hilarious. And the reader was GREAT! He totally had it. He in no way sounded like a robot. YAY!!!! (Cause that's the worst!) The ending got me though. I mean, I knew it was coming, but I was getting all teary-eyed, which was funny. I'd definitely recommend this to everyone, keeping in mind that Tink's line had a different meaning then and wasn't considered bad back then. 4.5 stars I think.

Review: Pollyanna by Eleanor H Porter

Almost everyone has heard of Pollyanna. She's the sunshine queen, always ready to play the Glad Game. When Pollyanna is orphaned she goes to live with her aunt Polly. Though Pollyanna loves her aunt from the second they meet, Aunt Polly takes a bit of time to warm up to her bubbly niece. It takes an near fatal accident to show Aunt Polly how much the little girl means to her.



This book is a definite 5 star!

1: This book is a classic for kids of all ages. I was fifteen or sixteen the first time I read it. Although it is written in the style of most book for this age group written around this time period such as The Railway Children and What Katy Did, I didn't find the simplicity to take away from the storyline. In fact, it rather enhanced Pollyanna's own simple love and faith.

2: Aunt Polly is far and away one of my favorite characters in children's literature. Her tough outer shell is softened bit by bit, and her backstory is told in a way that children can understand, although lost love isn't often a theme in their lit.

3: I find that I play the Glad Game myself sometimes. It is quite a picker-upper when you're down in the dumps!

4: I love how each of the characters are unique, not only in personality, but also in perspective. While Old Tom remembers when Miss Polly was young and doesn't judge her present behavior as harshly, Nancy is quick to condemn the seeming hardness of Miss Polly's actions.

5: The whole story had a beautiful ending for all of the characters and I do recommend reading the sequel Pollyanna Grows Up. It sheds some light on a few shadows and also continues the story for other characters. Warning though... You might need some tissues for the second one. I know I did!

I wrote that a while back, and left it as a draft for later. You can get Pollyanna and Pollyanna Grows Up as free ebooks. Yesterday I listened to the unabridged Pollyanna audiobook, and it was so incredible that I decided today was the day to post this one. (Also, I forced an almost promise from my best friend to read the unabridged version.) This is not my best written review, but I hope you see my love for Pollyanna.

Review: Crabby the Crab by Dr. MC

This picture book (free on Amazon Kindle, last time I checked) is a great little read. It has more words than some picture books, and a sweet message. It tells the story of Crabby the Crab who feels like he's too old to play with his little sisters. In the end though, he realizes that he can enjoy their company. The pictures were a little small on my Kindle app, that is the one thing that I would change. But I feel confident that this is a great bedtime story that you can read to your kids in 5 minutes or less (depending on how good you are at "the voices") 4 out of 5 stars for this cute picture book. (Y'all noticed that I use cute a lot when describing picture books? I'm starting to drive myself crazy!)

Review: Chicken Does Not Want To Be A Chicken by Elsa Takaoka (And update)

This picture book gets 5 stars from me! I'll let you know soon what my little sister thinks. First off, it was an easy read. I mean for like beginners. The words weren't too hard. A first grader should have little/no problem with this book. Also, it was downright hilarious. Chicken has four steps to become a dog. Cat puts a kink in chicken's plan, and coupled with super cute illustrations, this book had even me laughing. And the overall message is a great one too. Chicken learns that's it's okay to be a chicken. To be yourself. Who you were made to be.

For a while... at least when I'm writing this, I don't know when I'll post, but for a while this is available as a free Kindle eBook.

Alright. So, here's the deal. This whole week, I'm going to be gone. In fact, I'm most likely gone right now. I'm pre-writing this, scheduling ahead. Hopefully, by the time you read this, I'll have a post scheduled for every day. Maybe not. We'll just see. There are going to be a couple more picture book reviews going up, because I'm spending time with 5 and 9 year olds. Also, I'm going to try my very very best to upload pictures of the trip on a blog post. Definitely keep an eye on Twitter though. A list of stops this week include: April the Giraffe, colonial Williamsburg, Crayola experience, and possibly an aquarium with beluga whales. I'll keep you updated through Twitter. And I'll try through Facebook and the blog too. I just can't make any promises. Hope that you enjoy this week though. I really want to share it with all of you.

Review: Goodnight Numbers by Danica McKellar

Wait.. where have you heard that name before? Danica McKellar writes math books and acts. She's in some of my favorite Hallmark movies, and she's the reason I watched Project MC2 with my siblings. But... that's not why you're reading this is it? Nope, you want to know about Goodnight Numbers. So, I've been hearing about this book everywhere! (Although, more specifically, Twitter is the main culprit here) So I decided to pick up a copy at Barnes & Noble and check it out. The rhyme is adorable. The story is sweet and is a great way to teach kids their numbers. The pictures were beautiful, and they illustrated the story PERFECTLY! It's an absolutely sweet book, the perfect bedtime story to get your kids loving numbers early on. (Am I getting repetitive? I'm sorry!) Oh... I almost forgot the stars. 5 for this cute picture book.
 I can't wait to read it to my little sister!