Princess Pirates by D.K Ackerman Book Review!

 A book is such a fascinating thing, it can transport you to a different world, empower you and even teach you how to survive in the wild on your own. I've always tried to instill a love for reading in my children, from a very young age I would read to them and now they enjoy reading on their own. When ever I get the chance to check out new books with them, I can't refuse! So when I was offered the chance to read and review the book "Princess Pirates" written by D.K Ackerman I was delighted to say yes. 

I thought this was a sweet and heartfelt book, the writer wrote this book about her daughters adventures and you can feel the love and joy she has for their adventures as you read the story. I love that they are not only pirates, but princesses as well because it is okay to be both! When I was younger I always hated the who "girls can't like things boys like", I've dressed up as a pirate and so has my daughter. 

The girls are on a journey to find the treasure that the enchantress has for them. This book makes you feel like you are on an adventure yourself and the illustrator does and outstanding job with the visuals, it feels like a real jungle yet you can also see the subtle hints that the girls are in their home having this adventure in their imagination. 

My kid both enjoyed this read and so did I! Age wise I think this is a cute short read for most ages, my kids are seven and eleven and they both thought it was a neat adventure. This book highlights the connection these siblings have while empowering young girls that they can be both a "girly girl" and a "tomboy" which is a great message in my opinion while also encouraging use of your imagination. What was the treasure the girls were after? You'll have to read the book to find out that answer.

Disclaimer- D.K Ackerman provided a hardcover book for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Summer time reads for Kids from CandleWick Press!

Reading is not only an important way to help keep your mind engaged, but it is always an amazing way to explore new worlds and beyond using your imagination and the words on the page. I am the type of person who gets excited seeing kids who want to read as many books as possible so I love buying and gifting books to my friends and loved ones. Today I wanted to share some great kids books with you!

Madame Badobedah; This book is by Sophie Dahl and it is available in hardcover for $18.99. I enjoyed reading this book with my kids, it was quite a fun adventure that will make you smile. The main character is a little girl named Mabel, her parents own a hotel and she loves pretending to be a spy learning about all the new guests. One day a extravagant older woman named Madame Badobedah moves in and she is very mysterious because she is a private woman who keeps to herself and often stays in her room. Over the course of the book Mabel gets to know her and they go on a lot of heart felt adventures together making their friendship grow as the book goes on. This is a great book that teaches first appearances aren't always as they seem.

One Mean Ant; This book is written by Arthur Yorinks and is available in hardcover for $16.99. My kids highly enjoyed this book, it is one of their favorites out of the batch of books we are featuring on this post. As you can guess this book is about a very mean ant, he is so mean that leaves fall off of trees when he walks by, and none of the other critters like being around him. One day ant is so busy being mean and telling everyone what to do that he gets lost, while he is lost he meets a fly that tries to be friends with him. The fly helps break down a bit of the ants rude demeanor and they do end up becoming friends.

Dot Unplugged; This book is available in hardcover for $16.99 and it is by The Jim Henson Company. Dot is a character in a great series of books that are colorful and entertaining to read for young children, each book holds a new adventure. In this book Dot, her friend and her parents have to figure out what to do to keep themselves entertained when the power goes out in her house due to a storm outside. What in the world are they going to do without any electronics to keep them entertained? They decided to celebrate a day of being "unplugged" and look for things to do at home that don't require electricity. Through out the day they play games, do crafts and more. I think this is a great book highlighting non-electronic activities to do!

The Blunders A Counting Catastrophe! This book is available in hardcover for $16.99 and it is written by Christina Soontornvat. This book is about a family that has ten children, the mom is trying to clean the house the children have made a mess and they are driving her a little nuts so she asks them to go play outside for a while but keep an eye on each other. The children go out to play and when it is time to come in they go to count themselves to make sure everyone is there, but one of them is missing! Each child takes a turn counting each of their siblings and they can only count nine of them. I like that the book not only counts in English but other language's as well as shown above. The children don't realize that when they are counting they are not including themselves in the count so they believe someone is missing and go home to tell their mom they lost a sibling, which is when she reassures them that they are all there.

Follow Me, Flo! This cute book is for younger children and it is available in hardcover for $16.99, written by Jarvis. Flo and her father are on their way to visit a family members new nest, her father instructs her to follow him otherwise she will get lost. While they are walking she entertains herself by singing and telling stores but she gets so wrapped up in her story telling that she wanders off and becomes a bit lost. The illustrations in this book are quite bright and the characters are darling, and the book has a happy ending of course.

Hazel and Twig: The Lost Egg. Written by Brenna Burns Yu and available in hardcover for $16.99. The sweet little mice in this photo remind me of a book that I read when I was younger so I really enjoyed reading this cute little book. Hazel and Twig are playing in a meadow one day when they happen upon a egg which they think is lost and they decide they'd like to hatch it themselves so they take it home. This book shows their adventure and what eventually pops out of the egg!

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Candlewick Press for review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Upcoming Releases from Walker Books!

Time to share some new reads! When I was younger I used to read a TON, and I've always tried to encourage a love of reading with my kids as well and it has stuck. The three of us love working with Walker Books U.S (A division of Candlewick Press) because we get to read and review new books through out the year. This time around we received a box of chapter books, there were quite a few so they will be broken up into two or three posts, this being the first of them. All of the books are recommended for ages 7-11, for a reference for these reviews and the ages of the children reading them, my son is seven and my daughter is eleven.

Some of these books have not been released yet, we have received advanced copies to read and review. The copies we received may have incomplete artwork and the cover images may change by the time the book is released, I will make a note at the bottom of the review with the books release date.

Jasmine Green Rescues: A Duckling Called Button (Retail $6.99) &

 Jasmine Green Rescues: A Piglet Called Truffle (Retail $6.99)- 

This is a cute series about a little girl named Jasmine Green and her life/adventures. Her father is a farmer, and her mother is a veterinarian which she aspires to be as well. In each story she rescues a small baby who may not have made it on their own, the piglet was the forgotten runt of the litter and the duckling was the only survivor after it's mother and nest were attacked. Both stories make for a fun, easy and great reads about how much of a difference a little kindness can make. My daughter enjoyed both books because she is also an animal lover and would do the same as Jasmine if but in the situation. Both of these books will be released next month, and are recommended for ages 7-9.

The Infamous Ratsos: Camp Out (Retail $14.99)

This book focuses on two brothers named Louie & Ralphie Ratsos, along with their Big City scout group. In this book of the series the group goes out on their first camping trip with their special guide Grandpa Ratsos. Throughout the book the scouts learn that camping isn't always the easiest and that it is alright to ask for help and work together when they need it. They may have started their trip off a bit rough but it turns out to be a great weekend.

We enjoy camping as a family so my kids were able to relate to this book, and knowing what its like to learn the ropes of putting together a camp site. This seems like an interesting series to read, and my kids want to know what other adventures the Ratsos brothers go on. This book is due to be released in May of this year, the series is recommended for ages 5-8.

Daring Darleen: Queen of the Screen (Retail $18.99)

This book focuses on a young girl named Darleen Darling and it takes place in 1914, Darleen is a star who is working on a new film. As part of a publicity stunt her studio sets up a fake kidnapping which ends up not being a set up at all! Along with Darleen another young girl is kidnapped and both set out on a adventure to escape their captors.

Unfortunately my daughter didn't finish this one, she aid it took quite a while for things to start to pick up which made her lose interest in the book. She made it about half way through before deciding to stop reading and instead pick up another. She may give it another try in the future but for now the book seems a little lack luster, I have read books like this in the past as well that have spots that are hard to get past, but once you try again it is usually worth it. So if she decides to pick this one back up I will update this review. This book is set to release in April of this year, it is recommended for ages 8-12.

📚 Which of the four books listed above seem the most interesting to you?

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Candlewick Press for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Grade school children Holiday books from Candlewick Press!

I recently shared some great holiday themed books that are perfect for toddlers and now I am going to share a few books aimed towards older children including a chapter book. I really enjoyed reading through all three of these with my kids and think they are the perfect books to add to any holiday collection.

Dasher by Matt Tavares (Retail $17.99)

We've all heard the story about Rudolph and how he came to be one of Santa's reindeer pulling his sleigh, but have you heard the stories of the other reindeer? This story is all about Dasher and her adventures. The story starts off a little sad because her family works at the Circus and the circus owner doesn't treat them very well, so Dasher always pictures a better life in a place filled with snow like her mother describes from when she was younger herself.

One night the gate to their pen was left open so Dasher took the chance to run, she follows the brightest star in the sky but starts to get lost until she comes upon a man talking with a horse in the woods. That horses name was Silverbell and the man? It was Santa himself, she offers to help pull the sleigh because she heard Santa ask Silverbell if he wants to rest because the sleigh was heavier than normal. Santa agrees and she helps pull the sleigh delivering all the gifts and Santa takes her back home to the North Pole. She tells Santa her Christmas wish is to be with her family so Santa goes and rescues the rest of her family and brings them to the North Pole as well. I really enjoyed this book, the story was heart warming and it helps put you in the holiday mood.

Little Robin's Christmas by Jan Fearnley (Retail $16.99)

This sweet book showcases the true meaning of Christmas and it was a lovely read. This book is about a little Robin and his warm Christmas sweaters. Little Robin pulls out his favorite seven sweatshirts the week before Christmas and he plans to wear one each day until Christmas. Each day Little Robin excitedly puts on his sweater and he goes out to explore and he unexpectedly runs into an animal in need on each of the seven days. Being the kind Robin that he is, he offers the cold animal he comes across his sweatshirt.

On Christmas Eve he gives away his last sweater but on this particular day he was further away from home than usual so on his way back he ends up becoming quite cold so he stops on a roof to rest and ends up falling asleep. He is awoken by a man's voice and is scooped up by the same man telling him that he is alright and is going to be taken someplace special. Little Robin then finds himself in Santa's home, Santa told him he has showed the true meaning of Christmas and he is very proud of him. Santa warms up the Little Robin and gives him a special gift that Mrs. Clause made for him! A little red sweater made from a red string from Santa's own sweater. He tells Robin that the sweater is magic, it will always keep him warm and will make those who seem him in the sweatshirt feel warm as well. Then Robin is dropped back off at home and he awakes to go out and wish all of his new friends a Merry Christmas.

I really enjoyed this book and it was sweet to see all the different animals the Little Robin helped. Even with some people don't have a whole lot they are the one's who give the most. This is not only a good holiday book but a great lesson to teach children during the holidays.

The First Christmas Sweater (& the sheep who changed everything) by Ryan Tubridy (Retail $14.99)

This book is about a little sheep named Hillary who isn't like the other sheep in her flock. She stands out from the others not only because of her unique personality but because her wool is rainbow in color. She loves everything about Christmas, and she especially loves Santa. She is very excited to learn that Santa is traveling around Ireland looking for a sheep with perfect wool to use for his very own sweatshirt.

She goes on a journey to trying to get Santa's attention and in the end she is successful. It was a great book and is perfect for Grades 2-5th. There were a lot of cute illustrations mixed into each chapter as well to help break things up and keep kids engaged in the book.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Candlewick Press for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Win a Jon Klassen's Hat Box Book Gift Set!

The holidays are coming up quickly, have you gotten all of your holiday shopping done? If not books are always a great option for a gift that is both fun and great for keeping a mind active. Candlewick Press has dozens of amazing books for all ages that are sure to be a big hit.

I have a great giveaway for a book set that will make a wonderful holiday gift. I am giving away TWO gift box sets of Jon Klassen's Hat Box which comes with three books and a collectable print, this gift set retails for $49.99

The books included in this set are "I want my hat back", "This is not my hat" and We found a hat" along with the print seen below in a hard shell case. All three books are hard covers and have beautiful illustrations.

This is open to US Residents! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! This giveaway is hosted by ME and is not associated with any of the brands mentioned above.

This giveaway ends on 12/13/2019

Giveaway entry question: Tell me another book that your child loves. 

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Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Candlewick Press for the giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Four great books from Candlewick press for toddlers!

It is never too early to start reading to your child, they absorb a lot even before they begin speaking and reading. Candlewick Press recently sent me four great books to check out that are perfect for reading to your infant/toddler or with them as they begin to read. Two of them are perfect for when they are learning new sight words and the alphabet, and the other two are just fun to read with them.

100 First Words By Edward Underwood (Retail $9.99)

This book has an assortment of easy to learn words, most are words used on an everyday basis such as spoon, fork, bowl, etc however they also include items found on farms, at the store and more. To help make the book more entertaining and help keep your toddlers attention you'll find several fun flaps to explore within the book. The thick board pages are sure to withstand your toddler putting it through quite a bit.

Alphabet Street By Johnathan Emmett (Retail $17.99)

Candlewick Press offers a ton of neat books that offer unique ways of reading and I think this is one of the coolest books I've reviewed with them. The Alphabet Street book helps your child learn their alphabet while seeming almost like a game. The book not only has interactive flaps through out the book, but it also unfolds like an accordion with illustrations and information on both sides of the pages. Instead of each page having a single letter and an image or two of words that go with that letter, the book is set up so that each page has an entire scene with multiple words to go with each letter.  Each page is full of color and creativity, I wish I had this book for my kids when they were younger and first practicing their alphabet.

Guess How Much I Love You By Sam McBratney (Retail $24.99)

This book is a classic and it is celebrating it's 25th Anniversary with a gift set that includes a hard covered copy of the book, a thick case and a beautiful print of the cover art that can be framed and hung up. I enjoy reading this adorable book and reading about how much the baby and mama rabbit love each other as it reminds me of my own mother and of my children as well. We enjoy playing a similar game with our children, one of us will ask "Guess How Much I Love You?" and then after that person asks how much we will give them an answer such as "I love you a billon times every grain of sand in the world". This book is a great addition to any collection.

The Little Snowplow Wishes For Snow By Lora Koehler (Retail $16.99)

This story follows along with a cute little snowplow who loves plowing snow. It can't snow all of the time so during the spring and the summer when there is no snow he keeps busy happily helping out the other work equipment around town as he enjoys being helpful. Although he enjoys helping out everyone he really wishes it would snow, because he loves when it snows. The weather starts to chill but there still isn't snow, so instead the little snowplow concentrates on having a good time with his friends for his birthday. It finally snows on his birthday! So he rushes off to go plow the snow and then head back to enjoy his party. We all thought this book was cute, and enjoying to read.

Along with these four wonderful books, Candlewick Press also offers dozens of great books for kids of all ages.

♡ Which of the four books do you like the best? Do you recall any books that were a favorite of yours when you were a child?

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Candlewick Press for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Halloween reads for kids from Candlewick Press!

It is officially October which means it is almost time for Halloween! I love October, one of my favorite things to do is watch Halloween movies and read Halloween themed books. If  you are looking for some Spooktacular books to read with your kids, I have several great books to share with you to get you into the holiday mood.

Pick A Pumpkin by Patricia Thot (Retail $16.99)

This book features a family going on an adventure to the pumpkin patch to search for perfect pumpkins to carve into Jack-O-Lanterns. Our family loves going to the pumpkin patch each fall to enjoy the festivities and select pumpkins to bring home, so we really related to this book. It had reto illustrations that gave it a vintage Halloween vibe, I enjoyed reading this with the kids. The same author also has a winter themed book "Pick A Pine Tree".

Hide And Seek by Katie May Green (Retail $16.99)

Hide and Seek is a rather interesting and imaginative book. The book starts off inside of a estate that has several paintings on the walls that feature different children, when the sun goes down and the moon comes up the children come to life in the moonlight. When a number of the children climb out of their frames to play, they realize the twins are missing from their frame meaning it is time to play Hide and Seek. The book follows them on their hide and seek adventure all through the night, eventually they do find the twins and they all head home before sunrise.

Where's The Witch? by Ingela P. Arrhenius (Retail $8.99)

This book is made for children ages birth to three years. This is a felt flap book where your child will search for which flap the Witch is hiding under, along the way you'll find other spooky friends under the flaps. On the last page there is a mirror under the flap so your child gets the surprise of finding themselves in the book as well.

The Right One for Roderic by Violeta Noy (Retail $16.99)

Follow along with Roderic the ghost on his adventure to find something to wear that helps him stick out. He is the smallest ghost in his family and feels like he is invisible compared to everyone else, especially because they all wear the same white sheet. On his journey he tries on a variety of different things from hats, to table cloths and more determined to find something he likes. In the end he finds something he loves, and the ghosts tell him they love him how he is but they also like his outfit and they all start wearing fun clothing as well. I thought this was a really cute book that helps the reader realize they are perfect how they are!

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Candlewick Press for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

"Don't Drink the Pink" the newest book from TaleBlade! + A Giveaway!

Some days can be extra stressful making it to where you want to escape to somewhere more relaxing, for most of us we can't simply just up and go so escaping to magical worlds through books is a wonderful alternative. I've always loved reading and picturing different worlds in my head as I read through the stories, and I love that my children have become big book worms as well. I recently received an email with an opportunity to check out the newest book being offered by TaleBlade which is called "Don't Drink the Pink", it was released on August 1st and comes in paper back, hard cover or digitally.

What is the book about? This book follow the special relationship between Madeline and her Grandfather as they share magical memories together on each of Madeline's birthdays. Madeline's grandfather is a chemist/scientist who creates magical potions that allow the drinker to be able to do different things, each year on her birthday she is allowed to choose one potion to try out "but don't drink the pink" and she gets to experience a magical ability for the day.

The book follows along on her crazy adventures all the way up until her fifteenth birthday when she is finally able to see what mysteries the pink potion holds. What secrets could such a small bottle hold? You'll have to read the book to find out, and let me tell you the secret that it held sure surprised me! I thought this book was quite imaginative, each page held an adventure coupled with beautiful illustrations. This book was written by B.C.R. Fegan who also wrote another favorite of ours called Don't ever look behind door 32, you can see our review of that book Here.

PRIZE ALERT:
Enter to win a copy of "Don't Drink the Pink"

This is opento residents of the US and Canada!! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! 

This giveaway ends on 08/11/2018
 
Giveaway winners are announced on FACEBOOK, If you would like to see who won my latest giveaways please visit and like my facebook page.
 
Giveaway entry question: Please leave me a comment letting me what power or ability you'd love to gain from drinking a magical potion.

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Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by TaleBlade for the review & giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Adventures with a bear & a Dinosaur!

Ready to learn about two new fantastic children's books? I am back with two more wonderful titles from Candlewick Press and I think they would make a great addition to the summer reading list for beginning to moderate readers.

Bear's Book

Written by Claire Freedman

Retail Value $16.99

This book is about a bear and his favorite story book, sadly his favorite book started falling apart after he read it so many times. So what is a bear to do after his favorite book falls apart? Write one of his own of course, while going on an adventure with his friends. This is a cute book, we had a lot of fun following the adventures shown in this book, the illustrations were colorful and helped make you feel as if you were with bear as well. It makes for a great short story before bedtime or just a quick book to read together during the day.

How to Take Care of Your Dinosaur

Written by Jason Cockcroft

Retail Value $15.99

Almost every child I've known has loved Dinosaurs, there is so much to learn about them and the thought of seeing one is exciting. If you did happen to find a way to hatch a Dinosaur egg, how would you take care of it? There isn't a lot of information out there on how to take care of a dinosaur, but you don't need to worry because this book will help teach you everything there is about taking care of a dinosaur. My kids thought this was a fun book, they had a few laughs along the way and can't wait to read this book again.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by CandleWick Press for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Three interesting reads for summer!

My kids and I always get so excited when we see a new Candlewick Press package at our door at the end of the day because we know it means we have new books to explore. Candlewick Press has so many amazing books, their books capture our imaginations, satisfy our curiosity and leave us yearning for more. I have another bundle of three books to share with you that would make a great addition to any summer reading list. All three are brand new publications that just became available for purchase this month.

Sea Glass Summer

Written By Michelle Houts

Retail Value $16.99

This sweet book is about a little boy who goes to visit his grandmother at her seaside cottage for the summer. On his trip there he is given an old magnifying glass that belonged to his grandfather and he discovers the beauty of finding sea glass. His grandmother explains to him that over the course of years at sea the glass that once held a different past, gets shaped into a beautiful piece of seaglass. Each night after finding new pieces of sea glass the little boy dreams of what the items may have been in their past life. I thought this book was quite lovely, and it reminded me of my own grandmother. The artwork in this book is stunning, I love how on one page you'll find a beautiful sunset and on the next it will be a black and white image of the past.

Waiting for Chicken Smith

Written By David Mackintosh

Retail Value $16.99

This is a story about about childhood friendships, anticipation, and magic moments that happen while you’re waiting for something else to happen. Follow along with a little boy who is visiting his summer cabin, waiting for his friend who always stays next door to arrive and come play with him. This year things are a little different and Chicken Smith hasn't shown up yet, where is he? While the little boy is remembering the times the two shared together in his past, his younger sister keeps trying to get his attention. In the end of the book you are able to figure out what his sister was trying to show him. I thought this was an interesting book, it was easy to follow along with and it made you picture relaxing near the beach.

The Good Son

Written By Pierre-Jacques Ober

Retail Value $22

This book is a story about the first world war told in miniatures. I think this book is perfect for both history lovers and those who may not like history as much, because the miniatures are so well done that you could just sit and look at the photos while still feeling the ambiance the book wants to achieve. The story is short and the book is loaded with photos that are very realistic, I highly enjoyed reading the book. I am amazed by the amount of work that went into each of the miniatures! In the back of the book you get a behind the scenes look at how the book came to be and it is mind blowing.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by CandleWick Press for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.