Category: book reviews

If you guessed this book was all about frogs by the title, then you guessed right. This is a sweet story about a boy and his dog who love to go look for frogs at night. The story begins with the frogs making their sounds very loudly. It almost seems like this bothers the boy and this could be why he goes in search of frogs. As you go on to read, the story becomes silly and fun. The way it is written makes you want to say the story in a rhyme which makes it fun. The layout of the book has the words going in spirals down the page. This is not something you see often, and I think a great idea for this book and theme. It goes along with the frogs who like to jump and leap and make spirals through the air.  There is a little learning about frogs from this book and a beautiful explanation at the end of what a chorus of frogs means. The illustrations really bring this simple, sweet story to life. By the time you finish it you can’t help but smile and believe that frogs are as adorable as the boy thinks they are.

5/5 stars

This is a wonderful book to help children that are just starting to read. In the book, there is a glossary in the beginning of different words that are found in it. There are also sight words that are commonly used for beginning readers. This is a great idea to not only engage the reader but let them practice the words they are going to be reading. The idea in the book is to show the different fun things about Winter. The author uses a dragon which is an appealing way to capture the attention of a reader and encourage them to want to read this book. It is simple enough for anyone to read with two sentences that are two or three words each on the page. This is a great way for early readers to work on enhancing their reading skills. The illustrations are bright and vibrant, bringing to life the words. The illustrations complement the book very well. At the end are two activities for the reader to complete that would help them work on enhancing their skills. Having activities like this making the story more memorable. It also enhances skills which is a great idea for a beginning reading book to have. This a must read for any child who is beginning their journey into learning to read. 5/5

I love Fall Dear Dragon by Marla Conn

              This is a wonderful book to help children that are just starting to read. In the book, there is a glossary in the beginning of different words that are found in it. There are also sight words that are commonly used for beginning readers. This is a great idea to not only engage the reader but let them practice the words they are going to be reading. The idea in the book is to show the different fun things about fall. The author uses a dragon which is an appealing way to capture the attention of a reader and encourage them to want to read this book. It is simple enough for anyone to read with two sentences that are two or three words each on the page. This is a great way for early readers to work on ehancing their reading skills. The illustrations are bright and vibrant, bringing to life the words. The illustrations complement the book very well. At the end are two activities for the reader to complete that would help them work on enhancing their skills. One is working on plural and singular nouns and another is an activity to relate the story. Having activities like this making the story more memorable. It also enhances skills which is a great idea for an beginning reading book to have. This a must read for any child who is beginning their journey into learning to read. 5/5

Unicorn Jazz by Lisa Caprelli is a beautiful book about learning to accept yourself for who you are. The cover itself is striking and eye catching. The illustrations inside match and are part of what keeps you wanting to turn the page to read more. The story is about a young unicorn who loves to sing. One day, her family moves, and she finds that she now must make new friends. She tries to change herself to be like the new animals she meets. This does not work because she is beautiful as she is. One day she meets an animal that is also different. She learns from this animal that it does not matter if she can eat food high like giraffes or hide like a chameleon, she has her own talents. With the help of her friend, she finds her confidence and begins to sing in front of her new classmates. Everyone loves her voice and puts aside any differences to become friends. This is a book for any family to begin the conversation of accepting our differences with their children. It has a beautiful song inside any child would love to sing. This is a new book that I will be sharing with my clients at work and would recommend to any family or school teacher.

Something lost something found by Natalia Paruzel-Gibson is a beautiful book about a young girl who has lost her mother and gone on a journey to.find her happiness again. She tries all different things but in the end it a friendly tree that offers an apple which provides the same comfort as her mom bringing up memories. The message in the book is to never give.up toying, loss is difficult but the memories will always be there to help. Beautiful llustrations bring this book to life making a wonderful easy read for children.

This is a wonderfully written, truly magical search and quest book. It begins with a young person visiting a bakery that happens to be making all of the cookies for Santa Claus to deliver that night, Christmas Eve. While there they realize that one of the gingerbread cookies is missing his magical buttons. These buttons are special and without their magic the gingerbread cookie cannot come to life. That brings in the reader who will go on a quest to find the magical buttons. During this quest the reader has two choices to make that each lead them on a different journey. You are able to go back and make a different choice if you end up with a not so fun ending. You are also able to go back to the beginning and completely start over. I found it to be so much fun to see where the choice I made took me. It made me curious to see what the other choice would bring. I of course wanted to see what the original second choice would bring once I actually completed my quest. This book is full of magic, fun and completely keeps you engaged while peaking your curiosity at what will come next. After reading this, I will be buying the other 3 books that came before it. Highly recommend it, 5/5 stars

This is a wonderfully funny retelling of the traditional story the Three Little Pigs from the point of view of the wolf. Written in first person, immediately the tone of the wolf as he retells it is light and funny. It is a pretty imaginative idea to tell the story from the viewpoint of the wolf or someone who is supposed to be the bad guy. Using the wolf’s voice gives the character a new image. He is no longer this bad guy that wants to do nothing more than break down the three little pigs doors and eat them; he becomes this relatable person with feelings that can make the audience laugh and feel sorry for him. In addition, the illustrations bring the words to life in their use of darker colors that have an almost gritty yet light feeling to them. This story is an instant classic, one of my personal favorites growing up, that is able to changing the image of the bad guy while also encouraging children to believe that there are always two sides to a story.

A review by Lisa Jacovsky

This is a book full of magic that encourages little ones to enjoy their imagination. Evelyn sees lights streaking across the sky and becomes determined to find out what they are when she realizes she is the only one who can see them. When the mystery of the lights becomes real she discovers not only how to use her imagination but how to achieve her goals. Evelyn is a character to look up to, not only to remember to use our imaginations but to also always find a way to achieve our goals. The beautiful illustrations really bring out the story in this children’s book. A must read for any family, library and classroom.