Children's Book Review Tuesdays: David and Goliath

Title: David and Goliath

Author: Katherine Scully

Illustrated by: Simona Sanfilippo

Genre: Christian Children's Picture Book

Why I Read This Book: I received this ebook from the Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my review.

About the Book (from Edelweiss):  

Can young David win against a giant? Read the story of David, the shepherd boy who fights the mighty giant, Goliath. These beautifully illustrated classic Bible stories are perfect for reading together as well as reading alone. The most popular stories from the Old Testament are retold in easy-to-read language and provide a perfect introduction into the Bible. The series allows children to become familiar with colorful stories from the Old Testament using the familiar picture story format. Whilst the language is simple and easy to understand, the detailed illustrations support the text and provide ideal opportunities for spotting things and for further discussion.

Review

Making biblical stories relate-able and interesting to children might seem like a challenge, but David and Goliath makes it seem easy! This version of the biblical story of David's battle with Goliath is perfect for children. It shows that you can do anything with God by your side. This version is not too violent for young children. The illustrations are beautiful and engaging. It's perfect for children of any age!

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: 3-5 years

Overall Rating: 4/5

Purchase Link

Amazon

Children's Book Review: It's Not About Your Mrs. Turkey

Title: It's Not About You Mrs. Turkey

Author: Soraya Diase Coffelt

Illustrated by: Tea Seroya

Genre: Christian Children's Picture Book

Why I Read This Book: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my review.

About the Book (from Goodreads):  

Thanksgiving is a celebration of bountiful harvest, but more than just great food, the true meaning of Thanksgiving goes deep into the roots of family, friends, trust, hope in times of hardship and much more. 

This delightfully illustrated children's story is sure to become a tradition for you and your family. It will be a helpful tool as parents, grandparents, and teachers instruct their children on the important historical background behind this holiday and to reflect on the importance of family, friends and a thankful heart.

Review

What is Thanksgiving truly about and what does it mean to you? It's Not About You, Mrs. Turkey is a charming and beautifully illustrated children's picture book about the history and true meaning of Thanksgiving. It highlights the pilgrim's voyage to the New World and gives just enough details of their history to keep young children entertained.

It's Not About You Mrs. Turkey is in the same series of books as It's Not About You, Mr. Pumpkin (that I previously reviewed here). Both of these books have fun, beautiful illustrations and rich text that would keep children entertained through multiple readings. I can imagine myself begging my Mom or Dad to read this book to me all throughout the year, not just through the holidays.  I will also be reviewing another book in this series soon: It's Not About You, Mr. Santa after Thanksgiving. I am already int he Christmas mood (I may have put my tree up already...) and I cannot wait to review this final book that the author has generously given me for review.

As an additional bonus to the books in this series, all the proceeds from this series of books (The Love Letters Book Series) goes to a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to helping children, As the Stars of the Sky Foundation, Inc. 

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: 4-10 years

Overall Rating: 4/5

Purchase Link

Amazon

Children's Book Review Tuesdays: It's Not About You, Mr. Pumpkin by Soraya Diase Coffelt

Title: It's Not About You, Mr. Pumpkin

Author: Soraya Diase Coffelt

Illustrator: Tea Seroya

Publish Date: 2015

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Why I Read this Book: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my review.

 

 

 

About the Book (from Goodreads):  

Halloween has become one of the most popular and commercially profitable holidays in America, yet the true origin of the day is often missed. Almost everyone equates "trick or treat" with Halloween, but what events were the catalyst behind this centuries-old tradition? 

This delightfully illustrated children's story is sure to become a tradition for you and your family as October rolls around each year. It will be a helpful tool to instruct children on the important historical background behind this holiday and to reflect on what is most important.

Review

It's that time of the year again when parent's are making their last minute changes to their children's Halloween costumes and others are rounding up those delicious candies to hand out. During all this craziness, why don't you sit down and enjoy some quiet time (or maybe not so quiet time) reading with your children? If this sounds like a plan for you, you may want to pick up this delightful book: It's Not About You, Mr. Pumpkin.

It's Not About You, Mr. Pumpkin is a cute story that explains the origins of Halloween. The illustrations are perfect for young children and the writing is easy to understand. I appreciate the Christian perspective that is behind these series of books. I also love that all the proceeds from this series of books (The Love Letters Book Series) goes to a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to helping children, As the Stars of the Sky Foundation, Inc. 

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: 4-10

Overall Rating: 5/5

Purchase Links

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

BAM!

Children's Book Review Tuesdays: The Most Magnificent Thing

Title: The Most Magnificent Thing

Author: Ashley Spires

Publish Date: April 1, 2014

Genre: Children's Picture Books

Why I Read this Book: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my review of this novella.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Book (from Goodreads):  

Award-winning author and illustrator Ashley Spires has created a charming picture book about an unnamed girl and her very best friend, who happens to be a dog. The girl has a wonderful idea. "She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!" But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right. For the early grades' exploration of character education, this funny book offers a perfect example of the rewards of perseverance and creativity. The girl's frustration and anger are vividly depicted in the detailed art, and the story offers good options for dealing honestly with these feelings, while at the same time reassuring children that it's okay to make mistakes. The clever use of verbs in groups of threes is both fun and functional, offering opportunities for wonderful vocabulary enrichment. The girl doesn't just "make" her magnificent thing -- she "tinkers and hammers and measures," she "smoothes and wrenches and fiddles," she "twists and tweaks and fastens." These precise action words are likely to fire up the imaginations of youngsters eager to create their own inventions and is a great tie-in to learning about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

Review

The main character in The Most Magnificent Thing seeks to make something amazing. She has an idea in her head, but she cannot get it to work in real life. She gets frustrated and mad, but then walks around with her dog and cools down. After she cools down, she realizes that all her past failed attempts were really great at somethings and bad at others. She combines all of the good things from her past attempts and makes something magnificent.

I believe that this picture book is great for young readers. It teaches them not to get frustrated when things do not work out as planned and that failures are ways to learn from your mistakes. I would recommend this book to any young reader.

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: young readers (children)

Overall Rating: 4/5

Virtual Book Tour and Review: Derek the Dragon- Children's Book Collection

About The Childrens Book Collection

Title: Derek The Dragon 

Author: Leela Hope

Publisher: Independent Self Publishing

Publication Date: January 26, 2015

Pages: 22

ASIN:  B00SSFWFEI

Genre: Childrens Books

Format: eBook (.mobi - Kindle) / PDF



Purchase The Book - Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Books-Illustrated-Picture-collection-ebook/dp/B00SSFWFEI/ref=la_B00ERYI2A0_1_28_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422744409&sr=1-28







Derek The Dragon



Do your kids ever feel sad?



Do they have trouble making friends?



An amazing story for all ages to enjoy, aimed at children 0-5 years of age. Watch as Derek the Dragon learns about the meaning of happiness in this tale. Come and meet an adventurous dormouse who decides that he can change his lot in life and through caring about others he ends up saving his village. The story is told through rhyming verse and vivid illustration. Derek the Dragon contains a great message about caring and friendship for parents to share with their children.

Title: Derek The Dragon And The Missing Socks 



Author: Leela Hope

Publisher: Independent Self Publishing

Publication Date: January 25, 2015

Pages: 22

ASIN: B00SRWHITY

Genre: Childrens Books

Format: eBook (.mobi - Kindle) / PDF



Purchase The Book - Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Book-Missing-Illustrated-collection-ebook/dp/B00SRWHITY/ref=la_B00ERYI2A0_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422744676&sr=1-17





Derek The Dragon And The Missing Socks



Do your kids forget to clean up their rooms?



Have they ever asked you to find things for them?



This story is pure family entertainment. It is great for kids 2-82 but it is aimed at the 0-5 age group. The book covers a very important life skill, cleaning. Derek the dragon does not like to clean, but he learns that he needs to get his house clean if he is ever going to find his lucky socks. Devin the dormouse comes to help his friend and shows him the way to get his house clean. The friends clean the cave and find the lucky socks. The story is brought to life through vivid illustrations and is told in rhyming verse.

  





  

Title: Derek The Dragon and Princess Dayna 

Author: Leela Hope 

Publisher: Independent Self Publishing 

Publication Date: January 25, 2015 

Pages: 22 

ASIN: B00SRVFCI4 

Genre: Childrens Books 

Format: eBook (.mobi - Kindle) / PDF 

Purchase The Book - Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Book-princess-Illustrated-collection-ebook/dp/B00SRVFCI4/ref=la_B00ERYI2A0_1_16?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422744939&sr=1-16

  

Derek The Dragon and Princess Dayna 

Do you or your kids have trouble with people who are different? 

Do your kids have trouble making friends? 

This is a terrific story aimed at kids 0-5, and yet, it is fun for the whole family to read and enjoy. Derek the Dragon, the dormouse, Devin and Princess Dayna all learn a lot about friendship. The book deals with misunderstandings and stereotypes, but in a way that is very palatable for little children to understand. The villagers are worried about a dragon flying around their village. They send their princess off to deal with the situation. The story is told in rhyming verse and featuring dynamic illustrations. It is a story for the whole family to enjoy.   

Purchase The Book Collection

My Review of the Book Collection:

This is an adorable book collection involving a dragon and his friends. This series would be great for younger children who are just beginning to read and who love stories about the adventures of a group of friends. These books also include the starting point to great lessons including not judging others and the importance of cleaning. Therefore, not only are these books adorable with great illustrations and great story lines, they also contain great lessons.

Discuss this book in our PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads by clicking HERE

Meet The Author

Leela Hope is a writer with over 22 years of experience in writing endearing children's fiction. Her lively characters have entranced and captivated her audience, and she has taken great joy in writing the three series of books, each beautifully illustrated with love and care. Her stories concentrate on the adventures of floppy eared bunnies and wide-eyed children learning lessons in life, before returning home wiser and eager for sleep. leela hope writes her stories to entertain the very young, but also to educate. Her vision is always of a parent sitting on a child's bed, reciting the stories each night, while the young one drifts off to sleep, lulled into a dream world full of fun and adventure. 




From her very earliest years of childhood, Leela made up stories in her head, telling them to her younger brother and sister. The stories flowed easily from her mind, and it wasn't long before she realized she had a gift for writing. By the age of 14, she had already written a small book of short stories for her own entertainment, and by the age of 22, she had published her first full-fledged children's fiction in several magazines. Leela hope was destined to be an author and she knew exactly what genre of fiction she wanted to dedicate her life too.



Born in San Diego, California, and still residing in the area, Leela studied English Literature at Berkeley, earning a degree in 1989. Her writing covers a span of several genres, but she always returns to her first love, children's fiction. She enjoys scuba diving and visiting wildlife parks, seeking new inspiration for cuddly characters for her stories. leela hope lives in an urban area of San Diego and is presently at work on a new book.





Connect with Leela:



Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Leela-hope/e/B00ERYI2A0/ref=la_B00ERYI2A0_pg_2?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_82%3AB00ERYI2A0&page=2&ie=UTF8&qid=1422744644





Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008346312646





Twitter:  https://twitter.com/leelahopee





Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9848538.Leela_hope

Derek The Dragon
Childrens Book Collection Tour Page

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2015/01/31/pump-up-your-book-presents-derek-the-dragon-childrens-book-collection-virtual-book-publicity-tour/

Children's Book Review Tuesdays: Oliver and Jumpy (Introduction and Stories 7-9)

Book Title: Oliver and Jumpy (Introduction and Stories 7-9)

Author:  Werner Stejskal

Publish Date: February 20, 2014

 Why I Read this Book: I received a free copy of this book for review purposes from the author.  This in no way influenced my review.

 

 

 

 

 

Review

If your children love books about adventure, these are the stories for them.  The illustrations are engaging and colorful.  The stories are fun, full of adventure, and adorable!  Children of all ages would have fun reading these stories or having them read to them.  The main character is a tomcat who loves to recount adventures that he has previously went on with his friends, including a kangaroo and her joey.  Any child full of adventure and imagination would love these stories.

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: Any

Overall Rating: 4/5

Children's Book Review Tuesdays: A Pear and A Bear

Book Title: A Pear and A Bear

Author:  Tanja Russita

Publish Date: October 18, 2014

 Why I Read this Book: I received a free copy of this book for review purposes from the author.  This in no way influenced my review.

 

 

 

 

 

Review

Simple, yet satisfying is how I would describe A Pear and A Bear.  This book would be great for young children around the time that they begin to read.  The illustrations are really adorable.

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: Any

Overall Rating: 4/5

Children's Book Review Tuesdays: Rhoda's Rock Hunt

Book Title: Rhoda's Rock Hunt

Author:  Molly Beth Griffin

Illustrator: Jennifer Bell

Publish Date: October 2014

 Why I Read this Book: I received a free copy of this book for review purposes from Edelweiss.  This in no way influenced my review.

 

 

 

 

 

Review

I can really relate to this book.  Rhoda is a girl who loves to collect rocks, but finds herself wanting to keep too many of them.  She cannot take all of them home because they are too heavy, so what does she decide to do?  Read this cute book filled with beautifully colorful illustrations and a wonderfully crafted story to find out.

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: Any

Overall Rating: 4/5

Blog Tour: Princess Nevaeh

Princess Nevaeh: Lessons on Self- Discovery 

by Paulette Harper

Paperback: 34 pages

Publisher: Thy Word Publishing (August 27, 2014)

ISBN-13: 978-0989969147

About The Book

Six year old Nevaeh wants to be something she already is. She will soon learn that her wish to be a princess takes a little more than just asking. Lessons on self-discovery are taught by her Mimi who makes her understand that being a princess takes work.

My Review

Learning to listen to your parents and teachers and to treat others with niceness are just a few of the important lessons that are taught in Princess Nevaeh. This book is filled with pink, which I am sure many young girls would love.  I would recommend this book to young girls who enjoy picture books.

About The Author

Paulette Harper is an award-winning and best-selling author. She is the owner of Write Now Literary Virtual Book Tours and is passionate about helping authors succeed in publishing and marketing their books. Paulette has been writing and publishing books since 2008. Paulette is the author of That Was Then, This is Now, Completely Whole, Living Separate Lives and The Sanctuary. She resides in Northern, Ca.

Buy Link

Social Links

Tour Hosted by: WNL Book Tours

Author Tour Schedule

Children's Book Review Tuesday: There's a Mouse Hiding in This Book!

Book Title: There's a Mouse Hiding in This Book

Author:  Benjamin Bird

Publish Date: September 1, 2014

 Why I Read this Book: I received a free copy of this book for review purposes from NetGalley.  This in no way influenced my review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review

I enjoyed this book. It is a great interactive book for little kids. It has wonderful illustrations and I think it could easily become a child's favorite book.

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: 5 and under

Overall Rating: 4/5