Book Review - Poultrygeist

About the Book
From a debut picture-book author and a #1 New York Times best-selling illustrator, a wry take on "Why did the chicken cross the road?” that gives a whole new meaning to “the Other Side.” Cock-a-doodle-BOO! It’s punny. It’s spooky. It’s a meta picture book that puts a fresh spin on an old joke and elevates chicken comedy to ghastly new levels. A little spring chicken crosses the road but quickly gets flattened under a semitruck. The barnyard beasts who’ve gone before break the news: now that Chicken’s fried—dispatched to the Other Side—Chicken has a job, an unwanted job, as a noisy troublemaking ghost. This fowl may be weak in the beak, but Chicken knows that scaring people isn’t nice. There is such a thing as a friendly ghost, after all—isn’t there? Loaded with laughs and shivers, this Halloween-ready treat features ghoulishly funny art by the illustrator of the #1 New York Times best-selling Bad Seed series. Let the haunting begin! No chickens were harmed in the making of this book.

My Take on the Book
This was a super fun book. While the ook may seem a bit spooky, I loved that the chicken fights the peer pressure to be mean and scary and decides to take a path different from the other road kill. The book itself had amazing illustrations and you will be drawn in by the cadence and the story itself. The story is fun and so are the characters. All-in-all I loved this book and it will be one I will be sharing with many others in the future!
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Book Review - Twitchy Witchy Itch

About the Book

Visual hijinks abound as a nervous witch gets swept away with trying to tidy up before company comes—only to discover that being with friends is what really matters.

Tick, tock! Three cups.
Tick, tock! Three saucers.
With nine minutes left, everything was ready.
Or was it?

Itch the witch is having company over for tea. As the clock counts down to tea o’clock, Itch’s mind is in a tizzy: is her house too twitchy? Is her home too itchy? Zipping and zooming, dusting and brooming, Itch sweeps and bewitches the mess away (just in the nick of time). But as soon as her two guests walk in, Itch’s housekeeping comes unraveled. How will Itch tame such an itchy, glitchy, fidgety mess? Rising star Priscilla Tey uses computer-aided design (and evokes familiar computer glitches) to present a delightfully meta, intricately illustrated story that dazzles as it amuses.

My Take on the Book
I loved this book. Not only do you get amazing illustrations, but there is also a great message throughout the book that really allows you to understand that you should be yourself and not try to make yourself someone you are not. The author does a great job at using a fun cadence to draw you in and really talks about friendship, being true to yourself, and more. This is a great book not only for Halloween but really for any time during the year. 

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Book Review - Shadowghast

About the Book

In the third mysterious tale of Eerie-on-Sea, it’s almost Ghastly Night, and the Shadowghast—an ancient spirit in a lantern—lurks in wait for the power to enslave the town.

In this third adventure, shipwrecked orphan Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, must square off with a creature of town lore as he confronts a shadow from his past. While other towns celebrate Halloween, in Eerie-on-Sea it’s Ghastly Night, and a grim spirit in a lantern awaits its moment. Legend has it that if people fail to light manglewick candles on Ghastly Night, and if no showman conjures shadow puppets on the pier as an offering, the insulted Shadowghast will seize and devour the shadows of the living. This year, a professional theater troupe has been summoned, including a raven-haired magician named Caliastra with startling news of Herbie’s origins. No sooner have the players checked into the hotel than townspeople start vanishing into thin air, including the guardian of Herbie’s best friend, Violet Parma. It’s up to Herbie and Violet to separate truth from sleight of hand and solve the mystery of the Shadowghast lantern before darkness swallows them all.

My Take on the Book
This was a great new book. While it was the third book in a series, I felt that it was a book that could stand on its' own, even if you have not read the first two. By the end of the book, I knew I wanted to go back to read the first two to not only give me more context but also allow me to get to know the main characters and the whole village and more in the end. The author does a great job at creating a new world with memorable characters, but also a story that keeps you engaged from page one to the very end. 

In this book, Herbie and Violet, which have been the heroes of the book, are back for the third time. They are set in Eerie-on-Sea, in which the author does an amazing job at describing and painting the picture of a strange village. As mentioned, I had not read the first two books so for me, this was my first introduction and it was a great one. 

The book is full of mystery, intrigue, and some creepy undertones with the characters having to deal with peril around every corner. You start to question who is friend or foe and with the supernatural bent of the book and the mystery that ensues, you are kept on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. 

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Book Review - Where's Waldo? Spooky Spotlight Search

About the Book
It’s pitch dark on the way to Odlaw’s haunted castle — but Waldo-seekers have a cool wand to light the way in a book perfect for the spooky season. Somewhere in the darkness, Waldo is venturing across a swamp toward a looming castle, sneaking down to the dungeon and through a creepy gallery to . . . Hey! We didn’t see that twist coming! In Waldo's second adventure featuring this innovative, all-paper design, readers can slide a spotlight searcher under a series of totally dark scenes, illuminating small sections and stealthily moving the light to seek out Waldo and his friends. Everyone’s favorite vagabond is in costume as himself in this Halloween-worthy challenge for eagle-eyed fans.

 

My Take on the Book
If you love Waldo books or books where you have to search for hidden objects this was a fun new way to do just that. While some of the pictures have appeared in other books, the way you search in this book is completely different. In this book you use a special magic wand to be able to allow things to glow in the dark and you have to search for Waldo using this. The wand makes the image light up and come alive which makes the book different than other Waldo books, and that much more fun. I have to say that I was impressed with the book and excited to try this out with my daughters. As they used the wand they too had a blast and wanted to go from page to page to be able to find Waldo and your family will too! 

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Book Review - To the Moon and Back: Guess How Much I Love You and Will You Be My Friend?

About the Book
In an ideal gift for little ones, the family classic Guess How Much I Love You and its sequel, Will You Be My Friend?, nestle together in a beautifully designed boxed set.

It’s the book that gave rise to the words “I love you right up to the moon—and back”—a phrase that’s now in the common vernacular. This tale of a big and little hare who boast of loving each other as high as they can hop and as wide as they can reach has been adored by a generation of children who’ve begun sharing it with their own. Twenty-five years after the Nutbrown Hares met the world, creators Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram brought us the perfect companion—the story of Little Nutbrown Hare’s jubilant steps toward independence after meeting a new friend. Now, in an elegant slipcase, Guess How Much I Love You and Will You Be My Friend? find a special spot together on bookshelves—a pairing sure to be coveted by big and little readers for generations to come.

My Take on the Book
This was such a beautiful book set. I have been a HUGE fan of both of these books for years and this collection brings you two that you and your children will want to read over and over again. With the fact that you get both books in a slip case, the books will remain nice for a long time to come. Both books themselves, if you have not read them in the past, are beautifully written and the messages in both are important for you and your children to share together. All-in-all, this is a book set that would be amazing to give as a gift, or to keep for a family keepsake. I highly recommend this set to all!

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Book Review - Gigantosaurus: Roar, Giganto, Roar!: A Puppet Book

About the Book
Will Giganto win the roaring contest? Make a fearsome Gigantosaurus puppet come to life with this novelty board book.

Dinosaurs are experts at roaring, and Rocky, Tiny, Mazu, and Bill are eager to have a contest to see who can roar the best. But they need another participant to round out the contest, and fierce Giganto is asleep! Can the dinos wake him up and make him roar? Little readers are invited to get into the act with the help of an attached Giganto puppet that pokes through the scenes helping him snore, chew, chomp a favorite snack, and even dance when Tiny sings. But what they’re really after is much louder than that!

My Take on the Book
This was a fun book that really allows you and your child to get into the book in a whole new way. The book allows you to make the book come alive with the puppet that you have and the story is fun too. The illustrations in the book really pop off the page and with the puppet you and your young reader will have a blast throughout the book and you will want to keep reading from beginning to end.

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Book Review - Conversations Worth Having Second Edition

About the Book
Now in a second edition, this classic book shows how to make conversations generative and productive rather than critical and destructive so people, organizations, and communities flourish.

We know that conversations influence us, but we rarely stop to think about how much impact they have on our well-being and ability to thrive. This book is the first to show how Appreciative Inquiry—a widely used change method that focuses on identifying what's working and building on it rather than just trying to fix what's broken—can help us communicate more effectively and flourish in all areas of our lives.

By focusing on what we want to happen instead of what we want to avoid and asking questions to deepen understanding and increase possibilities, we expand creativity, improve productivity, and unleash potential at work and home. Jackie Stavros and Cheri Torres use real-life examples to illustrate how these two practices and the principles that underlie them foster connection, innovation, and success.

This edition has been revised throughout with new examples; updates on the latest supporting research in neuroscience, positive science, and positive psychology; and a discussion guide. It also features a new chapter on what the authors call tuning in: cultivating awareness of how our physical and mental state affect our perceptions, emotions, and thoughts as we engage in conversation.

This book teaches you how to use the practices and principles of Appreciative Inquiry to strengthen relationships, build effective teams, and generate possibilities for a future that works for everyone.

My Take on the Book
This was a great new edition! The book brings back many of the important topics from the first version but also goes deeper into appreciative inquiry. While I had never read much on appreciative inquiry before read the first book, I learned so much while reading that, I wanted to read more in this second edition! 

The concepts shared here will definitely be ones that I will be incorporating into my daily work life as I can see the tangible ways in which this can impact my relationships at work, but even more so, impact the overall culture of the organization. The book has a ton of practical components that allow you to better understand the concepts and put them to work right away. When I read books like this, for me, having practical tips and resources as well as examples helps me to internalize the concepts. I love being able to see right away how I can use the information, and this book definitely allowed me to do just that! You will learn a ton in this book that will really change the way that you will want to live your life!
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