Book Review - Titanosaur

About the Book

Get ready to meet the Titanosaur -- the biggest, heaviest creature to ever walk the Earth!

This book tells the story of the discovery of this new dinosaur from the mouths of the paleontologists who led the dig! From its discovery by a local herder, to the organization and completion of the excavation, this riveting story will have readers on the edge of their seats, and the beautifully painted illustrations will mesmerize. The final spread will open up into a gatefold showing a photograph of the full Titanosaur skeleton on display at the museum. Chock-full of back matter like a glossary and extra information and photographs from the dig, and an inside jacket poster of the Titanosaur, kids of all ages will devour this book.


My Take on the Book
This is a great book that really shares a ton of insider information about a dinosaur dig that led to a brand new dinosaur. The book was written for kids to understand but it does not leave out any of the details that kids will want to know. This was an interesting read even for adults and by the end you have learned a ton and you have had a blast while doing it as well!

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Book Review - The Book Hog by Greg Pizzoli

About the Book

The Book Hog loves books-the way they look, the way they feel, the way they smell-and he'll grab whatever he can find. There's only one problem: he can't read! But when a kind librarian invites him to join for storytime, this literature-loving pig discovers the treasure that books really are.

Geisel Medalist Greg Pizzoli presents a new character who is sure to steal your heart in this picturebook full of humorous charm and vivid illustrations.


My Take on the Book
What I loved about this book is that it really shows that anyone can be a lover of books. Even if you cannot read you can find a love for books that will last a lifetime. This book has fun characters and the love of books that this pig has is infectious. By the end you leave with a good feeling and a knowledge that this pig will continue to love books even more, now that he has the librarian in his life

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Book Review - Because by Mo Willems

About the Book
Mo Willems, a number one New York Times best-selling author and illustrator, composes a powerful symphony of chance, discovery, persistence, and magic in this moving tale of a young girl's journey to center stage. Illustrator Amber Ren brings Willems' music to life, conducting a stunning picture-book debut.


My Take on the Book
This is a beautiful book that really explores how one action can lead to a lifetime of love. I really appreciated the story that was shared. As a lover of all music, this book hit home and really allowed me to see all of the little things that come together to be able to make music and a love of music come to life. This is a book that I would highly recommend to all!

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Book Review - Soof

About the Book

All her life, Aurora has heard stories about Heidi and all the good luck she brought Aurora's family. Aurora, though, doesn't feel very lucky. The kids at school think she's weird. And she's starting to think her mom thinks she's weird, too. Especially compared to Heidi.

On the eve of a visit from Heidi, more bad luck hits Aurora's family. There's a fire in their attic, destroying a good part of their house. And, even worse, Aurora's beloved dog goes missing. Aurora and her family have always believed in soof -- Heidi's mom's word for love. But sometimes even when soof is right there in front of you, you still need to find it -- and that's exactly what Aurora is going to do.



My Take on the Book
This is a great book and while it is a companion book to Sarah Week's other book I found that it was a great book that really brings you into knowing what the main character is doing now (after the first book). The book has some great new characters and also a great plot that will keep you guessing until the very end. The book was a great read and while the book is fast paced you also end the book with a heartwarming feeling too.

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Book Review - Thea Stilton and the Riddle of the Ruins

About the Book
The Thea Sisters participate on a dig at Hierapolis. During their visit to the excavation site, Professor Brenninger unearths a series of priceless and very old figurines. But the Thea Sisters soon figure out that it's a scam. They start to investigate and discover that the figurines are fake, exposing Professor Brenninger's plans.


My Take on the Book
Another great book with Thea Stilton and her friends. This book has a great story and brings together humor, mystery, adventure and more. My daughters and I read the book together and we loved every minute of it. I found that we read it all the way through without stopping. We loved the story but also the illustrations that are spread throughout the film itself. If you are a fan of Geronimo Stilton or Thea Stilton you will love this book!

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Book Review - The Little Book of Cartooning & Illustration

About the Book
In The Little Book of Cartooning & Illustration, beginning cartoonists, animators, and illustrators will discover key concepts associated with learning the art of traditional cartooning and animation.

With this guide, dozens of tips from the pros will help you find the materials and tools you need to develop your own unique style. A combination of creative step-by-step projects and open practice areas offer encouragement and invite participation for those artists who want to put their newfound skills to immediate use.

You'll learn all the cartooning and animation tricks of the trade, including:

• The squash and stretch principle
• Exaggerating details
• Rendering faces and expressions
• Anthropomorphizing inanimate objects
• Creating original characters
• Mastering body shapes and movement
• Writing gags and jokes
• With so many tools at your disposal, why wait any longer to start animating? Get started, get drawing!

The Little Book of ... series focuses on delivering fun, approachable, and interesting art instruction in a fresh, portable format. With its contemporary design, open practice pages, creative exercises, and prompts that encourage interactivity, beginning artists learn the fundamentals of their craft, often with immediate results.

My Take on the Book
This is a great book that really walks you through how to illustrate and create fun cartoons. I loved that the book walks you step by step through the process of creating specific characters. The characters that you can create are fun and can allow you to create some great comics. I tend to make comics for my kids' lunches and this was a great book that allowed me to do just that!

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Book Review - Have Sword, Will Travel: Let Sleeping Dragons Lie

About the Book
Odo and Eleanor are excited to be knights. Only . . . nobody's asking them to go on a quest. So they're stuck at home, using their trusty and talkative swords to defend their village when there's cause for defense. But mostly it's just . . . waiting for something bigger to come along.

That "something bigger" comes to them in the form of an old man named Edga, a warrior named Hundred, and an ancient chant:
Dragon, dragon,
heed our call . . .
Come to aid us,
one and all.

Odo, Eleanor, and their swords, Biter and Runnel, are plunged into a quest that will take them (as all good quests must) to unfamiliar lands, where they will fight unseen enemies and unlock unbelievable secrets in order to prevent an unbearable impostor from taking the crown.

Also, they will need to keep an eye out for dragons.

As they did with Have Sword, Will Travel, fantasy masters Garth Nix and Sean Williams have crafted a tale full of fire, laughs, and twists for adventurous readers of all ages.



My Take on the Book
This is another great addition to the saga which is Have Sword, Will Travel. This book brings back Sir Odo and Sir Eleanor as well as their swords as they finish one adventure and then have another venture landing on their doorstep. In this book you are given some very fun situations where the characters are having to have adventures working on a daring rescue. There is adventure, magic and more with characters that you will love to get to know.

This is a great book that truly draws you in. There is humor, great characters, and more. Even if you have not read a previous book, this book is one that I would highly recommend to all.


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Book Review - Building Resilience with Appreciative Inquiry: A Leadership Journey through Hope, Despair, and Forgiveness

About the Book

Journey through hope, despair, and forgiveness

Leaders cannot predict the complex challenges they are called on to face. Veteran consultants Joan McArthur-Blair and Jeanie Cockell show that Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an invaluable tool to build resilience.

AI is a widely used change approach that emphasizes identifying what's working well in a system. Leaders can use AI to increase their ability to weather the storms they'll inevitably encounter and be resilient. A profound guide, this book features personal accounts from leaders across a variety of settings describing how they've practiced appreciative resilience in the ongoing cycle of hope, despair, and forgiveness.



My Take on the Book
Resiliency is something that is not always easy to have in your life, but it is something that will help you to attain quality relationships, a healthy life and success in your professional life. The authors in this book give you very tangible tips that you will be able to incorporate into your daily life. I found that you can easily try out the ideas shared by the authors right away and start to see real results show up right away. The book is made for a practitioner and it allows you to use it personally or even to start to use as a teacher to others. If you are trying to learn more about appreciative inquiry this is the right book for you!

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Book Review - The Ice Garden

About the Book
Jess is allergic to the sun.

She longs to be like normal children, to have friends whom she can play outdoors with. But her days are split between tutors and doctors appointments

One night, she sneaks out. And there, just beyond the empty playground she's longed  to visit, she discovers a beautiful impossibility - a magical garden made completely of ice. A place that shields the sun and allows her to be free.

The Ice Garden is an absorbing debut about the  transformation  of fear and loneliness through a bit of reliance and the healing power of friendship.



My Take on the Book
This is a great book that lets you meet a very good character, Jess who has some severe allergies where she is allergic to the sun. The allergy is so severe she has to completely cover up from top to bottom so that her skin is completely covered.

The book was a ton of fun to read and you get lost in the story from beginning to end. Jess sneaks out at night, but the book never really shows how she sleeps, but that was the only part of the story that did not match up. Other than this though I found the story to be a fun book.

While there are light-hearted moments there is also depth in the diagnosis that Jess lives with and even in the boy that Jess meets that may never wake up.

All-in-all though this is a book that you will simply love no matter what your age.


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Book Review - Dear Santa, I Know It Looks Bad but It Wasn't My Fault!

About the Book
Scalawag has been an outstanding cat all year (at least, according to him). Any troublesome incidents that Santa may or may not have heard about to the contrary can be fully explained.

So, Scalawag sets out to write Santa a series of letters in anticipation of Christmas, clearing up any potential misunderstandings, and of course, expressing his Christmas gift wish -- a Catman and Robin video game! But when one incident involves the Christmas tree catching on fire, and Miss Violet (Scalawag's ever-loving, nurturing, and forgiving caretaker) ending up in the emergency room, Scalawag gets a new perspective on things. He writes one last letter to Santa asking him to forget about the video game, and instead asks him to bring a different gift . . . one that expresses the true warmth and spirit of Christmas.

Norma Lewis lives in Grand Haven, Michigan, with a cat coincidentally named Scalawag. He did not inspire the cat-astrophic shenanigans described in this or any other book, but she knows he could and lives in fear that he will. This is Norma's fifth book for children. Olivia Beckman worked for years in graphic design and magazine layout until one day her little inner bird whispered to her that it was time to focus on the type of illustration that inspired her to study the Fine Arts in the first place -- children's art! She feels very lucky to illustrate children's books -- and especially loves drawing people doing everyday activities, animals with fluffy fur, and mischievous cats.

My Take on the Book
This was such a fun story with some characters that definitely get into a bit of trouble. It was such a fun story with a cat that you will love to meet. As a father of three cats I know that they are not always angels, but the book definitely shows you how even a troublesome cat can deserve second chances. The book really captures Christmas in so many ways!

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Book Review - The Prince Problem

About the Book

Telmund is a prince who loves fables. But when a hasty witch mistakes him for bully in need of paranormal punishment, he's cursed to transform into a new animal every time he falls asleep. With his shape constantly changing, Telmund discovers that actually living in a fairy tale has its drawbacks.

Amelia is a practical princess with a wide range of skills, none of which are helpful for escaping the ball her parents have thrown to select her future husband. But then the unthinkable happens: Amelia is kidnapped by the dangerous Prince Sheridan, setting off a plot that will throw the realm into chaos.

As their stories become intertwined, the dreamer prince and no-nonsense princess must work together to rescue each other. Otherwise there will be no happy endings for either of their kingdoms.

From Vivian Vande Velde--master of the magical romp--comes an enchanted tale of princes, fairies, and the transformative power of stories.



My Take on the Book
This was a fun story that brought smiles to my face and a laugh to my lips. The stories of the prince and princess do get intertwined but that is what makes the book so much fun. The book really has fun characters and a story line that keeps you coming back for more. This was a great book that I highly recommend!

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Book Review - A Web by Isabelle Simler

About the Book
From New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book artist Isabelle Simler, a picture book (and nature guide!) to linger over.

• In nature, there is much to see.
• Look closely as a spider -- both a collector and an artist -- skillfully crafts a masterpiece from all that falls into her path.
• Patient and observant, she appreciates all the wonders that make up her landscape -- from ferns and feathers to bugs and butterflies.
• Readers will come back again and again to the luscious and intricate illustrations, soaking up all of Simler's delicate details.
• 48 pages.
• Picture book measures 13'' wide x 9'' high.
• Full color throughout.
• Sturdy hardcover binding with dust jacket.

Isabelle Simler graduated from the Graduate School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg, France. She is the author and illustrator of several childrens picture books, including Plume, which was selected by the New York Times as one of the Best Illustrated Childrens Books of 2017. She lives and works in Paris.


My Take on the Book
This was a beautiful book that allows the reader to see nature in a very different way.The book uses language that does not talk down to the reader but instead provides the reader an opportunity to learn and grow throughout the book. The images are beautiful and so realistic. You can tell that the illustrations were painstakingly created and as you read this you will find that you will linger over the illustrations simply enjoying the beauty of them all.  You also learn so much as you go through the book! This was such a great book that people of all ages can enjoy!

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Book Review - Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow

About the Book
This is a story about America during and after Reconstruction, one of history's most pivotal and misunderstood chapters. In a stirring account of emancipation, the struggle for citizenship and national reunion, and the advent of racial segregation, the renowned Harvard scholar delivers a book that is illuminating and timely. Real-life accounts drive the narrative, spanning the half century between the Civil War and Birth of a Nation. Here, you will come face-to-face with the people and events of Reconstruction's noble democratic experiment, its tragic undermining, and the drawing of a new "color line" in the long Jim Crow era that followed. In introducing young readers to them, and to the resiliency of the African American people at times of progress and betrayal, Professor Gates shares a history that remains vitally relevant today.



My Take on the Book
This is such a powerful book written for middle school aged readers that will really open their eyes to this important time in the history of our nation. The book is written in a way that all will completely draw you in and you will meet people that are so inspiring in so many ways. The author really knows his history and as you move through this book you are transported into history along with him. This book is one that I am so glad that I read because I learned a ton from reading this. I read this with my daughter and we both did not want to put this down, as each chapter brings more and more amazing insights into people and experiences that will keep you coming back for more.

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Book Review - Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! 100 Years

About the Book

Ripley's Believe It or Not! is globally renowned as the authority on the weird, the eccentric, and the amazing. Ripley's Believe It or Not! provides entertaining books for children of all ages which educates and informs them in a humorous style. The Ripley brand is known around the world as a trend-setting source of family-friendly fun and excitement! Every day the researchers at Ripley's are busy digging up the craziest true stories and the most unbelievable facts.

From its inception in 1918 and the days of Robert Ripley’s travels and broadcasts to the creation of the first BION and the company’s proud publishing history through the years after Ripley’s death to the incredible collections and the expansion into a world-class attractions company, fans and friends of the brand will be inspired, awed, and amazed. This book is a spectacular artifact of an American icon that people will want to make a part of their own collection and enjoy again and again.


My Take on the Book
This is an amazing book. I have read all of the new books as they have come out, but this book is so much more than the regular books. Not only is this book about twice as large (in size) but it is also offers you over 250 pages of awe-inspiring information. The book has pull out images and more. BY the end of the book you will have learned so much and you will be bringing in facts that will completely floor your friends. The book has beautiful images and it also has a great information that was put together in a way that makes you want to keep reading from start to finish. My daughter and I loved reading this together and you will too!

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Book Review - Strong Is the New Pretty: A Guided Journal for Girls

About the Book

Inspired by Kate T. Parker’s internationally bestselling Strong Is the New Pretty, which Drew Barrymore called “the first thing in a while to kind of knock me off my feet,” this guided journal invites girls ages 8 to 12 to discover and celebrate their independent, wild, silly, powerful selves.

Illustrated with favorite photographs from the book Strong Is the New Pretty (as well as more than 20 brand-new images), each page features an inspiring, interactive prompt that encourages writing, doodling, and creative self-expression:

• Draw a picture of yourself as a superhero—what is your superpower?
• Invent a new language, and write down some translations here.
• What makes you unique? List three things about you that make you different.

As girls make their way through the journal, it becomes a source of motivation to be their most powerful selves. It’s a personal keepsake to revisit again and again.


My Take on the Book
This is a great book with so many great activities. The book is a book that really allows readers to think about their lives and their future in a different way. The book encourages kids to use creativity to be kind. Also, the book asks a lot of questions that helps to inspire and to build confidence for young readers. I loved the questions and my daughter loved going through the book for herself. She would carry the book around with her no matter where she was going so she could finish the journal. At the end she told me how fun the journal was!



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Book Review - Strong Is the New Pretty: A Celebration of Girls Being Themselves

About the Book

Girls being fearless. Girls being silly. Girls being wild, stubborn, and proud. Girls whose faces are smeared with dirt and lit up with joy. So simple and yet so powerful, Strong Is the New Pretty celebrates, through more than 175 memorable photographs, the strength and spirit of girls being 100% themselves.

Real beauty isn’t about being a certain size, acting a certain way, wearing the right clothes, or having your hair done (or even brushed). Real beauty is about being your authentic self and owning it. Kate T. Parker is a professional photographer who finds the real beauty in girls, capturing it for all the world to see in candid and arresting images.

A celebration, a catalog of spirit in words and smiles, an affirmation of the fact that it’s what’s inside you that counts, Strong Is the New Pretty conveys a powerful message for every girl, for every mother and father of a girl, for every coach and mentor and teacher, for everyone in the village that it takes to raise a strong and self-confident person.



My Take on the Book
As a father of daughters this book is one that I would recommend to anyone that has a daughter. The book does an amazing job at promoting and showing girls that being strong is a good thing and something that all girls should do. I have read this book with my daughters and they kept asking me to read just a bit more. I think that while this book may be made to be a coffee table book, it is also a great book that is one that will be good for kids to read along with with parents. What I loved was that the book offers inspiration and motivation for all who read this. This is a book I would highly recommend to all!

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Book Review - Eerie Elementary: The Art Show Attacks!

About the Book

Pick a book. Grow a Reader!

This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!

In the ninth book of this spooky series, Eerie Elementary is having an art show. Sam is working on his project for the show when suddenly the clay he's working with comes ALIVE! Then Sam and his friends start seeing signs of mad scientist Orson Eerie everywhere. First Orson's face mysteriously appears on a painting, then he leads them to a new, secret room in the school. What is Orson up to this time? Is he trying to spread his creepy power outside school grounds yet again? Sam and his friends need to act FAST!




My Take on the Book
Great addition to the series. My daughter has read all of the other books in this series so she was excited to see what would happen in this book. This book brings back the characters that you love and you will love to see what mysteries and fun come out in this book as we thoroughly enjoyed reading it. These books are quick reads, but every page compels you to keep reading. This was a great addition to the series!

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