Monthly Archives

May 2017

children's books, family fun, giveaways

Celebrating 10 Years of Elephant & Piggie + An Instagram Giveaway!

May 23, 2017

2 Comments

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Disney-Hyperion.

We love Elephant & Piggie at our house, and were so excited to partner with Disney-Hyperion on a sponsored post to celebrate 10 years of the series! Can you believe this series has been around for 10 years?

Recently, the kids and I celebrated in a big way with our own Elephant & Piggie book party! The kids said their favorite part was pressing the good for nothing button (over and over again) while reading the latest Elephant & Piggie book entitled The Good for Nothing Button. So fun! We also wore our party hats, ate yummy snacks, unwrapped our book presents in the adorable themed wrapping paper and of course, enjoyed story time.

How cute and fun is this Elephant & Piggie themed wrapping paper?

When it comes to Elephant and Piggie I may be a wee bit obsessed with them, more so than my kids, but they seem to love these books too. Apart from the humor, I love the simplicity of these books. The illustrations, expressions and word bubbles are so well done making reading simple for kids. Plus, they have a lot of repetition of sight words so they are great for beginning readers. Our top 10 favorite books E&P books (in no particular order) are: I Broke My Trunk, Waiting is Not Easy, We Are in a Book, Let’s Go for a Drive, I Am Invited to a Party!, Should I Share My Ice Cream?, I Love My New Toy, The Thank You Book, I Really Like Slop and I Will Take a Nap.

Right now, we have an exciting giveaway taking place over on our Instagram page. One (1) lucky winner will receive the following:

•The Good for Nothing Button
•4 books from the Elephant & Piggie series
•Plus Elephant & Piggie stress balls and temporary tattoos!

Want to use some of the fun printables we used at our book party? You can download the free printables to make your own lanterns at home here! You can find the free printable activity sheets here.

Be sure to follow along with all the fun celebrating 10 years of Elephant and Piggie by doing any of the following:

Visit the PigeonPresents.com website
Follow @The_Pigeon and @DisneyHyperion on Twitter
Follow @DisneyBooks on Instagram
Like @MoWillems on Facebook
Check out the hashtag #MoFun across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

Your turn: Have you read any of the Elephant and Piggie books to your kids? If so, what are some of your favorites? Feel free to let me know in the comments.

book reviews, children's books

My Mummy is Superwoman by Casey Elisha + A Book Giveaway!

May 9, 2017

Mrs. G

Caring For Your Lion by Tammi Sauer + A Book Giveaway!

May 9, 2017

Mrs. G

1 Comment

Caring For Your Lion by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Troy Cummings

Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Pages: 32
Format: Hardcover
Age Level: 3 and up
Grade Level: Preschool and up

Synopsis
What happens when you expect an itty-bitty kitty . . . but get a lion instead?
It’s kitten delivery day, but—SURPRISE. Congratulations on your new LION! We know you ordered a kitten, but we ran out of those. Fortunately, the big cat comes with instructions—like, try very hard NOT to look like a zebra. Or a gazelle. And give your lion PLENTY of space to play. But soon the feathers and fur start flying and everything’s in chaos. Is there any way a lion could actually be a child’s purr-fect pet?

Reflection
Upon receiving this book, the first thing I noticed was the clever hidden cover underneath the book jacket that looks like the the top of a pizza box. Apparently, a pizza company called Sergengeti Bros. has been caring for lions since 1925! Even before reading this book, I knew it was going to be funny just by looking at the pizza toppings selected on the top of the “pizza box”: sausage, pepperoni, gazelle, giraffe, buffalo, zebra and rhino.

Caring For Your Lion is a cute and fun read aloud book for little readers. It features a little boy who ordered a kitten from a pet delivery service, but receives a lion instead. They’re practically the same thing – right? The book is a funny step-by-step how-to guide that instructs little readers how to properly take care of a lion by following 14 “easy” steps.

Step 1. Take a deep breath. Then carefully open the crate.
Step 2. Locate the enclosed feather. Keep it handy in case of an emergency.
Step 3. Try very hard NOT to look like a zebra. Or a gazelle. Or a bunny.

When the little boy notices he has a picture of a bunny on his t-shirt, he immediately covers it up with the other button up shirt he has on. My kids crack up whenever we get to this page and the page right after it.

The instructions listed throughout are funny and silly – perfect for the preschool/kindergarten crowd! Since this book is presented in a step-by-step format, I think the digitally created illustrations are what make this book really come alive. They are so bright, cheerful, detailed and downright silly. The additional black-and-white diagrams from the manual are shown as well which add even more humor to the story.

Be sure to check this book out with your little readers if you’re looking for a funny story. Oh, and if you order a kitten, but receive a lion instead – no worries. You’ll already have this handy manual that tells you exactly what to do!

The Giveaway!
Our friends at Sterling Children’s Books were generous enough to sponsor this giveaway to ONE (1) lucky winner! Enter for your chance to win a copy of Caring For Your Lion by Tammi Sauer. Open to US and Canadian Residents age 18 and over. Good Luck!

Caring For Your Lion Book Giveaway!

About the Author
A former teacher and library specialist, Tammi is an active blogger and highly involved in the children’s writer community. Her local bookstore, Best of Books in Edmond, OK named July 9 Tammi Sauer Day! Follow her on Twitter or visit her website.

About the Illustrator
Troy Cummings runs his own design studio, and his clients have included Time for Kids, New York Daily News, Random House, and the Cartoon Network. He has written and/or illustrated several children’s books. Troy lives in Greencastle, IN. You can visit his website by clicking here.

book reviews, children's books, giveaways, read aloud

The Case of the Stinky Stench by Josh Funk + A Book Giveaway!

May 4, 2017

Mrs. G

Swimming in the City: Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

May 4, 2017

Mrs. G

1 Comment

Swimming in the City: Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

Publisher: Candlewick
Pages: 32
Age Range: 4 – 8 years
Grade Level: Preschool – 3
Available for Sale: May 9, 2017

Synopsis
Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He’s finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he’s a great jumper, so he’s not scared at all. “Looks easy,” says Jabari, watching the other kids take their turns. But when his dad squeezes his hand, Jabari squeezes back. He needs to figure out what kind of special jump to do anyway, and he should probably do some stretches before climbing up onto the diving board. In a sweetly appealing tale of overcoming your fears, newcomer Gaia Cornwall captures a moment between a patient and encouraging father and a determined little boy you can’t help but root for.

Reflection
Little Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board, or so he thinks he is. He passed his swim test and completed his swimming lessons. Now he’s ready to tackle diving into the pool by jumping off the diving board. With a little encouragement and a pep talk from his dad, Jabari overcomes his fear and works up the courage to make a big splash into the pool.

The kids and I really enjoyed reading this book for a few different reasons. I absolutely LOVE the author decided to showcase the father being with Jabari and his little sister instead of the mother. We need to see more books like this with Black and Brown fathers bonding with their children doing everyday and normal things. I also like the fact that Jabari’s father was supportive and didn’t push him to take the big leap – he was patient waited for him to decide he was ready to try jumping off the diving board.

I think this story is well formed, easy to follow and has a good overall story line. The text uses a couple of fun water-related phrases that appeal to little ones like: “splash”, “whoosh” and “down, down down” with cute and lively illustrations to match. I also like that this book builds a foundation for water safety for children. Jabari is shown stretching, wearing his safety goggles, and his little sister is wearing appropriate swim gear as well.

With themes of: overcoming fear, courage, family, water safety, positive affirmations, encouragement, patience and determination I think Jabari Jumps is a great book to read during the upcoming summer season. It can also be read around Father’s Day or anytime of the year. Don’t miss the fun hidden book cover underneath the book jacket – it’s so cute! Jabari Jumps publishes May 9, 2017 from Candlewick Press.

Your turn: Are you looking forward to reading this with your little readers? Feel free to share in the comments.

Charnaie

Hi, I'm Charnaie and I love connecting people with diverse and inclusive books, kid-friendly products and family experiences they will love. Let me help you instill a love of reading, lifelong learning, and curiosity in the children in your lives.