It’s no secret that kids love being the stars of their very own stories.  So when I was contacted by MeBookz to receive a personalized storybook for one of my children, I was excited!  And after watching their short video on their website about what makes their personalized books different from the rest, I was even more excited.

MeBookz provides an extra special touch that makes it more impressive than any I’ve seen.  They are the only company that creates completely personalized and fully illustrated picture books with your child as the main character. Their customizations include using your child’s name as well as creating a fully illustrated main character in your child’s likeness.  In other words, the illustrations of your child actually looks like them.

When I visited the MeBookz website I started by selecting a personalized book, there were several to choose from including coloring books.  I also filled out other information including gender, name, eye color and hair color. There is also an option to select if you want an e-book or a printed book.  I was then able to upload a photo of my daughter that would be featured throughout the book.

When my daughter saw that the book had arrived in the mail he she was really excited and we couldn’t wait to sit down and read it together. She immediately recognized her name and when she saw her picture she shouted, “That’s me!”  Later that night we read it again at bedtime (twice) and have read it every night since we received it three weeks ago! I can see how much my daughter loves this book and I know it will be a treasure for a very long time.

Beautifully illustrated and bound, customized books from MeBookz take quality and personalization to the next level.  Photographs of your child and other diverse characters are playfully incorporated into the illustrations.  The story that I chose is a stunningly illustrated adventure of a group of kids going on a field trip to the zoo.  While at the zoo they explore different animals, but when they get to the skunk’s cage they notice the skunk is missing.  This prompts a wild quest to find the missing skunk.

It’s nothing short of a magical to experience when your child is the star of a book.  Storybooks from MeBookz can help children develop basic reading skills, build vocabulary, teach them to recognize their own name in print and lay the groundwork for writing their own names. These entertaining books also build self-esteem by celebrating the uniqueness of each child.  I think this book really makes reading and learning even more fun because it creates a unique adventure all about your child.

The age range varies for each book. Generally, MeBookz picture books make great gifts for children ages 3 and up. You can find the specific age for each book below the cover on their website.

Get your own personalized book for your child from MeBookz today.  Customers from anywhere in the world can personalize and purchase their eBooks. For printed books, they currently ship to Canada and USA only.  However, they are planning to expand into other countries shortly.  Thanks to our friends at MeBookz for sending a book for review!

Sounds great, is there a discount?
Yes!  The folks at MeBookz were gracious enough to extend an offer of 50% off of their personalized books for the FIRST 5 buyers using coupon code here-wee-read (be sure to include the dashes in the code).  Visit their website here to take advantage of this amazing offer.

Disclaimer: I received a free book directly from the company.  However, all opinions expressed are my own.

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Maya Angelou (Little People, Big Dreams) by Lisbeth Kaiser, illustrated by Leire Salaberria

Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children’s Bks
Release Date: August 9, 2016
Age Range: 5 to 8, Grades K to 3
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 32
Pre-Order your copy here!

Synopsis (from Amazon)
In the Little People, Big Dreams series, discover the lives of outstanding people from designers and artists to scientists. All of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. The book follows Maya Angelou, from her early traumatic childhood to her time as a singer, actress, civil rights campaigner and, eventually, one of America’s most beloved writers. This inspiring and informative little biography comes with extra facts about Maya’s life at the back.

Reflection
Losing phenomenal people like Dr. Maya Angelou seems to make the light of the world grow a little dimmer. However, thanks to great books like Maya Angelou: Little People, Big Dreams her legacy endures as a luminous beacon of strength, courage, and spiritual beauty.

Becoming a woman is serious and tough business. The transformation from carefree girl to impressionable young woman is often full of torment, self-doubt and insecurity.  I think this book illustrates that very well in a way that’s easy for even the smallest readers to comprehend. In addition, this book provides readers with a glimpse into Maya’s life from her childhood to adulthood.

Born in St. Louis, Maya and her brother were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas at a young age. Growing up in the South wasn’t easy for Maya for two reasons: the color of her skin and because she was a girl.   At the age of eight Maya was raped and attacked by her mother’s boyfriend which led her to completely shut down for years and stop talking.  Don’t worry, the book doesn’t actually use the word “raped” it says “attacked”. The illustration on that page shows Maya at the hospital being examined by a nurse.  Due to that terrible incident, seemingly overnight, Maya turns into a child who is uncertain, scared, and driven by fears she found hard to name.

Five years later, Maya finally finds her voice again through stories and poems of great writers. The library became her sanctuary and comfort zone. The rest of the book shows readers how Maya rose to cultural prominence through the sheer tenacity of her character and talent.  Maya went on to become a singer, actress, civil rights campaigner and eventually, one of America’s most beloved writers.

The illustrations in this book are bright, cheerful and pleasing to the eye using beautiful and soft hues of pink, blue, green and yellow throughout.  I also love that this is a hard cover book that is professionally bound.  It also features diverse characters including a person in a wheelchair and former President Bill Clinton.

In the back of the book there is a short biographical timeline that highlights some of the snippets from Maya’s life including the debut of her first book called I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in 1969.

This biography children’s book provides me with comfort in knowing I am better because Maya existed. Because of her, I am a better person and a better mom and my kids will be better because Maya left her strong clear voice inside me that will coach, prod, demand and encourage me to keep being the best parent I can be for my children. As this book illustrates, being a phenomenal woman is no easy task. Raising phenomenal children is even harder.

Although she had a traumatic childhood, it’s clear to me that Maya lived a rich life with so much zest and passion that she was wrung dry.  She had nothing left to take on her journey but a warm and beautiful spirit that will live on forever. May she rest in peace.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All all opinions expressed are my own.

The Little People, Big Dreams Series
Coco Chanel
Frida Kahlo
Amelia Earhart

Your turn: Have you read any of the other books in the Little People, Big Dreams series?  Feel free to share in the comments.

The Spinfords by AnnMarie Martin, illustrated by Stevie Hannigan

Format: Paperback
Pages: 44
Publisher: Black Bed Sheet Books

Synopsis (from Amazon)
What’s the one thing in the world that scares kids the most? Being different.

But not Salvatore. You see, Salvatore’s webs are different. Much to his family’s disappointment. Because this family of circus-performing spiders has built their act off tradition. Webs are circles, period.

But not Salvatore’s. And over his father’s squashed body is he going to let him perform with them. It would ruin all they worked for since Grandpa Sebastian Spinford started their show back in 1934. But Salvatore knows better. He knows the crowd is craving something new and fresh. And with his grandfather’s help, he’s going to prove it.

Salvatore’s story will give children of all ages the confidence to be themselves, no matter what.

Reflection
Confession: I am not a fan of spiders, but the Spinford family makes it hard for me to not like spiders.  They’re a family of web-weaving acrobatic-artist spiders who live underneath a backyard deck in the suburbs of New Jersey.  When the book starts, proud parents Simon and Sylvia are shown welcoming their newest addition to their family into the world: little baby Salvatore.

It doesn’t take long for the Spinfords to realize that Salvatore is very smart, highly creative and he develops amazing webs!  However, when the day arrives for Salvatore’s big performance test to see if he is ready to join the family act he doesn’t pass the test. Although Salvatore can create beautiful webs in record time, they are not the typical webs that everyone is used to seeing.

In the end, young Salvatore stands his ground and believes in himself no matter what others may say.  He decides that all he needs to do is show everyone how spectacular his webs really are and he did!

Although I found this book to be a bit text heavy and wordy for my kids, I love the overall messages of diversity, self-acceptance, confidence and realizing it doesn’t take approval from a majority to realize your own greatness.  We ended up reading this book over the course of two separate read aloud sessions since I saw the kids getting a bit antsy about halfway through.

The font of this book is written in all capital white colored letters and the pages are a dark blue color.  Because of this, it was sometimes a bit hard on my eyes while reading.  However, I didn’t feel like it took away from the story and what the author was trying to get across to little readers.  The illustrations are cute and whimsical and there are positive affirmations of hope that appear in the webs throughout the book.  Some of the messages include: “Never Give Up” and “The World Will Always Need Bugs Like You.”

Being different from their peers is one of the most difficult things for children to cope with.  I think this is especially true as they get older.  Nothing is worse than standing out and not being considered to be “normal” among your friends.  What a wonderful world it would be if we truly appreciated evolution and an expanding landscape of diverse minds and creativity.  Reading books like The Spinfords gives me hope that maybe one day we’ll finally get there, but likely not in the foreseeable future during my lifetime.

Overall, we enjoyed reading about the adorable Spinford family.  A great book for teaching children about staying true to themselves and celebrating who they are.

Connect with AnnMarie Martin!
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Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Your turn: What makes you different?  In what ways do you stand out from the crowd?  Feel free to share in the comments.

Brick by Brick: A Snippet of the Life of Booker T. Washington by Louie T. McClain II

Format: Paperback
Pages: 30
Publisher: Melanin Origins LLC
Grade Level: Kindergarten – 1

Synopsis (from Amazon)
A children’s book snippet about the life, accomplishments, and achievements of the great Booker T. Washington – an inspirational African-American innovator, leader, scholar, and philanthropist.

Reflection
Brick by Brick provides a small glimpse inside the life of Booker T. Washington, an American educator, author, orator, and advisor to presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was a dominant leader in the Black community.

The book starts off with a very positive message for little readers: “brick by brick we can get the job done by laying one brick at a time.”  A very young Booker T. Washington is seen in a cartoon-like drawing laying down some brick foundation for a building he and his friends built with their very own hands.  That building was initially known as the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute.  It’s currently known as Tuskegee University located in Tuskegee, Alabama.  The institute grew immensely and focused on training African-Americans in agricultural pursuits.

I think small children will be able to relate to this book and grasp the overall messages of faith, hope, love, hard work, grit, teamwork and determination very easily.  Throughout the book, Booker T. Washington is seen being a leader among his friends, a speaker in front of large crowds, and he’s even shown speaking to the President of the United States!  What an honor it must have been for him to be invited by President Theodore Roosevelt to the White House in 1901.

We’ve read this book a couple of times and it keeps my children engaged.  The text isn’t too wordy and the illustrations are bright and colorful.  My kids especially like to point out the fireworks and the kids shown having fun on the playground.  I also like the fact that there are a diverse group of kids shown in the book all working together to achieve a common goal.  However, since this book is based on a historical figure, I think the clothes the kids are wearing and the hairstyles are too modern for the time frame of the 18th and 19th century.  Other than that, I think this book does a great job informing little readers about an important figure in Black history in a way that is relatable and fun.  An empowering, inspirational and educational read for the little ones!

Coming soon by Melanin Origins in Fall 2016 – Power in My Pen: Ida B. Wells!

Connect with Melanin Origins!
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Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Your Turn:  How do you teach your children about hard work and team work?  Feel free to share in the comments.