Book Review: If You Were Me and Lived In....Mexico by Carole P. Roman

Title: If You Were Me and Lived in...Mexico

Series: If You Were Me and Lived In...

Author: Carole P. Roman

Genre: children's, non fiction, travel

Source: received from author for my honest opinion of it 

Links To Buy: Amazon 

Book Synopsis:

"If You Were Me and Lived in...Mexico - A Child's Introduction to World culture," is the first intry in this educationalseeries that takes children on a journey to our exciting neighbor to the south... Mexico!

Perfect for children from Pre-K to age eight, this little book is a ground breaking new experience in exposing children to the joy of cultural differences.

 Mom's Thoughts:

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!!  We just had a wonderful meal that was inspired by this Holiday and we each practiced our Spanish to each other!  And to top it off, right before bed we are going to re-read If You Were Me and Lived In....Mexico.
You can really see the love that Mrs. Roman has for teaching while reading this book.  It is written simple and yet still manages to capture the reader's interest, insisting you keep turning the page to find out more all about what children in Mexico do everyday.
It is easy to understand for your preschool children and still engages the minds of my soon to be fifth graders.  Another thing I love about the way it is set up is the glossary at the back of the book.  It tells you some of the Spanish words and gives their definition.  This is great for us homeschooling moms who like to quiz our kids just to make sure they are paying attention.
The pictures are eye catching and really helps show the day to day activities in Mexico.  I enjoyed this book very much and I think it is a great way to get kids into learning more about girls and boys in different countries.  It really shows us how even though we speak a different language and live in different places, there is a lot we have in common.


**** When I was a child, I used to send off to get travel guides from all of the different states.  Living in a small town in Georgia,  I used to dream visiting all the places in the United States, then Canada, and finally going to Europe.  Now that I think back on it,  I believe I collected the travel guides because I loved reading about different places.  This book just reminds me of that little tidbit of information from my childhood.

I would definitely give If You Were Me and Lived In...Mexico five hearts, five stars, and five smiley faces. You pick!  But you most definitely should pick up Mrs. Roman's books.  She loves children and you can see it in the way she writes such wonderful books whether it be kids sailing the high seas or a nonfiction book teaching you about other children in the world.  You will not be disappointed in these stories.
*****

Book Review: Tom T's Hat Rack: A Story About Paying it Forward by Michele Spry, Peggy A. Guest (Illustrator)

Title: Tom T's Hat Rack: A Story About Paying It Forward

Author: Michele Spry

Publisher: Spry Publishing (self)

Illustrator:  Peggy A. Guest

Genre: childrens, paperback, 106 pages

Source: received from author for honest review of it

Links to Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | 

Book Synopsis:

Shelby Summers has a zest for life that can't be tamed... Tom Tucker has a dream of helping others who are facing the challenges he faced not too long ago. Join Shelby and Mr.T as they join forces to give back to their community, and be challenged to do the same for yours!

Mom's Thoughts:
Tom's T Hat Rack is a sweet adorable and fun book that brings all the heart-warming feelings we have inside us to the forefront.  You can't help but feel good after reading this book.  This story showcases all the best in human nature and makes you wish for more from the society that surrounds us in reality.

The characters in this book are a special breed indeed.  Shelby is such a sweet little girl that loves and cares about the people around her.  She is always trying to see the good in folks and make their lives even more special.  I think other children could really look up to Shelby in morals and her uplifting spirit.

Tom Tucker is another great character in the story.  He is a wonderful man that has faced many challenges and always remembers to smile as he thinks of others going through his own trials and struggles.

These two together have made a very interesting story come alive teaching us, young and old, the importance of thinking of others instead of always considering "what's in it for me?"

I also enjoyed the fact that story was based off a real person.  It is good to know that there is a great part of humanity out there helping people cope with some very dire situations bringing a smile and a hug to them amongst their pain and suffering.

Tom's T Hat Rack is a great way to teach your kids how to pay it forward and make a difference in their hometown.
I highly recommend giving this book a try.  It is a wonderful written story with beautiful illustrations and a fantastic message that everyone can benefit from wholeheartedly.


Connect with Michele Spry:

Website | Facebook | Google +

ARC Review: Chase Danger Super Spy:Pirates of Pineapple Island

Title: Chase Danger Super Spy: Pirates of Pineapple Island
Series: Chase Danger Super Spy book 2
Author: Lisa, Chad, and Chase Oliveria
Illustrations: Adam Goodman
Publisher: Magic Fire Music Studios
Date of Publication: August 2012
Source: received from author for honest opinion of it.
Get Your Own: website


Synopsis:

7-year-old super-spies Chase Danger and Princess Ali Bali must think fast when they discover pirates have stolen Zalezgon's magical pineapples. But that's not all! Ali's little brother Aiden has been kidnapped by the dreaded pirate Captain Looney, who is planning on taking over the world with his newly invented Weather Rockets!
Hang-gliding, jungles, giant sharks, super Roller Coasters, pirates, and a sky-dive will keep your children's attention from start to finish and give them a thirst for adventure!

Mom's Thoughts:
I just love Chase Danger!  If you just look at the cover you can tell this is one little boy who can get the tough jobs done!  But then add to the mix, a mysterious little girl and they make a great team that makes this book for both boys and girls. I love the graphics in this book.  All the different colors, the different characters  being portrayed, makes me get excited and my children are no different!  When we got book #2 in the mail, all I could hear was squeals of happiness as they ripped open the packaging to get their hands on this book.  Do you know what makes this book even more better?  The fact that it brings together all of my boys.  My nine year old twins love it because of all the action and different spy gadgets; my seven year old adores Chase and Ali Bali and loves reading it out aloud, and my four year old loves to sit among his older brothers listening to the read-along cd that comes with it; not to mention he loves sword fights.  I think this would be the perfect gift for that reluctant reader or any child that just loves a really good story! ***** stars for me!

Anthony and Conner's Thoughts:
We loved the first book but I think this one just made it even better!  When we first got our hands on this book, (we jerked out of our mom's hands-sorry Mom) all we wanted to do was just look at the pictures before we even started reading it.  Anthony and I just love the pictures!  We have even tried our hand at drawing a couple of Chase Danger scenes, but we aren't really that great at it.
Anthony: Okay hands down, my favorite part is when they ride the roller coaster and then shoot into the sky!  This is why I will not ride a roller coaster at Six Flags; you never know when this could happen!  (Okay, so it is probably next to impossible...) But it was pretty exciting reading about it.  I really like Chase but my favorite character is Ali Bali.  She is so tough and I think she makes a great friend for Chase.
This is one of those books that is great for older and younger kids, girls or boys.
Conner: We have really gotten into comic books lately.  Our dad bought us a lot of comics the other day.  That is a major reason I like Chase Danger so much.  It is written out like a comic book would be.  It is easy to follow along to and the read along cd makes all the action seem to come alive.  After listening to it the first time, our little brother, Jace, picked up a toy sword and started pretending he was Chase.  It was really funny, but even more funnier when our other brother, Mikey, decided he was going to be Captain Looney.  He does that part really well-he is kinda crazy.
I like that we have this story that all of us can enjoy.  It's something that us big kids can read, but little kids get a real kick out of all the funny scenes, like with the shark. In fact, we all kinda laughed at that one. I am a huge fan of spy movies, like Spy Kids, and this series is a lot like that.  It is funny, exciting, and has a lot of interesting different characters.  Even the villains have some cool parts; but it the most fun watching Chase and Ali put the bad guys away.
I wish we could give it more than five stars; like a hundred!  Because it is really that great!
Mikey and Jacey's Thoughts

Mikey: I think it is super cool that Chase and I are the same age.  I always like to imagine the different things I could do, like travel to outer space, but it is really fun to act out the scenes from the Chase Danger series.
Chase and I have a lot in common, but most importantly, we get our strength from eating pizza! I love pizza, though not really pineapples much.  My favorite scene was Operation Baby Safe.  I love little babies and it was funny when Chase said, "born potty trained!"  I can understand how Aiden gets his feelings hurt from his sister.  My brothers tend to do that to me and it is easy to think they don't care about me.  I am just glad my feelings can't set off rockets!  That wouldn't be good at all!  I really liked the surprise we find out in this book and I can't wait for book 3!
Jacey:  I love the sword fighting!  Yah!  I like to hear the sounds that come from the cd and I always get to turn the page too.  I am even learning which words are Chase, spy, and Danger.  I really like this book a lot and I always get really excited to hear it before I go to bed at night.  Sometimes, its fun just to listen to the cd, and other times I like hearing my mom read the book to us.  She does pretty good voices with our different stuffed animals and she can read books pretty good too.  I want to give this book as a present to our cousins for Christmas.

All in all, we have all talked and decided Chase Danger Super Spy and The Pirates of Pineapple Island deserve five stars!  This is one of those books that you can read over and over again and it just keeps the excitement level constant!

Make sure you stay tuned in the next few days because we will be having an interview with someone very special to this series.

Book Review: Poppy and The Stranger by Eli Jay

Title: Poppy and the Stranger
Author: Eli Jay
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Date of Publication: Sept. 5, 2012
Format: paperback, 42 pages
Source: received from author for honest review


Goodreads Summary:
In this fabulous and delightful story for children ages 2 and up, our adorable and sweet Poppy, the Wandering Balloon once again continues on his adventure of learning, fascination, and self-realization. This time, he faces a dark stranger under the moonlight. The stranger appears to follow Poppy no matter what he does, or where he goes. In hopes of escaping from the stranger, Poppy finds his way through the woods, meeting both old and new forest friends. But only Lyndon might have a real solution to Poppy's fear. Read this enchanting story and find out what Poppy learns at the end of his puzzling, but intriguing journey.....

Mom's Thoughts:

What an interesting idea to make a balloon the main character!  My younger sons loved this concept.  Just think: Poppy could be one of those balloons that little kids have unwittingly let go only to watch them float high up into the air off to another place.  I loved that this helped the younger children relate to Poppy.  
It was fun to meet the forest animals that helps Poppy solve his problem.  Everyone had a favorite.  Mine was the snake.  We enjoyed reading the snake's voice, especially putting a lot of emphasis on the "s" sound.  I would give this 3 stars for the fun we had reading it together.  The plot was simple for young kids to understand while the illustrations weren't very elaborate to cause too much stimulation.  Now let's hear what my sons thought of Poppy and the Stranger.

Michael's Thoughts:

I loved Poppy!  Balloons are so much fun to play with anyways.  My little brother, Jace, and I always like to pretend our balloons have special powers that make us superheroes.  This story was pretty funny when Poppy was afraid of the stranger following him.  I knew who it was the minute we read it but I didn't want to give it away for my little brother.  This story was easy for me to read, even though I liked my mom reading it to us too.  
I also loved all the green in the book.  This is one of my favorite colors, besides yellow, and I really liked all the pictures.  My favorite animal was the fox.  It was nice to meet a helpful fox instead of the sneaky ones in most kids stories.
Poppy is a great friend and I can't wait to read some more of his adventures!

Jace's Thoughts:

Mama wanted to read us a new book about a balloon that gets scared of something that he sees following him.  We get to see him ask all of his friends what they think the stranger is.  I got to see an owl and a fox and a snake but my favorite was the Bear.  He seemed so nice and it was funny because he lived in a house instead of a cave.  I laughed a lot at that.  I liked the pictures a lot.  They made the story really fun to listen to and my older brother, Mikey, could read it to me too.  We read it a bunch of times the next day.  I loved this story so much I can't wait to get a new balloon.  I am going to name it Poppy!

Get your copy at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble