ARC Book Review: Little Dinos Don't Bite by Michael Dahl

Title: Little Dinos Don't Bite
Author: Michael Dahl
Series: Little Dinos/Hello Genius
Illustrator: Adam Record
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Date of Publication: Feb. 1, 2013
Source: NetGalley and publisher
Want one? Get it here:  

Amazon | Barnes & Noble |








Book Description:

Little Dino must learn that even though he has nice, sharp teeth, he can’t bite anything — or anyone — he wants to.
For the youngest learners, fun, cheerful read-alouds that help guide a child’s first steps in learning and growing. With bright, bold art and humorous stories, the Little Dino books focus on troublesome behavior in a fun but constructive way.
From the Little Dinos/Hello Genius series. For ages 2-4.
* Bright, bold art featuring the ever-popular dinosaur
* Pushing, biting, yelling and hitting are common behaviors during a child's first 3 years - these books help address the issues in a light-hearted way* 12 other titles in the popular Hello Genius series featuring manners, times of day, and self-care

Jacey's Thoughts:
I laughed and laughed at everything that Little Dino does in this book!!! He tries to eat everything, or just bite it anyways.  The creepiest part (and funniest) was when he tried to bite his Mom's tail.  His Mom was not happy about it either.
I think this is a really good book because it teaches little kids, like me, not to bite things that are not good for us.  Instead we should bite apples, crackers, and cheeses.  These are healthy foods for us and they taste good too.
Oh and it is definitely not good to bite people.  Trust me, you will get into a lot of trouble for this!  A lot of trouble!
I loved Little Dinos Don't Bite!!!    I give it 20 stars!  (Of course Mom said we only had 5.)

Mom's Thoughts:
This book was short, sweet, and very helpful for a four year old that loves to chew on every single toy he gets.  Besides the wonderful message instilled in these colorful pages, the illustrations is probably what held my son's interest the most.  He loved watching Little Dino as he took bites out of everything he wasn't supposed to, and even laughed when he tried to capture his mom's tail in his mouth, which Jacey commented, "No,No No!!"
Jacey even wanted me to read it again and again.  I also noticed the older kids sneaking into the living room to look at the colorful book; as well as the occasional giggle that came from the boys.
This is a sweet little book that helps address a common problem among toddlers and preschoolers (present company included, Jacey).
I encourage you to pick this book up if you have that little Dino, that likes to bite things other than food, in your life.  I think I will give it five stars!

ARC Book Review: Muddled Up Farm by Mike Dumbleton, Jobi Murphy

Title: Muddled-Up Farm
Author: Mike Dumbleton 
Illustrator: Jobi Murphy
Publisher: Star Bright Books
Expected Date of Publication: Mar. 15, 2013
Format: paperback, hardcover 32 pages
Source: received from Net Galley

Pre-Order your copy at: | Star Bright Books |

Book Description:
Muddled-up Farm is a very special place. From the cat to the cow, the pig and the goat it is full of surprises that will have young readers laughing out loud as they discover everything that is mixed up on Muddled-up Farm! Muddled-up Farm is a Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book.

Mom's Thoughts:

I love reading books that are colorful, fun, and have learning hidden among the pages too.  This book has it all!  The illustrations are so bright, even a grown up could get a kick out of this book.  

Not to mention that the animals are a little different than on a regular farm!  My four year old laughed at all the different (and wrong) sounds of the many animals on this farm.  It was also very easy for him to follow along to and this will definitely be a must have for our library, especially since my older sons enjoyed reading it with us.  I give it 5 stars!

Jace's Thoughts:

My favorite colors are rainbow colored and this book has all the colors.  I loved it!  I also liked all the animals not knowing the sounds they were supposed to make- like the cat saying "moo".  That was so funny!  I told my mommy I wanted to get this for my birthday so I can read it every night and sleep with it.  I love all the animals too!  I think everybody should read this book.  It is so much fun!  

Add Muddled-Up Farm to your Goodreads shelf by clicking here.

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.

ARC Book Review: Upside Down (A Vampire Tale) by Jess Smart Smiley

Title: Upside Down 
Series: A Vampire Tale
Author: Jess Smart Smiley
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Expected Date of Publication: October 16,  2012
Format: hardcover, 144 pages
Source: eARC from publisher via Net Galley for honest opinion of it.


Harold is a friendly young vampire - but he loves candy so much, the dentist might have to pull his teeth! Now, what if he and the dentist, plus a couple friendly bats, all get caught up in the evil plots of the local witch? It's a wild magical romp for all ages, just in time for Halloween!
                                                         -Goodreads summary



Mom's Thoughts:

I was really hoping that this would be a great friendly vampire story kids to enjoy for Halloween.  Harold was friendly indeed, but he fell a little flat for me as a character.  The book is set up in comic book style, which seemed to be good idea for the older kids but unfortunately, the plot just couldn't keep our interest piqued.
From a mom's perspective, I understand the moral hidden among the funny images and story line and I couldn't agree more with it.  But the delivery of it just couldn't be carried through enough for my kids to take anything away from reading this.
I also would have liked a little more variety of colors instead of the dull monotone of green and black throughout the novel.
Even though this wasn't something that could keep us entertained; if you like funny vampires, a mean witch, and the dentist, this unlikely combination might just be what you are looking for.  
We gave it 2 stars.

You can pre-order your copy at: 


Amazon

Barnes and Noble

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

Mikey's Review: Spongebob Superstar (Chapter Book # 5) by Annie Auerbach

Title: SpongeBob Superstar
Author: Annie Auerbach,  Mark O'Hare(Illustrator)
Series: Spongebob Squarepants
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Date of Publication: April 2001
Format: paperback,63 pages
Source: bought 










Mikey's Thoughts:

I love Spongebob Squarepants!  I watch the tv show all the time and I even get to watch it on Netflix too!  So I was even more excited to find out I could read about Spongebob too.

In this book, Spongebob gets to do a whole lot of stunts and it gets put on a T.V. special in Bikini Bottom.  He does many things like he paddles with his hands on the water;  he also makes krabby patties blindfolded.  

There are a lot of characters from the show in this book including, Mr. Krabs, Spongebob, Sandy, Squidworth, and of course Patrick.  We also get introduced to a new guy named Bailey who is trying to direct the show.  Bailey is a sneaky one too!
I liked this book a lot especially since I haven't seen an episode for this book yet.  
I think this book would be great for anyone 7 and up.  I am very proud because I read this book all by myself quietly.  
I hope you can pick up a copy of this for your Spongebob Squarepants library too!

Thank you very much!
Mikey 

Four Stars! 

Review: iSad by Shane Saathoff

Title: iSad
Author: Shane Saathoff
Publisher: self
Date of Publication: July 10, 2012
Format: paperback
Source: pdf copy from author for honest review

Goodreads Summary:
When a child receives an iPad for Christmas, he soon realizes that it is not everything he thought it would be. iSad tells the story of the child's quest to turn the clock back on his neighborhood, returning it to the way it once was before the "cold circuitry" interfered in their every aspect of life.








Anthony's thoughts:


I really liked the book especially the colors of the different pages.  The illustration of the kid was funny too.  He reminded me of a snowman for some reason.  I know how he feels about reading books on the computer I would much rather have a book in my hand with a cover and everything.  
I also like how the writer rhymes the story to make it more fun.   I am almost 9 years old so I could understand all the big words in it but anyone younger than 7 would probably just be attracted to the bright colors of the book.  I give it 4 stars!


Conner's Thoughts:


I liked this story because it teaches kids not to rely completely on electronic devices for happiness.  Although the rhyming was cool, the story was kinda boring for me.  There really wasn't much action in it for me.  But  I did like all the different colors throughout the story.  So I gave it 3 stars.


Mikey's Thoughts:


I liked it a lot!  I thought it was funny and there were some words that my mommy had to explain to me but I still enjoyed the rhyming.  My favorite part was when the little dude went out into the street yelling for someone to come play tag with him.  That is a really funny part.  But I would still like to have an iPad, I just wouldn't use it all the time.  


Mom's Thoughts:


The book had a great moral to teach, especially in this day and age, when electronics are a staple in almost everyone's home.  There were parts that were funny because of the exaggerations of the parents not paying any attention to their son at all while busy on the iPad.  
The rhyming was cute, although, there were some words that may be a little over some 7 year olds' heads.  The illustrations were vibrant with each page a different color.  The little figures reminded me of the advertisements for the iPod with all the shadows.  I don't know if that was what Saathoff was going for but I found it ironic nevertheless.  
It was cute and we enjoyed reading it but it was a little boring for kids any younger than 8.  I gave it 3 stars.




If you would like to connect with Shane Saathoff:


website: http://roguebeemer.tumblr.com/

Review: Chase Danger Mystery of the Special Sauce by Lisa Oliveria, Chase Oliveria, Adam Goodman

Title: Chase Danger:Super Spy Mystery of the           Special Sauce
Author:Chase and Lisa Oliveria
Publisher/Date of Publication: Magic Fire Music Studio
Source: we received this book from the author for our honest review of it.
Website: www.chasedanger.com


Join 6-year-old super-spy Chase Danger on his very first illustrated adventure. Chase Danger is the world's youngest super spy - ready to fight villains wherever they appear. In his first adventure he battles a giant octopus and terrifying scorpion, builds a super flying car, takes a quick trip to space, and befriends Ali Bali - a mysterious 6-year-old girl that helps him along the way. Chase Danger and Ali Bali will return in Book 2. 1st in a series of Chase Danger: Super Spy books. 22 full color illustrations by Adam Goodman. Read-Along CD included featuring a dramatic performance of the entire story.  -Amazon summary




Mom's thoughts:

I remember when I was a little girl my parents collected The Gremlins books and in the back of these paperback goodies were a 45 record.  (I know I just dated myself there a little but oh well)  I would get up in the rocking chair and listen to that record as I followed along through the book.  It was amazing and it was almost like I was a part of the action.  

Chase Danger Mystery of the Special Sauce is even a hundred times better than that!  It comes with a cd read a long that will narrate the book but it does much more than that.  It has these awesome sound effects to go along with the action of the book. I personally, loved Chase's voice, it was adorable and is done by a real child.  (At least it sounds like it)

The illustrations are colorful and bright and easily captures the child's attention.  Even my 3 year sat in my lap the entire time while we listened to the story.  He would pick out the pictures that went with what we were listening to at the same time.  

This is a wonderful story with non stop action, creativity, humor, and the sweetest lil hero the world has ever seen.  I would recommend this book to anyone with kids.  It is truly fun to read for all ages!  

Anthony's Take:

This book is really really good! When we opened the package it came with coloring sheets but you can also go to the website and download activities too.  We listened to it before bed the other night and then when we got up in the morning we begged mom to let us listen to it then.  I don't really have a favorite part because I love the whole thing!  It's real easy to follow along with the CD through the book and I like the all the different sounds that go along with the story.  

Conner's Take:

My favorite part in The Chase Danger book was when he has to take control of the scorpion.  I have a toy scorpion that looks exactly like the one in the book and that was pretty amazing for me.  

This story is great for little kids like my baby brother but it's also really cool for me and Anthony who are almost 9 years old. I can't wait to see what happens to Chase in the next book with his friend Ali Bali!  

Mikey's Take:

This book is so simple to understand and follow along.  I liked it alot!! It was very good and I loved how Chase and me are close to the same age.  I think Chase and me could be great friends going on adventures together.  I love to invent different things so I liked how I was kinda the same as Chase too!  My favorite part was the Flashblack.  He was a cute little baby and I laughed at his disguise too!

Jacey's Take

My favorite part was the giant octopus in it!  That was wow!  I liked all the sounds on the CD and I can hold the book while the man on the CD reads it to us!

Every one of us agreed Chase Danger Mystery of the Special Sauce deserves five smiley faces!  This is a great book that we will probably wear the CD out listening to.  We can't wait till the next book comes out and we can go on another adventure with Chase Danger-Super Spy!!!

Mikey's Take on Taming Your Pet Monster: An Operational Guide by Scott Gordon

Title: Taming Your Pet Monster: An Operational Guide


Author: Scott Gordon
Publisher/Date Published: S.E. Gordon/July 5, 2012
Source: Kindle Cloud Reader, bought, Amazon





Goodreads Summary:
The craziest user guide you'll ever read! Written for mommies and daddies just as much as their children, Taming Your Pet Monster is filled with laugh-out-loud humor and bizarre situations. Witty, colorful and unique, this is one wacky ride you'll never forget!






Mikey's Take:  


This was  a really funny book with lots of colors, especially my favorite color, green in it.    I liked the picture of the explosion a lot.  It was neat how it made you think you could really buy a pet monster.  
I did have trouble with some of the words and I wasn't sure what some of them meant.  I am glad I had my mom reading it to me and my baby brother so she could explain some of the definitions to us.  
But this book really made me laugh a lot and I almost wish I could order my very own TP-6 monster.  


I gave this book 4 smiley faces!

Freebie Friday Review: Don't Juggle Bees! And Other Useless Advice for Silly Children by Gerald Hawksley

Freebie Friday Review


I decided to introduce this neat meme here as well at my more mature blog.  Amazon puts a lot of amazing books at discounted or free prices for a limited time.  You could go through pages and pages to find something that you thought interested you, or you could do what I do and just subscribe to that neat little website, Pixel of Ink-Young Edition.  They do all the hard work for you and it's free.  You can like them on Facebook and they will update throughout the week (and sometimes the day) of free books that are offered at Amazon.  The only think is you need to have a Kindle or Kindle reading apps to take part in these deals.

Our first ever Freebie Friday Review is over:

Title: Don't Juggle Bees! And other useless advice for silly children

Author: Gerald Hawksley 

Publisher/Publishing Date:  CreateSpace-March 28, 2012

Source: ebook; Amazon

I read this to all four of my boys, ages 8 to 3 years old, and everyone(including myself) laughed our heads off.  It is a fun rhyming silly story that no matter what your age, you can't help but smile at.  

It is written as a "Do and Don't " way, explaining us things we should do and things we should most definitely not do.  

This story is simply put: funny.  It lets you just let go and laugh with your kids at some of the antics in the book.  Those are the best kind, especially, when you can just stop and smile at the funny things.   Here are some of our favorite quotes from the book:

"Do be happy when you smile Don't share your bath with a crocodile."( not sure the page number but this was 22%)

So if you want to just have some fun and just laugh with your kids then this is the book you need to get.
After much consideration, the boys and I have decided to give this 5 smiley faces!