Children's Books Reviews!!!!

MY FAVORITE PLACE TO BE...(A Bedtime Story) & Stevie Tenderheart WAIT A MINUTE!: (A Bedtime Story) (Companion coloring books are also available)

A Bedtime Story... Sharing a Stevie Tenderheart bedtime storybook with your child is a true bonding experience you will treasure for years to come. Perhaps a lifetime... 

In the Stevie Tenderheart bedtime storybooks the author creates a kind, lighthearted, tender and fun storybook for children and parents too. You can begin reading this book to small children (age 2) until they can read for themselves. 

Typically, 4-8 is the ideal age range. The illustrations are splendid fancy fun, creative and adventurous. Nancy Watson does such a pleasing job with this author's imagery. A must have storybook for your library. 

The book is loaded with marvelous illustrations and a wonderful story line with a nice cadence. A particularly well-polished style strength is just how nicely the easy-flowing rhymes are structured. You can tell each word has been auditioned. The story is written in a way so when parents or grandparents (or aunts and uncles) read this story to children, the voice inflections are natural and fun. 

The story is written in a fun, interactive style which really draws children to the Stevie Tenderheart experience. This is a clever, fresh and smart book. It definitely piques interest and wonderment perking up little children's ears. Giggles and belly laughs aren't far behind. Kids feel really cozy and content and ready for bed when the final page is turned. It's a nice end to a long day. A good night's sleep is most assured. 

In the first book, My Favorite Place to Be, Stevie wishes he could take his bed everywhere he goes, this story keeps things at home. In this story, Wait A Minute! (WAM!), Stevie Tenderheart fills his bed with all of his favorite things. Each page is an adventure. Children love the Stevie Tenderheart series and so will you. Children want to hear these stories night after night. It is especially fun to read out loud. Fun for them and fun for you. This author is quickly making a name for himself as one of the premier children's authors of our time.

My thoughts:

Adorable, fun and engaging!!!  This series is one to get and share with your child.  The stories are so cute and the pictures are animated, colorful and imaginative.  This series will leave you and your children truly happy and talking about the places you would explore, your favorite things and so much more.  Reading a bedtime story should bring parent and child closer and the Stevie books do that and so much more!  My son loves the coloring books that are companions to the story too!   I would love to see this as a series and to go with Stevie on many more adventures!!! I rate the series 4.5 stars!

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In “Ben Not a Puppy”  Michelle taps into a young childs world of imagination where a box can be a race car, an eisel can become a classroom, and outstretched arms can become a plane. Younger children will be delighted by the guessing game that Ben plays with his mother while early readers will delight in being able to sight read familiar phrases and follow the illustrations to figure out new words.

My thoughts:

As a teacher I am always looking for books that are quick reads with great stories to use in the classroom.  This is one of those great finds.  The story is about being imaginative, but always maintaining one's own identity.  Yes, that is the complex message in this fun story!  But the great part is, that it is hidden with the fun story about a boy pretending to be everything from a dog to a plane!!! I really enjoyed it and cannot wait to use it in the classroom! 4.5 stars!

or buy it @ http://www.bennotapuppy.com/

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Exploring a delightful world of truly exotic and unusual sea creatures, Something Fishy is filled with intriguing facts about an array of fish and animals that live in or near the water. Written entirely in verse, Barry Louis Polisar’s witty and thought-provoking poems introduce children to some of the oddest creatures in the animal kingdom, including many rare and endangered species. Children will be captivated by the lively illustrations, while learning and laughing at the clever rhymes.

My thoughts:

In SOMETHING FISHY  facts about the things that live under water are told with rhymes and funny pictures.   This book made me and my boys laugh out loud and talk about the things that lurk under the water!  I just loved the illustrations! They had such personality! Such fun! 4 stars!