MINI CHILDREN'S BOOK REVIEW FOR - GREEN LIZARDS VS. RED RECTANGLES - BY STEVE ANTONY

pic and description taken from Goodreads

DESCRIPTION:

The Green Lizards wanted to defeat the Red Rectangles.
The Red Rectangles wanted to defeat the Green Lizards.
They were at war!
Eventually they realized,
Enough Is Enough!
They stopped fighting, and by working together the Green Lizards and the Red Rectangles found a way to live peacefully.

Who will win, the green lizards or the red rectangles? Young readers will understand the value of living in friendship and peace. In the end, it's not about who wins but rather working together and having fun! 

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

This was such a cute books about cooperation, and friendship. 

The green lizards want to defeat the red rectangles and get rid of them.  The red rectangles want to do the same to the green lizards.

When both sides realize they are not getting anywhere fighting with each other, they decide to compromise and work together.  Then it makes fun for everyone.  

This has such a great moral to the story.  Such a fun way to teach kids how to work together, and get along with everyone.  

I need to have grand kids soon....I need a reason to buy all the children's books I want.  hehehe.

Source:  I read this book while at Barnes & Noble.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

MY RATING:

WHERE TO BUY:

  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

pic and bio taken from Goodreads

Steve Antony is a writer and illustrator based in the UK. His current titles include, 'The Queen's Hat', 'Betty Goes Bananas' and 'Please, Mr. Panda'.

His bestselling UK debut, 'The Queen's Hat', published in May 2014 to critical acclaim. It was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal and has been shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize.

The New York Times wrote that 'Betty Goes Bananas' "speaks to the foot-stamping toddler in all of us." and 'Please, Mr. Panda' has "a deceptively simple premise with surprise and visual interest."

'Please, Mr. Panda', was The Times Children's Book of the Week and Barnes & Noble's Picture Book of the Month. On Jan 10th, 'Please, Mr. Panda' was read in every Barnes & Noble store in the States as part of their first nationwide Storytime event. School Library Journal calls it "A fun story time selection and a solid option for parents or teachers."

Born in England and raised in Alamogordo, New Mexico, Steve was the 'British kid that liked to draw'. Upon his family's return to the UK, at age 16, he was too young to have graduated from high school and too old to take his GCSE's. However, his artwork and US grades secured him a spot at art college in Cirencester. He went on to study art at Swindon College and graduated with a HND in Illustration. Steve worked in a call centre for nine years while pursuing creative career opportunities. After being made redundant in 2010, Steve took a 'leap of faith' by applying for a place on the Masters Degree in Children's Book Illustration course in Cambridge. He graduated in 2013. Shortly afterwards, he signed his first book contract.

More information about Steve and his books, including lesson tips and activity sheets, can be found on his website: www.steveantony.com. 

MINI CHILDREN'S BOOK REVIEW FOR - THE WONDERFUL THINGS YOU WILL BE - BY EMILY WINFIELD MARTIN

pic and description taken from Goodreads

DESCRIPTION:

From brave and bold to creative and clever, the rhythmic rhyme expresses all the loving things that parents think of when they look at their children. With beautiful, and sometimes humorous, illustrations, and a clever gatefold with kids in costumes, this is a book grown-ups will love reading over and over to kids—both young and old. A great gift for any occasion, but a special stand-out for baby showers, birthdays, and graduation. The Wonderful Things You Will Be has a loving and truthful message that will endure for lifetimes. 

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

This sweet children's book is so fantastic.  Every child, mother, grandmother and person, needs a copy of this book.  This is definitely one that I will buy for my collection.  

This is such a sweet story about just how important each and every child is.  No matter what life brings you to be who you are and enjoy who you are.

Such a loving, and compelling story.  This might go up as one of my all time favorite Children's books.  So, so sweet.

I cannot wait until I have grand kids to read this to over and over.

Source:  I read this while at Barnes and Noble.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

MY RATING:

WHERE TO BUY:

  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

pic and bio taken from Goodreads

Emily Winfield Martin makes paintings, books, and other things. She is the author and illustrator of Day Dreamers (forthcoming, 2014), Dream Animals (2013), Oddfellow's Orphanage (2012) and The Black Apple's Paper Doll Primer (2010). When she was small, she spent every moment drawing, reading, dressing rabbits in fancy clothes, and having many peculiar daydreams. When she grew up, she began to illustrate those peculiar daydreams, and after college, she created a cottage industry called The Black Apple, which sells all manner of art and etceteras.

She works in a tiny nook of a studio filled with old children's books, wind-up toys, and stacks of fabric. Her work is inspired by fairy tales, music, myths, carnivals, children's books from the late 19th through mid 20th century, her favorite films, and autobiography. 

She likes bears and sea monsters and seashell pink poppies. She lives and works among the giant fir trees of Portland, OR.

DRAGONS LOVE TACOS - BY ADAM RUBIN

pic and description taken from Goodreads:

DESCRIPTION:

Dragons love tacos. They love chicken tacos, beef tacos, great big tacos, and teeny tiny tacos. So if you want to lure a bunch of dragons to your party, you should definitely serve tacos. Buckets and buckets of tacos. Unfortunately, where there are tacos, there is also salsa. And if a dragon accidentally eats spicy salsa . . . oh, boy. You're in red-hot trouble.

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

I LOVE children's books.  Love them.  I don't read them as much as I use to because my kids are older, and don't let me really read to them any more :(.  

This was such a cute book.  The illustrations are wonderful, colorful, and so much fun.  A little boy wants to have a party with some dragons, so he gets ready for them by preparing a LOT of tacos.

What this little boy didn't realize was that some of the tacos he made had some spice to them.  Dragons don't like spice.  It makes them sneeze fire.  

When the boy realizes that there is spice in some of the tacos he tries to get all of the dragons to stop eating them....Unfortunately he didn't do it soon enough.  When all is said and done the kid and the dragons work together in the end to fix the mistake the Dragons made to the boys house.

So cute.  If you have kids, or grand kids this is a great book to add to your collection.  It's so cute, and funny.

Source:  I read this book at Barnes and Noble.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on this book.

MY RATING:

WHERE TO BUY:

  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

pic and bio taken from Goodreads

Adam Rubin is the New York Times best-selling author of a half dozen critically-acclaimed picture books including Those Darn Squirrels and Dragons Love Tacos. He spent ten years working as a creative director in the advertising industry before leaving his day job to write full time. Adam has a keen interest in improv comedy, camping and magic tricks. He lives in New York City.

REVIEW FOR - PUSHING THE LIMITS - BY KATIE MCGARRY

pic and description taken from Goodreads

DESCRIPTION:

So wrong for each other …and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. 

But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible. 

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

I finished this book about a month ago but haven't had a chance to sit down and write my review until now.  This book had many great reviews from some fellow bloggers, so I knew it would be one I would have to read.

Echo Emerson went from "popular" to "freak" over night practically overnight.  What caused this downfall, she can't quite remember.  She just knows it has to do with the horrible scars on her arms.  She hides them, and tries to remember what happen the night she got them.

Echo had an over bearing father, and a mother that was not around.  Over bearing, horrible, father married a much younger woman, and life was not very easy for Echo with the "new" wife.  

Noah Hutchins, well what can I say.  He's the "bad" boy.  I think that is why I liked him from the beginning.  hehe.  Something about bad boys and how "misunderstood" they are.  Noah has had a rough life as well, and has his own secrets.  Noah is in search of a tutor for some of his classes, and it just so happens that the counselor has appointed him one.  Echo.

From their first "meeting" there is something of a spark there.  They just weren't quite sure if it was hate, or love.  The way their stories unfold is intense.

This was a roller coaster ride through some kids that have some hard issues to deal with, and seem to find in each other the comfort they have been seeking.

I loved how this book unfolded.  Echo and Noah's stories are so sad.  Two young kids who are forced to face adult issues before they should have to.  How they find common ground it pretty wonderful.

Now.....for the stuff I didn't like about the book.  The "f" bomb was used too much and there is a lot of sexual innuendo along with some teenage sex.  Having said that just as an FYI, I do have to admit I still really enjoyed the book.  I just like it when other reviewers give me a "heads up" on that kind of stuff in books.  

I cannot wait to read the other books in this series.

Source:  I bought this book for myself a while back.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL views on the book.

Content:  A lot of language, sexual innuendo, teenage sex, and lots of talk about sex.  I personally believe this book is for older teenagers/adults.

MY RATING:

WHERE TO BUY:

  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

pic and bio taken from Goodreads

KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie would love to hear from her readers. Contact her via her website, katielmcgarry.com, follow her on Twitter @KatieMcGarry, or become a fan on Facebook and Goodreads.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I kind of dropped off the book blog wold during this month, but didn't want to miss a chance to wish everyone a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 

I will probably drop off for the rest of this month and most of January as well.  I plan on spending this time with my family with out distractions.  I have some posts I am going to schedule, but other than that, I hope every ones has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

BLOG TOUR / REVIEW FOR: SHADOWS OF ANGELS - BY L.G. ROLLINS

pic and description taken from Goodreads

DESCRIPTION:

After the forest dwellers destroy her home and kill her father, Aerbrin sets off on a journey to find the truth about her people, her kingdom, and the mysterious Zaad stone that contains a power she never imagined. Magic and mystery join forces in this intriguing fantasy world. Full of shifting alliances and twists you won’t see coming, it’s a can’t-miss read.

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

Let me start by saying Rollins world that she has built is absolutely amazing.  There are so many characters it was sometimes a little hard to keep track of them, so I started writing them down, and putting the connections together.  It was so much fun.

When something clicked I would make another note.  Pretty soon I had two pages of notes on the book.  There are so many twists and turns, and so many webs weaved in this book it kept me turning the pages, and left me unable to put the book down.

So many characters that I liked, like Aerbin, Hilfawn, Timbrick, Lady Teepin, King Sabaderious, the Orchal, and so many more.  I love the authors use of such unique names.  Each character is just as unique as their names.  

There are demon's, bad guys, good guys,  There is royalty, dark forests, magic, and beasts.

The writing is beautiful, and flows really well.  I was drawn in from the very beginning.  Want to know about some of those characters?  I know how you can do it :).  Read the book.  If you like fantasy you will like this book.  I don't want to say too much about the characters, because the way they weave together was part of the fun of reading the book.

The magic in this book revolves around something called a Zaad Stone.  I wish I had one :).  I love stories with magic in them.  I have read quite a few of them, but it's so much fun to see how an author puts their own spin on it.  

I will say that the "beast" is my favorite character so far.  I have many favorites but he is my "most" favorite :).

From beginning to end, you will enjoy the ride that this book takes you on.  You will enjoy the worlds that are built as well.  It's beautiful.

Source:  I was given this book by the author in return for an honest review (which did not influence my review in any way).  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

Content:  CLEAN!!!  Yay!

MY RATING:

WHERE TO BUY:

  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

pic and bio taken from LGRollins.com

L.G. Rollins grew up in a far off land fighting dragons, stealing talismans, and traveling with dwarfs and elves. She is especially skilled at bribing giants with sweets. Currently, her husband and four kids live in Utah so that is where she spends most of her time. She may, or may not, have a Zaad Stone. To learn more about L. G. Rollins and her books visit LGRollins.com.

Thanks to Author L.G. Rollins for the opportunity to review this book

and Thanks to: