Review: Too Many Visitors For One Little House by Susan Chodakiewitz

The residents of El Camino street definitely know what they like; cleaning their houses, gardening and snoozing on the porch. What they don't like is a whole other list; kids, noise, guests, large kissy-huggy families and pets. So, when the new family with three kids moved in down the block, the neighbors were a little wary but things seemed to be going smoothly and quietly. Just the way they liked it!

But then the visitors started coming . And coming. And coming. And coming. Too many visitors, the neighbors cried, for one little house. There were cousins, aunts, uncles, teens and toddlers, not to mention Grandma, Grandpa, Nanny and a baby. The neighbors definitely didn't like babies. All these visitors brought mounds of things with them; things that made noise like guitars and clarinets. This was just too much of everything for one little house!

Something must be done, the neighbors decided but on their way to complain, out of the little house came grandma with her delicious smelling apple strudel. When she asked the neighbors if they would like to join the family reunion, they for once decided there can never be too many visitors for any house, even one little house.

This book is just so adorable. The illustrations by Veronica Walsh are very enticing; humorous characters in bright colors and with lots of detail. I like the message of family young and old being together and having a good time. A fun, enjoyable read for any child.

This story is a booksicals children's book. For a musical version of the book, go to Booksicals.com where you can download the musical for free!

Disclosure: This book was provided for review by the author, Susan Chodakiewitz, as part of a Virtual Book Tour. Thank you Dorothy from VBT and Susan.

Review: The Wackiest Wildest Weirdest Animals in the World by Jack Hanna

Wow, this is such a fun and informative book! Mr. Hanna, in his years of experience documenting wild life, has chosen 30 animals that he considers to be wacky, wild and weird.

Each page features a large picture plus a smaller inset of close up features of that animal. Every page also includes what the animal eats, where they live and how big they get. Part of the page is devoted to the very facts that make the animal weird, wacky or wild.

One of the most interesting pages to me was the emperor penguin with three good close up pictures. Did you know that the emperor penguin can stay underwater for up to 20 minutes at a time while searching for food? They can withstand temperatures of -75 degrees F. This is one aptly named penguin; emperors grow to 4 feet tall and can weigh up to 85 pounds. That is one impressive and truly magnificent animal!

Another page I found most interesting was about the octopus. Who knew an octopus had 3 hearts? Or that an octopus can lay more than 200,000 eggs at a time? Wow, that's a lot of potential babies but in actuality, only a few survive to be adults.

There are 28 more animals that round out this fascinating book.This one may be geared towards kids, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The pictures are extremely colorful and detailed. I just loved the close up insets. At the end of the book is a comprehensive glossary . A lot of candidates in that glossary to use in Wondrous Words Wednesday, that's for sure! Included with the book is a DVD of bloopers and behind the scenes shots from Mr. Hanna's TV show.

About the book : Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (June 9, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400311403
ISBN-13: 978-1400311408
Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 10.4 x 0.5 inches

Author's website can be found here.

A big thank you to Thomas Nelson for a copy of this teriffic book. 4****

Giveaway: Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

Through the incredible generosity of Anna at Hachette Book Group, I am hosting a giveaway for 3 audio copies of Mr. Popper's Penguins, a must have for any library! Remember, we are talking penguins here. Penguins !Pudgy and family will be so ecstatic!

Mr. Popper's Penguins remains a classic, read and remembered by generations of loyal fans. Now, 70 years after its publication, it will be given a fresh new voice as an audiobook to attract a new generation of listeners.

About the Author:

Before his death in 1948, Richard Atwater was a newspaper columnist and a professor of Greek. He is best known for writing Mr. Popper's Penguins with his wife, Florence, who finished the novel when he fell ill. Together, they were honored with the 1939 Newbery Honor Award.

Okay, kids ( from 1- 101), here are the "rules".

For your first official entry : post a comment on why you would like to win this book.

For an extra 3 entries : become a public follower. If you are already a follower, that counts too.

For one more extra entry, post a link to this contest in your sidebar.

Don't forget to leave me an e mail address. Winners will be notified by e mail.

Contest ends May 15th at 5 P.M.

Residents of US and Canada only, no P.O. Boxes.

Thank you and good luck.

Review :Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Janet Halfmann

The narwhal is a small whale that spends the summer in the high arctic coasts of Canada and Greenland. Before these inlets and bays freeze solid, the narwhal heads out to sea and spends the winter in the drifting ice of Baffin Bay and Davis strait between northeast Canada and Greenland. Narwhals travel in pods and eat fish for sustenance. Narwhals are considered adults at about twelve years of age.The most interesting physical feature of the narwhal is the nine foot long spiral tooth that sticks out from the upper jaw. This gives the narwhal the appearance of having a unicorn's horn. The females rarely have this tooth. Another interesting feature of these whales is the fact that they have no dorsal fin so it makes it very easy for them to dive under the ice as they search for food.

In this story, it is July and the Inuit children are very excited to see hundreds of narwhals enter the bay. Some of the adult male narwhals use their tooth to joust with other males in the age old game of king of the sea. One of the natural enemies of the narwhal is the killer whale. As the killer whales cruise the bay, the narwhals crowd together in the shadows staying as still as possible. With their mottled backs and white underbellies, the killer whales mistake them for floating pieces of ice and leave them alone. When the bay starts to freeze over due to an early winter storm, the narwhals find themselves trapped under the ice. They dive and dive for several days, finally finding a narrow crack of water to get them out of the bay. It's a good thing because some hungry polar bears were waiting on the ice for the narwhals to surface for air.

When the narwhals reach their winter home, even though the temperatures are very, very cold and there is no sushine in the long polar night, the narwhals are kept warm by the thick layer of blubber they carry. No killer whales can bother them here as the killer whale has a large dorsal fin that prevents them from swimming in the drifting ice packs. There are lots of fish for the narwhal to live on deep below the surface. In the summer, the narwhal will instinctively repeat the migration cycle all over again.

I had no idea there was such a whale as this. Even though this book is geared for 4-8 year olds, I found the scientific facts most intriguing. The colors and illustrations by Stephen James Petruccio are beautifully done as if in water colors to give the feel of the sea. Pictures are large and the story is simply written for easy comprehension. The story itself is very entertaining while still being educational. At the back of the book there is a glossary of terms and some scientific facts about the narwhal. In this section is a most interesting fact about the spiral tooth. A team of scientists headed by a dentist discovered that the narwhal's tooth is very sensitive, with millions of nerve endings exposed to the cold. The theory is the tooth is telling the narwhal when the water is about to freeze. There are many more fascinating facts on this last page.

This book is published by Soundprints Publishing and their motto is "where children discover". They have an absolutely wonderful collection of informative books woven around fictional stories to help youngsters learn in a fun way. Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea is part of their Smithsonian Oceanic Collection.

About the author: Janet Halfmann has been writing children's books for more than 20 years. A few months ago I had the privilege of reviewing Little Skink's Tail by Janet. Little Skinks Tail is one of the most entertaining of children's stories and has won numerous awards. Review and more author info can be read here. Thank you Janet for sending me this wonderful book. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend the book to help children discover the world of nature around them. 4****

Review: Mackenzie Blue by Tina Wells

When Mackenzie Blue, or Zee as she likes to be called, enters the seventh grade, she knows it will be a hard adjustment this year since her best friend Ally just moved to France. I mean, France, of all places! Yikes! As if a new school and new teachers isn't trouble enough, losing her diary with her innermost secrets in it on the first day of school really gets her in a twist.

The day that Zee enters her music class and sees her private thoughts from her diary written on the dry erase board, she just knows she is in for a lot of mortification. Who could have her diary? Why are they being so mean to her?

Zee aspires to be a big pop star some day and has been working on a song for the Teen Sing competition held at her school. The problem is her song is written in her diary and now it is gone and she has yet to find out the mysterious someone who has it. With the help of Mr. P., her music teacher, and her brother Adam, Zee writes a new song, more awesome than the first one. At the Teen Sing competition, the audience just loves it.

Ms. Wells has perfectly captured the tween population with this fun read. The fashions, the music, the pen and ink illustrations and doodles are done to perfection just as kids that age would do. Text messages are written just as kids would write them. I like the inherent message in the story; stay true to your aspirations and most of all true to yourself. Not all people who act like friends really are, not all big brothers are dorks and your true friends will show you who they really are by their actions, not just their words.I think this is one story kids can really relate to.For it's genre : 4****

Geared to ages 8-12 or grades 3-7.

A big thank you to Harper Collins for sending me the book. Mackenzie Blue will be on bookshelves May 5th.

Review: The Suburban Dragon by Garasamo Maccagnone

In this delightful children's book , three bored youngsters just don't know what to do with themselves on a rainy, stormy day. Their mother suggested that they snuggle on the couch and she would read them a story. Even their favorite book didn't keep them from yawning and being fidgety. All of a sudden from out behind the couch leapt a big scary dragon, roaring and snorting. When the dragon suddenly grabbed their mother and started to run away with her, the kids knew they had to be brave and save their Mommy.

The first thing to do, they agreed, is to make a plan for the daring rescue. This plan included ingeneous disguyzzs and traps so the three of them dressed up: Garrett put on an army helmet and had all his ammunition, Anthony donned a hockey helmet and tin foil protection. Finally, Aimee Put on her grandmother's wedding gown and a wig. After all, she was a Princess! The plan was to trick the dragon to come back into the living room so they could capture him but when Aimee took another look at the scary dragon it was not who she thought it would be. Gasp, big surprise! Well, they certainly weren't bored anymore.

Al Oschsner does a wonderful job with the illustrations. The images are large and nicely colored, almost as if they were watercolored. The first page really sets the scene with dark clouds, lightning and pouring rain. All the characters have very appropriate facial expressions. The story line is magical, comical and endearing all at the same time. What better way for children to use their imagination on a rainy day than to plot a daring rescue and trap a big scary dragon. I can't imagine a child not being enchanted with this book. 5 *****

About the book:
The Suburban Dragon by Garasamo Maccagnone
ISBN - 978-1419660443pan>
Publisher: BookSurge
Page count: 51
Price: $18.99

About the author:
Garasamo Maccagnone is the author of, The Affliction of Dreams, St. John of the
Midfield, and, For the Love of St. Nick. His latest novel, The Handsome Man, will be
released in 2010.

Mr. Maccagnone has several other books to his credit. The author's website can be found here.

Review: Waggit Again by Peter Howe

Waggitt the dog was abandoned in Central Park when he was a pup, adopted and then abandoned again to a working farm. Waggit decides he has had enough of this type of hurt so he escapes the farm trying to find his way back to the park and reunite with his team. He is found by Felicia who, amazingly enough, can speak "dog". Waggit shares his story with her and together,they set out to find his old home.

Their journey is not easy with quite a few scary adventures on the road. Eventually, they find their way closer to the park and even pick up a new friend along the way. The three of them take an exciting ride on a train and then catch a ride in a big truck with one of Felicia's old friends. With a little bit of luck and a lot of hope, they eventually find their way to the park. Although Waggit's group of dog friends are still there, there are a lot of other changes. There are some frightening moments between two teams of dogs but Waggit and his friends stick together learning a lot about bravery, teamwork and friendship. With some surprising discoveries ,Waggit learns a lot of valuable new lessons about himself and the way of the world.

This book is geared to children aged ten and up, fifth grade reading level . Howe does a great job keeping up the suspense as to what happens to Waggit and friends. Even though the book has 300 pages, it is an easy read with age appropriate vocabulary. Each chapter is headed up with some finely detailed ink drawings of dogs. A really nice book with some wonderful messages that should appeal to parents. The story should highly appeal to children, keeping their interest throughout the entire book. After all, what child does not love a dog?

Publishing date is April 28th. No cover art is available at this time. Thank you to the generosity of Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this fine book.

Review: Little Skink's Tail by Janet Halfmann

After happily sunning herself on a rock, Little Skink went hunting for breakfast. Smells like ants. Yum! Then out of the air a big black crow swooped down trying to grab little skink for it's own breakfast. The crow was getting too close to her blue tail for comfort so she did what any skink would do. She snapped off her tail and that is all the crow could see. It wanted that blue wiggling tail.

Even though she is now safe, she misses her pretty blue tail.When the other animals in the forest start to emerge, little skink begins to wonder what it would be like to have a tail like theirs. She looks at the rabbits tail and thinks too puffy-fluffy and so the day goes by as little skink rejects one tail after another. The deers's tail is too short and stubby and a skunks tail is just too stinky to even think about. Lizards don't look good with feathers so that leaves out the owl and a porcupine's tail, well, that is just too stickly-prickly. A squirrel's tail is too bushy for little skink! A few days later she sees her shadow and it has a tail. Her pretty blue tail grew back again. Ahhh, this is the tail that is just perfect for little skink.

This is an absolutely delightful story geared to ages 4-8, encompassing not only entertainment but education. I like the message that you are great just the way you are. All the illustrations are so beautifully and cleverly done they will bring a smile to anyone reading the book. Little skink almost seems to be smiling as the illustrator does a wonderful job with facial expressions on all of the animals. At the end of the book is a footprint map that includes all the animals in the book . There is also a tail matching activity along with facts about each tail. Ms. Halfmann's book has received the Teacher's Choice Award for 2009 and also the President's Book Award from the Florida Publisher's Association, Inc.

Janet Halfmann has been writing for children for more than twenty years, and this is her 28th book. Before becoming a full-time freelance children’s writer, she was a manager, editor, and writer of coloring and activity books for Golden Books; the editor of a national children’s magazine; and a reporter for a daily newspaper. A member of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Janet has recently published Alligator at Saw Grass Road (fall 2006), Polar Bear Horizon, Canada Goose at Cattail Lane, Dolphin's Rescue, Red Bat at Sleepy Hollow Lane, and Pelican’s Catch. Janet was inspired to write Little Skink’s Tail while researching for one of her other books, Nature’s Predators: Lizards, and for an article that she wrote for Ranger Rick, “Slinky Skinks.” Another inspiration was her granddaughter, whom she enjoys watching play dress-up and pretend. As Janet wrote the book, she pictured her granddaughter putting on and showing off each tail.

Laurie Allen Klein has been a freelance artist for nearly 20 years. Over the last several years she has worked as the on-staff artist for a marine park, where she does everything from painting life-size sea animal murals, to illustrating children’s activity books. In addition to Little Skink’s Tail (watercolor), Laurie also illustrated If a Dolphin Were a Fish (colored pencils) for Sylvan Dell. Her other books include the Out to Pasture series, authored by Effie Wilder.

Author and illustrator info from the Sylvan Dell website. A big thank you to Janet Halfmann and Sylvan Dell for sending me this marvelous book. I truly enjoyed it!

Review: The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes by Marlane Kennedy

Charlotte Hayes is a 12 year old girl with a big heart. She claims she is not,definitely not, a "dog" person.Her father had bought a St. Bernard puppy because he got a good deal on him. Her Dad just loves a good deal! Unfortunately, he is somewhat of a dilettante and quickly becomes bored with his so called deals. Charlotte's Mom is too busy with the baby and her sister Agnes doesn't like dog slobber so who is left to take care of the dog? Charlotte, of course. She really doesn't want to see him neglected but she also is not crazy about feeding and watering him. Never mind the poop scooping! Can you blame her? What ensues is a complex plan to find Beauregard a new home with a family that will love him and care for him. In the process she learns a lot about friendship, hard work and commitment.

An adorable, charming tale so well written with a lot of heart. Charlotte and all the rest of the characters are very likeable and believable. The scenarios with Charlotte and her friends sound exactly like kids do when they are hatching up a plan. The chapters are not too long and it seems to be a very easy read with age appropriate vocabulary.Not only is it a good plot with plenty of humor, but it has some teriffic messages woven into the story. As an adult, I really liked this book and I can't imagine a kid that wouldn't. Recommended for ages 8-12. 4*

Thank you to Harper Collins for this fun book.

Review: My Little Girl by Tim McGraw & Tom Douglas

When Katie’s dad promises her a “spectacular day” for just the two of them, Katie starts to imagine all sorts of fun things. Her big decision is what to wear, maybe a tiara if they are going to the ball or her jungle boots if they go to Africa. After all, spectacular means big! It turns out her father had something different in mind, nothing in particular, just being together. Katie starts to think some of this will be boring until she sees adorable bunnies and chicks at the co-op. Dancing with the ducks, looking at the clouds while seeing special images in them and going out to lunch with just her Dad turns out to be pretty spectacular after all. A loving good night story to his little princess tops off the day.

This is a delightful story any little girl would enjoy. The pages are quite large with nice big pictures in every little girl’s favorite colors, pink and purple. The beautifully done illustrations should provide any little girl thoughts for her own imagination. Faith Hill writes a lovely forward to the book saying that books are the gateway to a child’s imagination and that her hope is this book will provide memories for fathers and daughters as they read together. At the end is a message from Tim McGraw with the same hope. There is a space for writing your own special day moments. An overall feel good book with lots of love from the parents of three special little girls of their own. 4****

Review: The Moon Shines Down by Margaret Wise Brown

Notes on the book paraphrased from the inside cover:

An incomparable children’s book almost lost to the world. As an unpublished,incomplete manuscript based on a New England sampler prayer, “God bless the moon and God bless me“, the author’s work was found in an old barn in Vermont years after her death. Being too short for a standard size picture book, Laura Minchew, a children’s book publisher, was able to match the author’s style and complete this wondrous story.


Filled with beautiful illustrations by Linda Bleck on glossy pages, this story will enchant children and the people who read it to them many times over. Written in rhyming verse for youngsters around the world, the story tells of near and far away lands and children of different cultures. An adorable little koala bear visits each location. Charming native animals indicative of their respective countries grace every page. From the Zuider Zee to the furthest Orient telling a happy tale of children speaking Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other Asian languages to Mexico complete with pictures of iguanas and cacti and beyond. The animals are large and colorful. The moon is big, bright and very yellow. The moon shines down even over the sea, complete with delightful pictures of fish and turtles. Many more countries are visited replete with pictures of children, whether playing or peacefully sleeping, they are content knowing the moon shines down on all the world. A perfect ending to the book is the little prayer, “I see the moon and the moon sees me. God bless the moon and God bless me.

Even as an adult, I found this a delightful story sure to bring smiles to anyone. The use of primary colors will greatly appeal to children. I particularly liked the rhyming verse and the lovely message, no matter where in the world you are, God’s moon shines down upon us.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing for a copy of this book.