Hogwash by Karma Wilson, Illustrated by Jim McMullan

Book Review: Hogwash by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jim McMullan

This is such a fun book! I mean, I went into it with a biased opinion, since I'm a die-hard Karma Wilson fan...but truly...this one is so fun!

Farmer decides to clean his animals until they're all spic-n-span. Everything goes swimmingly until Farmer reaches the hogs.

They are very opinionated about staying dirty.

What will Farmer do? He tries showering them with a hose (that just makes more mud), bribing them with pizza ("Just leave it by the sty."), and flying over in a crop-duster. 

You'll have to read the book to see who comes out the winner. You may be surprised. 

Everyone (including Dad and Me) are really enjoying this entertaining, rhyming new release. Love it!!!

Hot off the Press!!!

I received some new picture books for review, and I'm excited to tell you about three that are super fun. There's a picture book, a board book, and a book that falls somewhere in between.  :)

Press Here by Herve Tullet

I love when a picture book interacts with young readers in a unique, creative way. This book definitely does that.

Young readers follow simple instructions on each page. Their actions result in changes in the dots. For example, it says to tap five times on the yellow dot, and then when you turn the page, five dots are there. When you shake the book to one side, all the dots fall that direction. When you blow the book, the dark background creeps away.

Press Here would be great for preschoolers and new readers who can manage words like 'finally' and 'straight'.

The pages of the book are sturdy, somewhere in between a board book and a normal picture book.

Along with a whole lot of fun, this book is great for young children learning to follow directions.

Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell

Jane Goodall is well-known for her work with animals, particularly chimpanzees...but what was she like as a child? In Me...Jane, you'll find simple text, enchanting artwork, and a small girl who loves her stuffed chimp, Jubilee.

Jane always loved nature. As she explored and studied books about nature, she had Jubilee to keep her company. He even came along when Jane hid in Grandma Nutt's chicken coop to find out where eggs came from.

This book is full of the wonder of childhood. The story doesn't give much information about Jane herself, but it shows her ever-growing love for the world around her and shows how she lived her dreams.

The end of the book has a biography about Jane Goodall and a note from her to the readers.

This book was a pleasant surprise for me. I enjoyed it much more than I expected I would.

Rocket Town by Bob Logan

What Rocket Town may lack in story, it makes up in uniquely eye-catching artwork. After all, most board-book chewers...I mean readers...can't sit through a whole lot of words anyway.

Little lovers of rockets and things that go will enjoy this fun little book about rockets, big and small, especially the countdown to blast off at the end!

Happy Reading.

xoxo,
Emily

Book Review: The Quest of the Warrior Sheep by Christine and Christopher Russell

The Quest of the Warrior Sheep by Christine and Christopher Russell

When 5 Rare Breed sheep find a cell phone that fell from the sky, they think it is a call to fulfill an ancient prophecy. They embark on a great adventure, which takes them on a subway, a train, a helicopter, a tractor, and finally up into a vicious mountain storm.

The boy who lives next door to the sheep believes they've been abducted by aliens.

The cell phone they found is actually important evidence in a bank heist, which resulted in the sheep's owners losing all of their life savings.

It's quite an adventure. We finished reading it this morning, and both Bubs and Welly have separately already asked me to start reading it again.

The five sheep are great, unique characters. There's Sal. She's kind of the leader, although not necessarily the smartest. There's Oxo, who really only cares about eating. There's Links, who is always breaking out into a rap. There's Jaycey, who is dainty and cares about her hoof paint. And lastly, there's Wills. He's the real brains of the group.

On the Con side, this book has some not-so-nice for little kids language. Since I was reading it aloud, it wasn't a problem, but there are quite a few stupids, shut-ups, and some name-calling (geek and Woolbags mostly) that I skipped over. There is also one scene where the neighbor boy takes a reporter out for dinner and Beer. I just said drink instead of Beer. Anyway. Fair warning.

For the reasons mentioned above, I recommend reading it aloud to your kids. My 7 and 5 year old seemed about the perfect ages for it. Amazon recommends it for 9-12, so that too, I guess.  :)

Book Review: Astro: The Steller Sea Lion by Jeanne Walker Harvey

Astro: The Steller Sea Lion by Jeanne Walker Harvey, illustrated by Shennan Bersani

Astro was only 39 pounds when he was found by animal rescue workers. They couldn't find his mom, so they brought him to The Marine Mammal Center, where they bottle fed and cared for him.

By 10 months old, the workers tried to return Astro to the wild, but kept coming back. They tried to take him farther and farther, but he always found his way home.

Astro couldn't live at the Marine Mammal Center anymore, so he was moved by airplane to an aquarium in Connecticut.

Astro is both stellar and Steller. He is of the breed Steller Sea Lions, and he is stellar because he loves to perform for humans.

In the back of the book, you can find out more about sea lions and seals.