Product Description

The kiss Mama blew to her little girl goes merrily astray slipping and sliding and sashaying from cheek to cheek . . . until it finally lands just right where it belonged.

My Review:  This is a sweet book which will appeal to young children.  The main characters are a little girl and her mom.  In my second grade class, the girls gave it a thumbs up, the boys a thumbs down.  All children were very attentive while I read to them. I think the boys felt it was a girl-type book because the main characters were girls (and it was about kissing).  This is a very good book for moms to read to their preschoolers (a great “lap” book), and for children ages kindergarten through second grade to read themselves.  The illustrations by Daniel Baxter support the text well, so I would recommend this book for struggling early readers for reading practice.  The story gives lots of warm fuzzies to children and adults.

Product Description
From author of Little Pea, Little Hoot, and Little Oink comes a clever take on the age-old optical illusion: is it a duck or a rabbit? Depends on how you look at it. Readers will find more than just Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s signature sense of humor here–there is also a subtle lesson for kids who don’t know when to let go of an argument. This is a smart, simple story that will make readers of all ages eager to take a side, Duck! Rabbit! makes it easy to agree on at least one thing: reading it again!

My Review: This is a great book!  I had a hard time at first seeing anything but a rabbit.  The children in my class LOVED it!  They kept borrowing it and taking it back to their seats to read when they had free time.  Of course, they could see both the rabbit and the duck immediately.  The illustrations are simple, but bold and colorful.  A VERY fun book!  I recommend it for ages preschool through third grade.

From Inside Cover:  Alice is tall.  Not T-Rex or Empire State Building tall.  Just four inches taller than the other girls in her class, and Alice is worried.  FOUR INCHES!  That’s a lot of inches taller than everyone else.  Her mom says it’s okay to be tall, and her dad says it’s okay to be tall.  IT’S OKAY FOR THEM TO SAY THAT, THEY’RE NORMAL!  Alice wishes, really wishes, she as just like everyone else.  Then, her dream takes her to the lace where the tall girls lie, and she sees, really see, herself for the first time.

 My Review:  This is a great book for little girls who reach their full height quickly.  I was one of those little girls.  I reached my full height (5/7-1/2″) by the age of 12.  I was always the tallest girl in my class and had wonderful nicknames such as “Long Tall Sally,” the “Jolly Green Giant,” etc.  I lived where Alice lives.  The only difference was that my mother made me feel like I was special and very lucky or blessed to be tall.  Alice has a dream in which she sees all the great potential tall girls have.  Thankfully this helps her quite a bit because her parents are NOT a big help.  Alice overhears them talking with their friends about her tallness and it isn’t nice at all.  Maybe some parents are insensitive in this way and it’s realistic, but I hope not.  After Alice dreams about all the wonderful potential tall girls have, she gains self-confidence and becomes happier with her height.  This is a great book for children who might be “different.”  After reading the book, children should gain empathy for others who do not fit the mold.  The illustrator Dom Rodi does a great job with color and imagination.   I recommend this book for children (and especially girls) ages 7-10 or 11.

Product Description
Cute and lovable Baron wants a best friend: but in an effort to get his family’s attention, Baron’s lively antics take him in the wrong direction. After being whisked away to doggie school, Baron learns important lessons about behaving himself. But will he ever find the friendship his furry heart longs for?

My Review: This is a great book, not only about pets and dogs, but also about friendship.  I’m pretty sure a child could relate to doing all of the wrong things to gain friends and then finding the one thing that gains a best friend.  The book is only 24 pages, but the story is sweet.  The illustrations are colorful and engaging.  I plan to add this to my  basket of books on the theme of friendship.

Product Description
Kirstie Scott lives, breathes, and sleeps horses. She lives with her family at Half Moon Ranch. Undaunted by the wild and dangerous terrain, she loves nothing more than riding through the tall forests and deep canyons of the Meltwater Range. For Kirstie, things are never dull at Half Moon Ranch.

In her first real adventure after moving from the city out to the horse ranch with her family, Kirstie is leading a pony trek through Miner’s Ridge when a sudden storm causes a landslide. She is trapped alone in Dead Man’s Canyon with a herd of wild horses whose leader-a proud, black stallion-has been hurt by falling rocks. Cold, wet, and alone in the gathering storm-can she find a way out and help the injured stallion?

My Review: This is a great read for girls ages 8-12.  All the elements of an engaging book are within the book’s 153 pages – love for animals, mystery, and strong female characters.  Problems which face children today occur or are alluded to – such as divorce, single parenting, a major move, and living with grandparents.  There is some minor language  which might offend some parents and children.  The themes of setting goals, hard work, and loyalty make this a worthwhile book for young girls. Many girls will relate to the feelings of Kirstie, and cheer her on in the quest to find the injured, black stallion.

Earlier this season we reviewed two great Christmas books for kids. Now we’d like to give you a chance to own them!

One person will win both We Believe in Christmas by Karen Kingsbury and The Gift of the Christmas Cookie by Dandi Dailey Mackall. (click on the titles to read our reviews) Due to the heavy nature of these books, this giveaway is open to United States residents only. To enter, simply leave a comment with a valid email address and tell us what your favorite Christmas cookie is! We’ll close comments on Friday at midnight and draw a winner on Saturday.

Merry Christmas everyone!