Posts Tagged ‘Tour of Books’

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

and the book:

Jackson Jones: The Tale of a Boy, an Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish

Zonderkidz (August 6, 2010)

***Special thanks to Pam Mettler of Zonderkidz for sending me a review copy.***

Jenn Kelly lives in Ottawa, Canada, but her heart lives in Paris. Or Hawaii. She hasn’t decided yet. She is an undercover garden guru, painter, and chef, which has absolute nothing to do with this book. She won a writing award in grade 4, failed English Lit in university, spent many years writing bad poetry, and then decided to write a book. This is it. She is married to her best friend, Danny, and is mom to a five-year-old boy and a dog who worries too much. She embraces the ridiculousness and disorganization of life.

Visit the author’s website.

Ari has worked as a freelance illustrator for a variety of projects, mostly in children’s media. Her specialty is character design and she most enjoys illustrating humorous and wacky predicaments.

She studied editorial and children’s book illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and the DuCret School of Art in New Jersey. She uses a variety of media to create my images both traditional and digital.

Visit the illustrator’s website.

Product Details:

List Price: $12.99
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Zonderkidz (August 6, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310720796
ISBN-13: 978-0310720799

PLEASE CLICK THE BROWSE INSIDE BUTTON TO VIEW THE FIRST CHAPTER:

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Pretty Please Press publishes various titles of children’s books that were made to be read aloud and later discussed. Each of the books available are hoped to be building blocks in helping to enlighten and teach children various values through each issue displayed with the end results of learned life long character skills.

A special thanks to Pretty Please Press for giving me the opportunity to Review and Giveaway a set of their character building books! I hope you benefit from the short write up of each book below.

My thoughts…

Kick Block Punch by Jacquie Hann

This book is the perfect story for children who may have an interest in martial arts. We find the main character, a boy named Sam, learning that to master a certain skill he must start at the bottom and work his way up. This story teaches patience, practice, and determination and is perfect for discussion. I personally love seeing the character development through the story. This book is quite special to me because I took karate classes growing up and learned these lessons in self-discipline first hand.

Basset Ballerina by Laura Aimee Garn & Illustrated by Valerie Sokolova

This book will be quite a treat to all dog lovers out there. I know a friend of mine who has a basset hound, and I’m sure she would just eat this book right up!  I love this whimsical tale of Bella the Basset hound whose dream is to become a great ballerina. The illustrations in this book are ever so delightful. Though everyone tries to deter Bella from the dream she has, she tries her very best no matter what, which is really counts the most.

Pynx by Jeffrey Greene

My husband being a fan of science fiction is a real fan of the illustrations that can be found throughout the pages of this book. The creatures have fun names Long- Tailed Lavender Cripe, White Fuzzbun, Blue Pipsqueak, and other names! In this story you’ll learn what it means to accept others despite their differences and to look within yourself in to try and make a point. Perfect story in teaching children to not be so quick to judge others who may live, look, and act a little different than themselves. It really makes me think about the song “Why can’t we be friends?”. 

The Scritchy Little Twittchell Sisters by Laura Aimee Gran and Illustrated by Erik Brooks

I literally laughed out loud when reading through this story. I grew up with four sisters, one older and three younger, so I can really relate to this book though quite a bit of the parts are exaggerated for amusement purposes, I’m sure. Siblings will fight, there’s no preventing that. In this book, despite the good, bad, and the sometimes ugly, the point put across is that through it all understanding and appreciation for each other can be learned. Anyone whom has a sibling especially girls with  sisters as well as their parents would really love this book, in my opinion.

Giveaway is now over.

Disclaimer: I was given a  set of book from Pretty Please Press to review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

Jane Doiron’s cookbook “Make-Ahead Meals For Busy Moms” is definitely a cookbook for all families. I recall a time when I could’ve use the recipes and helpful information found in make-a-head meals desperately. The time of which I speak is when I gave birth to my first daughter. Both my husband and I were worn out from lack of sleep and just getting into the swing of things. I was recovering from having my daughter and on top of that working on properly nursing my child on top of pumping. I didn’t even want to think about venturing off to make a meal and whatever I did make had to be quick and fast. My husband with his lack of sleep and his 12-14 hours days, lovingly came home, nurtured my daughter and I, and somehow pulled off a meal. I’m really thankful for such a wonderful and at the time very worn out husband.

I know without a doubt, that when our next child comes into the picture, I’m going to have several months worth of meals ready to go in the fridge and freezer. I have resources like  Jane Doiron’s cookbook “Make-Ahead Meals For Busy Moms” to see to that.

In this fantastic cookbook, you’ll find the following sections: Introduction, Helpful Tips,  Appetizers, Breakfast and Brunch, Dessert, Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Soup, Measurements Equivalents, and an index of all the recipe.

I really appreciated the helpful tips section as I learned many new things! Did you know that they make buttermilk in a powder format? I had no idea! Knowing this, I can make more recipes I love when I want to without having buttermilk going bad in my fridge!

Most of all the recipes found in this book tell you what you can do to prepare most if not all of it a day ahead. I found the recipes that featured freezing directions to be the most helpful to myself! I have not tried any of the recipes this yet but there are so many tasty selections to choose from. Next week I’m probably going to try the pumpkin pie recipe out and freeze my pies to cook later! I recall helping my own mother the day before Thanksgiving and being nearly worn out on Thanksgiving Day due to all the cooking and cleaning of the house. If things like pies and casseroles can be frozen and taken out to cook on the day when you need them, so much rush, stress, and anxiety can be lifted so you can enjoy your time with family and friends. That is of course unless the kitchen is your stress free safe haven. Whatever the case may be, I really encourage everyone to pick up Make-Ahead Meals For Busy Moms, you won’t be sorry!

If you’d like to purchase this cookbook, you can find it at Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com for about $16.00.

Win It!

Jane has generously offered a copy of  Make-Ahead Meals For Busy Moms for giveaway to one of my readers! Read the rest of this entry »