Zonderkidz Spring 2020 Arrivals!

Today I am excited to spread the word about two great new titles released from Zonderkidz this 2020 Spring season! The first book is Fiona, It’s Bedtime geared toward younger children and the second Ansley’s Big Bake Off which is best suited for those ages 8-12.

Fiona, It’s Bedtime is a follow-up to the the New York Times bestseller Fiona the Hippo and A Very Fiona Christmas, In having read neither of those, we were getting introduced to Fiona for the the first time with this latest book.
In this story, we meet Fiona who lives at the Cincinnati Zoo. As, the book begins, the end of the day has started and we follow her around the zoo saying goodnight to all of her many friends.
It is easy to read aloud because it rhymes so well. I like how some of the words in the book come at you off the pages, so to speak, like the noises the animals make.
The full-page color illustrations are a delightful to look at. The colors are vivid and the details of the animals as well as their home settings in the light of the setting sun into the starry night sky is quite nice. One of our favorite illustrations is of the long-legged giraffes.
The animals in this book are many and include the following; koalas, cheetahs, tortoises, sloths,flamingos, otters, meerkats, giraffes, tigers, bear cubs, wolves, apes, wild-beast & gnu, penguins, lizard, zebra, lion, toucan, and last but not least Fiona the Hippo!
Another thing I like about this book is that it captures the sleeping habits of the animals making it not just fun but educational too.
Overall, this book I have found to be one of my favorite new read-alouds before my 3 year old goes to sleep for the night.

Ansley’s Big Bake Off is the first book focused on the Daniel Sisters. This is one to pick up if you don’t want to start in-between their storyline! Also note that this is from the family that brought you the Lena in the Spotlight series and the popular For Girls Like You magazine,
This series is about three young sisters who rebuild their lives and find joy in unexpected ways after their mother’s death. I for one am happy there are books out there like this one that shed the light on hard real life experiences and show how you can still find joy despite them.
About the book: Ansley and her family move to a new city to seek a fresh start after the death of their mother. But that also means … a new school, new friends, new everything! As they all settle into their “new normal,” big sister Lena finds comfort in singing and songwriting. Ashton and Amber record videos documenting their lives and emailing them to their grandmothers. And Ansley pursues her own dream of becoming an Olympic gymnastics. But she soon realizes that using her creativity to bake brings her as much (or even more) joy—especially since it brings back memories of time spent in the kitchen with her mom.
Then Ansley gets the opportunity to participate in the Big Bake Off at the Founders Day Fair! But her dreams of taking home a trophy and being on TV are threatened by her strongest competition: Taylor, a mean girl from her new school.
But with the loving and prayerful support of her family behind her, Ansley knows she has a real shot at winning. But with Taylor in the mix, will Ansley be able to rise to the occasion? Or will she just get burned?
*I’m going to come back and review this title in a couple of weeks. We got it before the date that it needed to be shared on my blog due to Covid-19 changing things up and packages arriving at the post office instead of my home which a not planned trip to get it had to be made..
* I have received this product for free or at a discounted rate in exchange for my honest and unbiased product review; all opinions are my own.*