Susanna Leonard Hill has a feature on her blog called Perfect Picture Book Friday. It is a list of “perfect” picture books recommended by all sorts of people. I chose this book because I think it describes my Dad.

Because I’m Your Dad

By Ahmet Zappa

Illustrated by Dan Santat

1 – 5 years -32 pages

Published by Disney-Hyperion on April 2, 2013

Theme/Topic – parents (Dad)/love

Opening and Synopsis – 

“Because I’m your dad…

… you’re gonna get tickled.”

A dad and child monster do all the fun things that a dad does with his kid! From having spaghetti for breakfast to making mud forts, to being there when his kid needs him, this book talks about how cool dads can be.

Why I liked this book – This book is AWESOME! I like that it sounds a LOT like my dad! Especially when it shows the kid watching a movie and the dad asleep and the Dad on the pogo stick – that’s totally my Dad! The illustrations are awesome! I like that this book has the dad and kid being monsters because it can be ANYONE (boy, girl, any nationality)! I love the goofy things the dad does with his kid and how he shows he cares.  This is a great book for father’s day or any day for that matter.

Activities and Resources -

On the National Fatherhood Initiative website there is a whole list of suggested dad-kid activities. Click HERE to go to the list.

My Dad got all excited when he saw Ahmet Zappa wrote this book. He explained to me who Frank Zappa (Ahmet’s Dad) was. It says in the book that Ahmet Zappa wrote the book describing his Dad. That’s pretty cool.

MORE GOOD NEWS! – GIVEAWAY!!!

The publisher of this book has offered to give away TWO copies of “Because I’m Your Dad” to TWO of my lucky blog readers! All you have to do is leave a comment in the section below and you are entered. The contest is opened until Thursday May 30th and I will announce the winners (randomly drawn from a hat by little sister Josie) on Friday May 31st!

To find more Perfect Picture Books please visit Susanna Hill’s blog  HERE!

The 2013 Asian Festival of Children’s Content starts next week on May 25th in Singapore. The goal of the conference is to bring “together content creators and producers with parents, teachers, librarians and anyone interested in quality Asian content for children around the world.” Click HERE to go to the official website to learn more.

As part of the AFCC, on the 28th of May 2013, 530-630 pm at the Visitors’ Briefing Room of the Central Public Library there will be a panel of experts gathered to talk about children’s books. Who are these ultimate experts?!?

KIDS of course!

Photo credit to Myka Aaviela, Dr. Myra Garces-Bacsal’s 11-year-old daughter

Here is a video introducing the kids of the Children, Speak Up! Panel. I hope you enjoy meeting them! I know I will because I have been invited to take part in the panel via Skype! I think it is great that the organizers of the AFCC want to hear from kids!

To learn more about AFCC and the featured speakers, please visit Dr. Myra Garces Bacsal’s blog, Gathering Books HERE.

By Mary Beth Dennis

82 pages – ages 8+

Published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Bella Elizabeth Rixway LOVED dogs and they loved her. Sadly, Bella’s allergies prevented her from having a dog of her own. Her parents wouldn’t allow it. One day, Bella finds an abandoned dalmatian dog that was trapped in an old garage. Bella knows she must save the dog or he will die! Bella convinces her friend, Karen to help her bring the dog back to good health. The friends go into the garage and give the dog food and water and make him comfy. Once “Petey” feels like himself though, mayhem breaks loose!

I love a good dog story! This is a short book but it tells a nice complete story. It is written well for middle-grade or advanced young readers. Bella is a nice character that both boys and girl will like. The plot is exciting with a bunch of twists in it and it has all the emotions you can think of in it. Like I said, I like a good dog story… especially those with a happy ending.

Five out of five bookworms!

To learn more about Ms. Dennis and her book, please visit the book’s Facebook page HERE.

You can purchase the book on Amazon HERE.

by  Heimdall Thunderhammer

216 pages – ages 9+

Published by Eagershelm Publishing on August 30, 2012

Durbin (a mouse) didn’t understand what he had gotten into when he and his best friend, Morro (a hedgehog), followed a spear hog (porcupine) named Herod and his friend Clove (a mouse) when they left their village. Durbin always wanted more adventure in his life by he was stuck in the  boring land of  Verdancia. When Herod and Clove came to town they told Durbin they were fleeing from Sinvicious (an evil lion) in Feralis because he wants to stop Clove because she can get her full powers as a geomancer (a Mage who can control the elements). Clove said she was trying to find a temple somewhere in Verdancia so she can become a better Mage. After Clove and Herod leave to find the temple, Durbin convinces Morro to come with him to find them Even though Sinvicious sent a band of vicious rats to get Clove and kill anyone in their way, Durbin is still convinced to help Clove and Herod.

I really liked the story in this book. I liked the anime style illustrations all throughout the book. Durbin is a great character. I like a character that is seeking adventure and goes to find it. He also seems like a brave and dedicated mouse. The book was an easy read for me and it seems it was written for a middle-grade level. There was some violence with the animals fighting each other but nothing graphic. I would have liked a little more description of Verdancia. The plot was fun and kept me reading. I think that the story and characters reminded me a little too much of Brian Jacques’ Redwall series (my favorite series of all time) but I would also give the next book in this series a try. I also found quite a few small errors (typos) that were throughout the book.

I give MageFable 4 out of 5 bookworms.

To learn more about the MageFable Series, please visit the official website by clicking HERE.

The winner (drawn out of a hat by Josie) is

Nena Challenner!!!

Congratulations Ms. Challenner! I will be emailing you to get your address to send the book to you! If you didn’t win, you can find out where to purchase the book on Ms. Ferrigan’s website HERE or find it on Amazon HERE.

On to Perfect Picture Book Friday!

Susanna Leonard Hill has a feature on her blog called Perfect Picture Book Friday. It is a list of “perfect” picture books recommended by all sorts of people. I chose this book because this is a beautiful bedtime book and the illustrations are WUNDERBAR (my new word I learned from Julie Rowan Zoch) !

Steam Train, Dream Train

By Sherri Duskey Rinker

Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

4 – 6 years – 40 pages

Published by Chronicle Books on April 16, 2013

Theme/Topic – animals/trains/bedtime

Opening and Synopsis – 

“Through the darkness, clickety-clack…

Coming closer, down the track…

hold your breath so you can hear

huffing, chuffing drawing near.”

The dream train pulls into the station and the animal workers load the train with bouncy-balls, pogo-sticks, ice cream, hoola-hoops and other fun toys! Everything needed for sweet dreams!

Why I liked this book –

First of all, look at those GORGEOUS illustrations! They’re wonderful! LOOK! -

Can you NOT love that??? Other than that, the rhyme is magnificent! I love the onomatopoeia in it and it sounds like the chug chug of a train. I like that it teaches the purpose of each train car! (ex: “The autorack will gently keep these fast, fast cars”…) I think it is imaginative to see all the sweet dream things the animals load onto the train. It will definitely give kids things to have nice dreams about!

Activities and Resources -

You can color what you think the dream train is bringing you in your sleep. I found this train coloring page on the Krafty Kidz blog! Click HERE to get it!

To find more Perfect Picture Books please visit Susanna Hill’s blog  HERE!

That makes yesterday May 15th. Hmm – there was something about May 15… what was it? I know, it was National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!  Wait… that’s not what I was thinking about. Well, I mean it was National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day and that was pretty exciting, but there was also something else…

HOW ABOUT THE DAY I GOT OVER 1500 ACCELERATED READER POINTS!!!

WOO HOO!

How many did I end up with?!?

1503.9

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson  and Eclipse by Erin Hunter put me over the top and I added Brian’s Hunt by Gary Paulsen for a few extra points (they were excellent books by the way). The old school record was 945 points and the goal for a fifth grader is 50 points.

Next year my goal will be to beat 1503.9!

Now for something really cool!

I have an exciting interview today! I’m interviewing JJ: the kid/main character from S.W. Lothian’s Quest Series! I have really enjoyed the first two books in the series, The Golden Scarab (click HERE for the review) and The Cursed Nile (click HERE for the review). I was very excited to learn that JJ will be going on another adventure in the third quest, “The Fallen Pharaoh!”  The book is going to be officially released on June 1st, but JJ is going to give us a preview!

And now… HERE’S JJ!!

Erik: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

JJ: I’m really an average kid, just like you, who has been lucky enough to get caught up in the most awesome adventures.  I’m nearly 13 and I live in Grandovia with my folks, and I have a little sister called Grace.  Before all this Egypt stuff started, I always wanted to be a pilot or an astronaut, but now I think I want to become an archeologist.  I think I could use my inside knowledge of ancient Egypt to make some great discoveries.

Erik:  Great career choices! Can you tell us about your latest adventure?

JJ: Hey Erik, good question.  I don’t want to give everything away, but I’ll tell you a few things.  Just between you and me, the latest quest is the most exciting so far.  It all started with a simple idea.  We decided that it would be great to meet up, just to have a laugh, without the pressure of a quest.  But, you know what they say … nothing is ever simple.

So there we were, back in ancient Egypt, when Khafre dropped a huge surprise that none of us expected.  Before long, we found ourselves caught up in the middle of an ancient legend, and we got to learn a whole lot more about how time-travel works.  Here’s a tip for you – time-travel is even more awesome than I ever expected.

We even ended up jumping back to the future to a place that I know everyone will recognize.  It was amazing to learn the real reason that it exists – you’ll never think of that place in the same way, once you know what it really is.  The whole quest was packed full of surprises and mystery, and as usual it was another full-on race against time.  There was heaps of danger too, but we’re getting use to that.

Erik: WOW! That does sound awesome! What is it like to travel through time?

JJ: Travelling through time is like eating the world’s biggest ben-n-jerrys-krispy-kreme-oreo sundae (I love ice cream and donuts sooo much) ….. It’s brilliant.

Don’t ever let anyone tell you that it’s not possible, because I know for sure that it is. When I’m actually travelling it’s like I’m floating on the spot and everything around me is moving.  It makes me feel so calm, like I have no worries.  One of the weirdest things is that my clothes change mid travel.  I don’t know how, but they do.  I don’t even notice when it happens.  You’ll have to try it sometime, Erik, I bet you’d love it.

 Erik: I think I would LOVE it… well maybe not the clothes changing thing… that would be kind of weird. What is your favorite part of being an Ancient Egyptian hero?

JJ: An ancient Egyptian hero!  Whoa, that’s a cool way of putting it.  Well, to be honest, it’s a bit weird but I wouldn’t change it.  Whenever we go back to ancient Egypt I do get recognized.  There are autograph hunters sometimes.  I like to meet them and hear what they think my adventures, but the weirdest thing is when I get followed by the papyrazzi.  They hide all over the place and sketch me on pieces of papyrus.  Sometimes when I see them hiding I stay still for a short time so they have time to do their sketch.  

I do love being a hero, thanks for noticing <blush>, but I don’t let it go to my head.  When I’m home, it’s back to reality and I’m really just another kid who no one knows about.  So, it’s like I have two lives . . . one famous . . . and one not-so-famous.

Erik: If you could be in any book (other than the ones you are already in ), which would you choose? Who would you like to meet from that book?

JJ: Wow, another great question Erik.  ’If I was in another book, which book would it be?’  . . . Hmmm . . . that’s tricky.  I think I’d have to say I’d love to go to Hogwarts.  I’ve always been a huge HP fan and if I ever got the chance, that’s where I’d like to go.  I could explore the famous castle.  All those hidden passages and moving staircases would keep me busy for ages.  And I’d love to go inside the Room of Requirement too.  

I’d love to meet Harry of course, but I think Snape would be fun.  I’d try to break his sour mood and make him laugh a bit.  I could meet Hagrid, and Ron, and Hermione . . . ah sorry, I’m getting carried away now.

Erik: What a great choice! When you go, can I join you?

I can’t wait to read “The Fallen Pharaoh”! Thanks for stopping by JJ!

Mr. Lothian is hosting a book giveaway for  a paperback version of The Fallen Pharaoh on Goodreads, click HERE to enter!

There is also a Rafflecopter give away for a set of ALL THREE quest books – click on the link to go there and enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To learn more about the Quest series, JJ and Mr. Lothian, please visit Mr. Lothian’s website HERE or his Amazon author page HERE.

I have until 3pm today to meet my goal of 1500! Will I do it?!? I’m actually kind of nervous I won’t… but I have three books to take tests on today that should put me over the top… as long as I get the answers right on the tests…

Wish me luck!

Veggie’s Bully (Chef ReCee Jay & Friends – Book 2)

By C. JoVan Williams

Illustrated by Jennifer Chappell

34 pages – ages 4+

Published by CreateSpace on December 28, 2012

Veggie Bunny is sad and feeling bad about herself. Piggie is bullying her and making her feel like she is worthless and not good at anything. Veggie’s friend Carb Monkey wants to get even with Piggie by doing mean things back to him. Uncle Bear lets the kids know that “getting even” is not the right way to deal with a bully. Uncle Bear tells Veggie to be her very best no matter what someone may say.

I love the message in this book! I think that the Carb character saying he wants to bully Piggie back and his Uncle Bear (does that make him a money’s Uncle *snicker*) telling him it’s wrong makes a great point for kids, especially since the book is meant for younger kids! I think it is a real reaction for kids who get bullied to want to get even, but Uncle Bear points out that makes you the same as the bully. I like how Ms. Williams takes Veggie through all the emotions of sadness, anger, and embarrassment – all things kids feel when they are bullied. In the end, Veggie Bunny learn to believe in herself and ignore Piggie. I think all kids should learn this. The illustrations were large and bright. They were a little too simple for my taste, but I can see how young kids will like them. They did work well in the ebook version of the book on my black and white Kindle.

I really LOVE what Ms. Williams says in the dedication of her book – “This book is dedicated to everyone, young and old, who may have run into a few “Piggies” in their life. Currently there are over 7 billion people in the world. Don’t let the spoiled words of a few ruin your day.”

Despite the fact I’m not too fond of the pictures, Veggie’s Bully has a five bookworm message!

Check out the trailer!

To learn more about the Chef Recee Jay & Friends series, please visit the official website HERE!

Follow Chef Recee & Jay on Facebook HERE!

Follow Ms. Williams on Twitter HERE!

I wanted to tell everyone that the voting has started for Susanna Leonard Hill’s “Can’t Sleep Without Sheep” jingle contest. Click HERE to go THERE and vote for your favorite jingle, which I entered with the help of my little sheep – ERR – I mean: sister, Josie! The kid coloring contest, which Josie entered, is also opened for voting!

Today is the start of Children’s Book Week! WOO! Click the picture below to go to the official CBW website and check out all the cool things going on! Things like the Children’s Choice Book Awards being announced on Tuesday May 14th. There are great ideas of how to celebrate CBW listed on the site too. Sue Morris of Kid Lit Reviews is hosting a book-a-day give away on her blog! Every day this week you have a chance of winning a great book. Click HERE for details! Kid Lit Reviews is part of a Kid Lit blog hop giveaway hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews (click HERE for participating blogs and details).

As part of celebrating CBW I am giving away a copy of the great middle-grade book “Lotto’s Super-Awesome Unbelievable Park Adventure” by Jan Ellen Ferrigan!

Here’s a description of the book from Ms. Ferrigan’s website – “Eleven-year-old Lotto Lewis thinks he has it tough being a gifted foster kid with little access to technology. After Lotto and his siblings meet a long-lost relative, they’re whisked off to a magical, challenging summer in state and national parks and Lotto discovers how smart and lucky he really is.” Lotto got a 5-bookworm rating from me! I especially liked learning about the parks Lotto and his family visited (see my full review HERE). For your chance to win a copy, just comment below! I will announce the winner on Thursday May 16th in a special post I have that day. Happy Children’s Book Week!

I also have another AWESOME event to tell you about – The Asian Festival of Children’s Content!

The official website of the festival describes it as “a festival that brings together content creators and producers with parents, teachers, librarians and anyone interested in quality Asian content for children around the world.” I learned about the festival through Dr. Myra Garces-Bacsal of the Gathering Books Blog.

AND GUESS WHAT!?!?

Dr. Bacsal asked ME to be part of the “Children Speak Up!” panel at the festival on May 28th!  I get to participate in the panel in Singapore through Skype! I am really honored that Dr. Bacsal invited me to be part of the Children’s Panel and I can’t wait to meet and learn from the other kids and adults at the festival! Speaking of adults at the festival, Vivian Kirkfield, author of “Show Me How!” is also going to be at the festival (in real-life… I tried to get Ms. Kirkfield to let me stow-away in her suitcase, but she didn’t think it was a good idea)!  You can read about it on Ms. Kirkfield’s blog Picture Books Help Kids Soar (click HERE)! The festival sounds like an AWESOME event – please check out the official website (HERE) or you can find information about the event at the Gathering Books Blog (HERE).

I also had a couple of awards I wanted to acknowledge. First Sue Morris of Kid Lit Reviews gave me the WordPress Family award. Thank you Ms. Morris! I really think that everyone that visits my blog is like my family. I appreciate how helpful and kind all of you are to me. I pass this along to everyone whether you are a WordPress blog or not. Thank you!!!

Next Lauri Meyers of the Lauri’s Stories blog tagged me and gave me eleven “weird” questions to answer. So here they are!

1) What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten in public?

Fish Mousse – try it you might like it

 2) If you had to go on an adventure with elves, dwarves, or hobbits who would you take and why?

Elves – they are magical (as long as they don’t use it on me!).

3) You are at a rural retreat lodge somewhere deep in Wisconsin or Canada. You are approached by a taxidermist who hands you a stuffed badger and asks you to put it in your lap. What do you do next?

Run away fast.

 4) If you were given biscotti, would you prefer it with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?

  I don’t drink coffee or tea so hot chocolate it is!

5) In your opinion, who is the funniest man or woman alive today? (comedian)

  Steve Martin.

6) If you were given thirty seconds on television to say something, what would it be?

 Hello my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father. Prepare to die!

 7) What is your idea of the most romantic date setting ever?

AHK! Next question please!

  8) If you could go on one date with a movie or television star, who would it be and why?

I already told Ms. Meyers I would go on a date with Miss Piggy. Ms. Meyers’ response was -

“Not Zoe or Abby? I just think Miss Piggy would be a VERY high maintenance date!“

HA HA HA!

9) What is the worst song you have ever heard?

 “I’m Sexy and I know it” **shiver**

10) If you could live anywhere else, where would it be?

 My home planet (Iiyaa).

11) Who- in your opinion- was the greatest person to ever live?

Abraham Lincoln (honest )

FINALLY – has anyone noticed it is almost May 15th? May 15th when I have to have 1500 accelerated reader points to meet my own personal goal? Have you seen the little widget on my side bar where I have been keeping track? Well as of this morning I am at 1419.9 points. Am I going to make it to 1500 by the end of May 15th?!? Stay tuned to find out – I’m giving it my best shot! 

Book description from Mrs. Isenhoff’s website -

Taylor didn’t want to follow his parents to the Caribbean. When he’s sucked into a world of angels and their supernatural adversaries, he wants the mission assigned to him even less. The Flame of Findul–the sword that guards the Tree of Life–has been allowed to burn out. The only way to avoid worldwide disaster is to relight it in the forge of Findul the Firesmith. Taylor has been chosen for this task. But there is One who stands in his way.

I can’t wait to read it! The Flame of Findul is the first book in a 4 – book series. Mrs. Isenhoff’s writing style is great for kids and she always packs lots of excitement in her books.

If you miss the free version you can get a free sample HERE! Please visit Mrs. Isenhoff’s website to learn more about the Taylor Davis Series and her other books (click HERE). If you need the book in other formats, please visit Mrs. Isenhoff’s website to learn where to get it (click HERE)!

Stay tuned to my blog for a Taylor Davis review coming soon!

Nora’s Ark

By Eileen Spinelli

Illustrated by Nora Hilb

32 pages – 4+ years

Published by Zonderkidz on February 19, 2013

Theme/Topic – Religion / Imagination

Opening and Synopsis – 

“The Weatherman predicted rain.

So Nora built an ark.

Just like Noah.

Well… not just like Noah.”

Nora heard it was going to rain, so, she built an ark. She gathered animals 2 by 2. She uses her imagination and a broken chair, planks, and boxes, to make a great ark. Now all she has to do is wait for the rain!

Why I liked this book – Once again Mrs. Spinelli creates a masterpiece! Besides being a wonderful re-telling of Noah’s Ark, this book has a great message about using your imagination!  Nora uses what ever she can find to use her imagination to build an arc and save the world’s animals. The illustrations are soft and beautiful and go perfectly with the story. They show what Nora thinks is going on in her mind – what she is imagining, and then shows what really is going on. I love that Nora paints her toenails waiting for the rain and one of her crew mates (her little brother) has to leave to take a nap! I won’t give away the ending, but you will probably figure it out!

Activities and Resources -

I found a great activity on PBS kids that I actually did in school. You build a boat out of tin foil and then put pennies on it until it sinks. Then you try to change the design of your boat and see how many pennies it can hold. It teaches you about how a boat floats! Click HERE to get the activity!

Foil boat activity (Photo credit: Micah Sittig)

Boatful of Pennies. (Photo credit: San José Library)

I also found a boat building activity on Scholastic Book’s teacher’s site. It is meant for younger kids (PreK-K). Click HERE to go to it!

To learn more about Mrs. Spinelli, please visit her website HERE!

To find more Perfect Picture Books please visit Susanna Hill’s blog  HERE!