Review: Little Monkey Calms Down by Michael Dahl

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Little Monkey is having a bad day. After a major melt down, he goes to his room and uses some coping techniques to calm down.
For ages 2-4. Board book.
From the Hello Genius series. For the youngest learners, fun, cheerful read-alouds that help guide a child's first steps in learning and growing.
About the Author:
Michael Dahl is the author of more than 200 books for children and young adults. He has won the AEP Distinguished Achievement Award three times for his non-fiction. His “Finnegan Zwake” mystery series was shortlisted twice by the Anthony and Agatha awards. He has also written the “Library of Doom” series and the “Dragonblood” books. He is a featured speaker at conferences around the country on graphic novels and high-interest books for boys.
About the Illustrator:
Oriol Vidal was born in Barcelona, Spain, where he currently resides. For more than ten years, Oriol has worked as an illustrator and storyboard artist with agencies, publishers, and animation companies, developing children’s books, character designs, concept art, and storyboards. He has worked with clients including Intermon Oxfam, BKN Kids AG, Imira Entertainment, and BRB Internacional. In his spare time he enjoys mountain bike riding and painting big pictures, often with traditional mediums, like acrylic on wood.

MY TAKE:
If your kid is prone to temper tantrums, you might want to take a look at this book.

In Little Monkey Calms Down, a little monkey feels horrible after his ice cream falls from his ice cream cone. He reacts by crying but eventually calms himself down by doing things like cuddling his blankie and taking a deep breath.

I tested this book out on my son and he seemed to love it. Several times, he tried to touch the screen like he would do to a real book. I think the bright colors of the book really appealed to him. The illustrations were quite simple, with basically just the monkey and a bright, solid color for a background. It does grab a child's attention, though.

The book mentions some fantastic techniques for kids to deal with negative feelings. Parents, however, may have to explain some of it to younger kids.

Thanks to NetGalley and Picture Window Books for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. The bright colors and illustrations are attractive to children.
2. It helps teach kids how to deal with negative feelings.
3. It's a fun book to read out loud.

THE BAD:

1. The illustrations may seem too simple for some.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

Calm down, Little Monkey.
Cuddle with your blankie.

READ IT IF:

1. You want to teach your child some calming techniques.
2. You're teaching your child to read.
3. Your kid is too young to appreciate books but likes to look at colorful things.

RATING:


SOUNDS INTERESTING?

Review: Kusudama Origami by Ekaterina Lukasheva

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Discover kusudama, a traditional Japanese paper sphere formed by modular origami construction techniques. Kusudama, meaning "medicine ball," originally served as holders for incense or potpourri. Today they're used as decorations or gifts.
This guide presents instructions for over 40 elaborate modular origami figures that range in shape from stars and flowers to kusudamas. Beginning and experienced folders of all ages will appreciate these unusual and eye-catching models.

MY TAKE:
Even I was still just a kid, I loved origami. I just did the basic origami stuff, though, so when I saw this book on NetGalley, I just had to request it and give it a try.

Kusudama Origami teaches readers how to create 3D spheres and shapes using origami techniques. There are pictures of the final products and illustrations that serve as the instructions.

While I don't consider myself an origami expert, I'd put my skills at intermediate or novice. I figured this book would be pretty easy for me to follow. There are plenty of patterns you can try, and all of them have stars indicating their degree of difficulty. The first one I tried was the Jade (2-stars), but for some reason, I found it hard to complete the construction of the basic unit. I tried the Farandola Gemma (1-star) next and I had the same problem. Finally, I tried the Sparaxis Flower (2-stars) because the basic unit seemed easy. I was able to construct the basic unit just fine, however, I had a lot of difficulty creating the 3-D flower made up of 5 units. The first 4 pieces would sort of lock together but when I tried to connect the fifth and the first piece, it all fell apart. Eventually, I lost patience and just gave up trying. I did read the rest of the book, though, and there were plenty of pretty patterns to try.

I wouldn't recommend this book to origami beginners unless they are extremely patient or are working with someone who is good with origami.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dover Publications for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. There's a guide at the beginning showing the different kinds of folds used.
2. There's a guide showing how to create rectangles, and other papers of appropriate size for the different projects in the book, from a square piece of paper.
3. The finished products are gorgeous.

THE BAD:

1. The patterns may be more complicated than they look.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

A blank sheet of paper has infinite possibilities. 

READ IT IF:

1. You're looking for an origami challenge.
2. You have a lot of patience.
3. You like arts and crafts.

RATING:


SOUNDS INTERESTING?

Review: Iris and the Aloha Wedding Adventure (Flower Girl World series) by Lynelle Woolley

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Iris and the Aloha Wedding Adventure is the second chapter book in the Flower Girl World series. Featuring strong characters and positive themes, the Flower Girl World books introduce new cultures, customs, and adventures set against the exciting backdrop of different types of weddings.
Iris is traveling to Maui to be a flower girl again, and this time she gets to help set up the wedding! But how will she and her new flower girl friend, Hana, finish all their tasks and still have time for fun? It’s going to take a lot of hard work…and a little Hawaiian magic.
Chapter book ages 6-9.

MY TAKE:

If your daughter likes books about young girls' adventures or has ever wanted to be a flower girl, you might want to take a look at this book.

In Iris and the Aloha Wedding Adventure, Iris has been invited to be a flower girl at her cousin's wedding in Hawaii. There, she becomes friends with Hana, one of the other flower girls for the wedding. The bride and groom's relatives work together to finish the wedding preparations, however, something unexpected happens and the wedding might be in jeopardy. Can Iris, Hana and the others get everything ready in time?

I remember being a flower girl when I was young, although I'm not sure if I was super enthusiastic about it. That said, I don't think it's unlikely that there are young girls out there that are crazy about weddings (I know I was) and might be super excited about being a flower girl.

Iris is in the Flower Girl World club with a couple of girls she became friends after they became flower girls. As explained by Iris, Flower Girl World "connects every girl who loves being a flower girl! Even girls who have never been to a wedding!"

The focus of the story is more or less evenly split within Hana and Iris. Iris is bubbly and in real life, she would probably be too energetic for me. However, I liked her more than Hana. Hana is, like a number of kids out there, more interested in playing than working. It gets to the point, though, that she doesn't think about others and only cares about getting to the fun part.

For a chapter story for young girls, this one just enough to details that aren't too overwhelming for young readers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Markelle Media for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. You get to see what a Hawaiian wedding is like.
2. There's a Flower Girl World website you can explore.
3. It's something different.

THE BAD:

1. This book might not be interesting to some.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

Pink plumeria petals were spread all over the sand before them, leading to the beautiful hibiscus wedding arch that the girls' mothers had repaired.

READ IT IF:

1. Your child loves weddings.
2. Your daughter is going to be a flower girl for the first time.
3. You want to know what a Hawaiian wedding is like. 

RATING:



SOUNDS INTERESTING?

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The scents of all the tropical flowers mixed together to create a perfume as sugary as cotton candy. Iris licked her lips, wishing she could eat petals for lunch!

Guess what?

Review: Dear Granddaughter Life Lessons From Your Grandmother by Judy Smith

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

A grandmother's wisdom with secrets of nourishing your soul, falling in and out of love, living with dignity and grace and most importantly - enjoying the journey.
Every grandmother is full of valuable wisdom. She can tell you the secrets of nourishing your soul, falling in and out of love, living with dignity and grace, and most importantly enjoying the journey. Listen closely to your grandmother when she speaks and hold on to each pearl, for therein lies tremendous wealth and wisdom.
Grandmothers are just antique little girls. ~Author Unknown

MY TAKE:
The main reason why I requested this book was because it reminded me of some of the books I saw in my grandmother's collection when I was a kid.

Dear Granddaughter Life Lessons From Your Grandmother contains life lessons on everything from finance to lifestyle.

The entries on each page are usually short but they make good points. The writing style feels similar to those New Age self-help books, but because the entries are short, even if that's not your style, you'll probably like this one anyway.

The layout, colors and pictures used are reminiscent of Hallmark Cards, which I found nice and fitting for the topic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Holland Publishing for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. It has some good lessons.
2. The pictures, layout and fonts used are classy.
3. It would make a nice gift.

THE BAD:

1. The writing style may not appeal to everyone.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

What you save is more important than what you earn.

READ IT IF:

1. You miss your grandmother.
2. You like self-help books.
3. You like books with pretty layouts.

RATING:


SOUNDS INTERESTING?

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

FROM NETGALLEY:

The One Year My Princess Devotions Preschool Edition by 
Karen Whiting
Dear Granddaughter Life Lessons From Your Grandmother by Judy Smith