Lilly Babysits her Brother

I read Lilly Babysits her Brother by Brenda Bellingham, illustrated by Clarke MacDonald
I received a free ARC through NetGalley
4 stars

Lilly is asked to stay home with her brother while her mom and step dad go buy him a birthday present. He wants a dog, but that isn't going to happen, because he is super allergic to animals. Lilly is excited because she gets to keep her mom's smartphone while they are gone. When her brother finds a dead bird, she must make sure he stays away. After that, another dilemma comes up. She makes the right choice, and things end up great.

This is a VERY short book. It is a simple chapter book for good first grade readers through probably third graders who want to be reading a chapter book but might be intimidated by larger books. Also, Lilly's brother is actually her half brother. She calls her step dad Pop. Her father died when she was two. Some kids will relate, and that is always a benefit. Lilly seems to be a responsible child. She is helpful with her brother, and she makes good choices. Overall, a good beginning chapter book

Baby Santa

I read Baby Santa by M. Maitiland DeLand
I received a free copy from Greenleaf Book Group through NetGalley
5 stars!

Santa and Mrs. Claus are dealing with their most stressful time of the year, and Baby Santa has actually made it worse. Thankfully he owns up to his mistake, apologizes, and finds a way to help save Christmas.

I have to say that I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this story. It is a cute and fun Christmas story with a lesson involved. It is also the start of a series, and I feel that it introduces the series well. The illustrations are cute, very appealing to children. It is a well rounded Christmas book that can be read to a group of children or with a single child on your lap.

Who is Santa?

I read Who is Santa? And how did he get to the North Pole by Stephen W. Bigalow
I received a free copy by Profit Publishing Co. through NetGalley
3 stars

This is a story about how Santa made his way up to the North Pole. It is almost written like a nonfiction, with sections that answer certain questions. At the same time, it is a story. You really can't switch from section to section. You must read it as a story. Each chapter is often only a page or two, and there are illustrations to accompany it.

I liked the story. The writing style wasn't my favorite, and it seemed a bit choppy, but the concept was good. The illustrations were not appealing to me at all. I think it would have been better to make this just a chapter book for young readers and not include actual pictures, maybe just some graphics. I'm sorry to say, but the illustrations really ruined this one for me.

Note: I tried to compare the illustrations in my copy to those of the finalizes book, but was unable to do so. Since I downloaded this after it was published, I am going on the assumption that it is the final artwork. If this turns out to be wrong, I will change my review accordingly.

The Visit

I read The Visit: The Origin of "The Night Before Christmas" by Mark Kimball Moulton
I received a free ARC through NetGalley
4 stars

This is the 2013 edition of the book that has been out for a few years. It is the story handed down generation to generation about how the famous poem came about. Clement C. Moore made it for his daughter that was sick in bed at Christmastime. He finally wrote it down 40 years later, shortly before his death. At the end of this book, you can see the full poem in Moore's handwriting.

This book is written in verse similar to "The Night Before Christmas" text. There are rhyming stanzas. It goes through the story of a child visiting her grandfather in New York City, seeing a large city from a child's eyes. Then, her grandfather tells her the story of how his grandfather came up with the famous poem. It explains parts of the story that aren't current, that many kids wouldn't understand now.

I enjoyed the story. It was sweet as well as educational. There were some amazing rhymes, similar to the original poem. I am a sucker for rhyming tales, and the rhymes in this one ranged from adequate to eloquent. At 54 pages, I felt the story was too long to be completely rhyming. It would have been better to tell the story and throw in some poetic pages.

There are a lot of aspects that make this book a winner and just a few that kept it from making the 5 star status. It is beautiful and mostly beautifully written. Some children, especially a little older ones, and many adults will treasure this story.

Nursery Rhyme Delights

I read Nursery Rhyme Delights illustrated by Kristi Abbott
I received a free ARC through NetGalley
5 stars

This is a collection of very popular and familiar nursery rhymes such as Jack and Jill and Hey Diddle Diddle. I have been looking for a collection like this to read aloud in my preschool storytimes. This is the book I have been looking for! The illustrations are definitely different, but they are amazing. They are hand collaged pictures mixed with a fun playful way to put the words on the page. At the end, kids can match the pictures with the story, a great way to make it interactive as well. I am in love with this book and have nothing negative to say about it except that I am sad I do not see it on Amazon. I want to purchase it for my 2 year old daughter's collection.

The Other Bears

I read The Other Bears by Michael Thompson
I received a free ARC through NetGalley (October 31, 2013)
4 stars

Koalas are THE bears. They are proud bears. Then the other bears start arriving. Bit by bit, mother and father koala bear see all of the things different and wrong with the other bears. The little koalas see the fun parts. In the end, mother and father realize they are bringing themselves down and find joy in the happiness the little bears bring to each other.

A book about judging others, this sweet, short read is a great one. Sure, some people might be different, but maybe those differences can be fun. Just like in real life, it's the kids that don't notice the differences that shouldn't matter anyway. That is a lesson for parents as well as kids.

There are also some learning opportunities in this one with the beginning and ending pages, where we can learn about different types of bears and where they come from. I think this is going to be a great read aloud for preschoolers. It can be a beginning book to teach tolerance to young grade school kids as well. The illustrations are okay, but I don't think they are cute enough to make it a 5 star read aloud winner.

Dust of Eden

I read Dust of Eden by Mariko Nagai
I received a free ARC through NetGalley (March 1, 2014)
4 stars

I really feel like there is not enough literature out there about the Japanese Internment camps. Yes, it is an embarrassing part of United States history, but it is a real part of it. I would bet that most kids really don't know what happened. Mariko Nagai managed to write a beautiful story about a sad time.

Mina is a Japanese-American girl living in Seattle when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. Her father is taken to jail, and then she, her mother, her brother, and her grandfather are sent to multiple internment camps. Imagine, as a young child having to pack up what is most important to you, leave your pet and your best friend, and go live in deplorable conditions. It breaks people.

Dust of Eden is written in verse. I don't like verse. Still, I appreciated the poetic value of this story, and verse really seems appropriate. I did like that the verse read more like an actual story and less like a poem. It also makes for a very quick read. There was a lot of emotion packed into a very small book. The author packed a large story into a small book without managing to miss anything important. She even managed to show that not everyone was as heartless as those that showed hate toward the Japanese-Americans only because of their race. This is a great story for tweens to read to learn about a very important but overlooked part of US history.