Review of Little Blue Truck Makes a Friend: A Friendship Book for Kids by Alice Schertle & Jill McElmurry

 

Welcome a new friend to the farm with the #1 New York Times bestselling Little Blue Truck!

Beep! Beep! Have you heard the news? There is someone new on the farm!

All the animals are curious and cautious about the newcomer—what will he be like? Does he neigh like a horse or oink like a pig? Does he have fur or feathers? Does he swim? Does he fly?

Luckily, Blue knows just the thing to help his friends, old and new, feel at home!

Buy on Amazon

(affiliate link included)

***My thoughts***

I randomly stumbled upon this book on Kindle Unlimited, and I'm glad I did. I have read it a couple of times now, and like it more and more each time. It's probably because this is the time of year when we have a lot of new children joining our program. Luckily, the kids we have right now are extremely welcoming and friendly to new students. But this book is a great reminder to give new people a chance, even if at first they seem to be different.

This would also be a fun book to include in a unit about farms and animals, as they travel across the farm and make all of their sounds. It's definitely a fun one to read out loud with its rhymes.

I also love the illustrations, because they are more old school. I'm not a huge fan of the newer computer-generated art. These look like they were done by hand and make me nostalgic for my childhood, visiting the family farms.

I'm definitely going to be visiting the other books in the series now.

Review of SuperScruff (Goat Tails) by P. Lynn Halliday, illustrated by Jupiters Muse

 

Welcome to the review tour for SuperScruff: Goat Tails by P. Lynn Halliday! Read an excerpt and my thoughts on this book for teaching kids a lesson and then download your own copy. Be sure to catch the rest of the tour for more! Best of luck in the giveaway!

Goat Tails are a series of stories all about life on our family farm in Manitowaning. Join with us as we share the entertaining and crazy antics of all the critters that occupied that farm . . . especially the goats.

In our second book, Scruffy the kid arrives back from his BIG adventure. The lost had been found, but would he be welcomed or was it Pen Prison for him again? Scruffy had been in trouble so many times in the past that he began to have doubts. Sure the Maker loved him . . . but did everyone else?

Imagine his surprise when he was greeted at the fence by a churning, hopping, squawking sea of excitement, all straining to get a look at him! Wow, he was a superstar!

It suddenly struck him: now he knew for sure what his purpose was. He was made to be super . . . the super, duper hopping hero of the barnyard!

SuperScruff, the fearless leader of the Scruffkids!

"Oh no," bleated Nellie Nanny, "here we go again!"

Truer words have never been spoken: Scruffy was at it again. Join the fun as SuperScruff learns how to be truly Super!

Read an excerpt:

Scruffy looked around him, searching for the perfect way to show just how Super he was. He spied a ladder leaning against the side of the barn. Papa had been using that ladder to paint the window frames in the loft of the barn. He gazed up to the top of the ladder and an idea began to form. What if he climbed the ladder into the loft of the barn? Surely if he hopped the length of the barn and leapt out of the window, he would be able to fly clear over Poop Hill. It was probably 20 or 30 feet. This was far enough away that no one could claim that he did it only by hopping. They would think he was flying, just like he said he could. This would be the perfect demo to show his Super-Powers.

Calling everyone over, he told them that the barrel-jumping earlier was just a warm-up for the real event. Now he was going to show everyone how Super he was by flying over Poop Hill. Everyone quickly looked at the poop pile. It was a ten-foot-high stinking, steaming pile of poop... way too huge to hop over. Even Hobby had to admit that if Scruffy managed to pull off this stunt, he was really SuperScruff!

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON.COM - AMAZON.CA - BARNES & NOBLE - BOOK DEPOSITORY

(affiliate link included)

**My thoughts**

In an age where we are inundated with superheroes, it's kind of nice to have a story that talks about what a superhero actually is. Now, don't get me wrong, I do love me some Marvel. But you have to look beyond the superhuman feats that these characters perform and into who they are within, what kinds of morals they value. And this story seeks to teach children to look within to be a super person that way.

This is the second story in the series and it sounds like our little friend had quite the adventure in the first one. We don't get too much detail about what happened in that first story, but it isn't necessary to enjoy reading this one. Though you may want to go back and read the first one after this one.

It does have a biblical focus that ties into its lessons. So this would be good to discuss with a small church group or even at home with your elementary-aged children. The cover does make it look like it's more of a picture book geared toward younger children, but it is a sort of mini chapter book.

Scruff learns his lesson as he tries (and fails) to perform superhuman [supergoat?] feats to impress the other animals on the farm. Kids will get a kick out of reading those.

The only part I didn't care for was when he ran away in fear from his mother, who was upset with him, "rolling pin in hand." That's not something that most people would use for discipline these days. But of course, she doesn't use it on him.

Otherwise, I think kids will enjoy this story and learn a lot from it.

Thank you to Goddess Fish and the publisher for providing me with a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lynn is a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a pharmacist, a storyteller and a Christian, living and working in Northern Ontario. Life on the farm has helped each member of our family to grow in so many different ways. Perhaps the most profound growth has been spiritual, as we have all marvelled while working on our farm at the amazing world that our loving God has made. How wonderful it is that God designed each person and critter for a special purpose—no mistakes and no misfits.

CONNECT WITH P. LYNN HALLIDAY

WEBSITE: P. LYNN HALLIDAY – Author (plynnhallidaybooks.ca) https://plynnhallidaybooks.ca/

FACEBOOK: P.Lynn Halliday Author | Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PLynn-Halliday-Author-107019938161513/

INSTAGRAM: Lynn Halliday (@plynnhallidayauthor) • Instagram photos and videos https://www.instagram.com/plynnhallidayauthor/

GOODREADS: P Lynn Halliday (Author of Finding His Way) | Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15667819.P_Lynn_Halliday

Win copies of the books in the series!

Scruffy Finds His Way entries via this link.

SuperScruff entries via this link.

P. Lynn Halliday will also be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review of A Farm Animals' Christmas! (No Ordinary Farm) by Stephanie Matolyak and Deborah Bailey

  

Rescued farm animals come to life in a magical celebration of Christmas. It all starts with the first Thanksgiving feast on the farm. The fun time continues when the farm animals go to a Christmas party. After making snow wings and decorating the barn for the holidays, it’s time for the farm animals to go to bed while magical things begin to happen... not only reindeer can fly at this magical time of the year. Fun! Magical! Entertaining!

Goodreads

On Amazon

Kindle * Paperback

(affiliate links included)

**My thoughts**

What stands out to me the most with this book are the illustrations. They brought a smile to my face and elicited a chuckle here and there. They're collages of real photos of real animals and some remind me of those candid shots on cameras that are posted outside. I think they are so much fun and are the biggest draw.

The story itself is simple, following the animals on the farm from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Thought bubbles illustrate what the animals may be thinking. I think when reading this book with young children, I would probably skip over some of those unless it was a one-on-one reading session and they wanted to know what they said. They'd make more sense to older children.

It's not going to top my Christmas classics list, but it is fun to look through the pictures and to talk about what's going on in them. And I appreciate that they are all real animals who have been rescued. The authors help to make the book more interactive by encouraging readers to go back and find each animal. I'd recommend getting a print copy!

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the authors:

About Stephanie Matolyak

Stephanie is a top rated Realtor in northeastern PA. For many years she has been living her dream on a farm in the country. She brings her “Personal Touch” to her real estate business by creating an annual Christmas card based on her farm which all of her clients look forward to every year. “a farm animals’ christmas!-no ordinary farm” is a culmination of these Christmas card masterpieces over the years.

Her clients, their families and friends enjoy visits to Stephanie's Farm, interacting with a large assortment of animals that

Stephanie has rescued. Real Estate and animals are her passion and they both flourish in this amazingly beautiful northeastern, PA environment.

Originally from Johnstown, PA, Stephanie grew up as a competitive gymnast. She then moved to New York City to pursue her study of dance, acting and the big stage! The new aerobic dance craze took Stephanie to Italy, opening aerobic studios throughout Italy. Upon returning to NYC, Stephanie worked with developers designing and managing private health clubs in the new high-rise condominium buildings.

As a business owner of "Spa Finders" came an exciting career in the health spa industry, publishing a magazine and setting up spa networks around the world.

Throughout her different careers, Stephanie enjoyed investing in real estate. Among one of her purchases was her farm in NE PA which she used as a weekend getaway from Manhattan. Soon it became harder to leave this paradise to go back to the city, thus she stayed and started her very successful real estate career and the procession of rescued animals.

About Deborah Bailey

Deborah Bailey and her design agency have received many graphic design awards and honors over the years. She is the creative artist behind Stephanie Matolyak’s custom “Stephanie’s Farm” annual Christmas Cards for her real estate business. Teaming up with Stephanie Matolyak to write and illustrate A Farm Animals’ Christmas; No Ordinary Farm was just a natural fit for her. With her love of graphic design and animals, especially her dog Petey, a Chiweenie, who she rescued in 2016, Deborah sets the backdrop of A Farm Animals’ Christmas; No Ordinary Farm, with silly photo illustrations bringing any young reader into the world of rescued animals having a good time and waiting for Christmas. Every page is brimming with color and her collages of “real” pictures of animal action, with delightfully funny scenes.

Deborah has sat on many business and non-profit organizational boards throughout her career, currently sits on the Board of Trustees of Lackawanna College, volunteers in her community, and owns and publishes a Pocono Mountain, PA favorite entertainment and recreation magazine since 1998.

Mr. Shipman's Kindergarten Chronicles: Field Trip to the Farm by Dr. Terance Shipman, illustrated by Milan Ristic

Mr. Shipman's Kindergarten Chronicles takes us with them on a Field Trip to the Farm. This is the fifth book of the series. The class explores the wonders of Ramsey farm on their field trip. An entertaining story of the wonder and excitement of kindergarten. Comes join Mr. Shipman's Class.

On Amazon:

Paperback * Hardcover * Kindle

(affiliate links included)

Dr. Terance Shipman is a 28-year veteran teacher. He spent much of his teaching career working with elementary aged students. In fact, he spent his first 11 years teaching kindergarten! He is proud to say that he built strong relationships over those years and has an incredible network of his students and their parents and co-workers that he has remained in contact with over these years. Dr. Shipman calls this ever-developing network “Team Shipman”.

More of our features of Terance Shipman's books:

Check out Yvonne Abuda's illustrations from The Adventures of Mahalia and Malcolm: The Robinsons by Terance L. Shipman and Prudence Williams

Mr. Shipman's Kindergarten Chronicles: Field Trip to the Farm by Dr. Terance Shipman, illustrated by Milan Ristic

Mr. Shipman's Kindergarten Chronicles: December Celebrations by Terance Shipman

The Adventures of Mahalia and Malcolm: The Robinsons by Terance L. Shipman and Prudence Williams

Mr. Shipman's Kindergarten Chronicles: December Celebrations

The Adventures of Mahalia and Malcolm: The Robinsons by Terance L. Shipman & Prudence Williams with illustrations by Yvonne Abuda

Mr. Shipman's Kindergarten Chronicles 123 by Terance Shipman, illustrated by Milan Ristic

Terence Shipman's Books for Kids

I was compensated via Fiverr for sharing this post. I only share books that I feel will be of interest to my readers.

The Year of the Rooster by A.J. Fontaine

The Year of the Rooster

Celebrate 2017, The Year of the Rooster, with a fun to read-out-loud illustrated children's story. In The Year of the Rooster, a rooster who is down on his luck must learn to adapt after being abandoned by his former owner. How can he go from being homeless to having the best year of his life?

Read now to find out!

Available on Amazon

Take a sneak peek inside!

About AJ Fontaine

Author A.J. Fontaine writes enjoyable children's books inspired by his family pets. As he depicts their shenanigans, he crafts enjoyable stories that provide children with inspiration for their own lives. Other books by A.J. Fontaine include: A Kitty and His Dream, Kitty Witty's Big Adventure, Kitty Witty and the Secret Room, and Kitty Witty's Bedtime Story.

'Let's Visit the Farm!' by William A. Campbell, Jr.

Let's Visit the Farm! A Children's eBook with Pictures of Farm Animals and Baby Animals has been designed to be the first step in helping your child build their vocabulary. Included in each book is a number of high quality images of very cute farm animals and baby animals that your child will enjoy looking and reading about for months. In this book your child will be learning about which animals live on the farm and what job or role they have on the farm. 

My books use simple one or two sentence facts which is accompanied by a relevant picture of the animal. This makes the perfect first word book to share because young children will love reading along while being encouraged to start using their words to read along. This is an excellent and fun educational resource to start your child off with. 

Lets Visit the Farm! is a fun and entertaining journey for a young child to find out interesting facts about the world's most common farm animals along with baby animals.

Book Links

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes / Kobo / Scribd / Page Foundry / Google Play

From the author:

Hi! My name is William A. Campbell Jr from Windsor Ontario Canada. I'm a single father of two children with a very hectic job in the corperate audio video field. I often work very long hours of the day and find that I do not have alot of time for my other passion "cooking" while enjoying my family time. My daughter wants me to hold her and dance around the room while my son is asking me to fix his computer or to play against him on ps4. Both of which are very hard to do while trying to cook up a pot roast that takes 3 hours to cook. So naturally what happened was that we started eating out more, more boxed dinners and pizza deliveries. I knew that was not the kind of foods that I wanted my children to be eating. So I went out looking for a solution. I found one in adding a pressure cooker into our kitchen. Soon after buying my pressure cooker I started cooking everything from scratch again. I was able to shave hours off of cooking dinner and had that extra time to enjoy with my family. This is why I created the No Fuss pressure cooker series for simple clean eating and my Holiday Pressure cooker recipes series. I hope that my guides will help you as much as they have helped me and my family. My Let's Visit series was made by me for my daughter who I did not see for roughly six months of her life. I would often think about her and decided to write books so that once we were reunited that we would read them together. My prayers were answered and my daughter is now back in my life and we now read the books that I created for her. I hope you are your children enjoy the books as much as my daughter and I do. 

Website: www.williamacampbelljr.com

FREE 11/28-11/29 'Abbie Skellee and The Little Lamb Farm Story' by AnneMarie Callan

ABBIE SKELLEE AND THE LITTLE LAMB FARM STORY - A Short Story for Kids Aged 3 - 8 With a Fun Interactive Quiz 

Abbie Skellee is the first story in the Skellee Rescue Service series of children's books. It is also the first farm story in the series.

Perfect for storytelling time, these short stories are intended as modern day folklore superhero stories, with each Skellee worker having a unique and special tool, so that they can come to the aid of all children around the world. Their own superhero! Added to that is a quiz at the end of the book for children to enjoy telling you what they remembered from the story, a little game which also helps them, by introducing a fun way to comprehension.

In this story, the little lamb decided that it wanted to go for a walk on its own. It strayed away from its mother and all the other little lambs in the field to explore. It had no idea that there could be danger in the next field and that, in fact, danger was waiting for him! How the little lamb is saved is unbelievable but it happened and Abbie Skellee, a superhero, was delighted to be able to help the little lamb back to safety. 

Download it on Amazon

FREE on Amazon 11/28-11/29

**Currently rated 4.9 out of 5 stars!**

The Skellee Rescue Service - Short Stories For Children
All the Skellee workers wait at the Skellee Rescue Service office for the Skellee Operator to tell them where to go, at anytime, day or night and even anywhere in the world. The Skellee Operator has a very important job!

The Story Behind Skellee
When the author became a grandmother for the first time, Skellee stories popped into her head frequently and so she shared them with her first grand daughter. Later on, as more grand-children arrived, the stories grew. The grand-children loved them and at storytelling time, would sit so quietly waiting for her to start a new story, that you could hear a pin drop.

One day, as she was out walking with her second grand daughter, she was asked when she was going to publish the stories. Rather than say never, she decided there and then to find out how she could do this. After discussing her Skellee theme and her plan for short stories for children with people in the publishing business, she received amazing feedback.

Everyone who heard of the Skellees were excited about her project and even wanted to become involved, then she started publishing them on the Kindle platform.

The Skellee Illustrations
It had always been a dream of the author to be able to paint and apart from one attempt at a portrait of one grandson, she had a huge fear to overcome. Her fear of painting was from the fact that her father was a Slade trained artist. His work was amazing. That was his gift. She met a local artist who inspired her to do it herself and helped her overcome her fear and paint.

First of all, she had to learn to draw people and so she started with match stick men drawings but the arms or legs were invariably way too long. Once she mastered, as much as she could of the sizing perspective of the characters and back drops in pencil, then she had to start painting these.

For the first few attempts, her hand shook with fear as she put the paintbrush filled with paint onto the paper. But, fortunately her teacher gave her constant encouragement, telling her that she did have talent!

Strangely enough, four illustrators had initially offered to illustrate the Skellee books but for their own reasons, they had to drop out, one by one. (Maybe she was meant to paint after all!)

Following are a list of the Skellee books already on Kindle.

Book 1 : Abbie Skellee and The Little Lamb.
Book 2 : Bobby Skellee and The Football Game
Book 3 : Carrie Skellee and The Dog Rescue.
Book 4 : Danny Skellee and The Black Cat
Book 5 : Ella Skellee and the Hot Air Balloon
Book 6 : Freddie Skellee and the Sand Castle Rescue

Two more books are soon to be released.

Author Bio

AnneMarie Callan - children's author.

The Skellee books are a series of modern day folklore children's stories and are aimed at children aged 3 to 8. The Skellee characters are superheros who each have super powers, which will delight every young child. They work at the Skellee Rescue Service offices. It is here that the Skellee operator decides which Skellee to send out on a rescue, whether it be a child, an animal or anything that needs their service.

Eventually, there will be 26 books in the Skellee series. Each of the Skellees being named after a letter of the alphabet.

These stories have lived in AnneMarie's head for too many year to remember!

She has recently moved into creating books for older children. 'The Secret FootBall Games With Football Quiz', being the first. This book is geared for children from the age of 6 to 96 :) It is very likely to make any reader smile from the antics within the story, as well as warm their heart with compassion. The interactive quiz was greatly received by readers, so much so that she decided to go back and gradually introduce them into the Skellee stories as well.

AnneMarie was born in Dublin, Ireland and moved to the UK in her teenage years. She created a successful fashion design business and now lives between the UK and Spain. Her small family consists of her two sons and four grandchildren.

Review of 'Mosey's Field' by Barbara Lockhart

Description

Mosey, a long-legged, lumbering kind of dog, has a napping place in the middle of a corn field, but when the plow comes through, followed later by the planter, Mosey can no longer find his spot. As the corn grows, Mosey's adventures in the field include exploring tunnels in the corn rows, chasing rabbits, finding relief from the summer’s heat, and, at the end of the season, experiencing the terrifying (to him) appearance of a combine. Mosey's Field illuminates the beauty of the rural landscape, the change in seasons, and the progression of agricultural methods. While Mosey continues the search for his special place, children are not only connected to the environment, but the important concept of where food comes from. Early Reader; Ages 5-8.


**My thoughts**

I love the watercolor illustrations in this book. Mosey is adorable! They also elicit memories of visiting my family's farms when I was a child.

The story is told from the point of view of the dog, who can't figure out why his favorite napping place in the field keeps on changing. The back story ends up being the cycle of corn: how it is planted, grows, and then is harvested. It can serve as an introduction to farming and corn, and even has a page at the end that provides further information. 

I know for me, the first time I read it, I focused more on the dog and his story about his napping place. The second time through, I was able to pay more attention to what was happening with the corn in the field. I think that children may also miss the story of the corn the first time through, as they will be more focused on the dog. Repeated readings, plus some discussion, will bring the story of the corn more to the forefront.

I would still add this book to my library when studying farms, food, seasons, or from where things come. It is a cute story.  

I received an eARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Buy links: Amazon \ Barnes & Noble \ Schiffer Publishing

Barbara Lockhart, a retired kindergarten teacher, lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where she's been watching fields for years. Heather Crow is an award-winning artist and art teacher. She lives in Easton, Maryland.

3 Free Animal Books for Kids

Kids love animals. These e-books are sure to delight them with their adorable pictures. While they are all free at the time of this posting, please note that sometimes prices can change without notice. Please always check the "Buy" price and not the "Prime" price prior to your purchase.

Don't have a Kindle? No worries! Download a free Kindle reading app for your smartphone, tablet or computer. Otherwise, go ahead and give in to that Kindle Fire. It is the ultimate tool for viewing children's picture e-books.

 The Curious Cat
The Curious Cat goes to the zoo and meets a butterfly who takes him all around to learn about the different animals.

Get your Kindle copy here.

 The Pet Book: A Smarty-Pants Series
Within the pages of this book are real photographs of pets in their natural surroundings. Go beyond the traditional pets like cats, dogs and fish to explore a world of unique pet friends, like an iguana.

Get your Kindle copy here.

 Discover Series: Farm Animals
Real photographs make up this introduction to animals that live on the farm. Below each picture is a short title to introduce each animal's name, sounds and colors. Though pictures are in color, they should still show up on a traditional Kindle.

Get your Kindle copy here.

I would love to hear your feedback about each of these books! I will eventually do more thorough reviews of each of them. Happy reading!

Runt Farm: Beatrice and Blossom

The second book in Amanda Lorenzo's Runt Farm series is called Beatrice and Blossom. Beatrice is a bunny who is quite small for her age. She gets lost when being transported to the market, and runs into Cletus and Tooth. Beatrice is quickly adopted into the fold at The Runt Farm, where she learns that being small isn't so bad after all.

Soon after, Beatrice comes across a little squirrel named Blossom. She brings him back to Runt Farm to join their family. The two start playing and fighting together like a typical brother and sister pair. Each one becomes bossy when playing games and tries to cheat. They learn a great lesson about playing fair, caring for friends, and listening to adults.

This book is similar to the first one in its simplicity of storytelling and design. The lessons learned in this one are more on a social level, yet easily understood by young children. Again, my students loved hearing this book, and cannot wait for book number 3 to come out!

This book also includes a glossary in the back, to enrich the vocabulary of the both the reader and the listener.

I received a copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

Purchase Beatrice and Blossom (Runt Farm, Book 2)

Runt Farm: Under New Management

The first volume in the Runt Farm series by Amanda Lorenzo is Under New Management. The Brunt family has abandoned their old farm, leaving behind Kitten. He doesn't care, because now he has the entire farm to himself. He goes around, naming different areas, including renaming the farm Runt Farm.

Kitten quickly amasses a collection of new friends, who have also been abandoned, or otherwise need a home. Peep is a duckling, whose varying exclamations of "Peep!" are easily interpreted by Kitten, much like the word "smurf' has many meanings. Cletus and Tooth are two brilliant mice who have run away from a research facility. The unlikely comrades become fast friends, and almost a sort of family.

Their adventures are simple and mischievous. The biggest lesson comes when Kitten sneaks into the barn to smoke cigars, and it catches on fire. But the simplicity of the story is what makes it so appealing. The fact that the characters are animals help engage young children, who don't really need the bells and whistles so commonly found in modern books.

The illustrations are simple black and white drawings, that are full of expression, and would pale considerably if they were to be colored. This old-fashioned style perfectly fits the simplicity of the story.

I tested this book on my class of full-day students, who are ages 4-6. They loved every bit of the story, and looked forward to having it read to them each day. We also read Book 2, Beatrice and Blossom. They would love to hear Book 3, when it comes out!

Stay tuned for an interview with author Amanda Lorenzo.

Keep up with the Runt Farm books on Twitter @runtfarmbooks.

Purchase Under New Management (Runt Farm, Book 1)


I received a copy of this book from the author, for reviewing purposes.

The Mudhogs

It's not often that an 8 year-old will write and illustrate his own story, let alone get it published. Dalton James has accomplished this feat three times! He was kind enough to send me a copy of his latest book, The Mudhogs.

The story is told by Fangs, a tick who lives on the leg of Piggy. Piggy is the short, fat, smart pig who is the leader of the Mudhogs. Piggles is tall and skinny and likes to read. Piglet is little and sweet.

The Mudhogs like to hang out at the Barnyard Break to roll around in mud. But there hasn't been any rain in so long, that there is no more mud. The Mudhogs hold a meeting and decide they are going to do whatever it takes to make it rain. When dances and spells don't work, they decide to travel the world, looking for mud. For weeks they are on a quest for mud, in all of the towns, states and countries of the world. When they still cannot find any mud, they return home, only to discover that it has been raining the whole time they were gone.

The moral of the story: "Sometimes all you are looking for is at home if you just wait for it."

The story and pictures are very cute. Dalton demonstrates talent in both his writing and his illustrating. While they are obviously the work of a child, they are entertaining enough to interest other children. Older children and adults will get a kick out of all of Dalton's puns on location names, such as "Snortessee" and "Piggselvania".

The fact that the story has such a good moral to it also demonstrates a maturity in Dalton that isn't always found in other 8 year-olds. It may be a little too abstract for the younger set, but I think that it is a lesson well-remembered.

Other books by Dalton include The Heroes of Googley Woogley and The Sneakiest Pirates. It will be interesting to follow this young man over the next several years!

Purchase The Mudhogs

I received a copy of this book via my association with BookPleasures.

Our Orphaned Owls

Our Orphaned Owls is one of the True Stories About Saving Animals series by Samuel Lopez. He and his wife Cheri live on a one hundred year-old farm known as the Compassionate Pet Sanctuary. It is their mission to rescue lost, abandoned, and injured animals. Those who cannot find a new permanent home are always guaranteed a home on the farm.

Our Orphaned Owls is the story of a couple of owls who were nesting on their farm for several years. Finally, in their sixth year, Mr. and Mrs. Owl hatched two baby owlets. A few days later, a terrible storm comes in, with raging winds and a cold rain.

Cheri is very worried about the owlets. When the storm subsides, she goes to check on them. She finds that Mr. Owl has left some food for them. But the next day, there is no sign of either parent. The larger owlet is frantically trying to fly out of the nest, while the smaller one lies motionless on the bottom of the nest.

Cheri brings them both back to the farmhouse, to warm them up. She and Farmer Samuel decide they are going to raise the owlets themselves, because Mr. Owl will be unable to do so by himself.

They feed them homemade, healthy food to help them grow big and strong. As the owlets grow bigger, Samuel and Cheri create a safe environment for them to learn how to fly and to develop the skills they would require to live in the wild.

Eventually, the time comes when the compassionate couple needs to say goodbye to their beloved birds. They set them free and say goodbye. But the owls return year after year to sit in the tree and to sing to their beloved surrogate parents.

A few illustrations grace the pages of this book, followed by numerous photographs that document the growth of the birds from owlets to juvenile owls to full-grown adults. My personal favorite is one in which it appears the two owls are hugging each other.

This is another book that is great for teaching children how to be compassionate toward animals. They learn how to care for birds, as well as a glimpse into the life cycle of the owl. It will make a good addition to any scientific study about birds in general, or specifically owls.

Purchase Our Orphaned Owls (True Stories about Saving Animals)

I received a copy of this book through my association with BookPleasures.com

Stinky Little Scroungy

Stinky Little Scroungy is one of the True Stories About Saving Animals series by Samuel Lopez. He and his wife Cheri live on a one hundred year-old farm known as the Compassionate Pet Sanctuary. It is their mission to rescue lost, abandoned, and injured animals. Those who cannot find a new permanent home are always guaranteed a home on the farm.

Stinky Little Scroungy is the story of a puppy who is found abandoned in a cardboard box filled with rags by the side of the road near the farm. She is young and tiny, missing all of her fur. Instead, she is covered with a red rash.

Mossy, the little boy who discovers the box, rushes her to his aunt and uncle’s farm, where he knows she’ll be given good care. Cheri isn’t sure they will be able to do anything to save the puppy, but says she will try.

After a few weeks, the puppy’s rash goes away, and her fur starts to come back. Mossy names her “Stinky Little Scroungy”. Even though she isn’t the cutest little puppy, her loyalty to the family who saved her and desire to play with all of the other animals has made her a permanent part of the family at the Compassionate Pet Sanctuary.

Most of the accompanying illustrations in this book are real photographs of the animals who live on the farm. Just a few of Samuel Lopez’s signature illustrations are in there. But these photographs bring a strong sense of truth and reality to the story.

The story demonstrates the kind of cruelty to animals that exists in this world, and shows how love and compassion can bring about miracles. It’s a great learning tool for children.

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The Three-Legged Kitten

The Three-Legged Kitten is one of the True Stories About Saving Animals series by Samuel Lopez. He and his wife Cheri live on a one hundred year-old farm known as the Compassionate Pet Sanctuary. It is their mission to rescue lost, abandoned, and injured animals. Those who cannot find a new permanent home are always guaranteed a home on the farm.

The Three-Legged Kitten is the story of a kitten who is thrown out of a speeding car and crashes into a bunch of automobiles in the Ontiveros Junkyard. The impact breaks one of her legs, and she must resort to hobbling around on the remaining three.

After a couple of days, she finds her way to the owner of the junkyard, and meows to get his attention. That same day, Farmer Samuel and his nephews stop by and notice the poor kitten. They ask to take her back to the farm, to care for her.

Unfortunately, the leg has been so badly damaged that the veterinarian is unable to save it. But the kitten is able to heal in no time, running around the farm and climbing up the trees. The boys decide to name her Tri-Ike.

When they call Miss Paula, the pet shop owner in town, to see if anyone may be interested in adopting her, she tells them that it is unlikely anyone will want a three-legged kitten. But she comes out to the farm to meet Tri-Ike, anyway, and ends up falling in love with her. Tri-Ike now resides at Miss Paula’s pet shop, amazing people with her speed and dexterity, despite missing one leg.

This book is a great example of the mission of the Little Five Star division of the Five Star Publication company. Their goal is to teach children to be tolerant of diversity and differences, as well as to learn the consequences of their decisions.

Children can see how even a perceived disability does not necessarily mean that one is limited. Though Tri-Ike is missing a leg, she is still able to run and frolic like any other cat. This can lead to a conversation about disabilities in humans, as well.

The story also teaches how to care for animals, no matter what, and to love them.

Again, Samuel Lopez provides colorful illustrations that will appeal to children. The end of the book is filled with real photographs of the real-life Tri-Ike, playing and having fun. You can’t help but fall in love with her spunk and vitality.

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The Miracle of the Little Kitten

The Miracle of the Little Kitten is one of the True Stories About Saving Animals series by Samuel Lopez. He and his wife Cheri live on a one hundred year-old farm known as the Compassionate Pet Sanctuary. It is their mission to rescue lost, abandoned, and injured animals. Those who cannot find a new permanent home are always guaranteed a home on the farm.

The Miracle of the Little Kitten is the story of one particular kitten that came to Farmer Samuel’s farm. For four days, Farmer Samuel could hear the cries of the kitten, but was unable to locate him. Finally, their dog found him and brought him to the house to be cared for. He was very young and tiny, requiring bottle feeding with kitten formula. They named him “Miracle”.

Caring for Miracle for over a month, Samuel and Cheri helped him grow big and strong, until he was ready to be adopted. They take him to town where he can find a good, loving home.

The story uses a mix of child-like illustrations, interspersed with real photographs of Miracle. I think children will enjoy the illustrations and go crazy for the adorable pictures of the baby kitten.

The book can be used to teach children to be compassionate toward animals. It can also be a springboard for discussion about care of kittens.

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I received a copy of this book through my association with BookPleasures.com.