Review of Andy Gets Angry by Mike Masse, Painted by Emily Corbett

 I'm so glad to see more and more resources available to help children with their social-emotional learning. It's been needed as long as I have been involved in the education/childcare profession and it feels needed more now than ever. Mike Masse has put together the words and Emily Corbett has painted the illustrations in their book Andy Gets Angry. Take a peek inside and read more of my thoughts. Follow the tour to see even more. Best of luck in the giveaway!

Children can develop the ability to respond to their emotions in a healthy way through the practice of mindfulness. Andy Gets Angry is a great introduction for children to learn a fun and simple breath technique to respond to their emotions. The beautifully hand-painted illustrations provide the perfect landscape to tell the story of Andy and his journey in learning the wonderful skill of mindfulness. Share the book with your loved ones, and help us all plant the seed to be present!

Read an excerpt:

Andy doesn’t like being angry, mad, or frustrated – he hates how it makes him feel. Sometimes he feels angry in his face. Sometimes he feels angry in his hands. Other times, he feels angry in his stomach and even in his mind.

Andy later feels bad about some of the things he said or did when he was angry. He felt bad after he yelled at Bobby, and he felt bad after he slammed the door on Sierra… and he felt bad after the one time he told his dad that he didn’t like him anymore. And that didn’t just make Andy angry. It also made him feel sad.

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON.COM * KINDLE * BOOKSHOP * BARNES & NOBLE * BOOK DEPOSITORY

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**My thoughts**

It's hard enough for adults when we aren't sure how to handle our anger or strong feelings. It's even worse for young children. We need to give them as many tools as we can and present appropriate ways of handling those big feelings. This book is a good way to start. 

Andy gets angry, and understandably so with some of his life's frustrations. And then when those feelings have calmed down, he feels bad about it. Kids reading this book will probably recognize some of those frustrating situations and those feelings. So the adults in his life decide to help him by taking him to see Mindful Mike, who teaches him breathing techniques to help him calm down when feeling angry or frustrated. 

Stress breathing techniques really do work wonders with children. They're not going to stop being angry, but they may be able to better control those feelings when they rear their ugly heads. Mike presents them in a creative way that will speak to children. And the paintings by Emily Corbett are bright and lively enough to grab attention and seem familiar.

I would read this with the whole class on occasion and then use it more one-on-one with a child who is feeling particularly frustrated. It would also be a good book to leave out in the reading and/or peace area of the classroom as a reference for kids to go back to on their own. It's long enough that it will probably speak to kindergarten and elementary-age students more than preschoolers. But even preschoolers can benefit from learning these breathing techniques. You could adapt it to fit the audience, if needed. I would definitely add this to my mindfulness arsenal.

Thank you to Goddess Fish and Tellwell Publishing for providing a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mike Masse is a mindfulness consultant and public speaker who specializes in mindfulness-based stress reduction. For over a decade, he has been teaching adults, youth, and children mindfulness skills to help reduce their levels of stress and anxiety. A highly sought-after trainer, Mike facilitates workshops with educators, first responders, health care providers, and others who work in high-stress environments. Mike lives in Stratford, Ontario with his two sons and his wife.

CONNECT WITH AUTHOR MIKE J MASSE

WEBSITE: https://mindfulmike.ca/

FACEBOOK: mindfulmike.ca

INSTAGRAM: @mindfulmasse

Mike J Masse will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Enter to Win a Nat Geo Kids Prize Pack! Ends 2/26 via @mommysplaybook

  

The National Geographic Kids Books have been some of my favorites for quite some time now! You've seen me feature them and other giveaways on the blog before. Check out this collection and enter to win your own!

Note that affiliate links are included throughout. Should you make a purchase through one, I'll earn a few pennies at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my sites!

ENTER TO WIN a National Geographic Kids Books prize pack! This great giveaway is sponsored by National Geographic Kids Books and hosted By Mommy's Playbook. One lucky winner will receive So Cute: Puppies, We Love Babies!, My Weird But True Fact-a-Day Fun Journal, Little Kids First Big Book of Animals, The Big Book of Bling, Little Kids First Big Book of Animals, and Just Joking 3! That's seven NatGeoKids Books in all! Enter to win on the easy Rafflecopter form below, AND be sure to come back to complete your daily entries tomorrow!

   

So Cute: Puppies That wrinkly little face. Those sweet puppy dog eyes! That squishy, pudgy, fuzzy body! Let's face it ... puppies are SO CUTE! And, well, so is this book! Try to contain your squeals of delight as you flip through pages of the fluffy fur balls. From puppies at playtime to rascally ruff-housing, this book is filled with humor and informational sidebars, and pairs super cute puppy photos with imagined inner dialogue that will have the whole family laughing. Perfect for little kids getting acquainted with a new pup at home or kids who love animals in general.

We Love Babies! “Love + adorable baby animals = a MUST for Valentine’s Day. This hilarious picture book with rollicking, rhyming text reads like a crowd-pleasing call, pumping up readers' excitement for the cutest baby animals ever. Illustrated with lively National Geographic photography, We Love Babies! presents furred, feathered, and finned baby animals of all shapes and sizes, celebrating their glorious diversity, from "paws and claws and little flippers" to "feet that look like fuzzy slippers!". Whimsical cartoon cheerleaders add to the fun, popping up throughout the book to lead fans in the irresistible refrain: "We love babies, yes we do, we love babies, how about you?”

My Weird But True Fact-a-Day Fun Journal Start 2022 off right! Here's a chance for Weird But True fans to keep their own personal diary about the weird and wacky world around them. For inspiration, there's a Weird But True fact a day, plus a daily place for kids to report on all the WBT stuff they observe and experience on their own 24/7. It's a year's worth of fun to enjoy, record, and remember!

Little Kids First Big Book of Animals Filled with fluffy and scaly creatures big and small, this book introduces the youngest explorers to the world of wildlife, including dolphins, tigers, butterflies, frogs, penguins, wolves, and pandas. More than 150 of National Geographic’s most charming animal photos are paired with just the kind of facts that little kids want to know―the creature’s size, diet, home, and more. Child-friendly text explains how animal parents take care of their young, how baby animals change as they grow, and how they learn to hunt and eat. These animal tales will quickly become favorites at storytime, bedtime, and any other time.

The Big Book of Bling From upscale splurges to flashy fun in nature, this treasure trove is filled with wonders that will dazzle and delight. Read about how nature struts its stuff with tantalizing tidbits about animals, including a few that literally glitter with iridesence to confuse predators. Or maybe you'll strike it rich after reading about Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas, U.S.A., where anyone can go hunt for sparkling gems. Dig into info about the world's mysterious minerals, gorgeous geodes, and ritzy rocks. Discover extravagant expenditures like Canada's million-dollar solid gold coin. Learn all about the splendid science of diamonds that rain from the sky in space. Get the secret behind glowing bioluminescence. And go back in time to uncover palatial palaces, the riches of royalty, and other ancient treasures. To show off the lush content in proper fashion, readers will be dazzled by hundreds of fun flashy photos throughout.

Adorable Animals Super Sticker Activity Book Two sticker books in one that are chock-full of the cutest animals on the planet: pandas, koalas, rabbits, kittens, puppies, and so many more. A perfect cure for cabin fever, kids are sure to love these pages of 2,000 stickers that are loaded with fun.

Just Joking 3 Packed with silly jokes that kids love, including knock-knocks, tongue twisters, riddles, traditional question and answer jokes, each joke is paired with laughing animals, funny people, and other colorful photos in National Geographic Kids' signature colorful, photo-driven style.  

ENTER TO WIN!

One Winner will Receive a National Geographic Kids Books Prize Pack!

(APV $95)

The giveaway is open US Only, 18+

The giveaway ends 2/26 at 1159 pm est

Be sure to come back daily for more chances to win.

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Mommy’s Playbook Giveaway Rules: This giveaway is Sponsored by National Geographic Kids Books and hosted by Mommy’s Playbook. Mommy's Playbook and the participating bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment. No purchase is necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law. By entering this giveaway you are giving the giveaway host and/or event sponsor permission to retain your email address for future communication, you may choose to opt-out of such communications at any time. This giveaway is not sponsored or endorsed by any social media outlet including, but not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Only authentic accounts are eligible to win. Dummy/fake accounts are not eligible for entry and will be blocked. Entrants who have created social accounts purely to enter competitions or sweepstakes will not be eligible to win. All social accounts used must be public. See Rafflecopter for official rules. Please contact Victoria (at) MommysPlaybook.com regarding any questions you have pertaining to this giveaway.

Review of A Last Goodbye by Elin Kelsey

How do we say goodbye to a loved one after they die?

This book broaches a difficult topic in a heartfelt way by exploring the beauty in how animals mourn. From elephants to whales, parrots to bonobos, and lemurs to humans, we all have rituals to commemorate our loved ones and to lift each other up in difficult times.

New from the award-winning team behind You Are Stardust, Wild Ideas, and You Are Never Alone, this book gently recognizes death as a natural part of life for humans and all animals. Written in spare, poetic language and illustrated with stunning dioramas, it draws out our similarities with other animals as it honors the universal experience of mourning. The touching and uplifting book ends on a hopeful note, showing how we live on both in memories and on the planet, our bodies nourishing new life in the Earth and the oceans.

Goodreads * Amazon * BN

(affiliate link included)

**My thoughts**

This is not a book that you are just going to randomly read for fun or leave out in your classroom. It's designated for those who are preparing to say goodbye to a loved one. The story was inspired by a young girl who was there when her dog had to be put down, but it also applies to people. I had a hard time getting through it, because it took me back to those final moments with each of my parents as they passed. I think I actually uttered some of those words to them.

It's also supposed to show how animals deal with death and grief, which I think too often we forget they also go through. 

I think maybe because of my own personal experience going through this relatively recently with my parents, it was harder for me to read the book from the perspective of animals. I think I know what the author's intention was. And I also had moments of remembering being there when my elderly pets also died recently and how the younger ones reacted. But the part about "I will watch our children grow up. I will watch our grandchildren, too," kind of threw me off a bit. I don't know how children will relate to that part. I felt like I was getting mixed stories from this one book. Is it people or is it animals? I think minus that little bit, I may have appreciated the story more.

Nevertheless, I think it could potentially be a starting point for conversation with children when you know that a pet or beloved relative or friend is going to pass on, how you can say goodbye and grieve as you remember them after they're gone. We never know how we are actually going to react as adults, let alone how the kids are going to react in these situations.

I will say that the illustrations are absolutely beautiful and do compel all kinds of emotions when you look at them. I could feel the sadness and the pain of the animals saying goodbye to their loved ones.

Thank you to the publisher for fulfilling my review request via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodness on Deposit: The Ginormous Tiny Idea by Mary Argento

 

"Goodness on Deposit - The Ginormous Tiny Idea” is the first in a series of books which promote a child's awareness of other's needs and demonstrates practical ways for children to make a difference in the life of a friend, neighbor or family member. It is a sweet interactive story which teaches children, through M.T.'s journey, to identify acts of kindness that need doing and record them in their Goodness on Deposit bankbook which is outlined in the book. M.T., our 8 year old main character very much admires his mother because she is kind and loving to others and possesses what he believes to be a "heart of gold". A small seed of an idea begins to percolate in M.T.'s head. He has a vision where he, along with his buddies, would open up a Goodness on Deposit Bank where children like himself would deposit their good deeds until they reach a balance which would earn them a heart of gold.

Buy on Amazon

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

One Day I Tried to Rhyme a Word with On-o-mat-o-poe-ia by Lucinda West, Timothy West, and Elizabeth Land

 

Hi! I’m Beatrice, and I love words, especially BIG, GINORMOUS words like on-o-mat-o-poe-ia. Isn’t that a fun word to say? ON-O-MAT-O-POE-IA! ON-O-MAT-O-POE-IA! Are you ready to go on an adventure?

Let’s see if we can find a word that rhymes with ON-O-MAT-O-POE-IA!

Follow Beatrice’s lead and ask your family to help you make up a few of your own rhymes to bring your own favorite sounds to life.

Your family may also enjoy reading the helpful hints at the back of the book for creating your own family project.

This is a perfect book for children learning to sound out words and sentences. Filled with sounds, rhymes, and rhythm, this book instills confidence and supports success for children eager to start reading on their own.

Kindle * Paperback

(affiliate links included)

About the Author

Lucinda is a doctor. No, not that kind. She earned her PhD in CES and received awards for teaching and mentoring doctoral counselors as a university professor.Asa licensed marriage and family therapist, her books are crafted to help families have fun together and strengthen their relationships while giving children a sense of accomplishment. Dr. Westhas previously published twobooks, a book chapter, and several articles. She also plays the piano and loves to draw.

Lucinda was diagnosed in 2016 with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. She retired from her full-time job to focus on writing books and spending time with her family.You can follow her journey here: thebreastcancerjourney.com.

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

Review of The Seal With a Pink Bow by Ellen Aldon, illustrated by Peter Zafris

  

I'm bored! Five-year-old Jillian doesn't enjoy sailing with her father and older brothers. They won't let her help, and they make it abundantly clear that she is in the way. It's not fun! Her father urges her to search for a seal with a pink bow in the ocean, and when she discovers Mary, Jillian's imagination soars! Soon she is talking and playing with a baby harbor seal, and creating new adventures all summer long. Even when the cold weather arrives and Jillian can't sail, she knows that Mary will always come back when she uses her power of imagination!

The Seal with a Pink Bow is a story of a special relationship between a father and his daughter, and the gift of creativity and self-entertainment he shares with her. It is perfect for preschool and early readers.

Goodreads

Buy on Amazon

(affiliate link included)

**My thoughts**

I first have to say that I love that this book was born from a family tradition. That makes it even more special for the creators, but can also inspire another family to do the same or compare their own adventures to the book.

Mary is a seal with a pink bow who only appears to the narrator. They spend the summer having all kinds of fun. When the weather gets colder, Mary goes away for the annual migration. But of course, she returns in the spring. And the little girl's father is her biggest supporter of her belief in her special friend, especially when her brothers tease her. (I also love this.)

It's a really sweet story of essentially an imaginary friend, but shows how much fun you can have with your imagination. Perhaps young readers will be inspired to find their own fun playmates! 

This is a cute one for at home or in the classroom.

I received a requested review copy from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the author:

Award-winning author Ellen B. Alden is a former elementary teacher who began her writing career in 2016 when she published a historical fiction novel based on a Civil War letters she discovered in her attic. Her book Yours Faithfully, Florence Burke was awarded Best Fiction novel by the Independent Publisher of New England in 2017 and sent her on a book tour throughout New England, the Midwest, and Ireland. Ellen is a graduate of Saint Michael's College in Vermont. She also attended Pepperdine University and Merrimack College Graduate School of Education. Ellen loves sailing on the Maine coast and Cape Ann with her husband and three children. She lives in a picturesque town, North of Boston called Manchester-by-the-Sea.

About the illustrator:

Peter Zafris enjoys the creative process as much as seeing the result of his efforts. He feels fortunate as an adult to be doing something he loves; creating illustrations, photographs, product and package designs. Peter subscribes to the entire Adobe Suite, but he prefers to work primarily in Illustrator CC and Photoshop CC. He is also an avid photographer who uses his high-resolution digital camera to shoot product shots for the packages and catalogs he designs. Every project Peter receives offers unlimited creative possibilities and a chance to try something new.

The Seal With a Pink Bow by Ellen B. Alden and illustrated by Peter Zafris

 

I'm bored! Five-year-old Jillian doesn't enjoy sailing with her father and older brothers. They won't let her help, and they make it abundantly clear that she is in the way. It's not fun! Her father urges her to search for a seal with a pink bow in the ocean, and when she discovers Mary, Jillian's imagination soars! Soon she is talking and playing with a baby harbor seal, and creating new adventures all summer long. Even when the cold weather arrives and Jillian can't sail, she knows that Mary will always come back when she uses her power of imagination!

The Seal with a Pink Bow is a story of a special relationship between a father and his daughter, and the gift of creativity and self-entertainment he shares with her. It is perfect for preschool and early readers.

Buy on Amazon

(affiliate link included)

About the author:

Award-winning author Ellen B. Alden is a former elementary teacher who began her writing career in 2016 when she published a historical fiction novel based on a Civil War letters she discovered in her attic. Her book Yours Faithfully, Florence Burke was awarded Best Fiction novel by the Independent Publisher of New England in 2017 and sent her on a book tour throughout New England, the Midwest, and Ireland. Ellen is a graduate of Saint Michael's College in Vermont. She also attended Pepperdine University and Merrimack College Graduate School of Education. Ellen loves sailing on the Maine coast and Cape Ann with her husband and three children. She lives in a picturesque town, North of Boston called Manchester-by-the-Sea.

About the illustrator:

Peter Zafris enjoys the creative process as much as seeing the result of his efforts. He feels fortunate as an adult to be doing something he loves; creating illustrations, photographs, product and package designs. Peter subscribes to the entire Adobe Suite, but he prefers to work primarily in Illustrator CC and Photoshop CC. He is also an avid photographer who uses his high-resolution digital camera to shoot product shots for the packages and catalogs he designs. Every project Peter receives offers unlimited creative possibilities and a chance to try something new.

I was compensated for sharing this post. I only share those books that I feel will be of interest to my readers. If you're interested in promotion for your book, please check out my Fiverr profile.

Review of Community Questions: How Can People Help Communities? by Martha E.H. Rustad

A community is only as strong as its individual members. What roles do those members play, and how do citizens work together to complete common tasks and achieve goals? A clear question-answer format, paired with photos kids can relate to, shows the importance of responsibility and cooperation. A simple activity encourages young readers to actively participate in their own community.

Goodreads * Amazon * BN

(affiliate link included)

**My thoughts**

What is a community? Who is in our community? How can we help our community? All of these questions are discussed and accompanied by real photos of a diverse group of people in their own communities. I appreciate the real pictures because those will help younger children better relate to the concepts. They may better recognize themselves and family and friends in these pictures. The book also allows for discussion around the concepts. I would add it to my collection on community helpers for the classroom.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me a review copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review of Letters A to Z by Susie Jaramillo

From the Emmy-nominated, award-winning bilingual preschool series Canticos, comes Letters A to Z, a part of the Canticos Bilingual Firsts collection.

Learn the letters of the alphabet in both English and Spanish. Includes the Spanish letters of Ch, Ll, and Ñ, and the words associated with them. Complete with beautiful illustrations, this book is a great way to make learning opposites with your little chickie special and unique in not one, but two languages.

Concept: Letters, Words.

Format:
• 6" x 6" board book format perfect for little readers.
• English and Spanish on the same spread.
• "This book belongs to" page to personalize with a child’s name.

"Canticos resonates with parents who want to raise multilingual children through quality, appealing content." ― NBC

"Good books not only teach your child about different cultures and their traditions, they are also a great way to help your child pick up new vocabulary and information about different regions around the world. Canticos...is a great place to start" ― Motherly

"Susie Jaramillo created a media company with an educational, cross-cultural, and intergenerational mission." ― School Library Journal

"¿Qué hacer cuando los niños no quieren dormir? La colección bilingüe Canticos de Susie Jaramillo reúne tiernas canciones de cuna de nuestra infancia." ― People en Español

Children can also watch our bilingual videos on the Canticos channel!

Beloved by kids, parents and educators, Canticos is the #1 bilingual preschool brand.

Goodreads * Amazon * BN

(affiliate link included)

**My thoughts**

This bilingual Spanish and English book has super, super cute illustrations in it. You journey through the alphabet in both languages. On the left side, you have the capital letter and an English word beginning with that letter. Its Spanish translation is underneath. Then on the right side, you have the lowercase letter and a Spanish word beginning with that letter. Its English translation is underneath. The pictures on both sides fit together into one large picture. 

I keep going back and forth on this. I feel like the children are not going to connect the uppercase and lowercase letters as being the same letters because you are going to pronounce them differently, depending on the language being used. At the same time, you could maybe read it in a way that associates the two. And then all of the English nouns are capitalized to go with their associated capital letter, which is not how we normally treat nouns in English. We only capitalize proper nouns, unless they are at the beginning of a sentence. German is the language that always capitalizes its nouns. And then finally, it's a personal pet peeve that everyone uses ice cream for the letter I. I know that it's something that children love and relate to. But when we are teaching kids their phonics, we always start with short i, not long i. And with Earth, yes, the word does start with the letter E, but it's an r-controlled vowel and not the short e that we are teaching kids in the beginning. Because of the inclusion of ch and ll as Spanish letters in this book, I felt like the authors were trying to encourage learning those beginning sounds, so I would personally prefer to have the early ones that we teach.

Otherwise, it is a fun way to learn the vocabulary for so many words in both languages. And I have to reiterate that I absolutely adore these illustrations. I would still probably add it to my classroom library, because those illustrations are going to draw in the children to looking at it. I just think I would have to get creative if using it as an alphabet/phonetic teaching tool.

Thank you to the publisher for fulfilling my review request via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review of Something Wonderful by Matt Ritter

Winner of the 2021 NATIONAL OUTDOOR BOOK AWARD in CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

Winner of the 2021 NEXT GENERATION INDIE BOOK AWARD in CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL PICTURE BOOK and CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK, NON-FICTION

This educational and interactive picture book immerses the reader in the strange and interwoven lifecycles of a tropical fig tree in the rainforest, and the tiny insects and colorful creatures that call it home. Following the growth of a seed dropped into the canopy of a rainforest tree by a flying toucan, Something Wonderful teaches the interdependence of rainforest ecology in an easy-to-follow, captivating story. Flip the beautifully illustrated pages and experience the journey of the fig seedling making roots and leaves, growing strong, eventually replacing the giant tree that was its host, making figs, attracting pollinators, and developing its life-giving seeds.

Something Wonderful happens next. The delectable fig fruit is hungrily eaten by a passing toucan who, upon flight, aimlessly drops a seed from its poop into the treetops below, beginning the fig's lifecycle once again. Discover additional scientific information about the pollination process, insects, and animals found in the story in an illustrated section at the end of the book. Readers can play a "seek and find" game of locating the elusive red-eyed tree frog on each page of the story. Take a journey, from the tiny to the grand, while making your way through the tropical rainforest on the path to uncover Something Wonderful...

"It's as if one is watching a documentary narrated by English nature historian David Attenborough...A gorgeous-looking lesson that will satisfy kids and parents alike."
-- Kirkus Reviews

"A great choice for classroom units on life cycles, symbiosis, and rain forest ecosystems."
--Booklist

Book Links

Goodreads * Amazon * BN

(affiliate link included)

**My thoughts**
I have always found that the magic of the circle of life is always "Something Wonderful."And Matt Ritter strives to demonstrate this in his book that chronicles the life cycle of the fig tree.

Now, I've been eating figs my whole life. (OK, read Fig Newtons, but whatever.) And I've learned a lot about the rainforest over my years of teaching, but wasn't aware of how fig trees actually grow. Apparently the seed falls onto a tree, and as the roots grow and the fig tree grows, it actually takes over the host tree. And I never realized the part that wasps played in fertilizing the fig blossoms so that the fruit can grow. Plus the figs provide a sort of nest for the wasp offspring to hatch and grow. It's absolutely fascinating and I will never look at figs the same way again.

The drawings are definitely appealing and help to chronicle the life cycle. For added fun, a red-eyed tree frog is hidden on several of the pages for kids to find. (I love red-eyed tree frogs!)

Following the story is more detailed information about the lifecycle of the fig wasp, red-eyed tree frogs, and the chestnut-mandibled toucan, who is responsible for spreading the fig trees throughout the rain forest.

It's also dedicated to Sir David Attenborough, which is fun.

I think this book would make an excellent addition to a science area in the classroom, or just as a fun read at home.

I received a requested review copy from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.