Review 5 star
Find It On Amazon What Makes a Bug a Bug? (Animal Classes) is a fun bedtime story book to teach small children a little science . Author Andi Cann introduces kids to a bright, happy little boy named Bucky who is reading a “magic mystery book” (a science book, of course!) with his dog Bingo. Bucky is learning all about the complicated world of insects. How can you tell the difference between a true insect and things that are just small like worms? Bucky learns the rule of 6:3:2 and isn’t in doubt any longer. The insect world can be confusing, but it’s not hard for Bucky to get it right once he knows the trick. Andi Cann’s book is really great for cutting straight to the simple facts kids need to be learning. Scientific terminology can be a little complex, but a simple method like 6:3:2 (insects have 6 legs, 3 body parts, and 2 antennae), lined up with some large, vivid illustrations of actual insects will give kids something to latch onto and actually remember as they try to locate the 6 legs and 3 body parts. Or, of course, to find out where they are missing, making that creature not a true insect. What Makes a Bug a Bug?(Animal Classes) gets right into the action so kids can start identifying why a spider (an arachnid) is different and point to pictures of true insects and other creepy crawlies until they can spot the necessary 6:3:2 features. The conversational tone makes this spirited, cheerful little book a natural for read-aloud, and combines education and hands-on fun in a cute way. Review 5 star
Find It On Amazon Believe: What Do You Do When Your Dream is Bigger Than You? by Kirstin Leigh is a Christian middle-grade story about a 12-year-old girl named Kristi Kate who wants more than anything to be a big star. Songs just come to her. She lives to perform. And she’s super-excited about the premiere at her school of a musical that she wrote! But everything is ruined when her father’s plane crashes in a tiny town in Alabama. Kristi is beyond devastated, but when she starts to make new friends in the town, it isn’t long before she realizes maybe all this happened for a reason. There’s a church that needs to be revitalized. Does God have a special plan for her in this place? Believe took me on a charming journey with a young girl who has so much to offer the world—and at the same time, so much to learn. If you just can’t resist a feel-good small-town story with a great message, this book is picture-perfect. Kirstin Leigh creates some complex characters with real flaws, real relationships, and real growth journeys that—often literally—sing off the page and straight into your heart. There are authentic disappointments and achievements, such as Kristi’s struggle to get her father to accept her dreams and her hard work pulling all the kids in the town together for a big show, and Kristi is a strong main character. She splashes across the page like a shiny ribbon of optimism and she comes to understand that God’s plan is driving her life and her dreams in a relatable way. A well-written book sprinkled with songs and “God ideas” that will encourage girls to unlock their potential and grow their faith. Review 4 star
Find It On Amazon (the link leads to individual books that contain poems from this anthology. This specific book is not yet on Amazon.) Braid: Poems and Thoughts Selected by Anna Tegner is a collection of intelligent and emotional pieces by Pierre Sotér. The book brings together poems from three of Sotér’s works (Dawn, Emotions and Emoções, and It May Be Better) to form a good composite of the ideas he expresses throughout his poetry. The message is a quest for philosophy and reason, combined with acceptance of the reality that there’s more to life than we can find with just our intellects. The collection has many layers and reflects the nuances and dignity of a searching mind examining life. “Life dawns in the worlds we dream and lives in the moments we will remember,” is a beautiful fragment from this book and delightful little gems appear throughout. Pierre Sotér’s writing is noteworthy. It is gentle and sensitive yet packs a heavy punch of honesty and purpose—an uncommon combination. I was involved in each poem as an individual entity. While many books of poetry have an overall theme which all the poems reiterate, those in Braid: Poems and Thoughts have their own personality, distinct and visualized. Each one its own story. Reading this book was like reading many tiny books in one. The tone was often sad, but also joyful when describing love and curiosity about the world, those moments that make life special. Singing rhythms of undiluted ideas harnessed into words propel this book forward and that is just what poetry should be. Standout moments include the wistful painting of a bygone time in “Barren Crags,” “Singing in Wonderland,” “Turning Still,” the insightful “Bereft,” and the witty, imaginative “Taking Off.” |
AuthorThis is the companion for Sarah Scheele's newsletter blog. In it I share reviews for books I'd recommend/are similar to my own. Archives
August 2022
Categories
All
|