The Little Parrot and the Angel's Tears

By M. Anu Narasimhan

The Little Parrot and the Angel’s Tears is a truly touching children’s book. The simple word choices and rhyming scheme appeal to young audiences while the underlying message is applicable to all ages. The themes of self-acceptance and compassion hit home but are only the icing on top of the greater message of making a difference in the world around us. One person can impact the lives around them and the world, no matter how small that person is. 

The pictures are beautifully drawn by the author in keeping with the cultural tone of the story. When we finished reading this book, my son immediately asked me to read it again. I’m certain that your children ask the same.

This book was provided for review by the author.
 
The review was submitted by Laura - Laura is a wife and mother of three. She teaches 7th-12th grade English and Yearbook/Journalism at a K-12 school in beautiful southern Oregon. She enjoys reading, writing a variety of arts and crafts.

When I Grow Up I Want to Be...in the U.S. Army!

When I Grow Up I Want to be in the U.S. Army! comes with my highest recommendation. Virtually error-free, this book is written at an age-appropriate level for upper elementary school children. It smoothly weaves together a fictional narrative with a wide range of facts about the U.S. Army. With a well-targeted vocabulary, children will be able to understand the facts and narrative using context clues and further assisted with the glossary at the end of the book.

The pictures included a variety of diagrams, real photos, illustrations, and photos and illustrations combine to form complete images. Even at two years old, my son poured over the pictures, more excited with each page. “Wow!” he exclaimed at picture after picture. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough for him. He was especially taken with posters about historic Cavalry horses and a diagram of a tank.

This book is a bit on the lengthy side, but provides the facts in a way that generates enthusiasm for further research. This is an excellent read, definitely worth exploring.


This book was provided for review by the author.
 
The review was submitted by Laura - Laura is a wife and mother of three. She teaches 7th-12th grade English and Yearbook/Journalism at a K-12 school in beautiful southern Oregon. She enjoys reading, writing a variety of arts and crafts.

Obama Confidential

By Marc Berlin

Obama Confidential is the satirical compilation of fictional letters written to President Obama. Letters range from a wedding invitation sent to the White House in suit with Pinterest posts on how to get a letter of congratulations from the president to NRA members up in arms about the right to bear arms. The wide range of letters are guaranteed to strike a chord with a wide audience.

Typically I listen to audio books on my hour commute to work, so I requested this one due to the availability. After listening to the audio book, I realized that this was the most successful format for Obama Confidential. The various voices and impressions added to the non-verbal communication that allows the listener to further grasp the humor in each letter.

One of the highlights of this book was a letter from a laundromat owner who felt he was being profiled. The fictional letter was sent to President Obama, requesting help stopping the profiling which had resulted in tax audits each year since September 11, 2001. Another highlight was the well-worded and spoken replies from President Obama. Accurately portraying that the president does not have the time and opportunities to reply to each letter, the responses continued the tongue-in-cheek humor. Whether you love Obama, hate him, or are somewhere in between, this audio book truly contains something for everyone.


This book was provided for review by the author.
 
The review was submitted by Laura - Laura is a wife and mother of three. She teaches 7th-12th grade English and Yearbook/Journalism at a K-12 school in beautiful southern Oregon. She enjoys reading, writing a variety of arts and crafts.

Odus and the Long Way Home

By Dare DeLano

How do you introduce the classics to a new generation? Better yet, how do you introduce the classics, keep their attention and do so in a way that will not only be enjoyable, but leave your audience clamoring for more? That's the monumental task author Dare DeLano takes on in her new book Odus and the Long Way Home, the first book of her Book Keeper series.

Siblings Liz and Charlie are in for an adventure when eccentric Aunt Gertrude blows into town. Drawn to a peculiar set of books on the bookshelf in her room, Liz and Charlie soon find themselves deeply (and quite literally) entranced by Homer's story The Odyssey. In fact, the two find themselves a vital part of Odysseus' grand adventures: from escaping the Cyclops and Lotus Eaters, to surviving the sirens' song, to outsmarting the suitors determined to win the hand of Odysseus' beloved Penelope.

Ms. DeLano has done a masterful job at staying true to the original story while keeping a young audience (and this reviewer!) fully engaged. Details draw in the reader to the point where it's like you're in the story yourself. You can almost feel the spray of the ocean or experience the fear of discovery in the Cyclops' cave. The next book in this installment is titled "Two Cities." I look forward to reading that one and sincerely hope there are many more to come.

Parents, grandparents, elementary teachers: you want to add the books of Aunt Gertrude's  library to your own and share the joy of some of classic literature's greatest adventures with the young minds you care for.


This book was provided for review by the author.
 
The review was submitted by Kristin  - Kristin is a wife, homeschooling mom and the founder of The Book Trotter.  She wrote her first review over 20 years ago and has been reading and loving books ever since.

Mary Mary Quite: On Raising Children (and other mind-altering substances)

By Mary Huckstep

When you raise five children, you are certain to have any number of hilarious stories and words of wisdom to impart to other harried mothers desperately seeking promises of victory - or at least a full night's sleep at the end of the long road we know as "childhood." In her book, Mary Mary Quite, author Mary Huckstep promises just that.

This book is a compilation of short stories and tales of motherhood and beyond. Most of the are amusing and perfect to provide a few moments of entertainment in an otherwise busy world. This reviewer would not, however, recommend sitting down and reading book in its entirety, for fear that one would lost interest midway.

Well written and beautifully illustrated, this book would make a nice gift for any mother - young or not so young.

This book was provided for review by the author.
 
The review was submitted by Kristin  - Kristin is a wife, homeschooling mom and the founder of The Book Trotter.  She wrote her first review over 20 years ago and has been reading and loving books ever since.

Monstrously Funny Cartoons

By Christopher Hart

Dorothy Gale once cried "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" In today's pop culture, the anthem might be "Vampires and zombies and monsters, oh my!" With that in mind, author and artist Christopher Hart looks to thrill his readers with his new book, Monstrously Funny Cartoons.

This book gives step-by-step instructions on how to draw a wide variety of cartoon characters. Chapters include:

•  Zombies, the "quintessential 'always-moving-forward-but-never-taking-a-step-backward' monsters
•  Vampires, the "charismatic denizens of the dark"
• Aliens
• Mummies, "the clown princes and princesses of cartoon horror"

As an added bonus, sections on the weird and bizarre, legendary monsters and "monstrously funny layouts" are also included.

This reviewer is not an artist by any stretch of the imagination. Still, I thought it would be a fun book to spend time with. My young daughter, on the other hand, is an avid artist and literally squealed with delight when she saw me pull this book out of the mailbox.  The bright colors and fun looking (this mom inserts "slightly creepy") characters on the front cover immediately drew her in. However, the detailed instructions and the frequent tips are what kept this book not only locked in her tight little clasp, but a constant companion with her sketchpad and pencils.

If you are an artist, or have an artist in your family, you will definitely want to pick up a copy of Monstrously Funny Cartoons.


This book was provided for review by Blogging for Books.
 
The review was submitted by Kristin - Kristin is a wife, homeschooling mom and the founder of The Book Trotter.  She wrote her first review over 20 years ago and has been reading and loving books ever since.

Interview with Wes Wetzel

Recently we had the opportunity to ask Wes Wetzel, author of 1001 A.D. a few questions.

What motivated you to write this book?

My motivation to write 1001 A.D. grew out of the experience of having lived for a year in Iceland and also a visit to L’Anse aux Meadows.

What drew you to this time period and these characters?

The timeframe came about as that was when Leif Ericson lived, which in turn coincided with the time the Vikings discovered North America. However, there exists, to my knowledge, no evidence that it was Leif Ericson who was in the discovery party.

If you had to choose one thing that is most memorable that you learned researching 1001 A.D.?

The most interesting thing about researching for the book was finding the real names of Leif’s wife and children

What do you hope your readers will take away from this book?

I hope my readers read the book for enjoyment, but most people do not know about the Viking site in Newfoundland.

Do you have plans for any more books in the future?

My second novel is about half finished and is about the American Indian in the year 912 A.D., long before they had horses, sheep, or goats. It will be called Etched in Stone.