Tag: Children’s books

Bitmo Sunday book review

Sunday Book Review – Amazing Matilda – A Monarch’s Tale by Bette Stevens

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Welcome to the Sunday Book Review. In between reading my current read, I had to give this book a quick read before I gifted it to my young grandniece. The book is Amazing Matilda – A Monarch’s Tale by Bette Stevens. A short and beautiful tale about Matilda the caterpillar, eagerly awaiting her transformation and wings so she could fly.

 

 

Blurb:

Inspire the Kids with an Award-winning (Excellence in Children’s Literature) Monarch Butterfly Tale. In this age of instant gratification, there’s an award-winning children’s picture book out that teaches kids that patience and hard work really do pay off.

‘AMAZING MATILDA: A Monarch’s Tale’ is a timely tale that follows MATILDA, a tiny monarch caterpillar, from the time she hatches from her egg on a giant milkweed leaf until she realizes her dream to fly. The story provides challenges and adventure at every turn.

Grandparents, parents and teachers will find that AMAZING MATILDA is a book that kids will want to read themselves and hear read to them again and again.

 

My 5 Star Review:

What a beautiful book this is – both in story and illustration. Stevens has written a clever story about Matilda the caterpillar who is anxiously awaiting her transformation into a butterfly. The story is engaging and educational. Besides evoking the transformational process from caterpillar to butterly in a clever and conversational manner between Matilda and her friends Sparrow and Rabbit, there are lessons in the story to be taken.

As Matilda laments on about her excitement waiting to transform, her friends give her friendly reminders to both – have patience, and to trust her instincts. Worthy advice in life. And as Matilda finally begins growing her first pair of wings and attempts to fly, but not quite ready yet, her friends advise – “If you try long and hard enough, you can accomplish anything.” Alas Matilda could fly!

This is a wonderful book to teach children about the butterfly transformation. I’d say from six or seven on, children can enjoy this book reading by themselves, but also a great book for parents to read to their younger children, accompanied by beautiful pictures. A sweet story for the young ones.

 

Before I sign off, I wanted to share a link to Diana Peach’s blog MythsoftheMirror where she shared a great list of reviews for books she read in November. And I was thrilled to find one of my books included on her read list. Diana is a wonderful reviewer and her monthly reviews are partially responsible for my bursting at the seams Kindle. 🙂

 

©DGKaye2020

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Book reviews by D.G. Kaye

Sunday Book Review – Brody Cody and the Stepmother from Outer Space by Toni Pike – #Children’sbook

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My Sunday Book Review is for a book not in my usual genre of reading – Brody Cody and the Stepmother from Outer Space is a children’s book written by my friend and multi-genre author, Toni Pike. I’m more used to reading Toni’s thrillers but couldn’t resist checking out this book when she gifted me with a copy. Wonderfully relatable book for children with clever lessons entwined in the story.

 

 

 

Blurb:

Brody Cody is almost eight years old and definitely, absolutely, positively does NOT want a mother. His mother died when he was a baby but life with his dad is just perfect.

Brody is horrified when his father goes away to a publishing conference and returns with a wife, Pandora Smith, who is a children’s author. His life spirals out of control as he is forced to eat healthy food, do his homework and help with some chores.

Even worse, he and his friends suspect that his new stepmother might be an alien from outer space.

A hilarious adventure for children aged 6-9.

 

My 5 Star Review:

This was a pleasant diversion in the children’s genre from this author whose books I’m used to reading in the mystery/thriller genre, but was delighted to read how the author crossed genres. Pike did a wonderful job with this story about a little boy growing up with his dad, just the two of them after Brody’s mom died in an accident when he was a baby, living like boys with no rules. That was until Brody’s dad falls in love with a new woman while out at a business conference and marries her, and Brody’s life of  lounging, junk-food eating and lack of household rules are forever changed.

When Brody proceeds to tell his best friend Kyle about his new stepmother, he also mentioned that Pandora had two different colored eyes. The boys were convinced she was an alien from outer space, especially since Kyle is convinced he saw a UFO while star-gazing. Between her two different colored eyes, her healthy cooking and creating new house chores, the two boys are convinced Pandora is from outer space.

I found this book a delightful read. Reading a children’s book through adult eyes, we can see how cleverly the author has woven in the good changes Pandora has brought to Brody’s life, despite the fact that some of these changes were so foreign to Brody, and how he eventually learns to happily adapt and realize how wonderful it really is to have a new mom.

 

©DGKaye2020

 

Book reviews

#BookReview – Runaway Smile – Nicholas Rossis

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book reviews

Sunday book review featuring Runaway Smile by author, Nicholas Rossis. Nicholas is a versatile writer who writes children’s books, epic fantasies, science fiction short stories, and his newest book, Emotional Beats is a writer’s guide to using expressions and dialogue tags in our writing.

nicholas-author-photo

The Blurb:

 

Winner of the Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award, in the Young Adult Fiction category. Award-Winning Finalist in the “Children’s Fiction” category of the 2015
International Book Awards, Award-Winning Finalist in the 2015 Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards.

“I woke up this morning and I had lost my smile and it wasn’t my fault and I looked everywhere and it was gone. Then I met a workman and a king and the best salesman in the world and a clown and no-one wanted to give me theirs. At school, I asked Miss to give me hers, but she gave us a pop quiz instead, and then no-one was smiling and…”

A little boy’s smile runs away until it owner learns that an unshared smile is a wasted smile.

 

Runaway Smile: An unshared smile is a wasted smile (Niditales Book 1) by [Rossis, Nicholas]

 

Get this book on Amazon Here 

 

My 5 Star Review – Where do smiles come from?

 

This is a heartwarming little story accompanied by fun pictures to go along with the stories. A tale of a child searching for his smile and the people he encounters throughout his day whom he questions, asking where he can get his smile back. No doubt, there’s a heartfelt message that comes from his mom, where he learns the true meaning of a smile and where it really comes from. A great children’s book, as well, a great parental read.

 

Check out all of Nicholas’ books on his Amazon page Here!Â