A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Reviews

The One Thing You’d Save

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (The One Thing You’d Save) through Raincoast Books.  Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so.  🙂

What a fun assignment.  Imagine there’s been some sort of catastrophe.  Your family, friends, and pets are safe. Now… pick one thing, doesn’t matter the size, shape, or even it’s weight, that you would save.  What would that one thing be?    This is the question in “The One Thing You’d Save”. Newberry Medalist Linda Sue Park brings us this question  inspired by the Korean poety form sijo. 

The One Thing You'd Save

The Basic Facts

The One Thing You’d Save by Linda Sue Parks takes a singular question and allows many different voices to answer it.  Voices raised in discussion and thought about what they deem most important to save.   This 3-7th grade read is published by Clarion Books, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Encompassing 72 pages of lively discussion found in carefully written verse.  You can almost hear the students talking with each other. 

More Details on The One Thing You’d Save

Oh, I laughed at times.  Kids bantering with each other, pushing each other a bit, and learning from each other.  It was just so real!   It wasn’t all laughter though, sometimes hard things happen when you’re a child and even fun exercises like this can bring that out. 

The teacher’s words are always in a different font as well as darker in colour.   

Just are the words of the children affected me, they also affected her.  The things we learn about each other influences what we think and feel doesn’t it? 

Simple grayscale pencil drawings highlight the thoughts of the children.  Sometimes joining the words on the page, and sometimes following after, letting you absorb the words spoken. 

All in all, such a well done book.  

Add it to your bookshelf?

Oh, this is a hard one to answer.

I think as a one time read I’d rather borrow from the library.  BUT if I wanted to keep it to share with multiple children, or use it in a co-op class, or a classroom situation, then I’d definitely want to have my own copy.  It would be an exercise I think would be well worth doing several times with different classes/groups.   

I really enjoyed reading The One Thing You’d Save and would happily read it again. Part of that is I love books that encourage the reader to think.  I’ve been pondering all night, what would I save if my house was on fire?   And I still don’t know, but I have ideas…. 

I wonder what yours might be?

The Book of Tiny Creatures

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (The Book of Tiny Creatures) through Raincoast Books.  Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so.  🙂 

When I saw this book in my pile of book to review from Raincoast I was so delighted.  My lad would have loved The Book of Tiny Creatures as a child.  I hope that I can find just the right child to gift this to as I know it will bring delight to any child fascinated by the tiny creatures around us.   

There are SO many tiny creatures around us, worms, beetles, snails, flying, crawling, slithering, everywhere living teeny tiny critters invading our world.  Let’s welcome them shall we?  🙂   Seriously!

The book of tiny creatures

Learning about Tiny Creatures

The Book of Tiny Creatures was produced by Princeton Architectural Press.  Instructively written by Nathalie Tordjman and realistically illustrated by Julien Norwood and Emmanuelle Tchoukriel.  72 pages encased in a hardcover binding, written for youth 5-9 years old. Reviewed for Raincoast Books. 

Digging Deeper

You will find five overall sections, each with five subsections.

  • Who are the Tiny Creatures? 
  • Life in the sky 
  • Close to the Ground 
  • In the Water
  • Incredible Creatures

You’ll find oodles of pictures that are so intricately drawn it’s delightful to see.  Good descriptions of select creatures as well.  Plus information pages to round out ideas and get children thinking. 

Quiz pages in each section.   Not all the answers are given (at least not that I saw quickly), which allows you to do some research, and find more questions to ask (and answer) about these amazing critters of the world.  Finding books that encourage excellent questions are always a boon to me.  Feeding curiousity in others makes my heart smile, does it do the same to yours? 

Plus things to do!  Build a terrarium, explore at the seashore, or create shelters in your backyard.  STEM activities at their best!  Learn, create, and grow!   Don’t you just love STEM activities?  Such an excellent way to put all the knowledge you are gathering to good purpose. 

I LOVe how the information is laid out and the variety of creature life featured.  I would have spent more than one night pouring over the pages with my lad and so many questions would be raised.

Should The Book of Tiny Creatures be yours?

FOR SURE!   If you have any interest in these little creatures of the world, get this book. If you have a child like mine who is fascinated by them and comes up with good questions, get this book so they can come up with MORE good questions.  Feed interests!  Help them learn and to love doing so! 

The book of tiny creatures with it’s excellent illustrations and good information is a winner!  Add it to your bookshelves as soon as you can!  🙂  It will be a good start to a study on insects, ocean creatures, Pollinators, pesky bugs, and more. 

Shine Bright

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Shine Bright) through Nuts about Books. Affiliate links will be used, thank you for the encouragement this offers which costs you nothing in the end.  🙂 

Shine Bright is a new devotional that runs for 60 days.  it is “designed to encourage you in your relationship with God and equip you to shine bright for His glory.”  (p.9)  It take six weeks to develop a new habit.  So why not use a devotional to help you develop the habit of spending time with God? 

Shine Bright

The Basics of Shine Bright

Shine Bright is a devotional published by BakerBooks.  Nuts about books offered me this way to know God better for review.  I received a hardcover copy.   60 days, each devotional 2-3 pages in length.   Total pages 208, a small hardcover easily tucked away in a purse.   Written by sisters Kristen Clark and Bethany Beal. 

Digging Deeper

The layout of each devotional is a singular bible verse, followed by a reading, followed by either a bible passage or a singular verse to read, along with questions to think deeper about it.  THOUGH, occasionally no follow up scripture was provided and just questions to ponder. 

You’ll find this devotional esthetically pleasing.  The layout is predictable of 2-3 pages per devotional, with what I thought, a pretty chapter heading.

As I view as a book for girls, or perhaps, very new believers, the questions were light.  Something to help you think deeper about a variety of issues affecting our Christian belief.   They did do some self-promotion within the devotional readings which I disliked.  Save that for the close of the book please. 

Some tough topics were covered and it’s HARD to know how to talk about such things sensitively.  Overall, I think they did okay with some of those tough issues.  By no means perfectly, but when you are writing with girls in mind, you do need to be careful right? 

This devotional was lacking a bible verse index at the close of the book. 

Should Shine Bright Be in Your home?

Do know that I have not read every page of this devotional Shine Bright.  I haven’t had it long enough to do so. But I tell you this so you know I can’t attest to every word written.  It’s not an in-depth devotional, but I find that most devotionals are not.  The goal… to get people learning a new habit (at least that’s my assumption!) of spending time with God daily.   The cover makes me think that this devotional is not geared toward adults, but rather toward teens as honestly, at almost 56 years old, most people wouldn’t be saying to me “Girl, you gotta do this”.   🙂 

The chapter on hospitality left me feeling like it should have been more. Not just focused on throwing a party, but on the different ways people can show hospitality that still honours that gifting.  So showing how a person who is gifted in a less “not throw a party” manner, but in a quieter opening up the house manner.  This particular devotion, in Shine Bright, felt shallow.  

So do I recommend it?  Truth can be gleaned.  I’ve read worse devotionals that made me want to throw them away, or left me feeling “icky” for lack of a better word.  This devotional, though some parts were shallow, also had truth, and good questions to ponder.   If I were rating it on Amazon… I’d give it three stars, which is what I’ll do on Goodreads. 

Shy Willow

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Shy Willow) through Raincoast Books.  Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so.  🙂 

Imagine if you would, for just a moment that the world is a big scary place.  You have a place to call home where all is good in the world.  You are safe from the scary world.   

Now imagine that if have the occasion to help someone, but you’ll have to do something very scary, but you want so badly to help.  What will you do?   Shy Willow faces such a decision.  Will she follow her heart’s desire?  

Shy Willow

Shy Willow, the details

Cat Min writes a sweet story of a shy cautious rabbit learning to do big brave things.  Cat Min not only wrote this sweet story, but she also provides the illustrations to make her words come to life. Published by Levine Querido, a 48 page hardcover geared for Preschool through grade 2.  A rabbit, dealing with hard emotions, making decisions to help others, and through that managing to survive new experiences.  

Cat Min is an illustrator, animator, and writer. She grew up in Hong Kong, a shy child who filled her time drawing and making comic books with her best friend.   New York University is where she studied animation and filmas well she completed the Illustration & Visual Storytelling Summer Residency Program at the School of Visual Arts in New York. 

I am reviewing Shy Willow for Raincoast Books. 

Sharing the Sweetness

You will adore the conversational tone and the simplicity of the story.  The font is a good size for reading with a group of children, or with a child snuggled up beside.   Those ears sticking out of the mailbox captured my interest already.  Wouldn’t this image provoke a good conversation with a child? 

Little Willow has to problem-solve throughout. How was she going to meet her objective?  What would she do if her decisions ended in failure?  Would she give up?  Isn’t it great when a book includes not only positive results of experiences, but also the negative?  

Now, was it all believable?  No. BUT does it matter?   I guess that’s the question you have to answer.  Even if some of Willow’s solutions, in real life might not work, the story is, is that she did not give up.  Willow persisted in meeting her heart’s objective. 

Should Shy Willow be on Your Bookshelf?

Of course it should be.  🙂   Shy Willow is such a sweet story about a bunny who wondered if something would be possible and despite intense fear did what was needed.  Isn’t this what we all need to do?  See a possibility, know that if we are brave enough, we might be the solution needed!  Shy Willow shows her readers the way. 

An excellent book for helping children deal with new situations, gather up determination to do hard things, and to just read for fun.  🙂 

I was just checking the price on Amazon… it’s a great price today… go pick it up!

Chickenology

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Chickenology) through Raincoast Books.

Did you know that I love chickens?  I think chickens are such neat birds and they come in so many colours, sizes, feather styles, and temperaments.  You’ll get egg layers, meat birds, and dual purpose.  Chickens that lay eggs of many colours, and chickens known for their parenting abilities.  Chickenology introduces us to those birds and so much more.  Come!  Let’s delve into the ultimate encyclopedia of chickens!

Chickenology

What do you get and who produced Chickenology?

Chickenology: The ultimate encyclopedia was produced by Princeton Architectural Press.   It has a completely different look and style than the other Chicken book I’ve reviewed called Backyard Chickens.  The aim of Chickenology is to touch on a number of different areas with chickens from all around the world, that live for a variety of purposes.  Wild and domestic chickens are featured.   Written with children 5-9 years old in mind.

Five sections

  • Discovering the World of Chickens (11 subsections)
  • What’s a Chicken made of (11 subsections)
  • The Egg Up Close (5 subsections)
  • Chickens and Humans (8 subsections)
  • A world of Chicken Breeds (5 subsections)

73 pages that are well coloured with a good sized font for reading.   This book one in the farm animals series.  A wonderful hardcover that is oversized but comfortable to hold.   Chickenology is written by Barabara Sandri and Francesco Giubbilini and cheerfully illustrated by Camilla Pintonato.   My review copy comes from Raincoast Books. 

Getting More Specific

Check out the colours and the variety in these chickens!  Small chickens, large chickens, all kinds of chickens!

As you browse through the pages you’ll see the development of a chick into an adult, see how big (or small) chickens are, explore their feathers, discover different comb shapes, poultry diseases, and the many ways to cook eggs up!  

Chickenology provides lots of room on their pages for illustrations, lines, and text.  Nothing feels crowded and lots of colour will draw your attention.  I love the details provided on most pages about different features, such as this one about a chicken feather. 

What do I think of Chickenology?

Would I call Chickenology the ultimate encyclopedia of Chickens?   Not really, I didn’t find all the information accurate.  BUT it is a fun read, an interesting read, and I learned a few things new about chickens!   AND it is a very good start! 

If you are doing a project about chickens, this lovely tome by Sandri, Giubbilini and Pintonato will come in handy.  Or if you just want to have fun and learn some interesting facts about chickens, you’ll enjoy it. 

Did you know that chickens have played an important role throughout history being featured in stories, being used as symbols, and feeding large portions of the world’s population.   I’d be curious to know more, aren’t you? 

Rescue at Lake Wild

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Rescue at Lake Wild) through Raincoast Books.  Affiliate links will be used in this review to help support my time in bringing good books to you.

Even though this is an upper elementary/lower middle school, Rescue at Lake Wild was a fun mystery to solve that involved the cutest of rescues… baby beavers! 

I even found this video that talks a bit about rescuing beavers.   

Madison, Jack and Aaron, three intrepid friends, who like to solve mysteries and take care of critters needing help have a mystery to solve after they discover two baby beavers needing help.  Will they be able to keep those baby beavers safe while they figure out who killed their parents?   You’ll have to read the book to find out as I don’t give away secrets!  🙂 

Rescue at Lake Wild

Rescue at Lake Wild, the basic Facts

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt are the publishers of this hardcover book I received from Raincoast Books in exchange for my review.  At 208 pages it, for me is an easy read couple hours read, but upper elementary students could well take longer to finish.  But want to finish it they shall as the action is quick-paced and draws you further into the story. Written to youth 1-12 years old. Chapter introductions feature one of two beaver scenes.

There is very little in the way of illustrations in the rest of this chapter book, you will find some side of page decoration but for the most part, the story holds it’s own. 

The three youth are an interesting mix of youngsters and they each bring their own skill set to their adventures.   Madison with her knowledge of taking care of critters, Aaron with his intelligence and ability to physically get in get things done, and Jack with his tracking dog and people connections.  They’ll need all these skills to not only help the baby beavers, but all the beavers in their county.   Will they be able to get the adults to listen?  Will they be able to find out who’s been hurting the beavers? 

Rescue at Lake Wild involves family squabbles, and both parents and children learning important ways to improve themselves.  They all pull together to make everything work out in the end.   Both boys and girls should enjoy this book, and following Madi and her friends in their adventures.  The dog Lid provides humour with some of his antics. 

Other Terry Lynn Johnston Books

I have reviewed a number of books by Terry Lynn Johnston.  I find her books have true-to-life characters, and always have a good resolution in the end. 

Should you Get Rescue at Lake Wild?

YES!  If you like a mystery, seeing baby animals rescued, and good friends working together!   Mom and Dad play an important role as well, and the family connections play a vital role in helping things turn out well in the end. 

With it’s focus on caring for the environment, and the silliness of the dog Lid, younger middleschoolers will find this a fun, easy read.  Larger font, easier word choice, and the thrill of a mystery, combinded with animals make it an excellent read.  I would not hesitate to give as a birthday gift to any 8-10 year old boy or girl. 

A good add-on to a study on environmentalism, beavers, caring for wildlife, and community activism.

Night Fall

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Night Fall) through Nuts about Books.  Affiliate links will be used in this review to help support my time in bringing good books to you.  🙂 

Night Fall is a riveting book by Nancy Mehl which I already know won’t appeal to all my readers.  But I love a good murder mystery!  Having to figure out who “done it” just thrills my readers’ heart.   Throw in a touch of faith, where people ask hard questions and don’t get blithe easy answers.. all the better!  

night fall by Nancy Mehl

The Basic Facts

Nancy Mehl is the author of Night Fall, the first in a series called The Quantico Files. Published by Bethany House, this 329 page book was provided for me by Mind Games.   Can Alex as part of the Behavioural Analysis Unit figure out who is killing people?  Can she get past the pain of the past to solve this heinous crime? 

Author Nancy Mehl also wrote Mind Games that I reviewed last year.   She is the author of more than 40 books and has won a Christy Award and has been nominated for the Carol Award. You’ll often find her on facebook communicating with fans and sharing book information. 

Looking Deeper into Night Fall

Sometimes ones past can help you solve the problems of the present and give clues to future issues.  This is the case for Alex, profiler with the BHA unit of the FBI.  Her history provides a direct connection with a series of murders.  Can Alex face her past?

Is Night Fall one to Get?

Nancy Mehl introduces us to Alex and Logan, and she takes the time developing their characters so that as the story progresses you can anticipate what is going to happen.  The development of the secondary characters were also well done.  It’s actually the one fault I have with this read.  I enjoyed getting to know the characters, but before I reached the concluding chapters I knew what the end result was going to be.  So it was a bit of a let down to know that I was right in my suppositions. 

You’ll find the text a nice size for reading, and the story rolls along nicely making it an easy read.  I got it finished in about four hours or so?     I put a bit of a review up on Instagram.  

If you like like suspense, this book will definitely fill that quotient for you.  I found it a bit dark, but not scary.  It is darker than most faith-based romantic suspense, which may be why I liked it!   Most I find to be way to predictable or the romance aspect gets in the way of the story.   

In Night Fall, the story came first, the romance came second and felt like an extension of who the characters were. The questions about God and how faith is lived out and what the future holds were natural without trite responses, kinda like the questions you’d get from real people, and real Christians trying to give an answer.    

An enjoyable read, if you like suspense, and like a romance or a faith element mixed in, get Nancy Mehl’s latest book.Â