Reviews

Outdoor School

December 10, 2022 By Annette1 2 Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Outdoor School) through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated.

Did you know that in just a few short months spring will be upon us? A time for plants, and all outdoor growing things? AND we literally just finished fall… a season of exploring for mushrooms, and in the winter… berries to see on bushes! What do you need to help you in your explorations? Outdoor School by Mary Kay Carson. This lovely book is your definitive guide to tree, wildflower, and mushroom spotting.

The Basic Details

Title: Outdoor School: Tree, Wildflower, and Mushroom Spotting. The Definitive Interactive Nature Guide.
Author: Mary Kay Carson
Illustrator: John D. Dawson
Pages: 416
Publisher: Odd Dot
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books
Formats: Paperback
Intended Audience: 10-14 years
Type: non-fiction, interactive guide
Series: Outdoor School
Special Note: the corners of this interactive guide are reinforced with what feels like metal. Keeps the corners from curling when using this interactive guide.

Please note: I tried to make the colours in my photos match the book, but the photos turned out more muted than the original product. The colours are much more brilliant in real life.

About the Author

Mary Kay Carson specializes in writing non-fiction science books for children. She has some 50ish books to her credit. Living in Ohio with her hubby (a photographer), dog, cat and fish, writing books is her job.

About Outdoor School

This interactive field guide to plant and mushroom spotting includes:
– Immersive activities to get you exploring
– Write-in sections to journal about experiences
– Next-level adventures to challenge even seasoned nature lovers.

No experience is required – only curiosity and courage. Inside you’ll find easy-to-follow instructions on how to:
– Grow mushrooms with cardboard
– Compare bark types
– Count tree rings
– Survey leaf patterns
– Create fern spore prints
– Press and preserve wildflowers

Looking deeper into Outdoor School

You know how using a highlighter helps you find keywords in a text? And if you use differently coloured highlighters how it helps tie key ideas together? Well, when you colour code pages in a nature guide it helps you find the pages you need more quickly. Looking for how to identify flowerss, turn to the purple pages, or for mushrooms, the orange. How easy could it be eh?

So you’ll discover five parts in this interactive guide divided into

What is plant spotting
Trees and shrubs
Wildflowers
Mushrooms and other fungi
Ferns and mosses

Writing assignments, I found it notes, mini-tests, scavenger hunts, and more fill the pages.

You will find so much information trapped with these pages, a nice sturdy paper that will hold up to fieldwork. You can take this guide with you as you meander through the great outdoors.

Each page is loaded with images with the text presented in different ways. Mostly presented like in a textbook, and other times wrapped within images or highlighted within the Try It pages.

North American Based

You’ll find several plants to discover in each colour-coded section. All these plants are found in North America. One of my quibbles is you are asked to denote the state you found it in, I would have rather a generic location which is more inclusive to ALL of North America be used. Illustrator John D Dawson did a great job of demonstrating what each plant looks like. It’s a nice additional tool for nature study.

You’ll find room for note-taking, though the spacing might be a little tight for younger readers. I love how you learn about bark types, leaf shapes and margins, differences between mosses and ferns, and the importance of paying attention to the mushroom cap. All these little details will help create better observers of the nature around us. Good that eh?

My Thoughts

I don’t know if you’ll remember that I reviewed another book by Mary Kay Carson called Mission to Pluto. Having thought that book well done, I expected this one to be as well and I was not mistaken.

I like this book, it’s an excellent size to stow into a “meandering through the fields” backpack or bag. Has spots for note-taking, encourages the reader to understand what they are learning, and has plenty of helps. Outdoor School: Trees, Wildflowers, and Mushrooms is an excellent addition to your nature study in the spring, summer, fall or winter adventures.

Just so you know, there are other outdoor school books to check out.

If you were a City

December 7, 2022 By Annette1 2 Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (If You Were a City) through Raincoast. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated. 🙂

If You Were a City is a book of imagination and fun. A picture book that takes us, through the imagination of a child. It begs the child reader to answer the question… what type of city would you be? And honestly… don’t you want to know? Wouldn’t it be interesting to see where a book might take YOUR child’s imagination?

The Basic Details of If You Were a City

Title: If You Were a City
Author: Kyo Maclear
Illustrator: Francesca Sanna
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Pages: 40
Intended Audience: 3-5 years
Formats Available: Kindle and Hardcover
Received: Jacketed Hardcover
Type: Picture Book
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

About Kyo Maclear
Born in England, Kyo Maclear lives in Canada. She is an essayist, novelist, and children’s author. She has been nominated for a few different awards.

About If You Were a City
Just like people, there are so many ways a city can be. And this lively picture book explores all of them. From quiet and dreamy to bright and buzzing, the magnificent diversity of our world is celebrated by connecting the uniqueness of its places with the people who live in them. Wild, gritty, bookish, or sheltering-if you were a city, how would YOU be?

Digging Deeper

Francesca Sanna filled If You Were a City with brightly coloured images! So much colour fills the pages of this lovely little picture book.

You’ll get to see so many different ways to express how one might be a city. Through colour, action, mindset, weather, fashion, and more.

Occasionally vague references would be given to actual cities around the world (like the leaning tower of Pisa), but generally, just a very imaginative read. Done up in rhyming couplets.

“Northern, blue, glacial, cold?
Weathered, warm, playful, old?”

So many different ideas presented. Would you be a ghost city? A Fable city? Maybe even a broken city? A city for biking, healing, dancing, or eating?

The text is clear and very easy to read. Changing colour depending on the background.

So you pick it up?

So, I love the colours, and I love the idea of children having the freedom to make a city that kinda like them. Children being able to exercise their imaginations is a fantastic thing. And if in their creativity they learn to express something about themselves, perhaps all the better!

What might be important to your child to have in a city or in their lives? Dancing, parks, star gazing, sports or gardening? What might your child want if you asked the question “if you were a city?”

Seen and Unseen

December 3, 2022 By Annette1 2 Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Seen and Unseen) through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated.

World War 2 was a hard time in history, it brought out the ugly in too many people for a variety of reasons. Hitler brought out the ugly in his determination to create a master race and encourage his people to fight for him. The attack by Japan (at Pearl Harbor) brought out the ugly in the American populace toward Japanese and Japanese/Americans. This is not to say that some beauty didn’t occur during the war either, but sometimes, the biggest thing seen is the ugly.

The Basics of Seen and Unseen

Title: Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adam’s Photographs reveal about the Japanese American Incarceration.
Author: Elizabeth Partridge
Illustrator: Lauren Tamaki
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Formats Available: Kindle, Audiobook, Hardcover
Received: Advanced Readers Copy
Pages: 132
Intended Audience: 10-14 years, 5-9 grade
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

Author Information: Author of 18 books, this American born former acupuncturist is now a full-time writer. On her website she notes that she is “drawn to pivotal moments in our American history that have been erased from our narrative.” This story fits within that interest. Most of her books are geared for children and middle school readers.

About Seen and Unseen: Three photographers. Three perspectives. And through the lenses of their cameras, three different views of one bitter chapter of American history. What can photographers teach us about the Japanese American Incarceration? Dorothea Lange: hired by the government as a photographic documentor. Toyo Miyatake smuggled photographic equipment into camps to show the true conditions. Ansel Adams was hired to take photos, he was determined to show the resilience of the incarcerated.

Digging Deeper

Three Photographers, three different perspectives, one section for each journalistic effort. Photographs and line drawings fill the pages. Since I received an advanced reader’s copy, most of the pages I saw were in black and white. A few were in colour.

You’d think happily smiling faces would mean things were good in the camp, but as time went on in the camps, the incarcerated residents found ways to escape camp for a bit. And sometimes, smiles are put into places to hide fear within (which you’ll learn with the photos by Adams. Imagine… not knowing what you did wrong, and suddenly you lose everything and are stuck in a camp in the middle of nowhere. Treated poorly, feed basic camp rations, surrounded by barb wire, etc. Having your loyalty questioned continually and not knowing what you can say or do to prove yourselves. The fear and anger that would be part of your lives there. Imagine what that would do to you and your families. You will see this lived out in the pages of this photographic journal.

I very much appreciated that this journal was not just a series of photos, but actually told the story of what happened with whole families. American families, with American-born children. Trapped away from their lives, with no choices.

Aren’t the pages filled in with colour nice? The shades of orange highlighted over the yellow and black backgrounds. It feels very oriental, and yet, not. Respectful of the people involved, and yet showing the hardship they went through. I wish the whole book had been done in colour!

Helpful Additions

At the close of the book you’ll find a very helpful section that gives a bit more information into the history. The section includes

After the War
Why Words Matter
Citizenship violated
Civil liberties and the Constitution
Biographies of the photographers
Notes from the author
Notes from the illustrator
The damage of the model minority myth
Photo Credits and Notes

Throughout this section, youth are helped to think through these issues. To consider the government’s actions, even despite the anxieties of the time.

The photos each of these journalists took has a different perspective to it. They each saw different things in this incarceration. Some the unfairness of it all, others the stark reality of life, and yet others a shaded perspective of resilience.

So, add it to your history lessons?

It is evident throughout that the author is unhappy with the US government for how they treated the Japanese Americans. That she wants her readers to stop and think about how the government acts. She uses language, drawings, and photos to help her readers think and to question what happened.

And books like these are helpful in presenting a broader picture than what you might find in a textbook. Combining this read with other middle school books such as Displacement and This Light Between Us will present a broader, richer experience for students. This fuller experience allows students to form a deeper understanding of the issues and become better critical thinkers.

Elizabeth Partridge did an excellent job of not only showing us history but also telling the story of how the authors got involved and how they were impacted. Seen and Unseen is worth using in your American and WW2 history studies.

What Does Your Daddy Do?

November 30, 2022 By Annette1 2 Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (What Does Your Daddy Do?) through News 21 AM. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated.

Consider the importance in encouraging children to see the good in a wide variety of occupations. Joshua Page helps us consider the trade of being an electrician and hints at learning about being a plumber. What other occupations can your youth consider? A carpenter maybe? Consider the value of working in the trades and help your children consider them as well.

Basic Details

Title: What Does Your Daddy Do?
Author: Joshua Page
Formats available: Kindle, Paperback
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
Pages: 44
Intended Audience: 4-9 years old
Genre: Family Life, School issues, careers
Reviewed For: News 21 AM

About the Author:

Joshua Page is a husband, father, and entrepreneur. He is passionate about getting kids involved with the trades. He has been featured on many podcasts, a TEDx speaker, and a motivational public speaker. When not busy running his electrical companies and inspiring others, he loves to spend time with his family.

Synopsis:

In his new children’s book, What Does Your Daddy Do?, Page introduces young readers to Ashton, whose fifth-grade class is having career week. Ashton isn’t sure exactly what his dad does, so he goes home and asks him. Ashton then gets to learn about all the cool work his dad does as an electrician and all the interesting tools he gets to use. As career week continues, all the students get to share stories about what their parents do.

Looking Deeper into What does your daddy do?

What does your daddy do? alternates full-colour images with plain pages of text. The story takes us into the curious mind of an elementary boy asking his dad what he does. Thusly we are taken into the life of an electrician working small and large jobs.

I expected to have the story written at a bit higher level as these are upper elementary children having this discussion, but I found the writing geared to younger children. None-the-less the story told the basic work of an electrician. I would have loved to have some discussion about the exact type of work that an electrician does. For instance, how running pipes and wires can help a water slide work, or fixing a light switch can prevent fires, or just help someone read a book. Just so more of the practical hands-on of the trade of an electrician.

The brightness of the illustrated pages is attractive don’t you think? The consistency in the colour palette and the clarity in the illustrations help bring the story to life.

Add to your shelves?

I have to admit, I’m not sure what I think. He talks about this being with a fifth-grade class, but I don’t find that it’s written with fifth-graders in mind. It’s written more for younger children. So that incongruity threw me off.

But he does a good overview of describing some of what an electrician does, helping people with their wiring and other electrical issues. I could easily see this becoming a series as Sofia needed to learn what a plumber does. The sheer number of trades you could cover would be fantastic.

I really liked how Ashton’s dad explained what an electrician did to Ashton, and then Ashton had to take the knowledge back to his classroom. That continuation of learning in What Does your Daddy Do? is part of what intrigues me about this title.

Personally, I think it’s fantastic to bring the trades to life for our children. Helping them to see the possibilities of what they might wish to do as they mature. I do hope that Mr. Page continues this series, considering a whole range of occupations from Hair stylists, carpenters, daycare workers, as well as tool and die makers. It’s fantastic to expose children to a wide range of occupations to help keep their options open.

Ride On

November 24, 2022 By Annette1 2 Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Ride One) through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated.

Girls, horses, rivalry, friendship, hurt, and love all tied together into a colourful graphic novel to read. If you have youth (most likely girls) who love horses and stories speaking to life as you live it, this story will intrigue. Misunderstandings happen and growth occurs. It’s always good to see teens not being stuck into a mindset that is not helpful to them.

Ride On, the details

Title: Ride On
Author: Faith Erin Hicks
Publisher: First Second Books
Type: Graphic Novel
Colourist: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Formats Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Softcover (reviewed softcover)
Genre: Animal comics, Horse Book, Friendship Books
Pages: 224 pages
Intended Audience: 10-14 years, 4-6 years
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books.

About the Author: Faith Erin Hicks is a fellow Canadian, having written several graphic novels. I thought her name was familiar and I have reviewed another one of her books, One Year at Ellsmere. She includes lots of colour in her books.

The Story: Victoria has always loved horses. But the competition, not so much. After some struggle, she decided a new place to ride was needed. A place where she doesn’t have to worry about anything other than riding. No competition, no drama, no friends. She only wants the horses. Edgewood Stables seems ideal. But how shall it go?

Digging Deeper

Horses and friendship fill the pages. Not always the friends you expect or perhaps think you want. But shared loves, and a willingness to talk, and before you know it… better friendships result!

Friendship oozes from the pages, with some exceptions, with young teens just enjoying the world that is horses. Life isn’t always easy when you are growing up and you’ll see those real-to-life tensions within the pages of this full-colour graphic novel.

These girls (Victoria, Norrie and Hazel) as well as their male friend Sam are drawn in vibrant colours suiting their personalities. The pony shows his mischievousness, the horses their personality (and at times) spunkiness. I was so pleased to see the attention to detail. It adds a great feel to the whole story, bringing in a deeper feel.

My Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved watching the youth grow in their relationships with each other and learn new skills. They became better, deeper people before the tale ended. I was able to see glimpses of the adults they were becoming and boy… was that good!

Taking the viewpoint of the younger reader though… this is a story of friendship and horses. It’s not a hard or complicated story, but sometimes growing up and learning new things isn’t easy. The reader is invited in to see that struggle, and perhaps learn from it. Along the way they get to enjoy the antics of misbehaving ponies, see horses gain confidence, and friendship increase. Ride On is well-worth reading for the friendship-loving horse girls in your midst.

The Boy Behind The Door

November 19, 2022 By Annette1 2 Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (The Boy Behind the Door) through Ascot Media Group. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated.

For those who don’t know, I love history (it’s not the only think I love, but it’s up there eh?). Anyways, books that tell a story, bringing history life… makes for a very good read you know? The Boy behind the Door is a tale sending us into the life of a short Jewish Lad. We take a front-row seat to his experiences as Germany swarmed over The Netherlands. We see his bewilderment as growing restrictions are placed upon the Jewish population. Learn how Salomon Kook escaped the Nazis in this short, historically-based, fiction read.

The Facts

Title: The Boy Behind the Door: How Saloman Kool Escapes the Nazis.
Publisher: Amsterdam Publishers
Reviewed For: Ascot Media Group
Pages: 194
Format Received: Softcover
Genre: History, WW2, Teen and Young Adult Survival, Jewish Literature, WW2 Fiction
Intended Audience: Teen, Young Adult

Author Information:

David Tabatsky is a writer, editor and performing artist based in New York City. David’s two passions have driven his career as a performer and writer. He has performed as an actor, clown and juggler around the world, in venues such as Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre, throughout Europe and Japan, and most notably at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The Story:

Inspired by a real boy and real events shares the story of a Dutch teenager who survived World War II by eluding the Nazis time and time again as German forces occupied the Netherlands. Learn the story of Salomon Kool and how through the kindness of others, and his own ingenuity, he survived in Nazi invasion of The Netherlands.

Looking More Closely at The Boy Behind the Door

Short chapters and careful character development fill the pages of this quick read. I won’t say the reading is always easy. But it was very much eye-opening. I had not considered the war from the perspective of a Jewish family, particularly that of a young man. Seeing through the eyes of a just past childhood all the limitations and dislike Jewish families faced. Seeing how the Nazis worked to destroy families. Not always easy. But then seeing, oh, seeing people willing to help. People willing to risk everything for people they didn’t even know. How careful they had to be, and yet, risks taken.

Written from the point of view of Salomon so you get to understand the ramifications of Nazi “enforcement policies” on the Jewish population. Imagine not being able to play in a park, or watch a movie, go to visit your favourite barber, or not being able to walk on the sunny side of the street. Things that affected real children in a dangerous time in history. So very hard.

Should you read it?

Despite the plethora of WW2 literature invading the bookshelves lately making it hard to choose what to read, The Boy Behind the Door shows a different perspective. Seeing the war through the eyes of a child-man is eye-opening. Well worth reading, particularly if you want to learn more about the war.

This would be a great addition to students learning about the war. I can see teens reading and then discussing or writing papers about various topics raised. It’s not always easy, but you know what? War and the brutalization of a people is NOT an easy topic. Learning about how hard it was perhaps might open eyes and ears so it never happens again! Wouldn’t it be good if we could prevent THIS history from happening again?

The Clutter Fix

November 15, 2022 By Annette1 2 Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (The Clutter Fix) through Nuts about Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated.

Are you feeling the stress of your home? Can’t quite figure out why you feel so bothered when you are at home? Perhaps, just perhaps, it’s all the stuff around you, or how you have it arranged? What do you think? Could it be possible that The Clutter Fix might help you with your headaches? OR just maybe you aren’t bothered by your possessions, but just want to know how to make things a bit more organized, or a bit more “less intense”. I dunno your reasoning or thoughts, but if your stuff needs something done with it and you don’t know where to start, Shannon Acheson would be delighted to help you out.

The Basic Details of The Clutter Fix

The Clutter Fix: The No-Fail, Stress-Free Guide to Organizing Your Home by Shannon Acheson gives us 224 pages in a soft-cover handbook. Within those pages, you’ll discover 14 chapters divided into 4 sections, along with worksheets, tasks and questions. Ms. Acheson writes from a faith-based perspective

Published by Bethany House I am reviewing a softcover book on behalf of Nuts about books.

Taking a closer look

With four parts and 14 chapters, you will find The Clutter Fix to be a well-organized tome designed to help you combat the clutter in your life.

These parts are divided into:

Get some quick wins under your belt
Build a decluttering mindset
Declutter and Organize every room in your home
Master Maintenance mode

All but the first part contain worksheets to assist you in your endeavours to not only clean up your home but help you think differently about the things you have.

Clearly written, down-to-earth language that speaks easily to heart and mind. Lists, charts and worksheets fill the page. The author’s faith is evident, but one isn’t inundated with scripture! Regardless of your faith (or lack thereof), this book is an assist in helping you feel better about the space you live in.

I know from assisting friends clear up their spaces that once you understand a person’s thought process for a space helps make the space they live in more usable. So I love that Ms. Acheson takes the time to help her readers to think through how they organize. We aren’t all the same so sometimes tweaking methods to make it work for each individual person is the best thing you can do!

Helpful aspects

Don’t you just love books that help you think through and process what you are learning? Books that help you to become a better you? Discover the decluttered you that you truly are!

I love books that provide more than one way to skin a cat. Books that say I know you want to learn how to do XYZ, but we’re all different so here’s some variations that will help you learn that! I know that when I purge, I like to do one room at a time. Work that room until it’s done, and then I can take a break and work on another room when I have the time. Doing bits and pieces annoys me to no end! 🙂 Having a daily routine works for other friends.

Will you find it helpful?

Okay, so what do I personally think of The Clutter Fix?

I love how it’s set up and the helpfulness of the author.

You’ll find help if you:

have no clue about where to start
need help with you mindset
want practical how-to

I could probably use a bit more “decluttering” mindset in my house, but the clutter we have is there for a reason. Sometimes, you need to let people figure out that they really don’t need all their notes from college anymore. I’m guessing when we eventually move from our lovely house with the great backyard (when we are old and feeble) that knowledge will come. 🙂 Until then, I refuse to stress about it. After all, he lets me hoard food!!!!! 🙂 If our place was smaller it would be different but we have the room, so why fuss?

helpful tips found!

I did find some helpful tips to add to my reservoir of knowledge, and for a book to do that, makes it a decent book in my eyes. AND it gave me ideas to share with friends because honestly, sometimes decluttering gets a bit touchy… particularly if it is gifts given by others. THAT stuff… it’s good to have advice for you know? Imagine what helpful tips you will find!

So if you need to declutter and don’t know where to start… grab up Shannon Acheson’s book The Clutter Fix. She’ll give you some solid advice and a variety of approaches, and give you the homey advice you need to deal with tricky aspects.

Reviews

Outdoor School