Reviews

World’s Strangest….

October 20, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

There are times, dear readers, I wish you could be a fly on the wall when certain books come into the house. Normally my lad couldn’t really care as he knows I’ll tell him what I think once I’ve looked through them. BUT the books I have for you today grabbed his interest from the time they fell out of the package. Lonely Planet kids has four books in the series World’s Strangest. We have predators, ocean beasts, places and creepy-crawlies. Can you guess, dear readers, which one he gravitated to?

YES You are totally correct. Creepy-Crawlies is it. Why… well you know … ANTS. Ants were mentioned in a book AND they were ACCURATE!!! He was delighted and then found the quizzes… can I tell you something… IF YOU ARE TIRED>>> DO NOT LET YOU CHILDREN QUIZ you… unless you want them chortling with glee when you flub up. 🙂 It was okay though…I got him back later by quizzing him on Ocean beasts… which had him grabbing up the book and learning more for himself. FUN! Who wouldn’t want books like this in your house? 🙂

What you get:

Each book is laid out in the same manner. The Top 40 as ranked by Lonely Planet experts are talked about. Five strangest and then a quiz. Loads of colourful pictures and interesting tidbits. Each book closes with a glossary.

Let me walk you through

Each book is divided into four sections, each with their own quiz.

Each place or creature is given a two page spread with bright, highly engaging, full-colour images. Bold text to help draw in the eye.

As you can see, each place or creature comes with a strangeometer score. 40 creatures or places in each book. Each quiz asks 10 questions, not in the order they are presented in the book. The answers are provided upside down in fine print.

The books I received are:

Ocean beasts: weird and wonderful creatures from the deep
Places: weird and wonderful corners of the Earth
Predators: weird and wonderful carnivorous animals
Creepy-crawlies: weird and wonderful hair-raising bugs

Each one was a treasure trove of 40 places or animals that are just odd, interesting, or wonderful. Places like Christmas Island and the underwater post office. Animals such as the trumpetfish, leafy seadragon, or japanese spider crab. How about the cobra lily, trapdoor spider, exploding ant, or artic fox? Interesting and sometimes obscure facts are brought to light, sure to delight your children from age 6 and up.

My Thoughts:

In case you couldn’t tell, I really like these four books. I am tempted to use them to create small unit studies to help your student delve into the world’s strangest all the more. 🙂 (If only I could find the time). The bright images with factoids make these books a delightful addition to your science library. I urge you to check them out today.

World’s Strangest ocean beasts
World’s Strangest places
World’s Strangest predators
World’s Strangest creepy-crawlies

Lonely Planet Kids
80 pages, 6-8 years,
Science, Geography, Biology, Elementary

Snazzy Cat Capers, review and giveaway

October 18, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

I recently finished a book called Snazzy Cat Capers. This was a fun book to read and should cause most elementary students to laugh out loud at the capers of international cat burglar Ophelia von Hairball. Reviewing Snazzy Cat was a joy! Stayed tuned… I have a giveaway for my fellow Canadians!

From the Cover:

Life is short. Diamonds are fur-ever. Internationally famous cat burglar Ophelia von Hairball V adores jewels – the only thing she loves more is a challenge. She’s never met a safe she couldn’t crack. Now the Furry Feline Burglary Institute (FFBI) offers her the ultimate caper: steal the giant Himalayan diamond and win their top award!

There’s a catch! The FFBI sends an enthusiastic inventor to help Ophelia… but this cat works alone, and Oscar Fishgerald Gold smells fishy. Can the smartest, stealthiest, and snazziest of cats learn to work with a fintastic sidekick and prove she’s still the world’s most purr-fect burglar? Adventure, heists, and teamwork abound in this fun, witty middle grade read brimming with cat-tastic black-and-white illustrations.

Teamwork can make the work of one individual better. #snazzyinktober Click To Tweet

What you get:

Author Deanna Kent has written a humorous book involving the fun of having a cat burglar actually BE a cat! And like all cats, Ophelia prefers to work alone….her counterpart has been desperate to work in the field and now is the chance! You’ll be amazed at the things a good inventor can do… even when being stymied by a determined work-a-lone cat.

Admittedly some of the humour is very predictable.. it is a cat/fish/dog story afterall, but I was caught off guard more than once and laughed my way through the humour, frowned at the sneaky bad guy and hooted when the CCIA got foiled yet again!

Most of the book is written in the standard text format with scattered pictures throughout.

But scattered throughout the pages are graphic sections that continue the storyline.

Ophelia’s disguises will surprise you…the length’s this cat will go through to make her snatch. There are quotes at the beginning of each chapter such as “The only thing to fear is fear itself… or a jerk-face feline with too much fur above his eyes”, or “Always know what you do well. Then do more of it”. The word play between the characters will catch your attention.

My Thoughts:

I really liked the quotes. Thought-provoking with humour attached, lends one’s way to remembering them! I liked the count-down for the jewel heist, it was rather fun to see what Ophelia would do the closer she got to the deadline. Would she make the heist of her life? Amidst the clever puns, pop culture quips, and witty sass this book is sure to please your whole family.

Snazzy Cat Capers
Author Deanna Kent
Illustrator Neil Hooson
Imprint Reads
224 pages, Ages 7-10
mystery, humour, children’s fiction

Find Giveaway below!

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Cooler Kitchen Soup Ladle

October 11, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

OH! It’s taken me a while to write up this review but I needed to really test this ladle before I recommended it to you. For the past two weeks this is the FIRST ladle that my lad reaches for when he scoops up soups or stews. It’s rather neat to see especially since, over the years I’ve used a lot of ladles and, when this one arrived as a review I thought…hmm.. seems like a basic spoon.

What did I get? Silicone & Stainless Steel Black 4 Ounce Soup Ladle w/CoolGrip Handle & Flexedge Silicone. It’s a lovely soup.

But oh.. the handle

It feels NICE in the hand! That smooth stainless steel, rounded smoothly to fit into my hand, ever so comfortable. LIKE REALLY! It is a step above and beyond my other ladles. AND it stays cool! How wonderful is that eh? To be able to stick in in the pot and leave it without having to use a spoon plate. Goes a long way to keeping my stove top clean (imagine what it would do for yours!)

The Scoop!

Cooler kitchen has put together a lovely spoon, the scoop portion is covered with a food-grade black silicone that is flexible. This enables you to get the last scoop of goodness out of your stew and soup pans without having to tip them out. 🙂 The silicone is good even for your hottest dishes, guaranteed to 450 degrees.

The 13 inch handle makes it nice for my large pots as well. It is able to reach well into the deepest pot I have.

Now if I were the kind of person that hung up everything, the handy hook on the end would make that incredibly easy… Hold on.. I AM that kind of person. BUT I have chosen not to hang this ladle since that would just majorly confuse my lad. Why would I put such a nice spoon in a odd ball place. Leave it with the rest of our ladles so he can grab it up easily!

See how nicely it scoops?

Silicone & Stainless Steel Black 4 Ounce Soup Ladle w/CoolGrip Handle & Flexedge Silicone

Cooler Kitchen
13 inch handle
Flexedge silicone covering over the scoop
An excellent ladle for all your cooking needsSilicone & Stainless Steel Black 4 Ounce Soup Ladle w/CoolGrip Handle & Flexedge Silicone

Ancient Wonders: Then & Now

October 4, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

Imagine that you could see a building from the past as it was meant to be… taking you back to the then. Now that you see that… see the now. Can you see that old building more clearly now? Ancient Wonders: Then & Now is a lift the flap book by Lonely Planet kids that helps us to understand these ancient wonders better. Let us delve into this review hmm?

From the cover?

From the Colosseum and the Great Pyramid of Giza, to Machu Picchu and Stonehenge, take an interactive our through the world’s greatest ancient wonders.

Discover what remains of them today, then open gatefolds and lift flaps to see what they once looked like and learn about the ancient civilizations who built them.

What do you get?

12 Ancient wonders from around the world. Easter Island, the Colesseum, the Great Pyramid of Giza and more.. walk into the lives of those building these wonders, and into the glory days of each build.

Two large fold out pages, combined with relevant text and lift the flap elements is sure to keep the reader engaged with what they are seeing and learning about.

I love how books like this always spur me on to learn more, so like always I took to youtube where I learned this about Easter Island.

My Thoughts:

I really like this book, those huge fold out pages and the well-written text help me to make the connection between the place now and the place it would have been in its heyday. Did you know the huge colesseum had 76 doors and now-a-days you can find actors roaming the outskirts?

The book is printed on a heavy cardstock almost board book quality paper. This hardcover book is well made and the pages easily lie flat. This book would be an excellent book to supplement a study on the Ancient Wonders of the world. I really like how it brings what you see now into the history of the past, bringing the past to life.

Ancient Wonders: Then & Now
Stuart Hill Author
Lindsey Spinks Illustrator
Lonely Planet Kids
Hardcover, 24 pages,
History, Architecture, Geography
Lift the flap, hands-on
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

Review: Teach Sunday School

October 3, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

For the past few weeks my son has been testing out a new bible knowledge program. He likes it! 🙂 That’s always a win you know? When you discover a program that works for how you think. Books of the Bible At-a-Glance from Teach Sunday School gives us an overview of each book of the bible. Simply laid out, clear and crisp one page glances at each bible book. Wonderful!

Who is Teach Sunday School?

Teach Sunday School is a company who wants to help parents and teachers have the tools they need to help themselves and their charges understand God’s word better. Bible-at-a-glance is designed to help individuals better understand the theme, purpose and main verses of each bible book. Teach Sunday School has a variety of other programs to help you understand the bible better. Their purpose? To help you teach the bible with joy!

There are things like:

– Print and go lesson plans which are complete curriculums for ages 4-12,
– Bible printables (like mazes, word search, crossword puzzles, and journal prompts for ages 5-18)
– Bible Games (like Jeopardy, Tic-Tac-Toe, Bingo, and Treasure Hunts)
– Seasonal items for Back-t0-school, holidays, and even Summer
– Bible Crafts for ages 4-18
– Christian Skits and Plays for pageants, plays, and puppet shows
– Christian Parenting material for teaching kids morals, defending their faith and so much more.

What do you get with Bible-at-a-glance?

As you can see, with these bible summary sheets, you have a clear bible book name followed by information that is laid out the same for every book of the bible.

Where you can find it, who wrote it and approximately when. You will then learn the famous stories and pivotal bible verses, complete with main ideas.

How did we use it?

I have to admit, it took us a little while to decide how to use Books of the Bible at a glance. This is the schedule my son and I came up with.

After I print each page off, we place it in a binder for ease of use and reference back. Having all the information on one sheet makes it very easy to use. Coming as a PDF means I can print off as many copies as I want if I were using for a Sunday School or adult learning class. Everything is right at my finger tips!

Before starting his copywork on Monday he would take the time to learn the bible book name and where it was located.

The first day he copied out the main verses, taking the time to read them over a few times and think about what they meant so that on Tuesday he was able to work on memorization. Some weeks were easy (like Genesis took him no time at all) but Leviticus he struggled with.

Below you’ll find his copywork for Exodus. He’s been practicing his cursive using these bible lessons.

On Wednesday’s we had a deal… if there were more than four stories all he needed to do was look up half of the stories and then tell me about the stories he found. Narration is a good skill to maintain you know, and doing it from bible lessons like these, all the better eh? 🙂

Thursday was pretty straight forward, learn the major points, be able to explain them. Expand upon them if you can.

Fridays were a review day where he pulled all the information together, being able to tell me everything he had learned.

My Thoughts:

Well laid out, I like it. I like how the information is succinct, easily seen, each page has the same layout, making it easy to teach or work through. My son could do it independently with just checking in once or twice with me.

Son’s thoughts:

I like how it is set up, I know what to expect. I like that it has bible verses for me to memorize and that I can learn all the basic facts about a book of the bible and I can do them over again if I forget something.

My Pastor Hubby’s thoughts:

They didn’t do a bad job. It’s definitely not laid out from a reformed viewpoint, but overall information presented is pretty decent.

Area of struggle

I disliked this being part of the Leviticus study. Setting people up to not want to read one of books of the bible doesn’t seem right in my eyes. My son commented: “Why would learning laws make people not want to read a bible book?”

Teach Sunday School
Books of the Bible At-a-Glance
Faith based, Bible, Summary Cards, Books of the Bible, Christian, Bible Lessons
Current price $9, normally $19!

I urge you to check out this very helpful resource. It’s an excellent way to help you and your students learn God’s word better in a seamless, easy manner.

75 members of the crew had a chance to look at Bible at a Glance,

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SundaySchoolLessons/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/biblefun/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachsundayschool/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SundaySchoolSample

Teen Trailblazers

September 29, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

You know how it’s great to see people you can look to for inspiration? To see possibilities shown to you that maybe, just maybe, you haven’t considered before? In Teen Trailblazers we find 30 girls for young teen women to look to for inspiration.

From The Back Cover:

True stories of young women who made a big difference! From authors to activists, painters to politicians, inventors to icons, these inspiring teenagers are proof that girls can change the world.
Joan of Arc. Anne Frank. Cleopatra. Pocahontas. Mary Shelley. Many of these heroines are well-known. But have you heard of Sybil Ludington, a 16-year-old daughter of an American colonel who rode twice as far as the far better-remembered Paul Revere to warn the militia that the British army was invading?
This fascinating book features 30 young women who accomplished remarkable things before their twentieth birthdays. Visually compelling with original illustrations, this book will inspire the next generation of strong, fearless women.

What do you get?

30 Stories of young ladies engaging actively in the world around them:

Imagine….being a slave and writing poetry in a time when such things weren’t welcome.
Imagine… being 16 and riding for your life to get military assistance in the middle of battle.
Imagine…being pregnant and fighting side by side with your husband in battle.
Imagine….inventing a product still used a century later

Each chapter is set up in a similar manner, the individual, what they are known for, birth/death if known, notable things they did, and a quote.

The rest of the chapter goes on to talk about the work that this young lady did and why it is notable. Presenting information to help the reader consider all the factors involved, like the slaves involved in making indigo, how Paul Revere gets remembered for his ride and yet a female counterpart isn’t known, what difference might it make if the reader got involved in their community and more.

Each chapter has cut outs that talk about additional factors to consider, or points of action, or other people who engaged in similar works who might be better known. In the copy that I received all images were in grey scale, I don’t know if in the final copy the images will be in full colour or not. I would hope that they would be, but I really can’t tell you for sure.

My thoughts:

There are many notable people found within the pages of this book. I loved how ideas for becoming actively involved in one’s community were presented. My hope had been for more variety in people presented like inventors, doctors, teachers, but found many were activists, authors, and actors. The desire I hold dear is that our young ladies to see their intellect and bravery is just as important as their heart for various causes. I wanted to see more balance, 10 activists, 7 authors, and several actors and war heroines, leaving only a bit of room for inventors, business women and the like. Oh wouldn’t it be good to inspire all of our girls, regardless of their interests, to be teen trailblazers, ready to act now?

I suppose if the point of the book is to ensure that young ladies know they have a voice, showing activism and the power of the word spoken and written is a good thing. I’m trying to understand the mindset behind the choices made. It’s good to know that speaking up and doing things matters whether you are male or female. I just want to see more balance presented in the different ways girls can make a difference in today’s world.

This would be an excellent book to leave lying about the house, or using with a careers course, to show girls different options they as they look forward to what they want to do.

Teen Trailblazers
30 fearless girls who changed the world before they were 20
Jennifer Calvert, author
Vesna Asanovic, illustrator
Castle Point Books
softcover, 128 pages, ages 12-18
Middle School, High School, Careers, Women,
Activism, Inventors, Authors, Actors

Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

Cleopatra and the Ancient Greeks

September 27, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

Have I ever told you how much I enjoy the “for kids” series from Chicago Review Press? They are written for kids and all contain 21 different activities for students to complete. They are fantastically written with loads of pictures and interesting tidbits throughout. Today I am reviewing Cleopatra and Ancient Egypt for Kids.

From the Cover:

Cleopatra has been called intelligent and scheming, ambitious and ruthless, sensual and indulgent. This unique biography captures the excitement of her life story, including portions that have been largely neglected, such as her interest in literature and science and her role as a mother, and allows readers to draw their own conclusions. Cleopatra and Ancient Egypt for Kids also includes maps, time lines, online resources, a glossary, and 21 engaging hands-on activities to help readers better appreciate the ancient culture and era in which Cleopatra lived.

What You Get:

Over the course of 144 pages students are led through the life of Cleopatra, starting with her life as a young princess and closing with the end of the era. Each of the 8 chapters contains up to three activities for students to engage the student in active learning from science experiments to art projects to making food.

Cleopatra worked hard to keep her family on the throne of Egypt and throughout her reign she kept Egypt stable. As a child in the Ptolomy household, she was well-educated. They put a strong emphasis on learning, as Egyptian queens played an essential role in the governing of the land. Cleopatra kept learning all her life. In the pages of the book you learn these facts and more.The student will understand how this tough, smart lady kept a country going in the time of growing Roman domination.

You’ll find 21 different activities to do. Some of them are creating a writing a tablet, build a shadoof, make a garland, create an Egyptian style necklace, mummify a hot dog and many more. Each assignment comes with a materials list and clear instructions to complete it. I loved the variety in the assignments.

You’ll find a timeline at the start of the book from when Cleopatra VII is born, through to the death of Cleopatra and Anthony. Span of some 40 years.

Scattered throughout the pages you’ll find maps, busts, coins, plants and buildings from the era. All those images that bring history to life that normally you’d have to go to a museum to see and piece together, brought all together in one book.

The close of the book lists the Egyptian Dynasties, Additional Resources with grade ranges – not just books but museums as well, and a glossary. All in all a complete walk through of the life of Cleopatra.

My Thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoy these books. Every single one I review I keep for my book shelves with the full intent of going through them with my lad.. grade nine is coming yet! 🙂 Very thorough, written so that upper elementary students can understand, complete enough for high school students to work through, filled with ideas for taking rabbit trails, with great variety in hands-on activities. They’d be perfect for doing a history course all year long (each taking about 8-9 weeks to complete).

Others that I’ve reviewed: Albert Einstein, Marine Science, Michelangelo, and Marie Curie.

Cleopatra and Ancient Egypt: her life and world, with 21 activities
Simonetta Carr
Chicago Review Press
For Kids Series
21 activities.
144 pages, trade paperback
History, hands-on learning, upper elementary
Reviewed for Chicago Review Press

Where to buy: Amazon.

Reviews

World’s Strangest….

What you get:

My Thoughts:

Snazzy Cat Capers, review and giveaway

From the Cover:

What you get:

My Thoughts:

Cooler Kitchen Soup Ladle

But oh.. the handle

The Scoop!

Ancient Wonders: Then & Now

From the cover?

What do you get?

My Thoughts:

Review: Teach Sunday School

Who is Teach Sunday School?

What do you get with Bible-at-a-glance?

How did we use it?

My Thoughts:

Son’s thoughts:

My Pastor Hubby’s thoughts:

Area of struggle

Teen Trailblazers

From The Back Cover:

What do you get?

My thoughts:

Cleopatra and the Ancient Greeks

From the Cover:

What You Get:

My Thoughts:

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From the Cover:

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But oh.. the handle

The Scoop!

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What do you get?

My Thoughts:

Who is Teach Sunday School?

What do you get with Bible-at-a-glance?

How did we use it?

My Thoughts:

Son’s thoughts:

My Pastor Hubby’s thoughts:

Area of struggle

From The Back Cover:

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My thoughts:

From the Cover:

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