Reviews

You know how we are in a situation right now with Covid-19 where we feel out of our element?  We can’t do what we want and are struggling to find a new norm?  The Fish who Found the Sea is a bit like that.  A fish, who started to think about his situation, and suddenly was rather uncomfortable about it all.   Speaks abit to our times does it not?

What I am Reviewing

The Fish who found the sea was written by Alan Watts. It runs at 32 pages and is geared for children 4-8 years old.   Published by Sounds True, this picture book was superbly illustrated by Khoa Le.  I received an ARC copy from Raincoast Books for this review. 

In this tale of a tail, we meet a fish with a curiously familiar problem – he’s gotten himself so mixed up that he spends all his time chasing himself in circles! Only the Great Sea knows how to help our poor fish get out of the mess he’s created with his own runaway thoughts.

Alan Watts was an accessible and entertaining interpreter of Eastern philosophy in the West. A teacher whose popularity has only increased over time, he wrote more than 25 books.  This is his only teaching story created especially for children. 

The Details for The Fish Who Found the Sea

Khoa Le has made excellent use of all the shadings of blue possible.  The sea is filled with the lightest of blues in the curl of a wave. But the darkest of blues hint as the sheer depth of the oceans.  A brilliant orange-red shows us little fish, a philosophizing fish with deep questions on his mind.  His colour contrasts greatly with the blues of his water world.

On every page we see the questions little fish raises. With those questions, danger comes.  How will little fish find the answers he needs?  Will little fish live to see the end of this tale? 

Gradually we get to see the answers to little fish.  Little fish slowly learns how to accept the world he lives in.  To receive the help he is offered.  So together with little fish, the reader also learns. 

The result … sheer joy! “He swooped and climbed and danced in joy – a creature is his true element”. 

Share the joy with your children. Joy is a good place to be in. 

Should you Get it?

I found it a nice little book and well suited to the times we live in.   I could only find it on Amazon.ca.  It’s a remake though, so you just might be able to find an original copy somewhere. 

The message is clear, adjust to where you are in life.  Accept the help you are given. A timely message for the situation we currently find ourselves in. It is a good book to share with your littles, give them a broader perspective!

I don’t know if you remember the Build your own dinosaur review I did a while ago. Well, today I have another in the same series entitled “Build your own History Museum“.   This series is so much fun and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. 

What I am Reviewing

Build your own History Museum is a Lonely Planet Kids book.  It has 5 amazing pop-ups to you to make and display. 24 pages filled with interactive elements covering 9 periods in history.   Encourage the architectural skills of your children, in lower elementary, as they build pop-up display while engaging in history.  Created by Claudia Martin, and illustrated by Mike Love.   Reviewed for Raincoast Books. 

The Details for Build your own history museum

This hardcover book covers nine periods of history.

1. Ancient people
2. Mesopotamia
3. Indus Valley
4. Egypt
5. Greece
6. China
7. Rome
8. Maya
9. Vikings

It closes with two sections called Where in the world? (map showing different images from the time periods and testing if you recall what time period) and Rise and Fall (how civilizations come and go).

Part of making the museum and walking through is to insert these duel sided elements.  

Some of the elements are simple tab inserts, others are larger, enabling you to build pop-outs. 

Your young architects’ won’t be left in the dark. Instructions on how to build elements and place tabs are given. 

You will find brief, factual writings throughout. Interesting tidbits to whet the appetite for more. 

Colourful, bright images fill the pages.  So much colour scattered across the pages, it delights the eye and brings depth to the words written. 

How to Use

This book would be an excellent primer into 9 different time periods throughout history.  A good starting point into look into these time periods in a deeper way.

I got to thinking that it might inspire children to do more, and look into things like children’s museums, or perhaps even do more creating.  Youtube came to my rescue with this museum build.  Children could add interactive elements inside of it. 

Other history based youtube channels you might enjoy are hands on history, A kid explains history, history channel and the great war. 

Should you get it?

YES!   Have fun.  Build a museum.  Be inspired to learn more from our past.  It’s ever so interesting.  Having fun while you learn makes it even better. 

Solid pieces, good construction, easy storage.  Can’t really go wrong. Build your own History Museum requires no glue or scissors, just the coordination of the readers own hands.  Be creative! Learn the past!

Oh… do you love words?  I hope you do, words can be so much fun.  And in The Keeper of Wild Words, you get to see the fun of words.  Introduce unique words to your children, help them become keepers of the wild words as well!  But more importantly, let your heart be filled with words.  From the moment I read these words, I was hooked.  “Mimi was a writer.  She wove words into everything, everything that mattered.”

What I am Reviewing

Brooke Smith wrote a fun book playing with unique words, sparking a child’s imagination into going on a hunt.  In The Keeper of Wild Words you will find a gramma and grandchild revelling in the wonder of words.  Geared for children up to grade 3, this hardcover, fully colour illustrated picture book is 62 pages long. Published by Chronicle Kids and illustrated by Madeline Kloepper. Bright colours and large print make it easy to share with a group of children, or just enjoy one-on-one.   I am reviewing this book on behalf of Raincoast Books. 

The Details for The Keeper of Wild Words

You will delight in the variety in font size, helping you to easily pick out wild words to make your own.   Words like Drake, Buttercup, Apricots, Lavender, and Brook.  Through this discovery you might find more words to make your own.

As you meander through the pages you’ll marvel in the variety of language.  How a duck is more than a duck… it might be a drake, and flowers have variety such as poppies, lavender and more and how water could be a pond, or a brook.  What word wonders might you discover with your loved ones?  How are they are keeper of wild words?

At the close of the book you’ll find an envelope with an invitation.  Find wild words to make your own. 

The author wrote The Keeper of Wild Words because the Oxford Junior Dictionary removed 100 nature-based words from their lexicon.  These words were replaced by tech-based words.  Let’s not have our children lose nature in their lives.  Keep these wild words alive.

Should you get it?

Yes, run out right now and pick up this delightful book.  Teach your little ones the delight in testing out new words.  The delight there is to be found in discovering the wonders of the English language.  And have fun, frolicking through the pages together.  Who knows the joys that await you?