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A Net in Time

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Reviews

Endangered Animals

December 2, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

raincoast FTC

Do you remember Animal Camouflage that I reviewed a while back?  Endangered Animals is written by the same author, Sam Hutchinson, and is a educational search and find that I just love the look of.  Let’s me show you why I like it so. 

endangered animals

Endangered Animals, the details

Sam Hutchinson, along with Sarah Dennis, have put together a book to encourage people to help the endangered animals around them.   Endangered Animals and how you can help them is produced by Princeton Architectural Press.  In this hardcover tome you will discover all the endangered animals you would expect, and many more beside!

Middle Elementary students should have a fair amount of fun within the pages.  Seeking out animals that they have learned a way in which to help.  

32 pages filled with interesting facts and small ways that students, 6-9 years old can do to help. Small ways, that, over time, matter. 

What you’ll discover

Seven types of habitats are discussed: Rain Forest, Desert, Ocean, Savanna, Mountains, Forests, and Polar. Readers will discover the 8 ways in which animals are classified from least concern through vulnerable to extinct. 

The colours blue, orange, red, and green are used extensively throughout the pages.  The searches are as white on colour. Each search has nine animals to look for with some of them replicating. 

The images you are searching for shown are shown on the “what you can do page”.  Raincoast Books provided me with a hardcover review copy.  Such a lovely feel to this book,with solidly heavy pages, bright images so you can easily find your way. 

The font is geared to an individual sitting down and reading through on their own,  You’ll find animals in every habitat under each category.  For instance in Savanna you’ll discover the Hadada Ibis which is of least concern and going through seven animals of growing concern until you reach the long-tailed hopping mouse which has gone extinct. 

Each animal portrayed has a small write up alongside it. An explanation about the danger is delineated.  Much of the threat these animals face is due to human activity.  Sarah Dennis is the illustrious artist who brings this story to life for us. 

Should you get it?

Endangered animals would be a great book to help you with your studies of animals from around the world.  I like how the world is divided into habitats instead of countries, helping students see how regardless of country of origin, habitats have animals affected. 

I loved how the author found practical ways for children to help. Too often elementary students can’t see what they can do to help, and Sam Hutchinson finds ways for them.  

 

Filed Under: Homeschooling, Reviews

Santa Baby

November 28, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

So, I’m not this big “let’s do Santa” person.  It’s just not my thing. Occasionally though I meet a Santa book that actually has a good moral lesson behind it.  Santa Baby is one such book.   Sometimes, just sometimes, even Santa has a lesson or two to learn. 

Santa Baby

The Details of Santa Baby

Did you know the Jonathan Stutzman grew up reading Christmas books every year?  He’s finally written one of his own. He hearkens back to his own childhood as he wrote Santa Baby.    Heather Fox did an excellent job of providing the illustrations that brought Mr. Stutzman’s book to life. 

Children 4-8 years old will delight in the situation that Santa has found himself in.  It begs the question: Can Christmas be saved? What will happen with Santa?

Raincoast books provided me with an ARC copy of this hardcover with a fly picture book. 48 pages filled with all the colours of Christmas.  The elves are confounded, Santa unable to communicate clearly, and Christmas is just four days away!  Whatever will happen?

From the Cover of Santa Baby

Highlights

Ho Ho Ho is Ow Ow Ow for Santa in his senior years.  How could he, when he was so sore, deliver gifts for children all over the world?   Do you see how Ms. Fox’s illustration help to showcase the story?

Santa’s aches are pains are so obvious, you can understand his desire to be young, once again.  No more pain!  But Santa forgot, Christmas magic is a powerful thing.  How could he manage the consequences.

The font isn’t huge, but not terribly small either.  It will be easiest to read with a child in your lap, but with some prep, reading with a group of children would be quite doable.  I could just hear those children giggling.  Santa Baby is a fun read. 

Santa can’t do it all himself!  Can he figure out a solution?   Will he ever feel the wonders of Christmas again? 

Should you get it?

Seeing the tables turned on Santa, how he himself needed to learn a lesson of his own was excellent.  I think children would have a lot of fun not only listening to this story being read, but in guessing what might happen next. 

Santa Baby is a cleverly written picture book.  Humour, excellent illustrations, it’s well worth a second look. 

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Book Review, Books for Children, holidays, Raincoast

Little Red Sleigh

November 25, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

Can a little red sleigh attain her dreams?  This is an adorable book that will make you smile at the end, and hopefully have a child say “Again, read it again!”.   Friendship, dreams, and help along the way, Little Red Sleigh a delightful holiday tale.  I am so happy to tell you all about it!

Little Red Sleigh

The Details of Little Red Sleigh

Together with Sourcebooks, Erin Guendelsberger has produced a lovely, sweet book filled with the holiday spirit.  Little Red Sleigh is wonderfully illustrated by Elizaveta Tretyakova.  This is a very sweet book which I adored.  A young sled with big dreams who went out after them, not letting naysayers stop her.  I loved watching the grit she showed.  

Amazon links will be used in this review.   I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing Little Red Sleigh for Raincoast Books.

Little Red Sleigh, cover information

Believe in the magic of Christmas with this heartwarming Christmas picture book about the little red sleigh that could, perfect for fans of The Polar Express!

The Little Red Sleigh has one big dream-to one day become Santa’s big red sleigh! But all her life, she’s been told she’s too small, she’s too young, she can’t fly, and she certainly can’t meet Santa. Well, this Christmas, with the help of some friends, she’s determined to do the impossible.

Artist Elizaveta Tretyakova

Tretyakova has done a tremendous job of illustrating this heart-warming story.  You’ll see brilliant red, bright snow, dark trains, and a lovely yellow truck.  Seeing the fierceness of a winter storm and rejoicing in the fun of children playing. 

Don’t you love the brightness of the colours?  

The story moves along well, not only through text, but also through the well-done images.  Her story simply flows through image and text from one page to the next.  Well-written with great characters.

I found the text a bit small for reading with a group of children (unless you prep well ahead of time).  The words flow easily as you read, whether aloud or silently. It would be so much fun to read this with a child in your lap.

The story lends itself well to reading comprehension questions.  What do you think might happen next?  What did Little Red Sleigh see on her journey?  Did black train tell her anything important?  Did yellow truck tell her to give up?  I love books that help me to ask good questions of children. 

This particular book I received a ARC copy of, it will come as a hardcover and is geared to children 4-8 years of age.   Erin Guendelsberger engages her readers well throughout the story. 

Should you Get it?

Little Red Sleigh is an adorable book.  You and your children will love the determination of this young sleigh.  She knows what she wants and won’t let anyone tell her no… including the weather!  You’ll have to read through to see if she meets her goal, or if it changes along the way. I would love to tell you, but I don’t do spoilers, you’ll want to sit back and just enjoy this heart-warming story.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Elementary, holidays, Kindergarten, picturebook, Raincoast

Superhero vs School

November 21, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

raincoast FTC

First time school jitters are real!  Facing the fears of first day school blues, Superhero vs School, will help children see the potential of school instead of the alternatives. Building upon the idea of heros, villains, first day fears, and new friends. 

Superhero vs school

Learning about Superhero vs School

Ethan Long with Bloomsbury Children’s books, uses humour to help children adjust to the new reality of school. Bright images with a bit of a comic book feel fill the pages of this 32-page picture book.  Geared to young children in preschool through grade one. The imagination of a young child runs rampant throughout. 

From the cover: 

In the darkest of nights, when all else is lost, Scotty is ready to vanquish any foe. After all, that’s what a superhero does.

But this hero is about to come face-to-face with his greatest fear, his only weakness: the first day of school!

But just when Scotty thinks all hope is lost, he realizes that school is no match for a whole team of heroes – his new friends.

My review is on behalf of Raincoast Books. 

As I read this story I was thinking two things. First, the frustration of a mom trying to get a child ready for school maybe without knowing everything going on in her little man’s mind. Second, the imagination of a child is both a wonderful and sometimes scary thing. 

Young Scotty was having quite the adventure going on in his head.  School, a scary monsterous place.  The vivid illustrations of Ethan Long bring his fears to light.  

This would be a fun book to read with a group of children BEFORE they head off to school. The font is an excellent size for reading to a group. Gather them around and read them the story, stopping mid-way through to ask if they have any concerns about starting school.  Taking the time to discuss their feelings and concerns.  Then reading on and seeing what Scotty discovered… he’s not in this alone!

Should you get Ethan Long’s book?

I wish Scotty had discovered more than just friends to help him through the day.  I wish he had discovered a fun teacher, and helpful staff along the way, and realized his parent’s concern for him well-being.  My delight in Superhero vs school, Scotty wasn’t left in his fear, but instead was able to look beyond to the people around him. 

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Elementary, Kindergarten, picturebook, Preschool, Raincoast

Review: Julie Naturally

November 18, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

DISCLAIMER: I RECEIVED A FREE COPY OF THIS PRODUCT THROUGH THE HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW IN EXCHANGE FOR MY HONEST REVIEW. I WAS NOT REQUIRED TO WRITE A POSITIVE REVIEW NOR WAS I COMPENSATED IN ANY OTHER WAY.

Romans and Philippians are excellent books to study don’t you think?   At Julie Naturally, you will find bible studies suited to individual as well as small group endeavors. Julie Naturally focuses on homeschooling & unschooling, holy living and wholistic health.  Come along as we learn more about her faith journey bible studies. 

Julie Naturally Review

What I am Reviewing

Julie Naturally, produced by Julie Polanco, comprises the two studies that we are reviewing today.  They are Faith Journeys Bible Study Series: Romans bundle which continues video and PDF studies and Faith Journeys Bible Study Series: Philippians which just has PDF lessons. Romans is an 8-week study, Philippians is four weeks.  

Both studies are promoted as  appropriate for more mature believing moms.  Hard-working mom can, over the course of a week, complete each lesson. Each daily exercise contains 3-5 questions each day.  

What do you get?

The Romans study comes with video along with the bible study that comes as a PDF file.  The Philippians study, though it mentions video, at this time only comes as a PDF bible study. 

Program highlights include

Bible verses that are dated per week, and set up to be cut for easy placement in a wallet or elsewhere for putting God’s word deeper into your heart.  The verses are short and easy enough to memorize. 

At the end of each week in both studies, a colouring page is provided.  Romans used words, Philippians hearts. 

Each week is broken into six days.  Each day has scriptures that must be read. Often there is a brief explanation that highlights key details.  Following the explanation are questions that require you to not only think about the verses but to apply them in our lives.   You can do the studies as expected (six days per week) or complete them all in one sitting. Each day’s work does not take long to complete. 

The Romans study also provides videos to go with each weekly lesson.  The videos are about 10 minutes each.  The video for week four was missing for me.  Occasionally it seemed like something was missing from the video.  

You can purchase the Philippians for $8.49 as a digital download. The study is 45 pages long. Romans costs $24.99, and is 97 pages long. 

How did I use Julie Naturally?

I predominately used the Romans Study, listening to the video as I was sat on my stationary bike. 

Then over the course of the week I would work on the bible study. I loved that I didn’t have to print it off and could write my answers directly on the computer.  It made it so easy to take 5 or 10 minutes to learn something more about God’s word. 

My Thoughts

I LOVE that the PDF’s are fully editable.  This means I don’t have to print out the study in order to use it.  I would need to do so if using for a group bible study but on my own, just being able to type in my thoughts, gold!

The Faith Journeys bible study in Romans or Philippians would be ideal for women looking for an introductory study. The mix of textual and personal questions will be edifying. The videos may be hit or miss, Julie had good information to share, but didn’t always organize her thoughts well. 

For middle or high school students, these studies would work quite well.  Helping these young women to dig deeper into their faith, learning to question their attitudes and actions, in the light of scripture. 

One thing that Ms. Polanco brings is a fresh perspective.  Every bible study a person engages in always brings something new to the table.  These studies are an affordable option for seeing something new in God’s Word. 

Julie Naturally Review

Where to Find Julie Naturally

Website: https://www.julienaturally.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julienaturally
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/julienaturally
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/successful.unschooler
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/julienaturally
Podcast: https://crunchychristianpodcast.com

40 members of the review crew took in the Romans-Philippians bundle from Julie Naturally.  Click on the image below to read them. 

Filed Under: Faith, Homeschooling, Reviews Tagged With: Bible Study, Devotional, Review, TOS

We Believe in You

November 14, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

Once in a while you run into a book that screams affirmation.  We believe in You is one such book.  With careful illustrations by Molly Idle, Beth Ferry’s words of belief flow easily from page to page. Tender images of animal families bring words to life.

we believe in you

About We Believe in You

Families of animals fill the 32pages of this picture book by Beth Ferry.  We Believe in You lists a variety of things that families consider important.   Some of these ideas are

  • peaceful living
  • being wowed
  • slow and steady
  • lots of hugging
we believe in you

Publisher is Roaring Brook Press, and I received an advanced reader’s copy from Raincoast books for my review. 

From the cover: Animals inspire their little ones to chase their dreams and reach for the stars in this modern classic-in-the-making.

Do you believe that dreams come true?

We believe it.
Absolutely!
Just like we believe in you.

Most of the pages have multiple “we believe” statements, and you’ll find occasional two-page spreads. 

Reading this lovely book with a circle of children would be easy as the font is a large, readable size.  I think it would be wonderful to sit down with children and start reading this book and then ask “what does your family believe in?”  I would hope that some might say “We believe in God.”  I found it sad that this book didn’t include any faith statements in it. But wow, lots of talking points throughout, a great way to help children understand what your family believes in and what you consider important. 

The colours have a soft-watercolour feel to them.  The images are fun, mostly quiet with some surprises, and filled with confidence. The animals families are well-varied and do not repeat.  Giraffes, woodpeckers, beavers, octopi, moles, butterflies, and even lions.  22 varieties in all. 

We believe statements are powerful things to make. You’ll find lots of examples here, so that you and your family can work on making your own.

Should You Get it?

We Believe in You is a good book to help families with children 3-6 years old to consider what statements they want their children to learn.  Statements that hold value to their particular family. 

Even though I can’t say I agree with all “we believe” statements, that’s not the point is it?  The point is to help children see what you believe, and how in the end, that parents believe also in their children’s potential. 

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Book Review, Elementary, Raincoast

Let’s Get Sleepy!

November 11, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

raincoast FTC

Want a fun book to read with your youngsters?  Let’s Get Sleepy is a rollicking ride with a bunch of kittens.   Getting sleepy is a tough thing to do when you are young.  Join these youngsters as they spend busy days trying to catch Sleepy.

let's get sleepy

The Particulars of Let’s Get Sleepy!

Let’s Get Sleepy! is a hardcover picture book produced by Imprint.  Tony Cliff wrote a rollicking, lyrical chase all about town.  Busy kitties have a whole lot of fun, while looking EVERYWHERE for Sleepy.  Can they find him?

From the cover: These cats are on an adventure to find that darn mouse named Sleepy.

But Sleepy is a sneaky mouse – he’s hard to find. The cats will have to look everywhere: all over town, out by the beach, up in space, and even back in time with the dinosaurs! Can the cats catch that mouse? Even if they don’t, at the end of the day, they may just get sleepy” after all.

In this wonderful book that I am reviewing on behalf of Raincoast Books, readers will have the delight of finding Sleepy on every page!

Some of the pages are quite simple, others will engage your child on quite the hunt!  🙂 

You will want to sit next to your child as you read this book together.  The font is geared for close quarters reading.  

I love how the colours changed throughout the 32 pages of this lovely picture book.  Starting all bright and sunny, and then as the day progresses, showing the falling of night.  The action gradually slows as well.  Little cats are starting to get tired…

Should you Get it?

YES!   It’s a fun hardcover picture book.  Kittens and a mouse, a chase, and with a fun seek and search element.   There is tons to see on each page, providing lots of talking points between reader and readee.  

Children from 3-6 years old (and possibly beyond) will find Let’s Get Sleepy an adorable book.  The lyrics flow easily from the lips. 

Filed Under: Reviews

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I am centered by the love of God and family. Smiles are brought about being a Writer, Poet, Hiker and reader. Growth occurs as I educate my son, raise him up in the fear of the Lord, love up on my critters and live as a pastor’s wife.

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