A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Reviews

Tiny Bird

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raincoast FTC

Raincoast books is the story of one little hummingbird’s migration journey.  Let’s travel with him from the northern part of the USA to the Gulf of Mexico. Beautifully illustrated with a treasure trove of information about hummingbirds.  It has been my pleasure to review this picture book. 

Tiny Bird: A Hummingbird's Amazing Journey

What I am Reviewing

Tiny Bird: A Hummingbird’s Amazing Journey was written by Robert Burleigh.  Illustrated by Wendell Minor, and published by Henry Hold & Company.   It is 40 pages long and intended for ages 5-9.  Covering hummingbirds and migration, ecology and zoology.   This is a beautiful book.  Reviewed for Raincoast books.  I received a softcover ARC copy for this review. 

The Details on Tiny Bird

I love it when picture books open up with an introduction to the topic at hand before they get to the title page.  Tiny Bird opens with facts about hummingbirds along with a map showing the journey that tiny bird will be taking. 

Tiny Bird

I learned a ton about hummingbirds reading this book, some of it actually surprised me so I had to fact check.  Nothing that I checked was proven to be false, so if you are undergoing a study on hummingbirds, grab up this book!  The beautiful illustrations that show off the speed and grace of the hummingbird will delight you. 

Tiny Bird sample page

Tiny Bird brings out the hardships these little birds face on their journey.  I could see how their tiny size belies the strength behind them. 

Most of the pages have ample white space to showcase these tiny birds.  But occasional pages are full colour.

Tiny Bird sample page

No rhyming lyrics fill the pages, just straightforward informative text, written in easy to understand language for the young reader.   The font size is easy to read. 

Tiny bird, sample text

This inspiring migratory and life cycle story celebrates the important and impressive feat of a small but mighty creature.  You will learn so much about this smallest of birds travelling over 1500 miles.  Many of these birds don’t make it, but in Tiny Bird we celebrate the ones that do!

Young or old, Tiny Bird is worth a look at. You won’t regret the read for yourself or your children. 

Iceland: The Puffin Explorers Series

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Imagine visiting a country that gets more than 2.3 million visitors a year, more than the whole country has as it’s population, and falling in love with a “flying football”.  Put those two loves together and you get an engaging series entitled Iceland: The Puffin Explorers by RA Anderson.   Three books thus far in this series extolling the virtues of puffins and the land they live in.  Join me in this review, won’t you?

iceland the puffin explorers series

What I am Reviewing

Ascot Media was kind enough to send me the entire series of Iceland: the Puffin Explories Series.   The three books in the series are 

Written by RA Anderson, who also wrote the “if pets could talk” series, she gears this series to children up to grade two. My Favourite Books Publishing Company put together these three books that average 70 pages each. 

Each book centres around young puffin Arni and his friend Birta. As they look for various things they also learn a lot about Iceland. 

The Details

You will find every page filled with brightly coloured images and good clear text.  The text is great size for reading to singles or a group.  Please note these adorable puffin footy-prints running throughout the pages. 

iceland the puffin explorers

Most pages that Arni, Birta or puffin parents talking about things they see, the concerns they have, etc.  These words are always italicized and in rhyme.

iceland the puffin explorers

The author adds tidbits of learning with cutouts borded in orange.  You will learn facts such as statistics, puffin details, green power in Iceland, and cultural information.  They even brought in Icelandic words such as lopi, tog, thel, and tolt. 

iceland the puffin explorers

The Individual Books

Puffins Take Flight

Puffins take flight book cover

Puffins take flight introduces us to Pabbi (Arni’s dad), Arni, Birta and Arni’s mother.  Arni is up for an exploration but his best pal Birta is missing!   In this first book we predominately learn all about puffins, from how they walk, fledge, nest, their predators and more. 

Did you know there were four types of puffins? It was news to me as well.   These books are definitely not just for youth up to grade two, if you are interested in puffins and/or Iceland these books are a treasure trove of information for one and all. 

Puffins take flight sample page

Puffins off the Beaten Path

puffins off the beaten path book cover

In Puffins off the beaten path, Arni and his best friend Birta are looking for two lost sheep.  These twins need to get back to their mama and these two puffins are determined to help!

Along the way we learn more about puffins, and a lot about Iceland. Learning about farming and sheep, horses, swans, foxes, turf homes and more.  You’ll pick up some Icelandic language along the way.

puffins off the beaten path sample page

Puffins Encounter Fire & Ice

Puffins Encounter Fire & Ice book cover

Puffins Encounter Fire & Ice is the last book in the series. Arni and Birta are off for one last land adventure before they head off to sea for the next four years. 

Arni and Birta will discover glaciers, volcanoes and natural energy.  They will learn about some of the Iceland’s legendary folk.  You’ll see beautiful pictures of waterfalls, lighthouses, and wildlife. 

Puffins Encounter Fire & Ice sample page

Recommendation

I found these books to be simply fantastic.  Most of the pictures are unique to each book but I did find some puffins duplicates.  The full colour images, the interesting and varied facts about both puffins and Iceland, make for a compelling read. 

The large font size makes it easier for adult and child alike to read.  I could easily see letting the child read the puffin conversation while the adult reads the factual bits. 

The author mentioned that the pictures in the book were of adult puffins, not immature ones like Arni and Birta would have been. 

Civilization’s Quotations: Life’s Ideal

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It is my privilege to share a treat with you today.  I got to review Civilization’s Quotations: Life Ideal.  A really cool book filled with quotes some were funny, others sad, and yet others that were profound.  Saves me time you know, to have a book at hand rather than having to search on-line for a vaguely remembered quote. Imagine this.. I now have 8000 quotes available for me, all organized and ready to for me to read, enjoy and use!

Civilization's Quotations by richard krieger

What I am Reviewing

Richard Alan Krieger put together Civilization’s Quotations: Life’s Ideal.  This is a softcover book, which contains 8000 quotes within 344 pages.  I am reviewing this on behalf of Ascot Media.

This is not an exhaustive compendium of the world’s most original quotations, but more so a collection of observations and maxim’s that caught the authors eye.   These quotes are provided in a “poetic quotation” style. You’ll find it a fun book to go through and it also serves well as a resource when searching for just the right words to use. 

quote by Gandhi

The Details on Civilization’s Quotations

The book opens with an extensive table of contents that outlines each main category with the subcategories listed under.  Some of the main categories are: 

  • Gratitude – thankfulness, praise, pleasing, value, worth
  • Work – labor, employment, occupation, business, trade, proft etc
  • Family – ancestors, home, marriage, parents, mother, father, children
  • Time – the past, the present, now, the moment, today, the future etc.
  • The world – the universe, unity, mystery
civilizations quotations table of contents

You’ll find the font is a bit small … I was happy to have my bifocals.  My 14 year old had no problems though.  

Most quotes run 1-2 lines each, occasionally longer quotes would pop up. 

Civilizations Quotations was filled with quotes were from various time periods from the far past to more recent. Not only that they were from all over the world, different genders, and various people groups. 

Civilization's Quotations sample quotes

The quotes range from funny to serious.  I have a love of old proverbs and I thoroughly enjoy reading good quotes on a wide variety of topics. Most of them are one or two lines long, but I did notice a few that were three-four lines.  Those longer ones were in the minority. 

japanese proverb - luck is like having a rice dumpling fly into your mouth

My Recommendations

One thing I wish the book had was an index of authors. I would love to be able to find all the Japanese proverbs easily, or to find other quotes by Gandhi, Lincoln, or Atwood. 

Overall, I love books like this. I know, I’m out of the normal stream, but seriously… reading quips, lines, proverbs and so forth.. it’s good you know?  

I have a firm appreciation for the variety chosen.  Not all serious, not all just fun, it was an excellent mix. Quotes were taken from all over the world.

The variety in Proverbs makes me think of making a fun workbook of learning old proverbs and what they mean. Kinda like one I did on idioms a few years back. A great tool for teaching international students English.

Thou Art the Christ

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Are you looking for a devotional that will walk you through the life of Jesus?   Jonathan Jenkins has put together a devotional where you can use any translation of the Bible that you are comfortable with.   Let me tell you call about it in this review. 

Thou Art the Christ - jonathan jenkins

What I am Reviewing

Thou Art the Christ: a devotional on the Life of Jesus by Jonathan Jenkins was written in 2019 and published by Westbow Press.  At 380 pages this softcover book does a good job at walking people through the life of Christ. 

Thou Art the Christ provides a nonbreaking narrative of Jesus’s life, connecting it to Old Testament prophecies about God’s promise to send the Messiah for the whole world for any whosoever believing him. (from cover)

The Details on Thou Art the Christ

Thou Art the Christ is divided into 11 parts, they are: 

  1. Incarnation
  2. Offer of a new life
  3. Sermon on the mount
  4. Trains the twelve
  5. The turning point
  6. Trains the seventy
  7. Point of no return
  8. Passion week
  9. Last supper
  10. Our Good Friday
  11. His resurrection commissions us
Thou Art the Christ table of contents

One of the things I really appreciate in this devotional is that each devotional reading is directly applicable to the scripture reading.   It’s one of the reasons I dislike reading devotionals.  You read the passage, then the devotional reading and wonder how one connects to the other.  I did not have that with any of the devotionals I read. 

Thou Art the Christ - sample page

With each devotional came 2-5 questions to answer.  Again, directly related to the scripture passage and the devotional. These weren’t empty minded questions, but ones designed to make you think. 

Thou Art the Christ - jonathan jenkins

Would I recommend?

Though I haven’t read every single devotional in this book, I like it.  I love that the author was clear about what he wanted to accomplish.  A devotional about the life of Christ.  He deals with the various aspects of Jesus’ ministry, from birth through resurrection. 

Each scripture reading is small, most of the devotions filled one page, the odd one going to a page and a half. Easy to read, good follow up questions, AND you can use whatever bible you fill most comfortable with. Instead of quoting scripture he provides the scripture reference so you can look it up yourself.  

Thou Art the Christ - jonathan jenkins

Ninja Cat: Whiskers of Doom

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As I reviewed Ninja Cat I saw Lando learn to let his friends make their own decisions. Lando also learned some secrets of his past, allowing him to be the Ninja Cat that he needed to be. 

Ninja cat

What I am Reviewing

The story tells of a mischievous cat named Lando who lives alone in the big city and hangs out with friendly humans as well as the City Crew―his diverse team of animal friends. The Crew gets into a heap of trouble after borrowing money from the notorious Loan Shark to buy a big TV, gaming console, video games and, of course, a mountain of snacks they immediately devoured―but now it’s time to pay him back. With no money, and the interest mounting, they have no clue how they’re going to do it…

Ninja Cat: Whiskers of Choice is written by Justin and Corrigan and is independently published.  Reviewed for Ascot Media.   A soft cover book of 144 pages.  Topics in clue money, loan sharks, interest rates, and crime.

Details for Ninja Cat

Conversation and black/white images fill the pages of this 144 page book.  The writing is rough, and appears (at least to me) like it’s a first draft. Varying sizes in print, with the appearance of being done in pencil.  The drawings are unsophisticated and fairly basic.  I suppose that is to be expected as they are all done by an 11 year old lad. 

Ninja Cat

We are introduced to all the characters and the various bands they are part of.   We have pond patrol, city crew, street gang, and loan shark.  In their introductions we discover their strengths and weaknesses. 

ninja cat

As the story progresses we see not only Lando, the ninja cat, develop new skills but also the members of the city crew as well. We see them overcome obstacles before the story is finished.  This is good, it’s great to see progression in characters. 

ninja cat

My Thoughts

Can I recommend Ninja Cat to you? That’s a tough question for me with Ninja Cat: Whiskers of Choice. 

I understood the following

  • the gangs
  • the loan shark and the precarious position he put people in
  • fulfilling a debt and the pressure it placed

I didn’t understand the position of Lando and his ninja cat skills. 

The mixed up jumble of graphics, poorly written storyline and characters made the story difficult to comprehend.  I kept expecting the story to go in one direction, and then it would twist and go into another direction.  In the end it didn’t seem like the majority of characters made wise decisions. In the end Lando (Ninja cat) helped his friends accomplish their mission.

ERGO, I am hesitant to recommend it. 

You Are Captivating

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Hey, since I am temporarily out of review books, I thought I would tell you about an encouraging book called You are Captivating that I just finished reading.  This is a short book that I have had forever and just never gotten around to reading.  I’m trying to remember where and when I got it but simply can’t remember.  It was a good little read and so I thought I’d tell you about it. 

You see I’ve been reading on facebook lately.  Mommas who are struggling with being mommas.  Caring for their littles, finding themselves run down and a bit out of sorts. Wondering if they are failing their children. 

You are Captivating is an encouragement to mommas.  It is!  This 55 page book celebrates all that goes into a mother’s heart.  

Hey, since I am temporarily out of review books, I thought I would tell you about an encouraging book called 

You are Captivating

A devotional for momma’s

Stasi Eldredge divided this devotional for a mother’s heart into 15 short chapters. Starting off with a chapter on the high and holy calling of motherhood, traipsing through chapters on how God sees motherhood and how to nuture your heart.  She closes the book with a mother’s prayer. 

Stasi encourages us to guard our hearts well. She writes “It is the fountainhead of our faith, our hope, and of course, our love.  This ‘well-spring of life’ within us is the very essence of our existence, the center of our being.”

And so she leads us into how we can guard our hearts in the midst of wiping, caring, holding, listening, minding, and disciplining those that God has brought under our care. 

You can easily read You are Captivating in the course of an afternoon, or take your time and read one chapter a day, a half month of remembering the value to being a mom. 

Mindful Day

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Raincoast FTC

Mindfulness is a big thing now-a-days, promoting a growth orientation. Mindful Day is a book geared to little ones, helping them learn to think in the moment.  To carefully pay attention to what you are doing, slowing down using rhythmic breathing so you can experience everything you can. 

Mindful Day by Deborah Hopkinson

What I am Reviewing

Mindful Day is written by Deborah Hopkinson, and is geared for children preschool to grade three. Illustrations are done by Shirley Ng-Benitez.  32 pages of lyrical narrative and illustrations to brighten each page.  It plugs into the mindfulness movement to teach early concepts to young children.  This children’s health book aim to help your children experience new and routine experiences in an emotionally healthy way. Published by Sounds True.  I am reviewing this book for Raincoast Books. 

Mindful Day

Details of Mindful Day

In this picture book you will find a mom and her children going about their daily business.  As they do so they will carefully pay attention to everything they are doing.  They will often take the time to focus on their breathing. 

Mindful Day

Illustrator Shirley Ng-Benitez has taken the time to draw amazing pictures.  I love the details she has incorporated. 

From the cat meowing as the children have breakfast.

Mindful Day

To the variety in the colours used on every page.  This book is done in all the brilliant colours you find in life.  The grey of a rainy day, the darkness of nightfall and fresh greens of the market. Lots of details to draw out of your children as you sit to read together.

Mindful Day

With large letters and excellent use of white space you’ll find it a pleasure to read to a group of children.  The simple lyrics roll well off the tongue.  They are not done in a rhyming style, but more like a mom telling a story to her children, talking together about the day they have had.  Remembering together all the things they experienced. 

Mindful Day

My Thoughts

There is much in this book that I like, but I am having a hard time with this whole mindfulness element.  Mindfulness tends to be fairly self-centered, a horizontal relationship between you and your view of the world. 

I love the simple enjoyment of every day activities, taking the time relish them, and appreciate them in the moment.  There is much to be said about appreciating what you have and taking the time to breathe through what happens in life that you don’t like. 

BUT the element of mindfulness that runs clearly through Mindful Day has me concerned.  I would issue this caution: if you are a person of faith, read it first and then decide if this book is right for you and your littles to read.  Pay attention to the language used, change it if you must, work on the vertical relationship more than the horizontal.