A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Books for Children

No Reading Allowed

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I don’t know if you remember a book I reviewed last year called P is for Pterodactyl.  It is an hilarious alphabet book.  No Reading Allowed: the Worst read-aloud Book Ever is much in the same light.  I WOULD NOT call this a read-aloud book at all!  🙂 Though it would be so much fun to try!

no reading allowed review

What I am Reviewing

No Reading Allowed: the WORST read-aloud book ever!  Written by Raj Haldar and Chris Carpenter, it is hilariously illustrated by Bryce Gladfelter. Running at 48 pages, you’ll find clever word play on every page.   I received an advanced reader’s copy from Raincoast Books for this review. (You’ll find my amazon affiliate links throughout this review). Published by sourcebooks explore, this picture book is geared to children 4-8, but honestly…I think anyone could enjoy this book.  You’ll find that it’s a fun romp playing with words. 

From the Cover:

You can’t believe everything you hear! A single word can have many different meanings. And sometimes two words that sound alike can be spelled completely differently. Ptolemy the pterodactyl is back to show us all how absurd and fun language can be when homophones, homonyms, and tricky punctuation are at play!     No Reading Allowed allows children and their parents to laugh together while also learning something new.

The Details for No Reading Allowed

As you can see, the illustrations fit really well with the words and how cleverly words can be written to show different things EVEN THOUGH they sound exactly the same. 

Many of the clever sentences are full page, but variety is provided with some pages having multiple sentences on them. 

The font is large and easily held in front of a group for reading, but it’s seriously just a run read to do.   

It would be fun to read a sentence to a group of children (without showing them the images first) and then have them draw out what they think the sentence said.  Would that be hilarious to do?  Seeing all those different interpretations?  What a great way to introduce to children the variety of words we have within the English language? 

Should you get No Reading Allowed?

if you want to read a fun book with some budding authors, or some younger children, go for it.  If you are just looking for a quick and easy read that shows you different interpreations for the same sounds… YES. 

No reading allowed: The WORST read-aloud book ever is a great read, an interesting approach to showing children the fun of the English language.  Using humour to teach helps children see the fun there is in making a mistake with spelling when all they hear is a word spoken.  It helps them to learn to use context to understand what is being said.  A fantastic book, add it to your library today! 

How Cities Work Activity Book

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Oh… How Cities Work is a rather neat activity book that I can’t wait to tell you all about!   Stickers, colouring, word searches and more fill the pages.  Help your children understand how cities work! Tall skyscrapers, bustling waterways, and even the city architect!  

How cities work activity book

What I am Reviewing

How Cities Work (activity book) is a lonely planet kids book.  A book that is illustrated by James Gulliver Hancock that helps your children understand the workings of a city through hands-on activities.  With over 200 stickers, word searches, writing assignments, mazes and such like you’ll explore most aspects of city life.   Written for children 6-8 years old. 

I am reviewing this book on behalf of Raincoast books.    A companion book to go along with this activity book is How Cities Work.  These books are part of the How Things Work Series.    This series includes such books as Trains and Airports, and you may remember How Animals Build that I reviewed a bit ago.  

Details for How Cities Work

With so much going on in a city environment, there’s plenty here to discover, explore and get creative with.  Stuffed full of facts about the inner workings of the city.  You’ll discover wonderful illustrations of scenes including rush-hour traffic, garden centres and building sites. There is plenty here to keep your children occupied and challenged either at home or on the road. 

Activities include:  Search and finds, colouring, spot the difference, add stickers, design a poster, word search, writing assignments, mazes, etc. 

Among the pages you’ll find six pages of more than 200 stickers.  I love that it’s not just a “put a sticker on” book, but it’s also a “thinking it through” exercise of figuring out what is going on and use a sticker to fix it!   Or today we’re learning about animals in a zoo, can you help the escaped animals get back to where they belong. 

how cities work stickers

The illustrations, done by James Fulliver Hancock, match those of How Cities work (another in this series).   Fitting these two books together will help your children learn a great deal about the workings of a city.   They are well done, fitting smoothly together. 

Should you Get it?

Yes! It’s a fun book and well worth getting.  It will not only teach your children various functions of a city, but also let them have fun while doing so.  How Cities Work (activity book) is informative and gives your children a productive way to utilize their time well.  🙂 

Other books to pair this with that I have reviewed are: 

The Word for Friend

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Some picture books speak to the heart while providing evocative images to stimulate conversation between reader and child.   The Word for Friend by Aidan Chase is one such book.  Imagine if you would, moving to a new place and not knowing the language.   What would an imaginative child do? Find a way through, with the help of another imaginative child.  🙂 

word for friend

What I am Reviewing

The Word for Friend is a 40 hardcover picture book geared for children 4-8 years old. Published by Farrar Straus Giroux, Aidan Cassie is the author and illustrator.   This review is on behalf of Raincoast Books. 

From the cover: 

Kemala the pangolin is sure she’s going to make friends at her new school in her new country. After all, Kemala loves to talk. The kids at school like talking, too – but their words are all different. ….

At first, no one understands Kemala either. This realization makes her curl into a little ball … But a classmate helps draw her out with an art project that …. Soon, Kemala is learning the most universal language of all: friendship.

The Details of The Word for Friend

I really like this book.  I do.  The bright colours, the well-done illustrations, and the fantastic story.  It’s a wonderful package. Kemala is a wonderful youngster wrapped up in her pangolin suit.  

Her struggle is real.  New community, new classmates, new language, and a new living situation.  It’s hard for a child to adjust to so many new things. 

“Let’s just go back home!” was the plea.

But…. a friend happened.   It wasn’t easy, not being able to talk well, but through puppets and effort, a lonely pangolin learns.   Until finally she sees a possibility.  Can she and Ana pull it off?

Should you Get it?

The Word for Friend by Aidan Cassie is a darling book.  Just as Little Juniper Make it Big was a great picture book, so is this one.  You will enjoy reading this with your littles, and perhaps can even turn it an opening for your own theatre production!   Now wouldn’t THAT be fun?  🙂 

It’s also a great way to start introducing some Spanish into the lives of your little ones.   Learn that amiko means friend, and build bridges to new friendships as well!  🙂 

Pirate Nell’s Tale to Tell

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Who doesn’t love a good pirate story?  Four to eight year-olds will delight in the story of Nell aboard a pirate ship.  She’s a sweet, determined character whose light is not dimmed by the nay-sayers in her life.  It is my distinct pleasure to review this delightful picture book Pirate Nell’s Tale to Tell for Raincoast Books. 

Pirate Nell's Tale to tell

What I am Reviewing

Pirate Nell’s Tale to Tell is written by Helen Docherty and beautifully illustrated by Thomas Docherty.  The words and images work well in tandem.  40 pages of storybook adventure await the 4 to 8-year-old reader.   Published by sourcebooks jabberwocky, you’ll find this hardcover book a delight to read. 

From the cover:

Nell is finally a pirate!
And she has her trusty Pirate’s Almanac to help her sail the seas, even if Captain Gnash doesn’t like books on his ship. But when the journey gets rough and the captain is in trouble, it’s Nell and all her pirate knowledge that saves the day and leads them to the greatest buried treasure of all. . .

The Details for Pirate Nell

Helen Docherty who also wrote The Snatchabook has written a delightful book of rhymes.  It is so easy to read, the words will just roll off your tongue.  As I reading quietly to myself, I couldn’t help myself and started reading aloud startling my hubby.  🙂  It’s good to do those things you know? 

Nell’s love of books is evident throughout, even if her captain disagreed.   He couldn’t see the importance of books, how could they help you be a good pirate afterall?

You’ll find loads of colour filling the pages, finding Nell hard at work whether it be scrubbing the decks or saving the Captain.  The Captain seems the not so nice sort, but by the end of the book, Nell has won him over. 

It’s a good read for both adult and child, the font big enough to read with a group of children, and illustrations varied enough to provide lots of talking points with them as well.   I received the ARC version, but the hardcover style it will come with will provide great durability.  Snatch it up, and enjoy with your pirate study today!  🙂 

Should You Get It?

Aw, this is such a cute book that fosters a love of reading.  Books helps us in so many ways

YES, go get Pirate Nell’s Tale to Tell!  Read it with your children.  Delight in the antics of the pirates, frown at the short-sightedness of the captain, and sit back in wonder at lessons learned. It’s a great romp through the world of books and learning. 

You don’t have to just use for 4-8 year olds though… it would be a great addition to a “fun with books unit”, or a Pirate study, or even a history of oceanic travel book… to talk about the work you need to do abroad ship.  Even a unit on how being kind and willing to share knowledge is a great thing to do.   It’s simply a lovely book.. read it with your children!  I think I’ll have my son read it as part of his speech studies!  

Other pirate based posts

Florence and Her Fantastic Family Tree

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When I opened the cover to Florence and her Fantastic Family Tree, I was immediately brought back to a conversation with a cousin.  One of her children was being asked to do a family tree yet her child had a rather divergent family tree and was very frustrated by this.  The child didn’t want to look strange to peers, but wanted to complete the assignment.  The words “antiquated lessons” came up. 

Florence has a VERY divergent family tree and she handles this assignment with all these worries, and yet, she looks beyond her worries to her ability to show off her family.   A timely book I think hmm?  

Florence and her fantastic family tree

What I am Reviewing

On behalf of Raincoast books and Familius books I am reviewing Florence and her Fantastic Family Tree.  It will come as a jacketed hardcover of 32 pages.  Written by Judy Gilliam with the soft illustrations by Laura Addari.

From the cover

Florence and Her Fantastic Family Tree explores the idea of what it means to have a big, messy, complicated, and remarkable family as a young girl tries to complete her family tree assignment for school. With adorable drawings and the succinct words of a child, you can’t help but love your own family tree, no matter how large or small, simple or chaotic.

Florence and her fantastic family tree information

The problem is real so… does a child run away from it or grab up the opportunity?   Florence, using her own words, tells us how she handled this challenged.  How can she make a family tree when “my family tree doesn’t just have a trunk, roots, leaves and extra limbs.  My family tree is prickly, scaly, and partially overgrown.“

Using soft tones, the illustrator helps us watch Florence’s worry turn into a sense of accomplishment.  And I have to tell you as adult… it was wonderful to see.  I love watching children take what could be a painful assignment and turn it into something that is great.  THIS happens.

The story is told in Florence’s own words.  Sharing her words, her working out what her family is like.  It’s like sitting next to her as she does her homework listening in. 

You’ll find the font easy enough to read. It’s not in bold and appears handwritten. It would be easy enough to hold up with a group of children to share it. I could see a teacher using this with her class before she gives them a family tree assignment. What a great way to let children know it doesn’t matter what their family looks like, just follow how the branches go even if they intertwine or go off ways.

Should you Get it?

I thought Florence and her Fantastic Family Tree was a good read.  Enjoyable, easy to read, the character develops, and good results.  Regardless of what YOUR family looks like, it would be good to share with your children. Help them develop empathy for what other people’s families might look like.  Instead of calling it an antiquated idea, let us celebrate with children what their families look like. 

A Place Inside of Me

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Zetta Elliot, in A Place inside of me, gives us a poem to heal the heart of young people of colour.    In this sensitive picture book we see a young skateboarders’ response to living, before and after, a community member is wounded by the police.  This review is on behalf of Raincoast Books. 

Just so you know, affiliate links will be used in this post. 

A Place Inside of Me

What I am Reviewing

Published by Farrar Straus Giroux, A Place inside of me is written by Zetta Elliot.   Within it’s 32 pages of reinforced binding, this hardcover picture book contains a poem to heal the heart.   Noa Denmom illustrates with care and feeling, bringing to light those hidden emotions inside.

From the cover: 

Summertime is filled with joy – skateboarding and playing basketball – until his community is deeply wounded by a police shooting. As fall turns to winter and then spring, fear grows into anger, then pride and peace.   …….

Here is a groundbreaking narrative that can help all readers – children and adults alike – talk about the feelings hiding deep inside each of us.

The details for A Place Inside of Me

This is not a book of simple rhyming poetry, but a poem filled with emotion from deep inside of a young man.    Enjoying his summer, until damage happens.  Then pain and anger flow out.   

 Illustrator Noa Denmon does an excellent job articulating the depth and nuances of a child’s experiences following a police shooting.  You’ll see with washes of colour, the grief, and anger, and healing and eventually the community.   

You’ll find the text generally in a large enough format to read with a group of children gathered round, and yet easy enough on the eyes to sit and read with a single child.  A Place Inside of Me is geared to youth 4-8 years old, but would be good with older children as well. 

Should you Get it?

Well-written, covering sensitive pain.  Opening hearts and minds to the inner turmoil of others when a member of their community is hurt.   Even though this specifically applies to Black Lives Matter, I can easily seen the theme crossing boundaries.  An excellent bridge to help children be sensitive to the feelings of those around them. 

A Place Inside of Me is definitely worth reading and I suggest you give it a good look.  Add it to your history.  🙂 

Outside In

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Sometimes you run across a book that can be read in different ways.  Outside In is one such book. Between the images, and my take on text used, I had one impression, but when I read the description, I can see another vantage point.   Books like this linger with me, perhaps this one might linger with you as well.   This is my review.

Outside In Review

What I am Reviewing

Deborah Underwood (best selling New York Times author) wrote Outside In which has been published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  Cindy Derby used a mixture of dark dreary colours with bright pops of colour to illustrate this hardcover picture book.   Written for primary school children, at 40 pages it is a nice book to share with a lap-child or for beginning readers to pick up.  

Because of the different perspectives, you can take with Outside In, it’s an imaginative book with good nature themes. 

Reviewing on behalf of Raincoast Books. 

The Details on Outside In

Cindy Derby’s artwork has left me feeling very conflicted about which way I should read this book.  Parts feel very low and depressive, and other parts feel very bright and ready for almost anything.  At the same time nature abounds, making this tome a place of exploration and dreaming.   It makes for an intriguing look-see.

Outside In

Ooh… the colours in the leaves eh?  Juxtapositioned against the bleakness of winter.  How sad and quiet it can be in the winter, unless we look for the colour and life within it. 

Outside In

Too often that bleakness stays with us.  Bring the light in, bring nature in, rejoice in the colour and life!

The large text size makes it easy for child and adult to read easily. 

sample page outside in

Should you get it?

Outside In is such an interesting book.  Nature, colour, and emotions.  There is much to see and discuss in this picture book. 

Bring nature indoors whether with light or colour.

Don’t get stuck in a rut of quietness within.