A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Elementary

Something’s Wrong!

By 2 Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Something’s Wrong) through Raincoast Books

 I love the full name of this book: Something’s Wrong! A Bear, a hare and some underwear.  Doesn’t that just intrigue you right off the start?  I can well imagine that youngsters would be curious indeed.  A fun read, friendship reigns supreme in this cute picture book. 

Affiliate links will be used in this review. No cost to you, helps support my blog. 

Something's Wrong

The details for Something’s Wrong!

Jory John brings us a highly relatable book for 3-6-year-olds in Something’s Wrong! A Bear, A Hare, and Some Underwear.  Erin Kroon does a wonderful job of providing forest-themed colours to tell the story of Bear and Hare, and of course…that underwear!  The publisher of this 40-page book is Farrar Straus Giroux this is a Junior Library Selection.  This hardcover picture is easy to hold and share with a group of children. 

I am reviewing on behalf of Raincoast Books. 

A nice sized text fills the pages of this fun picture book.  What is a bear to do when he’s certain he’s forgetting something but just can’t remember what!??!?!  He’s such a friendly bear even is his problem is weighing on his mind.

I can just see children chortling with delight as bear goes through his day trying to figure out what is wrong.  And all his friends were too polite to tell him!  Then his best friend Hare comes to the rescue! Isn’t that what friends are supposed to do?   Not only telling the truth to his friend Bear, but also helping him out of a touchy situation.

Do you think Bear might start a new fashion trend? 

I would love to read this with a group children and then stop along the way asking questions.  So why do you think his friends didn’t say anything?  Do you think his friend Hare will be able to help?  How could Bear forget such a thing?  What would you have done? 

Should you get Something’s Wrong?

If I were a teacher I’d add it to my stash of books to read with my children every year.  I wouldn’t hesitate to add it my library or go borrow from the library.  I found nothing objectionable, unless…you are a person who believes undergarments should not be spoken of.   

The Tale of friendship and the colours used to tell the story fit the scenes so well, and I loved it.   As a bonus, it’s a fun read.  The ending of Something’s Wrong made me laugh!   You’ll find it a good book to add to a unit study on being a good friend and learning empathy.

Well done Jory and Erin. 

Ways to Grow Love

By 2 Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Ways to Grow Love) through Raincoast Books.

Renee Watson has written a story about girls learning how to show love to each other in Ways to Grow Love. Ryan Heart is a young lady in a faith-based home struggling to make good decisions as she is maturing.  I found this a sweet story that rang true.   Come….. let’s learn more shall we? 

Affiliate Links will be used in this review, no cost to you, helps me to maintain this blog and review good books.  🙂 

ways to grow love

The Details for Ways to Grow Love

Ryan Hart is back again in Ways To Grow Love.  Renee Watson is a Newbery Hoor and Coretta Scott King Award winning author.   Her first Ryan Hart book was Ways to Grow Sunshine.   Bloomsbury Press is the publisher of this 192 page easy to read book for elementary children.  Short chapters interspersed with illustrations by Nina Mata. 

Children 7-10 years will find this an easy read with situations they can easily relate to.  I am reviewing an advanced readers copy for Raincoast books. 

Ryan is a middle school girl who is having friendship problems and is adjusting to a new family member on the way.  In this sweet story we get to walk with Ryan through church camp, skits, scarey moments, bad decisions, and learning new skills.  Can she navigate it all with the help of her family? 

Even though this book is part of a series it stands quite nicely on it’s own.  The sentences suit elementary students perfectly and the tone was warm and friendly, just like a kid telling a story to his folks.  

The characters are fairly well developed, Ryan sounds like a nice child and her friends have their own personalities.  It was good to watch the development of the girls as the story progressed. 

Should you get Ways to Grow Love?

I tend to think that girls will like this book more than most boys due to the subject matter.   It was well-written and I enjoyed the read. If I had a girl-child in this age range I wouldn’t hesitate to pick Ways to Grow Love for her.  It would be a good book to gift for a birthday party, or to add to a church library.   Even though the story is faith-based, I didn’t noticed any obvious signs of faith in their day to day life.  No prayers before meals, no calling upon God to help in challenging situations, yet…. the girls put on a skit based on the bible and learned from the bible story and let it affect their lives.  Wise choices made.   Get it for your elementary girls! 🙂   

InvestiGators

By 2 Comments

Mango and Brush are Gators, yes, InvestiGators!  They are agents of S.U.I.T, and they are on the case!  Will they solve the mystery?  Children who like Captain Underpants and Dog Man will enjoy this series by John Patrick Green.   I’ll be using amazon affiliate links in this review. 

Investigators

More about Investigators

Raincoast Books sent me an advanced reader’s copy of InvestiGators.   This graphic novel was produced by First Second books.  Investigators is the first installment in the adventures of Mango and Brash.  You’ll find my review of InvestiGators Take the Plunge coming up this weekend. 

Written for children 7-10 years old, InvestiGators introduces us into the zany world of investigation through the sewer network!   

From the cover: With their Very Exciting Spy Technology and their tried-and-true, toilet-based travel techniques, the InvestiGators are undercover and on the case! And on their first mission together, they have not one but two mysteries to solve! Can Mango and Brash uncover the clues, crack their cases, and corral the crooks – or will the criminals wriggle out of their grasp?

One of the things I like about the graphic novels from First Second books is that the graphics are well done.  Not the grainy pics I grew up with. You’ll find the inking clean and clear. 

As an adult reading this story, you’ll find it silly and a bit corny, but kids… my son would have LOVED THIS back in the day.  He’s a bit beyond the age range now, but he loved Captain Underpants and the like.   InvestiGators with it’s misunderstandings of words, method of travel, and silliness is perfectly suited to elementary aged children. 

Should you get it?

InvestiGators is a fast-paced, fun read.  It’s goofy, silly and filled with the mystery that children love. The word-play is quirky but decent, it’s fun for children, and will draw them in.  The bright illustrations will encourage them to keep reading.  Getting children to read… it’s a good thing eh?

You are a Beautiful Beginning

By 2 Comments

You are a Beautiful Beginning is a lovely book that talk about how something is not one thing, but instead it is another thing. I absolutely adored the flow of thought in this sweet picture book.  I can’t wait to tell you all about it.  Please note affiliate links will be used in this review. 

You are a beautiful beginning

The details

Roaring Brook Press has put together a wonderful picture book entitled You are a Beautiful Beginning.  Children 3-6 years old will delight in 40 pages of whimsical illustrations that fill the pages with imagination and wonder.  Author Nina Laden helps us to see the possibilities in the statements that we make.  Kelsey Garrity-Riley brings those possibilities to life with simple drawings that contain a story all their own. 

What You Get

The poetry grabbed me immediately with the It is not…. combined with this It is …….  Rhyming is in couplets making You are a beautiful beginning roll easily off the tongue.  

This book didn’t feel sappy to me even with lines like the one below.  You hear it all the time… it’s not the game win, it’s the having fun.  But the repeated it’s not … it’s the… that turns this tome into a looking for the positive and a different perspective.  Written for littles so the words are simple and just deep enough to encourage conversation. 

I absolutely adored how the book starts with a child drawing and then a story unfolds.  Even if you never read a word you would still get a story.  Friends on a journey, exploring as they go.  It’s a wonderful world they are entering. 

You’ll find simple, colourful illustrations on each page with lots of white space.  Each image has lots of detail, making for lots of possibilities in conversation.  What can you see now?  Where do you think that child is going, and what do you think they’ll be doing?   I love books with excellent illustrations as they help the child listening to be involved in the reading.

Should you Get it?

If you are looking for a poetic picture book to share with your children, You are a Beautiful Beginning, will suit your needs.  With the whimsical drawing, in earthly tones, and lots of white space, children will be introduced to looking for the positives. 

On Account of the Gum

By 2 Comments

Silliness, that’s what you get with On Account of the Gum.  Silliness in pink gum and brown hair and laden with cats and aunties.  Adam Rex must have had a hoot writing and illustrating this grade school picture book.  Come on and laugh with me!  Affiliate links will be used. 

On Account of the Gum

About “On Account of the Gum”

Adam Rex wrote a hilariously fun read with On Account of the Gum”.  Written kinda like the books “If you give a mouse a cookie” where one action leads to another.  A fun read where you wonder just what pit-fall will happen next.  Your children will enjoy the unexpected consequences of good intentions. 

Published by Chronicle books, this 56 page picture book will delight children 5-8 years.  The bright colours will draw them in, the silly antics will bring out the laughter.   Can you imagine a rabbit in your hair?

The font is huge!   So great for reading with a group of children.  I can well imagine a circle of children giggling away.   Wouldn’t it be fun to stop at the end of a page and ask “what do you think will happen when they bring in the cat?”  Wouldn’t it be fun to hear all the answers?

Should you get it?

If you are looking for a silly book to enjoy with your children, On account of the Gum will fit the bill marvellously.

The full-colour images fill the pages and just add to the humour found within.  Wacky ideas, improbable solutions, and bizarre mishaps.  You never quite know what might happen next.   It was my pleasure to review this picture book for Raincoast Books. 

Turning the Page

By 10 Comments

Today’s challenge with the crew is Turning the page.  Oh… that can mean so many things can’t it?  When I think of turning the page it makes me think of books to read and just how much I love reading an actual physical book.  Though in the past couple of years I really discovered the joy of listening to audio books as I work.  So many more books I can read that way!  🙂 

As I consider the books I’ve read this year I thought it incumbent upon me to share with you my favourite picture books I have reviewed over this past year.  Some of them have been wonderfully good.   Let’s talk shall we?  

I’ll link to my reviews as well as give you hot links to amazon (affiliate) should you be interested in turning the pages of these books with the children in your life.

Turning the page the best picture books

Picture Books for Fun

The Keeper of wild Words: Taking a journey using words removed from the children’s dictionary. 

The Fish Who found the Sea.  Discovering how to be comfortable with where you are. 

Build Your Own History Museum.  A fun build it yourself museum book. 

Cannonball.  Oh the fun of summer fun. Just a fun read. 

Florence and her fantastic Family Tree: the challenge of creating a family tree when you have a diverse family. 

Little Red Sleigh.  Can a little sleigh achieve her dreams? 

Pirate Nell's Tale to tell

Solve a mystery and find a library. Where is our library?

A Place inside of me.  Coping with pain inside of your community. 

A tender story of foster care, from both sides.  No Matter what.

A Word For Friend.  New places can be hard, making friends even harder.

Pirate Nell’s Tale to tell.  A fun read with a pirate who likes to read!

Santa Baby: just a fun Christmas read really.  🙂 

A seek and find book, a fun read with cats and mice.  Let’s Get Sleepy. 

Tiny Bird

Picture Books for Learning

Emily Writes.  Learn about the life of Emily Dickinson as a child.

Tiny Bird. The life of a hummingbird and the big trip it takes. 

Iceland: the puffin series.   Learn about Iceland AND puffins in a series of three books.  Solidly good books.  

My Friend Earth. Helping children see the wonder of the earth and ways they can help her for Earth Day. 

no reading allowed review

Laugh and Learn Bible for Littles.  A bible story book to help your children learn the bible stories. 

Run Salmon Run: The life cycle of the salmon. 

Let’s Fly a Plane. science exploring…this time with flight!

No Reading Allowed: Having fun with letters and sounds in words. 

Roadblocks in writing can be hard.  Get past them with My Pencil and Me.

Turning the Page continues

Books I have coming down the pike that I am looking forward to reviewing.

  • From Here to There.
  • Dino Dana
  • Snow Friends
  • The Song for everyone
  • Marie’s Ocean
  • The Wanderer
  • Me and the world
  • Natalie Portman’s Fables
  • Bear meets Bear
  • You are a beautiful beginning
  • Art is life

How about you?   What books will you be turning the page on?  Any favourites to share with me?  I’d love to hear. 

If you come to Earth

By 2 Comments

Oh my what fun!   Learn about the world and everything in it with “If you Come to Earth” by Sophie Blackall.  If you were an alien coming to earth…. you’ll get a whirl-wind tour of what to expect in this wonderful hardcover picture book.   Let me tell you all about it in this review (affiliate links used) 

If you Come to Earth, the details

Chronicle Books, along with Sophie Blackall, take visitors on a fast-paced tour of the world.  Teaching the world’s guests through our cities, people groups, events, and much much more.  Children in Kindergarten through grade three will delight in the colourful illustrations, and learning about the world we live in. 

The reader will discover 80 pages of discovery and exploration about planet earth. Learning about the environment and events that help shape us. 

My review is on behalf of Raincoast Books. 

What you’ll get

You’ll learn about our solar system, people groups, buildings, transportation, wildlife, jobs, clothing, family styles, and much more.  Children will be delighted with the colourful illustrations that bring the social studies of earth to life. 

Just check out all those families you can talk with your Kindergarten to grade 3 children with.  Children, parents, grandparents, activities, blankets  and so much more.  The depth you could get into if you wanted to.  Ms. Blackall did an excellent job of using more than words. 

The illustrations more than make up for the smaller text size.   I rejoiced in the friendly portrayal of how people can help each other, and how we need each other at different stages of our lives.  This is very much a sit together and read book.  The excellent illustrations make it also a great book for children to simply sit and look through on their own.  They can still learn a great deal about the world even if they can’t read on their own yet. 

We get to not only see the good things of the people and animals of this work but very lightly we were shown how sometimes people hurt people.  Sensitive youngsters might need to avoid those two pages. 

Should you get it?

Is Sophia Blackall’s book If you come to Earth worth getting?   For sure!

I love the sheer number of talking points found within the pages.  my appreciation is great for how not everything is spelled out but shown in pictorial form.  So we can point out the different modes of transportation and learn what they are.  We can see the houses, apartments and castles.  People showing the different jobs they do.  Making this picture book very interactive.  

If you come to earth is simply a fantastic book that you can use in your social studies, geography, or people studies.  Help your children learn to ask good questions about what happens on our earth.  Well done.