A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Kindergarten

Whitney Wins Everything

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Whitney Wins Everything) through Smith Publicity.  Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated. 🙂 

Whitney Wins Everything tells the story of Whitney a very competitive youngster who thinks winning is the answer.  Is she right?  Young children will enjoy this picture book as they learn what really is the most important thing. 

Whitney wins everything

What I am reviewing

Received from the press release: From the author of the beloved children’s book, Milo Does Not Like Mornings comes the highly anticipated, second book in the Tiny Ninja Books collection by Sasha Graham: Whitney Wins Everything.

Every book in the Tiny Ninja Books collection centers on the idea that we are each born with our own Tiny Ninja who is the very best version of us; brave, strong, compassionate and kind. Our Tiny Ninjas are always there for us – all we have to do is listen.

 
Created for readers ages four to eight and bursting with humor, Whitney Wins Everything introduces themes of teamwork, friendship, self -confidence, and compassion. Fan-favorite Ninja Seek-and-Find illustrations first introduced in Milo Does Not Like Mornings also appear here in full-color spreads that enthrall pre-readers, their grown ups, and everyone in between.
 
Illustrated by Angelina Valieva in full colour.  Reviewing for Smith Publicity.  44 pages published by Gatekeeper Press.   Part of the Tiny Ninja Books. 

Whitney Wins Everything, the details

Whitney’s character is so well-developed.  She’s a happy lass who loves sports and has a well-developed competitive edge.  If you can’t do a thing well, why bother doing it seems to be her motto in life.  She is into dill pickles and kittles, science was fun… but winning….that trumped everything!   As part of her life, she has an every helpful Ninja.   Isn’t the full use of colour wonderful?

Readers are given an additional challenge.  Can they find ninjas hidden in some of the images? 

Whitney does struggle with the idea of competition not always being the end goal.  She likes to do everything hard and to win. Otherwise what is the point?  When others point out the friendship and fun aspect of it, it’s confusing to her. But I think, based on what we know of her (and her love for her kitty) that she kinda glimpses this already in her life.  

But having it pointed out to her in different ways, helps her to see the bigger picture and that is a wonderful thing to see.  I love watching characters develop in the course of a story. 

Add it to your reading list?

Although I disliked the new coach’s rules “no one keeps score…. we play to be outside with our friends and to have fun….if that happens we win!”  I can understand Whitney’s frustration and confusion.  You play to win, doesn’t mean it isn’t fun.

I love the ending.  As the author says “When I tell people about Whitney, they often predict that she will lose the game at the end and learn a valuable lesson about losing gracefully,” Sasha explains. “This is not that book.   Winning is awesome! This book is about one little girl learning that sharing the spotlight and
winning with a team is pretty great too.”  And that I like.   Whitney learns there is more to a game than being the best….. it takes teamwork and effort to win differently. 

So it’s well worth reading.  Gives good talking points… do you agree with the new coach?  What do you think will happen in the game?  Is there anything wrong with being competitive?  What does Whitney learn to do? 

I also adore the fun aspect of finding the hidden Ninjas!  It’s tougher than you might think! 

The Leaf Thief

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (The Leaf Thief) through Raincoast Books.  Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so.

Understanding the change of seasons is a challenge for many youngsters, nevermind a young squirrel facing a leaf fall. Whatever will a squirrel do when someone is stealing all his leaves?!?!?!?!  This playful, brightly coloured pictured book will delight children as they too, learn what is happening with all the leaves!   Pick up this book to have a good laugh, and to help your children understand seasonal change.  It’s also lovely helping children see the value of good friends! 

The Leaf Thief

What I am Reviewing

Youngsters up to grade three will be delighted with this funny picture book all about autumn, seasonal change, and friendship!  This sourcebooks/jabberwocky published book by Alice Hemming has been illustrated with bright colours, and motion by Nicola Slater. The Leaf Thief feels fast paced, much as you’d expect a book  featuring a squirrel and his flying buddy.   Reviewing on behalf of Raincoast Books. 

Love the bright colours in The Leaf Thief

The Leaf Thief has been illustrated by Nicola Slater.   She does an amazing job with this picture book for youngsters.   Great use of white space, lovely use of the colours of fall and whimisical drawings of different animal friends. 

I love how she captured the fringe on Squirrels ears and you can just see how quickly he is moving, trying to discover why his leaves are disappearing!   Oranges, yellows, greens and browns fill the pages until…. the reason for the leaf fall becomes apparent! 

Poor Squirrel and his confusion, it’s so good he has good friends to help him out!  The friends he has are so good at answering his questions.  Bird finally shows him just who the leaf thief is….perhaps you can guess before he learns? 

This is such a fun read with big font.  It would be such a delight to read with a group of children.  So much fun to stop and let them guess who the leaf thief is.  Such a very fun read, Squirrel is such a funny character and Bird is an excellent counter point to him.   

Should it be on your shelves?

If you have littles and want to have a fun read, or if you are a teacher looking for a good way to talk about friendship and/or seasonal change.   Teachers/parents will enjoy the end note at the close of the book that more fully explains why trees lose their leaves. 

Enjoy the quirkiness of Squirrel, the steadiness of Bird, and the reactions Squirrel’s neighbours.  Learn about the change of seasons and have a good laugh while doing so.  The Leaf Thief is a winner indeed.

Beaver and Otter Get Along… sort of

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Beaver and Otter Get Along… sort of) through Raincoast Books.  Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so. 

Looking for a cute picture book about how to work things out with your neighbours?  Look no further than Beaver and Otter Get Along… sort of.  Sneed B Collard  has done of wonderful job of showing how neighbours can choose to get along!! DIfferences do not need to make us enemies. The beauty of the illustrations will delight the eye and provide lots to talk about. 

Beaver and Otter get along ... sort of

The delights of Beaver and Otter

Beaver is happy, he’s created a lovely home. He’s found himself a lady friend and built himself a place that was just the way he liked.  Neighbours that were good, a ready supply of food, and lots of open space around him.  Life couldn’t be any better.  Then… came Otter….. 

Suddenly life for Beaver wasn’t so happy.  Whatever will Beaver do?  Will he need to move? I’m not going to tell you!  🙂

Over the course 40 pages, children 4-5 years old will follow the lives of Beaver and Otter as they go about building places for themselves.  These neighbours are often at odd with each other. In the telling of the tale illustrator Meg Sodano brings us into their worlds. 

The beauty of the images and the simplicity of the story bring to life the conflict between these two neighbours.  So different from each other.  Can they figure out how to get along? Publisher Sourcebooks has produced a wonderful book about the differences between beavers and otters.  Their colourful world, their unique behaviours, and the benefits they both bring.  It’s great to observe!

At the close of this fantastic picture book you’ll find information pages on beavers and otters.  Helps are also provided for teachers and parents.  You’ll discover 

  • read-aloud tips
  • social emotional learning
  • science connection
  • Steam activities

Should this picture book be on your shelves?

Oh, I enjoyed Beaver and Otter get Along … sort of.   It was fun to see beaver and otter going about their daily business.  And then seeing beaver learn how to get along with a neighbour so very different from himself.  It was great to see!   Sneed B Collard III did an excellent job of building the story enabling the reader to see the grit and patience needed.   

A lovely read out loud, read-along book, or even an introduction to wetlands, beavers, otters, or how ecosystems work together.  Even though it’s geared for 4-8 year olds, a good picture book can be enjoyed by all. Raincoast Books provided me with an ARC copy for review.  I hope you enjoy it!

You are a Beautiful Beginning

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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. 

Little Red Sleigh

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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.

Superhero vs School

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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. 

Where Is Our Library?

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raincoast FTC

Did you know that the New York Public Library is guarded by two lions?   Their names are Patience and Fortitude.  Today’s review is about those two lions and their love for children’s literature.  Where is our library? is a sequel to “Lost in the Library“.   Such a delightful picture book… it was a cute read I’d love to share with a child. 

where is our library

About Where is Our Library

Published by Henry Holt & Co., Where is our Library? features Patience and Fortitude from the New York Public Library.  In this their second book Patience and Fortitude are bewildered.  Where has their lovely children’s library disappeared to?   The Lions are LONGING to read some good stories, but they must suss out where they have been taken.  Over the course of 40 children in grades 1 and 2 will be delighted to follow the lions around New York searching for their books.   

Stevie Lewis did a marvellous job of illustrating Where is Our Library by Josh Funk.   It is part of the series “A Story of Patience and Fortitude”. 

Raincoast Books sent me an ARC copy to review.   

The Details

Lions waking up and roaming through the library!  That’s what you’ll find.  Then they move out of the library and onto the city streets.   As they move along they’ll meet characters and solve a mystery…that of lost books!

Rhyming couplets fill the pages, with a large font making it an easy to read book.  It would be so much fun to sit on the floor with a group of children around reading together.  Holding it up so the children can follow along easily.  It’s a fun read for littles (and their grown-ups too!)   🙂

Since the story happens at night, many of the illustrated pages have a dark background. The pace is fast-moving because lions themselves are fast moving and besides… they had a mystery to solve.  Would they do so before morning came?

Should you Get it?

The best picture books are ones that adults can enjoy alongside the children they read them with.   Where is our Library is easily enjoyed by adult and child alike.  I urge you to pick it, enjoy the mystery with Patience and Fortitude.  You won’t regret it.    The excellent illustrations by Lewis and the fun story by Funk make it a winner all round.