A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Kindergarten

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. 

My Friend Earth

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Earth day is coming!  Can you believe it!   A day to celebrate all that is good about the earth and to think of ways to help perserve her. My Friend Earth which I am reviewing today helps youngsters see all that the earth is.  It also serves as an inspiration in caring for our world. 

My Friend Earth

What I am Reviewing

Patrician MacLachlan wrote My Friend Earth, a beautifully illustrated hardcover book with interactive elements. Francesca Sanna, illustrator, brought together vibrant colours with multiple shades of greens and browns to tell Earth’s story.  Chronicle Books produced this 44 page picture book that is written for preschool and kindergarten children.    My Friend Earth teaches children about the earth, it’s seasons, and the environment. 

Reviewed on behalf of Raincoast Books. 

The Details of My Friend Earth

sample page from My Friend Earth

Just look at those colours eh?  So bright and inviting!  The cut outs help create action and movement resulting in drawing you in to learn more.   See birds flit, fish dart, and water flow.  

my friend earth, sample page

You’ll be delighted with the antics of whales, the coursing of horses, and fierce winds that blow hard.   The seasons will come and go, showing the earth in action.

sample page My Friend Earth

The text fits within the images, flowing as the images pass. The lines aren’t poetic in nature but just fit. Easy words to read the help you delight a child with the turn of page.  What will happen next?  What might Earth do or see or cause to happen? Are there flaps to lift?  Holes to peer through?

Recommendations

Celebrate Earth day with your littles.  This delightful book is geared for them.  So much to see and talk about on each page.  I love the peek-a-boo holes.  It’s wonderful to read of the variety of animals and see the gentle change in seasons.  For all the activity that happens within the pages, this is a very calm, peaceful picture book.  Introduce your littles to the environment of the world, talk about how we can preserve it, and have a great Earth day!  My Friend Earth.

Rain Boy

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You know how some kindness books are syrupy sweet and you just want to toss them out the window?   Rain Boy is not one such book.  Rain Boy was such an unloved youngster, no one wanted him around UNTIL…. But you’ll have to read the book to find out the until. Rest assured in this review, I won’t give away the secret!  

Rain Boy

What I am Reviewing

Debut author came out with a picture book helping young children learn empathy and how to demonstrate kindness to others in Rain Boy. 

Published by Chronicle Kids, this hardcover tome runs 40 pages and is geared to the preschool to kindergarten crowd. I am reviewing it on behalf of Raincoast Books. 

Wherever he goes, Rain Boy brings wet-which means he’s not very popular. Sun Kidd brings sunshine everywhere she goes, so everyone loves her. Only Sun Kidd sees what’s special about Rain Boy. But when she invites him to her birthday party, disaster strikes, and Rain Boy storms. Now the world is nothing but rain. Will the other kids ever love Rain Boy for being himself? And. more importantly, can Rain Boy learn to love his rain?

Details of Rain Boy

This is actually a hard book to talk about as the words I want to use to describe aren’t quite accurate.  So let’s dive in.

This picture book is predominately about kindness and learning to expand what you thought was possible.  Learning empathy is a big part as well.

Rain Boy

All the children, including the Sun Kidd and Rain Boy had lessons to learn and Bylan Glynn leads us through them.  With oodles of colour and expressive artwork, the designer Jay Marvel brought the story to life. 

Rain Boy

The large, clear font makes it an easy read for parents and teachers.  The well designed illustrations bring out lots of talking points with young children. The fun of a playground, the joy of a party, or the sadness of a dark day.

Rain Boy

Recommendation?

This is a very sweet book.  I loved how Glynn showed growth in all the children.  The reality of how the children learned was so on point.  It all fit.

If you are hoping to help your children see others more clearly, to look beyond themselves, Rain Boy just might be what you need.  With the variety in illustrations (water colour, cut paper, pastels and pencil crayons) the colours and images are sure to delight. 

Emily Writes

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Who doesn’t know Emily Dickinson?  A beloved poet born in Massachusetts in the 1800’s, she pushed the boundaries of poetry. She has been loved ever since.   A new generation of children are waiting to meet her in Emily Writes.  Jane Yolen shows us a delightful young Emily Dickinson.  Let’s dig into this review shall we?

Emily Writes

What I am Reviewing

Emily Writes: Emily Dickinson and her poetic beginnings by Jane Yolen is a walk into the early years of Emily Dickinson. 40 pages of engaging art work were provided by Christine Davenier. These delight the senses as we wander through Emily’s early days. Children aged 4-8 are invited to follow Emily as she discovers her own love of poetry.

Step into United States history as you read this biography of an important American Poet.  Emily Writes was published by Henry Holt & Co.  I am reviewing this advance readers edition on behalf of Raincoast Books. 

Emily Writes book cover

The Details for Emily Writes

Emily Writes is an imagined story of Emily Dickinson’s early life.  Elements from different stages of her life were included in this one day of her life. Was her first poem really what it was?   I don’t know.  🙂  But it does showcase her love for poetry from an early age. 

And as the author explains at the close of the book, her envelope poem as captured above wasn’t actually written until some 40 years later.   

Emily Writes - author explanation page

Every page is filled with colour, with ample white space so as to not overload the senses or crowd out the words. Her yellow dress dotes the face of almost every page.  This is Emily’s day. 

emily writes - sample page

We catch glimpses of how it was to live in her family.  An older brother Austin who also loved poetry, a hard-working, not particularly attentive father, a sickly mama and a younger sister. 

Emily Writes - sample page

Recommendation

I love how the illustrations by Christine Davenier really help to make this story.  This is an imagined walk through one day in Emily’s life. We see her wandering through the pages in her yellow dress.  She enjoys life, visits with her family, and more. We get to see everything she does. It inspires conversation between adult and child.

They help us see Emily’s fascination with making her first poem.  The joy she had in walking through the garden. It was easy to see the fun she had with the housekeeper. There is so much in this book to make for a nice story.  Images to expand the story line and the joy in words Emily shared.

This is a good first book to introduce children to Emily Dickinson.  Enjoy Emily Writes!

Emily Writes

Little Juniper makes it BIG

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Aidan Cassie writes a lovely story about little Juniper.  She is so small in her family and she feels she misses so much.  Do you know any children like that?   If so, they may find a companion spirit in Little Juniper.    Little Juniper makes it BIG allows us to watch Juniper’s perspective change.

little juniper makes it big

What I am Reviewing

Little Juniper makes it BIG.
Aidan Cassie (author, illustrator)
Farrar Straus Giroux
4-8 years, 40 pages, hardcover with fly leaf
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

Picture book, Size, Preschool, Kindergarten, self-esteem, humour, animals

What Juniper lacks in size, she makes up for in heart. And her heart is dead-set on growing up and getting taller. She’s tired of having to reach for the cookie jar or use a stepping stool for the toilet. Everything in Juniper’s world seems to be made for adults. Ugh!
Juniper is industrious, however, and builds several silly contraptions to help reach her goals. But it isn’t until she makes a fun new friend at school, Clove, who is even smaller than Juniper, that she is able to see her world from a new perspective – and appreciate all sizes, big or small.

Little Juniper makes it BIG

Details on Little Juniper makes it BIG

Little Juniper makes it BIG is a fun book that made you see Juniper’s immense frustration with being the smallest in her family.  She tried so hard to accommodate, and to work around her size, but nothing really worked.  She was getting into such a funk.   What is a little coon to do?

Little Juniper makes it BIG

Comparing herself to her classmates helps but, it really isn’t enough.  Little Juniper only sees the difficulties she has.  How must it be for Clove?  Friendship and fun help see her way through to a different perspective.

Little Juniper makes it BIG

Thoughts/Recommendations

Between the fantastic images and the lovely (and fun) story line, Little Juniper makes it BIG is sure to please your little ones.  Laugh with Clove and delight in her antics.  Be delighted when Juniper learns to look at life from a different perspective… it’s a wonderful thing!  🙂   

There is so much colour and life in the images, different things to point out and talk about.  Items such as size difference, colour, home styles and how little Juniper would feel about taking a bath.  I love detail rich picture books.  Then the book becomes about more than just the story, but about the details of life as well.

One thing I did wish it had was more involvement by the parents in Juniper’s struggles.  Helping her to see and realize her place in the world even if she was smaller than all the grown-ups in her life. 

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Review: The Boy and His Whale

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Sometimes it is very hard when nature collides with human activity, hard decisions need to be made. What can a boy do? Obey his dad, or….follow his instincts? We see this struggle in “The Boy and The Whale”.

This carefully illustrated book brings to life the struggle this boy had. What should he do about the whale?  And this review is SO hard to write because I don’t want to give the story away… cause you know.. that spoils the fun of a good book to read.

My thoughts:

I think it would be a delight to sit down with a younger child and just enjoy looking at the pictures as we read the story together.   Sharing a boy’s need to breathe,  a whale’s need to breathe and for a father to connect with his boy when a boy makes a difficult choice. 

This would make an excellent book to show the push and pull about human influence on the world and some of the difficult decisions that need to be made.

 
The Boy and the Whale
Mordicai Gerstein
Roaring Brook Press
40 pages, 4-7 years old
Hardcover, science, human impact, decisions
Picture Book
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books. 

Where can you find it?   
Amazon link.

Review: I’m Not a Scaredy-Cat

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I have loved the writing of Max Lucado for a very long time now.  At one point I had all his books, but alas, I can’t keep up.  🙂   I admittedly was somewhat skeptical when he branched out into picture books, but have found them all to be very lovely.  Therefore, when given an opportunity to review “I’m Not A Scaredy-Cat” I lept at the chance.

Book Description

From New York Times bestselling author Max Lucado comes I’m Not
a Scaredy-Cat, a silly, fun, and faith-building picture book to help
kids manage their fear or anxiety. To avoid introducing new fears to
children, this whimsical story depicts a cute cat character facing fears
that are fanciful or exaggerated. These silly scenarios will create
talking points for parents to help their children understand what to do
when they feel afraid. Kids will learn that God is good, God is near,
God is here with them, and, most important, God loves them.

My Thoughts: 
This book has a simple but profound premised: when you are scared, turn to God in prayer.   Simple… States the goodness of God, his promises of being with us and near us all the time, and that he loves us.  A prayer of acknowledgement of who God is.

I love the simpleness of the prayer, so easy for children to remember.  I do wish it had gone a touch farther to acknowledge our need for him and asking God to help us with our fears, instead of just closing with “and then you’ll feel better”. 

 
The cat.. oh my.. does he get himself into situations… I smiled much.  Fears such as squeaky toys, loud clocks, caterpillars, big slides and so much more.  Many that I’ve run into and some unexpected, but you know what… sometimes unexpected things can be frightening.  The lesson always is.. turn to God in acknowledgement.
 And oh, the brightly coloured pictures, and the well done designs.  Don’t they just show off a scared cat so well?   Those round eyes, arched back and bushy tail!  Children can so relate that that you know?

It’s a very sweet book with great illustrations with tons of talking points to engage your youngsters reading along.  A nice hardback book with a dustcover that will make for an excellent book to share with young ones in your life.  Just remind them.. asking God for help is part of getting over your fear.

 I’m Not A Scaredy-Cat: A prayer for when you wish you were brave.
Max Lucado
illustrator: Shirley Ng-Benitez
Tommy Nelson Publisher
Picture book, faith based
Age 4-10
32 pages
 Reviewed For: BookLookBloggers.
 
Where Do I Find It? 
Amazon.ca: I’m not a Scaredy-Cat. 
Amazon.com: I’m Not A Scaredy-Cat.

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