This book begins with explaining what meditation is, and what it isn't, assuring the reader that you don't have to force happy, peaceful emotions or clear your mind of all thought in order to successfully meditate. It's just about being present and aware in each moment, and finding acceptance no matter what thoughts or emotions come up.

One thing that I did not like about the explanation section is that it promotes some very leftist ideas and abnormal ideologies as though they are normal. "In a society where you're judged and targeted for things you can't control, like your sexuality, the color of your skin, or your body or gender identity..." "[Meditation] can't do much about racism, homophobia, or sexism on a broad scale. But it can help you deal with all that..."
It seems silly to lump racism in with gender identity. They are completely different issues.

The introduction also states that "...mindfulness meditation has its roots in Buddhism..." which could not be further from the truth. Most religions of the world have some form of meditation teaching, including Christianity and Judaism.

The next chapter is full of various prompts for basic meditations, like focusing on your breath, scanning your body, self-compassion, gratitude, or visualizing a happy place.
The following chapters are meditations for School Life, Friends and Family, Everyday Life, and Self-Care. These meditations focus on things like "Taking an Exam, Coping with Mistakes, Finding Forgiveness, Silencing Self-Criticism, and Handling Parental Expectations."

I really liked the good advice and healthy reminders in the meditations, urging the reader to step back, slow down, and recharge with compassion and clarity. Each meditation has steps for connecting to the breath, allowing your emotions to be there without criticism or guilt, and then stepping forward into a more positive experience with a better mental energy.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This cookbook includes meal plans, recipes, and advice on how to prepare vegetarian meals ahead of time. With shopping lists, budgeting, tips on types of containers and equipment, and information about how to freeze leftovers, this book is the perfect guide to make vegetarian meals simple and easy when you don't have a lot of time to cook.

The book begins with an introduction section with general advice and information on meal prepping. Part One of the book has Meal Prep Plans and shopping lists that cover meals for 8 weeks. Part Two has 75 vegetarian recipes, divided by Breakfast recipes, Lunch and Dinners, Sides, Snacks, Sauces and Dips.

There are a few tofu, kale, or quinoa recipes as you would expect, but most of the recipes use colorful and appetizing veggies. The dishes look delicious and use ingredients like chickpeas, squash, potatoes, or pasta noodles to create robust and satisfying meals. This is NOT rabbit food that will leave you hungry an hour later. I really want to try the Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas!

Below each recipe there is a footnote showing the calories, protein, sugar, fiber, carbs, and sodium in the recipe. The only thing missing is a section with information about getting the right amount of nutrients and vitamins on a vegetarian diet.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.

These are retellings of Biblical stories from Genesis to Daniel as interpreted by the author, and reimagined with embellishments and dialogue. Starting with Creation, this book includes 28 Old Testament stories, ending with Daniel in the Lion's Den. Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samson, Elijah, Job, Jonah, David, Solomon, Esther, and Ruth are all included with their struggles and failures, and the power of God in their lives.

The writing can be flowery at times, and the author takes a few little liberties with the history. However, there are also some really wonderful cultural and historical additions that enhance the stories as the reader learns about ancient cultures. I wouldn't trust this as a source of my religious belief, but it is an enjoyable imagining of what Biblical times could have been like.

Each story has a special section that gives factoids about ancient civilizations, findings from archaeological digs, old rivers and maps, flora and fauna from ancient times, and references to Biblical people in other contemporary writings.

At the back of the book, there is a beautiful map of Palestine in ancient times, as well as a timeline of early civilizations, and a glossary of all the people mentioned in the Bible stories.

The illustrations are gorgeous and colorful! There are people of many different ethnicities depicted as the main Bible characters. For instance, Adam and Eve have dark skin, but Noah's skin color is lighter, while Joseph has a brown skin color. This is consistent with the variety of appearance that would have been present in early peoples.

I would recommend this to children and teens ages 10-16.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.

"Have you ever wondered which is hotter: the surface of the sun or the core of the Earth?" This book is packed with crazy facts and wild information to satisfy even the most curious minds! There are factoids about history, science, animals, writing, music, outer space, food, sports, and of course the weird human body.

I love how colorful this book is! Each page is full of vibrant photos and bright text boxes with nuggets of wacky information.

I only wish that each fact had more data explaining about the information. For instance, "A five-story inflated yellow duck travels to city harbors around the world." Why is there a huge rubber duck that travels around? Who owns it? What is its purpose? haha! I need more info! I guess I'll have to google it.

This book will definitely spark your curiosity and inspire you to search for more information on these crazy facts!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.

If you are interested in being that person who knows the facts, has the smarts, and can problem-solve with the experts, then this book is for you. Full of information about science, arts, culture, geography, history, and technology, this book is the perfect encyclopedia of knowledge for the coolest people on earth- nerds!

At the very beginning of the book there is a flow chart quiz, "What Kind of Nerd Are You?", so you can discover if you're a scientist, a culture connoisseur, a tech expert, a genius at geography, or a designer. Once you've found out your special interest, you can take another flow chart quiz to find your niche within that subject. No matter if your interests are sports, music, art, science, virtual reality tech, cartography, zoology, genetics, or botany, there is a cool quiz to take and a whole book full of cool information on that subject!

I love how rich the colors are on every page of this book! The photographs are so colorful, and each section is color-coded so you can navigate through the alphabetical entries with ease.

With a wide range of subjects, there is something in here to interest everyone. There is even an entry for zombies! Some of the entries are short, but some are grouped together under a general heading. For instance, there is an entire page under C devoted to "Comic Book Heroes" with amazing factoids and details about 26 superheroes.

There are also quotes about nerds or from famous nerds throughout history. There's a quote from Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), saying how nerds are cool!
Nerds truly make the world go round with their passion for knowledge!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.

This cookbook gives step-by-step instructions for making delicious bread, pretzels, doughnuts, and rolls. There is a special section entirely for holiday sweet breads and desserts.

The introduction gives a lot of information about terminology used in bread baking, like "fermentation, leaven, proofing, and yeast". It also includes general instructions on kneading the dough, checking the temperature, mixing and measuring, different types of flour, and using "starter" dough. There is a list of types of equipment needed, and a troubleshooting section if something goes wrong.

With step-by-step photos and careful instructions, it's almost impossible to make a mistake. And there are substitutions suggested in the recipe if you don't have the right ingredients or starter dough. I really appreciate that there are so many photographs showing each stage of the recipe as the dough rises, then is kneaded, and finally baked.

There are beautiful photographs that show the delicious finished products, and make my mouth water just looking at them! The recipes include baguettes, bread bowls, cinnamon swirl bread, pumpkin rolls, pizza, hazelnut babka, cheesy pull-apart bread, star bread, flat breads, brioche, and dozens more.

(The only thing not included is muffins, because I suppose that's technically cake. Also, all of these recipes contain gluten, because that is what gives bread dough its elasticity.)

I can't wait to try some of these recipes! The instructions make it look so manageable. I used to be way too intimidated to try making bread from scratch, but with this book I feel like I could do it!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.

This book begins with some general advice about how to plan a party, make a guest list, and send out invitations. There are also some instructions about preparing the kitchen work space and using utensils safely, and a general list of common ingredients and kitchen equipment that will be needed. With examples of how to write an invitation, how to set the table, and basic kitchen skills like measuring and mixing, this book has everything a child needs to throw a party!

The next chapters are divided into sections for each type of party, with chapters for a sleepover, tea party, pizza party, ice cream social, birthday bash, Halloween party, and Christmas craft party. Each type of party includes special recipes, party decoration ideas, and a party activities or crafts.

The recipes are simple and easy to follow with fun details and food decorations. There are also detailed instructions on how to cut a tomato, how to measure butter, how to knead pizza dough, how to juice an orange, and how to make whipped cream. Each recipe also has labels showing whether it is gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, and/or vegetarian.

The crafts include making your own friendship bracelets, creating a superhero mask, making paper snowflakes, building a blanket fort, making a party banner, and making a photobooth backdrop. There are party games like bean bag toss, a freeze dance, an ice cream marshmallow toss, making hula leis, a sugar cube balance game, and making a campground and playing telephone game around the campfire.

One of the things I like about this book are the little icons next to each recipe and activity showing the adults what things a child might need help with, like using the oven, stovetop, or knives. It's a great quick reference for the parents to help supervise, but also allow kids the freedom to try it on their own. There is a hand symbol next to any steps that might need an adult's help, so the kid knows when to call someone over to assist them.

This book makes me want to throw a party!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.

This book begins with a general introduction to robotics answering the question, What is and isn't considered a robot? There are instructions about using caution and safety while creating the robotic projects, lists of common tools and materials that will be needed, and common places online where parts and supplies can be bought.

The first projects are simple, building a circuit with a battery, and creating a nightlight that looks like a mini robot. Then each chapter is divided by Robots for Entertainment, Robots in Space, Robots on the Job, and Robots in the Operating Room. In these chapters, the reader can build a small magnetic motor, a solar-powered dancing robot, a solar-powered propeller, and a dozen other projects! Each projects has a "STEAM Connection" addition that shows how math, science, engineering, and even art were used to create the project.

This book is so interesting! I never knew that so much went into creating even the simplest little gadgets. But it's still accessible and easy enough for children to follow the steps and create fun contraptions.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Beginning with a color chart of vegetables and colorful foods, this cookbook encourages guilt-free healthy eating that nourishes your body. The recipes include labels for nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, vegetarian, and vegan options.

There are also recipes that are extra quick and can be made in 20 minutes or less, recipes that are kid-friendly, and recipes that are freezer-friendly to make the most of your leftovers. There is a list of recommended ingredients to keep on hand in the pantry.

The recipes are divided by Breakfast, Soups and Salads, Vegetarian Main Dishes, Seafood, Poultry, Meat, Snacks and Sides, and Desserts. With over 100 recipes, there is something delicious for everyone!

Each recipe includes nutrition information like the calories, sugar, fiber, protein, and sodium, as well as cooking tips and storage tips for quick meal times. I really appreciate that the ingredients are common and easy to find at any grocery store. No special equipment is needed either.

The Chicken Tortilla Soup looks amazing, and the Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies look heavenly! I can't wait to try out some of these recipes!


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

With simple and quick recipes that the whole family will love, this cookbook makes it easy to eat healthy meals every day! There are simple recipes that have only 5 ingredients, quick recipes with only 15 minutes of prep time, and recipes to cook in one pot.

This book begins with some "Time-Saving Tips" and "Tips for Raising Adventurous Eaters" to get your children involved in choosing and preparing healthy meals, and gives many family-friendly recipes that are simple enough for kids to help with the cooking.

In case you don't own a slow-cooker, there are also substitute cooking times for slow-cooker recipes using the oven or stove top instead. There are instructions for storing left-overs, as well as a list of pantry staples to keep on hand for multiple recipes.

Each recipe is labeled with helpful information like whether or not it is gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, vegan, or vegetarian. There are also some ingredient substitution tips for many of the recipes in case you don't have all the right ingredients in your pantry.

The recipes are imaginative and fresh takes on classics like the burger, pizza, or tacos, with a little more veggies and a lot more flavor! I really appreciate that the recipes use common ingredients that are easy to find at any grocery store. Each recipe has just a little bit of a twist to make it healthier and more satisfying.

I can't wait to try some of these recipes! The Avocado Chicken Burgers look delicious, and I really want to try the Maple-Glazed Salmon.


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.