This is such a cute little children's book! Three friends, (Something, Everything, and Nothing) are all determined to prove that their own way of creating a world is the best way. But their creations don't turn out quite the way they had hoped, and they realize that it's only when they work together and appreciate their differences that the world will be balanced and beautiful.

The artwork is whimsical and delightful! It really draws your eye and brings a bright feeling to the story. Such lovely lines and colors! I especially liked how the background is made of book pages with some kind of watercolor over it. (I guess it's watercolor? I know nothing about art, except that it looks pretty and I like it.) It looks so cool! Everything is sort of hazy and swirly, like the magic of creation pushing into being.

My only problems with this book were several spelling errors, and some grammar problems (using "who's" instead of "whose"), and the fact that sometimes the character's names were capitalized and sometimes they weren't. If you're going to personify a "Thing", make sure their name is capitalized!

Other than that, it's a sweet and funny book about friends learning to get along and appreciate their differences. It takes all kinds to make a world!

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

A cute little board book for counting Artic animals! This one would be fun to read aloud to a child learning their numbers, because the book asks questions of the reader. ("Who is swimming in the ocean?" and the answer is 10 whales, etc...) Since the book is full of animals, the child is also learning types of artic animals; seals, polar bears, artic fox, reindeer, artic hares, puffins, orca, etc...)

The illustrations are colorful and with backgrounds of wintery snow and ice for the animals, and at the end is one little Eskimo in an igloo! That little surprise ending was so charming and cute! After all the animals, there's one Eskimo child in the middle of this frozen wonderland.

I'm not sure why the title only mentions Penguins. It makes it sound like one particular penguin is the main character or something, but penguins are NOT mentioned once in the entire book!!

Christian is a little turtle who is excited to get presents at Christmas, but the starfish Jacob says that he gets more presents at Hannukah because he is Jewish. The boys start to fight about who gets more presents, until their parents teach them the true meaning of Christmas and Hannukah combined.

I thought this was a sweet little book about not being greedy during the holidays, and celebrating God's love together. It's well-written, with a coherent plot and interesting details. Each character is distinct and lovable.
The illustrations are colorful and beautiful, and there are hidden symbols on every page for readers to hunt and find! This would be perfect to read aloud to children! g

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for a free and honest review. The opinions stated in this review are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Charlie is a little crab at his first day of Fish School, and he's too shy to join the other children in class. But when a schoolmate gets injured, it's up to Charlie to pray for the courage to jump in and help.

The illustrations are so cute! I love the bright colors and adorable little fish friends. The best part is the hidden Bible symbol on each page. I love searching for hidden objects in pictures, and this will keep children engaged and interested through multiple readings.

This would be the perfect book for any children who are shy or feel overwhelmed by fear in new situations, because it teaches that if we pray for courage, and focus on helping others rather than focusing on our own fears or discomfort, Christ will give us the bravery to do good and serve others for His glory!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a free and honest review. All the thoughts in this review are my own honest opinions and are not influenced by anyone.

I can't say enough about how much I love this book! The story is perfection itself; I laughed and actually cried a tiny bit and I really cared about those cute little ginger guys. This book puts me in a Christmas mood! Those little gingerbread men are so full of courage and resourcefulness and spunk. I just loved seeing them run for their lives and outwit the hungry people trying to eat them.

The ending was absolutely beautiful! It is rare that I see so delightful and meaningful an ending in a simple children's book. And all in rhyme too! The rhyme is exactly right, telling the story in a fun and lyric way. (And I'm picky about poetry and rhyme.)

I cannot get over how bright and gorgeous the illustrations are! It really draws you into the story, and makes you love the characters. Each little guy in the gingerbrood has their own personality, their own little voice. They are so adorable!

I can't wait to read this book out loud to some little kids!


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

This little book is completely adorable! The author is a young girl who has lovely hair, which she likes to style in different ways for different occasions. In this book, she tells about the different hair styles for each activity, sleeping, dancing, playing, going to school or a friend's house. The cutest part is that it is all told in rhyme!

The illustrations are a little raw, but charming. It's not exactly polished art, but it goes along with the rhyming story very nicely. I do like the girly colors and sweet smiles on the illustrated girl.

I don't like how the text size changes from page to page. It's distracting and would look more professional if the text stayed the same through the entire book.

The thing I like the most about this book is the positive messages about self-perception. It tells young girls to like how they look, to enjoy something simple and fun like styling their hair, and to love their bodies and their look, no matter what that look may be! The author says things like, "I am cool," "My hair is so cute..." and "I feel so happy and proud." What a great feeling to cultivate in young ladies!

This book would make a lovely gift for any girl aged 5-10.

Disclaimer: I received 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 book contains wonderful information about caribou, their habitat, their migration patterns, and their young. There are two to three paragraphs of information in each section, giving interesting information like how caribou survive against predators and how their antlers grow. There is even a section about how Inuit tribes will use caribou skin or bones to make clothing and utensils.

I love the warm artwork in this book! It really makes it enjoyable to read and see these majestic animals illustrated in their wilderness home. It immediately captured my attention!

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 book gives information about islands all over the world. There are river islands like Manhattan, and mysterious islands with ancient ruins, and disappearing islands that are eroding away. I especially liked the pages about artificial islands that have been created by man. There are factoids about animal life and history and different cultures around the globe.

The illustrations are eye-catching, and I loved the art style. The colors are bright, and each scene is beautifully designed.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was the way they presented scientific theories as if they were fact, and they wrote about widely-accepted but unproven ideas as if they were fact. This made me question everything they write about in here. If they aren't careful to differentiate between actual proven facts and theories or beliefs, then how can I trust anything in the entire book? It's very unprofessional and unscientific to write about theories in this way. It's misleading.

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.

My favorite part of the book is a quote from Fred Rogers that says, "Play is not trivial. When children play, they're doing important work." I love that this book celebrates the joy of childhood play!

This book is divided into sections with ideas for solo play, parent and child play, playing with others, and playing at a party. There is an introduction that goes deeper into why playing is so important for childhood development.

There are so many great ideas for simple games and crafts in this book! There are ball games, a bean bag toss, clapping and counting games, and role-playing as a cook, mailman, or doll mother. You can head outside for hide and seek games, hula-hoop target games, or floating plastic plates in a wading pool.
Kids love doing arts and crafts with simple washable paints or crayons. You can even make your own puppets and have a puppet show!

There are game ideas for beach day, snow day, picnics, and indoor and outdoor play. And there are wonderful game ideas for a toddler birthday party that can get all those little kids playing together in harmony.

The best part is that very few props or tools are needed for most of the games. You can use old newspaper as a wadded-up "ball", and mark out a target with some old painter's tape. Voila! You have a ball and target game, and your toddlers will have fun trying to throw the "balls" into the target.

I am so impressed with how this book is organized and with the brilliant yet simple "why-didn't-I-think-of-that" ideas!

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.

You might think I got this to share with kids, but no. This one is for me! All mine to enjoy and relax and have fun! I'm already on page three.

This book has a continual maze that takes you in one long line through cut-out portals in each page onto the next page and the next until you reach the end of the book at which point you will have drawn a line 607 feet (185m)long. "That's four times the height of the Statue of Liberty!"

Along the way, you pass by imaginative worlds full of skyscrapers, butterflies, mountains, robots, fireworks, rollercoasters, and mysterious caves. There are tiny people inhabiting these worlds, skiing, going to work, racing cars, and dodging volcanoes. And there are factoids about the largest butterfly in the world, the biggest caves, the most active volcano, and the fastest rollercoaster ride in the world, along with a dozen other facts.

As if that wasn't already cool enough, there are also hidden search-and-find puzzles on each page, where you can search through all the details of the designs to find a missing lunch box, an icecream cone, an oxygen tank, or seven tiny caterpillars.

I am so in love with this book, and look forward to many hours of fun as I puzzle my way through each page of this never-ending maze.

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.