Another great addition to the Amazing Adventures of Ellie the Elephant series

Ellie’s Fun Day at the Farm by Marci and Elle Fair is another addition to the Amazing Adventures of Ellie the Elephant. The story follows Ellie and her friend, Pudgy the Penguin as they eat lunch and they wonder where their food comes from. So they decide the take a trip to a local farm. There they see many animals like goats, sheep and cows. They see a garden with tomatoes, onions and peppers. The book also includes fun puzzles and games for readers to enjoy.

I enjoyed Ellie’s Fun Day at the Farm. The mom-daughter writing team blends imagination and realistic photos to introduce children to the world around them. I loved the play on words when Ellie and Pudgy saw the different farm animals. For instance, when they saw the goat, the word “kidding” was used referring to a joke and a baby goat. The book encourages readers to take their own stuffed animals to visit a farm and snap pictures and shar them with the hashtag #elliesfriends. This book and others in the series are very unique which allowed engagement on the part of the readers. I highly recommend Ellie’s Fun Day at the Farm and other books in this wonderful series.

Ellie’s Fun Day at the Farm

is available at major booksellers

in paperback and on the Kindle

I Wonder: a book of poetry for the whole family

I wonder: A book for children, parents and other grownups by Jane Altman is book of poetry and a short story for children and adults.

Part 1 is for the children and it’s a series of poems which start with “I wonder…” and introduce a different animal. Bat, frog and alligator are among the many animals talked about in the poems. Each poem begins and ends with an “I wonder” statement. Then a short story about glowing stones. A boy and a girl leave their small village and pass a castle where they find a stone which glows in their favorite color. They pick up the stone and save it. Many years pass, the boy and girl grow up and have families of their own. After they have passed away, their families find a strange gray stone among their belongings and return it to the castle when the children see the glowing stones with the adults do not. Part 2 is for the parents and other grownups and is a series of poems along the same themes as part 1.

I wonder is a great book of poetry with simple rhymes that children will love. I enjoy poems and I love book which introduce poetry to children in a fun way. With beautiful illustrations, the poems and story come alive on the page. I recommend this book for any family and classroom library. It helps children enter the world of poetry in a fun and exciting way.

I wonder

is available on Amazon

in paperback for $10.95

The Adventures of Loriel the Wood Fairy: a story of magic and excitement

The Adventures of Loriel the Wood Fairy by C.J. Walery is full story about Loriel and her adventures in her world. The story opens as Loriel is waiting for her grandmother, Grandfairy Cyce, the oldest fairy. With her friends, Anya, a hummingbird and Padra, a house mouse, Loriel goes out to find her grandmother. When she arrives at her cottage, she discovers that Grandfairy has been taken by a dreadful troll and they mount a rescue. After the rescue, Loriel learns she is to be a wood fairy apprentice and learning and perfecting her spells. Along with her cousin, Lily, she discovers a locked door deep in the basement of her Grandfairy’s cottage. They find a way to open the door and discover a room. There they read a book about an evil dragon. Suddenly, a dragon appears at the door. Who is this dragon and are the fairies in danger?

This story was cute and entertaining. My daughter wanted me to read this to her. Even though she lost interest quickly (she’s 2 and a half), I know that she will enjoy reading this adventure when she’s older. Any little girl who enjoys fairies and other magical creatures will enjoy this story. I recommend this book.

The Adventures of Loriel the Wood Fairy is available on Amazon for $15.99

Give your song a Voice: a beautiful book with a great message

Give Your Song a Voice by Kristin E. Schmidt and illustrated by Debra Rae Hare is a book about a young girl’s dream to give the music in her dream a voice. The story is told as a simple poem. The rhythms are simple and yet flow beautifully like listening to the lyrics of a song. A young girl has a dream and in her dream, she sees music as she wakes up, she realizes that she can’t let the beautiful music disappear. She then goes on a journey to find friends to play this beautiful music.

On her journey, she meets up with a trombone playing hippo, a drums banging chimpanzee, a gator playing the flute, an emu plucking the strings of a cello, a zebra playing the clarinet and a bull blowing the sax. Together, they form a band and put on a concert for the girl’s family and friends. After the concert, she realizes that everyone has something special in them. The little girl gathers her friends and gives them the message of the story: “A song has a no voice until you chose to share it.”

This book was sent to my daughter by my aunt who is friends with the author. I was excited to read it and my daughter loved listening to it. After reading it, I had to post a review about it. I loved this book. I love that it is in prose. I love poetry. The imagery is beautiful and the illustrations really bring the characters to life. I would recommend this book to all children. It has a great message and fun characters.

Give Your Song a Voice is available on Amazon.com for $12.99