God Shows The Way

TITLE:  The Berenstain Bears' God Shows The Way
AUTHOR: Stan and Jan Berenstain with Mike Berenstain
ILLUSTRATOR:  Stan and Jan Berenstain with Mike Berenstain
PUBLISHER:  Zonderkidz
COPYRIGHT:  2014

Book Description:
Now in a convenient 3 stories in one collection, young readers will learn from the Berenstain Bears just how important it is to serve and love one another. Written in level one of the I Can Read standards, this bind-up of stories from the Berenstain Bears Living Lights I Can Read series is sure to please young, emergent readers as well as parents and grandparents looking for good quality reading that will help practice early reading skills as well as teach lessons about serving and caring for others. Included in this collection are the following titles: Faith Gets Us Through Have No Fear, God Is Near Piggy Bank Blessings.

My thoughts:
I've always enjoyed the Berenstain Bears and the cute stories that always teach a lesson.  This book is three stories in one hardback book.  All three have a religious theme with a Bible verse at the beginning and another in the story. 

This book is appropriate for early readers, those who are beginning to read on their own.  These are written at a much simpler level than other books in the series. As you can see on the cover it is Level 1 reader.

While I liked the simplicity of the stories of these well-loved characters and the values taught through the stories, I always have an issue with books that include "scary" topics such as monsters, shadows, etc.  This is just a personal preference I've always had not to read books related to such topics to children.  I never would read these type of books to my son because he wasn't afraid of such things. I didn't want him to read these books and think he should be afraid of them!  Now if you had a child already scared of such things, this book would be fine. Both the first two stories talk of such things and your child could learn from how Sister Bear handled her fears.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” TITLE:

The Shape of My Heart

TITLE:  The Shape of My Heart
AUTHOR:  Mark Sperring
ILLUSTRATOR:  Alys Paterson
PUBLISHER:  Bloomsbury
COPYRIGHT:  2012

There are shapes everywhere around us.  This is a fun book to look for specific shapes with your child.  I thought it would be good to read to a toddler who is learning to identify objects to help increase vocabulary.  Each page is filled with brightly colored objects that will be relevant to a toddler's life.  It's rhyming text make it fun to read aloud as well. I particularly liked the ending too!

Too Tall Houses

TITLE:  Too Tall Houses
AUTHOR:  Gianna Marino
ILLUSTRATOR:
PUBLISHER:  Viking
COPYRIGHT:  2012

Owl and Rabbit are friends who live beside each other.  Everything is fine until Rabbit's garden grows so tall that it blocks Owl's view of the forest.  This leads Owl to build a taller house.  Back and forth they go, building their houses taller and taller.

I enjoyed the beautiful illustrations in this book.  The warm colored scenes made such pretty backdrops for the actions of Owl and Rabbit.  This is a fun book on friendship.

The AR level for this book is 2.0.

You're Wearing That to School?!

TITLE:  You're Wearing That to School?!
AUTHOR:  Lynn Plourde
ILLUSTRATOR:  Sue Cornelison
PUBLISHER:  Disney Hyperion
COPYRIGHT:  2013

Penelope the hippo gets advice about beginning school from her little mouse friend Tiny.  He thinks she has all the wrong ideas about what to wear, what to take to show and tell, and more.  Will Penelope listen to Tiny's advice or do things her own way?

This is a fun book with cute characters to read at the beginning of the school year or to your child who is beginning school.

This is AR level 2.1.

Along Came You

TITLE:  Along Came You
AUTHOR:  Karona Drummond
ILLUSTRATOR:  Estelle Corke
PUBLISHER:  Zonderkidz
COPYRIGHT:  2009

Book Description:
Available for the first time as a fun and durable board book, the beautifully illustrated Along Came You is now perfectly suited for little hands and hearts. Ideal for Mother's Day, baby showers, birthdays, or any time a parent wants to express their love, this book's storyline highlights the positive ways in which parents' lives change when they have children. Author Karona Drummond, a certified elementary school teacher, employs storytelling techniques that will appeal to both the child and parent. The simple language and repetitive structure of the phrases make this a perfect read-along book that teachers, librarians, parents, and young readers will enjoy.

My thoughts:
In this sweet book a Mom tells her daughter how her life has changed because of her.  The child in the picture looks like a preschooler.  To me this would be a book that a Mom could read to her child as a toddler that could become a favorite as the child grows. I like the repetitive phrase of "before you" and "after you" used on each page.  It is just the right length as well to keep the child's attention and the right size of board book for young hands to hold on their own.

Children change all aspects of our lives, and this book celebrates those wonderful changes!  A child may not realize the way he or she has caused so many things to change, but this book shares those changes in a positive, loving manner.

Check out this book when you need a gift for a new Mom.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Ready and Waiting For You

TITLE:  Ready and Waiting For You
AUTHOR:  Judi Moreillon
ILLUSTRATOR:  Catherine Stock
PUBLISHER:  Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
COPYRIGHT:  2013

Guess who is waiting for you as you head to school?  There are many people ready and waiting for you including the bus driver, principal, custodians, and others.

Young children will enjoy the bright, colorful illustrations of this book.  It would be appropriate to read before your child begins school.  It has fold out pages that reveal who is waiting for them at their school. This book would also be appropriate to read in the classroom at the beginning of the school year to introduce the titles of various school personnel.

Goodnight iPad

TITLE:  Goodnight iPad
AUTHOR:  Ann Droyd
ILLUSTRATOR:
PUBLISHER: blue rider press
COPYRIGHT:  2011

Everyone these days seems to be plugged in with iPads, Facebook, texts, Nooks, and more.  This book is a parody of the famous children's book called Goodnight Moon.  The illustrations are fun and show all the modern gadgets that are mentioned in the text.

I saw this book on the new book shelf at our library and it caught my eye because of the title.  I think that the book will be appreciated by adults when they realize how attached to technology we have become in this society.