Blog Tour: Pop-Up Planetarium

 

This book is perfect for anyone interested in the night sky.

So much information:

Constellations: the key stars, their stories, and where to find them

Zodiac Signs

A flashlight craft: for night vision

A star wheel

A way to see the stars inside

* this makes a perfect holiday gift

** Book sent for blog tour

Review: Stuff Kids Should Know

 

Contents of this book are cooler than they appear.

From the masterminds responsible for the beloved, award-winning podcast, Stuff You Should Know , comes a gut-busting and brain-bursting nonfiction book for young readers.

You know the deal. There's Language Arts, Math, Science and History. You have the color-coded folders and notebooks; you know the material. The classic subjects. But why isn't there a Stuff That Knocks Your Socks Off class, or Random Facts To Rock Your World?

Well, luckily, with Stuff Kids Should Know , an incomplete compendium of only the most interesting topics, you will find fascinating stories and facts that will melt your mind! From demolition derbies to Mr. Potato Head to the history of facial hair, this book is full of funny, surprising information that sparks curiosity and reveals the magic of knowledge.

For Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant, the founders of the massively popular podcast Stuff You Should Know , the everyday world can be extraordinary when you dig a little deeper into the “whys” and the “hows”. With plenty of clever insights, silly illustrations, and an array of topics, this book digs deeper into stuff we all wish we knew more about. After all, who thought a rock would be a good idea for a pet? Well, let’s find out… (Summary from the publisher)

My Thoughts: This is a fun book for nonfiction readers. I loved learning more about Mr. Potato Head and Do(ugh)nuts. Yes, I'm craving a do(ugh)nut right now. This book has lots of humor, footnotes, and interesting facts. It would make a great gift for your nonfiction reader or someone who's very curious about all the things. 

Cover Thoughts: Fun

Source: Book sent for review

Library Recommendations: Highly recommended for your library collection.

Mini Review: Guide to Photography

A beginning book of photography for kids for taking photos with both cameras and smart phones.

The Good:
Colorful photos
Tips and Tricks
Assignments
Tons of information- set up in an easy to read manner
Interviews with famous photographers
Information on photography careers

The Bad:
Nothing - I enjoyed everything about this book

Overall Thoughts: Grab this one for the budding photographers in your life! It's a fantastic book to help get them started and excited.

I enjoyed this book so much that I took a few pictures after reading this book. Check them out:

* Book sent for review

Tween Tuesday Review: All Access Sports

Tagline: A behind the scenes look at the coolest things in sports

Set-Up:
The book's divided into three categories: Athletes, Places, and Gear.
Athletes: Facts about your favorites: from their pre-game rituals to what they like to do with their downtime to their favorite sneakers.
Cool Places: building monsters trucks and cool baseball fields
Gear: What does a hockey goalie really wear - plus cool history from Cooperstown and the making of a football

The Good:
The lift and look pages are awesome
Lots of facts
Great pictures
I like how it covers a variety of sports - from conventional to non conventional

The Bad: 
There's nothing bad about this book

Overall:Perfect - Get this for the young sports fans in your life!

* Sent for review

Mini Review: Children's Activity Atlas

The Set-Up:
* includes how to use the atlas page
13 illustrated maps
postcards
passport
stickers to place on the maps (including flags, animals, objects, and architecture.

The Good:
A great learning tool for young readers
Great Facts * Great Illustrations * Great Maps
Very colorful, easy way to learn about the world and different cultures.

The Bad:
With the interactive parts, this book is harder for libraries - but still a great read.

Overall:
This book is perfect for kids wanting to learn more about the world in an easy, but informative matter. The stickers and facts will keep them entertained while learning about the world. I can't wait to share it with my niece.

Book Sent for Review.

Mini Review: WWI for Kids

 This book comes out a month before the 100 years anniversary of the dominoes that led to the Great War that changed the world

The Good: I love the set up of the book - lots of photos, sidebars, activities, and maps that break up the text. I love how well rounded this book is - not just looking at one country's part in the war, but following everything has a whole. I liked reading about the secret treaties and how both sides didn't want to anger the Americans to bring them into the war. I liked reading about the tactics of war and the ideas of the leaders that failed. 

The Bad: I'm not crazy about Kids being in the title, because I think it's a book that would work well with teens and that might put them off from choosing this book (although it's kind of a nit picky thing)

Overall Thoughts: An excellent resource for anyone looking to learn more about the war - and very timely. 

Tween Tuesday Review: Weird But True 6

300 weird facts:

Did you know that Palm Trees aren't trees? They're a type of grass.

Did you know that Batman's Cape was inspired by Leonardo DaVinci?

Did you know that at some State Fairs you can order deep fried jelly beans?

Did you know that it would take 5 people to actually Tip over a cow?

Can you name three popular names for dogs in the Medieval times? Hardy, Nosewise, or Sturdy.

Just a few facts you can learn from this quick, entertaining, and engaging read. It's one you'll want to share with others.

Nonfiction Review: Upstairs and Downstairs

I've been trying to read more nonfiction and at the beginning of the Downton Abbey season, I checked this book out of the library. I confess that I stopped watching Downton after what happened to Anna. But the time period is still fascinating. 

My Thoughts: This book describes life as a servant or a resident in one of these great houses beautifully. The pictures were fantastic and numerous making the book that much more enjoyable. I liked how the book took place throughout the entire day starting with the lowest maid before dawn and ending with the same maid at night.  A brilliant overview of the manor houses and the people who live there.

Cover Thoughts: Great - love the bells
Source: My library

Tween Tuesday Review: Stubby the War Dog

Stubby, a dog from Connecticut, found himself at the training site for the Connecticut National Guard in 1917. He learned some of the commands, made friends with the soldiers, and became a part of something much bigger than he ever expected.

When the soldiers went off to fight in World War I, Stubby went too. He helped out  keeping watch with the men, warning the men of attacks, and soothing aching hearts.

Wounded once, he went back to the line of duty to his friends and to his family. He's still in the hearts and minds of those who knew him and a whole generation just learning about him now.

My Thoughts: A great book on this lovable dog. I love that he knew how to salute and how he knew commands. I love that he drilled with the soldiers and cuddled with them when they needed someone most. I felt bad for J. Robert Conway when he died, but loved the time they had together. Great photographs of Stubby and soldiers round out this book. I really liked seeing his coat and all the medals on it. The only thing missing from this book is maps on where Stubby was during the war. Extensive resources are in the back of the book for further exploration on Stubby's life. Perfect book for animal lovers or for another perspective on war.

Cover Thoughts: Great
Source: Book sent for review.

Tween Tuesday Review: What in the World?

A fun book created from photos found in nature, altered photos, and plenty of puzzles. 

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book - looking at the amazing photos (the magnified ones, the hidden animals, and the patterns). The pictures were outstanding - bright, colorful, and many found in nature. I loved the games - finding the differences and spotting the items. A book full of entertainment and fabulous photos that's sure to be a hit.

Cover Thoughts: Awesome
Source: Sent for Review
Similar Read: I Spy
Age Range: While I think tweens will still enjoy this, it will also work for younger readers.

Mini Review: Ye Olde Weird but True

300 facts from history ranging from ancient days to not that long ago.

The Good: I loved this book. It's quick, but fascinating read. And I happy to discover a few facts in here that I already knew. The pictures are great. The fonts make the facts stand out. Both make for an eye-catching book. As a fan of history, I couldn't put this book down and shared several of the facts with my husband.

The Bad: Nothing.

Overall Verdict: I think teens/tweens will flip through it. They will be grossed out, will laugh, and share the facts with their friends. 

Mini Review: Color Me Couture

A book on fashion - starting from late 1880 with Vintage dresses and moving forward in time. Each dress contains information on the date, season, style, material of the dress, and a description. The opposite page allows the reader to take the dress and re-create it. After 1960, there's a section on contemporary dresses along with a section of coats, nightgowns, and slips. The final section is dedicated to shoe and hats. 

The Good: I really enjoyed looking at this book. I loved the history of the clothes and seeing the various styles. I thought the idea of creating your own style for the dresses was unique. A fun book for anyone who likes fashion, especially vintage fashion. I tagged several pages to try my hand at a few of them. 

The Bad: I only wish there was a section on evening bags and purses too. I'd like to see how they changed over time.

Overall: A fantastically fun book for fashion lovers.

Library Idea: Copy of few of the dresses and ask your teens to create their own style of these famous pieces. 
Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: Sent for review

Mini Review: Craft-a-Doodle

18 artists put together 75 different exercises to help you create better art work.

The Good: This book is pure fun - lots of drawing ideas. The instructions look great and the use of different drawing tools makes it a more well rounded book. When I think about doodling - it's mostly boring ideas (lines and cubes) on meeting agendas, but this book takes it to a whole new level. I'm eager to try some of these ideas: the owls, the pug faces, the yarn inspiration, the cupcakes, the framed lines, hearts, and the village for drawings on cards.

The Bad: Directions are not there for all the designs, but you can figure it out from the directions that are there and adapt them. Some of them are a little strange - but I think there was only one who's work I didn't like at all.

Library Idea: Use this book to prompt an art night or a several night art workshop. Lots of a great ideas to create fun unique drawings. The visual diary would be perfect!