REVIEW: "Dream Big" by Kat Kronenberg (Childrens Fiction, Picture Book)

DREAM BIG by Kat Kronenberg Illustrated by

Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press Genre: Childrens Fiction, Picture Book Publication Date: January 10th 2017

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Description from Publisher:

One by one, Caterpillar, Tadpole, and Flamingo gaze up at the night sky and wish upon a star for their wildest dreams. Baboon, who can’t help but overhear, insists these dreams could never come true. But when he sees Caterpillar turn into a winged butterfly, Tadpole into a dancing frog, and Flamingo into a beautiful pink bird, Baboon realizes that a transformative power exists between these stars and the animals once they truly believe in themselves and their dreams. When Baboon tries out this secret, CATCH-M, his Magical, Mystical, Wished-Upon Star, whooshes down from the heavens to wham! ignite the courage in his chest too, and what happens next is fantastic! Inclusive of an Arts/Activities resource section, this richly illustrated book demonstrates that together we can all be inspired to identify and pursue our dreams, no matter how big or impossible they may seem. Dream Big is the perfect heart-warming gift of encouragement for anyone starting a new phase in their life or a great send-off for grads—preschool, high school, college, and beyond!

My Rating:

This book is so cute! The illustrations are simply gorgeous, rich & full of color and with an art style that is very fitting for the accompanying story. The creatures depicted are realistic, but with a certain whimsy that feels very true to the setting of before a caterpillar could turn into a butterfly, for instance. The story itself is also wonderful, with a baboon that keeps discouraging various creatures from believing that their dreams can come true, before he, himself, gets inspired to have DREAM BIG. As mentioned, a caterpillar wishes to fly, then becomes sad at the idea that its dream could never come true and hides itself in a cocoon, then awakens as a beautiful butterfly. There is also a tadpole and a termite, among a few others. The only thing that really kept this from being 5 stars for me was that some of the sounds and rhymes seemed a little off, including the celebration song at the end being a version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. That's more personal preference, but just something that didn't quite work for me or my son (4.5).

My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher for an honest, unbiased review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is my 100% own.

About the Author: Kat Kronenburg
A writer and lover of books for young readers with the dream that we all catch CATCH-M too and watch our wildest dreams come true! (CATCH-M, in case you are wondering, is what we like to call a two-sided coin. One side is your "Big Belly Smile" that comes all the way up from your belly, through your chest, and radiates from your face a belief in yourself and your dreams. The other side of the coin is "Your Magical, Mystical, Wished Upon Star" that is always smiling down on you, waiting for the invite to connect with you once you do smile big.)

🌟REVIEW: "Good Morning, Superman!" by Michael Dahl (Superheroes, Childrens Fiction)

Good Morning, Superman! by Michael Dahl
	Publisher: Capstone Series: DC Super Heroes Other Books In Series: Bedtime for Batman Genre: Picture Book, Childrens Fiction Publication Date: January 1st 2017 (Affiliate links)
Description from Publisher:
Ages 4-7 DC Super Heroes Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s the . . . SUN! When morning comes, a young boy must prepare for his day, faster than a speeding bullet. Follow along as he leaps tall buildings (jumps out of bed) in a single bound, dons his heroic uniform (his clothes), and faces his greatest weakness (Kryptonite-colored toothpaste). Then it’s up, up, and away to daycare! The perfect companion to the bestselling author Michael Dahl's BEDTIME FOR BATMAN, this official DC Comics picture book will have Superman fans young and old delighting in their morning routines. Includes a morning routine checklist.
My Rating:
My Musings:
As a fan of the other superhero book by Michael Dahl, "Bedtime for Batman", I was excited to see this on NetGalley. And I wasn't at all disappointed! For those unfamiliar, this series of books is a wonderfully illustrated juxtaposition of a kid's life and a superhero's life. In this case, we have Superman, in all of his glory, waking up for a day of making the world a better place. :) The text is elegantly simple, captioning each scene. The art is colorful and entirely appropriate for a child's superhero book. My favorite part of this is that Superman (and the child) accept help from others. It's a great reminder to little ones that being even superheroes need a little help every now and then. It also includes a checklist at the back of morning routines that would make this a nice tool for parents to encourage kids to do things like brush their teeth... and get a hug & kiss on their way out the door. :)
I received a digital ARC from the publisher for an honest, unbiased review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is my 100% own.

About Michael Dahl
Michael Dahl is the prolific author of the bestselling Goodnight Baseball picture book and more than 200 other books for children and young adults. He has won the AEP Distinguished Achievement Award three times for his nonfiction, a Teacher's Choice award from Learning magazine, and a Seal of Excellence from the Creative Child Awards. And he has won awards for his board books for the earliest learners, Duck Goes Potty and Bear Says "Thank You!" Dahl has written and edited numerous graphic novels for younger readers, authored the Library of Doom adventure series, the Dragonblood books, Trollhunters, and the Hocus Pocus Hotel mystery/comedy series. Dahl has spoken at schools, libraries, and conferences across the US and the UK, including ALA, AASL, IRA, and Renaissance Learning. He currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota in a haunted house.

🎄REVIEW: "The Book of Kringle - Legend of the North Pole" by Derek Velez Partridge (Picture Book)

THE BOOK OF KRINGLE - LEGEND OF THE NORTH POLE by Derek Velez Partridge

Publisher: Vista Clara Productions Genre: Childrens Fiction, Picture Book Publication Date: August 11th 2015

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Description from Publisher:

In a magical land on top of the world, an epic struggle between light and darkness was waged between two brothers. King Kringle ruled with a harsh hard over the elves of the North Pole, allowing no laughter, no play, and no Christmas celebration There was only one, truly kindhearted soul who could make a difference and change the course of the world. Would the elves be able to find Santa and bring joy and laughter to the land? Manusol the Elf knows the answer, for it is written in The Book of Kringle!

My Rating:

My Musings:

This is a wonderful story for Christmastime and I can't wait to add it to my son's 24 Books of Christmas collection that we use as an advent calendar every year. :) The Book of Kringle is a longer story than your typical picture book, but reads exactly as you would think a story with the sub-title of "The Legend of the North Pole." It has a little of a "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" vibe and reminded me of the claymation Rankin/Bass movies that I have loved since childhood. First, we meet an elf who begins to tell us the history of the North Pole and how it wasn't always the happy place it has become. He explains the story of the King of the North Pole, Kris Kringle's brother, who was greedy and selfish and put the elves to work mining crystals. From there, we learn how Santa Claus surprised the elves with tokens, and how the elves celebrated Christmas. I'll let you read the book to see how it all turns out. ;) The illustrations on this are beautifully done and have a old-fashioned style to them that lends itself really well to the story.

My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher for an honest, unbiased review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is my 100% own.

🎄REVIEW: "A Pirate's Twelve Days of Christmas" by Philip Yates & Sebastia Serra (Picture Book)

A PIRATE'S TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by Philip Yates Illustrated by Sebastia Serra

Publisher: Sterling Children's Books Genre: Childrens Fiction, Picture Book Publication Date: October 2nd 2012

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Other Books by Philip Yates or Sebastia Serra

Description from Publisher:

On the first day of Christmas, a gift was sent to me . . . a parrot in a palm tree! Ahoy mateys--Christmas is coming and even pirates celebrate the holiday! This follow-up to the hugely popular A Pirate's Night Before Christmas offers a witty re-imagining of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”—with a sly buccaneer twist. A brave cabin boy receives marvelously mysterious gifts for each of the 12 days he is left alone to guard the pirate ship: 12 cannons blastin', 9 mermaids singin', 6 Jolly Rogers, and so on—but who are they from? With impeccable rhythm and a lively sense of fun, Philip Yates and Sebastià Serra create a delightful world all their own.

My Rating:

My Musings:

Every year, I do a Christmas book advent, wrapping holiday books from last year again, as well as some new non-holiday books and some new holiday treasures. Last year, I discovered A Pirate's Night Before Christmas and, enjoying that (check out my review), I bought this one by the same authors. This has a little story and is then the song we all know and love to sing along with, but pirate-y. You will not be able to stop yourself from singing along to this one, which makes it really fun to read. By halfway through this, my son was singing out "5 chests of GOLD!" and "a parrot in a palm tree," while dancing in place. By the second reading the next night, he was singing the last 5 gifts each time. The illustrations in this are colorful, whimsical, and just perfect for the text. If your kiddo (or you) enjoy Christmas, singing, and pirates, this is a fantastic addition to your library of Christmas books, which is also nice because the focus isn't the bearded man in red. :)

My Source: I bought this one after buying and loving The Pirate's Night Before Christmas. My opinion is my 100% own.