🌟REVIEW: "An Armadillo in New York" by Julie Kraulis (Childrens book, travel)

	An Armadillo in New York by Julie Kraulis Genre: Childrens book, Travel Publication Date: April 12, 2016 (Affiliate links)
Description from Publisher: A winsome armadillo from Brazil takes a trip to New York in this delightful new picture book from Julie Kraulis. Arlo is an armadillo who is always up for adventure. His grandfather, Augustin, loved adventure too. When Arlo was born, Augustin wrote travel journals about his favorite places for Arlo to use when he was old enough to go exploring on his own. When Arlo reads about New York and the mysterious Lady Liberty, he decides it's time for his next adventure. He travels to New York and, guided by Augustin's journal, discovers the joys of the city: gazing at the vast skyline, visiting the Guggenheim, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and, of course, meeting Lady Liberty . . . but who is she? Each spread has a clue about her identity, and kids will see hints of her scattered throughout the pages. This book is like a gorgeous stroll through New York with an adorable friend--a stroll you'll want to take again and again.
My Rating: I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.com for an honest, unbiased review. My opinion is my own. Between 3 and 4 stars, depending on if you want it for fun (3) or more for education (4). This is a great book for anyone looking to show their kid around New York City and the wonderful sights to be seen there. The illustrations are detailed and you get a real feel for the city as you read Augustin's notes to Arlo. Honestly, I think this would be an awesome book to read and also take along with you on a trip around NYC with your grade-schooler (perhaps younger, if you can show them the illustrations during or after seeing the actual sights). All of that said, it's a bit stiff in its delivery and not necessarily engaging. It's a bit like an actual tour guide taking you through the city. Because of that, I think this would be great for a teacher taking kids on a field trip, or a parent taking a trip with their kids and/or a parent who homeschools. I feel it works best as a book to be used with other tools. My son was a bit young for this (he's 3), when I think it's more appropriate for kids 6-10. He did, however, enjoy the illustrations.

Review: "Outdoor Math" by Emma Adb†åge (Childrens Nonfiction)

	Outdoor Math by Emma Adb†åge Publisher:Kids Can Press Genre:Childrens Nonfiction Publication Date: April 5th 2016 (Affiliate links)
Description from Publisher: In this innovative book, Emma Adb†åge encourages children to get outside, where they can have fun interacting with the natural world while learning math. Adb†åge has created twenty-two outdoor activities, organized by season. Through play, children will learn about numeracy and arithmetic, as well as math concepts such as shapes, time, greater/less than, even and odd numbers, patterns and grids. The activities have simple-to-follow instructions and are accompanied by adorable illustrations that provide clear visual demonstrations. The natural materials required --- stones, pinecones, snowballs, worms --- are easy to find in many environments. Supplementary spreads introduce the numbers 1 to 10 and further explore addition/subtraction and multiplication/division, with simplified explanations and illustrated examples. Studies have shown that learning outdoors helps kids retain information and skills, and that physically active children perform better in a variety of subjects --- including math. This book could be used alongside other math coursework all school year, since the activities have direct curricular applications. While the thrust of the book is math, there are also science lessons here, particularly regarding the properties of nature and how things change during the four seasons. Many of the activities can be done in pairs or groups, promoting teamwork and cooperation. A list of activities in the back matter indexes the activities and categorizes them by the math skills they develop.
My Rating: I received a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.com for an honest, unbiased review. My opinion is my own. As a mom who loves new ways of teaching her preschooler through play, this book was especially intriguing to me. I think that it would be great for anyone interested in fun, outdoor, educational activities, from parents to teachers. My son (3) and I intend to hit up our local park later this afternoon to gather some rocks for the paint & numbers activity. I love that something so simple is a fun activity while we are out, will be an art activity, and then we will have a 'toy' at the end to play with numbers. The biggest thing keeping this from 4 stars for me is that we live in Southern California, so basically all of the "Winter" activities are irrelevant unless we travel to the snow. I would also like some activities that were more water-play based. Over all, though, a great book with some fun ideas!

🌟REVIEW: "Max's Dragon" by Kate Banks & Boris Kulikov (Childrens Fiction, Rhyming)

	Max's Dragon Story by Kate Banks Illustr. by Boris Kulikov Publisher: Macmillan Series: Max's Castle, Max's Words (affil.) Genre:Childrens Fiction, Rhyming Publication Date: March 18, 2008 (Affiliate links)
Description from Publisher: Max is looking for words that rhyme. His dragon is in his wagon – or was, for now its tail has left a trail, which Max follows. He finds an umbrella on the ground— "Found, ground," he says, while his older brothers mock him for believing in dragons and sitting under an umbrella when it isn't even raining. But Max believes in possibilities—and when he can show his brothers not only a dragon in the stormy clouds but also a dinosaur, they begin to come round. When Max demonstrates the power of his rhyming words to tame the dinosaur and the dragon and make the rain come, he wins them over completely. With amusing wordplay and beguiling illustrations, Kate Banks and Boris Kulikov celebrate language and imagination in a collaboration that is bound to be oodles of fun for everyone.
My Rating:
This is the first of three "Max" books by Kate Banks and Boris Kulikov that I picked up when my son was an infant. I think it's fun to find books with my son's name in it. Seeing as how the dedications in the books are often "To my Max," "No, to MY Max," I'm guessing that both Banks and Kulikov feel the same. ;) The art style of Kulikov is uniquely detailed and adds a lot of charm to his books. The children are all well-drawn and you can see their personalities in their expressions and outfit choices. The wonderful imagination that Max has is shown beautifully as you get a bit of reality blended with a vivid imagination. The character of Max feels very much like a "little brother," but one who is confident in what he does despite his older brothers, Benjamin and Karl, making fun of him. I really love how both brothers are a dismissive of Max until they just can't help but be pulled into his fun world of adventure. The rhyming is great and uses mostly multisyllabic words, so they all feel fresh. The rhyming game the boys all play would also be a fun one to play in real life, especially for those ages 6-10 or so. My son (3.5) is still a bit young for that, but he does still enjoy all the rhymes and pictures!

🌟REVIEW: "Crochet Stories: Grimms' Fairy Tales" by Vanessa Putt (Dover Publishing) (Crochet, Craft, Childrens Books)

	Crochet Stories: Grimms' Fairy Tales by Vanessa Putt, Brothers Grimm Publisher: Dover Publications Genre: Crochet, Craft, Childrens Books, Childrens Toys Publication Date: January 14, 2016 (Affiliate links)
Description from Publisher: Practitioners of amigurumi, the Japanese art of crocheting stuffed dolls, will adore this collection of sixteen playful patterns for fairy tale figures. Projects include the witch and the gingerbread house as well as the hero and heroine of "Hansel and Gretel"; the giant and the golden goose's eggs of "Jack and the Beanstalk," in addition to the beanstalk and Jack himself; the long-haired captive of "Rapunzel," her lonely tower, and her rescuer, the prince; the animals of "The Hare and the Hedgehog" plus a juicy carrot; and the wee subject of "Tom Thumb" and his cow. Clear instructions for creating the characters are accompanied by color photos of the finished products along with charming retellings of all five fairy tales. An introductory chapter offers general notes and tips, including pointers on working in the round, stuffing, measurements, and finishing.
My Rating:
I received a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.com for an honest, unbiased review. My opinion is my own. I received a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.com for an honest, unbiased review. My opinion is my own. This book is so cute! I had thought before opening it that it would just be patterns and hadn't realized it has the stories the characters are from as well! What a fantastic idea! The patterns are written clearly and should be easy for even a novice to follow (I would consider myself to be advanced, having written my own patterns and crocheting for 8 years now, just to give an idea of where I'm coming from. :) ). I've made almost the complete set of Jack & the Beanstalk toys and it's so much reading the story to my 3-year-old son and having the toys to play with at the same time.