Showing posts with label genre: childrens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label genre: childrens. Show all posts

August 18, 2023

My First Reading Library

My First Reading Library by Lesley Sims

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a collection of 50 books meant to help kids learn how to read. We got this series for my daughter when she started speech therapy to help with her reading. She loved them to start with, but was more interested in the story books than the actual learning books. The series comes with essentially 3 sections to browse through.

Section 1: 20 books numbered from level 1-15 for the "Very First Reading" series. These titles include:

1. Pirate Pat
2. Double Trouble
3. The Dressing-Up Box
4. Captain Mac
5. A Bus for Miss Moss
6. The Perfect Pet
7. Dog Diary
8. Bad Jack Fox
9. Grizzly Bear Rock
10. The Magic Ring
11. A Fright in the Night
12. The Queen Makes a Scene
13. The Deep Dark Woods
14. Stop That Cow!
15. Moon Zoom
16. Run, Rabbit, Run!
17. Late Night at the Zoo
18. Wild School
19. The Circus Under the Sea
20. The Monster Diner
21. Knight Fight
22. Mr. Mystery

Section 2: A collection of 12 level 1 reading books with short stories, including:

1. The Wish Fish
2. The Rabbit's Tale
3. The Greedy Dog
4. The Fox & the Stork
5. Old MacDonald Had a Farm
6. King Midas & the Gold
7. The Lion & the Mouse
8. The Fox & the Crow
9. Anansi & the Bag of Wisdom
10. The Ang & the Grasshopper
11. The Sun & the Wind
12. The Three Wishes

Section 3: 16 slightly longer story books from level 2 reading collections. These tales include:

1. The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
2. The Daydreamer
3. Old Mother Hubbard
4. Clever Rabbit & the Wolves
5. Doctor Foster Went to Gloucester
6. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
7. How Elephants Lost Their Wings
8. The Dragon & the Phoenix
9. There Was a Crooked Man
10. Little Miss Muffett
11. The Tortoise & the Eagle
12. The Magic Melon
13. King Donkey Ears
14. The Genie in the Bottle
15. Clever Rabbit & the Lion

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August 13, 2023

If Animals Could Talk

If Animals Could Talk by Nancy Marks

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This appears to be a self-published book as it doesn't have an ISBN and so far has not been possible to find any listing of it online. Farmer Nim can't help but wonder what all of his animals would say if he could understand them the same way he would have a conversation with another person. Realistically, they talk all the time, just in different ways. Still, you might get a few laughs over his imagined stories from the different animals in this small picture book.

Dog Man 1

Dog Man 1 by Dav Pilkey

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Dog Man, as the name implies, is part man and part dog. The story itself is laid out in a very childish comic format reminiscent of children's drawings rather than what you might expect from published comic and manga series that are known for their artwork. The story itself is a bit crazy, bordering on hysterical at times, which is likely what makes it engaging for kids if you find the right audience. My son picked this up because it was popular in his class, but doesn't seem to have latched onto it like he has some of the more advanced chapter books he's been interested in lately despite his younger age. Of course if big sister is reading those, he must be able to as well, right?

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Phoebe and Her Unicorn 1

Phoebe and Her Unicorn 1 by Dana Simpson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Not entirely sure how skipping a rock and hitting a unicorn in the face saves them from being stuck in their own reflection and granting a wish to be your best friend, but that seems to be exactly what happens to Phoebe. The rest of the book is a series of shenanigans and complicated turns of events as Phoebe and Marigold learn more about each other, complete with some pranks, more than a few jabs at each other, and learning along the way. Didn't end up being a favorite to collect and finish the series, but was cute to try out at least.

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Pet Charms 4: The Lost Pony

Pet Charms 4: The Lost Pony by Amy Edgar

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


For the magical bracelet being so important to Molly, she sure loses it a lot. Fortunately, she's usually left it somewhere where she took it off to do some task for the animals, and it remains there when she and her friend Lexie go looking for it. This time, the girls set out to help a lost pony before a winter storm comes in. As usual, the bracelet comes in handy so Molly can understand what the animals are worried about and communicate with them, though she has to be careful Lexie doesn't hear her. It wouldn't be a pet charm adventure without earning a new charm for her bracelet too - this time a pony.

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Pet Charms 3: Here, Kitty, Kitty

Pet Charms 3: Here, Kitty, Kitty by Amy Edgar

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Molly panics a bit when she can't find her bracelet and Stella isn't acting like she usually does - refusing pets and food. Fortunately, Lexie helps her find her bracelet at the Paw Palace and the girls, with Aunt Vera in tow, quickly find the reason behind Stella's distress when they return home - new kittens! Of course, with Molly determined to take care of Stella and her babies, a new charm is earned for her bracelet - this time a cat.

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Pet Charms 2: Bunny Surprise

Pet Charms 2: Bunny Surprise by Amy Edgar

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Molly's friend, Lexie, is getting a new pet for her birthday. Molly knows just how to help out and happens to have an aunt with a lot of pets to adopt. She even gets to visit Mr. Wiggles on the adventure. Helping her friend Lexie will also help a few cute bunnies, resulting in a new charm on her magic bracelet.

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Pet Charms 1: The Muddy Puppy

Pet Charms 1: The Muddy Puppy by Amy Edgar

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A chance encounter with Mr. Wiggles earns Molly a magic bracelet that lets her understand the animals speaking around her. After helping Mr. Wiggles find a home, she discovers a charm has been added to her magic bracelet, and it looks just like Mr. Wiggles. 

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My Magical Friends: Unicorn Rescue

My Magical Friends: Unicorn Rescue by Amy Edgar and Jomike Tejido

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


A magic bracelet birthday gift pulls Shelby and Isabella into a magical world inside Shelby's new playset where they meet Twinkle, a baby unicorn. Twinkle thinks the two girls are princesses as they are wearing crowns from Shelby's playset. The girls are respectful and help the unicorn, which in turn earns them the gratitude of Twinkle's parents and an open invitation to their magical forest. A very short, magical, and fun adventure for the two friends. Nothing too extravagant or confusing. Very straight forward and kind.

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The Dog: Best in Show

The Dog: Best in Show by Apple Jordan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Told from a dog's point of view, this easy reader features "doggy data" for some of the top breeds that may earn "best in show" according to the requirements from the American Kennel Club. Not necessarily the most important information if you have no interest in showing your dog, or don't own a purebred, but the doggy data can still be interesting to learn similarities and differences between the different breeds and where they came from, making it a simple and yet educational addition for a child's library.

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Barbie: Let's Build a Snowman!

Barbie: Let's Build a Snowman! by Kristen L. Depken

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


While building a snowman can be a lot of fun, and the sister's each have their own ideas of what they want to build, Chelsea is right - building a snowman is a lot of work. It's a lot more fun, and a lot less work, when you work together to build the best snowman.

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Spirit Riding Free: Merry Christmas

Spirit Riding Free: Merry Christmas by Jennifer Fox

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is Lucky's first Christmas out in the country and away from the big city. While it's certainly different, and the ice presents it's own series of dangers and difficulties, it looks like the PALs have a pretty good Christmas after all.

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Spirit Riding Free: Spring Beginnings

Spirit Riding Free: Spring Beginnings by R.J. Cregg

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Pru and Abigail get some lessons in etiquette from Lucky and Aunt Cora to get ready for a ball coming up. There's also a mare about to have her foal in Spirit's herd. Of course timing would mean they miss the ball and get their fancy dresses all dirty helping the mare in need. But that also means they get to see and cuddle the newborn foal, which is always a win for this trio. It's a good thing they have Spirit and their own horses on their side, or Smoke still wouldn't have let them anywhere near the mare.

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Spirit Riding Free: Lucky's Class Contest

Spirit Riding Free: Lucky's Class Contest by Jennifer Fox

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Everyone wants to win, and sometimes that brings out the worst in people. Fortunately, Lucky realizes things are going too far. Unfortunately, she's not able to fix things on her own, but her friends also understand she would never intentionally try to sabotage their chances. Good friends are better than any school ribbon.

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My Little Pony: Meet Starlight Glimmer

My Little Pony: Meet Starlight Glimmer by Magnolia Belle

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This earlier reader is okay as it focuses on a single pony and is very briefly summarized, however, it jumps from one part of the story to the next very quickly due to both the format and just how much it's abbreviated to keep the story short. If you wanted to follow events from this short story in the TV series, you would need to watch several episodes to make sense and follow everything correctly.

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Disney Princess: Belle's Story Collection

Belle's Story Collection (Disney Beauty and the Beast) by Walt Disney Company

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a very early reader collection of stories. You would think from the title that it focuses on Belle, however, you'll find many other princesses make appearances along the way.

Happy Birthday, Princess!
This short story glosses over birthday celebrations for several princess, including Belle, Tiana, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, Jasmine, and Ariel.

Princess Hearts
As with the first story, this snippet focuses on Valentine's Day, though the princess lineup changes slightly. This time we have Cinderella, Rapunzel, Aurora, Belle, Snow White, Jasmine, Ariel, and Tiana featured.

Princesses & Puppies
This could tie in to the Palace Pets/Whisker Haven series as the princesses each find or are given puppies in this short collection. Once again, the featured princesses include Cinderella, Rapunzel, Belle, Merida, Tiana, and Jasmine.

Beauty & the Beast
If the title didn't make it clear, this one is a very short retelling of the animated movie, Beauty & the Beast.

A Cake to Bake
The princesses are out to make sweets - sometimes cakes, cookies, pies, or other treats. Follow Tiana, Merida, Rapunzel, Ariel, & Belle as they each tackle baking something for various reasons. Some for challenges, others for special treats or surprises.

The Perfect Dress
Of course a princess must also have her perfect dress. We find the iconic dresses selected in this short story for Cinderella, Jasmine, Belle, Ariel, Aurora, & Snow White, complete with accessories to complete the look.

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Disney Princess: A Fairy-Tale Fall

Disney Princess: A Fairy-Tale Fall by Apple Jordan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a very short book about what many of the princesses do for Halloween/fall celebrations. The princesses highlighted include Snow White, Belle, Aurora, Jasmine, Ariel, Tiana, and Cinderella.

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Moana: Quest for the Hear

Moana: Quest for the Heart by Walt Disney Company

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a simple if not somewhat skewed retelling of the movie, Moana. The ocean in particular is given many more roles and importance above what is seen the movie. It's still an interesting story, and will be at least somewhat familiar to kids who have seen the movie. If you want total consistency though, this edition may annoy you somewhat.

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Moana: Moana & Pua

Moana: Moana & Pua by Melissa Lagonegro

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


These stories are always a little confusing as they imply that Moana has done some sort of sailing with her family since she was a child, however, according to the movie, she's not allowed near the water, let alone on it. Still, even in the movie it's clear these two are friends, and it is cute to see how she cares for baby Pua.

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Frozen: Ghost Hunt!

Frozen: Ghost Hunt! by Walt Disney Company

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Olaf sets off to find a ghost when he can't sleep during a slumber party with Anna and Elsa. He didn't plan on being mistaken for a ghost along the way. Fortunately, the sisters don't seem to scare that easily.

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