Book Reviews

Dream Away by Julia Durango and Katie Belle Trupiano

Dream Away is a children’s book by Julia Durango and Katie Belle Trupiano and illustrated by Robert Goldstrom.

This book begins with a father reading a bedtime story to his young son.

They journey in a paper boat into the skies. Along the way they assemble an imaginary crew of a few cats, a dog, and a night in shining armor.

The sights they see include the moon, several constellations, and planets.

This book is a lovely introduction to astronomy for toddlers. It brings the night sky to life and invites questions and stimulates the limitless curiosity of young minds.

The illustrations are beautiful and engaging.

Having the “dad” as the reader within the story is a refreshing salute to the more under-represented parent in children’s literature.

I received this book from Simon and Schuster for review.

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Say What by Angela DiTerlizzi

I recently received a copy of Say What? written by Angela DiTerlizzi and illustrated by Joey Chou, from Simon & Schuster for review. This is a darling rhyming book – with big, beautiful, bold illustrations that is sure to capture the attention of all munchkins under five years old (although any age will not be [...]

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Getting To Happy by Terry McMillan

Getting To Happy by Terry McMillan is the sequel to the runaway bestseller Waiting To Exhale. If you have been “waiting” – then head over to the BlogHer Book Club to read my review and to join the discussion. Catch up with these four friends and see where the twists and turns on the road [...]

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A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

I recently read A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness for the BlogHer Book Club. Being a big huge Harry Potter fan – I was definitely intrigued with this assignment. Witches, daemons, and vampires abound in this tale. But did I like it? Well, pop on over to my review to see my review and [...]

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Win Jane Austen Books

For the BlogHer Book Club – I had a chance to review A Jane Austen Education. This was a fantastic book that you don’t need to be a Jane Austen fan to enjoy. Well, just in time for summer beach reading – BlogHer is giving away 5 copies of both A Jane Austen Education AND [...]

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A Jane Austen Education

Right on the heels of my Girl in Translation book review for the BlogHer Book Club is a review for a book called A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz. The tag line on the book is How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter Whether you love Jane [...]

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Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

I have been participating in the BlogHer Book Club – and recently had a chance to review the book Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. As parents we constantly worry about making sure the kids are eating healthy foods, whether they are watching too much TV or playing to many video games, whether they are [...]

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Fuddles Book Review

Cat lovers everywhere will appreciate Fuddles by Frans Vischer – an absolutely adorable children’s book. Fuddles is a spoiled kitty, a pampered kitty, a most definite indoor cat. But, although Fuddles enjoyed his indoor life – he longed for adventure and excitment. He was smitten with wanderlust – and more than anything, he wanted to [...]

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Easy Recipes for Kids

If you are looking for easy recipes for kids – then I have just the thing for you! It is called The Do It Myself Kids Cookbook by Laurie Goldrich Wolf – and it is fabulous. I received a copy of this book from Downtown Bookworks to review – and an amazing thing happened. Before [...]

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The Great Hamster Massacre

When I received a copy of The Great Hamster Massacre by Katie Davies from Simon & Schuster for review – I was a bit skeptical. At first glance, the book looks lively and entertaining – presented in a Diary of a Wimpy Kid kind of way. But then the title starts to sink in … [...]

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Books on Tape for Kids

I don’t know why I still call them Books on Tape – after all, they generally are not on tape anymore. Even CD’s are probably outdated. Everything is on an iPod or iPhone. And I think the official term is – Audiobook. But whatever you call them – I have to credit them with my [...]