Review: The Nantucket Sea Monster: A Fake News Story by Darcy Pattison

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION

Do you believe everything you read in the newspaper?

Early in August 1937, a news flash came: a sea monster had been spotted lurking off the shore of Nantucket Island. Historically, the Massachusetts island had served as port for whaling ships. Eyewitnesses swore this wasn’t a whale, but some new, fearsome creature. As eyewitness account piled up, newspaper stories of the sea monster spread quickly. Across the nation, people shivered in fear.

Then, footprints were found on a Nantucket beach. Photographs were sent to prominent biologists for their opinion. Discussion swirled about raising a hunting party.

On August 18, news spread across the island: the sea monster had been captured. Islanders ran to the beach and couldn’t believe their eyes.

This nonfiction picture book is a perfect tool to discuss non-political fake news stories.

Back matter discusses the freedom of the press guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Quotes from Thomas Jefferson make it clear that fake news has always been one of the costs of a free press. A Timeline lists actual events in the order they occurred. A vocabulary list defines relevant words.

Rating: 4-stars

Review:

The Nantucket Sea Monster: A Fake News Story by Darcy Pattison is a great story for children. It teaches them to not believe everything the read. Just because the newspaper prints a story does not mean it’s true. Newspapers can decide which stories they want to print for their audiences and which ones they do not want to print. Things such as hoaxes, free press, and publicity stunts can be seen and used for a great story. No real Sea monster existed yet it gained so much attention. This same thing can be applied to books, social media, and websites. Not everything published is accurate nor true. Be careful what you read. This book teaches children about fake news. How it happens, how it is used, and that things like a newspaper have that right. I thought it was entertaining, colorful, and informative.

Review: The Fed-up Cow by Peta Lemon

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

Hilda is FED-UP with being a cow. Spending all day doing not much but moo. There has to be something more she can do.

So she decides to be a sheep…
… then a pig
… and even a chicken.

Is the grass any greener on the other side?

Join Hilda, the fed-up cow, on her voyage of self-discovery in this daft but timeless story, written in rhyme.

Rating: 5-stars

Review:

The Fed-up Cow by Peta Lemon is an engaging story. A children’s book hat is entertaining as well as educational.Here, I got to meet Hilda, a cow tired of being just a cow. She thought it was better to be others things than to be herself. The overall lesson, showed children that being who you were meant to be is the best person to be after all. Hilda tried to be a sheep, a pig, and even a chicken before realizing that being a brown spotted cow was just the thing to be. Overall, the story rhymed, and I liked the beautiful illustrations that went with this book.

Review: Sharks (A 400 Million Year Journey) by Ted Rechlin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

Sharks have been cruising our planet’s waters for millions of years. They were here long before us. They were here long before the dinosaurs. Sharks are a window into the distant past and into deep time. See how the most legendary ocean dwellers got their start, and how they became the sharks we know today.

Rating: 5-stars

Review:

Sharks: A 400 Million Year Journey by Ted Rechlin is another great educational read for children everywhere. Sharks are world known and an interesting topic. Here, I got to follow the history of sharks and learn about the different species as well. The pages were bright, colorful, and engaging. The book reads like a comic book but the illustrations are amazing. Overall, I recommend this stunning book to parents, guardians, and teachers everywhere.

Review: Titch the Itch

Synopsis:

Titch is an itch who just wants to be wanted.

When Titch discovers that no one in his family wants him, he sets off on a journey to find someone – anyone – who would be willing to live with an itch. With every step he grows less hopeful. That is, until he meets an old friend.

Rating: 5-stars

Review:

Titch the Itch by B.C.R. Fegan is a beautifully illustrated book. One that features the story of an Itch. Titch the Itch does his job well. Makes everyone Itch. But his job leaves him feeling lonely. He started out with a large family, then an old lady and dog, and then a park. But every time, he was then left alone. Titch the Itch goes back to the family. He stays with a family member…and nothing that family member does can get rid of him now. He wants to be friends. This children’s book was entertaining, funny, and sweet. Poor Titch the Itch wants a friend…I enjoyed following this story. There was humor on every page.

Review: Cutie Meets Mr. Lizard

Synopsis:

“Cutie Meets Mr. Lizard” is the first book of Cutie’s Big Adventures, a Cutie Book Series for children, written by Felicia Di John and illustrated by Terence Gaylor.
In this first book, we meet Cutie, a sweet, curious, adventurous chihuahua rescue dog who lives in a house in the desert. She is a little dog who thinks she is big. Her mom Ava Rose is six years old and loves Cutie very much. She would like to play with her all day, but she must go to school. Cutie is never happy when her mom leaves her for school because that means she will be home all alone. So today, Cutie decides to go outdoors by herself to play. She explores the desert around her, makes a new friend, and finds that some animals eat strange things. She is having so much fun that she almost forgets to get back home before her mom arrives. Luckily, she remembers, and Cutie makes it back just in time to greet her mom, Ava Rose. 

Rating: 4-stars

Review:

Cutie Meets Mr. Lizard by Felicia Di John is a great children’s book. I loved the illustrations that went with the story. Fun, creative, and simple. The story itself was cute. Cutie is a chihuahua. She explores the world around her home. In this adventure she is looking for a different kind of food. But she soon realized that her puppy food is better than what she found. The story would have better if Cutie tried going for the food she had in mind…spaghetti. But instead she left home and found a lizard. Mr. Lizard eats live ants. Yuck! Both boys and girls could like this adventure. However, the children would have to be really young. The adventure was too simple for those in kindergarten and above. Overall, a fun read. 

Review: Henry and The Hidden Treasure

Synopsis:

Henry and the Hidden Treasure is an imaginative adventure a young child has in defending his pocket money against his little sister. Henry constructs elaborate defensive measures that he is sure will stand up to the clever ambitions of Lucy. Little does he know, Lucy has a few tricks of her own.
With a focus on introducing children to the use of ordinal numbers, Henry and the Hidden Treasure also draws out some important qualities of being a kid – such as creativity, the value of listening to parental advice, and of course, being nice to your sister.

Rating: 5-stars

Review:

Henry and The Hidden Treasure by B.C.R. Fagan is educational, inspiring, and entertaining. I loved the colorful illustrations and meaningful messages. The plot is enticing. Engaging children to follow along as they read or being read to…the main theme surrounding sibling love was beautifully done. Overall, this is one children’s book that I recommend to readers everywhere. 

Review: Seashell Meditations for Children

 

Synopsis:

A Seashell Meditation for Children combines the entire 10 story collection into one. Now, you get 10 fun and interactive stories that introduced meditation for beginners in the form of a short story rhymes using a seashell as an interactive tool for focus and fun all in one book. Reading the story to the child will guide them through a creative journey as the story takes them to exciting places to use their imaginations and explore. With each story, there is a QR code available to scan with your smart device for background meditation music and sounds while reading the book to the child. There are so many benefits of meditation. It helps to relax kids, teach mindfulness meditation and can create a practice that lasts a lifetime.

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Seashell Meditations for Children by Patricia May is a collection of ten short stories. Each story is different, yet each one involves a seashell. The stories are imaginative, creative, and fun. Children everywhere will enjoy following along whether they are read to or they read it themselves. The illustrations are pretty and fit in well with each short tale. Beautiful colors on every page. Relaxing, educational, and well-done. Patricia May has created a book that both parents and children will love to read and explore together. I love how descriptive the stories are. I felt like I could hear and see everything described. Peaceful and highly engaging. Seashell Meditations for Children is a must read for all. I highly recommend it.

 

Review: The Gallery of Wonders

My Rating: 5 stars

My Review:

The Gallery of Wonders by Marc Remus is the most fascinating children’s book that I have read. An illustrator at heart, Marc Remus has turned his illustrations into much more than just words on blank pages. He has beautifully created worlds where a child’s imagination can soar. Adventure, suspense, and a fun world filled with extraordinary things and places one can only dream of. Marc’s talent as a writer is definitely one that readers should look for. His writing is captivating. I highly recommend Marc Remus’s novel, The Gallery of Wonders to both children and adults alike. Who would have thought that a world of painting can be so exciting?

The Gallery of Wonders is a must read for every child. The story is fast-paced and packed with enough action to keep the children turning the pages.  Inside, this remarkable well-written masterpiece, readers will find a young girl worrying about her grandpa. She sees a fire coming from his place and tries calling for help. Her step family won’t let her and yet she goes after her grandpa hoping to help him. Soon, Holly will lose the only family member that cared about her…but all is not lost. Marc Remus then takes readers on one addictive rollercoaster ride of a life time. One that’s involves a painting. A painting that takes Holly and a few others to a world no one knew about. There anything that is drawn comes to life. Readers will have a blast following Holly and friends on their journey. The ending will leave readers wondering what happens next…The good news is that Marc Remus has another book coming soon. Overall, I loved this children’s book and look forward to reading more by Marc Remus in the future.

Writing A Children’s Book Series

Today’s Challenge we will be writing about Lucky going to China. Lucky and his family get to explore the Great Wall of China, and other very important artifacts from long..long.long ago. Write how Lucky causes chaos inside an artifact store knocking down an artifact. This artifact that Lucky knocked down was a very ancient,expensive, and valuable part of China’s History. But what everyone doesn’t know is that the artifact was a replica of the real one that was just stolen. Who would go examine an ancient artifact that’s broken? The thief thinks he was clever and is getting away with the crime. Till Lucky comes knocking the thief’s helpers down. And the real artifact is laying right inside of the truck. Lucky starts barking loudly. The police, the shop owner, and Lucky’s family come to see what is going on… They shop owner and the police find the real artifact and name Lucky a hero. For saving a part of China’s History. Write all this in a response down below.

Writing- My favorite character (Lucky)

                                                                                 Lucky Goes to Sea World!

 

Lucky the farm dog’s adventures series continues. Today, Lucky is going to Florida. He and his parents and siblings, will all get to see and explore Sea World. New animals, new places, new things to learn. What happens as Lucky goes to Sea World? What does Lucky do that ruins the Dolphin show? Does Lucky make a new friend? How does Lucky help his new friend, Sally, the dolphin out? Will the Dolphin show be saved and back to normal?

This is another children’s book idea example to help writers practice their writing skills. Write what happens at Sea World and how Lucky saves the day!