Frida Catlo (Wild Bios) by Courtney Acampora & Maggie Fischer (Board Book Review)

We received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Frida Catlo 
(Wild Bios series)
by Courtney Acampora and Maggie Fischer
Illustrated by Lindsay Dale-Scott
Published by Silver Dolphin Books

on January 8, 2019
Length: 16 pages

Ages: 3 months to 2 years

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Synopsis: 
Meet one of history's greatest figures in this adorable board book with an animal twist! 
Famous Meowxican painter Frida Catlo was a pioneer for female artists. She always painted from the heart, even in the face of health problems and personal struggles. With hilarious puns and colorful illustrations, this book brings Frida's legacy to life for babies and parents alike!

Our Thoughts:

This adorable little board book introduces us to infamous Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, in a fun and animalistic way. 

I love the concept of this series! It gives real information about Frida Kahlo's life, some of which probably isn't too interesting for the babies and toddlers that will have it read to them, but still important. We learn all about her home, her culture, and her hobby as well as major events in her life. 

The play on words makes this extra purrfect! There are so many and it makes it extra fun to emphasize them and see if my little one catches on to the change or not. I do think some of the words are a bit difficult to follow and would make more sense to an adult than a young reader.

I'm looking forward to reading more of the Wild Bios board books for both the reimagining of famous persons and the fun words that are included! 

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction Book Review)

The Nightingale

by Kristin Hannah

Published by St. Martin's Griffin

on October 8, 2015
Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction
Length:  564 pages (paperback)

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Literary Awards:

Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction (2015)

Audie Award for Fiction (2016)
International DUBLIN Literary Award Nominee (2017)
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best of the Best (2018)

Synopsis:

France, 1939 
In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn't believe that the Nazis will invade France... but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When France is overrun, Vianne is forced to take an enemy into her house, and suddenly her every move is watched; her life and her child's life is at constant risk. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates around her, she must make one terrible choice after another. 

Vianne's sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets the compelling and mysterious Gaetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can... completely. When he betrays her, Isabelle races headlong into danger and joins the Resistance, never looking back or giving a thought to the real--and deadly--consequences. 

My Thoughts:

This was a fantastic read. I flew through the almost 500+ pages of my oversized paperback in just a couple of days. 
It reminded me how much I love historical fiction and introduced me to an author that I'm looking forward to reading more from. 
This book also kind of destroyed me. I cried and raged, but then again, anything about the Holocaust usually has that effect on me. 

The content matter in itself is always sobering but I loved the focus on the women and what they did to survive the war, keep their families safe and fed, and help their neighbors and loved ones, even if it meant risking their own lives to help them. It was especially neat to find out that Isabelle was based on a real woman who helped downed pilots escape from France. 

I enjoyed how the strained relationships between family members played out throughout the book. There was father-daughter conflict and the sisters were not close, either, which built a lot of tension in the story. 

I'm really looking forward to the movie adaptation of this but, even though I've mentioned it in my Book to Movie Adaptations Master List, so far there is no cast and no word on if it will actually happen or how long we have to wait if it does. Still, I can see this being pretty amazing and just as heartbreaking on screen. 

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Because by Mo Williams & Amber Ren (Picture Book Review)

Because

Written by Mo Williams

Illustrated by Amber Ren

Published by Hyperion Books for Children

On March 5, 2019

Length: 40 pages

Ages: 3-5 years

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Synopsis:

Mo Willems, a number one New York Times best-selling author and illustrator, composes a powerful symphony of chance, discovery, persistence, and magic in this moving tale of a young girl's journey to center stage. Illustrator Amber Ren brings Willems' music to life, conducting a stunning picture book debut. 

My Thoughts:

This incredibly touching picture book celebrates music and how it changes lives.

Because is a chain of events that lead to a little girl hearing a classical music performance for the first time. Her life was changed because of it; because someone made beautiful music, and someone else learned to play it on an instrument, and someone else invited many musicians to play it together, and so on and so forth. 

I loved the illustrations with all the details and diverse characters.
We especially loved the pages where the orchestra starts playing and you can see and hear the music through illustration. So moving! 

The hardcover picture book includes the music sheets for "Symphony no. 8 in B-minor" by Franz Schubert and 'The Cold' by Hilary Purrington on the end pages for the musically inclined! 

More from this author:

    

Wonders of Nature: Explorations in the World of Birds, Insects, and Fish by Florence Guiraud (Children's Nonfiction Book Review)

I received a free physical copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Wonders of Nature: Explorations in the World of Birds, Insects, and Fish

by Florence Guiraud
Published by Prestel Junior

on October 23, 2018
Genre: Children's Nonfiction 

Length: 93 pages

Ages: 5 - 9

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Synopsis:

A stunningly illustrated treasury of animals, this book will entrance and delight young children in the world of nature.

Our Thoughts:

Wonders of Nature is an absolutely gorgeous oversized nonfiction that explores and celebrates the beauty of the world of birds, insects, and fish. It covers many different bird species, showing us their diverse feathers, claws, and other features. 
The insect section has a lovely variety of butterflies! It also has a section of ocean-dwelling fauna that includes starfish, coral, and more. Each section ends in a 'random directory' that includes text information on the illustrated species. 

The cover of this book is simply stunning and would be it's own reason to own this one, but the inside illustrations are just as beautiful and who doesn't want to learn a little something about the world around us and the flora and fauna in it? 

This book has helped spur my daughter's interest in the birds and butterflies that we see daily and we are looking forward to learning more from it!

More educational books from this publisher:

    

The Night the Forest Came to Town by Charles Ghigna (Picture Book Review)

The Night the Forest Came to Town

by Charles Ghigna

Illustrated by Annie Wilkinson

Published by Orca Book Publishers

on October 9, 2018

Length:  32 pages 

Ages:  4-8  

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Synopsis:

From dusk to dawn a forest creeps into a town where the grown-ups are too distracted to notice. But the children do. They see greenery take root in the lifeless cracks of dull sidewalks. They see an eagle build her nest atop a forgotten fountain and saplings start to sprout in dark corners. A gray-drab city defined by concrete and steel, vibrations and notifications, transforms into a living garden where apartment buildings overflow with window boxes full of flowers, birds sing songs through day and night and children laugh and tend to their gardens. Watch as nature reclaims this town. 

My Thoughts:

This is a beautifully illustrated poem about a bare, brick city and how nature returned to it. Seeds found places to grow in the nooks and crannies and empty lots.  Animals and birds found places to burrow and nest. And the children noticed. 

The illustrations are of a unique style and all set in dark hues to represent the night. We loved all the plants and animals and how the children noticed it all with bright curious eyes. 

There's a very clear message within this poetic picture book telling us to set down our electronic devices, look up, and notice the world around us. To see the changes and beauty every day. 


This gorgeous picture book celebrates nature, change, and growth and is a lovely poetic read aloud. We enjoyed reading it before bedtime the most! 

Wilderness: Earth's Amazing Habitats by Mia Cassany & Marcos Navarro (Nonfiction Picture Book Review)

I received a free physical copy of this picture book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Wilderness: Earth's Amazing Habitats

by Mia Cassany

Illustrated by Marcos Navarro

Published by Prestel Junior

on March 19, 2019

Length: 40 pages

Ages: 6-9 years

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Synopsis:

This brilliantly illustrated book takes young readers to the planet's wild regions, including forests, jungles, tundras, and deserts to discover the animals that call it home. 

My Thoughts:

Get ready for an adventure!

Wilderness is wonderfully educational and features large full-spread illustrations of colorful flora and fauna from thirteen different habitats around the world; from safeguarded national parks in Africa that help protect endangered animals from poachers to the Qinling Mountains in the middle of China where only about 250 Qinling Pandas exist today!

The habitats include many national parks and animal/nature reserves, some of which have been declared to be UNESCO World Heritage sites, meaning they will be protected for future generations.
Each page shares the name of the park or reserve with a little information on why the reserve was created. It also includes both tree or plants and animals that are unique to that habitat and part of the world. You can get lost in the beautiful imagery of this book!

Includes a world map at the front of the book and extra information on the animals of each habitat in the back.


Many thanks to the publisher for giving us the opportunity to explore more of the world with this wonderful book! We took it on a few adventures in our own little corner of the world!

Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug by Jonathan Stutzman & Jay Fleck (Picture Book Review)

Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug

Written by Jonathan Stutzman

Illustrated by Jay Fleck

Published by Chronicle Books
on March 5, 2019

Length: 48 pages

Ages: 3-5 

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:

Meet Tiny, a diminutive but determined T-Rex in a big world, as he embraces all obstacles against him in his quest to learn how to hug. 

My Thoughts:

Tiny T. Rex visits his good friend, Pointy, but Pointy doesn't want to play. He's too sad. :(
Tiny T. Rex is determined to help. But how? His arms are too small for hugs!  He asks his family members for help, each giving him different advice until he comes up with a plan to practice, practice, practice and luckily discovers a way to give Pointy a hug and cheer him up! 

A heartwarming picture book about a tiny T. Rex that is determined to cheer up his friend! 

We loved the illustrations and the adorable T. Rex that is still too tiny to be anything but cute. My daughter thought it was especially fun that the dinosaurs in this story were doing regular every day human things like yoga, math, and sports.
The overall story is delightful and incredibly sweet. We loved it very much! 

More picture books featuring dinosaurs:

Happy reading!