Children's Picture Book Review - Too Many Moose by Lisa Bakos

Title: Too Many Moose!

Author: Lisa Bakos

Illustrator: Mark Chambers

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Publication Date: July 6, 2016

Pages: 40

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: 

Everyone Needs At Least One More Moose

When Martha decided she must have a pet, 

she marveled and mulled over what she should get.

But much of the choices made Martha quite glum...

instead of magnificent, most were humdrum.

And just as it seemed like it might be no use...

she made up her mind that she must have one...

moose! 

When Martha gets an unusual pet, she's delighted by all the fun things they can  do together. If one moose is this marvelous, then more moose must be even better! Pretty soon, Martha has more moose than she can handle in this playful pet story. 

My Thoughts:
Martha wants a pet and after much research and deliberation she decides to order a moose. She and her moose do so many wonderful activities together and have so much fun that she decides that it would be even better with two moose! Or four! Or more! She has such a marvelous time with her moose until her moose runs amok! With too many moose to handle, Martha has to make a hard decision. 

This was a very fun picture book. Martha has her hands full with her many moose. It's all fun and games at first but then things start to get out of hand. If one moose seems like a strange pet to have, try ten! Things are sure to get messy with that many pets.

The illustrations are comical and colorful and the rhymes are very fun. There's excess use of the letter M and words that start with M so this would be a great read for young children learning about M words. I think any child would really enjoy this. 

Book Blitz & Giveaway: Bound by Birthright by Janeal Falor

The Sunday Post #22

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things you received, share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead, and more.

Wow, things are boring right now. I have almost nothing to talk about at all! My veggie garden is already suffering heavily from the oppressive heat but I have a couple of cucumbers! My blueberries will be ready to pick soon. And my yard has lots of little patches of beautiful wild lilies everywhere. Other than that... nada. I hope you all are having more interesting and productive weeks.

(@stacyrenee09) on May 21, 2016 at 5:34am PDT

This Past Week On The Blog
Book Blitz & Giveaway: In the Eyes of Madness
Clean Sweep ARC Challenge Wrap Up
May 2016 Wrap Up
Top Ten Tuesday - Beach Reads (...or not)
June TBR + Giveaway
Picture Book Review: The Night Children by Sarah Tsiang
Book Review: Cress by Marissa Meyer
Stacking the Shelves #62

Coming Soon
Picture Book Review
Book Review: The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
Book Review: Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Books I Finished This Week

New Picture Books We Read This Week

and a few others...

What I'm Currently Reading

(physical book)

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

This is the book I am Buddy Reading with my sister. So far we are reading it in small portions and discussing. It's so hard to find the time to read at this pace as a blogger so I may have to sneak in a review book that releases soon! 

(ebook)

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

A library borrow, this is a series of short stories from the Lunar Chronicles series that released earlier this year. After this one I will be done with this series and even though I enjoyed the books, I honestly can't wait to move on to something different.

What I'm Watching

Spirited Away
I thought I had seen this movie, perhaps as a kid, but none of it was familiar and now I'm totally in love with Studio Ghibli again and gosh this movie was so weird and wonderful at the same time. 
&

It's almost blasphemy for me to be watching something I haven't read the books to first but I'm rewatching season 1 on Netflix because the next two seasons were added recently and I am seriously out of things to watch on there. 
-----------
I hope you all had a  lovely week! 

Stacking the Shelves #62

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by TYNGA'S REVIEWS that features the books we bought, borrowed, were gifted, and were given for review.

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I'm typing this up very last minute but it was a pretty good week again. A couple of giveaway wins and a few amazon freebies this week. I did go browse the books at my local thrift store again but it rained all day and I didn't have any good light to get a picture and don't have the books near me right now to list so they will have to wait til next week! 

Hex by Thomas Olde Huevelt (Won - Thank you, Bruce!) physical book

The Midnight Society by Rhonda Sermon (gifted) ebook

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (borrowed) ebook
The Requiem Red by Brynn Chapman (won - Thank you, Month9Books!) ebook

Mary Hades: Beginnings by Sarah Dalton  (Amazon freebie)

Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy (Amazon freebie)

Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis (Amazon freebie)

Did you add anything good to your shelves this week? I'd love to see what you got! 

Book Review: Cress by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cress

Author: Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #3

Publisher: Feiwell & Friends

Publication Date: February 4, 2014

Pages: 550

Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Retellings

Source: Library

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Literary Awards:

Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction (2014)

Synopsis:

Even in the future there are damsels in distress...

In the third installment of the Lunar Chronicles, Cress, having risked everything to warn Cinder of Queen Levana's evil plan, has a slight problem. She's been imprisoned on a satellite since childhood and has only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress a great hacker. Unfortunately, she's just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. 

When a daring rescue of Cress involving Cinder, Captain Thorne, Scarlet, and Wolf goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has. 

My Thoughts:

This third book continues the story that started in Cinder and Scarlet and adds in the character Cress, the Lunar shell that has been imprisoned alone in a satellite for the past 7 years. Cinder and crew make a daring rescue but when things go awry, they end up separated. Meanwhile, Prince Kai is dreading his upcoming marriage to Queen Levana and is holding onto a hint that Princess Selene might still be alive. 

It's been a couple of years since I read Cinder and Scarlet so the story was not very fresh in my mind. I remember quite a bit from Cinder but almost nothing from Scarlet besides her, Wolf, and Thorne. No matter though because this is a pretty fast-paced story that easily continues from the previous books and is easy to follow. 

I really enjoyed Cress as a character. Socially awkward since she's been void of interaction for so long. She talks to herself and pretends to be things like an actress to get herself through tough situations. She's a bit of an aloof sweetheart. Her infatuation with Carswell Thorne really made me sympathize with her. He's a tool. She's naive and bound to get her heart broken for the first time but I'm hoping it doesn't end up that way. 

Can I just say how every other couple in this series is 100 times better than our original little romance between Cinder and Kai? Perhaps it's that they don't really get much one on one time but I am much more invested in Scarlet & Wolf and Cress & Thorne as couples. And it's possible that we will get another couple in Winter?

I feel like I might have been a little more enthusiastic with this book if I hadn't had to wait so long to read this book. As it is, I'm seeing three more books in this series (Fairest, Winter, and Stars Above) and wondering if I should dedicate so much time to it. I know that so many people love this series though and I did enjoy Cinder even though I didn't think I would so I will probably continue. I can already see how most of this story will turn out but I'm pretty curious about Winter as a character now so that is what is urging me to continue. 

Children's Picture Book Review: The Night Children by Sarah Tsiang

Title: The Night Children

Author: Sarah Tsiang

Illustrator: Delphine Bodet

Publisher: Annick Press

Publication Date: August 18, 2015

Pages: 32

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis:

When the streets are empty and kids are called home for dinner and put to bed, the world becomes a magical place. It's only then that the night children emerge from the shadows, ready to play. In this evocative and lyrical picture book, it is the night children who rule, taking over the world that the day children have left behind. 

The mischievous night children frolic in the twilight, rummaging for treasures and scattering surprises, stealing slices of the moon and dancing on rooftops. Only when dawn breaks do they tuck themselves away. But if you look very closely, you might just catch a glimpse of them disappearing as you wake up. Were the night children ever really there, or did you dream them?

Complemented by beautiful, glowing artwork, this poetic story about the allure of a world unknown and the parallels between imagination and reality will ignite the creative souls of children everywhere.

My Thoughts: 

At the end of the day, when all the children are going home for dinner or bed, the night children come out of the shadows and start their play where the day children left off. Chasing lightning bugs, creating messes, scattering leaves, and stealing slices of the moon, these night children leave their mark wherever they roam. 

This richly imagined story with poetic prose is sure to be a favorite bedtime story. The illustrations are quite whimsical and beautiful. I love the shadows of the Night Children and the trees incorporated through the first few pages. I love the Night Children's hats which make them look just as mischievous as they really are. Overall, this was a very fun read.

June 2016 TBR (+ a GIVEAWAY!)

I don't know of any readathons for June but I will be participating in the COYER Summer Vacation Challenge that starts half way through the month. I also have a Buddy Read that I will be reading at the beginning of the month.
I am going to be a little more lenient with my TBR this month as there are a lot of books that I want to read but might not be in the mood for and only a few that I need  to read.  

For Review

1. Sunborn Rising: Beneath The Fall by Aaron Safronoff 

2. School of the Dead by Avi 

3. The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis 
4. Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan 

Lists / Challenges
(These are books from my original yearly TBR list, book to movie adaptations, the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die List, etc)

1. The Tin Woodman of Oz  by L. Frank Baum CR

2. Lady Susan by Jane Austen
3. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
4. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

For Fun
1. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (library)
2. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman (Buddy Read)
3.  Into the Dim by Janet Taylor (own)
4.  Everland by Wendy Spinale (own)
5. The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine (had to return to library)
6. The Field Book by Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi (library)
7. The Seeing Stone by Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi (library)

Maybe (Library holds)
I may add to this list throughout the month
1. After You by Jojo Moyes
2. The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox
3. Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand
4. Wednesdays in the Tower by Jessica Day George

And now for the giveaway! 

I've been having a lot of fun making bookmarks lately. I made a few extras and thought some of you might enjoy some too!
This month's is pretty simple and cute but I have something special planned for next month so be sure to come back! 

(Books and paper flower not included)

This 'Currently Reading' bookmark is handpainted and laminated.

The Rules: 

1. Ends 6/30/2016 at midnight EST

2. US only (sorry guys! I'll have a international giveaway soon!)
 3. If you are under 13 please get a parent or guardian's permission to enter as you will be sharing personal information.

4. Winner will be chosen randomly via Rafflecopter and will be emailed within a day or two.

5. Please be honest. I will be checking winning entries to make sure you followed, commented, etc. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway