Book Review: Sarah – by Jean Edwards Stacey

Book: Sarah
Author: Jean Edwards Stacey
Illustrator: Necie
Publisher: DRC Publishing
Date: October 15, 2016
Genre: Children's picture book; music
Pages: 40
Price: $12.95
My rating: a story about generations of family

Sarah by Jean Edwards Stacey is a “traditional song made famous by Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers, featuring Ray Johnson.” Ray inspired this book to be written as it was a song his father used to sing.

The story goes that a young couple married and had a son a few years later. That son grew up, married, and he and his wife had a little girl. They named their daughter Sarah, after her grandmother.

Sarah liked to ask her grandmother about how her grandparents met. The story goes on, humorously, about her grandfather trying to date her grandmother, about her great-grandmother trying to chase him off, and how funny it all was years later.

The illustrations are bright and sunny. In the back of the book is the sheet music with the words of the song.

You can find Sarah by Jean Edwards Stacey on my BUY THE BOOK page. I also post my reviews on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Goodreads, and on Chapters.Indigo if available there.

Your comments here for the author and illustrator are very much appreciated.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

5 Bad Writing Habits You Can Break Today (infographic)

Thanks to GrammarCheck.net, here is an infographic that will help you improve your writing. As you read this through, it’s quite possible you can find habits you’ve formed in your writing, habits that can be eliminated with practice.

The chart is small here, but you can easily enlarge it. Left click on it to open another page similar to this one. Left click on the chart there, which should give you the infographic again but with a plus sign on it so you can enlarge the image. Left click to open it to a large readable size. Did you get it?

What bad writing habit(s) are you now aware you have? I seem to have several … Oops! See what I did? I should have said I have several.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Book Review: Bat Count: a Citizen Science Story – by Anna Forrester

Book: Bat Count: A Citizen Science Story
Author: Anna Forrester
Illustrator: Susan Detwiler
Publisher: Arbordale Publishing
Date: February 10, 2017
Genre: science picture book; age 4-8; gr K-3
Pages: 32
Price: $14.95 or $23.98 (hardcover)
My rating: An interesting, informative story with fabulous illustrations

Bat Count: A Citizen Science Story, written by Anna Forrester, is a wonderfully told story about bats that a family discovers in the barn and the risk to the survival of bats.

First of all, this hardcover book is illustrated in bold colours by Susan Detwiler and the font used is large and sharp – black on light pages, white on dark pages. I like that the family is not Caucasian and that the images are realistic and believable.

The story is told in the voice and from the perspective of the young daughter of the family. Jojo, her mom, dad, and three-year-old twin brothers, live in a large country house that has a big barn.

Before the twins were born, Jojo and her mom would go out to the barn to check on the bats hanging from the rafters. It seemed that they were using the barn as a maternity roost. Jojo’s mom would sweep up the bats droppings once a week and put them on her garden, but over the years things changed drastically and there wasn’t enough to sweep up.

Fact: Bats overwinter in caves and mine shafts, and there is a disease called white-nose syndrome that is killing them off. Bats come out at night to feed on insects, so bat scientists ask people to report to them when and where they see bats and how many. In Bat Count: A Citizen Science Story it became a family ritual for Jojo’s family. They were sad that each year there were fewer bats in their barn so fewer to count at sundown.

One day Jojo and her mom discover only one bat hanging from a rafter. They wait and hope that the bat will safely have a baby and so begin the increase of their population. What they find as the family lies on the grass one night, waiting and hoping to count the bat and her baby when they fly out to feed, is for you to find out as you read this wonderful book.

Personally, I like little brown bats. Unfortunately, their population here in Nova Scotia has been greatly affected by white-nose syndrome. It’s disappointing to not hear them clicking and see them silently flying around at night catching mosquitoes and other pesky insects. Bat Count: A Citizen Science Story by Anna Forrester is an excellent way to introduce young readers to nature’s crisis of the plight of bats.

In the back of the book is a section For Creative Minds with Bat Facts, Bat Bodies information, White-Nose Syndrome facts and how to help bats, and Citizen Science for readers who want to help with bat counts.

You can find Bat Count: A Citizen Science Story by Anna Forrester on my BUY THE BOOK page. I also post my reviews on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Goodreads, and on Chapters.Indigo if available there.

Your comments here for authors and illustrators are very much appreciated.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Do the new WordAds annoy you?

Ads, a little or a lot, can be bothersome.

I apologize for the extra ads that now are taking up more space on my page. For me it’s annoying. I asked WordPress about them, and the rep was going to look into it, but no change has occurred as yet. No follow-up of any kind, in fact.

I chose to have WordAds ages ago, one or two little ones that they put there under each new post. My choice of where they go. They are unobtrusive and you can click on them if you want to after reading the post (and I hope you do once in a while), but these new ones are big and some are distracting. I wasn’t asked or told, they simply appeared and I don’t seem to have a way to change their location. They are taking up the space where I had things of my own nicely arranged. You have to get past them to find what you came to see!

I really, really like WordPress. I’ve been with WordPress for seven and a half years, happily. It’s easy and fun to use. I have had a few little problems for which assistance was needed or there was something I didn’t understand so I asked some questions. The WordPress Happiness Engineers have been very helpful. I’ll contact them again about this and see if I can get satisfactory results, because I still love creating with WordPress.

All this to ask, Dear Readers, what do you think? Do these extra ads pose a problem for you, or an annoyance? Would you visit me less because of them? Have you been faced with the same issues if you have a blog here?

I am a bit of a perfectionist with my blog, so if the new ads are not bothering you I need to know, please.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Book Review: Saltwater Joys – by Wayne Chaulk


Book: Saltwater Joys
Author: Wayne Chaulk
Illustrator: Dawn Baker
Publisher: Flanker Press
Date: August 20, 2012
Genre: children's picture book; music
Pages: 25
Price: $12.95 
My rating: A popular Newfoundland song with beautiful 
illustrations

Saltwater Joys written by Wayne Chaulk is the picture book form of a well-known song also written by Wayne Chaulk. Wayne is a member of the Newfoundland music comedy group called Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers. My husband and I had the privilege of seeing the funny and very musically talented group in concert this spring.

Saltwater Joys expresses one’s love and joy of living by the ocean, especially in Newfoundland. The author tells of the quiet of mornings near the water, having the thrill of seeing icebergs in springtime, seeing amazingly beautiful sunsets over the ocean, the hard living and tight family connections.

There is no place like Newfoundland, and the author fittingly relates this sentiment in the words of the song and now the book. Although he tried other places, his heart belongs to Newfoundland; he can’t stay away.

Saltwater Joys is a sweet story, and the fabulous illustrations by Dawn Baker capture the story in realistic visuals.

At the back of the book is the sheet music for the song, and the lyrics are on the facing page.

You can find Saltwater Joys by Wayne Chaulk on my BUY THE BOOK page. I also post my reviews on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Goodreads, and on Chapters.Indigo if available there. (For this book I don’t recommend buying from Amazon.ca because of the price.)

Your comments here for the author and illustrator are very much appreciated.

Thank you for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Quiz: What decadent dessert are you?

I know, I know. Of late I am not giving you much to help with your writing or your book selections on the weekends. BUT … here is a fun quiz! 🙂

I’m sure you’re simply ‘dying’ to find out what decadent dessert you are, right? Well, wait no longer. CLICK HERE to find out.

I did this quiz several months ago, then again yesterday. I came up with the same result both times. It’s laughable and you can believe it … or not. 🙂 A couple of questions were a toss-up for me, and I guess I had the same dilemma when I did the quiz before.

Here is my result:

I am Toffee Caramel Cake: You’re generous, sweet, and attention-grabbing! Your outer coating of pure sweetness belies inner layers of depth and simple goodness. You treat people with the same kindness you expect back from them.

Now, what is your discovery? What decadent dessert are YOU?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Book Review: Blobfish Throws a Party – by Miranda Paul

Book: Blobfish Throws a Party
Author: Miranda Paul
Illustrator: Maggie Caton
Publisher: little bee books 
Date: May 2, 2017
Genre: children's picture book; 4 - 8 yrs; Preschool - 3
Pages: 32; hardcover
Price: $16.99
My rating: a delightful story about how one life can make 
a huge difference

Blobfish Throws a Party, written by Miranda Paul and illustrated by Maggie Caton, is a funny story children will love.

Blobfish lived on the bottom of the ocean where it was dark and lonely. He was tired of being alone. He wanted friends, and lights and delicious treats, but how was he going to get them?

Blobfish decided that there were only two ways to get what he wanted – one was to have a great party, the other was to save the world and be a hero. Either way he would get friends, and lights and delicious treats.

Realizing it was unlikely that he would have any reason to save the world, Blobfish knew hero status wasn’t much of a possibility. That left the party, so he shouted out, “DEEP-SEA PARTY! BRING A TREAT TO SHARE!”

Blobfish’s invitation wasn’t understood by anybody the way it was intended. For example, the mermaids heard it as “Cheap, free party! Sling on a sheet to wear!” Everybody heard it differently, so it just got more and more wacky, and wild, and noisy – all over the planet! But Blobfish was still alone.

Then something happened to change everything. There was an invasion. The rest you have to find out for yourself. 😉

Blobfish Throws a Party by Miranda Paul is a funny rhyming story that, with each page turn, is sure to inspire giggles and anticipation for what is coming next. The gorgeous illustrations by Maggie Caton depict the story perfectly. This is one of those picture books adults will enjoy reading over and over to the children in their life.

You can find Blobfish Throws a Party by Miranda Paul on my BUY THE BOOK page. I also post my reviews on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Goodreads, and on Chapters.Indigo if available there.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂