Book Review: When a DRAGON Moves in AGAIN – by Jodi Moore


Book: When a DRAGON Moves in AGAIN
Author: Jodi Moore
Illustrator: Howard McWilliam
Publisher: Flashlight Press
Date: September 1, 2015
Genre: children's picture book; K-2; age 5-7
Pages: 32
Price: $17.95
My rating: a delightfully fun story of a boy, his dragon, 
and somebody new

Because I haven’t yet had opportunity to read When a Dragon Moves In by Jodi Moore, I am starting with her second book, When a DRAGON Moves in AGAIN. It is completely enjoyable without having to read the first book.

Let’s begin with the end pages which used to be simply plain, but that has changed for many books. These are gorgeous, so family focused. Take a peek.

Isn’t that delightful? Family photos are posted on a bulletin board, including ones capturing the mischievous little boy making faces at the camera. The end pages at the back are different photos.

As we begin reading When a DRAGON Moves in AGAIN, and having not read the first book, we naturally assume the little boy has already fully developed his imaginary dragon friend. In this story, the boy and his dragon enter a new situation together.

One day the dad builds what his young son believes to be a castle. Of course, if you have a castle you have a place for your dragon. They bounce and play in it until … the mom says that’s for the baby. Baby? His sister is hoping for a girl, she obviously feels she has enough brothers.

For a young child, welcoming a new baby into the family is not always an easy transition. When the baby arrives, his big brother is okay with it until Baby cries a lot. He has to be entertained, but Dragon breaks things and makes a mess in the attempt. When Baby is sleeping Dragon wakes him up. It’s then that Dad decides they’ve had enough of dragons, but Big Brother wants Baby sent back. Dragon is not so sure about that.

The illustrations in When a DRAGON Moves in AGAIN are fabulous. Howard McWilliam has captured the emotions and expressions so accurately, with a humorous touch, it’s easy to feel what everyone in the story feels. This is a wonderful story for the whole family.

You can find When a DRAGON moves in AGAIN by Jodi Moore on my BUY THE BOOK page.

I also post my reviews on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Chapters.Indigo, and Goodreads.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Book Review: The Power of Harmony, a novel – by Jan Coates






Book: The Power of Harmony
Author: Jan L. Coates
Publisher: Red Deer Press
Date: May 13, 2013
Genre: MG; gr 4-6; age 9-11
Pages: 260
Price: $12.95
My rating: An enjoyable and relatable read for young people.

This is a novel I purchased from its author at the children’s book fair I attended in 2016.

The Power of Harmony by Jan L. Coates is a fictional story based in the late 1960’s in Nova Scotia, Canada. This novel was an Atlantic Book Awards finalist, and for good reason, I might add. In Spring of 2017 the Nova Scotia Board of Education purchased copies for every school in the province!

The main character, Jennifer, loves to sing, but she is very afraid to sing in public. She prepares for a competition anyway, with not-so-good results, and has to deal with being ridiculed later. With her best friend having moved away, shy Jenn is now faced with being bullied by some mean girls at her school with no close friend there for her.

Recently a First Nations girl, Melody, moved into the neighbourhood. The other kids pick on her, too, because of who she is without even knowing her. Jennifer discovers Melody likes music and books, same as she does, and they become friends. There are also some strange things going on, and Melody seems to have a secret.

This is such a meaningful story of friendship, bullying, adolescent struggles and fears, acceptance, and even grief through the death of a loved one. It’s a very realistic and moving story, and a pleasure to read.

You can find my reviews of other books by Jan here and here and here.

You can find The Power of Harmony by Jan L. Coates on my BUY THE BOOK page. I also will post it on Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Chapters.Indigo, and Goodreads.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Book Review: Snappsy the Alligator (did not ask to be in this book) – by Julie Falatko

Book: Snappsy the Alligator (did not ask to be in this book)
Author: Julie Falatko
Illustrator: Tim Miller
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Date: February 2, 2016
Genre: children's picture book; pre-school-3; age 3-8
Pages: 40
Price: $16.99
My rating:  An unusual and amusing story

Snappsy the Alligator – Did Not Ask to Be in This Book! is the first picture book written by Julie Falatko.

Snappsy is going along minding his own business, just living his ho-hum life. When he realizes he’s suddenly in a book being narrated about him he objects, to no avail.

Snappsy the Alligator Does Not Want to Be in This Book! – and he really does not want to be in this book! – is presented in a way quite different from the usual method of writing a picture book. Julie Falatko has included a narrator to whom her main character is talking.

If you pay attention to Tim Miller’s funny illustrations in relation to the words you will see that what the narrator is saying is, at first, describing everything Snappsy is doing. Snappsy finds that irritating. The reader can figure out what he’s doing without being told step-by-step, but then the narrator starts saying things that make Snappsy sound mean and adventurous. He also calls Snappsy out on his habits, challenging him to try something different. It’s amusing. And it’s effective because Snappsy does something different to make the narration more interesting.

This is a funny story children will enjoy once they catch on to what’s happening.

You can find Snappsy the Alligator Does Not Want to Be in This Book! by Julie Falatko on my BUY THE BOOK page.

I also post my reviews on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Goodreads, and sometimes Chapters.Indigo.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Book Review: A Gift of Music: Emile Benoit & his Fiddle






Book: A Gift of Music: Émile Benoit & his Fiddle
Author: Alice Walsh
Illustrator: Geoff Butler
Publisher: Tuckamore Books
Date: May 1, 2010
Genre: non-fiction children's picture book; gr K-5; age 5-9
Pages: 32; paperback
Price: $12.95
My rating: an interesting story about a gifted musician

This is another picture book I purchased from one of the authors at the children’s book fair last year.

A Gift of Music: Émile Benoit & his Fiddle is a non-fiction story by Canadian author Alice Walsh about a young boy who grew up to be a well-known fiddler in Canada, the United States, and other countries.

Émile Benoit (March 24, 1913 – September 3, 1992) was born in Newfoundland and weighed only one pound, seven ounces at birth. Émile’s father sheared one of their sheep and his mother wrapped their tiny baby in the raw wool, placed him in a small box under the wood stove to try to save him, and fed him from a dropper. No one thought he would survive, but his mother’s loving care brought him through.

Émile loved music. He especially loved violin, and would practice on the small toy one his father made him that had thread for strings. (Notice the cover illustration above.) His father promised to make him a real violin when he was old enough to have one. When he was twelve, one day he came home from school and there it was! Émile had imagined this so often that he picked up the violin and – within minutes – began to play the tunes he had composed in his head! Friends and family came from all around to hear him play, amazed at his gift of music. In his lifetime he composed more than one hundred tunes.

Alice Walsh has written an interesting story of how, from an early age, Émile Benoit’s life was centered on music. The realistic illustrations by Geoff Butler capture the life and passion of Émile and people in his life. A Gift of Music: Émile Benoit & his Fiddle is an encouraging story for children – who have dreams of their own – to not give up on their talent and important life goals.

At the back of the book there is a page called Historical Note on which is information about Émile. There is also a music score of a tune called Émile’s Dream that he composed in his sleep!

You can find A Gift of Music: Émile Benoit & his Fiddle by Alice Walsh on my BUY THE BOOK page.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Book Review: There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight – by Penny Parker Klostermann

Book: There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight
Author: Penny Parker Klostermann
Illustrator: Ben Mantle
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Date: August 4, 2015
Genre: children's picture book; pre-school-2; age 3-7
Pages: 40
Price: $16.99
My rating: A very fun twist on an old nursery rhyme

I’m sure you know the nursery rhyme that starts with “there was an old woman who swallowed a fly, I don’t know why she swallowed a fly … ” And I’m sure you’ve heard several variations of that rhyme. Well, if you haven’t read this one you really must treat yourself to this book.

There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight by Penny Parker Klostermann is a very entertaining story. She substituted the woman with a dragon and the fly with a knight. That in itself is funny, but when you see the illustrations it’s quite hilarious combined with the story-telling.

Penny‘s rhyming is fun to read and even to sing-along to, which – yes, I did, just to see how it sounded, you understand. (The rhythm is great, by the way.) She has the dragon swallowing the knight, then the knight’s royal steed – clippity, clippity, clippity, clopping around which became quite annoying to the dragon, the squire with his pants on fire, the cook with his recipe book, and more characters until he even swallowed the castle. Oh my! That was too much. The dragon had the realization he was being impolite and … well, you have to read it. 🙂 The ending has a surprise twist to it, too.

The illustrations by Ben Mantle are beautiful. The characters’ expressions and actions are so funny and in vivid rich colour. Each time I read There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight it makes me snicker, so I expect for children it’s so much fun to read and examine the pictures.

You can find There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight by Penny Parker Klostermann on my BUY THE BOOK page.

I also post my reviews on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Goodreads, and sometimes Chapters.Indigo.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Book Review: The Darkest Dark – by Chris Hadfield, astronaut






Book: The Darkest Dark
Author: Astronaut Chris Hadfield with Kate Fillion
Illustrators: The Fan Brothers, Terry and Eric 
Publisher: Tundra Books (a division of Random House)
Date: September 13, 2016
Genre: children's picture book; pre-school-3; ages 4-8
Pages: 48; hardcover
Price: $17.99
My Rating: An excellent book to encourage children to dream
big and conquer their fears

I was very happy to win from Library Thing a copy of The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield. This is my honest review.

The Darkest Dark is a non-fiction picture book written by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield – with Kate Fillion – about his dream of being an astronaut from the time he was a little boy.

Chris loved to pretend play that he was an astronaut. It was something he imagined most of the time and dreamed about at night.

It was summer vacation when the moon landing was shown on TV on July 20, 1969, so Chris and his family went to a neighbour’s cottage to watch it. Chris was amazed to see real astronauts walking on our moon. It was then that he realized that outer space is the darkest dark there is, and he knew he had a problem. He was afraid of the dark. How could he be an astronaut if he was afraid of the dark?

That night Chris did an experiment. Instead of waking his parents or leaving his nightlight on he sat in the dark. Before that day he was afraid of any dark shadows and he imagined aliens in his room, but that night something was different. Nothing around him had changed, but Chris had changed. He realized the beauty of the dark sky and he made the decision to overcome his fear so that he could be what he most wanted … an astronaut.

This is a wonderfully told story about Chris Hadfield‘s childhood dream and his fear, the moment his life changed, and that dreams can come true. It is an encouraging story for children – anyone, really – who have hopes and dreams but fear stands in the way.

The Darkest Dark has gorgeous illustrations by The Fan Brothers, Terry and Eric. The pictures are mostly dark, which suit the story very well.

You can find The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield on my BUY THE BOOK page.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

2 Book Reviews: Super Happy Party Bears: Gnawing Around & Super Happy Party Bears: Knock, Knock on Wood – by Marcie Colleen

Book: Super Happy Party Bears: Gnawing Around
Author: Marcie Colleen
Illustrator: Steve James
Publisher: Imprint
Date: September 6, 2016
Genre: children's; chapter book for K-3; age 5-8
Pages: 144; paperback
Price: $5.99
My rating: nine chapters of fun reading for young readers

Super Happy Party Bears: Gnawing Around, written by Marcie Colleen, is book one of a chapter book series for young readers.

In Super Happy Party Bears: Gnawing Around we are introduced to the Super Happy Party Bears who live in their own Party Patch in Grumpy Woods. They love all their neighbours but the sentiment is not appreciated nor reciprocated. The bears find a way to party for anything at all, but no one else wants to join them. Why? Because everyone else is working at being grumpy.

Mayor Quill (a porcupine) takes it upon himself to settle the situation, which leads to another problem. He goes home to take a bath when it’s discovered the water is gone. I like Marcie Colleen’s use of humour; for example, when his assistant cautiously speaks to the mayor who’s sitting in shallow water in his bathtub, “”… I just wanted to let you know there seems to be a problem with the water. It is missing, sir.” “You don’t say,” responded Mayor Quill.”

It is soon discovered that the water problem was caused by an uninvited beaver family that recently moved into the neighbourhood. The Super Happy Party Bears are excited and want to have a party but no one else is thrilled. One thing leads to another and misunderstandings and funny situations abound.

Super Happy Party Bears: Gnawing Around is nine chapters of fun, laughs, and happiness trying to overcome grumpiness. Steve James has created great illustrations on every page which makes it even more enjoyable for the young reader.

You can find Super Happy Party Bears: Gnawing Around on my BUY THE BOOK page. I also post my reviews on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Chapters.Indigo, and Goodreads.

Book: Super Happy Party Bears: Knock, Knock on Wood
Author: Marcie Colleen
Illustrator: Steve James
Publisher: Imprint
Date: September 6, 2016
Genre: children's; chapter book for K-3; age 5-8
Pages: 144; paperback
Price: $5.99
My rating: nine chapters of fun reading for young readers

Super Happy Party Bears: Knock, Knock on Wood, written by Marcie Colleen, is book two of a chapter book series for young readers.

In Super Happy Party Bears: Knock, Knock on Wood we are re-introduced to the Super Happy Party Bears who live in their own Party Patch in Grumpy Woods.

In this book we meet Wallace the Woodpecker who is enthusiastically noisy. That does not go over well in the Grumpy Woods, but the Super Happy Party Bears find a rhythm in his constant knocking on wood. Of course, that’s reason to have a dance party!

When it is discovered that Wallace doesn’t simply peck holes in things, he creates designs, the Super Happy Party Bears hire him to fix things. Wallace gets so immersed in being creative he is soon doing things that are not appreciated, such as making a sun roof in Opal Owl’s house. Opal screeches, “I’m NOCTURNAL! I like it dark!”

Wallace decides he should leave the Grumpy Woods, but the bears don’t want him to. Of course there are lots more misunderstandings and funny things that happen before a resolution is found.

Super Happy Party Bears: Knock, Knock on Wood is nine chapters of fun, laughs, and attempts at trying to be neighbourly. Steve James has created great illustrations on every page which makes it even more enjoyable for the young reader.

You can find Super Happy Party Bears: Knock, Knock on Wood on my BUY THE BOOK page. I also post my reviews on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Chapters.Indigo, and Goodreads.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂