Franklin and the Thunderstorm - A Review

Franklin And The Thunderstorm, by Paulette Bourgeois, is the endearing story of Franklin the Turtle who is afraid of thunderstorms.  A storm is brewing when Franklin goes to visit his friend the Fox.  His Mom tells him to go ahead and go; that he’ll get there before the storm.  Once Franklin gets to Fox’s house, the storm starts.  Franklin’s friends are happy to play in the rain – Hawk, Fox, Beaver, and even Snail are not afraid, but that doesn’t ease Franklin’s fears.  When the storm hits full force and the power goes out, not even treats can get Franklin out of his shell.  Then his friends start telling him about the Cloud Giants and all that they do during the storms.  Franklin finally comes out of his shell, and even learns a little bit about what really causes thunder and lightning!

I liked this book because in addition to being entertaining, it gave me openings to talk to Little Miss about a lot of things.  There was the talk about how it isn’t safe to play in trees during thunderstorms, the discussion about what really causes thunder and lightning, and a good talk about being afraid – for us, that meant talking about how it’s okay to be afraid, but often if you learn about what you’re afraid of it’s not so scary. 

The illustrations are wonderful – we both loved the bright colors and the adorable characters.  We’ve been reading this book about every other day, which for Little Miss is pretty rare!  She usually doesn’t like to repeat books often.  

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**I received an e-book for review purposes, all opinions expressed are 100% my own.  

Bossypants - Laugh Out Loud Funny!

To be honest, when I agreed to review Tina Fey’s book, Bossypants, I knew very little about her.  I had watched some of her Sarah Palin spoofs, but that was about it.  I had no idea that this book would have me laughing out loud nearly the entire time I read it! 

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so much pretty - A Book Review

 "I think I have fallen through the hole in all the logic in the entire world and I can see now that nothing holds up and I am going to keep falling." 

This quote, taken from a letter one of the characters of So Much Pretty wrote, is a good indicator of the entire book.

Wendy White was a sweet, pretty girl who lived in the small town of Haeden until she mysteriously disappeared one day.  Stacy Flynn, a reporter from Cleveland who is looking for her big break thinks there is more to the story than people are admitting.  When Wendy’s body shows up five months later, the town still refuses to believe that someone in their town could be the killer, insisting that it must have been an outsider.

It turns out that what happened was much worse than what anyone could have imagined.  The one person in town who is able to piece the entire thing together decides to take justice into their own hands, which brings up even more questions. 

Although this book by Cara Hoffman was hard for me to get into – it switches back and forth in time and between characters, by the time I got halfway in I was hooked.  This book will force you to rethink so many ideas about justice, the line between right and wrong, and the horror that can exist right next to you.

As a Mom, I found this book extremely disturbing, and even had some nightmares because of it.  If you like books that force you to take a good hard look at everything you believe and possibly turn it upside down, then this book is for you!

**I received a copy of this book for review purposes.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.    

Book Review - The Beginning Reader's Bible, Illustrated by Marijke ten Cate

For a while now, I’ve been looking for a good Beginner’s Bible for Little Miss.  I remember my first Bible to this day, so I knew it was important to find a great one.  I have to say, I was very impressed with The Beginning Reader's Bible, Illustrated by Marijke ten Cate.  This Bible takes favorite stories from the Old and New Testaments and presents them using text from the International Children’s Bible and vivid illustrations. 

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Adopted Ed - A Story With Heart

Adopted Ed is the charming story of a boy named Ed who is adopted.  When bullies at school begin teasing him because he was adopted, his Mom helps him get through the situation.  His parents also help him when he begins to feel a void from not knowing who his real parents are.  Not only does this story address adoption, it also celebrates the differences in all children.  The vivid illustrations are simple and engaging.

I think this would make a great gift for an adopted child, or even a child who has questions about what it means to be adopted.  I also think it would be a great classroom book, especially if there happened to be an adopted child in the room.  I'm looking forward to seeing more from this author who celebrates difference in children!  You can buy the book at amazon (link below), or you can find out more about the author here.
















I received this book through One2One for reviewing purposes.  All opinions expressed are my own.