Children's Books (New Releases)

Upon returning from our travels we were met with a sea of books for potential review. That's always fun and I'm not complaining! Not even one little bit! Instead of featuring each title individually however, I thought I would describe the books in a group setting and give you a heads up as to some new-to-us-all titles to make note of.

If your family has the "problem" of having multiple homes to visit and people to see over the holidays, then you might be interested in the story of The Very Stuffed Turkey, by Katharine Kenah.

Turkey has been invited to five different homes for Thanksgiving dinner. Not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings, Turkey decides to go to all of them. The problem is that Turkey doesn't know how much food he can actually fit into his stomach! In the end, he discovers himself very stuffed both with food and very full of the wonderful feeling of knowing that all of his friends wanted to celebrate the holidays with him. (It is a blessing of a problem to have, really.)

Many thanks to Scholastic Books who sent a copy of the above title my direction in order to facilitate this review. No additional compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

We've read through some of Eve Bunting's Frog and Friends series of books in the past and so it was a fun surprise to find the newest title, Frog and Friends Celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve, waiting for us. The subtitle is rather self-explanatory. My favorite story in the book is the one in which Frog and his friends are celebrating Christmas. Instead of chopping down a tree and taking it into one of their homes, they select a tree in the forest and each of them bring decorations to put on it. My only head-scratching moment comes when they stand around the tree singing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm", enjoying the loveliness of the tree and the company of their friends. (Why they couldn't sing a Christmas carol is beyond me, but ok.....)

In the world of Bunting this isn't our most favorite of her titles but talk of holidays typically puts a smile on each of our faces so we'll give it a go. (Seriously though - what's wrong with Jingle Bells?)

Digger and Daisy Star in a Play, by Judy Young was more to my kids' liking. We've read this one multiple times since coming home. It is a frequently requested title.

We've never read any other Digger and Daisy books before but I feel certain that if we were to find some more, my kids would snatch them up. In this new story in a series of books about sibling dogs, Digger and Daisy are set to star in a school play. Digger has no lines to say and wishes that he did. Daisy has two words to say and vows she will remember them and so does not have to practice them. You might guess that, in the end, Daisy wishes she had taken Digger's advice and gone over her words a few times. Digger, not wanting the play to be ruined and caring for his sister, rushes to her aid and fills in the gap. The play is saved! Everyone is happy and well. It's a cute story and I'm content with it.

Both of the above titles were sent my direction from Sleeping Bear Press in order to facilitate this review. I received no additional compensation and all opinions are my own.

This next title really takes the prize. I confess that when I set eyes on If You're a Robot and You Know It I rolled my eyes a bit. Still, I dutifully gathered up the children to read the new review books to them and included this title in the mix. I sang the book (to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know it" of course) and the crowd literally went wild. My youngest boy, age 3, is particularly over-the-moon about this one.

If You're a Robot and You Know It is a book which you can manipulate. On each page you can slide or pull a tab which makes robots stop their feet, clap their very wide arms or shoot laser beams from their eyes. Bookworm4 laughed and laughed and laughed. This is a book you rather want to read (or sing?) endlessly for the sheer amusement it clearly brings to the kids. My four year old is also a big fan of this book and the older ones were curious also.

We all heartily recommend this book to you if you are looking for something fun and unique.

This book was sent to me by Scholastic Books in order to facilitate this review. I received no additional compensation and all opinions are my own.

Lastly we enjoyed About Habitats: Polar Regions, by Cathryn Sill. This is a non-fiction title which tells you about the, well, polar regions. It is a basic introduction to these frigid areas specifically directed at young readers. The book is beautifully illustrated by John Sill and between the text and the pictures, youngsters learn about caribou, walruses, migrating birds, fish and the need for these areas of the globe to be protected.

If you are looking for a simple introduction, look no further. This is a great title.

About Habitats: Polar Regions was sent to me by Peachtree Publishers in order to facilitate this review. I received no additional compensation and all opinions are - as always! - my own.