Reviews of two great Children's books !! #giveaway

 

Hi guys!  I hope you've had a wonderful weekend!   I was given the opportunity to review a few children's books that I can't wait to share with you!  If you've been here long, you know what a reading addict I am.  I am happy to say that all my kids are the same way!  The biggest ones will happily go hide in their beds with a book for the day if I let them.  The younger ones love to be read to and are all starting to read well on their own.  I love being able to share this passion with them!  Don't forget to check out the author's giveaway at the bottom :) 

 I'll Follow the Moon
Stephanie Lisa Tara

Mom's Choice Award Honoree and Chocolate Lily Award Winner 

Publication : June 15, 2011
Genre : Children's Books

Length : 48 pages
ISBN:1612540163


Book Vision :

One night in 2001, about a month after I brought baby Madeline home from the hospital, I noticed something quite strange on the beach in front of our south Florida home. It was late and Mom was tired, doing a last-one-of-the-day bottle feeding on the deck after a long day of new mom activities. As Maddie slurped down the final ounce of her formula with that familiar glup, glup, glup sound, I noticed dark, tiny shapes scurrying across the sand. What was this? I wondered and went down for a closer look. There they were! Baby turtles streaming out of hundreds of small nests, gentle rises in the sand were their markers. The babies made fanciful patterns in the sand as they dashed on little green legs in a remarkable race to the sea. I watched them hop, one by one, into welcoming waves that sparkled under the beautiful moonlight. "I'm coming Mama..." they seemed to be saying, and I realized that I was witnessing one of nature's sacred events, the love bond between mother and child. It is this precious feeling that inspired me to write I'll Follow the Moon, that came into being a few years later. 

With love, 

Stephanie Lisa Tara.

 Buy it :   Paperback  or Kindle 

My Thoughts : 

I'll Follow the Moon is a whismical tale of a baby turtles journey from egg to reuniting with his mother. With it's lyrical verse, it was fun to read and makes a great bedtime story.  It's soothing and the tale lulls you into a peaceful relaxed state.
A baby turtle breaks free from his shell and begins his journey to find his mama  " I'm coming, Mama, I'll see you soon . I know just how... I'll follow the moon.  My kids loved knowing this verse was coming over and over again and would chime in with me when the time came.   Naturally everyone's favorite part was the last page when baby turtle finds his Mama  "I'm here, Mama-- here with you.  I knew I'd find you, Moon did too.

The illustrations and story were both wonderful! I highly recommend this one to add to your collection :)

Snowy White World to Save
Stephanie Lisa Tara

Winner of USA Book Awards- Environmental Book of the Year

Genre: Children's Books
Publication : Jan. 25, 2013

Length : 40 Pages
ISBN : 148114975X 

Book Vision: 

"What is global warming, Mama?" asked my five year old one day in 2006, "the polar bears, are they in trouble?" I was stunned. How does a parent answer such a question? I did the best I could. Al Gore's wonderful film and book, 'An Inconvenient Truth' had come out, and all the world was talking about this topic. "Yes, humans need to be more responsible," I said to my child, “we need to care about all creatures on the planet; humans and animals." One amazing thing about children is their ability to understand new concepts instantly. Maddie jumped up—eyes wide and heart open, declaring, "Yes, Mama! What can I do to help!" As do all the children I read this story to, at schools, museums and aquariums across the nation. The causes of global warming can be debated by the powers that be, but I do believe as parents and educators, we can make our kids gently aware of what is happening in their world, about issues that they themselves hear about every day. Further, we can empower them with hope as the next generation that can make a difference. Snowy White World to Save, is just such an attempt. Mother bear and her cubs in the Arctic tell the global warming story sensitively, across an array of panorama watercolor paintings. A “Help the Bears” page at the ends lists all we can do to help. Endorsed with a message from actress/activist Sharon Stone.

With love,
Stephanie Lisa Tara

Buy it :  Paperback  or Kindle

My Thoughts : 

Snowy White World to Save is a great opportunity to begin some wonderful talks with your children about global warming and conserving energy.  I am always on my kids to:  turn off the lights, don't leave the water running, if you aren't watching tv- you don't need it for background noise!! yet it goes in one ear and out the other.   Stephanie Lisa Tara gives us the opportunity to use animals (all kids love them, right?) and help put things into perspective for them. 

We begin the story with a Mama bear and her cubs as they leave the den and search for food.  My 7yr old was a little upset about the bears eating a seal but the story and pictures weren't graphic and he quickly understood that it's normal in nature.  As global warming begins, we see the bears traveling farther and farther from their home trying to find food to eat.  Although everyone loves a happily ever after, the story with our bear family looking out over the melting ice and asks " oh, what can be done?"    It sparked great questions from my children and they loved reading the ideas of ways they can help conserve energy themselves.   They have even asked to take our copy to school and have it read to their classes so they can share how we need to work on conserving energy to help save the bears home. 

About the Author 

I've always believed that magic hides in special places. As a child, people would often stare at my bright red hair, which was very, very bright indeed. Unfortunately, I developed a bad habit of making up rhymes about all of them, and they soon became funny characters. I didn't have much time to think about being different; fanciful lyricisms danced in my head, and no one was safe!
Since then, I've come to believe that storytelling has the power to inspire a deep love of language and learning. Words tripping off the tongue in somersaults that stick to your thoughts like taffy-- those are the things that stay forever in the mind.
I've lived in many special places: on a farm, in a city skyscraper, on a tropical beach, and in the beautiful country of France. Now I live in northern California, between the redwood forests and the sea. Even though I'm an adult, I'm still as silly as ever. Many nice words have been used to describe my books, such as fun, engaging, delightful, and whimsical. Some folks say that I deliver timeless messages of love for kids and parents to share again and again; this makes me very happy. I hope that you'll enjoy my stories, too. Captivating children with language is something that I believe in, and I strive to live my life with this always. 

 

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