Hayley's Children's Book Reviews

Suppose You Meet A Dinosaur A First Book Of Manners is a fun, humorous book to help teach kids manners written by Judy Sierra.  In this book a little girl is shopping at a grocery store when she runs into a dinosaur.  The conversation between the girl and the dinosaur is entertaining yet helps kids learn how to respond politely with all the right words for different real life situations.

Rob Scotton’s, Secret Agent Splat!, is the perfect book for any kid who loves mysteries.  Splat the cat has an awesome collection of toy ducks in many different shapes and colors.  However, Splat notices something is wrong when his ducks begin to go missing and then are returned without their beaks.   Who could possibly be responsible for all this trouble?  Help Secret Agent Splat rise to the challenge to solve this cat-and-mouse mystery.

It’s Time To Sleep, My Love written by Eric Metaxas is a sweet, loving poem which helps convey to children how much they are loved.  Beautiful illustrations by Nancy Tillman and the rhyming verse make this poem a perfect bedtime story.

 The race is on!  A heavy-duty freight train pulling a half a mile of freight cars and a little red race car decide to have a race to Chicago.  Read I’m Fast! by Kate and Jim McMullan and see who wins the race through the desert, the mountains, a blizzard and more.  Will it be the speedy little race car or the enormous heavy duty freight train?

Hayley's Children's Book Reviews

Sally Sutton grabs young kids’ attention with the clever use of sound words and rhyming verse in Demolition. Kids will have as much fun reading and learning about the massive machines used to knock down buildings as well as the equipment used to construct new structures. Machine facts at the end of the book help kids learn the purpose of different pieces of equipment.


Meeow And The Little Chairs by Sebastien Braun is a simple story for young kids about Meeow a black cat and his friends. Meeow introduces little kids to different colors, his friends who are different types of animals and the sounds they make. Read this clever book with bold, colorful illustrations and see how Meeow and his friends use their imaginations.


Dora Duckling is late for her very first swim and can’t find her brother anywhere. Many different tracks around the barnyard lead Dora on an adventure but will they lead Dora to the pond? Find out in That’s Not My Brother! a beautifully illustrated book with fun fold-out flaps written by Peter Bently.

Book Chat: The Siege

The Siege by Stephen White
***
"The plot involves homeland terrorism and all the alphabet agencies: CIA, FBI, SSG, and local law enforcement. The reader gets to know the personal stories of the characters (protagonists). Really more about the protagonists than the plot of the antagonist. 'What if' thriller, that makes you think about the possibilities of future terrorism plots." -Caroline Hale

Hayley's Children's Book Reviews

Baby Bear wakes up in his dark den. When the light creeps in, he is ready to go exploring and see what wonders await him in the colorful forest where he lives. Read Baby Bear Sees Blue written and beautifully illustrated by Ashley Wolff and see what Baby Bear discovers. With Mama Bear by his side, together they explore and Baby Bear discovers the great big wonderful world outside his den.


Ava discovers a beautiful red poppy growing in the field in front of her house. Ava becomes friends with the poppy and spends time with it every day. She protects the flower from the sun and too much rain but one day the petals begin to fall anyway. Ava is very sad when winter comes. Read Ava’s Poppy by Marcus Pfister and find out what surprise awaits Ava when spring comes.

Otto is a bear who lives in a book and loves having kids read his story. When no one is looking, he has fun coming out of the book and exploring the house he lives in. One day when he is out exploring someone takes the book away and Otto is left without a home. Otto decides to pack his bags and find a new home. Otto is surprised how big the world really is and begins to miss his home. Read Otto The Book Bear by Katie Cleminson and find out if Otto finds a new home.

Book Chat: Enrique's Journey

Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario
*****
"A very enlightening true story of a thirteen year old trying eight times to make the trip from Honduras through Mexico to the U.S. to find his mother. Mothers come to the U.S. to earn money to send home to help support their children." -Donna Moyer

Book Chat: The Postmistress

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
****
"If you enjoy historical fiction this is a wonderful WWII book of lives that are intertwined due to the war. There are three different 'voices' which tell the story, so if you don't like a book with different changing voices, be warned." -Amy Grelinger

Hayley's Children's Book Reviews

Pierre is a ten-year-old boy who longs to cook in his parent’s French restaurant, La Bonne Vache. Pierre spends as much time as he can in the kitchen hoping for an opportunity to showcase his cooking skills. Unfortunately, his parents don’t think he is old enough to cook and tell him to go outdoors and play. One day Pierre meets a food critic who is on the way to the restaurant. Read The Boy Who Wanted To Cook by Gloria Whelan and find out what happens when the food critic visits the restaurant and see if Pierre has a chance to prove what a great cook he really is.


Lily loves to read. She loves to read so much people begin to call her Library Lily. Reading from morning to night, she forgets to do much else. One sunny day her mom takes her to the park where Lily meets Milly who doesn’t like to read. Milly loves to play, climb and explore. Read Library Lily by Gillian Shields and find out what happens when two young girls who have nothing in common become friends and discover together the best adventures, whether inside the pages of a book or outside in the park, are shared with a friend.

My Dog Thinks I’m A Genius is an inspiring story of a young boy who loves to paint and his dog, Louie. This young boy loves to paint so much he paints every day. His dog, Louie, loves to watch him paint and sometimes even helps him. One day when the little boy goes to school Louie is especially sad. He decides to show his owner he isn’t the only one who has a special talent. Read Harriet Ziefert’s My Dog Thinks I’m A Genius, and find out what the boy discovers when he returns home from school.

Hannah is a playful, adventuresome Bernese Mountain Dog. Read A Snow Day For Hannah and enjoy the wonderful photographs and accompanying story written by Linda Petrie Bunch of Hannah’s adventures in the snow. The beautiful snow covered mountains Hannah explores will make kids wish for some snow.

Book Chat: Skulduggery Pleasant

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
****
"Fantasy, mystery, and adventure all rolled into one fun read! Another edgy take where the main character finds herself in a world only few are privileged to enter filled with magic and very interesting and unusual characters. A fun summer read! The language might be a little edgy for a read aloud to really young readers but certainly appropriate for families with upper elementary or even adults who just want a fun read all on their own!" -Suzanne Eastman

Book Chat: The Tender Bar

The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer
****1/2
"How does one go from being a poor, fatherless youth to a Pulitzer Prize winning writer and national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times? With the advice and support of some crazy characters at a local bar, of course. This memoir is at times heartbreaking, poignant, and humorous and at all times engaging. Who knew that so many of life's lessons could be learned in a bar!" -Lesa Albin

Hayley's Children's Book Reviews

Looking for a fun art project? Cool Collage The Art Of Creativity For Kids! by Anders Hanson is the perfect book for you. This easy-to-read, step-by-step book features several fun collage projects kids are sure to love. Material lists, tools, techniques, and accompanying photographs provide an organized, easy-to-follow approach to each art project.

Lots of kids love to cook! Lisa Wagner’s, Cool Pizza To Make And Bake – Easy Recipes For Kids To Cook, introduces kids to cooking in a format that is easy-to-read and follow. A variety of fun pizzas recipes are included with basic cooking techniques explained, and lists of the necessary tools and ingredients. Accompanying photographs make each cooking concept and recipe easy to follow.