Princess Peeper Picks a Pet by Pam Calvert illustrated by Tuesday Mourning

from goodreads

3.5 stars

Sometimes when I pick up a book and look at the cover I get taken a back and think, is that really their name! Tuesday Mourning... seriously?! Even after doing the google thing, I still don't know if that is a pseudonym or not, but it is pretty cool, and I like her drawings.


Synopsis

This book is about a princess who wears glasses. She goes to the Royal Academy for Perfect Princesses, though she doesn't quite fit in. When the Grand Matron announces a pet show, Princess Peepers sets out to find the greatest pet of all. This is one book of a small series of Princess Peeper books.

My Thoughts

My kids liked this book. Anything about princesses, they are there and they are loving it! I like that Princess Peepers doesn't try to blend in and stays true to herself, though it would have been nice to see her stand up for herself a bit more.

I found the book rather confusing. Sometimes she is referred to as Princess Peepers, other times she is referred to as "the princess". Usually one would only use the term "the princess" if we didn't know the princesses name. When reading aloud I always wanted to say "the princesses", as I thought maybe she was referring to the group. It was very strange.

I was also confused about what message was trying to be brought across. Morals in children's books are always hard. Either the author beats you over the head with it or they don't go far enough. It is a hard balance to strike. With Princess Peepers, I would almost say that the author doesn't go far enough. It is great to see Princess Peepers doing her own thing and being happy with her interests, but when the other girls say mean things about her pet ideas, I wished she said, "this is my pet and I like it!"

Though it is not a conventional Princess story, I think any princess at heart will enjoy Princess Peepers.

Cleaning House: A Mom's 12-month experiment to rid her home of youth entitlement by Kay Wills Wyma

from goodreads

4 stars

I hope you had a very merry Christmas and that Santa left nice things for you under the tree. I had a nice relaxing day, though the baby kept trying to eat paper, the older kids toys and everyone else's chocolates! As the new year approaches my thoughts have been focused on how I can change for the better and become a better person, wife and mother. This book was a great one to read at this time of reflection.

Synopsis

The author realized she was enabling her children to always be dependent on her and her husband. She decided she that she had to teach her children to work and that a magic cleaning fairy did not exist. Over the 12 months she allowed her children to develop skills that they will need in life. The book is based on her blog.

My Thoughts

I loved this book. I think it is one I will buy at some point and refer to often. It is full of ideas on how to make our kids more confident in themselves as well as some simple things we can try to help them along. Parenting can be a daunting task, especially when trying to teach life skills. It takes patience and tenacity to not want to jump in and do it for them. Wills Wyma, is able to inspire me to be more patient and to really teach and empower my kids.

I like how she is a human and shows us her flaws. She is not claiming to be an expert. She makes this a relatable narrative.

What dropped it from a 5 star rating was the overall style of the book. It read more as a blog then a book. It is almost as if they just copied and pasted her blog entries. Sometimes that works, in this case it did not. You were reading it almost as if she was doing the experiment right then, even though she had done it over a year ago. She used to terms like "yesterday" and "this month..." which just made it for a more awkward read. I think it just needed to be edited so it could be read as a book not a blog.

On the whole, this was a great read. I am glad I read it. It is very entertaining. It is great for parents young and old. It has something that anyone can relate to. I look forward to implementing some of her ideas in my household.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss

from goodreads

5 stars

It is Christmas Eve, Santa comes tonight! It is very exciting!!! This book is a Christmas classic. I love it. And I am not afraid of the Grinch trying to steal our presents tonight. We have our Christmas goat standing guard, protecting our gifts. Thanks Ikea!

Synopsis

The Grinch lives in the mountains above Whoville. The Grinch hates Christmas more than anything in the world. The Whos in Whoville love Christmas a lot! Well The Grinch decides he is going to stop Christmas from coming by stealing all the Christmas paraphernalia. Will he succeed?

My Thoughts

I loved this story. I loved it ever since I was a little girl. Every year I waited with anticipation to watch the cartoon version on T.V. It is my favourite Christmas special.

I love the descriptions Dr. Seuss uses. They are easy for children to understand. The whole heart being two sizes too small thing. I love his dog Max, and how well the Grinch can get down and up the Chimney. Santa has magic on his side, I don't know how the Grinch manages to do it.

I also love that this book teaches the moral that Christmas isn't about the receiving of presents without being preachy about it. The Whos simply carry on with their Christmas festivities without any fuss or muss. We see the Grinch's change of heart and it is more powerful because he came up with it himself. With our observance of his change, we get to reflect on what Christmas means to each of us. Dr. Seuss doesn't tell us what it means, just that it means a little bit more. We can leave the interpretation up to ourselves. I like that.

I know that this book can be over done, but it is such a classic. And this is one classic that to me, never gets old!

Have a wonderful Christmas. I hope that Santa leaves a great book under your tree or onto your e-reader. (I am hoping that Santa is going to leave me lots of time to get some of my reading done ;) )

Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

from goodreads

4 stars

This is a beautiful story. I enjoyed reading it, yet, it is not a story that will stick with me forever. Have you read book like that? While you are reading it you enjoy it so much, and then later, you try to recall the story it is gone or the details aren't as clear.

Synopsis

In this story we meet a young girl named Abilene. She and her father were drifters, jumping one train after another. One summer her father sends her to the town of Manifest, where she is to live with a man named Shady. When she discovers a box with someones keepsakes, hidden beneath the floor boards, Abilene ends up on a quest to discover who the mementos belong to and in the end discovers where she belongs as well.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were easy to picture, though some of the secondary characters were not as fleshed out as they could have been.

Even though the book skipped between two time lines, it was not confusing. It was always clear what timeline was what and the transitions flowed seamlessly. That is so essential for a multi-time line book and the author did a fantastic job of it.

There were times when the story sort of lagged and I wanted to skip ahead, but on the whole I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think we all need a town like Manifest to return to, a place where everyone knows your name and accepts your part in it. It is timeless and full of what Abilene would call "universals". Although it is labelled as a young adult audience book, it would be enjoyed by those of a more mature audience as well.

The Berenstain Bears Save Christmas by Stan & Jan Berenstain with Mike Berenstain

from goodreads

3 stars

Growing up I loved Berenstain Bear books. I loved it when my teacher at school read them to us. Sister Bear was my favourite. Now as an adult, I read them to my kids, and find some of them are a bit more preachy then I remember. But, the morals are good, and maybe the things that I find preachy are the things that I need to work on. So thanks for the reminder Berenstains!

Synopsis

It is Christmas in Bear Country and the bears are all fighting over toys at the Bear Country mall and trying to out do neighbours in the decorating department. Santa Bear sees this and gets annoyed and says if things don't change he is going to cancel Christmas! Mama Bear, always the wise voice of reason, discovers that she doesn't like how commercial and over the top Christmas is getting and does her best to change how her family is acting in hopes that it will save Christmas and make Santa Bear happy.

My Thoughts

While this book does a good job of letting children know that Christmas is more about kindness and love then getting gifts, it seems a bit odd to me. Why didn't Mama Bear express her desire for more simple decorations before Papa and the Cubs put up all the decorations on the tree house? Like she was there, and that seems like a lot of wasted time and effort if it just going to be pulled down again.

Also, as if all their neighbours took down all their stuff, just because the Bear family simplified. Maybe it makes sense to kids, but as an adult, who does that?

So on the whole, it is a good book to get kids thinking about Christmas, and what it truly means and that it is a time of thanks and giving, more than huge wishlists and crazy behaviour. So the kids will like it. As the adult reading it, it is not quite as enjoyable, but then anytime you are sharing a story with children it is great. So read it in that spirit, not for your own edification.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

from goodreads

3 stars

I have never read this author before. To be honest I had never heard about this author before until this book came out. It's weird how some authors you love yet no one else has heard of them and vice versa. What cosmic force throws certain authors in our paths? It's weird. Anyways, a big thank you goes out to my husband's aunt who lent me her copy. I probably would still have been on the library's hold list if it wasn't for her.

Synopsis

A man goes back to his hometown for a funeral. After the funeral he drives around to places of his childhood. He drives to the farm at the end of the lane where the Hempstock family live. There he encounters memories of his childhood, and a time when darkness was unleashed there.

My Thoughts

I really like the way Gaiman writes. His words are very rich and delightful. I loved how he described things and he really was able to paint a picture with them. He probably used more words then he need to in order to tell the story but, I did not find it wordy. There is a fine balance between beautiful description and boring wordiness. Gaiman is on the right side of the balance.

As for the story, I didn't care for it all that much. There were some interesting bits, but on the whole it did not leave me breathlessly in awe. I am sure there are some good discussion points for the book but, if there are they are over my head. To me it was just a meh story. I did start to like the story more once I realized it was fantasy and not just general fiction. When I first heard about the book and when I first started reading it I didn't know what genre it was. I thought it was normal fiction and was like what the heck is going on? Is this supposed to be super creepy or something. Then I found out it was fantasy and I was like, oh...I get it now... it is not scary or creepy, it is supposed to be fanciful. Got it!

I wish I knew more about the Hempstock women and their farm. Was it always there? Could people always get to their house or did their house appear only to those whom they wanted to come and visit? Was it brigadoonish? Also, whose funeral was this man going to? Was it one of his parents?

Although the story itself did nothing for me, I loved the writing and so I will give him another try at some point.

A Piratey Christmas

From goodreads

The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup illustrated by Matt Tavares

4 stars

The pirates are back! When I saw this I knew I had to check it out. The gingerbread pirates on the cover were so cute!

Synopsis

On Christmas Eve, Jim and his mother are decorating gingerbread men. Jim decides to make pirates. Jim's favourite is a captain with a toothpick peg leg. That night when everyone is asleep Captain Cookie comes alive and is determined to find his crew and save them from the cannibal Santa Claus.

My Thoughts

This was a great book. I am so glad I picked it up. the illustrations were great. The expressions that the different gingerbread pirates had were priceless.

I love the idea of Santa being a cannibal. Sometimes during Christmas I wonder about the decorating of human looking cookies. Though cute, it is rather twisted, so it is nice that this book dealt with it.

This is a great book that helps us remember the magic of Christmas. Your kids will love this book, and you will too.

from goodreads

A Pirate's Twelve Days of Christmas by Philip Yates illustrated by Sebastia Serra

4 stars

We got this book out last year, and as soon as the Christmas books came out at the library this year the kids grabbed it again. I don't think they know what the real words to the Twelve Days of Christmas are.  It is kind of funny hearing them sing Christmas songs about cutlasses and a parrot in a palm tree.

Synopsis

On the eve of Christmastide the Captain tells his mates that they are going to go off plundering and that the cabin boy has to stay and swab the decks. When the cabin boy tells them it's Christmas the Captain said that the holiday is only for landlubbers and that he has to stay by himself on the boat. Then presents keep appearing and the cabin boy and the pirates know that Christmastide is the best time of year.

My Thoughts

Once again, a piratey Christmas, you got to love it. I love that the book can be sung to the Twelve Days of Christmas song. Any book you can sing along with is great. 

I love all the pirate speak. You really get a pirate feeling reading all the pirate jargon. I love that they refer to Santa as "jolly ol' Sir Peggedy". At the end of the book there is a Pirate Glossary, so the kids can know what the different pirate terms mean. What a smart idea.

Every book I read I like to read the acknowledgments and book dedications. The one by the author is definitely worth the read. It is lovely.

This is just such a fun book. I think it will be a Christmas favourite for years to come 

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

from goodreads

5 stars

It is nearing the end of the first week of December. Christmas preparations are in full swing. My family and I cut down our Christmas tree last weekend. The smell is heavenly. With all this thought of Christmas I decided to read A Christmas Carol. It is the first time I have actually read it. I have seen many movie renditions, even with Scrooge McDuck, but I had never taken the time to read it. I'm so glad I took the time this year.

Synopsis

Ebeneezer Scrooge is a misery old man who is a penny pincher and uber tightwad. The accumulation of wealth is his soul focus in life, and his social conscience is rather lacking. On Christmas eve he is visited by four ghosts

: the ghost of his former partner Jacob Marley, the ghost of Christmas past, the ghost of Christmas present and the ghost of Christmas future. Through his experiences with these ghosts Scrooge learns what is truly important in life and decides how he wants to live his life from now on.

My Thoughts

This was a truly delightful tale. I don't know why it took me so long to read it. Perhaps it is because it is written by Dickens. Dickens can be wordy and thus, at times, be hard to follow. A Christmas Carol is not horribly wordy and was a very fast read. So don't be turned off by the fact it is Dickens, it is very readable and does not make your head hurt.

The edition I read was illustrated by P.J. Lynch. The illustrations were so beautiful and enhanced the story. Some illustrated additions have rather grotesque images. The pictures in this edition made you feel the warmth of Christmas and chronicled the change in Scrooge very well. They were perfect.

I love how positive this book is. It shows that no matter what are faults are we can change, it is never too late to change, and it is worth the effort to make those positive changes.

I also like how the spirits did not lecture Scrooge on his faults. They simply showed him how things were and left it up to Scrooge to feel guilt and sadness and come up with the idea to change. Quite often we are well aware of our own imperfections. We don't need people harping about them. Gentle reminders and kindness help us change more than lectures.

Although this story is over done in movie renditions, even the Muppets have a version, it is so worth the read. And this time of year is the perfect time. It will definitely help put you in the holiday spirit.

No Pirates Allowed! Said Library Lou by Rhonda Gowler Green illustrated by Brian Ajhar

from goodreads

4 stars

I don't know what it is but lately when we have gone to the library we have been drawn to pirate books. There is something about swashbucklin' pirates that is fun. So if over the next little bit you seem to only see pirate books, sorry about that. We will try to branch out.

Synopsis

Big Pirate Pete bursts into Seabreezy Library looking as scary as he smells. He says his treasure map shows that X marks the spot there and he demands to have the treasure. It is up to Library Lou to make big Pete less loud and smelly and help him find the treasure that the library has within.

My Thoughts

This was a great book. It was funny for both kids and adults. Anything with pirates and dirty underwear is going to be a hit. I liked how the pirate said "Letters?...Thar be more than X?" Classic.

I thought it was a very clever at showing children that there are lots of different kinds of books. Showcased were rhyming books, easy reading, classics and non-ficiton. It broadens the children's horizons in a very fun way. It shows the value of having different kinds of books in their lives.

The rhyming pattern of this books fits the story so well. I am always in awe of authors who are able to tell a great story through a poem. That talent just astounds me.

I think your kids will love this and have a great time laughing and learning with Big Pirate Pete and Library Lou.