Kid's Korner: Little Star by Anthony DeStefano (Book Review)

Title: Little Star
Author: Anthony DeStefano
Illustrator: Mark Elliott
Publisher: WaterBrook Press

A king is about to be born! The stars in the heavens are competing to shine the brightest to celebrate his birth.  But when they see the poor family, the donkey, the shabby stable, the stars all think, That can't possibly be a king.  We've been fooled.

All except one.  The smallest, loneliest star in the sky, Little Star, is the only one to understand what the king is about to bring to the world.  But what can Little Star do for him?

Certain to become a Christmas classic, this delightful tale connects the star atop our Christmas trees to the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus, in the hearts and minds of young children.


My thoughts: I love this version of the Christmas story told from the viewpoint of Little Star.  All the stars are excited and getting ready for the birth of Jesus, but are disappointed when he is born small and poor in a stable.  Little Star is the only one who truly realizes that he was born humble to show that he loved everyone, even the small and poor.  Because of this, he gives all he has to shine brightly through the night and keep the baby Jesus warm.  By morning, his light has burned out and he is gone, but because of his wonderful gift to Baby Jesus, he is remembered by many as they top their Christmas trees with stars.

Written and illustrated in easy language for a child to understand, don't save this book for Christmas time.  Share it all year long.

About the author: Anthony DeStefano is the best-selling author of A Travel Guide to Heaven, Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To, and This Little Prayer of Mine.  He has received prestigious awards from religious organizations worldwide for his efforts to advance Christian beliefs in modern culture.

You can find him on Facebook or his website.

About the illlustrator: Mark Elliott's brilliant illustrations have appeared in many picture books and novels for young readers, including Gail Carson Levine's ever-popular Princess Tales series.  His acclaimed artwork delivers inspiration, wonder, and timelss beauty on every page.

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review.~

Little Star
Publisher/Publication Date: WaterBrook Press, Aug 2010
ISBN: 978-0-307-45805-6
40 pages
Ages: 4-8 yrs

Kid's Korner: Good Night, Little Sea Otter by Janet Halfmann (Book Review)

Title: Good Night, Little Sea Otter
Author: Janet Halfmann
Illustrator: Wish Williams
Publisher: Star Bright Books

Children will want to settle down for bedtime with Little Sea Otter as he snuggles onto Mama's chest in a cozy bed of sea kelp and bids good night to all his ocean friends.  From sea lions to sea snails, seagulls to seals and sea urchins, it seems he'll never close his eyes.  But gently rocking seas, twinkling stars, and Mama's loving arms lull Little Sea Otter -- and children everywhere -- to dreamland.

My thoughts: This is a great book to read to children at bedtime.  I know my son tries every trick in the book to keep from going to sleep, but eventually, just like Little Sea Otter, he is unable to keep his eyes open.  Sea otters are a favorite of my son's, as we saw them on vacation last year.  We even came home with a stuffed sea otter, so this story was especially fun for him.  I would be remiss if I didn't mention the pictures, as children's books need engaging pictures as well!  The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, filled with vibrant colors and engaging animals. Where else can you find such a kaleidoscope of colors than beneath the sea?

~I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my review from Star Bright Books.~

Good Night, Little Sea Otter

Publisher/Publication Date: Star Bright Books, Sept 2010

ISBN: 978-1-59572-254-6

24 pages

Ages 4-8 yrs

Kids Korner: Meet Einstein by Mariela Kleiner

Title: Meet Einstein
Author: Mariela Kleiner
Illustrated by: Viviana Garofoli
Publisher: Meet Books, LLC


My thoughts: This is a great introduction to Einstein and scientists for pre-school age kids.  The illustrations are big and colorful, and there are not a lot of words on a page.  It introduces kids to the concepts of light and all the different places and colors that we can find light.  It also talks about gravity and how gravity keeps the earth, sun and moon where they are.  At the end of the book are some questions for kids that will continue to help them relate these concepts to their everyday lives.  Great book!

About the author: Mariela Kleiner was inspired to write this book when her daughter Hailey chose a grown-up book for her bedtime story, which happened to be Einstein's book, "Relativity."  Hailey was a persistent two-year-old, so Mariela improvised the story of Albert Einstein so that her daughter could understand it.  Starting with "Meet Albert Einstein.  He is a scientist," the story for this book was born. This is Mariela's first childen's book publication.  She currently lives in Northern California with her husband and two children.

About the illustrator:  Viviana Garofoli was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she currently lives with her husband and two daughters, April and Emma.  After pursuing a successful career in fine arts, Viviana changed her focus to illustrating children's books.  Over the past 15 years, Viviana has illustrated over 20 children's books and has created illustrations for various editorials and textbooks in Argentina and Puerto Rico.

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from JKS Communications in exchange for my review.~

Meet Einstein

Publisher/Publication Date: Meet Books, LLC, March 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0615389738

32 pages

Kids Korner: The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari (Book Review)

Title: The Dragon and the Turtle Go On Safari
Authors: Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark
Illustrator: Vincent Nguyen
Publisher: WaterBrook Press

My thoughts:  This is a beautifully illustrated book about two friends, Roger the turtle and Padraig the Dragon, who decide to spend a night camping at Mount Sillymanborrow.  During the night they encounter some scary situations. Because of their friendship, they are able to overcome their fears and help each other
make it to morning. 

The Legend of Mount Sillmanborrow is included at the end, as Roger never did get a chance to tell it to Padraig. Also included are some great questions that you can pose to your child to get them thinking about how we show our friends we care.  Also some suggestions about what we can do to face our fears.

~Special thanks to Staci Carmichael, Marketing and Publicity Coordinator, Doubleday Religion / Waterbrook Multnomah / Divisions of Random House, Inc. for sending me a review copy.~

For more information on this book/authors, please see my First Wild Card Tour post.

The Dragon and the Turtle Go On Safari
Publisher/Publication Date: WaterBrook Press, Jan 11, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-307-44645-9
40 pages
Ages 4-8

Kid's Korner: The Duck Song by Bryant Oden (Book Review)

Title: The Duck Song
Author: Bryant Oden
Illustrator: Forrest Whaley
Publisher: Flinders Press

About the book: This book reminded me of the old knock knock joke -
"Knock, knock"
"Who's there?"
"Banana"
"Banana who?"
"Knock, knock"
"Who's there?"
"Banana"
"Banana who?"
"Knock, knock"
"Who's there?"
"Banana"
"Banana who?"
"Knock, knock"
"Who's there"
"Orange"
"Orange who?"
"Orange you glad I didn't say banana?"

Now for the book - A duck comes upon a lemonade stand and asks if he has any grapes - day after day - the same thing - The man always tells him no - even threatens to glue him to a tree.  Until one day the man laughs and takes the duck to a store to buy him grapes - only to have the duck tell him he doesn't want them and that lemonade sounds good. 

It is very cute the way it rhymes and the illustrations are very colorful and bright. A CD comes with the book and the first song on it is The Duck Song (includes 11 other songs)- which tells the same story in a sing-song voice.  Very cute.  You can also press a button on the cover and listen to the song.

My son enjoyed the book and right away wanted to know if he could have the CD for his room.  You can listen to some of Bryant's silly songs at http://www.songdrops.com/.

~I received a copy of this book from Flinders Press in exchange for my review.~

 

The Duck Song

Publisher/Publication Date: Flinders Press, Sept 2010

ISBN: 978-0-9843955-9-0

31 pages

Ages 4-8

Kid's Korner: The Berenstain Bears and a Job Well Done (Book Review)

Title: The Berenstain Bears and a Job Well Done
Authors: Jan and Mike Berenstain
Publisher: Zonderkidz

My thoughts: It is spring time and time for spring cleaning.  The whole family has chores to do, but what happens when Brother, Sister, and Honey discover spiders where they are supposed to clean?  A good lesson about what the Bible says about the joy of work.  Also teaches how everyone in the family has chores to do before they can play.

About the authors: Stan and Jan Berenstain introduced the first Berenstain Bear books in 1962.  Mike Berenstain grew up watching his parents work together to write about and draw these lovable bears. Eventually he started drawing and writing about them too.  Mike is married to Andrea, and they have three children.  They live in Pennsylvania, in an area that looks a lot like Bear Country. (back cover)

~I received a copy of this book from Krista Ocier of Zondervan in exchange for my review~

The Berenstain Bears and a Job Well Done
Publisher/Publication Date: Zonderkidz, April 2010
ISBN: 978-0-310-71254-1
Ages 4-7
32 pages
















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