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Mac the Fire Truck and the Airplane Fire by Trey Watson

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My little ones loved this story, especially the illustrations! Of course what little ones, boy or girl, doesn't like fire trucks, and planes?
They also enjoyed the rhyming which is always fun to read out loud and also for a little older kids, (My youngest daughter is 5), you can reinforce the rhyming words during the story and they love to say, "Hey! House and mouse rhyme!". lol, they are always so proud when they discover something new. That's why I love stories like this. It is so neat how something that seems so simple, can teach a child so much in such a short time. Not just the reading part, but the rhyming and the lesson that this story teaches.
We are now Mac the Fire Truck fans, and will have to check out all of his other adventures! The characters are cute, and colorful and it was another favorite when the kids saw them eating grilled cheese, "Just like we eat!" So much for the imagination in a children's book, which also leads to many stories and additions and ideas of their own. I think my favorite part of reading books like this to my children is the discussions afterwards. This particular story definitely has much to discuss! All kinds of things like, what story line they want to see Mac the Fire truck be in next, who will he save, who will help him, making up new characters, and most importantly, talking about how anything is possible when you are determined to help, and join together with a friend! (Just like Mac did in this story!)
When friends and people stick together, you can accomplish anything! That was the best part of this book to me, and it helps build character and self esteem in your children. A neat thing to do, is to show your children, especially those with siblings, how when they focus and help each other, a team effort, how they can manage to get something big, done! (Ok, so I may have used this book as a way to show them how team effort gets all the toys picked up:) But there are many ways to show examples, and nothing makes me happier then smiling, happy, proud little ones!
What are your favorite books to read to your kids?
We would love to read any comments from you about what activities and discussions you and your children or grandchildren have after reading your favorite books!!
You can find Mac on Facebook!!
and check out more of Mac's adventures here!

Waffles Chronicles The Hamster That Lives in my Closet

This was short and sweet, just right for little ones!
My 2 year old loved the pictures and my 5 year old was cracking up over the funny pictures of Waffles scuba diving, climbing a mountain, and wearing a jogging suit.
I have to agree with the review that says the only bad thing is now my kids want a hamster, hmmmm. Especially not now, since they think it'll be ok inside a closet;)
This would be wonderful in paperback and I hope to see it there soon! I noticed there is a website and a Facebook page, so I am hoping this means there will be more books starring Waffles??
It is about time for a new, fresh character for kids, and a big, fluffy, cuddly, (well, for the kids!!), hamster, is the perfect choice!!
I especially liked the way it was written with the little girl's imagination. This is another something we need more of. In today's society with all of the technology, imagination sometimes seems obsolete. So, this definitely started the wondering, and questions and I could see the little motors moving above those big smiles as they thought of all the other goofy, and wacky stuff a hamster might do all day, lol.
We loved this story and would recommend this to all little ones!

** I was given a copy of this book in return for our honest review **

Nacho Money Volume 4 by Candi Sparks

I have 4 children, so this was a fun book to read and review for all of us!
Our 2 middle children, ages, 5 and 8 (almost 9), are both excited about having money, having the freedom to buy things, and they love being at an age to receive an allowance. Although they may not always receive an allowance lol.
this book is about, Max, a 10 year old who is starting to understand the concept of money and borrowing and paying back. It all starts with a video game disc he borrowed from a friend, Emma, that he said he would borrow for just a week... and it ended up being a month. So, she asks for it back one morning at school, and that's when the whole day went crazy!
His teacher gave him a bill for library books, rather then his report card, again, something he borrowed and didn't return on time..then he has a $10 from his big brother in his pocket and decides to use that for some pizza with his friends.
This is such a common issue with kids, and the only way for them to learn about money and borrowing and returning, is to learn from mistakes, (ok, and well maybe a little help from mom;) Believe me, we have made mistakes in the past with our kids, bailing them out way to many times, but there has to be a line somewhere where you just kind of let them figure it out on their own. Not only does this build character and independence, but you are allowing them to grow and learn some of the most important aspects of life. This is something they will be thanking you for, for years to come!
When I was in grade school, we didn't learn much about money, other then coins and of course the math part. We never really learned about how much things cost compared to how much you have, (assets, and liabilities) I thought the clever way this story was written, and the cool little character, Max, (who is pretty much like other kids his age), is an excellent resource for teachers, parents, and anybody who has a kid in their lives. This is a valuable lesson, and not just about money either!
Max also learns about how it feels when you don't return something on time, (Emma's game), and the library books. (which cause him to not get the game station he wanted so badly!) He also gets an earful from his big brother, who really was counting on his money (the ten that Max figured he could borrow for pizza), and then mom helps explain what went wrong and offered a super good solution! But,just like other kids, Max kind of didn't do his 2 weeks of free chores to pay his mom back for the loan, and he ended up having to do a little bit more then what he had to do. If only Max, would have done his chores in the first place, but instead he decided to hang out with his brother. (sound familiar??)
We read this story a few times over, I am going to be looking into more of these very valuable lessons from this author, and I believe we are going to grab copies of each! This was so clearly written, and I know my children understood! (Well, at least for the days that we read the book! We have to have some of this author's books on the shelves, just for reminding them again and again. They certainly remember Max though, and the hilarious joke, cheesy joke, that made the title of this book so funny!! (Especially our almost 9 year old, he loves jokes, especially the cheesy ones!!)

You can buy this book from Amazon! (Either click above, or you can buy from our book store!)
You can check out the author's site here!!

Visit Candi Sparks on Facebook!
Candi is a mom and an author, and holds many financial certifications, you can read about her amazing career, and how she got the idea to empower others, here!
Follow her on Twitter!
Check her out on Youtube!!
and on Pinterest;p

** We received a copy of this book in return for our honest review **

The Amazing Adventures of Paddy Platypus by Tom de Paolo

I read this book before I read it to my children, and at first, I thought, "AAHH! What a bunch of big words for them to try and understand!!" (well, our almost 9 year old would be fine, I thought). I read it out loud to our 2 year old and 5 year old, and they were to busy checking out the cool pictures, to care what in the world I was saying, lol! But, Genevive, (5), at the end, had lots of questions about the book and Paddy, she listened after all!
This kind of proves my belief that, no matter what the book is, if you read to your kids, or even talk to them as if they were a regular grown up, they will hear you and they will start to understand some of those harder words. Our children's brains are like sponges, from day 1, and it is very important to read to your children, (books like this that have a more broad vocabulary are excellent!), and the earlier the better!! the more you read to them, the more they learn and grow!
Paddy the Platypus is a loveable character, and he is just a kid! The illustrations are very neat! Actually, I haven't seen such illustrations with so much depth and detail quite like these for a while. My little ones really enjoyed them and each time I turned the page, we had to stop and discuss the pictures, and go back over what was going on in the story.
It is a little longer of a book, but that's a plus in our book! It may take a little longer to get through then an average children's book, but this isn't an average children's book.
Paddy Platypus lives in Tasmania, and is a fine swimmer! So, he is asked to travel to the United States, to swim for his country in the Olympics. He goes along, reluctantly, and he misses home, and doesn't like the noise and all the commotion, (just like a human kid;), and what happens at the end is just adorable! We giggled and giggled and giggled more, and discussed why he did what he did, and what would we do if we were Paddy. (We voted and we all would have done the same thing!!)
This is a very funny book, easy for parents to read, and another plus is... give this book to your young reader to enjoy! Ours read this by himself, and after that, he read to his brother and sister. perfect book to keep those young readers motivated during the summer months!
We recommend this book to children of all ages, and we are all hoping to see Paddy come back in a new story VERY SOON:)

** We received a copy of this book in return for our honest review **

I Remember Mommy's Smile by Dina Wolfman Baker

This was going to be a very sad book to read, and I knew what this was about before it arrived, and still found it hard to open up.
Even as a children's book, I didn't want to share it with the youngest little ones, because i myself have a fear of death and didn't want to have one of those conversations that pops up once in awhile about where do we go? Will I see you again? Things like that upset me terribly, even if I firmly believe we will be together again. i just couldn't stomach it.
It was hard to get through this book, especially since it was written through the eyes and heart of a child. I don't like to hear that anybody has to go through such a horrifying event in their life, but I know we all will at some point.
I do believe this is an amazing book for families who are experiencing a loss of a loved one, especially for the children. (Although it will certainly help the grown ups deal with such a devastating loss as well)
You can't help but cry a bit, well, a lot, while reading this and the pictures alone are sad enough. The pictures in this story are simple yet in such a beautiful way, especially the mommy part when she is smiling.
I Remember Mommy's Smile, goes through the whole process of finding out her mother is ill, and the good times they could still have together, to the hospital, to coming home again, to being very sick and going back to the hospital. Reading the words that come from a child really got to me, but this will definitely help with coping and the healing process. There is a part when the little girl couldn't hug her mommy, knowing it was the last time she will see her, that was a nice addition as I believe most children go through this and they should not feel ashamed or feel as though they let anybody down,so this will let them know they are not alone and they are understood!
The whole story was like this, and covered every aspect of death and dying, and the feelings that a child would have during the whole process.
Then the little girl explains her feelings at her mommy's funeral, to getting back to school, being able to smile once again, and how she remembers her mommy's smile. This part was especially sweet, and will be a crucial part for children when they need the extra help to try and get back to normal. (and for parents, this book will be a much needed tool for your family, whether it is used to just help your children see they are not alone, or take the place of some very hard to answer questions while you are grieving also)
I would recommend this book for churches, schools, day cares, all parents and families who have lost a loved one, and of course, any therapists that help families with this process.

You can read more about this book at www.BakersDozenPress.com
and www.MommysSmile.com
Please leave any comments below and share your reviews of this book!!
If you are interested, you can click the picture above to purchase this book at Amazon.com!

The Toughskin Rhinoceros Wrangler Company

Of course the little ones were excited to be able to read this story and check out all of the cute illustrations as soon as we received the pdf file for this brand new book by, Thomas L Vaultonburg. Aaron always loves to be the one to read the story since he is the almost 9 year old;) Genevive and Deegan love that their big brother, (or big brudder, lol) is reading them a story. This book was super easy for Aaron to read. which was perfect, because they like to hear some stories a few more times, immediately after the first!!
The rhinos in this book love to dance, thanks to rhino Jack. Who is rhino Jack? he is a little boy who likes to dress in his rhino costume, and hang out at the zoo with his rhino family!
One day, the rhinos are stomping and running through town, and the zoo had to call Jack to come and help get the rhinos back where they belong, and Jack saves the day!
The pictures in this book are very attractive, and definitely caught the attention of my children. The story flows extremely nice, and after listening a couple times, genevive got the dancing part memorized pretty good.

Aaron is always so proud of his reading skills, and so am I!

This is Genevive when we asked her what she thought of the story, and she could hardly stop laughing as she described the dancing rhinos doing her favorite part, the Tango, lol! Of course, she asked to hear it again and again and again...
This is a very sweet book, and will be one you want a copy of for your children's bookshelves. It falls into the category of all those good classics that kids will remember and pass down to their children and grandchildren. It definitely isn't easily forgotten!
Another neat thing in this book, is at the end, there is a section with some real interesting facts about rhinos. Aaron had a fun time learning about them, and ran out to tell his dad that they can sometimes run 35 miles per hour. That was the most impressive to him.
You can purchase a copy of this book directly from their website, and you can also get it signed!!
We would love to read your comments! Have you ever heard of this book? Do you own a copy? Would you like a copy?
I normally ask the kids how many stars they would give a book they just reviewed, when I asked them how many stars out of 5, Aaron said, 5, Genevive said 50:P I also give this story a 5 star rating!!

**We received a copy of this book in return for our honest review**

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