Picture Book Review: Jamberry by Bruce Degen

I had never read this classic book before. But I found it at our local library and decided to give it a read. From the title, I thought it would be about berry jam. I was kinda wrong. Oh and confession time I'm not a fan of jams/jellies. I find them too sticky and sweet.

A little boy and bear go everywhere filling up hats, shoes, canoes etc with all the berries they can find.

This was a silly little story. Though there was less story to it and more silly rhyming. Where it shined was in the illustrations. I had to pause on each page to take in each picture so I didn't miss a thing. Marshmallow cattails, lilypads made of pats of butter, a tree with slices of bread for leaves and of course berries of every kind jam-packed (see what I did there?) throughout. It makes me crave some nice juicy blackberries. 

One of my favorite parts honestly was at the end the note the author wrote about remembering going berry picking as a child. It made me think of the days when I went to sleep away camp. We used to have a hike to one of the local cedar lakes and on one looooong stretch of road, there was a patch of blueberries that all of us would greedily munch on both to and from the lake. It was a good memory of something I hadn't thought of in a long time.

As an adult coming into this book, it doesn't hold the nostalgia that it would for those who read it as a child. I get why this is a classic that so many love. So for me,
while I really loved the illustrations and I loved the authors note at the end it wasn't the kind of book that has me wanting to add it permanently to my shelves. This is another one that kind of makes it hard for me to rate as there is nothing wrong with the book but it fell just a tiny bit flat for me. So I'll give it an average rating.

3 out of 5 stars.

Children's Book Review: Count Spatula by Izzy B.

So today is my last day of kindle unlimited (bought three months when they had the prime day deal). So I wanted to squeeze in one more book. I wanted another under the radar book and I wanted it to be perfect for October. So I was happy to discover this book.

The Bloody Bistro serves all manner of monsters and ghouls. But one day a most terrifying monster wanders in. So scary is this beast that they trap it in the bathroom. Soon Olivia Mae and her Nana show up looking for their lost dog. Hungry they feast on some gruesome foods served by Count Spatula himself.

This is another book that I can't believe hasn't been read more. The storyline is cute especially with the "ferocious" beast of a dog (practically a puppy). The gross pun worthy food that Oliva Mae and Nana eat bring a smile (or a smirk?) to the face. This was gruesome and funny. 

The drawings were great. One of my favorites was of a zombie at the end of the book dressed as a suburban soccer mom. This was a fun one that I'd love to read again and is perfect for the Halloween season. This is great for 5-8-year-olds. Whether you read with them or send them off on their own.

I give this a ghoulishly fun 4 out of 5 stars.

Picture Book Review: The Roll-Away Pumpkin by Junia Wonders Illustrated by Daniela Volpari

Rainy day here in Jersey. I'm already onto my second very large cup of tea. But what is better for a rainy day then reading a book or 3? Kindle Unlimited really has been a treasure trove for me. I keep finding great books that I had never heard of before. This cute little book was among my finds.

Poor Marla, her pumpkin has gotten away from her and has begun to roll-away. She tries to catch and along the way others gather behind her in many attempts to stop that rolling pumpkin. 

This was a nice quick read. The story was reminiscent of the gingerbread man. An ever-growing assortment of people start chasing the pumpkin that is running...er rolling away. Not a new concept but was still well done.

The real star of this book though was the illustrations. Sometimes I think illustrators don't get enough credit. This book would only be an average book if it were for the incredible drawings done by Volpari. Great attention to detail and wonderful fall color palette. You could see the wind whipping through the streets. You could smell the baker's bread. The drawings were so amazing that even without the words you could still "read" the book and know what was happening.

Rating this one is a little bit difficult for me. Because the illustrations are 5 star for sure. The writing itself? Sadly I have to put them at a 3 star. Not terrible but not highly engaging either. So I'll split down the middle.

4 out of 5 stars.

Picture Book Review: This Book is Haunted by Haven Dexter

Here we go another book I stumbled on from Kindle Unlimited. I was looking for spooktacular books since it is October and we must have more spooky books! Well, here I found myself a certified haunted book.

Be sure to read the caution signs and DO NOT READ the book...because it is haunted! So stop before you get too far or you'll be haunted too!

Haha ok first thing I thought of when I read this book was a childhood favorite of mine The Monster at the End of this Book. And while yes it had that feeling, it was different and unique enough. I don't know why I haven't seen anyone talk about this book yet. Yes, it is newly released but I follow quite a few people who read and review Children's books. This one seems to still be under the radar.

This is the kind of book that adults will love to read to their little ones and their little ones will love to be read to. Depending on the bravery level of your little one you can either play up the "scary" parts or read straightforward. But this is definitely one of those books that lends to lots of interaction between parent and child. Tickling and light pokes to scare the child are what I would do!

The art in this was great. The ghost was cute but the paint style was perfect for that spooky element. The fact that it keeps to black and white with an occasional bold splash of red and yellow maintains that dark nighttime ghostly feel. I loved the very last page. It was the twist ending you want to see.

This is great for the little ones and is perfect for this time of the year. Seriously, if you have kindle unlimited go read this book now! If not you can always buy the kindle ebook version for 2.99.

5 ghostly stars out of 5!

Picture Book Review: Mabel and the Sock Pirates by Elwyn Tate

I've been impressed by the large selection of children's books on Kindle Unlimited so decided to scroll through and find a quick picture book to read. Came across this one and thought it looked really cute.

Mabel the cat lives with Bill up on a hill. Their farm has many things but the most valuable thing is they have magical trees the grew socks of all sorts. One night pirates come to steal the magical socks. Can Mable save the socks?

First let me say I love the name, Mabel. I had a great aunt with that name and it was one of the top names on my list of girls names when I was pregnant (I had a boy).  So I love that the kitty in this is named Mabel.

The story is a cute silly one. Trees growing socks...pirates plundering said trees. It is that perfect level of silly for the very little ones. I'd say the best age range for this would 2-5 year olds. Also, there is just the tiniest bit of rhyming so it helps the flow of words without becoming too unwieldy.

What really made me love this book was the illustrations. They are kind of country looking. The color palette is gorgeous. The amber tones for daytime and aqua tones for the night really made for great contrast. These are the kind of drawings that have you going back through to look at. They are great for children to absorb the story and honestly are the perfect colors for reading right before bed. Soft yet deep colors.

I loved this book and want to check out more by the author.

5 out of 5 stars

Children's Book Review: Ten Nasty Little Toads by Steve Cole Illustrated by Tim Archbold

It is October and that means spooky scary things. Ok, not really but I was in the mood to read something that had a Halloween like theme to it. I came across this book on NetGalley and requested to review it right away. This book will be published October 18. I do not know if it will be available in the US but should be able to be purchased in the UK.

10 tales of 10 nasty little toadies. Ok, not really toads but rather nasty little children who are taught a lesson about their nasty wickedly ways. Will they learn or keep being nasty little toads?

Ok wow oh wow! This is the kind of book that I LOVED as a child. It was like finding a long-lost work by Roald Dahl. The lightly dark humor was superbly done. I found myself laughing out loud many times. My favorite laugh out loud moment was when I read this, "Wanda- who resembles a wart that has grown a body without reading the instructions first". This book was what children's books used to be. Over the top and funny beyond belief. Clueless parents, dirt and grime everywhere, and a hint of magic. 

The illustrations were like a mix of Quintin Blake (who illustrated for Dahl) and Shel Silverstein. They were colorful and like a throwback to the 70s/80s. It really worked for this book. 

I will say the second story was the hardest for me to get through. I have a weak stomach for gross-out humor and this one had me gagging a few times. So it did its job and those who can handle such things would fair better than I. But, this didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. My favorite story was probably the first or the third one. It is a toss-up. 

I am so excited to have come across this book. This author is now on my radar and I plan on seeking out more of his books. I just hope I can access them here in the US. 

No doubt about it this was a 5 out of 5 stars book!

#TenNastyLittleToads #NetGalley

I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This has not influenced my review in any way. All opinions are mine.

Picture Book Review: Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, are you Waking Up? by Bill Martin Jr. & Michael Sampson illustrated by Laura J. Bryant

My first book review on my blog! Hooray! I decided to check out what children's books are available on Kindle Unlimited and stumbled on this one. As my family love kitty cats, I knew I had to give this one a gander. 

This picture book is a short and sweet book about a kitty who doesn't want to wake up and get ready for the day. She would rather purr and play. Catch my rhyme there? Well, this is a nice little rhyming book. 

This is a book perfect for toddlers, from the short length to the not overly complicated rhymes. In fact, our main little kitty cat dresses and looks very much like a toddler! The repetition of "kitty cat kitty cat" is great as it allows the child to participate as they catch on to the rhyming scheme.

The illustrations in this book are what truly make it. I love the soft color palette that is used. I wouldn't call it pastel but rather more of muted colors. It is still colorful without being glaringly bright. My favorite drawing is of kitty cat playing with a bowl on her head. So cute and so what I've seen many toddlers do. 

All in all, this was a delightfully cute book. I would say it is best for 1-4 year olds as I think any child over 5 or 6 might find it to be a bit babyish. But if the child loves cats and has emotional and developmental issues as my son has then I could see slightly older children enjoying this. It is good for an early reader and I could see the little ones reading it to their "babies". 

I would give this a 4 out of 5 stars.






*Unless otherwise noted all books were bought and paid for out of my own pocket. Any review copy books will be duly noted. My reviews are not influenced by whether I have personally paid for them, won them, or was provided a review copy. I do not take any monetary payments for reviews. All reviews are of my own personal opinion.