Dragon Breath by Dixie Phillips and Jacob Gibson

Everyone is going to love this zany story of how the king of the best-smelling village employs the help of his people to defeat a dragon with bad breath.

It has been way too long since I’ve read a book by Dixie Phillips. In Dragon Breath, she teams up with Jacob Gibson and artist KC Snider to bring young readers a silly story about a dragon who refuses to brush his teeth. The authors deliver a superb tale that entertains even more than it educates about good dental hygiene. I’ve loved the artwork of KC Snider for ages, but she’s really outdone herself with this one; the vibrant colors, the attention to detail, the amusing expressions on the characters’ faces, and the gallantry of the land of kingdoms is captured so well by these illustrations.

This is one of those books that made me wish my girls were little again. Dragon Breath will tickle a ton of funny bones.

Rating: 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing; Large type / large print edition edition (August 16, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1616338687
ISBN-13: 978-1616338688

I received a free digital copy of this book from the authors. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

The Real Star of Bethlehem by Dixie Phillips, Sharon Phillips, Lucy Robbins, and Leslie Trettin

Looking for a new Christmas musical to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas? Pick up a copy of The Real Star of Bethlehem by Dixie Phillips, Sharon Phillips, Lucy Robbins, and Leslie Trettin.

Those of us who are fortunate enough to be in children’s ministry enjoy preparing special holiday events for our students as much as family and friends enjoy seeing the children perform. In The Real Star of Bethlehem, when the stars learn a star will be born, they begin competing for their chance in the spotlight. As they are “enlightened” they discover the real star is Jesus.

The Real Star of Bethlehem is a unique and fun way to share the Christmas story. A blend of historical and fictional characters come together in this lively musical that kids will love being a part of. With rhyming shepherds, stars with very human attributes, and a coffee-drinking owl, the authors have created a musical that will capture your heart. You can also pick up a copy of the music CD with tracks of the four songs from the play.

Churches, Christian schools, and families will want to use The Real Star of Bethlehem as a way to focus hearts and minds on the precious gift of our Savior.

Rating: 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

A Christmas Musical
Category: Angelic Harmony
Author: Dixie Phillips, Sharon Phillips, Lucy Robbins, and Leslie Trettin
Playbook ISBN: 9781616337308 1616337303
eBook ISBN: 9781616337315 1616337311
Music CD ISBN: 9781616337322 161633732X

I received a free digital copy of this playbook and a track from the publisher. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Blogging at Christian Children’s Authors – March 18

 

On Friday, I blogged about one of my favorite Easter time stories, Stubby’s Destiny by Dixie Phillips. You can read my review at http://christianchildrensauthors.com/2016/03/18/book-review-stubbys-destiny-by-dixie-phillips/

The Cat Came Back by Dixie Phillips and Lucy Robbins

 In this silly rhyming tale, young readers discover the misadventures that take place when a beloved cat goes missing and a color-blind father tries to find her.

Papa Sompolinsky goes off to work one night. Meanwhile, his anxious family has discovered Miss Mittens, their beloved cat, is missing. When Papa comes back to his van after his night shift is over, his color-blindness causes some confusion over what happened to Miss Mittens.

The Cat Came Back by Dixie Phillips and Lucy Robbins is a zany tale that will have readers chuckling over all the trouble caused by Papa’s color-blindness and the antics of Miss Mittens. What captures your attention right away is the unusual storyline. Even though a missing pet isn’t an odd thing to see in a children’s story, a color-blind dad and a mischievous cat causing the family a bit of anxiety is. While I had some reservations about how the authors would keep this a light and happy tale, they did a fine job in putting together a story that will definitely leave readers laughing, especially because of its surprise ending.

The lovely artwork by Laureen Caponigro is the perfect complement to this story. The soft, warm colors provide an enjoyable contrast to a vibrant story.  From the drop of sweat on Papa’s forehead to the clip in mamma’s hair and the teddy bear that goes nearly everywhere with the youngest sister, the attention to detail adds a great deal of life to this story.

Pet lovers are bound to enjoy The Cat Came Back.

Rating:  🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

• Paperback:16 pages
• Publisher:Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc (May 11, 2012)
• Language:English
• ISBN-10:1616332530
• ISBN-13: 978-1616332532
• SRP: $9.95

I received a free PDF of this book from the authors in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation of any kind for this review.

Top 10 Picture Books of 2011

This took longer than expected. As I mentioned in my last post, selections this year were hard. In addition, I discovered I needed to segregate picture books for little kids (babies, toddlers, preschoolers) from those for school-age children. While some books could overlap between the two age groups, there was no way for me to compile a fair list if I lumped them all into one group. For books where I couldn’t find an age listing, I put them where I felt they fit best. I’ll start off with my Top 10 for the youngest category and then list the Top 10 in the older category.

Top 10 Picture Books for Preschoolers and under

• Ricky’s Christmas Tree by Guido van Genechten
• A Cat’s Alphabet Book by Sally O. Lee
• My Daddy by Guido van Genechten
• Going to the Beach with Lily and Milo and Going to the Zoo with Lily and Milo by Pauline Oud (I reviewed these together, so I am counting them as one.)
• One Little Blueberry by Tammi Salzano
• Oops! by Leo Timmers
• 1-2-3- Count with Me and A is for Apple by Georgie Burkett (Again, I reviewed these together and count them as one.)
• Ricky is Brave by Guido van Genechten
• Thankyouplease by Pierre Winters and Barbara Ortelli
• Ian’s New Potty by Pauline Oud

There are repeat names on this list, but I felt these authors and publishers truly knew how to create books attractive to this market.

Top 10 Books of 2011 for Ages 3 and up

• A Dog is A Dog by Stephen Shaskan
• My Mom Has X-Ray Vision by Angela McAllister
• Will & Kate: A Love Story by Ink Robin
• Sea Monster’s First Day by Kate Messner
• The Butt Book by Artie Bennett
• Not Fat Because I Wanna Be by LaNiyah Bailey
• The Dancing Clock by Steve Metzger
• Humbug, A Christmas Carol by Lee Baker
• My Name is Not Alexander by Jennifer Fosberry
• Fifo “50 States” by Hayley Rose

Honorable Mentions

• A Christmas Secret by Candace Hall
• Frederico, The Mouse Violinist by Mayra Calvani
• The Ice Cream King by Steve Metzger
• Marta’s Gargantuan Wings by J. Aday Kennedy
• Every-Day Dress-Up by Selina Alko
• Freckleface Strawberry Best Friends Forever by Julianne Moore
• Limelight Larry by Leigh Hodgkinson
• Don’t Worry Douglas! by David Melling
• Cinderfella and the Furry Godmother by Dixie Phillips
• Tumbleweed Christmas by Beverly Stowe McClure
• Secret Service Saint by Janet Ann Collins
• Seven Miles to Freedom by Janet Halfmann