New Releases in Children’s Books

Based on a viral video comes the story of one boy’s positive energy and how a sunny outlook can turn everything around.

It’s a new day and Ayaan has woken up on the wrong side of the bed, where nothing feels quite right. What if he doesn’t know the answer at school? What if he messes up? But as he sets out that morning, all it takes is a few reminders from his mom and some friends in the neighborhood to remind him that a new day is a good day because…
HE IS SMART,
HE IS BLESSED,
AND HE CAN DO ANYTHING!

Meet Henley, an all-around good kid, who hates to read. When he’s supposed to be reading, he would rather do anything else. But one day, he gets the scariest homework assignment in the world: find your favorite book to share with the class tomorrow.

What’s a kid to do? How can Henley find a story that speaks to everything inside of him?

Malcolm Mitchell, bestselling author of The Magician’s Hat, pulls from his own literary triumph to deliver another hilarous and empowering picture book for readers of all abilities. Through his advocacy and his books, Malcolm imparts the important message that every story has the potential to become a favorite.

From the Family Bookshelf – June

 

 

Crazy life means not as much reading. I can’t stand it. Actually, my girls are reading, I’m not–at least, not as much as I would like. Since my last update I’ve read:

Where Do Belly Buttons Come From? by Jeffery Warren Scott
I Am Abraham by Jerome Charyn
Sleep Tight, Anna Banana! by Dominique Roques
Self-Publishing a Book by Hank Quense
Pioneer Girl by Bich Minh Nguyen
The Coziest Place by Jamie Michalak
The Secret Side of Empty by Marie E. Andreu
A Rainbow of Birds by Janet Halfmann
Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool
Steam & Strategem by Chris Hoare
Do’s and Don’ts by Hayley Rose
Murder in the Worst Degree by F.M. Meredith
A Comedy of Erin by Celia Bonaduce
The Author’s Training Manual by Nina Amir
Eat Like A Woman by Staness Jonekos
Directory of Federal Prisons by Christopher Zoukis and Dr. Randall Radic
Man’s Rejection of God by RL Keller
The Education of George Washington by Austin Washington
Pressed Pennies by Steven Manchester

Dad finished off The Candy Bomber: The Untold Story of the Berlin Airlight and America’s Finest Hour by Andrei Cherny, which led to us learning some interesting local history. We didn’t know our hometown of Chicopee, MA was so instrumental in this mission The residents of the city–even school children–got involved in receiving candy shipments and attaching the candy to parachutes for them to be flown out to where they needed to go. He’s now reading Under the Dome: A Novel by Stephen King his favorite author.

The Lil’ Diva has discovered that reading is a great way to pass the time, so she’s devouring books lately. After polishing off the Matched series, she moved on to The Mortal Instruments series. She also read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and saw the movie this weekend. Other books she has read lately: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, the entire Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith. She’s currently reading, Looking for Alaska by John Green.

I’ve lost track of all that the Lil’ Princess is reading. She has no less than six books in her backpack right now. At home, we’ve read The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes by Marlane Kennedy and last night finished Pie by Sarah Weeks.

That’s it for this issue of From the Family Bookshelf. Hope you’ll share some of your most recent reads.

Santa Claus All About Me compiled by J.J. Atkinson

I received this book unsolicited, but have to share it because it is such a beautiful book I plan to display it on my mantle this season. This thumbnail doesn’t do the cover art justice. The beautiful, rich colors instantly caught my attention, as did the red ribbon that holds the book closed.

Inside the reader is treated to what is being called Santa’s private diaries  with personal details and festive anecdotes from across the centuries. Without giving too much away, I have to tell you about this stunning seasonal book that is a must have for anyone who loves Christmas.

Open the book and first page–in addition to the inside pages behind the back cover picture bookshelves lined with books. Then the book opens talking about Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol. The books shares some of Santa’s letters and cards, the various names Santa is called around the world, a page is dedicated to the Spirit of Christmas, and there are even pages talking about how the appearance of Santa has changed over the years. There is so, so much more, but way too much to describe.

Santa Claus All About Me is a beautiful hardcover that has pop-ups, flip-up flaps, stunning illustrations, crafts, and more!  I’m so thrilled this book made its way to me.

Highly recommended!

Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: minedition (November 1, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9881512654
ISBN-13: 978-9881512659

I received this book from a publicist. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.