Crafty Chloe – Kelly DiPucchio

We found this gem on the new acquisitions shelf at the library, and it is awesome!  It was an instant favorite for me as well as our daughter.  Sweet Chloe loves to craft and create, but she questions if a homemade gift will be enough when she starts to plan what to give to her best friend for her birthday.   Her insecurity about a homemade gift is further fueled by the responses of London, another little girl who has been invited to the party.  Ultimately, Chloe trusts her instincts and finds a “Chloe Creation” truly is the very best gift she could possibly give to her friend.

Be sure not to miss the companion website!
http://www.craftychloe.com features the crafts in the book with step by step instructions.

Little Pea – Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Little Pea was introduced to our daughter at preschool, and she is crazy about it. Amy Krouse Rosenthal has created a trio of stories (Little Pea, Little Hoot, and Little Oink that are all presented using a “backward” premise. Little Pea is a young pea who is frustrated by the fact that he can only eat his beloved vegetables as dessert once he has eaten all of his candy for dinner.  The pictures in this book are darling and really enhance the story.

If you like this one, be sure to check out Little Hoot which shares the tale of a little owl who wants to go to bed rather than stay up late, and Little Oink who loves to be neat and tidy rather than contribute to the creation of a pigsty.  All three are well worth reading and enjoying!

Pinkalicious – Elizabeth Kann

A little girl learns that her love of all things pink can bring unintended consequences.  A rainy afternoon filled with baking pink cupcakes subsequently turns into an afternoon of eating pink cupcakes. Shockingly, the little girl turns pink due to her consumption of pink foods!  After going to the doctor and being diagnosed with Pinkitis, she is faced with not being able to eat anything pink and instead focusing on eating green foods (think vegetables!).  Ultimately, she eats her vegetables and turns back to her regular skin tone, but with ample pink cupcakes left for others within the home to eat, more excitement is sure to come… 

Magic Treehouse Research Guide ~ Rain Forests – Mary Pope Osborne

The Magic Treehouse series has companion research guides that provide additional non-fiction details regarding each of the adventures.  These have been a HUGE hit at our house.  I love how these books incorporate Annie and Jack and introduce a myriad of ways to find answers through doing research.  They are a terrific supplement to the book series.

Dinosaurs Before Dark ~ The Magic Treehouse Series – Mary Pope Osborne

A few months ago our daughter started slowing reading the Magic Tree House Series.  As she grew more comfortable and confident reading beginning chapter books like Cowgirl Kate and Mercy Watson, we started to partner read The Magic Treehouse Series books together.  The series centers around Jack and Annie who discover a magical treehouse that takes them on adventures based upon the books they select. 

Dinosaurs Before Dawn, the first book of the series, was our daughter’s first introduction to the element of suspense, and it has been a delight to watch her response to it.  I often find her reading speed increasing as excitement builds within the story, and she often continues reading well beyond “her turn” in order to satisfy her eagerness to know what happens next.

The Magic Treehouse Series is a wonderful imagination based reading series for young readers.  We are now checking out two and three books at a time at the library in order to keep up with our daughter’s desire to know what happens next. 

Simple Secrets to a Happy Life – Luci Swindoll

Simple Secrets to a Happy Life is filled with great reminders of how to keep your priorities straight and your life on track. The text is enhanced by Luci Swindoll’s conversational style which is a delight to read. You truly feel like you are getting advice from a friend.

While this complimentary book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson Publishers, no other compensation was given.  All remarks are my personal and honest opinions.

Disney Learning: Wonderful World of Animals – Dr. Donald Moore

The Easter Bunny brings each member of our family a book every year for Easter.  This year our daughter who is a enormous animal lover received Disney Learning: Wonderful World of Animals.  This animal book is divided into chapters by animal group (mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, birds, insects, and fish and sea creatures) and features beautiful color photographs.  Information about each animal is presented in the form of answers about specific questions ~ i.e. – Why do camels have humps?  This format makes this reference book highly readable and well within the grasp of a preschooler.  Our whole family is looking forward to learning more about the Animal Kingdom!

The Easter Story – Patricia Pingry

The Easter Story is a board book that does a great job explaining to young readers why we celebrate Easter.  The text is clear and well within the grasp of a preschooler’s understanding, and the pictures are beautiful and truly enhance the text.

Happy Easter from Once Upon a Storyville!  I hope you have wonderful day with family and friends. 

The Money Saving Mom’s Budget – Crystal Payne

Crystal Payne is the blogger behind the popular Money Saving Mom blog and has just authoredThe Money Saving Mom’s Budget.  Her new book focuses on:

• Achieving a complete financial makeover
• Setting up a realistic budget
• Never paying retail
• Slashing your grocery bill
• Organizing your time & your home
• Using coupons wisely
• Paying with cash only
• Living simply
• Becoming debt free
• Choosing contentment
• Making every dollar count

Payne does a good job addressing the importance of having an organized home and the value of simplicity in our lives and how these elements impact our spending and saving habits.   Ultimately, the book reminds me a lot of the common sense-based financial advice that is given by Dave Ramsey.  There was nothing really “new” here for me, but it was certainly solid information.

While this complimentary audio book was provided for review by Litfuse Publicity Group, no other compensation was given.  All remarks are my personal and honest opinions.

Money Saving Mom iPad Giveaway

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