Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot – Anna Branford

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Violet captured our daughter’s heart and imagination within the first few pages of Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot.  Violet is a little girl of substance who has a big imagination and often finds answers to problems she encounters with “out of the box”  solutions.  Ultimately, her kind spirit triumphs when faced with a big decision that is key to her brilliant plot.

Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot provides great messages about working toward a goal as well as kindness.  The next book in this series will be released in February, and our daughter is looking forward to it with great excitement and enthusiasm.

Betsy-Tacy – Maud Heart Lovelace

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I was not familiar with the well loved Betsy-Tacy series until I was introduced to them by a friend.  Our daughter has quickly fallen in love with them.  Betsy is five years old and longs for a best friend.  She finds one in her new neighbor five year old Tacy.  The two girls are so inseparable that their names are merged into one.  Although some things in our world have changed, specifically the amount of freedom the girls have to play outside unsupervised, the character development and the adventures detailed captured our daughter’s imagination within the first few pages.  The wholesome nature of these books is refreshing, and I like how the difficulty of the text increases with each book as the girls get older.  This series is well worth giving a try…

Chester the Brave – Audrey Penn

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Audrey Penn’s The Kissing Hand is a favorite book at our home, so when our daughter saw that the main character Chester was featured in a book about being brave, it was quickly added to our must read list.  This book does a great job focusing on dealing with feeling afraid.  Rather than suggesting that being brave means that you don’t feel fear, fear is re-framed as something that is normal and that you recognize but you don’t allow it to stop you.  The message is so important and is brought to life with the beautiful illustrations.  If you have a cautious child, this is a must read!

The Cloud Spinner – Michael Catchpool

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The Cloud Spinner is about a little boy who spins clouds and has been taught never to spin one stitch more than is needed.  One day the king admires his scarf and requests that he make many, many things for the king.  The young man tries to explain that the king is asking for far too much, but he does not want to hear anything of the sort from the little boy.  Soon the young man has created all of the things the king has asked him to create, but now there are no clouds and ultimately no rain.  Soon the animals become thirsty and the crops start to die due to too many clouds being taken away and turned into scarves and clothes.  Ultimately, the quick thinking of the wise princess and the cloud spinner save the kingdom.

Mouse’s First Halloween – Lauren Thompson –

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Lauren Thompson is a great author. Her Mouse series highlights the many firsts encountered by a little mouse. Mouse’s First Halloween follows inquisitive little mouse through all sorts of Halloween experiences which in the end all prove not to be so scary after all. This is a gentle Halloween tale that would make a great read aloud.

Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon – Patty Lovell

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We have been anxiously awaiting the publication of this book!  We attended a book talk about a year ago at our local library where illustrator David Catrow was a guest.  He spoke about illustrating the Molly Melon sequel and shared a draft with us.

Our family loves Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon, and the sequel is as good if not better.  Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon focuses on having fun and playing, and for Molly Lou Melon fun doesn’t come from the latest and greatest items found at the toy store.  She delights in using her imagination and sharing the power that can be found thru imaginative play with her new neighbor.  This book is a real winner.  It has been part of our bedtime story line up every night since it arrived in our home!

Practicing the Presence of Jesus – Wally Armstrong

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Practicing the Presence of Jesus is a little book with a powerful message.  Wally Armstrong shares personal insights about how he went from living his life in constant pursuit of trying to please God to living a life in which he shares a close friendship with God.  Armstrong’s text is highly accessible and provides inspiration and encouragement.

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

Otto the Book Bear – Katie Cleminson

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We just discovered Katie Cleminson books last week when visiting the library.  After reading the Magic Box, we hoped that she had written more.  We found Otto the Book Bear, and it is a winner!  Otto is a happy little bear who lives in a book and loves to have his story read.  He also comes to life when no one is looking.  Unfortunately, his book is moved one day when he has gone exploring.  He soon discovers that the world is far too big for such a small bear and searches for a safe spot which he ultimately finds.

Magic Box – Katie Cleminson

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The power of imagination is celebrated in Magic Box.  Eva delights in her very special birthday gift – a magic box that transforms an ordinary day into one of adventure and excitement.  I particularly enjoyed the illustrations that went from black and white at the beginning of the book to a full spectrum of color as her imagination takes flight.  The Magic Box is a fun read!