ILLUSTRATED BY: Don Berry
PUBLISHED BY: CreateSpace
PUBLISHED IN: April 2010
ISBN: 978-1-1450535656
Pages: 30
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

A young child is the narrator in That Mama is a Grouch. The child wants to play, cook, and make beautiful art on the wall. No matter what the child does, mama complains about the cluttered toys on the floor and the mess in the kitchen.

The child tells the mama that kids just want to have fun. The child doesn’t understand why mama gets upset. The mama explains to the child the "Do’s and Don'ts" of the household. The child agrees to clean up the toys and the mess.

Who doesn’t remember their parents getting upset over the messy bedroom or the toys in the living room? Sherry Ellis has written a charming tale about a child who doesn’t understand the right and wrong of the household. The child learns a lesson in responsibility. The illustrations are colorful. I like the addition of the mouse in the background of the pictures. I recommend That Mama is Grouch to children and adults.

*I would like to thank the author for sending me a copy to review.

About Sherry Ellis



Sherry Ellis is a freelance writer who writes articles for parenting magazines and children’s publications. Her first book, That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN, was published in 2005. Her second, That Mama is a Grouch, was published in May of 2010. It was honored as a finalist in the Parenting/Family category of the 2010 USA Book News Awards.

Sherry is also a professional musician who plays and teaches violin, viola, and piano. Ms. Ellis lives in Loveland, Ohio with her husband and two children.


Here are some fun sites about the author:

http://www.sherryellisbooks.com/ and http://www.sherryellis.org/

http://www.sherryellis.blogspot.com/

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ILLUSTRATED BY: Jenna Hildahl
PUBLISHED BY: Trafford Publishing
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4269-4986-9
Pages: 40
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

One morning a girl woke up to find her brother missing from his bed. In his place was a monkey. With no other choice, the girl dresses the monkey and brushed his teeth.

During school, the teacher didn’t seem to mind that there was a monkey in class. At recess the other students played with the monkey. Is it all a dream? Or did her brother get turned into a monkey?

I grew up with no siblings, so I can’t really relate to the child in the story. But I’m sure that there are children that feel that their brothers sometimes act like monkeys. The authors have written a cute humorous tale about a little girl with a monkey problem. The illustrations are detailed and enjoyable. I recommend Monkey Made Dreams to children and adults.

*I would like to thank the authors for sending me a copy to review.


About the authors



Tom Listul wrote Monkey Made Dream with his daughter, Heather Listul Hewitt, when she was eight years old. A farmer from southwest Minnesota, he is also a singer/songwriter. Listul made Monkey Made Dream into a children’s song and has sang it at numerous coffee houses and children’s classrooms. Hewitt is now a speech-language pathologist, who works for a school district with students of all ages. She enjoys helping children develop literacy skills and a love for reading.


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ILLUSTRATIONS BY: K.C. SNIDER
PUBLISHED BY: Guardian Angels Publishing, INC.
PUBLISHED IN: November 2010
HARDCOVER ISBN: 978-1-61633-113-9
PAPERBACK ISBN: 978-1-61633-114-6
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61633-125-2
Pages: 25
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Frederico, the mouse, lived in the workshop of the most famous violin maker, Antonio Stradivari. Frederico admired the quality of each violin that Stradivari made.

The mouse had a dream of becoming a great violinist. Despite the fact that the violin was incredibly bigger than he was, Frederico practiced every night.

One night Stradivari hears the music and watches the mouse play. Stradivari comes up with a plan to help Frederico become a violinist.

Frederico may be little, but this mouse has big dreams. No matter what size you are, you should always follow your passion, and in this case, it is music for Frederico. I found both the story and the illustrations cute. I liked that the author used a historical person, Antonio Stradivari, in the story. It was a great way to add a little bit of history and a great message to follow your dreams. Frederico, the Mouse Violinist is a great book for children. I recommend reading it.

Visit the author's website and blog at:
http://www.mayrassecretbookcase.com/

http://www.mayrassecretbookcase.blogspot.com/

BY: Andy Andrews
ILLUSTRATED BY: Philip Hurst
PUBLISHED BY: Thomas Nelson
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4003-9605-2
Pages:23
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

“The Boy Who Changed the World” chronicles the lives of four boys. The first is Norman Borlang. While playing with his sisters in the cornfield, Norman comes up with the idea to feed the world.

The second is Henry Wallace. As a kid, he learned to respect nature. When he grew up, he became the U.S. secretary of agriculture.

The third boy was George Washington. His parents died when he was young and a nice family adopted him. He grew up to be a teacher and inventor.

The last boy was Moses Carver. When he grew up, he married a woman named Susan. They later adopted a boy named George Washington.

What do all these boys have in common? Well, you have to read the book yourself to find out.

This is a cute picture book with wonderful illustrations. There is a wonderful message in the book about hope and determination that both kids and adults will enjoy reading.

*I would like to thank Thomas Nelson for sending me a copy to review.

A Law of Attraction Book for Children: The S.T.A.R Powered Twins
BY: Dorothy A. Lecours
ILLUSTRATED BY: Chrisann Zaubi
PUBLISHED BY: DragonPencil
PUBLISHED IN: December 2009
ISBN: 978-1-60-131-063-7
Pages: 88
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

“The S.T.A.R. Powered Twins” is to help develop and encourage young children to read. Adults are to read a ten page segment of the story per day to the child. The child needs to retell the events of the story, before the adult will continue with it.

The book starts out with the birth of Grace and Jace Star. Their parents and grandparents teaches them about nature, cooking, imagination, designing, and art. Grace and Jace learn about the words Never Allowed, Don’t, Can’t, No, and Not. Grace and Jace learn how to read, and over time they became excellent readers.

The Illustrations in “The S.T.A.R. Powered Twins” are beautiful. There are hidden words in the pictures for the young readers to find. There is a wonderful message of “I Am” that ever parent should teach their children. This is a great book to help your children learn how to read before they start school.

Note: I would like to thank the Author Marketing Experts, Inc. for sending me this complimentary copy to review.

Every day it was the same conversation between the birds and frogs. The birds could fly, and in their eyes that made them superior to the frogs. The frogs believed they were smaller and not as important as the birds.

A young group of tadpoles gives the birds and frogs some advice. It doesn’t matter if the birds have wings, that doesn’t make them any different. They are the same as anything else on earth.