Wild Texas Stampede!, The
After her father leaves for Austin, Texas, Ima Hogg is left in charge of their unique farm and taking care of her mischievous little brother.
Author: Margaret McManis
Illustrator: Bruce Dupree
Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company
Date: September 1, 2008
About the Author
Margaret McManis, a former children's librarian, serves as a guest lecturer at schools, museums, libraries, and bookstores. She has written two other books for children; Ima and the Great Ostrich Race and Ole! Cinco de Mayo.
Ima Minds Her Little Brother
Ima Hogg's father was a 19th century governor of Texas. He had to travel to Austin for the election, so he left Ima in charge of "minding" her little brother, Tom. They lived on a ranch with many exotic and unusual animals.
Ima took her responsibility very seriously and was determined to keep her brother in line while her father was away. Tom liked to "bother the buffaloes, outrage the ostriches, and panic the pachyderms."
Ima was at her wit's end when Tom caused the animals to stampede and put their safety in danger. She knew she had to do something to get Tom to leave the animals alone.
Ima came up with a "sticky" plan that would keep Tom away from the animals and out of danger.
My Thoughts
This is a historical fiction story based on the lives of a real Texas governor and his family. The author included a page at the end of the book that tells about the real Governor James Stephen Hogg and his delightful family that included Ima and her four brothers. Since their mother died when Ima was thirteen, she was often left in charge of her younger siblings.
Ima's father knew that he could trust her to take care of Tom while he was away. Ima was up to the task. Her little brother was "all boy", but Ima came up with an ingenious idea to keep him out of trouble until their father returned.
Children will notice the loving care that Ima gave her brother...even when she was angry with him! The antics with the animals will have children laughing out loud. Can you imagine a stampede of buffaloes, ostriches and elephants?
The full-page color illustrations complimented the text and added a great deal to the enjoyment of this book.
This book makes Texas history fun and will have children begging to learn more about Ima Hogg and her family. The book is perfect for read-aloud to young children or independent reading for more advanced readers. Highly recommended!
My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
FYI ~ I checked out a print copy of this book from my local public library.
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Ima & the Great Texas Ostrich Race
Author: Margaret McManis
Illustrator: Bruce Dupree
Publisher: Eakin Press
Date: September 1, 2003
About The Author
Margaret McManis is a retired school librarian and a children's book author. She loves interesting characters in history and hopes to introduce kids to fascinating people like Miss Ima Hogg.
"Girl, You've Got Mettle!"
This is a fictionalized account of the life of young Ima Hogg, the daughter of Governor James Hogg of Texas.
The story is told from a first-person perspective and tells about a crazy race between Ima and her two brothers. Ima is riding her ostrich named Ossy and her brothers are riding their fastest quarter horses.
Ima's father encourages Ima by saying, "Girl, you've got mettle!" She remembers these words as she climbs on Ossy's back and confidently begins her attempt to show her brothers that she indeed has "mettle."
My Thoughts
Ima Hogg was a real person and became widely known for supporting the arts, historical preservation and mental health programs. Ima was eight years old when her father was elected governor of Texas in 1890. Their home was filled with famous people and exotic animals, including two ostriches named Jack and Jill.
The author exhibits her marvelous imagination by taking these facts and creating a picture book that children will find fascinating and hilarious. This book will wet children's curiosity about this period in Texas history and the captivating world of ostriches.
I especially like the way Ima's father encourages her and uses the word "mettle"
to describe her. The word "mettle" means courage, valor, vigor and ardor. These are wonderful words for young women to treasure and live by.
The color illustrations add a great deal to the humor in this book. Mr. Dupree did an excellent job capturing the heart of the story.
This book was published over ten years ago but I honestly believe it should have a permanent place in your children's book collection. I hope the author will make this book available in digital format so a new generation of techie children can enjoy Ima and her antics!
My Rating: 5 Stars Out of 5
FYI ~ I checked out a print copy of this book from my local public library.
Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.
Wonderfully Made (Everyday Zoo)
Author: Joyce Meyer
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Date: May 7, 2013
Series: Everyday Zoo
About The Author
Joyce Meyer is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. A #1 New
York Times bestselling author, she has written more than ninety inspirational
books. Joyce's Enjoying Everyday Life radio and television programs are
broadcast around the world, and she travels extensively conducting conferences.
Do I Have A Special Talent?
Haley Hippo is excited to learn about the Everyday Zoo's First Annual Talent Show.
Haley's excitement turns to discouragement when she learns that all her friends have unique talents but she can't think of a single thing to do for the talent show.
Haley thinks that God forgot to give her a talent. She tries to do the same talents as her friends, but nothing seems to work. Haley is so disheartened that she believes that she is terrible at everything!
Haley's friends convince her that she DOES have a special talent and she is very grateful that God blessed her with talent and some very good friends.
My Thoughts
Joyce Meyer has been writing inspirational books for adults for many years. This is the third book in her "Everyday Zoo Series" for children.
This book has an important message for children. We all have special talents. The story emphasizes the importance of discovering and appreciating our unique individual talent instead of comparing our abilities to others.
The animal characters in this book are delightful and the color illustrations add value to the text. Children will identify with Haley and her striving to find her own special talent.
This story has a very joyful ending. God has given us all special talents that we can share with others!
Recommended for children of all ages.
My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
FYI ~ I received a complimentary digital copy of this book to read and review from the publisher via NetGalley.
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When I Grow Up!
Author: Jason Bardwell
Publisher: Amazon CreateSpace
Date: October 5, 2012
About The Author
Jason Bardwell is an independent author and artist who has written and published two children's books. I recently read and posted a review of his first book ~ Beware of the Teacher!
I Wonder What I'll Be?
Children are often asked what they want to be when they grow up. This picture book provides a nice selection of occupations that children will want to learn more about.
The book begins with a confused young man thinking about all the possibilities that he will consider in the future. The color illustrations show the same young man on each page of the book dressed in appropriate clothes for his occupation.
He might be a game show host, astronaut, scientist, teacher....the sky is the limit! The author invites the young reader to draw a picture of himself doing the job he is dreaming about on the last page of the book. The author shares his address and asks the reader to write comments about the book and send him the picture in the mail.
My Thoughts
Many children are encouraged to think about their future career path at an early age. This book will spark the imaginations of young readers and open many doors of opportunity for future research and learning.
Young readers will love the full-page color pictures of the same young man through-out the book. At the end of the story, the young man realizes that it doesn't matter what kind of job he does, he will always be a unique individual with special talents and skills.
I really like the author's invitation to interact with his readers. Children will enjoy writing a letter to the author (with a little help from a parent or teacher) and sharing their unique drawing.
This book offers an entertaining opportunity to explore future career opportunities and practice some art and writing skills. I highly recommend this book for pre-school and early elementary children.
My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
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Trockle
Author: Holly Jahangiri
Illustrator: Jordan M. Vinyard
Publisher: 4RV Publishing LLC
Date: April 19, 2008
About The Author
Holly Jahangiri is a professional writer with over twenty years' experience in technical writing, freelancing, fiction, poetry, and editing.
What Is Under The Bed?
Stephen believes there is a monster under his bed. The monster repellent that his mother sprayed in his room is not working because Stephen hears the monster snoring under his bed each night. The monster snores and he talks in his sleep. Stephen knows the monster's name is Trockle and he is afraid the little fellow will eat him. Stephen's parents promise him that there is no reason to be afraid and consent to leaving the light on.
Trockle talks in his sleep because he is afraid of the thing that lives above him. Trockle's wise mother tells him that a little boy lives above him and there is nothing to be afraid of. The little boy looks different and does strange things and Trockle is afraid the boy might eat him. Trockle's mother tells him that the boy in the bed is afraid of HIM! Trockle thinks that is very funny.
At the end of the story, Stephen and Trockle sleep soundly knowing there is nothing to be afraid of. They have more things in common than they first thought.
My Thoughts
This story deals with children's fear of the dark and the unknown. This is a common problem that all parents of young children have to deal with at one time or another.
Ms. Jahangiri presents an interesting possibility in this story...what if there really is a monster under the bed and he is afraid of the little boy?
This story is an excellent resource to discuss "point-of-view" with children and to compare Stephen's experiences on top of the bed with Trockle's home under the bed.
There is another important lesson in this story. Children learn that there is much diversity in the world and they do not need to fear something that looks different or unusual.
Jordan Vinyard has done an excellent job illustrating this story in colored pencils and/or chalk. The pictures add a great deal of value to the story.
This book will delight pre-schoolers through early elementary grade children. Highly recommend for home and school libraries.
My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
FYI ~ The author sent me a complimentary digital copy of this book to read and review.
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Happy Valentine's Day to all my family, friends and loyal readers! Love is in the air and this is a special day for lovers everywhere.
I recently read "A Lovely Day; A Valentine Picture Book for Children" by Sujatha Lalgudi. This is a story about a young boy who finds a perfect Valentine's Day gift for each member of his family.
About The Author
Sujatha Lalgudi was born in Bangalore and holds a Masters Degree in
Computers. After working for several years in the Silicon Valley, she moved back
to India. She is currently residing in Mysore, a heritage city. She and her
husband Raghavendra Mocharla run and operate www.yumdeal.com and
www.hippidoo.com.
Both her children, daughter aged 8 and son aged 3 love books. All her books
pass through their test first :-)
Sujatha Lalgudi has written many ebooks for children. They are all available on the Amazon Kindle.
Valentine's Day
This is a very simple ebook for children that features a young boy and his family. Each page of the book shows him presenting a different family member or friend a Valentine's Day gift.
The boy gives his mommie a bouquet of red roses, his daddy some tasty cupcakes and his best friend a bunch of balloons. He gives his dog a special bone and his cat a cozy blanket. He presents his "Valentine" with a big red paper heart!
The story ends with a picture of the boy and his parents embracing and looking very happy ~ "lots of kisses, loads of hugs, all for me!"
My Thoughts
This 13-page ebook is a short and sweet story for young boys and girls. Each page includes a full-page color illustration and one sentence of text. The text is written above or below the illustration in big print.
I read this book on my Kindle 3 (black and white illustrations) and my Kindle for PC application (color illustrations). I enjoyed the pictures and text on the small screen of my Kindle. The formatting is very good and I did not have any problem reading the text.
The color illustrations are very expressive and truly convey the joy of giving that the boy experienced as he gave gifts to his family and friends. I love the way this book emphasizes the spirit of generosity. The gifts were all inexpensive and many of them were homemade.
The last page of the story is so sweet. It shows that the boy received the very best gift of all ~ Hugs and kisses from his loved ones.
I think this is an excellent story to share with young children on Valentine's Day. Highly recommended!
My Rating: 5 stars out of 5
FYI ~ I ordered this book from Amazon.Com when it was offered as a free download. Please check the price before ordering.
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
