Kindle Books for Kids: Jump! by Julia Dweck

Jump

Author: Julia Dweck
Illustrator: Brian Allen

Publisher: Sleepy Sheep Productions

Date: September 1, 2014

Grade Level: PK - 3


About the Author
Julia Dweck writes children's stories for digital and traditional publication. Her stories span the spectrum of humor, fantasy, and edutainment in rhyme and in prose. Julia's background in elementary education affords her the opportunity to be in touch with what children want to read about and what makes them giggle.

"When You Believe In Yourself, You Can Jump With Your Eyes Open."
A timid Jack-In-The-Box toy was frightened and confused when he accidently jumped out of his box. He felt disgraced outside the safety of his familiar box.

As Jack was looking for his box, he met a new friend named Barker. Jack and Barker embarked on many "jumping" adventures. They jumped a skipping rope, they jumped on a trampoline and even jumped out of an airplane!

Jack learned that you must take a leap of faith if you are going to move out of your comfort zone and discover a whole new world.

My Thoughts
"Jump" is a charming and refreshing rhyming picture book for young children. It is published for the Amazon Kindle and the formatting is excellent for young readers. The full-screen horizontal illustrations are colorful, entertaining and humorous. The illustrator did an excellent job portraying the personalities of the characters in this story.

Jack shows children how much fun it can be to get out of everyday routines and take some risks. Life is full of adventures when new faces and places are explored and investigated.

Jack and Barker exhibit a poignant bonding and connection. They bring out the best in each other and have a ton of fun on their journey.

Ms. Dweck provides some valuable teaching tools at the end of the story. There are true facts about amazing jumps, scrambled words from the story and instructions on how to write a simple story using two characters, a setting, a plot and a solution.

"Jump" will entertain, inspire and educate young readers. This book could be used for independent reading or incorporated into a language arts class. It would also be a charming read-aloud selection for pre-school children.  Highly recommended!

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

FYI - I borrowed a digital copy of this book with my Amazon Kindle Unlimited membership.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Review: The Story Of Solomon Bear

This is a story of the unconditional love between a girl and her teddy bear. "The Story of Solomon Bear", by Phillip Laird, is a poignant children's story about an unloved little girl who found acceptance and love from her beloved bear.
Solomon Bear displays boldness and courage when he is separated from the girl and seeks to find her with all his heart. He receives help from some unexpected places but his quest is not an easy one. This ebook will touch the hearts of both children and adults.

A Girl And Her Bear

We don't know the Girl's name. All we know is that her lonely family has almost forgotten the magic of loving. The Girl named her special stuffed toy "Solomon Bear" and they have been together as long as anyone can remember. Solomon is the Girl's closet companion. Girl and Bear promise each other that they will always keep their love alive. This beautiful passage illustrates how Solomon feels about the Girl;

"All he knew was that when she held him, there was nowhere else he would rather be. All uncertainty about who he was would melt away, and everything would become bright and clear and beautiful again for him, when he remembered that loving her was his greatest reason for being."

Unfortunately,  the Girl's stepmother decides that the teddy bear must go. The Girl is too old to be spending so much time with a "lifeless toy".  The Girl vehemently protests and goes running out the door into the forest. She does not come back for a very long time. Solomon grieves the Girl's absence and even questions his own ability to love. He wonders if he really is just a "lifeless toy"? He soon determines that he MUST plan a way to find the Girl.
He receives advice from the other toys to help him in his quest. He learns that he has all the qualities and inner resources that he needs to go out into the world and search for his missing loved one. His determination grows stronger with each toy that he talks to. He learns to believe in himself and the power of love. Solomon never gives up hope until he is back in the arms of the Girl he loves.


My Thoughts
This is a beautiful story about the bond between a child and a toy. It is written in the tradition of The Velveteen Rabbit and The Little Prince. The story is approximately 9000 words long (50 pages) and is recommended for ages five and up. The ebook is not illustrated with pictures but it is illustrated with poetic words and prose.
I found this story very touching and tender. It is about the power of love and everything that goes with it. We learn that love is not easy and difficulties are sure to come. Love is what life is all about. Love never ends.
I recommend this book to children of all ages. It reminds me that a child's love is so very special. This book holds valuable lessons for all of us.


"The Story of Solomon Bear" is available in ebook format at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords.

Disclosure: The author sent me a complimentary digital copy of this book to read and review.

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Book Review: Clutter Cut Inc.

Is it possible to have too many toys?  Are toys scattered all over the house and yard? If you answered "yes" to these questions, this book is for you.

Clutter Cut Inc., by Lester Lex, is a cute picture book that deals with the problem of "toy clutter". These are toys that are no longer played with but are taking up space in the house and yard.

This book introduces children to the process of sorting toys, deciding which ones to find new homes for and then sharing with others. 




The Problem
Cloot had many, many toys - a lot he never used. Every space in his room was full of toys. They were in the drawers, under his bed and scattered all over his floor. Cloot had a storage shed in the yard that was also full of toys. Some were broken and some needed new batteries. It was a real mess.

The Solution
One day Cloot's dad suggested that Cloot should give some of the toys away. At first, Cloot did not want to give any of the toys away. How would he choose which ones to give away? He finally came up with a plan to help him decide.

Cloot gathered all his toys and spread them on the ground. His dad helped him choose toys to give to boys and girls at the hospital. They boxed them up and Cloot spent the afternoon giving them out.

Clutter Cut Inc.
Soon all the kids from the neighborhood were bringing their toys to share with the children in the hospital. Clutter Cut Inc. was a great success.

My Thoughts
Clutter Cut Inc. is a brand new ebook that has been published in digital format by Silverhouse Books. The book is available for the Kindle and the Nook at the price of $1.99.
I viewed this book on my Kindle for PC Application so that I could appreciate the beautiful color illustrations by Guillermo Piloto. He does a marvelous job conveying the mess that was created from all the clutter.
My favorite thing about this book is that it teaches young children how to decide what to keep and what to give away. This is a difficult skill to learn, even for big kids. This book goes through the process of sorting, choosing, boxing and giving things to others. If children learn this process at a young age, it will be so much easier to live a clutter-free life in adulthood.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.