Meet Me at the Farmers Market

Meet Me at the Farmers Market

Author: Lisa Pelto

Illustrator: Paula S. Wallace

Publisher: Reading is Key Publishing

Publication Date: June 17, 2017

Length: 33 Pages

Suggested Level: Grades PreK - 3





About the Author
Lisa Pelto has been working with authors and small publishers as a publishing consultant and author services provider for over three decades. In Spring and Summer, she opens a booth at Farmers Markets and other festivals, and she loves sharing her authors' books with as many people as possible each weekend. 

It's Fun to Eat Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Learning Objective: Children will be made aware of where to find fruits and vegetables ( grocery store, fruit and vegetable stand, farmers market and garden.)

Seven-year-old Sophia and her mother grab their reusable grocery bags and travel to the farmers market each weekend in the spring, summer and fall. Sophia's mother has a long list of handmade and homegrown items that she wants to purchase.

Sophia loves to meet her friends at the farmers market and explore the many vendor's tables of delicious fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs and meat. 

The market is much more than just a place to buy food. There are musicians entertaining the shoppers, face painting and balloon animals. The children visit "Annie's Treat's" to buy yummy popsicles and ice cream cones to beat the heat.

At the end of the day, Sophia and her mother leave the market with bags full of fresh food that will last them until their next visit.

My Thoughts  
This is an informative and entertaining book about an outing to the farmers market. The market is much more than just a place to buy food. It is also a place to meet friends and have fun. 

The beautiful watercolor illustrations add great value to the text. I read this book on a 7" Kindle e-reader. The formatting is excellent and allows the pictures to be "pulled out" to fill the entire sceen.

There is a large sign at the entrance of the market that says "Support Local". This book introduces children to an alternative to the common grocery store. 
All the food in the farmers market is grown by farmers in close proximity to the market. This guarantees freshness and quality that might not be available at the grocery store.

If you would like take a virtual tour of a farmers market, watch this video on YouTube:
KidVision Pre-KFarmers Market Field Trip.

This is a perfect summer-time selection for young readers.

MY RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5

FYI ~ I received a free digital copy of this book during a special promotion on Amazon.com.

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Monsters, Goblins, Trolls, Zombies and More Scary Stuff - Kindle Book for Kids

Title: Don't Ever Look Behind Door 32

Author: B.C.R. Regan

Illustrator: Lenny Wen

Publisher: Teleblade Press

Publication Date: March 14, 2018

About the Author

BCR Fegan is a multi-award-winning author who has written a number of fairy tales and fantasies for children and young adults.

Monsters, Goblins, Trolls, Zombies and More Scary Stuff

This story begins with a picture of two wide-eyed children standing in front of a huge magical castle. Welcome to the Hotel of Hoo. Mr. Nicholas Noo escorts the children to their room number 1. 

Mr. Noo encourages the children to explore the hotel. However, the children are warned to never look behind door 32. The curious children explore rooms number 2 - 31. They discover a wide array of colorful creatures, monsters and treasures.

Will the children look behind the forbidden door 32? What will they find there?

My Thoughts

What happens when you tell a child NOT to look at something?

The banned subject is much more appealing to a curious child. 

The children in this story are fearless explorers. They discover an entire world of delightful and frightful characters behind the doors of the Hotel of Hoo. Some of the discoveries are fun but some have them running for safety. There is a surprise behind each door!

This is a counting book in two different ways. The rooms are numbered from one to 32. When you go inside the room, you find a matching number of items to count. For example, when you open door number five, you find five dancing zombies. When you open door number 30, you find two old trolls who have a total of 30 spines protruding from their bodies.

I read a digital copy of this book on a 7" Kindle screen. The formatting is excellent. The details of the illustrations are captured in the digital edition and the rhyming text is an appropriate size for easy reading.

This book is designed to entertain and educate children. I am very impressed with the quality and presentation of this book. Children will read it over and over again...discovering new details in each reading.

Oh, what or who is behind door 32? Children will discover the answer to this question when they read the book.

MY RATING: 5 Stars Out of 5

FYI ~ I received a free digital copy of this book from Teleblade Press in exchange for a fair review.

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The Pillow Parade Teaches Children About Passion and Resilience - A Book Review

The Pillow Parade: Children's Bedtime Book

Author: Edward Dron

Illustrator: Hong Anh

Publisher: Noisy Orchard Press

Publication Date: December 9, 2017

Length: 38 Pages


About the Author
Ed Dron enjoys writing fun little stories that capture a child’s short attention span. He loves the challenge of condensing a story into as few words as possible, without losing its charm or narrative.

Ed believes that, first and foremost, a children’s book needs to be fun. It should not only nurture their curiosity but also spark a lifelong love of books and reading.

No Sleep - No Problem!
Olive the rabbit loves to leap and bounce all over the place. One day, she meets a sheep and challenges him to a race. He does not have time to race because he is late to his jumping club.

Members of the Pillow Parade Jumping Club jump over a fence to help children fall asleep at night. Everyone knows that counting sheep will make you sleepy, right?

Olive wants to join the jumping club because of her passion for jumping and her desire to help the children. Unfortunately, only sheep are allowed to join the jumping club. Olive is a rabbit and would not be accepted in this exclusive club for sheep.

Olive does not let this rejection get her down and she does not give up. She BOUNCES into action and hatches a great plan for helping children who are not able to see the sheep jumping over the fence because they live in a tall apartment building.

But, Olive did not pout or cry.
She simply smiled and waved goodbye.
And as a clever bunny would,
She had a plan that was quite good.

Olive becomes an honorary member of the Pillow Parade Jumping Club because of her great jumping skill and her kind heart.

Never Give Up Until You Are Proud
This book illustrates a wonderful growth mindset and the power of passion, perseverance and resilience. 

The rhyming text is fun and the beautiful color illustrations provide value to the story. I read a digital version of this book on a 7" Kindle ereader and the formatting is very good.  

This book is a bedtime story for children and so much more. Rejection is very difficult to deal with for children (and adults). We all want to be accepted and embrace a feeling of belonging. When Olive was not allowed to join the Pillow Parade Jumping Club, she immediately started thinking about "Plan B". She did not waste time feeling sorry for herself or getting revenge on those who rejected her. She "had a plan that was quite good."

I highly recommend this book for children of all ages.  

My Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS

FYI ~ The author sent me a free digital copy of this book and asked me for an honest review. 

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A Wish to be a Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe - A Review

A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree

Author: Colleen Monroe

Illustrator: Michael Glen Monroe

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press

Publication Date: December 1, 2011

Length: 32 pages. 


About the Author
This book contains illustrations by wildlife artist Michael Monroe and text from his wife, Colleen Monroe.

A Christmas Wish
An old tree on a Christmas tree farm is disappointed because he has never been chosen to go home with a family and be a decorated Christmas tree. He sees his sisters and brothers, daughters and sons, grandkids and great grandkids picked, one by one.

He is sobbing because he believes his dream has passed him by.

However, unknown to the old tree, he has some grateful friends in the forest. The squirrel finds his branches safe and warm. A cardinal says the tree keeps him safe from the wind.

A white-tale deer says the tree he is needed because he provides him with a soft bed of pine needles to lie down and rest.

The tree learns that he is much more than a Christmas tree to his forest friends. He is needed and appreciated all year long.

My Thoughts
The tree IS NOT too old to have a purpose in life. The animals in the forest let the tree know that he has been loved and appreciated all along. This story is about friendship and letting our loved ones know how much they mean to us. What a wonderful Christmas message! 

This story reminds me of the popular Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life. We have no idea how significantly our lives affect others. The old tree thought he was a failure, but he was pleasantly surprised when his friends expressed their heartfelt gratitude.

I read this book on my Kindle and the formatting is very good. The illustrations are outstanding and large enough to see the details. 

I borrowed this ebook from the Prime Reading program available to subscribers of Amazon Prime. This book would make an excellent addition to your child's Kindle e-reader on Christmas morning. 

Highly recommended for children of all ages!

5 STARS OUT OF 5

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Kindle Books For Kids: Hurry Up and Wait!

Hurry Up and Wait!

Author: Mark Carraway
Illustrator: Julius Tabiolo

Publisher: Fox Valley Media

Date: March 25, 2012





About The Author
Mark R. Carraway is a part-time author and full-time parent of three children.

The Concept Of Waiting
A little girl learns what it means to "wait" as she goes through her day.

The story begins with the young girl waking up. She has waited all night for the rising of the sun. She has to wait to brush her teeth because someone is in the bathroom. She has to wait while her mother packs her lunch for school. There is much, much more waiting at school.

At the end of the day, the little girl waits for her father to read a bedtime story and tuck her into bed. The story has a poignant ending with the father and girl looking at the setting sun and realizing that waiting is sometimes a good thing.

My Thoughts
The concept of "waiting" is difficult for most children to understand. They want something and they want it to happen NOW!

This story helps a child understand that patience and waiting is part of life.  Waiting is necessary for our safety and well-being. Sometimes we have to wait because there are others in front of us. Sometimes we have to wait because we could suffer harm if we act in haste.

The color illustrations are excellent and the formatting for the Kindle Fire is outstanding. I read the book on my Kindle Fire HD and enjoyed the double-page layouts that resemble a real book. This book is a great fit for the landscape orientation on the Kindle Fire. Each page features a full-page illustration with two lines of rhyming text.

I highly recommend this book for pre-school and early elementary age children.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

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