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Go Wild! Sea Turtles by Jill Esbaum

Source: Media Masters Publicity
Hardcover, 48 pgs.
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Go Wild! Sea Turtles by Jill Esbaum from National Geographic Kids offers a look at the sea habitats of sea turtles, including the leatherback, green turtle, hawksbill, and more. Like Go Wild! Pandas, this books includes vibrant photographs and a ton of facts about turtles. There is so much variety in these turtles and what they eat and where they live. The book opens with a beautiful photograph of a sea turtle gliding through the water and a child-like poem about turtles, the reptiles of the world’s oceans.

Turtles live in so many oceans around the world, except the Arctic. The book talks about the turtles’ anatomy, and you learn about how the leatherback doesn’t have a traditional shell and that sea turtles cannot retract their head and legs inside their shells like land turtles can. We learn about how vulnerable these animals are to our own trash, which are dumped in the oceans, as well as how we can help turtles recover and thrive by protecting their habitats and dimming city lights so the babies can find the sea. There are simple things each of us can do, including take a few hours to clean up our own waterways and beaches.

Go Wild! Sea Turtles by Jill Esbaum has a great deal of information about habitats, eating habits, dangers, and human interventions. Like the other book reviewed this week, this one offers tips for parents on how to engage their children in learning more about turtles from writing stories to holding plays. It also has a few games for kids so they understand what they’ve read. Definitely a book you’ll want for your little naturalist.

RATING: Cinquain

We Love Babies! by Jill Esbaum

Source: Media Masters Publicity
Hardcover, 40 pgs.
I am an Amazon Affiliate

We Love Babies! by Jill Esbaum is an adorable photography spread that will melt your heart with cute little baby animals. Esbaum uses rhyme to pinpoint the different aspects of these babies from webbed toes to wings. There are babies big and small, furry and feathery, and all full-fledged cute.

The book is for kids just learning words and different shapes, but my daughter loves cute baby animals (don’t we all). We would argue that this is a photography book for all ages. The images are crisp and detailed, and some are down right fun to look at. Esbaum’s witty rhymes make the book even more enjoyable for younger children — it’s almost song-like.

We Love Babies! by Jill Esbaum is a great way to introduce young children to the natural world, different species of animals (which are all labeled in the final pages), and words like big and small. These images will make you smile, which is another reason just to have this book around.

RATING: Cinquain

Mailbox Monday #563

Mailbox Monday has become a tradition in the blogging world, and many of us thank Marcia of The Printed Page for creating it.

It now has it’s own blog where book bloggers can link up their own mailbox posts and share which books they bought or which they received for review from publishers, authors, and more.

Leslie, Martha, and I also will share our picks from everyone’s links in the new feature Books that Caught Our Eye. We hope you’ll join us.

Here’s what I received:

Turn It Up!: A Pitch Perfect History of Music that Rocked the World for review from Media Masters Publicity and National Geographic Kids.

The high notes and biggest moments in music history are covered in this fun compendium. You’ll learn about the world’s most famous musicians through the eras, from Bach to the Beatles to Beyonce — and beyond. Many major music genres are playfully explained, from tribal, classical, jazz, folk, rock … all the way to today’s modern forms, such as k-pop, hip-hop, and rap. Instruments and sounds are explored, along with places and events in history that inspired the evolution of music. Kids will also get a sense of music theory, instrumentation, and the artistry of distinctive musical styles. Song recommendations help readers open their ears to what they’ve learned. Add to that amazing images, a rockin’ glossary of musical terms, and a timeline that plots each genre on its path from ancient history to today, and this book is bound to top the charts!

We Love Babies by Jill Esbaum for review from Media Masters Publicity and National Geographic Kids.

This hilarious picture book with rollicking, rhyming text reads like a crowd-pleasing call, pumping up readers’ excitement for the cutest baby animals ever. Illustrated with lively National Geographic photography, We Love Babies! presents furred, feathered, and finned baby animals of all shapes and sizes. Whimsical cartoon cheerleaders add to the fun, popping up throughout the book to lead fans in the irresistible refrain: “We love babies, yes we do, we love babies, how about you?”

Wickham’s Folly by Philippa J. Rosen, a Kindle freebie.

George Wickham had no intention of joining the army. However, after a night drinking gin with his friend Tom, he awakes the next morning an enlisted soldier.

He is posted to a small town in Hertfordshire and meets a variety of people. He makes friends with a couple who have five daughters and plans to marry one of the older daughters in order to inherit her father’s wealth. At the same time, he intends to become better acquainted with the youngest daughter, Lydia. For good measure he tries to a young clergyman of his money by fraudulent means.

His plans are thwarted however, and he flees to London. Thanks to the intervention of a gentleman from Derbyshire he is forced to marry Lydia and takes a commission in the north of England.

He is content to be a soldier as long as Napoleon is still exiled in Elba. When Napoleon escapes though his regiment sail for Europe at once.

At the Battle of Waterloo, Wickham somehow becomes a hero. But is there more to his heroic actions than meets the eye? The young clergyman travels to give spiritual assistance to the English soldiers, and it is there that he discovers Wickham’s secret…

Georgiana Darcy’s Secret Letters by Francine Howarth and Pat Jackson, a Kindle freebie.

The shy reclusive sister of Fitzwilliam Darcy loves the wide open spaces of the Derbyshire Dales, where her favoured pastime steals her away from her dour existence at Pemberley. Whilst the memory of George Wickham lingers as a reminder of a past mistake, Georgiana rebels and embraces the writing of clandestine letters. But can she really trust a battle hardened officer to rein back when burgeoned desire wells in the heat of the moment, and dare she risk her reputation for the love of Lt James Dolby, Viscount Welton?

Jeopardy in January by Camilla Chafer, a Kindle freebie.

Sara Cutler loves her job as head librarian of the public library, an integral part of the historic heart of the picturesque mountain town, Calendar. The combination of old books, quirky clientele, and endless reading is nothing less than perfection for Sara. So when she discovers a body in the rare books section that threatens to destroy her quiet existence, along with the imminent demise of the library, Sara vows to find the killer.

She never expects to receive any help from Jason Rees, the handsome, big city developer whose only objective is to get rid of the library. Sara assumes he is counting on the murder to serve as the final death knell his firm needs to demolish the library. However, that doesn’t prevent him from falling head over heels for the very woman with whom he’s clashing.

When news arrives that the dead woman was nothing that she appeared to be, the whole town is instantly enthralled by the concept of having an actual jewel thief in their midst. Even more puzzling is: where did she hide her stolen treasure?

All Sara must do to save the library is simply solve the murder, find the hidden jewels, and convince herself not to succumb to the one man she would rather see run out town. It doesn’t take long before she realizes that amateur sleuthing isn’t as easy in real life as it is in the stories she loves to read.

What did you receive?

Guest Post & Giveaway: Jill Esbaum, Author of If A T. Rex Crashes Your Birthday Party!

T Rex coverIn honor of the publication of If a T. Rex Crashes Your Birthday Party by Jill Esbaum, illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova, Jill Esbaum is here offering tips on what to do should a T. Rex crash your party.

Read aloud tips for parents from Jill Esbaum, author of If A T. Rex Crashes Your Birthday Party!

  1. Put lots of expression into your reading. Try to pre-read books you’ll share with kids, so you’ll know which parts need more oomph.
  2. Use different voices for different characters. This really adds to the fun of silly books.
  3. If a story is on the quiet side or particularly moving, take care to read it slowly, lingering over lyrical phrases and beautiful images.
  4. Stop and discuss what’s happening from time to time, asking open-ended questions – especially if your kiddos are very young and might not understand what the main character is up to. Exercise little imaginations by asking something like, “What do you think will happen next?”
  5. Keep the TV off while you’re reading. When you treat reading time like the best part of your day, little listeners learn two things: a. that they are important and you love spending time with them, and b. that reading is important. A book should always be a treat!

Download the fun T.rex Party Kit!

To Enter to Win 1 copy (U.S. Residents only) — 1 entry per task:
1. Leave a comment about your last birthday part for a kid
2. Follow the blog’s Facebook page and leave a comment.
3. Share this giveaway on Twitter, and let me know you did.

Deadline is Sept. 9, 2016, at 11:59 PM EST.

****GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED****

Teeny Tiny Toady by Jill Esbaum, illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi

Source: Sterling Children’s Books
Hardcover, 40 pgs.
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Teeny Tiny Toady by Jill Esbaum, illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi, is about using your own strengths to solve problems and not comparing yourself to others.  Teeny Tiny Toady is a baby sister to seven brothers, but when their mother is taken by hunters in the swamp, her suggestions are often ignored or usurped by one of her brothers.  Told in rhyming verse, teeny tiny toady follows her bigger brothers into the swamp to rescue their mom.  As they try to push the bucket, they can’t get it to tip over, even with Teeny’s help.  Teeny suggests the climb up and pull out their mother, but her brothers end up falling into the bucket too.  It’s up to Teeny to save the day.

After sobbing and wallowing in self-pity about her inability to push over the bucket or climb to the top on her own, Teeny devises a plan that will save them all.  My daughter and I have read this book several times, and she loves it every time.  We’re happy to see that Teeny is strong even with seven older brothers.  She’s smart and savvy.

Teeny Tiny Toady by Jill Esbaum, illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi, is adorably illustrated, and Teeny is the cutest toad ever.  She’s passionate and plucky, and even when her brothers ignore her, Teeny never gives up.  This picture book sends all the right messages to young kids about believing in themselves and taking a stand.

Rating: Cinquain

Mailbox Monday #367

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at To Be Continued, formerly The Printed Page, has a permanent home at its own blog.

To check out what everyone has received over the last week, visit the blog and check out the links.  Leave yours too.

Also, each week, Leslie, Vicki, and I will share the Books that Caught Our Eye from everyone’s weekly links.

Here’s what I received:

Democratic Beauties by Glen Downie from Tightrope Books for review.

The latest collection of poetry by award-winning author, Glen Downie, confronts and attempts to decode various commercial artifacts of the twentieth century through the forms of prose poem commentaries and found poems. Democratic Beauties responds to these artifacts from the perspective of our current day, as well as puzzles out what their producers may have intended with them. In so doing, the book touches on a range of issues, including technological change, gender roles, notions of happiness and a society that cannot sustain itself without ever-increasing consumption.

Teeny Tiny Toady by Jill Esbaum, illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi, from Sterling Children’s Books for review.

When a giant hand scoops up her mama and puts her in a pail, a terrified tiny toad named Teeny hops faster than she ever did in her life. “Mama’s stuck inside a bucket! Help me get her out!” she begs her big, clumsy brothers. “Don’t you worry, kid. We’ll save her!” they promise, bumbling and stumbling and jumbling out the door. But as the boys rush headlong to the rescue, pushing their little sister aside, it becomes clear: brawn isn’t always better than brains—and the smallest of the family may just be the smartest one of all.  Written in lilting verse.

What did you receive?