Bea Reviews The Buddy Bench by Patty Brozo and Illustrated by Mike Deas

Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers
Source: the pr firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 6th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  | * affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A school playground can be a solitary place for a kid without playmates; in one survey, 80 percent of 8- to 10-year-old respondents described being lonely at some point during a school day.

Patty Brozo’s cast of kids brings a playground to raucous life, and Mike Deas’s illustrations invest their games with imaginary planes to fly, dragons to tame, and elephants to ride. And these kids match their imaginations with empathy, identifying and swooping up the lonely among them.

Buddy benches are appearing in schoolyards around the country. Introduced from Germany in 2014, the concept is simple: When a child sits on the bench, it’s a signal to other kids to ask him or her to play.

Bea Reviews My Tiny Pet by Jessie Hartland

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 6th, 2019
Recommended Age: 4+
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository  | iBooks* |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A witty celebration of the tiny tardigrade, a microscopic creature that looks like a bear

Living in a tiny house has one huge drawback--no space for pets. So when a little girl's parents announce that it's time for the family to simplify, downsizing from a huge home in the city to a tiny house in the woods, it's quite a blow--after all, she's grown quite fond of her pet poodles, cats, tarantula, snake, hedgehogs, mice, birds, fish, octopus, rabbits, pony, pig, and turtles. Fortunately, she finds them all good homes, and she has to admit that she enjoys her new simpler life. 


There's just one thing: She still really wants just one pet. 


At first the answer is no. But using a little scientific savvy, she finds one that could be just the right fit--how could anyone turn down a pet smaller than an ant's eye that doesn't need special food or toys or walking, and will always be small enough to squeeze into their home, no matter how much they downsize?

Jessie Hartland creatively blends fantasy and science in a far-out story that bursts with exuberance. Her whimsical art celebrates one very thoughtful, persistent little girl and introduces readers to the tiny tardigrade, with its fascinating array of survival skills.

Bea Reviews Up, Up, Up, Down! by Kimberly Gee

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 7th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon*  | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository  | Google Play | Kobo | * affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Follow an energetic toddler's day with Dad that's full of opposites - up and down, make and break, yum and yuck, and more.


From his first demand to be picked up and then immediately put down, opposites pop up all day long for this energetic boy. Breakfast is no, no, no, yes! At the sandbox, it's make, make, make, break! And jumping into the pool goes from can't, can't, can't, to can!

Kimberly Gee's expressive illustrations emphasize the loving connection between a boy and his father in this clever concept book about everyday highs and lows that is sure to entertain little (and big!) members of the family.

Bea Reviews You Are Never Alone by Elin Kelsey, Illustrated by Soyeon Kim

Publisher: OwlKids Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 15th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository  | Google |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

From the creators of You Are Stardust and Wild Ideas comes a new informational picture book that explores how humans are inextricably connected to nature. This book draws examples from the clouds and the cosmos, the seafloor and the surface of our skin, to show how we are never alone: we are always surrounded and supported by nature. Whether it's gravity holding us tight; our lungs breathing oxygen synthesized by plants; the countless microorganisms that build our immunity; or the whales whose waste fertilizes the plankton that feed the fish we eat: nature touches every aspect of how we live.

Using lyrical text grounded in current science alongside detailed diorama art, this book presents the idea that we thrive through connections to the land and sea and sky, and togetherness is key to nature. It encourages inquiry-based learning, inviting readers to wonder, ask questions, observe the natural world, and engage with big ideas. An author's note at the end offers more insight into the research behind the text.

Steph Reviews Wild Wild Weasel By Salvo Lavis & James Munn Illustrated By Dave Leonard

Series: World of the Weasel
Publisher: Spitball Studio LLC
Source: the pr firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 15, 2018
Buying Links: Amazon*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The weasel and boy are back! Space travel was a breeze compared to their latest challenge: obedience school. But can a weasel be trained? Find out what happens when wild animals go to school, just like kids. Wild Wild Weasel is a follow-up to Once Upon a Weasel and the second book in the World of the Weasel series.

Bea Reviews If A Horse Had Words by Kelly Cooper & Illustrated by Lucy Eldridge

Publisher: Tundra Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 5th, 2018 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

For horse-loving readers of all ages, a lyrical and exquisitely illustrated picture book following the relationship between a boy and a horse, separated then reunited. This is a story about enduring friendships and how language is shaped by our experiences.

The foal is born on a spring morning of sunshine and snow melt. If she had words, she would say willow, crocus, puddle and sky. . .

Red Badger is a newborn foal learning to stand when she slips and gets stuck in a muddy badger hole. It is a young boy who frees her, and his kindness and gentleness mark the beginning of their friendship — though she will always be wary of the ground that briefly trapped her. As the seasons pass on the ranch, Red Badger learns more about her world: Fall is leaf rustle and fence posts. Winter is white hills and long nights. The boy is hay, a gentle touch, playing in the snow and the sweet smell of peppermints. If a horse had words, the word would be . . . friend.

This is a beautifully written and heartwarming story told from the horse’s point-of-view that follows her relationship with a boy from the day she is born, to when she is sent to auction, to the day she and the boy are reunited at a rodeo, where she has become a bronc and he a cowboy.

Group Review of Pet Dad by Elanna Allen

Publisher: Dial Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 1st, 2018
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  | iBooks* |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Plum wants the perfect pet, but instead realizes she has the perfect dad in this charming and hilarious picture book that's great for father's day.

Plum wants a pet. Plum's dad wants NO pets. So Plum, who never takes no for an answer, gets the only pet she can: a pet dad. Dad is a great pet--he loves playtime, tummy rubs, and scratches behind the ears. But every time Plum tries to get him to sit, or fetch, or chase, dad barks NO. Plum doesn't take no for an answer. How will she train her perfect pet (without getting a time-out)?

Hilariously relatable and with ultra-cute art, Pet Dad is perfect for kids who love or want pets--or who already have the perfect parents to make up for it. 

Bea Reviews This Is a Taco by Andrew Cangelose & Illustrated by Josh Shipley

Publisher: Lion Forge
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 1st, 2018
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

This is a squirrel . . . "Hey, I may be a squirrel, but my name is Taco! And I don't eat nuts and tree bark—blech—I prefer tacos!" The natural predator of squirrels is . . . "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who is writing this book? I do not like where this is going." This hilarious send-up of a children's nature primer teaches kids that the most important story is the one you write yourself.

Bea Reviews Sleep Train by Jonathan London, Illustrated by Lauren Eldridge

Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 3rd, 2018
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  | iBooks* |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A perfectly pitched bedtime story and counting book for sleepy train lovers, illustrated in dramatic 3D sculptures!

A little boy climbs into bed with a book and starts counting the train cars in it, between the engine and caboose. "Ten sleepy cars going clickety-clack," reads the refrain. But as the boy counts cars and gets sleepier and sleepier, his room looks more and more like one of the train cars from his book--the sleeping car, of course!

Rhythmically told by the author of the Froggy books, Sleep Train is also stunning to look at. 3D illustrator, Lauren Eldridge, has sculpted an entire train full of intricate details. Part bedtime story, part counting book, part children's fantasy, Sleep Train is a magical ride to dreamland.

Bea Reviews I Am Harriet Tubman, by Brad Meltzer and Illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos

Series: Ordinary People Change the World
Publisher: Dial Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: January 16th, 2018 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  | iBooks* |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Harriet Tubman's heroic and pivotal role in the fight against slavery is the subject of the fourteenth picture book in this New York Times bestselling biography series

This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Each book tells the story of one of America's icons in a lively, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers and that always includes the hero's childhood influences. At the back are an excellent timeline and photos. This volume focuses on Harriet Tubman's brave heroism as part of the movement to abolish slavery. As one of the key players in the Underground Railroad, she helped enslaved African Americans escape and find freedom.

Bea Reviews Me and My Cars by Liesbet Slegers

Publisher: Clavis Publishing
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 1st, 2018 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository*  | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Toot-toot! Cars are everywhere. Some drive super-fast, others are very big, some transport things and others have a siren. Which cars do you recognize? A book filled with recognizable illustrations of the many vehicles around us. For toddlers ages 12 months and up, with a focus on the child’s world.

Group Review of Astronaut Annie by Suzanne Slade, Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell

Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers
Source: publicist in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 6th, 2018 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  | iBooks* |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Career Day is approaching, and Annie can’t wait to show her family what she’s planning to be when she grows up. But, she must keep it a secret until Friday! So curious family members each ask Annie for a clue. Convinced that she’ll be a news reporter like he once was, Grandpop gives her his old camera and notebook to use for her presentation. Grandma is sure Annie wants to be a champion baker like her, so she offers a mixing bowl and oven mitts to Annie. Hopeful she'll become the mountain climber he aspired to be, Dad gives Annie an old backpack. Mom presents Annie with a pair of high-top sneakers to pursue Mom's favorite sport in high school -- basketball.


Grateful for each gift, Annie cleverly finds a way to use them all to create her Career Day costume. When the big day arrives, Annie finally reveals her out-of-this-world dream to everyone.

Bea Reviews Meet My Family! Animal Babies and Their Families by Laura Purdie Salas & Illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman

Publisher: Millbrook Press
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 1st 2018
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository*  | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

What kind of families do animal babies have? All different kinds! Charming text and sweet illustrations introduce a wolf pup cared for by the pack, a young orangutan snuggling with its mother high in a tree, a poison dart frog tadpole riding piggyback on its dad, and more. Featuring rhyming verse and informational text, this book lets you discover just how diverse the animal kingdom really is!

Steph, Liam, & Bea Review Elvis Presley's Love me Tender Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

Publisher: Dial Books
Source: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: November 14, 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository*  | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The king of rock-and-roll's #1 hit song "Love Me Tender" is now an endearing picture book.

Adapted from the unforgettable classic song, Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender is a heartwarming ode to the special bond between children and the adults who love and care for them--be they parents, grandparents, adoptive parents, aunts, uncles, or guardians. With its simple, timeless message, Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender is destined to join Guess How Much I Love You as a baby shower staple. And the sweet, inclusive illustrations make it a book every family will treasure "all through the years, 'till the end of time."

Group Review of If Picasso Painted a Snowman by Amy & Greg Newbold

Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 3rd, 2017 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Tilbury House | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

If someone asked you to paint a snowman, you would probably start with three white circles stacked one upon another. Then you would add black dots for eyes, an orange triangle for a nose, and a black dotted smile. But if Picasso painted a snowman…

From that simple premise flows this delightful, whimsical, educational picture book that shows how the artist’s imagination can summon magic from a prosaic subject. Greg Newbold’s chameleon-like artistry shows us Roy Lichtenstein’s snow hero saving the day, Georgia O’Keefe’s snowman blooming in the desert, Claude Monet’s snowmen among haystacks, Grant Wood’s American Gothic snowman, Jackson Pollock’s snowman in ten thousand splats, Salvador Dali’s snowmen dripping like melty cheese, and snowmen as they might have been rendered by J. M. W. Turner, Gustav Klimt, Paul Klee, Marc Chagall, Georges Seurat, Pablita Velarde, Piet Mondrian, Sonia Delaunay, Jacob Lawrence, and Vincent van Gogh. Our guide for this tour is a lively hamster who—also chameleon-like—sports a Dali mustache on one spread, a Van Gogh ear bandage on the next.

“What would your snowman look like?” the book asks, and then offers a page with a picture frame for a child to fill in. Backmatter thumbnail biographies of the artists complete this highly original tour of the creative imagination that will delight adults as well as children.

Bea Reviews If You Were Me and Lived in...the Ancient Mali Empire by Carole P. Roman & Mateya Arkova

Series: If You Were Me and Lived... 
Publisher: Carole P. Roman 
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review 
Release Date: December 13th, 2016 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Join Carole P. Roman as she travels back in time to visit the exciting Ancient Empire of Mali in Africa during the 1300s. Learn about the varied customs and cultures. Travel to the past to discover what you would eat and do for fun. See the land and its rich history through the eyes of a youngster like you. Don't forget to look at the other books in the series so that you can be an armchair time traveler. 

Bea Reviews The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

Publisher: Kids Can Press 
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 1st, 2014

Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Award-winning author and illustrator Ashley Spires has created a charming picture book about an unnamed girl and her very best friend, who happens to be a dog. The girl has a wonderful idea. She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!? But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right.

For the early grades' exploration of character education, this funny book offers a perfect example of the rewards of perseverance and creativity. The girl's frustration and anger are vividly depicted in the detailed art, and the story offers good options for dealing honestly with these feelings, while at the same time reassuring children that it's okay to make mistakes. The clever use of verbs in groups of threes is both fun and functional, offering opportunities for wonderful vocabulary enrichment. The girl doesn't just make her magnificent thing --- "she tinkers and hammers and measures, she smoothes and wrenches and fiddles, she twists and tweaks and fastens." These precise action words are likely to fire up the imaginations of youngsters eager to create their own inventions and is a great tie-in to learning about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

Bea Reviews Snappsy the Alligator and His Best Friend Forever, Probably by Julie Falatko, Pictures by Tim Miller

Series: Snappsy the Alligator
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 3rd, 2017 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Snappsy the alligator wants nothing more than a quiet evening alone, but a pesky chicken who insists he’s Snappsy’s best friend won’t leave him alone. Friendship bracelets? Matching shirts? The sleepover of the century? Snappsy did not ask for any of the activities this chicken – his best friend forever? – is planning.

Bea Reviews Tell Me a Mitzi by Lore Segal, Pictures by Harriet Pincus

Publisher: Dover Publications
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 13th, 2017 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Google Play | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb modified from goodreads:

A School Library Journal Best of the Best Book
A New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year
A National Book Award Finalist
"A must!" declared School Library Journal of this ALA Notable Book and National Book Award Finalist, now available in a glorious new hardcover edition. Blending fantasy and reality in a big-city setting, three unforgettable and wonderfully illustrated tales recount the adventures of Mitzi and her little brother as they attempt to visit their grandparents, recuperate from colds, and meet the president.
"Thanks to Lore Segal's antic words, and Harriet Pincus's antic pictures, children will find Tell Me a Mitzi a hilarious picnic." — Publishers Weekly
"Author and illustrator have caught the essence of childhood in this captivating picture book. The three stories mix fantasy with reality and are told with naturalness and warmth. The illustrations, so filled with details and surprises they invite repeated scrutiny, have verity and vitality, poignancy and endearing humor." — Booklist
"A remarkable joint tour de force." — The Washington Post Book World
"This is possibly one of the funniest books in print." — The Saturday Review"The fantasy is as real as tomorrow's ice cream cone, the three Mitzi stories more than bull's-eyes ... A triumph." — Kirkus Reviews

Bea Reviews ABCs of Physics And ABCs of Mathematics by Chris Ferrie

Series: Baby University
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 3rd, 2017

Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The ABC's of Physics introduces a new physics concept for every letter of the alphabet, all the way from Atom to Zero-point energy.