Book Review-Picture Book Sampler

Be A Maker, Dibs!, and Undercover Ostrich, are all picture books releasing this spring. I was sent a digital sample of each book for my review-please note that I have NOT read the completed books. I am only reviewing the portions of the books I did receive.
Be A Maker by Katey Howes is all about making things, and encourages children to be creative and make something new today. The pictures are whimsical, yet very detailed. This book sparks the imagination-a good book for the little maker in your life.
DIBS! is a book by Laura Gehl. The fun premise is that maybe you CAN really call dibs on anything you want! At least, that seems to be how it works for Julian’s little brother Clancy-with very silly results. If you have a sibling in your life, this book will probably speak to you.
Undercover Ostrich by Joe Kulka is hilarious. As in, I literally laughed out loud as I read it. It has a sarcastic, dry sense of humor that fits me perfectly. The book revolves around a narrator that just can’t seem to find the undercover ostrich hidden in each picture-the one hiding in plain sight.
The illustrations are brightly-colored, and the ostrich’s expressions on each page are so comical. This was a fun book, and my favorite out of the bunch. I will definitely be reading the full book once it is released.
I would like to thank Carolrhoda Books for providing me a sneak peek at these books. Thank you!

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Book Review-Never Let Go

Never Let Go was written by Elizabeth Goddard and is book one in the Uncommon Justice series.
Summary: Willow Anderson, a forensic geneologist, is working the most difficult case of her life. A baby was kidnapped twenty years ago, and now it is her mission to find the missing girl and introduce her to the mother she has never known. A mother that only has months to live.
Not only is the case cold, but at every turn, someone is determined to thwart her efforts.
Will she find the missing girl in time?
My Thoughts: I really like the premise behind this book. It is intriguing, and there is plenty of action and drama throughout the story.
But I just couldn’t get into the love story. The main characters broke up for a good reason, but as they are thrown back together during this case, it seems that every time she looks at him, she wishes she was in his arms.
I really wished for some stronger women in this book too. There was one, but all the rest seemed really gullible to the men in their lives.
And finally, I didn’t buy the bad guys’ reasons for what they did-they just didn’t seem plausible.
It wasn’t that this was a bad book-it’s fine. I guess it just didn’t quite do it for me.
I do want to thank Revell for providing me with a free digital copy of this book for my honest review. Thank you!

Wednesday Words

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Book Review-Under the Midnight Sun

Under the Midnight Sun is book three in The Heart of Alaska series. It was written by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse.
There is no need to read the first two books to enjoy this one.
Summary: This book finishes off the series, and focusses on the story of Thomas Smith. Thomas has been with the Curry Hotel from the very beginning. The staff is like family to him. Now that he has graduated from college, he is back to resume his duties at the hotel. But something feels different-does he really still belong in Curry? Why does his heart seem so unsettled?
Tayler Hale has always enjoyed the great outdoors, and she loves her job as a naturalist at Yellowstone National Park. But, with her father’s death, everything in her family has changed. With constant pressure to marry someone she doesn’t love, Tayler decides to leave no trace of herself behind and heads to Alaska for a new job, and a new adventure. She feels guilty hiding from her family, but it’s what she has to do-isn’t it?
My Thoughts: This book was a good conclusion to the series. Although, I do think they could write even more books for this series-there is still plenty of subjects they could cover!
Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse make a wonderful writing team, and the story was definitely well-written, interesting, and the cast of characters with all of their quirks really are like one big family-which makes the book more enjoyable to read.
There was an underlying message of putting your focus on God and not your circumstances that comes through very well in this book too.
My only criticism would be that sometimes the book would switch from one character’s thoughts to another abruptly-making it difficult to determine which character was thinking what. Otherwise, it was a good read.
I would like to thank Bethany House for providing me with a digital copy of this book for my unbiased review. Thank you!

Book Review-Quinn’s Promise Rock

Quinn’s Promise Rock is a Christian children’s story written by Christie Thomas, and illustrated by Sydney Hanson.
Summary: This short story follows the journey of a small owl, Quinn, and her father. As they explore the forest, Quinn worries about getting separated from her dad. What would happen if she were to get lost and be all alone? Her wise father has plenty of answers for her, and begins to teach her about trusting and relying on God.
My Thoughts: My favorite part of this book is the illustrations-they are gorgeous! Sydney Hanson did a wonderful job, and this book is a feast for the eyes. I also really liked how the father used the forest to describe God’s love for his little daughter.
I did think that the story could have been tied together a little better, but overall, this is a good book-especially for children that have separation anxiety issues.
I would like to thank Harvest House Publishers for providing me with a digital copy of this book for my unbiased review. Thank you!

Pinterest Thursday-Valentines

One of the things I really enjoyed in elementary school was exchanging valentines.
You got candy, little notes, and it was just fun.
Even though we homeschool, this is one of the things I don’t want my kids to miss. So, I created my own version of this tradition.
I picked up little mailboxes from the dollar store, and starting February 1st, everyone knows it is fair game to slip a little treat or card into each others’ mailboxes.
It becomes kind of a game to see if you can sneak something into the boxes without being seen, raise the flags, and wait to see how long it takes for someone to notice. Trust me-it doesn’t take long for them to figure it out. 🙂
Everyone has gotten into the game-my husband and I put little cards or treats in there, my mom makes up little gifts for me to sneak in, and even the kids enjoy making cards for each other and putting in candy.
It’s a fun tradition, and I love it.
Anyway, I thought I would share the Pinterest printables I used this year for the kids-in case you were looking for any cute ones.
Here we go:

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Those were all the printables I used from Pinterest-aren’t they cute?
I also made some of my own valentines, which I will try to share next week.
That’s it for me today-have a great day!

Wednesday Words

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