I’ve read some great books lately (“Water For Elephants”: book club selection, incredible, couldn’t put it down) as well as some good books (“From This Moment On” by Shania Twain: sad, from her upbringing to her split, but still inspiring) yet I’ve chosen a relatively old (2008) title to share with you today. I’m sure you’ve […] Read more…
Nick Bland Kids’ Books From Scholastic: Giveaway
Your kids would love Nick Bland’s books. An Australian author and illustrator, he does fantastic work, with stories appealing to a range of ages. Three of my favourites, courtesy of Scholastic Canada: A Monster Wrote Me a Letter: This is a great resource for teaching point of view. We can easily relate to the little boy’s anxiety about […] Read more…
Kids Books: Anastasia’s Newest Picks
My nine year old niece “Anastasia” (her self-chosen pseudonym) has both the honour and the responsibility of reading and reviewing books that come my way which are geared to kids in her age bracket. Here she shares a few of her recent favourites: Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry Summary: Hildegarde, a mouse, sent all of the mice […] Read more…
Wednesday Words
This week’s “Wednesday Words” come from my book club’s latest selection: Little Bee by Chris Cleave The first words that struck me were actually on the book jacket: “We don’t want to tell you too much about this book. It is a truly special story and we don’t want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need […] Read more…
What I Learned From Brooke Burke’s “The Naked Mom” – And a Giveaway!
Giveaway open to Canada and U.S. Part of me didn’t want to like “The Naked Mom”. I knew Brooke Burke as the host of Dancing With the Stars, as well as a media mogul with a website – ModernMom – and a ridiculously high number of Twitter followers (1,775,785 as of this writing, though she […] Read more…
Review Roundup: Treats and Reads
The best of the best that I have to share today: Two great books and a treat to enjoy with them! Reese Minis When I was contacted by the PR rep for this new product, I replied within minutes and told her “you had me at Reese”! These treats are delicious yet dangerous: the Reese […] Read more…
Scholastic Review and Giveaway: Kids Cooking and More Pies!!
Giveaway open to Canadians. I’ve made it clear before that I’m not much of a cook. I don’t enjoy it, I like meals that are easy to prepare and clean up, and preferably containing only grains, dairy products, and select meats. I realize that I do not want to pass these issues on to my daughters, so […] Read more…
The Everyday Advocate: Standing Up For Your Child With Autism or Other Special Needs
Let’s start with the bottom line: if you have a child with autism or other special needs, you must read the hot-off-the-press “The Everyday Advocate: Standing Up For Your Child With Autism of Other Special Needs” by Areva Martin. The absolute only issue I can find with the book is that it’s American, and therefore the legislation, School Board […] Read more…
Book Blitz: Recommended Reading For Moms and Kids
Need some Spring reading material? Here’s a snapshot of some of the best books to come through my post office lately: FOR KIDS: Won’t You Be My Kissaroo (written by Joanne Ryder, illustrated by Melissa Sweet) The version I received is a “Send a Story”, which means there’s a spot for an address on the back, […] Read more…
Kids’ Books: Anastasia’s Picks
I receive tons of great (and some not-so-great) children’s books to review, and I usually focus on titles that best suit my daughters’ ages and interests. Recently I decided that some of the books for older kids deserve a mention, so I have enlisted my beautiful, avid-reading nine year old niece “Anastasia” (she got to […] Read more…