Review: Crab Cake: Turning the Tide Together by Andrea Tsurumi

Crab Cake: Turning the Tide Together
by Andrea Tsurumi

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 48
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication date: February 5, 2019
Suggested tags: picture book, sea creatures, conservation, baking


From Goodreads:

"Under the sea, a crab follows its heart and its calling, bringing everyone together in the wake of a disaster. Feed your craving for a hilarious, heart-warming story with Crab Cake, perfect for budding environmentalists, kids learning to cope with mishaps, and every young reader in between.

Under the sea, fish do what fish do: Seahorse hides, Pufferfish puffs up, Parrotfish crunches coral, and Crab . . . bakes cakes?
Scallop swims, Dolphin blows bubbles, and . . . Crab bakes cakes.
And so life goes on, until one night when everything changes with a splash!
In the face of total disaster, can Crab's small, brave act help the community come together and carry on?"

Crab is adorable and just wants to bake. (I love him so!) The other animals don't really understand what he's up to, but when trouble arrives in the form of a huge load of garbage dumped onto their ocean home, no one knows what to do... Except Crab! This was a really entertaining story, mixed with facts about sea creatures, a message to be kind to the earth, amazing artwork with lots of personality and lots of details to find, some good silliness, AND some resources at the end for how kids can learn more and help protect the ocean! This was a total winner for me and I'll definitely be watching for more picture books from this author!


Final verdict: I'm obsessed with it! I thought this book was amazing! It's now officially one of my favorite books! I shall be shouting about it from the rooftops for days and I am currently recommending it to everyone I come in contact with!

{ My reviews are honest and my opinions are my own; 

your reading experience may vary, so give it a read and see what you think. :) }

Review: Tomorrow Is Waiting by Kiley Frank

Tomorrow Is Waiting
by Kiley Frank
illustrated by Aaron Meshon

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Publication date: January 8, 2019
Suggested tags: picture book, nature, bedtime, love


From Goodreads:

"A touching, timeless book about a parent's everlasting love for their child--and all of the potential their child has within.

Tonight as you sleep
A new day stirs
Each kiss goodnight
Is a wish for tomorrow...

As a child dreams, their parent imagines everything they will someday be: independent and imaginative, kind and courageous, a listener and a leader. And each hopeful, heartfelt wish is paired with a a promise of love.

Tender and moving, Tomorrow Is Waiting is a modern celebration of the dreams we have for our children for finding their place in the world, and for how they will make it a better world. A perfect gift for baby showers, birthdays, and graduation, it's a book that will be treasured, passed down, read and loved--again, and again, and again."

I loved the colorful illustrations in this one. They depict children having outdoor adventures - hiking, playing, exploring - as well as lots of animals and environments such as forests, the arctic, under the sea, etc. The story itself includes empowering, encouraging words of overcoming obstacles. I personally like my bedtime stories a little fluffier, full of happy things, so this is a little heavy for my tastes for right before bed... But I do think it's a good read for a daytime snuggle or a storytime setting, since it encourages children and reminds them of their strength, even when faced with troubles that seem too big.


Final verdict: I liked it! I thought this book was good! I enjoyed reading it and I would probably recommend it to others.

{ My reviews are honest and my opinions are my own; 

your reading experience may vary, so give it a read and see what you think. :) }

Review: I'll Love You Till the Cows Come Home by Kathryn Cristaldi

I'll Love You Till the Cows Come Home
by Kathryn Cristaldi
illustrated by Kristyna Litten

Available as: hardcover
Pages: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: December 18, 2018
Suggested tags: picture book, bedtime, love



From Goodreads:

"I will love you till the cows come home from a trip to Mars through skies unknown, in a rocket ship made of glass and stone… I will love you till the cows come home.

Love knows no bounds in this tender tribute to the depths of family love. For fans of Guess How Much I Love You—only funnier!

This book extends the saying, “I’ll love you till the cows come home” to the humorous extreme. Along the way there are yaks in cadillacs, sheep setting sail, frogs on big-wheeled bikes, and more, in this great read-aloud.

I’ll Love You Till the Cows Come Home is filled with warm, funny art and rhythmic, romping text, perfect for curling up with your little one at the end of the day...or anytime you want to express your love."

I don't think I can put this one into my own words any better than they did in the synopsis: it's Guess How Much I Love You but with funnies. There are lots of silly combinations of animals and activities, worded in lyrical rhymes and paired with beautiful soft illustrations. After their adventures, the animals settle down to the sleep at the end, making this not just a fun anytime read, but a good bedtime read as well. Amidst all the giggles, it will surely remind children of just how very much they are loved.


Final verdict: I liked it! I thought this book was good! I enjoyed reading it and I would probably recommend it to others.

{ My reviews are honest and my opinions are my own; 

your reading experience may vary, so give it a read and see what you think. :) }

Weekly Wrap-Up: November 24-30, 2019

I like keeping up with book news, like award winner announcements and "best of" lists and new booklists shared, so I thought I'd start doing a weekly collection of news and announcements I have found, along with a recap of my own posts from this week. Hope you enjoy! :)


Here @ PPBN

• Review: Frankie's Favorite Food by Kelsey Garrity-Riley - OFFICIALLY my favorite picture book of the year!

Awards

• 2019 Costa Book Award shortlists announced, including the Children's Book category - the award recognizes the "most enjoyable books of the year by writers resident in the UK and Ireland" (source).
• Voting for the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards is open through December 2! Don't forget to cast your votes for Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction, Middle Grade & Children's, and Picture Books!
  
• 2019 Middle East Book Award winners and honor books for Picture Book, Youth Literature, and Youth Non-Fiction announced - the award recognizes books for children and teens that "contribute meaningfully to understanding of the Middle East" (source).
  
• 2020 NCTE Charlotte Huck Award winner, honor books, and recommended books announced - the award "recognizes fiction that has the potential to transform children’s lives by inviting compassion, imagination, and wonder" in books intended for preschool through age 12 readers (source).
  
• 2020 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award winner, honor books, and recommended books announced - the award recognizes "excellence in the writing of nonfiction for children" (source).
  

Booklists

• Brightly's 13 Children’s and YA Books That Celebrate Native American History and Experience
  
• New York Public Library's Best Books of 2019 announced - featuring lists for Kids, Los Mejores Libros para Pequeños/The Best Books for Kids (Spanish-language kids' books), and Teens
  
• Shelf Awareness's Best Children's & Teen Books of 2019 announced
  
• TIME's 10 Best YA and Children's Books of 2019 announced
• The Today Show's 26 best kids books of 2019 announced
  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to wish those who celebrate a very happy Thanksgiving, with good food, good times with friends and family, and good books (and plenty of free time to read)!

If you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I still wish you a day filled with all the same good things! :)

Review: Frankie's Favorite Food by Kelsey Garrity-Riley

Frankie's Favorite Food
by Kelsey Garrity-Riley

Available as: hardcover, ebook
Pages: 36
Publisher: Tundra Books
Publication date: August 20, 2019
Suggested tags: picture book, food



From Goodreads:

"A scrumptiously adorable story about a boy, a school play and his love for food. Featuring foods from all over the world, this debut picture book will make you hungry for more!

Frankie has a problem: he has too many favorite foods. He can't bring himself to choose just one to be for the school play, so on the day of the performance, he's still without a costume. His teacher comes up with a delicious idea: what if Frankie becomes the Costume Manager? That way, he can parlay his love of all things culinary into the whole production. From adding some last-minute garnishes to helping the rice and beans into their costumes, Frankie shines backstage until he has a brilliant idea and decides to make his debut on the menu as something that combines his love for all his favorite foods . . .

In this funny and scrumptiously adorable story, readers will delight in the variety of foods represented and the clever performances full of silly word play and sweet camaraderie. In Kelsey Garrity-Riley's author-illustrator debut, she shows the joy of food and revels in celebrating the way food can bring people together and inspire creativity."

Oh my goodness. This is OFFICIALLY my favorite picture book of the year! I loved everything about this one!! The story, the illustrations, the food puns, FRANKIE. Frankie can’t decide what food he should dress up as for his school’s play, because he loves all the foods. (I feel ya, Frankie.)

Review: Malamander by Thomas Taylor

Malamander
by Thomas Taylor; illustrated by Tom Booth

Available as: hardcover, ebook
Pages: 320
Publisher: Walker Books US
Publication date: September 10, 2019
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy



From Goodreads:

"Nobody visits Eerie-on-Sea in the winter. Especially not when darkness falls and the wind howls around Maw Rocks and the wreck of the battleship Leviathan, where even now some swear they have seen the unctuous malamander creep…

Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, knows that returning lost things to their rightful owners is not easy – especially when the lost thing is not a thing at all, but a girl. No one knows what happened to Violet Parma’s parents twelve years ago, and when she engages Herbie to help her find them, the pair discover that their disappearance might have something to do with the legendary sea-monster, the Malamander. Eerie-on-Sea has always been a mysteriously chilling place, where strange stories seem to wash up. And it just got stranger..."

I read a lot of middle grade fantasy, but it has been a while since I've enjoyed one as much as Malamander. I think what made me love it most was the setting – the author builds such an amazing city by the sea, misty and mysterious, full of intriguing places and people. In Eerie-on-Sea, there is mystery, there is adventure, there are characters who are not what they seem and a dangerous creature lurking in the shadows that may or may not exist…

I loved both Herbert and Violet, our young heroes who must solve the mystery of Violet's parents' whereabouts while avoiding a sinister hook-handed man. I loved the writing, also – it has that familiarity to it, like a good friend is telling you a great story, but it never talks down to the reader, and the plot is carried along at the perfect pace. I was piecing together clues along with Herbert and Violet and almost literally on the edge of my seat when they made their daring escapes from the hook-handed man.

I devoured this book and am eagerly awaiting the next (Gargantis, due out in May of 2020)! I can't wait to see how Herbert's story continues and how the mystery of Violet's parents is unraveled. I'll be snatching up the next book as soon as I can, and settling into a shadowy corner to lose myself in the mist and wonder of Eerie-on-Sea again.


Final verdict: I'm obsessed with it! I thought this book was amazing! It's now officially one of my favorite books! I shall be shouting about it from the rooftops for days and I am currently recommending it to everyone I come in contact with!

{ Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers for providing me with a free copy.
My reviews are honest and my opinions are my own; 

your reading experience may vary, so give it a read and see what you think. :) }