Dr. Wangari Maathai Plants a Forest

by Rebel Girls

This is another entry in a series of illustrated biographies for beginning chapter book readers. Each book tells the story of an inspiring woman. This time readers meet young Wangari and watch her grow up to do amazing things.

Wangari grew up in a beautiful Kenyan countryside where her mother’s stories and acts taught Wangari to love and respect nature. Wangari eventually left home to obtain further education. When she returned to her community, she found that the environment was under severe stress due to deforestation and more. Be inspired by what Wangari goes on to do in light of this. She even wins a Nobel prize.

This book would be an asset to home and school libraries. Hopefully, young readers will learn even as they are entertained.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Rebel Girls for this title. All opinions are my own.

I enjoy this series.

There are several Dilberts on sale today

Rhymes for children

by Erwin Moser

#WhatHedgehogLikesBest #NetGalley

This is a very sweet book. The rhymes are simple yet effective for young children. The illustrations are so appealing with their many details. I especially liked the flea.

Children and their adults will both enjoy reading this one together. They may then want to look for other titles by this author. For example, try What Cat Liked Best.

Many thanks to NorthSouth Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 04 April 2023

How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World

by Gretchen Rubin

#LifeinFiveSenses #NetGalley

Gretchen Rubin has written what, I am sure, will be a best seller and a book welcomed by her many fans. This time, she focuses on learning to appreciate life through the senses, recognizing all that they do for us, NOTICING them, and using this awareness to have a more meaningful and fulfilled existence.

One aspect of the book that I enjoyed was Ms. Rubin’s sharing of personal anecdotes. Her personality, organized yet open, inquiring yet functioning best with routine come across most clearly through these.

Each sense is carefully explored through a variety of lenses. The author begins with sight. There is scientific information and much about the ways in which Ms. Rubin literally began to see and notice more. Two examples; Ms. Rubin began a collection of objects in one color family and, for another, she began going to the Metropolitan Museum daily in an effort to really LOOK at what what was there. I found that I paid more attention in my life as a result, just noticing the hues of my world a bit more and slowing down to enjoy them. The same is true as each sense is examined and readers are invited in.

This book will be a welcome guide to its intended audience. Ms. Rubin has done it again.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 18 April 2023

FREE

Finding Calm from Head to Toe

by Britney Winn Lee

I love the cover of this book that promises to help kids get to sleep. Using practices from mindfulness, specifically the body scan, this cheerfully illustrated title helps kids to calm down with a nightly routine. It just might help the adults too!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Children’s for this title.

From the Publisher

Are you ready to relax?

Ready? Take a deep breath.	Hello, face.	Hello, legs.	Hello, lungs.

Meet Britney Winn Lee

Britney Winn Lee writes to make room. She is a faith-rooted writer and pastor living in Shreveport, LA, with her creative husband and big-hearted son. She is the author of The Boy with Big, Big Feelings and The Girl With Big, Big Questions and is the editor of Rally: Litanies for the Lovers of God and Neighbor. A lifelong lover of the story of faith, Lee centers her work on wrestling through, dreaming about, and experimenting with how to better connect the church with the world.

A Complete Course in Drawing Plant, Food, and Animal Cuties – Includes 75 Step-by-Step Tutorials

by Jesi Rodgers

#AdorableArtClass #NetGalley

Spring semester has started and with my notebook in hand, I write down important things and…also doodle. This book was perfect for me for this time. It is filled with ideas and instructions for drawing.

I have a tendency to draw flowers. There are so many other things to doodle though, as this book shows. Some of the categories are food & drink, and nature, for example. The emphasis here is on cute and these drawings really are.

The instructions are easy to follow. I recommend this book for those who just want a bit of cute fun that they can create themselves.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 10 January 2023

From the Publisher

Cuteness Tip: Add a Face!

Adding a face to your drawing will give it some personality. Try different expressions to convey a mood. Is your character happy with a smile? Maybe they’re feeling spunky with a wink and tongue out, or feeling in love with heart-eyes, or maybe they’re just a little sad with tears welling up in their adorable eyes.

Draw All Kinds of Cute Creations!

Marvelous Mashups Draw an Octopus Planet, Cat Donut, Snail House, Ice Cream Narwhal, Frog Umbrella, and More!	Fun Food and Drink Draw a Cupcake, Taco, Ice Cream Cone, Hamburger, Popcorn, Waffle, Milkshake, Popsicle, and More!	Happy Holidays Draw Doodles for Valentine’s Day, Saint Patrick’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas!

by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

#KingCharles #NetGalley

Just in time for the coronation, here is a children’s biography of Charles. Kids will learn about the ways in which he is both like and different from them. Interestingly, Charles has had to live with a more clearly defined role than many others who are profiled in the series.

The author gently mentions things that have been difficult for Charles. When he was a child, his parents were often away. He went to a boarding school where he felt quite alone. Also noted is that Charles and Diana had little in common. However, Sanchez Vegara also acknowledges when things got better.

While some of Charles life was laid out for him, kids also learn about things that became important to him on his own. For example, he has had a long standing interest in and commitment to the natural world. Charles’s interest in caring for the planet long preceded current concerns. Charitable contributions are also acknowledged as is his desire to be a good king.

The illustrator does a wonderful job of capturing the look of Charles. He adds greatly to the book’s appeal.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 04 April 2023

The best new historical fiction for February 2023 — a new Andrew Taylor Restoration mystery

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/010c0c2e-b13b-11ed-8771-87233f7ef731?shareToken=d7abe4bb461f4001e3d94b633b0025af