Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too!

This is a nicely illustrated story that is designed to address an issue that children may often feel and to offer some ways to deal with it. In this book, Sir Tim goes to the park with his best friend, only to feel left out when she plays with another child. Sir Tim keeps trying to get her attention, hoping that she will admire him. He continues in his exploits until he finally takes a fall from a tree. At this point, Sara comes over, acknowledges how Tim feels and offers that she and Tim can play with other children together.

This book will work best if children are encouraged to talk about their feelings and the story. For example, how did Tim feel? What did he do? Did he have other choices? Do you think that it was a good idea to climb the tree? Tim did not walk over to his friend; do you think that might have been a good idea?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review.

A few choices for today.

This book is part of a series by Boys Town press that is meant to help children to cope.  In this entry, the reader follows  Blake as he is involved in several situations that overwhelm him.  Generally, he cannot figure out how to get everything done.  The reader sees how many demands he faces and that is just how they feel, like external demands that Blake does not know how to meet.  Blake’s mother teaches him the “three Ps;” these are prioritizing, planning and posting, that is figuring out the order in which things need to be accomplished, figuring out how to each task in steps and putting a reminder where it can be seen.  Adults will see this as organizing and partializing in order to get things done.

Young elementary school aged children will see how Blake manages a bake sale, his chores, his schoolwork and more.  Each time the “three Ps” come into play.  Children who buy into this message will have a useful tool for getting their work done and not becoming completely overwhelmed.  There is a section of tips for parents at the end of the book.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this title in exchange for an honest review.  I am off to get organized now!

There is a lot of talk about immigration these days and there are many opinions on the subject. This book for elementary school aged children is not political although it does serve as a reminder of what immigrants have contributed to the country. Included are biographies of fifteen immigrants. Those featured range from those I know well to people I have just learned about. All are inspiring. Some of those included are Levi Straus (of jeans fame), Mary Harris Jones (better known as Mother Jones, a woman who experienced much tragedy and worked in the labor movement), Albert Einstein, the architect I.M. Pei, the author Isabel Allende and Elie Wiesel, a well-known Holocaust survivor.

This book provides a good introduction to each person and hopefully will inspire students to learn more about these men and women. There are additional resources and suggestions of other immigrants to learn about at the end of the book. At the beginning, there is a short introduction on immigration.
I recommend this title for both home and school libraries. Both adults and children can enjoy this title. I learned a lot. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

From the publisher:

First, the illustrations in this book are so appealing and adorable! They absolutely enhance the text. This book is for young children. It begins by demystifying what a vet does. This will be helpful for children who need to take their pet to see the vet. The book then gives two examples of the vet at work. One case is about a dog and the other a pony. Both animals recover well of course.

I found this book to be very cute and a nice introduction to the field of veterinary medicine. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read in exchange for an honest review.

Some suspense, some romance and some historical fiction. Caroline is for those who like Little House books, The Other Alcott for those who like Little Woman and Marilla for lovers of Anne of Green Gables. I plan to read these three.

poisonedpenbooks.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/bn-dec-19.pdf

The author of this helpful book has been playing chess since the age of five and from what I can see, she really knows her stuff!  This book begins with an introduction for parents that is about the benefits for children in playing chess; they are many but, to be sure, it is also meant to be fun.  The book then covers all of the chess basics, everything from which way the board should be (white square in the lower right corner), through explanations of each of the pieces and how each moves, what constitutes a win in chess and lots on strategy.  There are quizzes so that children can review their progress.  I highly recommend this title to anyone who wants to learn more about how to play the game; as an adult, I also learned quite a bit.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this read in exchange for an honest review.

From the publisher:

So, so many good choices yet again.  I thought A Better Man was an outstanding mystery.  While I have not as yet read, The Weight of Ink, a friend of mine recommends it most highly. The Flatshare is in my TBR pile as is Magic for Liars.  I love the Elly Griffiths series, one of which is here.  I also like Viveca Sten’s Nordic series.  Katerine Reay’s novel was enjoyable.  You can find reviews of A Better Man, Elly Griffiths, Katherine Reay and Viveca Sten titles in my archive.  Happy reading.  Definitely time to stock up as we face the winter.

A few comments:  The Bookshop was made into a movie not too long ago.  Dear Mr. Knightley is based on Daddy Longlegs, the idea of an unknown benefactor.  I adore anything by Mary Oliver.  The Lost Man is one of three books by Jane Harper.  An American Marriage and the Jean Kwok both got excellent reviews.