Book Review: Kobee Manatee by Robert Scott Thayer

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

It looks like my son caught the nasty stomach bug that plagued my husband and myself all last week. So I figured since he has a sick day home today that I'd read him a few books. I was excited to see this book as I have always been a manatee lover. Ever since middle school I was fascinated with them and even dabbled with the idea of being a marine biologist because of them. I collected books, stuffed animals, glass figurines...well just about anything that had a manatee. While I no longer collect manatees I'm still fascinated by these gentle creatures.

Kobee Manatee is the story of a manatee leaving the chilly waters of Massachusetts to head home to the warmer Florida waters for the winter. Along the way he makes friends with a hermit crab and a seahorse. The three new friends have an adventure on their way south.

I loved this book. The illustrations were absolutely adorable and the story was one that my son was easily able to follow. Through out the book facts are interspersed. I'm glad that they were included as an aside. It didn't over complicate the story making it easier for readers with shorter attention spans. Yet the facts are there for those who want to learn more or those who are a good with sitting through the facts. I read a few of the smaller facts to my son but skipped reading the longer ones to him. Because of his learning disability I knew not to push it too much and found that reading only a few was perfect for him personally. I did go back and read them for myself and each one was fascinating and corresponded with what was currently happening in the book.

My son loved this book. He loves the color blue and was focused on the gorgeous saturation of colors especially blue. He loved Kobee and loved the journey he and his friends made. His favorite part was when Pablo was looking for a new shell.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Magic Words

I received this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was super excited when I saw this book. The cover alone drew me in. I love mythologies and traditional stories from other cultures so I just knew I had to read this one. Let me first say that the drawings are absolutely amazing! The colors are so rich and there is so much happening that I could spend so much time just looking at them.

The story is rather simple and is about a time when animals and people could talk to each other and could shift into one or the other. It is a very simple translation of an Inuit ancient oral tradition. I think that is perfect for younger readers or those who are delayed like my son.

My son LOVED the pictures in this and kept asking me to scroll back and forth on my ereader to show him the ones he really loved. That right there is a winner for me!

I give this book a solid 5 out of 5 stars!

Book Review: A Child's Good Morning Book by Margaret Wise Brown Illustrated by Karen Katz

A few years back my mother in law bought this book for my son. At that time he wasn't much into reading and would not sit still. Fortunately, over time he has mellowed out and has really taken to being read to. While this book is meant for children younger than my son who is six due to his learning disabilities this is still in the right reading range for him. For most other children this is good for 4 and under.

A very simple book with just the right amount of words. It is not overly complicated so it is easy for children to follow. But what really makes this book are the illustrations by Karen Katz. They are bright beautiful pictures. They have a patchwork quilt quality to them and the little toddlers that are depicted could not be more adorable.

My son really enjoys this book. When asked to pick a book last night for me to read to him this was the one that he picked. I will definately keep an eye out for more books illustrated by Karen Katz as I truly loved her artistic style.

I give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Trailer: My New Teacher and Me by "Weird Al" Yankovic

 Who doesn't love Weird Al? He just put out a trailer for his second children's book My New Teacher and Me!