The Long Way To a New Land

The Long Way to a New Land (I Can Read Book 3) by Joan Sandin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There are pros and cons to this easy reader. The cons are that it does not appeal to pre-readers at all. The pictures are few and not very detailed. The subject matter is also above the head of your average pre-schooler. But if you have a beginner reader that is trying to learn more about early emigrants to the United States for a report or something, this is a great book. It is full of facts about Swedish emigrants in story form, making the information easy for a child to absorb.

Punk Farm on Tour

Punk Farm on Tour by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well, this book was not what I expected and certainly caught my children and I off guard. But in a totally good way. I picked the book up at the library because it looked like a change of pace from our normal reads and had fun artwork. As we settled down to read it tonight, the first few pages my 4-year-old was looking at me bewildered. She just didn't get it. But once we got to the song and she realized what they were singing, she loved and it and sang along with me. Definitely some clichés and some references that went over my kids heads, but over all they enjoyed it.

Kindle Version: Punk Farm on Tour

Stuart Little

Stuart Little by E.B. White
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

We just finished this book as a family. The story is written very clearly, so that the children were able to make pictures of what was happening easily in their heads. They enjoyed the adventures that Stuart went on, but couldn't get over the fact that it was just 'weird' for a human to have a mouse for a baby. They also didn't like the ending much, as it was our first introduction as a family to open-ended stories. They argued a bit afterwards about what have must happened, until I convinced them that could have their own individual ideas of what happens. I think this book might appeal to boys more than girls, as my girls thought some of the things Stuart does are just odd. They also didn't like how often we were introduced to a new character and then have them disappear just as we were starting to really get interested in them.

Over all, a good book. Probably one we will read again when our babies are old enough to listen.

The Great Dinosaur Race

The Great Dinosaur Race. (Fun Rhyming Children's Books) by Lily Lexington
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I got this book for free on my Kindle a few weeks back but hadn't gotten around to reading it. I was just settling down to a good book when my 2-year-old woke up from a nightmare crying and shaking like a leaf. Since I already had my kindle out, decided to go with this instead of searching through a dark house risking waking up kids to find a picture book.

This was a good kid's book. The illustrations are nicely done and detailed even in B&W on my old-fashioned Kindle (LOL). I think they're in color if you have a new e-reader. The rhyming was simple enough for my almost 3-year-old to follow along, but also introduced her a few new words. The story was engaging and kept her attention the whole time. It also has a nice little lesson as the moral of the story. It did just the trick for my little one, helping her to calm down without putting her to sleep (cuz I wanted her to go back to her own bed). I'd definitely recommend it to others, especially if you have a dinosaur loving child!

Oh, No!

Oh, No! by Candace Fleming
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We got this from the library today and my kids LOVED it! The animals each have their own voices and personalities along with bright, fun pictures. Not a deep book with a moral lesson, but a good fun book especially if the reader injects a lot of character into their voice.

Kindle Edition: Oh, No!

Never Tease a Weasel

Never Tease a Weasel by Jean Conder Soule
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The kids were kinda ho-hum on this book. I chose it thinking it would have some fun homor about what happens when you tease a weasel. No such luck. There is good rhyming in the story, but that's about all it has going for it. There was no point to the story that my children related to and I was not thrilled with the artwork. Definitely not something we'll be seeking out again.

The Dragon Box

The Dragon Box by Katie W. Stewart
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Okay, so this book is about a game that the main character, James, goes inside of. But is it just a game?

Was this book bad? Not really. But was it any good? Not really. The writing was childish, the storyline too obvious, the humor tried to hard, and the characters were flat. I could maybe see a young boy enjoying this as a quick read, but that's about it. I will say that it was a very clean story, nothing I'd be worried about my kids reading.

Tongue Twisters

Tongue Twisters (Laughing Matters) by Pam Rosenberg
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Meh. It's tongue twisters were only so-so. They didn't even write out the full verse(s) for several of the classics. The artwork was also bleh. Not a bad book, but I've definitely seen better collections of tongue twisters.

Three Barnyard Tales

Three Barnyard Tales (Once-Upon-a-Time) by Marilyn Helmer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a very basic book - no surprises, no disappointments. The stories of "The Little Red Hen," "The Ugly Duckling," and "Chicken Little" are told straight-forward with no crazy twists to the traditional plots. The artwork is large, colorful and a good representation of the various parts of the tales. This is a very good book to introduce these classic stories to young children.