Dear Dinosaur: T. Rex On Tour
About:
Here's more ROARSOME fun for fans of Dear Dinosaur! When Max drops by the local museum to visit his dinosaur friends, they're all gone! It seems that T. Rex, his dinosaur pals, and Dinosaur Dora have gone on tour to museums around the world. Max is disappointed that he missed them, but his mom says, "Why don't you write a note to T. Rex? I'm sure he'd love to know you were here." So begins the latest chapter of this pen pal relationship that spans the ages and includes the adventure of a lifetime. The dinosaurs travel to the jungle, through the desert, and across the frozen tundra, with stops on a sandy beach and in a city with buildings so tall that even T. Rex feels small. It's all very thrilling . . . so why does T. Rex have that funny feeling in his tummy? Why can't he wait to get back to the museum? Can Max help him feel better? Like the best friends that they are, T. Rex and Max share thoughts, dreams, jokes, and dinosaur trivia in this heartwarming book that includes real cards and letters to open. (Ages 3–8)
About The Author:
Chae Strathie grew up in the beautiful World Heritage village of New Lanark in central Scotland and he has worked as a reporter and sub-editor for The Sunday Post. His award-winning children’s books include Dear Dinosaur, Gorilla Loves Vanilla (both available from Barron's), The Loon on the Moon and Jumblebum. Chae lives in a small coastal village in Fife with his wife Corinna, daughter Eilidh, a one-eyed cat, two two-eyed cats, a goldfish (full complement of eyes also) and numerous uninvited spiders (eyes: lots).
About The Illustrator:
Nicola O’Byrne is an award-winning children’s book illustrator whose work includes Dear Dinosaur and Gorilla Loves Vanilla, other delightful books available from Barron's. When she was 5 years old her parents banned Saturday morning television, and she has been drawing ever since. She gets most of her ideas for children’s books when she should be working on something else, and bases all of her characters on people she knows. Nicola was born in Swaziland and has lived in Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Kenya, Scotland, and England.
In Emilee's opinion:
I loved Dear Dinosaur T. Rex on Tour. Chae Strathie has proven to be one of our favorite children's book authors and we loved the illustrations by Nicola O' Byrne. This time, Max visits the museum only to find out that the dinosaurs are on vacation. With his mother's help, Max decided to write Rex a letter and find out what the dinosaurs were doing. It was fun to read letters from the jungle, chilly part of the world, desert, beach, and the big city. Some of the letters were real letters that you could open. It was such a creative story. I look forward to more Dear Dinosaur books in the future (hint hint). I definitely recommend them especially for any dinosaur lover.
Sorrel and the Sleepover
About:
Sorrel and Sage are such good friends, with so much in common . . . They like the same games, sing the same songs, and even have the same stripe on their tails! Sorrel is sure that they're so close because they're exactly alike. But after she goes to Sage's house for a sleepover, she's not so sure anymore. Sage's home is nothing like Sorrel's—her tree is big and wide, and she has so many family members living close by—while Sorrel lives in a smaller house with just her mom. Sorrel loves staying at Sage's house, but she's afraid that Sage won't like her house even half as much because it's so different. So, despite promising to have Sage over for a sleepover, Sorrel keeps telling her that she can't come. Will Sage like Sorrel if she finds out they aren't exactly alike? A beautiful tale about differences, and why real friends will love you in spite of—and maybe even because of—them! (Ages 4–7)
From the Reviews:
"Delightful ink-and-watercolor paintings create a cozy, decidedly British, and mostly old-fashioned world. The airy, pastoral feel and engaging anthropomorphic characters keep the tone light and prevent the purposive plot from feeling preachy. The affirming message offers an important lesson about the joys of heterogeneity, so young listeners will likely enjoy making the acquaintance of Sorrel and Sage and pondering with them what makes a perfect friendship."
—Kirkus Reviews
About The Author:
Corrinne Averiss is the award-winning children’s book author of the critically acclaimed book, A Dot in the Snow. Corrinne is a writer of thoughtful, humorous stories for children, including Floss the Playground Boss and Joy. Corrinne spent most of her life being a professional silly person in children’s television; she created the four-time Children’s BAFTA-winning Share a Story competition and has an animated series under commission from CBeebies. Corrinne lives with her husband, daughter, and cat.
About The Illustrator:
Susan Varley is a prize-winning artist who has illustrated many beloved books. Her picture book Badger’s Parting Gifts is one of the most enduring and popular books of all time, winning many prizes—including the Mother Goose Award in 1985.
In Emilee's opinion:
Sorrel and the sleepover was a very sweet story about two squirrels who thought they were the same but learned they weren't exactly alike. First, they had a sleepover at Sage's home but Sorrel felt bad that her home wasn't exactly like her new friends home. Sorrel decided not to invite Sage to a sleepover at her house. Sorrel had to make up creative excuses so Sage wouldn't see her home. Will the two finally have a sleepover at Sorrel's home? Will Sage accept her friend no matter what their differences were? Overall, the illustrations were adorable and I loved everything about Sorrel and the sleepover especially the point of the story. We have similarities and differences but we can make friendship even more special. I definitely recommend this book and I will look forward to more books by Susan Varley.
Spooky Fairy Tale Mix-up
About:
OH NO! Puss in Boots watched a golden egg hatch into an ogre. . . The Three Bears can't sleep in the haunted house because of Ghostilocks. . . Hansel and Gretel played a magic pipe while being followed by Tom Thumb. Or did they? That depends on you, dear reader, and the choices you make. Flip the flaps to create hundreds of spooky, mixed-up stories that feature your very favorite fairy-tale characters. Match the flaps and get ready for the ultimate story generator! This mix-up is so much fun, kids will spend hours finding new ways to create stories so silly, it's scary. This ingenious, split-page, spiral bound book is filled with wacky illustrations and lots of funny plots to pick and choose. The question is, how many funny combinations can you make? (Ages 3–7)
In Emilee's opinion:
Spooky Fairy Tale Mix up was fun to read even if we were a tad early for Halloween. This book featured many fairy tale characters such as The three bears, Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, Thumbelina, Mother Goose and more. Each story had a spooky twist to it and then you could spend hours creating new stories. The only thing I didn't like about this book was the spiral because it was hard to turn each page. I have a similar book called, Muddle and Match and this book is a hardbound with no spirals. It is very easy to open and turn pages. Overall, it was a fun new Halloween book to read to my kids and I look forward to mixing up each fairy tale story.
Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products or services for free in the hope that I would mention them on my blog and offer an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
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