5 Star Children's Book Review: Kangaroo Kisses (Nandana Dev Sen)

Book: Kangaroo Kisses

Author: Nandana Dev Sen
Illustrator: Pippa Curnick
Publisher: Otter-Barry Books (OtterBarryBooks.com)
$17.99-Hardcover // ISBN: 978-1910959008

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It's time for… BED!Not yet!If I tickle Giraffe,she'll giggle and laugh!Then I'll brush furry Bear...Please brush your own HAIR!
This fun and playful book is a lovely mix of fantasy and real life as one mischievous child delays getting ready for bed, and has some amazing wildlife encounters along the way!
Delightful read-aloud picture book from an internationally renowned actress and a Child's Rights Ambassador
Exciting bedtime adventure, full of imaginative play as the child’s toys become real wild animals
A perfect picture book for reading aloud at bedtime – or any time.

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Nandana Dev Sen, daughter of Nobel Laureate economist Amartya Sen and Bengali writer Nabanita Dev, is an acclaimed international film actress, Indian writer and children's rights activist. After studying literature at Harvard, she worked as a book editor, a screenwriter, a poetry translator, and as Princess Jasmine in Disneyland. Nandana has starred in over 20 feature films, is the author of Mambi and the Forest Fire, and a frequent contributor to newspapers and journals. She works with children (and grown-ups) at UNICEF, Operation Smile, and RAHI to fight against child abuse. Kangaroo Kisses is Nandana Sen’s debut children’s book in the UK. Nandana lives in New York, London, and Kolkata (India), and loves to eat, bike, rhyme, dance, and argue.

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Illustrated 

by 

Pippa Curnick

I grew up in rural Essex, UK, and spent most of my childhood climbing trees, jumping over ditches and daydreaming in my treehouse.
I studied at Camberwell College of Art before graduating from the University of Derby with a First Class degree in illustration.
Children's illustration and typography design are amongst my main interests. I draw my inspiration from long walks in the woods, and can often be found scribbling ideas in my sketchbook.
Illustration Clients include: Oxford University Press, Jumping Jack Press (Up With Paper)
Lonely Planet Kids, Crocodile Creek, Symmetry, David Gibb, and Storytime Magazine.
Design clients include Alison Green Books, Scholastic Children's Books & Patchwork Owl Photography.
I currently live in Derbyshire with my ever-expanding menagerie of pets.
For the last two years I have worked as a Designer for a London based publishing house, surrounded by lovely people and equally lovely books. I am now available as a freelance Illustrator and Designer.

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"NO, now I'll kiss you! 

Will you turn out the light, and hug me good night?"

"YES! 

I love you, I do!"

Kangaroo Kisses is a beautifully written children's books with vivid, bright, colorful illustrations. Kangaroo Kisses follows a young girl's nighttime routine and the many ways she tries to get out of going to bed. She goes on so many fun adventures with interesting animals that help her to get out of going to sleep. I loved how the little girl uses her imagination to create wild adventures with the stuffed animals in her room by pretending they are real.

Kangaroo Kisses is the perfect bedtime story for young children and would be great for parents to read to their kids as a bedtime routine. This book shows kids the steps for getting ready to go to bed and how at the end of the day....bedtime can be fun! 

I love the illustrations in this book because they are so colorful and attractive and not to mention that the animals in the book are adorable! The front and back pages of the book are filled with all different kinds of animals and would make for a fun interaction between parents and kids by picking out and talking about each animal. 

I would recommend Kangaroo Kisses to any parent who enjoys reading to their kids at night and who has a bedtime routine that they like to instill with their children. 

I also love the fact that the author of this book is a Child's Rights Ambassador and believes in the rights and safety of children. 

** Kangaroo Kisses is one of the launch titles for Otter-Barry Books, an exciting new children's imprint aiming to make a difference, push boundaries, and publish books that children will love, and which will be welcomed by booksellers, libraries and schools worldwide. **

~ Praise for Kangaroo Kisses ~

"Smiles and wild creatures abound in this playful mother-child bedtime routine. A warm and spirited invitation to dreamland." ~ Kirkus Reviews

"It's full of fun and captures perfectly a child's reluctance to stop having fun and simply go to sleep." ~ Parents In Touch (UK)

"A charming bedtime story in verse that's easy to read and easy to share, with lots of lively and colorful animal illustrations on every page." ~ Booktrust (Largest Reading Charity in UK)

5 Star Children's Book Review & AWESOME Giveaway: Storm Buddies (Melissa Pope)

Paperback, 24 pages
Published August 30th 2013 by 1st Books

Storm Buddies is a fictional tale about a little boy named Tommy who is terrified of stormy weather. Tommy overcomes this fear with the help of three small animals, called The Storm Buddies, who live in a cloud pillow under Tommy's bed. The Storm Buddies have superpowers that help calm Tommy during scary thunderstorms, ultimately comforting him to sleep. 

Click here to purchase Storm Buddies!!

Melissa Pope is a children's book author, and Storm Buddies is her first book. Before becoming an author, Melissa was an elementary teacher. She and her husband have been married for 23 years, and they live with their three sons in the St Louis area.

Click here to contact Melissa!!

I was so excited when I got the opportunity to review this adorable book! I loved all the simple yet eye-catching images within the story that are drawn with bright, bold colors and easy wording that will help hold a child's attention. 

Storms are scary to not only children but adults as well so when I saw this book that could help children to overcome their fears...I jumped at the chance to review it. 

Storm buddies help to comfort children when they are scared due to bad weather and storms. The child can talk and pray with their new buddies about their fears and issues with storms and how/why they scare them. Storm buddies have superhero powers that can help make the child feel safer during a storm. 

I think this is a great book for parents to use with their children that can create a calming environment and can make the child feel safer. 

The storm cloud pillow and the buddies are attractive to kids and get them interested in the book and hearing the story and then once they open up the storm cloud and see the surprises waiting inside then they are happy and smiling at their new toys. 

"Just tell us what you are afraid of and we can use our super powers to help. We will watch over you all day and night. We will be BUDDIES forever!!"

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Children's Book Review: Flossopher and the Brushing Trees (Dr. Mike King & Rick Ellis)

FLOSSOPHER AND THE BRUSHING TREES

An Adventure for Young Tooth Brushers

by “Dr. Mike” King

Illustrations by Rick Ellis

Flossopher knows everything there is to know about taking care of teeth. He lives in the Brite forest,
where his job is to make sure that all his friends keep their teeth clean and sparkly.

Flossopher and the Brushing Trees is an adventure book for young tooth brushers; a children's book that teaches the importance of taking care of your teeth. The Brite Forest is where Flossopher lives with his friends. The evil Cavidorg plots to steal the magic Brushing Crown from Sparkla, the mother of all Brushing Trees. Without the toothbrushes that the Brushing Trees grow, no one will brush, and everyone's teeth will turn rotten. That way Cavidorg's plant, Denture-Con, can make even more fake teeth for the world. Flossopher must find a way to defeat Cavidorg and keep all the teeth in the Brite Forest clean and healthy.

“My favorite children’s book that shows the importance of brushing and taking care of your teeth!”

~Dr. Charles Kaner, Chief of Dental Perio Division, Mt. Sinai Hospital

Mike King, also known as “Dr. Mike,” is a pediatric dentist who uses jokes and magic tricks to entertain his patients. He wrote this story because even though Flossopher and Cavidorg are made-up characters, the cavity bugs are not. And he’s determined to outwit them. He writes screenplays and does stand-up comedy in New York City (performing as "The Fifth Dentist" -- as in, Four out of five dentists recommend sugarless gum, well-he's the fifth!), where he lives with his wife, Sophie, and their daughter, Annabelle. You can find out more about Dr. Mike and his practice at FunDentists.com, and more about his book at Flossopher.com. Check out SidsTreasureDenver.com to explore his upcoming play - The Fifth Dentist: In Search of Sid's Treasure or http://thefifthdentist.com/ for more about his standup act.
Rick Ellis is a cartoonist-illustrator who has worked on several children’s books and is the cartoonist for the syndicated cartoon strip Half Baked Comics. With his wife and five children, he enjoys life and all the beauty and humor that life provides. You can view more of Rick’s work at HalfBakedComics.com.

*Note: a portion of the profits from books sold will be donated to Smile Train (http://www.smiletrain.org/). 

FLOSSOPHER AND THE BRUSHING TREES

An Adventure for Young Tooth Brushers 

by “Dr. Mike” King // Illustrations by Rick Ellis

The Fifth Dentist 

Summer 2015 // Ages 3+

*$11.95-Hardcover // ISBN 978-0-9909484-0-7

Flossopher.com

The first thing that grabbed my attention was the beautiful, bold, and bright colors throughout the book. The illustrations are captivating and keep children engaged and interested in the story that is being told. 

Flossopher and The Brushing Trees is a cute story that teaches kids the importance of keeping their teeth clean and healthy while also engaging them in a cute story that will keep their attention. 

I loved the addition of the interactive game that has children search through the book to find the hidden"tooth-care kits". 

Yet, my favorite part about this entire book is that part of the profits from every sale will be donated to Smile Train to help provide dental needs to children who need it. 

Overall, Flossopher and The Brushing Trees is a very cute story that can help parents introduce teeth cleaning and the importance of maintaining healthy teeth to young children. 

ARC Review: A Work of Art (Melody Maysonet)

Hardcover, 240 pages
Published: March 18th 2015 

Publisher: Merit Press

Author: Melody Maysonet

Shy, artistic Tera can't wait to attend a prestigious art school in France to prove to her famous artist father that she can make something of herself. But Tera's hopes for the future explode when the police arrest her dad for an unspeakable crime. Her father's arrest must be a mistake, so Tera goes into action, sacrificing her future at art school to pay for his defense. Meanwhile, she falls head over heels for Joey, a rebel musician who makes her feel wanted and asks no questions about her past. Joey helps Tera forget her troubles, but he brings a whole new set of problems to Tera's already complicated life. Then, to make matters worse, as her relationship with Joey deepens and as her dad's hotshot lawyer builds a defense, fractures begin to appear in Tera's childhood memories--fractures that make her wonder: could her father be guilty? And whether he's guilty or innocent, can she find a way to step out of the shadows of her father's reputation and walk free? Can she stop him, guilty or innocent, from tainting the only future she ever wanted? "A Work of Art" is a deeply felt story about self-image, self-deception, and the terrible moment that comes when we have to face the whole truth about the myths of our childhoods. 

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Indigo 

Melody Maysonet was born in Alaska but grew up in Illinois. After many years as a starving college student (an ordeal she survived by playing marathon sessions of Dungeons & Dragons), Melody taught English at a community college before moving to Seattle, where (as Melody Alder) she became editor and columnist for Wizards of the Coast’s The Duelist magazine. Then it was off to South Florida, where she edited, researched, and wrote historical coffee-table books. Currently, Melody is a volunteer teacher at an outreach homeless shelter, but she devotes most of her time to writing fiction for young adults. She lives in Coconut Creek, Florida, with her husband and son. Her debut novel, A WORK OF ART (Merit Press) is due out in March 2015.

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"Painting my dad was all about mood. Saturated blue for the sharp odor of paint. Muddy green for the faint whiff of mildew. Murky gray for the stink of ashes. A sparse room, textured like white noise, with crooked lines and lots of obtuse angles. Then in the center, the stretched shadow of a man. That was my dad."

A Work of Art by Melody Maysonet is a deep and riveting psychological  thriller that delves into the dark secrets of Tera Waters life and her family......Tera is an up and coming artist who is about to graduate high school and has won a scholarship to attend a prestige art school in France. Her entire life her father has trained her to be an artist and she has become very talented and gifted as an artist. 

Tera's father has been her sole parent for as long as she can remember. Her mother has depression and has been on medication for years. She lives in the same home as Tera and her father but is basically absent from Tera's life. Tera's father has raised and provided for her since she was born and in return Tera adores her father and struggles daily to obtain his approval and attention. 

One afternoon while they are home the police arrive at their house and arrest Tera's father. They have accused him of an unspeakable crime and Tera is in shock. Tera refuses to believe her father's guilt and decides to cash in her money that she has saved to go to college and bail her father out. Tera is determined to hire a lawyer and prove her father's innocence. 

"Fact One: The judge was not letting my Dad out on bail. 

Fact Two: Mom was useless--more than useless, since she was basically fighting for the other side.

Fact Three: Chase Hardy had no interest in getting to the truth. He wasn't going to fight for my Dad.

and Fact Four: If I paid for a lawyer, I wouldn't have enough money for an apartment in France. Maybe not even enough for a plane ticket."

I opened A Work of Art and had intentions of reading a few pages before I went to bed....I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting. I was mesmerized by the style of writing and how full of emotion this book was. A Work of Art is a debut novel that is edgy and REAL. This story deals with real life issues and how a person's choices can affect everyone around them and how a person can overcome these choices and change their life for the better. Tera Waters is a teenager making all the wrong choices for all the wrong reasons. The reader gets to see how and why Tera makes the choices she does. She chooses to date an horrible guy and the only reason she does it is to try and take her mind off her issues revolving around her Dad. 

A Work of Art is full of tough, hard subject matter that some people may have a hard time reading about...There are some truly disturbing events that occur in this book and at times I just found myself stunned....and yet I had to read on. I had to find out what happened and how the characters involved coped with the results. This is truly a phenomenal, intense book and I am really looking forward to reading more from Melody Maysonet in the future.....

There was a specific quote in this book that really hit home with me...It described perfectly how I feel when I enter a library filled with wonderful books....so I just wanted to share it:

"As soon as I stepped into the library, a peaceful quiet surrounded me. I stood in the doorway  for a few seconds, listening to the hum of silence, breathing in the smell of books, wishing I could hide among the tall shelves for the rest of the day...."

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**The quotes from this book have been taken from an Advanced Reading Copy and are subject to change when the final book is printed. Please refer to the final, finished copy for exact quotes!**

**I want to say Thank You to Merit Press & SoCal Public Relations for the opportunity to review this book!!**