Ballet School Rumours: An Amberwood Hall Ballet School Adventure by Eleanor Dixon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is a beautiful parallel story between two worlds for any young reader. This is a great book for teens reading that will find it entertaining, fun, and filled with great characters.
Ballet School Rumours: An Amberwood Hall Ballet School Adventure by Eleanor Dixon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ballet School Rumours (Amberwood Hall Ballet School Adventure Book 3) by Eleanor Dixon – Review by Maryn Belling
Many readers will discover Amberwod Hall’s students are like their own classmates despite the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean between the UK and the US. The universal languages of classical ballet and modern dance join characters across more than 200 years. With both age-appropriate social foibles (gossip, irritation with younger students) and desires for freedom, even boarding-school students experience natural consequences.
Parents, teachers, and caregivers will appreciate interwoven messages about work-ethic, teamwork, responsibility, kindness, honesty, and friendship. As the adage goes “when you spill tea, it stains you, too”.
Students will enjoy the escape to England with both real academic contexts and supernatural bonuses coinciding with the competitive ballet school environment. It’s an especially good selection for students who aren’t ready for the more mature content of Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars series but have outgrown My Sister the Vampire series.
New vocabulary opportunities for students fluent in US English are also present.
Tags: Ballet School Rumours, Amberwood Hall Ballet School Adventure Series, Eleanor Dixon, Review, Itsy Bitsy Book Bits, Teen, Kids, Family, Maryn Belling, June 2022
Oliver, A Story About Adoption by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
My daughter has a new love for reading and this brought up a great conversation about how every family is different. This book as usual with this author, was done so well, the illustrations were bright and eye catching. WIll be getting this book to add to our library shelve here at home.
Oliver, A Story About Adoption by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
My daughter has a new love for reading and this brought up a great conversation about how every family is different. This book as usual with this author, was done so well, the illustrations were bright and eye catching. WIll be getting this book to add to our library shelve here at home.
Ballet School Rumours by Eleanor Dixon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a fun, paranormal adventure Lauren goes on to figure out who started the rumour about the ghosts. An entertaining romp for the young readers that will entertain them with an easy to read story and enjoyable characters. Laurent’s best friends are ghosts. Can she save them in time? It’s a quick read with positive tone. I enjoyed it and I’m sure my granddaughters will also. I’d recommend it.
Ballet School Rumours by Eleanor Dixon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ballet School Rumours is a fun paranormal fantasy tale and the third book in the series. It is aimed at young readers and early teens 8 – 13-year-olds. Eleanors passion comes from her own experiences with ballet and shines through in her words. Lauren, Grace and Rodney are back at Amberwood and on their next mysterious adventure. It is an engaging story with heart-warming characters.
It is a sweet tale of ghosts and friendships. A gossip column, sinister whispers and a ghost hunt could quickly derail it all. It could turn friends into enemies and broken dreams.
If you love ballet and ghostly adventures you will enjoy this.
Reviewed by @jennadb
Jake the Growling Dog Shares His Trail by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
My daughter has a lot of fears about new places. I have started to read fun books with her that she can relate to. So I was excited to read “Jake the Growling Dog Share His Trail,” with her. It was perfect timing because we were prepping to embark on a small hike on the PCT with our friends. Reading about Jake and his worries, talking to his friends about his feelings, and gaining support from them to help him tackle his fears, was exactly what she needed. We both can’t wait to read the other Jake stories in the series.
Jake the Growling Dog Shares His Trail by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Jake the Growling Dog Shares His Trail (Jake the Growling Dog Book 3) by Samantha Shannon – Review by Janel Bernotas
A cute little story about overcoming fear and worry, and accepting others for who they are…and whether or not they look different from us. This is shown by Jake and his dog pals accepting a new dog friend who has three legs instead of four. A heartwarming story.
.•°*°•. BOOK SPOTLIGHT SHOWCASE .•°*°•.
My school life was spent in a girls’ boarding-school specialising in classical ballet and on leaving I danced professionally, touring Europe, for 4 years. After that I ran my own ballet school in Athens, Greece and simultaneously volunteered as a veterinary nurse, as my love of animals is the driving force in my life. I returned to England with my horse and my cat, and now live on a smallholding in Shropshire with various farm animals and a constant stream of pets.
I started writing while in Greece and completed a Creative Writing Course with the Writers’ Bureau. The same year, I won an annual competition in the Writing Magazine for an adult Fairy Story.
On my return to England, I wrote two children’s books, but my new life, caring for Highland Cattle, sheep, hens and pets, coupled with extensive global travel, meant that writing for publication took a back seat. I continued my love of writing with a daily journal and amusing travel blogs of each trip.
I am now writing full time and working on two series: TALLY AND THE ANGEL and THE AMBERWOOD HALL BALLET SCHOOL.
My first published novel, THE GRACEFUL GHOST, part of the Amberwood Hall Series, draws on my own experiences in ballet-boarding-school and my early teenage life and is a story that has lived with me for many years. It was shortlisted for the UK Selfies Award 2021.
Jake the Growling Dog Goes to Doggy Daycare by Samantha Shannon
Jake the Growling Dog Goes to Doggie Day (Book 3) by Samantha Shannon.
In Book 3 of this adorable series, Jake’s family is going out of town for a few days and Jake will be staying at the day care center while they are gone. Jake is scared about staying at the daycare, as he is afraid the other animals won’t like him. His best friend, decides to tag along with Jake to offer him some
Love & encouragement and helps him face his fears. While Jake is nervous about trying something new, he finds the courage and ends up having a wonderful time with all of his new friends . Even when nighttime comes and Jake is especially nervous. His family packed him his favorite “buddy” Mac to snuggle while he goes to sleep.
Fabulous book written with a heartfelt message for children, focusing on the important message about standing tall and facing your fears—often times turning into an unforgettable adventure. We especially enjoyed the extra information and suggestions at the end of the book to encourage the reader to be kind & helpful.
Jake the Growling Dog Shares His Trail by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I highly recommend this book. Once again we meet Jake the growling dog, this time he is exploring his own backyard and comes across some strange footprints which make him a little scared because something strange is on his turf. Jake and his friends went out together to find out what was going on in their neighborhood. What they found was another dog who only had 3 legs. The moral was that it took them a minute to even notice that the dog only had 3 legs because they were so impressed by his ability and they had not even noticed the lack of a leg. Once again the author includes life lessons for the kids to help them grow.
Another excellent book about Jake the growling dog. In this book, Jake is thrown into something new, he has to go to daycare. Going into a new experience can be terrifying, but with help from his friends Jake learns that new experiences are not necessarily bad. The author again provided some helpful tips that will help anyone to cope with going into new experiences and cope with the changes. I highly recommend this book to parents for the kids.
Jake the Growling Dog by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a really cute children’s book. This is the first book in a series about Jake the lovable dog who growls all the time. The growling can make others feel like Jake is mad or sad, but that’s not the case. Jake is a very happy dog who just happens to growl. The author includes in the book activities for kids to reinforce the lesson from the book. This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it to parents for your kids.
Jake the Growling Dog Shares His Trail by Samantha Shannon
Jake the Growling Dog: Jake Shares his Trail Book 2 by Samantha Shannon
Book 2 in this sweet series was another great hit with the littles. Focusing on the message of the importance embracing each other’s differences rather than being afraid of them. Beautiful illustrations and an even more beautiful message.
Jake and his friends were out walking on Jake’s trail one morning when they stumbled upon some scary tracks. While their imaginations ran wild, they thought of all kinds of scary things that could have left the odd tracks on the trail. When the friends came together to further investigate, they found that it was another dog who left the track, however this dog only had 3 legs. The friends learned the important lesson of it’s ok to be different and that our differences make us unique.
Jake the Growling Dog (Beginning Reader Edition): The Gentle, Loving Tale of Kindness, Friendship and Diversity for Beginning Readers by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sweet story for kids. Beautiful illustrations and even more beautiful message. My son & grandson enjoyed me reading the book to them. Jake is a dog who is often misunderstood, as he is always growling. People think that he is mad, but he really is not—growling just happens for him, even when he is happy. This book outlines to the reader the importance of being thankful & expressing gratitude, as well as being kind to others and even goes as far as suggesting a list of ways to demonstrate each of those attributes.
Jake the Growling Dog Shares His Trail: A Children’s Picture Book about Sharing, Disability Awareness, Kindness, and Overcoming Fears by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Very cute book that is great for toddlers and young school age kids.
this book explores many social situations kids may run into including those thay may look or do things differently than they do. It explores expressing feelings opening up to friends and facing fear, big emotions for little kids!
The wording is age appropriate and the illustrations are beautifully done and my daughter loved them and pointed happily at many. Great book for kids!
Jake the Growling Dog Shares His Trail by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Jake the Growling Dog is back for a new adventure. This time, he and his friends have a mystery to solve on Jake’s trail. They work together and discover the answer to the mystery. I love this book! The characters are cute and friendly. They’re sure to keep the interest of elementary age children. Even though I’ve never read the previous books about Jake, I enjoyed reading this one. The back of the book features guides for how to help kids overcome fears and tips for meeting new friends. It also has activities for kids. I feel these activities and guides add to the value of this book and are useful parenting tools. I recommend this book for parents and grandparents as well as elementary age readers.
Jake the Growling Dog Goes to Doggy Daycare by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This new “Jake” story takes us to this dog’s next adventure to a doggy daycare. Before he is to go to this doggy daycare, this new, foreign place already has given him some anxiety about its new experiences. But with some great support and a boost of positivity, this helps him make it through this new adventure. New experiences can all impact us with an uncertainty of what may come but the great best experiences come with understanding and help along the way!
The author does such a fantastic job, not only in telling of Jake’s new experience, but also in includes a vast amount of resources and guides for children to follow to understand the values expressed in Jake’s story. Children tend to go through many transitions in their young lives that bring about fear and worry. A story, such as this one, helps them navigate to their feelings as well as equipping their caregivers with adequate tools to help them through their journey. Very enjoyable read for all!
Jake the Growling Dog by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
As the author introduces us to Jake, the growling dog, we learn of his fun, adventurous nature exploring the Pacific Northwest forest and his continuous growling. Although for most, growling may sound intimidating and withdrawn from dogs, it is a tendency of Jake’s to growl in all the things that he does, such as sleeping, playing, being scratched, etc. When being asked why he growls for everything, a simple response from Jake is that he is as happy as can be. Not all actions and/or sounds can be negative but instead of the upside of happiness connotation instead.
This children’s book teaches so many vital lessons, such as thankfulness and kindness, that show and demonstrate its value. Shannon shares such insightful activities and resources in addition to the story, to help parents and educators, how important it is teaching, reminding, and following through these actions. In the world these children are going up in, these reminders from children’s books express these ways in actions that do carry on into adulthood and we should continue this past time.
Jake the Growling Dog Shares His Trail: A Children’s Picture Book about Sharing, Disability Awareness, Kindness, and Overcoming Fears by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This very cute and valuable kids book was not only such an enjoyable read but it is such a great and essential lesson for kids as well as good reminders for grown ups. This wonderful tale takes us to know a bit more about Jake, the growling dog, and how his curiosity ends up on a journey of what he finds in the nearby forest. Along the way, this journey takes Jake from his curious findings leading to some worrisome thinking and into a path of new discoveries and friends.
Being an educator and a parent, this is such a great tool for guiding such a thorough lesson for kids to relate and being able to apply it to their own lives. For the value of kindness, overcoming fear and worries, and sharing are such essential values for kids to learn at such a young age and carry with them into adulthood. Even as adults and caregivers, these are such vital lessons for us to be reminded of as our young ones are learning these concepts as well as we model these behaviors in our everyday lives. Children are very good observers and if they see these actions in their everyday lives, it will become a part of them as well.
Jake the Growling Dog Shares His Trail: A Children’s Picture Book about Sharing, Disability Awareness, Kindness, and Overcoming Fears by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Super cute. It’s easy to read for kids. I enjoyed how his friends made him feel safe when he was scared. Shows how people who are different from you can me your safety. It shows a positive side of it being ok with being different from those around you.
Oliver: A Story about Adoption by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I think this is a wonderful story for any child to read I read it with my niece who’s 8 years old and not adopted but she still learned the lesson being presented with the story. And I think it’s absolutely wonderful for those who are adopting to have something to show them that what they feel is totally fine. It’s short sweet and to the point and a very easy read for children. I highly recommend it for the age group intended and for adopted and non adopted children. Four big stars and highly recommended!
Jake the Growling Dog Shares His Trail by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is such a cute book that tackles some very important topics. Jake is an adorable dog, with sweet, adorable friends. They go on adventures, play and make new friends. However, Jake and his friends also deal with some pretty big real-life issues like worrying, fear, being different from our friends, disabilities, sharing and how important it is to be kind to everyone. The author does a great job of using animals and rhyming to keep kids interested. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and so colorful. I highly recommend this book.
Oliver: A Story about Adoption by Lois Wickstrom
SUCH a cute book. Loved the illustrations throughout the book and the message. Both my 10yr old son & 18 month grandson enjoyed the book and wanted me to reread! A true “feel good” story for the littles and would be a perfect gift for an adoptive family!
In the story, Oliver demonstrates that everyone, adopted or biologically birthed to the family, often reflect on what it might be like to belong to another family.
Best quote of the book is located in the opening paragraph: “he is related to his dad & mom by love & law”. Magnificent way to sum up the term adoption
Jake the Growling Dog Shares His Trail by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This wonderful picture book is on another level! This story follows Jake as he discovers new tracks on his favourite trail. The rhyming makes it really easy to follow and the illustrations really bring the story to life. The best part of this book in my opinion is the section at the back for children explaining how to approach sharing, facing fears and not being afraid of something new. This book is perfect for children aged 4-9 in my opinion.
Jake the Growling Dog Goes to Doggy Daycare by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This wonderful picture book is on another level! This story follows Jake as he experiences doggy day care for the first time. The rhyming makes it really easy to follow and the illustrations really bring the story to life. The best part of this book in my opinion is the section at the back for children explaining how to approach new experiences in real life. This book is perfect for children aged 4-9 in my opinion.
Jake the Growling Dog by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This wonderful picture book is on another level! This story follows Jake as he tries to meet new friends being loving and kind along the way. The rhyming makes it really easy to follow and the illustrations really bring the story to life. The best part of this book in my opinion is the section at the back for children explaining how to practise loving-kindness in real life. This book is perfect for children aged 4-9 in my opinion.
Oliver: A Story about Adoption by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a good children’s story. The plot of the story is engaging. I could see reading this to a young child through 2 grade. The characters are engaging and tell a story about feelings. You see Oliver is adopted and he starts to question where he would be if he stayed with his birth parents. Oliver has been sent to his room by his dad, His punishment made Oliver start thinking about his birth parents and what he could be doing. I really enjoyed this book. It was a great way to talk about adoption and how it has made Oliver feel. I highly recommend this book.
Oliver: A Story about Adoption by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was such an amazing book. It is educational for kids, learning about adoption but also learning about how to work through their overwhelming emotions. It is also a heartwarming story. It shows how they are not alone in their feelings and situations. I love reading children’s stories so I can recommend them to my family and friends who have kids, this will definitely be one of them.
By @heather26
Jake the Growling Dog Shares His Trail by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Jake the dog and his squirrel friend notice some different tracks during their latest romp through the trails. The two soon let their imagination get away with them and that leads to them fearing the unknown. When Jake’s friends come to visit, they help him figure out just what could have made the different tracks and face his fears.
This is a sweet and cute story. It helps to show that something different or something new is not something to be afraid off. The story moves at a nice pace and the characters are relatable and likeable. I like the way that is shows children that those with disabilities or those that are different in any way are nothing to be afraid off and they are the same as everyone else. It is safe to be their friends and have fun with them. Also, nice to see the dog who is different being proud and not hiding the difference. This is a nice book that helps to assure children about all these things.