No One Could See the Flea by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Jack is talking his dog Shank for a walk. Shank stops to scratch his ear so Jack checks for a flea. But no one could see the flea. In the end Jack and his friends went to the vet and the mystery was solved. This is such a fast, cute read with great detail to illustrations.
“ABSURD,” SAID BIRD.: A mouse plans a trip to the moon. by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mouse wants to fly to the moon and bring back the cheese. Full of plans of how to get there, the only hitch is the Bird who constantly tells him his idea is absurd. Will his plan work?
This was a fun story. I liked that Mouse had a definitive idea of what he wanted to do but at the same time Bird had a logical idea of why this would not work. Great story for kids to interact with.
Word Play by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Joe is starting school and learning to read. After not getting to it in class, Joe decides to look elsewhere for help to learn to read. Joe learns it takes time to learn to read. This is a great story for little ones. It’s shows them to be patient while learning new things and also strangers are not always very nice people. A quick read with excellent illustrations.
Word Play by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Joe is excited to learn how to read. He believes that by looking at the letters, he will automatically be able to read by the end of the day. Will he? Follow Joe as he explores a world of peculiar shapes and sizes and embarks on his journey to mastering his letters in order to form words.
This delightful adventure picture book is simple to read and tells an imaginative story filled with excitement and humour. Aimed at children as young as 2 years old, it’s a great way to introduce them to letters.
The illustrations by Greg David breathe life into the story and help children to visualize, recognize, and engage with the book.
Reviewed by @jennadb
Word Play by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I fell in love with this book. The little guy wants to learn to read and he feels he can do it quickly. He’s a little boy that takes after my own love of reading. This is a sweet story that warms the heart and is perfect for storytime. My favorite part is BEA (not BEE). Beautiful illustrations that grab the attention. A must for every kiddo’s collection
Word Play by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a really cute story of Joe, an extremely eager kiddo who really wants to learn how to read. I loved how enthusiastic Joe’s character is about reading and the explanation he gets after his adventures about how learning to read takes time. I also really appreciate the diversity represented in this book. The illustrations are great and go really well with the story. This is a great read if you have kiddos who are learning how to read or maybe starting to learn and may be a little frustrated with their progress.
Reviewed by @meggs1717
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Click here to view the Book Trailer for Word Play by Tricia Gardella
Tricia Gardella is an award-winning author whose picture book ideas are inspired by family, friends, traditions, and travel. Her diverse hobbies include canning, cooking, knitting, rug-making, and gardening, but writing remains her true passion. After a twenty-year hiatus, Tricia is thrilled to return to the literary world. In the 1990s, she published several books traditionally, before pausing her writing career to open an ice cream parlor. Tricia holds a BA in Ancient History and Classical Archaeology. She lives in Central California with her two self-centered cats and draws inspiration from her three children, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
“ABSURD,” SAID BIRD.: A mouse plans a trip to the moon. by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“Absurd” Said Bird is part of the Mouse Traveler series of kids books, but the only I have read. It is a cute and fun children’s book, with bright, colorful illustrations. There is a little bit of rhyming from each of the barnyard animal friends. Mouse has dreams to make it to the moon, and he need’s his friend’s help! They work together to build an airplane, gathering parts and pieces from a pile of trash. But, will that plane make it to the moon? Let’s see!
Reviewed by @way2gosmartguy
“ABSURD,” SAID BIRD.: A mouse plans a trip to the moon. by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mouse decides he wants to prove the moon is made of cheese so he recruits all the barn animals to help him with his plan to get there. He promises to bring back cheese for anyone who helps him. Meanwhile bird is trying to tell mouse that his plan just isn’t going to work. Mouse doesn’t find out why until after his plan fails. Then bird explains and decides to help him with his next plan. Great lesson in not giving up after failing on your first attempt. Great illustrations as well.
Dinopotamus Solves a Mystery by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book. It is part of a series about Dinopotamus and how he interacts with his friends. I love how this series shows inclusion of Dinopotamus who is different than the others. The children are not scared of Dinopotamus and they learn from him and make sure he is included in all of the activities. I recommend this book and series for children who love to read.
Dinopotamus Solves a Mystery by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
My Littles have come to enjoy this series alot. In this Installment of the Dinopotamus story he was trying to help the kids Solve the Mystery of the warm sleeping spot. I thought he had a clever way of trying to communicating with his fellow students🥰 I had the oldest little one take over reading tonight and he had not problem with the words and the flow was prefect for him. Again I love the hand drawn look. I can’t wait to read more of this series And from this author!! I highly recommend reading this series if you haven’t yet.
No One Could See the Flea by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
4 Stars
No One Could See the Flea Tricia Gardella is an illustrated children’s picturebook with a cute story that my grandchildren thought was fun. The illustrations are bright, colourful, and engaging- which made the ‘adventure’ come to life.
What happens when Shank, the dog, gets an itch? We join in as his owner, Jack, tries everything that he, and his friends, can come up with to rid Shank of his fleas. What ensues turns into a bit of a crazy romp…
Looking forward to more stories from Tricia Gardella.
Highly recommended.
Happy Reading!
Reviewed by @angelahayes
Dinopotamus Solves a Mystery by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a cute experiment book for kids. The draws resonated towards my kids when I read this because it was in a style that they would be drawing right now, they were super excited that they even draw some pictures of there to go with the book after. The illustrations did go very well this book, and really made the story more vivid to what was going on. This follows a dinosaur that wonders why the ground around him gets warm, the examples and experiments that they go thou were very interesting to read about and how the figure out why the grounds hot. Great kids’ book, I like books that my kids can make up their own ideas on what’s going on and their ideas to figure something out.
Raccoon Reunion by Terri Sabol
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Rocky is a raccoon who lives in the city, and today he has been invited to a family reunion at his grandmother’s house and he is a bit nervous.
He has never met the other members of his family and has no idea what it will be like, but he is still only young, so he heads out with the rest of his household.
As soon as they arrive Rocky is introduced to so many family members, he is never going to remember all of their names, so when they start playing games, he feels left out.
Will Rocky be able to find his voice and join in with the rest of his family, or will his nerves get the better of him in the end? This is a wonderful story which talks about growing up, family dynamics, emotions and how kindness and helping others can make a huge difference in their lives.
Reviewed by @roxsannel
Raccoon Reunion by Terri Sabol
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Quick read that packs some powerful messages for kids. After reading this story I can see how this book could be helpful for kids with anxiety and kids that have a hard time understanding their big emotions. Super helpful for parents too! Will be recommending this to my daughter-in-law for my grands.
Raccoon Reunion by Terri Sabol
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
My family loves it when I bring a book by this author home! We have read several of their books, so we grabbed this one up right away. This was an incredibly helpful read at this point because both of my kiddos have quite a bit of anxiety and really struggle to talk to people they don’t see often. Rocky the Raccoon was a very relatable character for them (and for me!) so we were all drawn in. This book sparked a great conversation in our home about ways we can manage anxiety, connect with people, and be courageous! I highly recommend picking this up to share with the younger ones in your life at home or at school. I bet you’ll end up enjoying it just as much!
Reviewed by @shannlynn
No One Could See the Flea by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Poor Shank!! Jack and Shank are out for a walk when Shank gets an itch. Jack thinks what any reasonable pet owner would, and that is that Shank must have a flea. Jack goes through several “home remedies”, some of which are pretty humorous, before deciding to leave this mystery to the hands of the professionals.
Kids will love the humor in this book!! Just make sure they understand good pet ownership and that not all of these recommendations should be tested out. The illustrations are also very well done and give way to more humor in the story. I highly recommend adding this one to your personal library!
Raccoon Reunion by Terri Sabol
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a cute little story about a family of raccoons that travel to meet their relatives. I enjoyed the story because it showed how sometimes an individual can feel left out but if you give it a chance you can start to enjoy yourself. It is a cute little story that I think many kids will enjoy. I recommend this story to children who want to read.
Raccoon Reunion by Terri Sabol
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a cute a quick little kids book. It’s a good lesson for kids about every one being good at different things. Learning new ways to work as a team. The illustrations are so cute and well done. I read this to our two year old and while it’s probably a bit advanced reading wise he really liked the pictures and pointing out items he’s starting to recognize. We really liked this for our bedtime story and highly recommend it. Five stars.
“ABSURD,” SAID BIRD.: A mouse plans a trip to the moon. by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Absurd,” Said Bird : A Fun Children’s Adventure About a Mouse Who Dreams of Travel (Mouse Traveler) by Tricia Gardella. This is a cute, short book about a mouse who wants to fly to the moon. I read it with my 6 year old nephew and we loved it. While Mouse enlists his barnyard friends to help him build a plane his friend bird tells him he’s “Absurd” to think he can pull this off. With imagination, friends and a will to do something, anything can happen! Such a cute story with so many lessons like never giving up on your dreams. Get this super fun book for your young friends and families!
Dinopotamus Solves a Mystery: A scientific method book by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Dinopotamus Solves a Mystery (Dinopotamus Series) by Lois Wickstrom. This is another amazing installment by Lois Wickstrom. I love all of her books. My 6 year old nephew and I read this together and we both loved it. Its about Dinopotamus discovering that when he gets up from where he has been sitting its warm so he leaves it for the other children to take a nap. So the whole class sets out to discover where the warm spots are. Trying to fit in is hard but with this one thoughtful thing Dinopotamus makes friends with the whole class. These books are so cute and sweet and always have a real life lesson in them. They make wonderful gifts for families or teachers too. My nephew and I are super fans of this author!
No One Could See the Flea by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Is just an itch? Jack and his friends go down a rabbit hole before finding the evidence and poor ol’ Shank is on the receiving end. My grandsons enjoyed it and enjoyed Shank’s misadventures.
No One Could See the Flea has a unique storyline with lots of things for children to examine, learn and wonder about. It is an entertaining and imaginative children’s picture book that brings laughter at the antics and goings on.
The illustrations by Michele Katz are fun and engaging and help to bring this adventure tale to life.
Looking forward to reading more of Tricia’s work.
Reviewed by @jennadb
Dinopotamus Solves a Mystery by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It’s nap time at school and Dinopotamus hears the other students talking about how the floor is warm where Dinopotamus is napping. Why is the floor always warm where he lays and not where the other kids lay? This is the mystery Dinopotamus wants to solve. Another cute children’s book!
Reviewed by Terri Jo McAllister
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“ABSURD,” SAID BIRD.: A mouse plans a trip to the moon. by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am always looking for cute books to contribute to my granddaughter’s library. This is a cute one that I think she will enjoy. Her Mom can read it to her now and when she gets a little older she can read it for herself. The picture’s are pretty and she will enjoy them.
Mouse wants the barnyard friends to help him build an airplane so that he can fly it to the moon. If they help him get the pieces and make the plane, he will bring them back some cheese.
No One Could See the Flea by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the really cute story of Shank the dog and Jack (his owner) and possible fleas. I love the illustrations and how colorful and bright they are and how well they follow and go along with the story. I also really love how each concoction is funny and different and how everyone is trying to help Shank with his “flea” and the ending is funny. This is a really cute story to add to your rotation with your kiddos.
Reviewed by @meggs1717
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Tally and the Angel, The Sands of Time: Thrilling Middle Grade fantasy adventure where Greek Myths come alive! by Eleanor Dixon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the fourth book in the Tally and the Angel series, and I think it is my favorite so far! I have enjoyed reading all of these with both of my kiddos who are 8 and 12 years old. While you can probably read this as a standalone, I believe reading the full series will give you a much better experience for sure! We are kind of nerds for Greek Mythology in this household which made this installment all the more exciting. Tally goes on quite the adventure with plenty of action. The flow of the story is absolutely wonderful, and everything unfolds at a rather natural pace. I truly enjoyed everything we learned about the Greek culture throughout this story. I highly recommend this intriguing book for you and the kids in your life!
Reviewed by @shannlynn
Dinopotamus Solves a Mystery by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Dinopotamus is with his friends at school again and it’s naptime. The kids are all lying on the floor and it’s a bit cold where they are. However, where Dinopotamus is, the floor is nice and warm. No one can figure it out until Dinopotamus uses his scientific reasonings of deduction to come to the proper answer.
This is a cute story that kids will love. It has scientific elements in it taught by a dinosaur! There was one section where I felt like it was repetitive but maybe it was felt that it was needed there. A very enjoyable story and another winning read by Lois Wickstrom!
Tally and the Angel, The Sands of Time: Thrilling Middle Grade fantasy adventure where Greek Myths come alive! by Eleanor Dixon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sands of Time is the fourth book in the Tally and the Angel series.This story is easy to read and is aimed at young readers around age 11 to 13. It is a good mix of paranormal and fantasy with mythological beings, action, mystery, and drama. My kids enjoy all the mythological stories and really like this book.
Tally and the Angel, The Sands of Time: Thrilling Middle Grade fantasy adventure where Greek Myths come alive! by Eleanor Dixon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is a great twist on Greek mythology. Youth will immediately fall in love with tally. The unique relationship between her and her angel is a great metaphor. Get ready for plenty of action and adventure along with an HEA. Can’t wait to read more from this author.
Tally and the Angel, The Sands of Time: Thrilling Middle Grade fantasy adventure where Greek Myths come alive! by Eleanor Dixon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Tally and her dad are on holiday in Greece, they are on a small island for a few weeks and are taking advantage of the sun, sea and sand. Tally is still wearing her angel pendant and her angel is always with her too, but she feels lonely and so wishes to be able to speak greek so that she could join in with the other kids her age. When she decides to go for a swim, she meets a boy called Theo, he is about her age and suggests swimming together, when they stop for a rest, this is where they start to talk, but the sea becomes a little rough and so they go back to the beach where she is introduced to some of his friends.
As the days pass, Tally spends time with Theo and his friends learning new skills and having lots of fun, but something strange keeps happening and Tally cannot explain it, until Theo does and what he says is shocking! The more she hears, the more Tally is desperate to trust Theo, but her angel keeps warning her against it, especially when myths and fables become intertwined with Theo’s plan.
Tally is then confronted with the hardest choice of her life and it leaves her conflicted, especially when she is faced with all the facts, but which way will her heart swing, towards Theo and his master plan, or towards her angel who has never led her astray? This is a thrilling race towards a fork in the road where history, myth, reality, emotions and trust are thrown into a maelstrom of a storm, which you will have to weather with Tally to find out what she ultimately decides.
Reviewed by @roxsannel