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Nessie and the Viking Gold (Nessie’s Grotto) by Lois Wickstrom and Jean Lorrah – Review by Stephanie Robb

Nessie and the Viking Gold (Nessie's Grotto)Nessie and the Viking Gold by Lois June Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved the imaginative twist on the mythology of the loch ness monster. I think older children would really enjoy this twist on an adventure fantasy story. I think it is definitely aimed at children 8 and up with a better reading ability.

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Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Stephanie Robb

Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Cray Saves the Day by G. Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful impactful children’s book is a fantastic book explaining environmental impact in a child-friendly way. This is a lovely story to be read to children or for older children to read and learn alone.

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Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Cindy Rushin

Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Cray Saves the Day by G. Pa Rhymes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a cute little story. Cray and his friends have a good time looking out for their world. I love how they worked together to clean up the mess made by humans. They worked together to make a difference. I think many children will enjoy this book and learn about working together and making a difference. I recommend this book to everyone who has a child that likes to read.

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Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Ayla Phipps

Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Beach Ball Blunder by G Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once again, life lessons for kids in a fun and realistic way. Accidents are a part of life good and bad ones. This book in the series focuses on the importance of telling the truth. Gray Seal had an accident it wasn’t on purpose, but it hurt his friends’ feelings and led to some mean words being said amongst them until he faced his fear and told the truth. It’s okay to have accidents but remember to tell the truth, once he did, he and his friends were able to work together to fix everything that happened. I can’t forget once more the beautiful illustrations of Erica’s that help bring the Bay to life with her incredible talent.

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Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Tanya Wall, February 2024

Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Cray Saves the Day by G. Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cray teaches us how to take care of our environment in this story. Humans enjoy their day at the beach, but don’t pay attention to their trash and how it is impacting the creatures that find the beach and the ocean home. This story is written in rhyme and has great illustrations. It teaches us the value of working together to keep our environment clean and safe for all.

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Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Tori Mitton

<a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58869889-beach-ball-blunder” style=”float: left; padding-right: 20px”><img border=”0″ alt=”Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)” src=”https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630081378l/58869889._SX98_.jpg” /></a><a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58869889-beach-ball-blunder”>Beach Ball Blunder</a> by <a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21769345.G_Pa_Rhymes”>G Pa Rhymes</a><br/>
My rating: <a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6252199197″>5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Gray the seal is having fun with his ball, when he accidently shoots it across the beach. Causing a lot of trouble and making a mess. Gray lied to his friends and when they all started getting mad and saying hurtful things to each other. That’s when Gray confesses it was him. Gray learns it’s not okay to lie because it hurts people around you.
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Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Candice Estes

Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Cray Saves the Day by G. Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cray the crab is perfectly happy enjoying his home and his life on the beach and in the ocean. Cray the crab is unhappy when really nice days being out a lot of people to the beach, due to all the trash the human visitors to his home keep leaving behind. Cray, along with his friends, work to clean up their part of the ocean and the beach, and to rid it of the mess and trash. With an easy to understand story and beautiful illustrations, this book is great for young children to begin learning about pollution and cleaning up after themselves, even when they are not at home. I would definitely recommend this book for young children, in schools as well as at home.

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Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Candice Estes

Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Beach Ball Blunder by G Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cray and his friends are enjoying their home on the bay. One such friend is Seal Gray, who is playing on his rock with a beach ball until it gets away from him by accident and nearly hits Gull Ray before bouncing off of Turtle Fay, and knocking a young girl’s ice cream cone out of her hand before finally knocking over Fox Hay’s sandcastle. At first, Seal Gray denies having been responsible for the mishap, and all of the other beach friends make hurtful comments about how bad the one responsible for all the chaos is. While Seal Gray feels bad, he eventually tells the truth, and his friends explain why lying is bad. Seal spends the rest of the afternoon cleaning up and fixing his messes, after apologizing. This beautifully illustrated story is easy to understand and great for helping young children to understand why lying is bad.

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Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Tausha Treadway

Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Beach Ball Blunder by G Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes. These are the best books for young children because not only are they entertaining but they teach great lessons as well. Its another fun story about Cray on the Bay and his friends. This time its Seal Gray and his favorite beach ball. Seal learns that when you lose your ball and it creates all kinds of havoc its best to not lie and to own up to your mistakes. When you lie it messes up friendships and breaks trust. My 5 year old nephew loves these books and we always discuss the lesson involved. The pictures are always amazing as well. Add this great book to your child’s library, you won’t be disappointed! Great for gifting or for teachers to read to the classes.

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Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Katie Matthews

Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Cray Saves the Day by G. Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another wonderful book about Cray and his friends. In this book the author touches on the subject of dropping litter and trying to save our oceans and beaches from the rubbish that people leave behind after they have enjoyed their days out. The story again is told in a lovely rhyme that is really engaging for children. My 4 year old really enjoyed this story. For slightly older children this book would be a great introduction to the subject of dropping rubbish and how it can have an effect on our environment.

@katiem
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Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Katie Matthews

Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Beach Ball Blunder by G Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another really cute and fun story about Cray on the Bay and his friends. The authors lovely rhyme throughout the story is so engaging and my 4 year old loved the story. There is a great moral to the story to about lying and how it is always better to tell the truth, something that we always teach children so this story would be a great starting point to encourage discussions about the subject. Again the story was accompanied by beautiful, colourful illustrations that complement it well.

@katiem
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A Miracle In Muffin: A True Story by Darlene Duemo – Review by Katie Matthews

A Miracle In Muffin: A True StoryA Miracle In Muffin: A True Story by Darlene Duemo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is not the usual book that I read however I do love cats so I thought I would give it a go. The story was sweet and you could really feel how important God and faith is to the author – whom this story is based on and this really came across well in the story. I can imagine people who have a particularly strong faith would find this book lovely to read and especially for younger children who are learning about prayer and believing. The book was well written, a nice short story for young children/adults to enjoy.
Whilst it was not my kind of story I did enjoy reading it.

@katiem
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Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Natalia Gonzales Castrejon

Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Cray Saves the Day by G. Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So far every single book I’ve ready by this author has been so well written! This is another one I’ve sat and read to my 3 year old! He just adores Cray and his friends! This is such a wonderful series and we always wonder what Cray and his friends will do next!

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Sasha Smart by Shermaine Perry-Knights – Review by Tori Mitton

<a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123554720-sasha-smart” style=”float: left; padding-right: 20px”><img border=”0″ alt=”Sasha Smart: Short Stories for Girls” src=”https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1679597640l/123554720._SX98_.jpg” /></a><a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123554720-sasha-smart”>Sasha Smart: Short Stories for Girls</a> by <a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20826027.Shermaine_Perry_Knights”>Shermaine Perry-Knights</a><br/>
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Me and my daughter really enjoyed this book. Each story has a different lesson behind it. Bounce back was great, learning that it’s okay to make mistakes, but if you try again you will succeed. Beautiful Differences, Sasha learns that all her friends are from all over the world. How different cultures around the world are, different foods. But there’s always something from a country that links sasha and her friends together. Just relax, Percy tells Sasha that she just needs to take a break. We learn that it’s okay not to go into overdrive and just keep going with everything, it’s okay to take a break and just relax before going to do what needs to be done.<br />Each chapter was so beautifully written. Everyone needs to read this book!
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A Miracle In Muffin: A True Story by Darlene Duemo – Review by Kelli Harper

A Miracle In Muffin: A True StoryA Miracle In Muffin: A True Story by Darlene Duemo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A cute short story about how a woman’s belief in God lead to the miracle return of her cat Muffin. The author based this on her real life, many different religions believe different things and that should be understood when reading this story, that the author’s views and beliefs maybe different than your own.

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A Miracle In Muffin: A True Story by Darlene Duemo – Review by Bobbi Wagner

A Miracle In Muffin: A True StoryA Miracle In Muffin: A True Story by Darlene Duemo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a cute children’s story about learning that you can trust in the Lord and that He is there when you need Him. This is a spiritual inspiration that any child would enjoy reading. The author brings this story to life with details and a plot that is true life. It has great illustrations that will pull your child in and keep them engaged to the end. There is so much to learn from this book that it is one you won’t regret adding to your child’s library. I enjoyed reading this book. I highly recommend it.

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Review by @bjwagner

Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Amelia Stansell

Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Cray Saves the Day by G. Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is another great book for littles. In this story it helps teach kids that need to pick up their trash when they are out on the beach. Cray sees all these people coming to the beach to have fun. The more that show up the more trash shows up on the beach and water. Cray and his friends make a plan to gather all the trash to clean up the beach.

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Magic Wanda (Grandma’s Closet) by Lois Wickstrom

🌼 .•°*°•.🌼 BOOK SPOTLIGHT SHOWCASE 🌼 .•°*°•.🌼
Magic Wanda (Grandma’s Closet) by Lois Wickstrom
Hosted by Itsy Bitsy Book Bits
Genre – Kids
Page Count – 32
Cover Designer – Ada Konewki

Goodreads – Magic Wanda (Grandma’s Closet) by Lois Wickstrom

Bookbub – Magic Wanda (Grandma’s Closet) by Lois Wickstrom


Carrie finds a set of wooden flowers in her Grandmother’s Closet.
Grandma tells her they aren’t magic wands. They’re Wandas.
Wanda’s don’t do magic. Wandas are magic. They’re female wands, of course. The first thing Carrie does is turn them into real flowers. She tries to put them into a vase of water. But magic flowers don’t like to be wet.
What else can she do with them?

~ AMAZON ~

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Click here to view the Book Trailer for Magic Wanda (Grandma’s Closet) by Lois Wickstrom

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Lois Wickstrom lives in a world where imaginary playmates are real. She doesn’t remember being born, so she finds unbirthdays are more exciting than the official once-a-year date on the calendar. She’s taken so many science classes that she believes science is the solution to almost every problem, including the dilemmas in fairy tales.

Jean Lorrah is a New York Times Best Selling author. She is also a retired English teacher, and an award winning artist. She has written Star Trek books with Jacqueline Lichtenberg, and books in worlds of her own creation. Together with Lois, she is co-author of Coal for Christmas which won the Gold Remi at Worldfest.

Author Interview with Lois Wickstrom

FACEBOOK ~ INSTAGRAM ~ BOOKBUB ~ TWITTER ~ PINTEREST ~ GOODREADS ~ YOUTUBE ~ NEWSLETTER ~

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ PINTEREST ~ YOUTUBE ~ INSTAGRAMFACEBOOK GROUP ~ TIKTOK ~

Sasha Smart by Shermaine Perry-Knights – Review by Dawn Daughenbaugh

Sasha Smart: Short Stories for GirlsSasha Smart: Short Stories for Girls by Shermaine Perry-Knights
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Stars
Sasha Smart by Shermaine Perry-Knights

Sasha Smart by Shermaine Perry-Knights is a wonderfully written children’s book of short stories that children of any age can enjoy. It’s aimed for middle school aged children 8-12 but my son is almost six and he loved this book. I love that there’s a lesson to be learned and that it’s ok to be different and it’s ok to make mistakes because that’s how we learn. My son liked the illustrations and Sasha he kept saying he understood what she was going through but for a girl. .Friends and Friendships are important yet so is family. I know this might be about Sasha and young teen girls but my son really liked this story and said boys can read it too. We highly recommend reading this book to find out what happens next. We look forward to reading more from this Author.

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Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Julie Johnson

Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Beach Ball Blunder by G Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Seal Gray is playing with his beach ball when he loses control of it. Several things transpire from that and Gray finds himself in a situation where he’s lying about the ball being his. This book focuses on telling the truth and preserving friendships.

The illustrations in this book are very colorful and attractive. Be sure to show anyone you are reading this to the pictures. If a young reader is reading to you, use that as a teachable moment about items in the pictures, as well as the story itself.

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Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Kerry Baker

Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Beach Ball Blunder by G Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fun and entertaining story this is. I loved the premise of the book and what is teaches children. I also loved how engaging the illustrations were. They are definitely what caught my kids attention first. We all enjoyed sitting and reading this book as a family, even reading it multiple times already.
It is always a joy to find a new author my kids like and, based on the last couple of books, I can definitely say we have found another one. We are all looking forward to reading more from this author, especially if they are as good as this one.

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Nessie and the Viking Gold (Nessie’s Grotto) by Lois Wickstrom and Jean Lorrah – Review by Sarah King

Nessie and the Viking Gold (Nessie's Grotto)Nessie and the Viking Gold by Lois June Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another Wickstrom story, well loved by my niece and nephew. She has become one of their most asked for authors. Craig and Linda’s adventures with Nessie have become their favorite. They can’t wait to see what adventure they all have next. While this story is geared more toward the 8 to 10 year old range, it can easily be enjoyed by younger children. My family would recommend this book as well as the author.

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A New Day for Cray (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

A New Day For Cray (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)A New Day For Cray by G. Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A New Day for Cray is the 2nd book I’ve read with my 7 year old in this series (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay). Cray is a mean little crab at the start of this book! He pinches all his friends, and they do not like it. I’m glad he had a transformation and learned his lesson- and taught a lesson to all the young readers regarding friendship and kindness. All his friends names rhyme, which my son thought was cool. We have Fay (turtle), Ray (seagull) and Hay (fox). The illustrations in this book are lovely; so fun and colorful. After reading this book, we had to do some research on crabs loosing their claws. Then went back to the other Cray book we read (Cray Saves the Day), to see if he had 2 claws in that story. I love this series and my son can’t wait to read the rest.

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reviewed by @way2gosmartguy

Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Cray Saves the Day by G. Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cray Saves the Day is a cute book from the Adventures of Cray on the Bay series. The book teaches kids to take care of the earth- don’t litter and clean up after yourselves. It presents an important topic, in a way that is easy for the young readers to understand. It would be great for Earth Day or responsibility topics presented to youngsters. The book is rhyming and has a lot of characters, who each have their own book (we plan to read later). My 7 year old read the book to me without assistance so it would be great for early elementary students. The illustrations are bright and colorful.

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Reviewed by @way2gosmartguy

Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by – Review by Tanya Wall, February 2023

Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Beach Ball Blunder by G Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cray, the seal once again helps us to learn a lesson through a fun story with beautiful illustrations! As Cray loses his ball, a cascade of mishaps ensues, teaching us about honesty, guilt, apology, and forgiveness. Rhymes and illustrations increase the excitement of the story as the it unfolds, emphasizing themes of friendship and acceptance. This charming addition to “The Adventures of Cray on the Bay” series captivates with its simplicity and warmth, making it perfect for young audiences seeking both entertainment and valuable life lessons.

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Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Megan Conley

Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Beach Ball Blunder by G Pa Rhymes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is another cute installment to “The Adventures of Cray on the Bay” series. This time we meet Seal Grey who loves to play with his beach ball and we learn what happens when accidents happen but instead of telling the truth Grey lies and hurts his friends. I love how simplistic Rhymes is with his lessons and the illustrations are absolutely astounding. I can’t wait for the next book in this series to come out. These are fantastic for littles!
Reviewed by @meggs1717

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A New Day for Cray (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Tonya Merritt

A New Day For Cray (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)A New Day For Cray by G. Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In this fun, child’s book you follow a crab that enjoys being mean and pinches everyone. This story teaches children how being mean doesn’t help them get friends. The rhyming helps get the repetition in their head of why they shouldn’t be. It is a great little book that many ages will enjoy but children need to hear it slightly more than most adults.

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A Miracle In Muffin: A True Story by Darlene Duemo – Review by Tonya Merritt

A Miracle In Muffin: A True StoryA Miracle In Muffin: A True Story by Darlene Duemo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a wonderful story! I absolutely adored it. The illustrations were great. A Miracle in Muffin tells us about how a cat missing brought her to God. I have recommended it to my daughter and even our church youth pastor.

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Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Bobbi Wagner

Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Beach Ball Blunder by G Pa Rhymes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my first children’s book by this author which I enjoyed. Some of my favorite parts are the illustrations and how the author was able to bring them to life with their writing skills. This is a fun story about Seal Gray and his journey of mishaps, mistakes and consequences. I enjoyed this character and what he brought to the story. This is a story that any child would enjoy over and over. An interactive story that I highly recommend.

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Review by @bjwagner

Nessie and the Viking Gold (Nessie’s Grotto) by Lois Wickstrom and Jean Lorrah – Review by Trisha Cargile

Nessie and the Viking GoldNessie and the Viking Gold by Lois June Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Nessie and the Viking Gold” is a captivating adventure that seamlessly blends folklore with historical intrigue, creating a magical tale for young readers. The author’s skillful storytelling weaves together elements of mystery, friendship, and courage, making it an engaging read from start to finish. The vivid descriptions of the Scottish landscapes and the lovable character of Nessie add an extra layer of charm to the narrative. The clever incorporation of Viking history and mythology not only educates young minds but also sparks their curiosity. With its clever plot twists and endearing characters, “Nessie and the Viking Gold” is a delightful literary journey that leaves a lasting impression and encourages a love for both storytelling and history.

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