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Hole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff – Review by Angela Hayes

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Hole in the RockHole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

4 Stars

 

Hole In the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff is a fun adventure story aimed at middle grade aged children (8 to 12 years old).
We follow Lizza as she learns some hard lessons about choices, making mistakes, consequences/repercussions, taking responsibility, communication, family, friendship, sticking together, and forgiveness.
An entertaining and thought-provoking story with some very interesting, and quirky characters…. and a little mischief.
Happy Reading…

Thank you, Rebecca Bischoff!

 

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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Fetching Dreams by Mary Bleckwehl – Review by Christina Ford

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Fetching DreamsFetching Dreams by Mary Evanson Bleckwehl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a story of two young ladies from opposite ends of the world. One girl lives in poverty and without water, while the other has all the modern comforts but trouble with her health and family. They support and encourage each other and develop a meaningful, important friendship.

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Hole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff – Review by Jenni Bishop

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Hole in the RockHole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hole in the Rock is a quick paced fun tale for children in middle school aged 8 – 12 years. It is a story with a message that will imprint on those who listen.
We follow along with Lizza’s adventures, her antics and plans that go awry. One where she soon learns that actions have consequences. What they mean not just to her but for her family.
Not everyone has to agree and everyone makes mistakes and learning from them helps us grow and that is one of the messages that will be taken away by those that read this.
This unique tale is full of action, family and friends and is learning tool for young minds to take in and ponder when making decisions for themselves.
A good book for kids for special occasions or just because.

Reviewed by @jennadb

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Fetching Dreams by Mary Bleckwehl – Review by Megan Conley

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Fetching DreamsFetching Dreams by Mary Evanson Bleckwehl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is definitely a book geared toward middle-schoolers; however, it’s a very quick, heartfelt read that many adults will enjoy. We meet Neyah and Abby who are pen pals learning about each other’s lives through a school assignment. As the story progresses, the girls quickly realize that while their lives are vastly different, they both are facing very real and serious obstacles. I found this story to be very inspiring and Bleckwehl’s message of maintaining hope through adversity and having kindness and empathy for everyone to be something that we all need to remember and perhaps exhibit a little more in our daily lives. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more from her.

 

Reviewed by @meggs1717

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Hole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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Hole in the RockHole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hole in the Rock is a book for kids between the ages of 10 to 14. Although intended for a younger audience I feel that it is a story that anyone could enjoy. The story centers around the character of Lizza, a twelve-year-old girl living in Moab, Utah. Lizza is smart, funny, fun-loving, and a huge lover of animals which can sometimes get her in trouble. She often rescues animals that are abandoned or injured and brings them home. Lizza even brought home a tarantula, much to her mother’s horror once it got loose in the house! When her dad decides to become a Taxidermist Lizza is horrified and determined to save the animals, so she sabotages his billboard that advertises his business. Then things get even worse for Lizza when her dad moves their family into a cave that is a tourist attraction and has strangers constantly wandering through her home. Lizza is determined to live in a real home again so she involves environmentalists and animal rights groups thinking that they can help. What Lizza did not expect is for matters to become worse for her family and for her actions to have unintended consequences. This was such a fun read as Lizza manages to get herself into one humorous situation after another. I highly recommend this book!

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Hole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff – Review by Tausha Treadway

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Hole in the RockHole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff. This is a great book for kids ages 8-12. My 10 year old nephew loved it. Its the story of Lizza who’s father is a taxidermist and she hates it. The story begins with her messing up her father’s business billboard and that causes a huge problem. She loves all animals and wants to save them all. Learning that not all people are going to agree on things and that’s ok is a huge lesson in this book. Also learning to work together even when we don’t have the same views. Such a fun read for kids big and small. Would also make a great gift!

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Hole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff – Review by Shelly Kittell

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Hole in the RockHole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lizza is quite the little character. At 12, she doesn’t like the career her father chose. Her actions to thwart his shop will have you laughing. The characters are terrific and each a unique personality. Her little brother has a spot in my heart. He seems to have autism. I think the younger crowd will love the adventures Lizza and her friends have. Even us old people will enjoy it. A very good book.

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Hole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff

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•*•📖•*• BOOK SPOTLIGHT SHOWCASE •*•📖•*•
Hole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3X5rSFa
Immortal Works – https://www.immortalworks.press/search-results?q=Hole%20in%20the%20Rock
Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hole-in-the-rock-rebecca-bischoff/1138883090;jsessionid=2488CCD1DBD8339E874CC89FD8BC63A9.prodny_store01-atgap11?ean=9781953491121
#ontour #ItsyBitsyBookBits #ItsyBitsyBookBitsTours #ItsyBitsyBookBitsPromotions #HoleintheRock #RebeccaBischoff #Kids #Family #middlegrade #bookstagram #middlegradebooks #mglit #middlegradefiction
Hosted by Itsy Bitsy Book Bits
Genre – Kids, Family
Page Count – 172
Cover Designer – Book Cover Zone

Animal-loving Lizza thinks nothing could be worse than her dad’s taxidermy business…until Dad moves the family into a cave. A tourist trap cave, that is, carved into a giant rock formation in the desert—not exactly Lizza’s idea of fun. Now she’s on display for curious tourists who tromp through her new home all day long.

Determined to get out of the cave and back into a real home, Lizza appeals to animal rights activities and environmentalists. Things appear to go her way but Lizza soon realizes that her plans have unintended consequences that could be disastrous for her family.

~ AMAZON ~ IMMORTAL WORKS ~ BARNES & NOBLE ~

Click here to view the Book Trailer for Hole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff

Click here to experience a Chapter Reading of Hole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff

Rebecca Bischoff is the award-winning author of several books for both middle grade and young adult audiences, including The French Impressionist, a contemporary YA novel, The Grave Digger, a historical middle grade mystery, and Streets of Shadow, a historical YA mystery recently released this year. Both The Grave Digger and Hole in the Rock were honored as finalists in the 2020 and 2021 Best Book Awards. Rebecca loves to read everything from mysteries to paranormal to historical novels. She tends to research quirky and little-known facts from the past and loves anything that might make her laugh. Rebecca lives in Southern Idaho with her family, where she enjoys not visiting the outdoors. She’d rather stay inside, eat chocolate and write.

Author Interview with Rebecca Bischoff

~ FACEBOOK ~ INSTAGRAM ~ TWITTER ~ TIKTOK ~ PINTEREST ~ GOODREADS ~ YOUTUBE ~ WEBSITE ~

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

Fetching Dreams by Mary Bleckwehl – Review by Tonya Merritt

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Fetching DreamsFetching Dreams by Mary Evanson Bleckwehl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fetching Dreams is a tale of two young girls with totally different lives. The story was an inspirational sad truth of how things could be in other places. I did love how they were pen pals, many people don’t know what that means anymore. I do feel it was more towards the middle school aged group, not as much for young adults. A great story for anyone to read though.

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Fetching Dreams by Mary Bleckwehl – Review by Tanya Wall, July 2023

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Fetching DreamsFetching Dreams by Mary Evanson Bleckwehl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is one that I walked about thinking about after every reading session. There was hope, tears, celebrations and the gut wrenching realization that this is real for so many today. The story is told through a penpal relationship between two girls – one in America and one in Africa. Two girls, with two very different lives that learn they can have a voice to make a difference. There were times in this story that I was faced with big feelings knowing that so many go without the basic necessities like water, education and a childhood – while many take having these things for granted. I was glad there was a positive outcome even in the shadow of sorrow – and I will remember the power of raising one’s voice!

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Holding Up the Sky (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Christina Ford

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Holding Up the SkyHolding Up the Sky by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Colleen’s dad has a very important job – he holds up the sky! Unfortunately, the townsfolk don’t understand or appreciate what he does and he is bullied. This is my first book by Wickstrom but I love how she built into a lesson without taking away from magic and adventure. The illustrations were adorable – I loved this little book!

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Holding Up the Sky (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Amanda Gonzalez

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Holding Up the SkyHolding Up the Sky by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is another wonderful story by Lois Wickstrom! Holding Up the Sky is a great story that helps children understand difficult subjects like bullying, inclusion, making peace with those you may not agree with, etc. The tale is told in such a way that it’s interesting to kids and should hold their attention while also delivering an important message. The illustrations were artistic and easy to follow as well. This is a great story for kids of various school ages!

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Holding Up the Sky (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Sarah King

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Holding Up the SkyHolding Up the Sky by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once again, Wickstrom has managed to write an adorable story to draw in her readers / listeners. She has become one of my favorite authors to purchase for my nieces and nephews; they always enjoy, and I love the bonus of a worthwhile lesson snuck into the story.

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The Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Shannen Kern

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The Messy KidsThe Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My kids always love it when I bring a Lois Wickstrom book into the house, so we were excited to dig into this one! We get to read about Chester whose mom wants him to clean his room. He plays around for a bit but much to his surprise he meets some alien friends! It’s a pretty fun and wacky adventure with Chester and his friends. The illustrations are beautiful and really add depth to the story. This has a great flow and isn’t too long so the kids should stay interested! My kiddos loved to play with their messy kid friends after we read this. I highly recommend picking this up and reading it with the young ones in your life!

Reviewed by @shannlynn

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The Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Donya Pedigo

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The Messy KidsThe Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lois Wickstrom is a very creative author that always tends to slip in a lesson or fun learning opportunity in her stories. Her books are both whimsical and educational without feeling like a textbook or boring lecture. The artwork/ illustrations are also always so colorful and help the reader visualize and experience the story more easily as well. Her books have become a definite favorite of my family.

In this book we find Chester being asked to clean his room, but he would rather be doing other fun things. It isn’t until The Messy Kids show up that he really starts cleaning his room with their help. They don’t know how to properly clean his room though, so with encouragement from his mom, Chester teaches them. This is a really fun, easy read for younger kids.

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Holding Up the Sky (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Donya Pedigo

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Holding Up the Sky (Giants and Monsters)Holding Up the Sky by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such a cute story! Lois Wickstrom has dealt with such heavy topics as bullying and believing someone is being truthful in such a fun and creative way. I really loved how Colleen tried to make friends with the kids who made fun of her dad and her instead of retaliating. I have read several books by this author, but I do believe this is my favorite by far. I love how she always incorporates a lesson or fun learning opportunity into her stories. Her books are both whimsical and educational without feeling like a textbook or boring lecture and this one is no different. I honestly can’t wait to see what she comes up with next and how Nicolàs Milano will illustrate it. This artist has illustrated several of her books and they are all so colorful and appealing to the eye, drawing me even more into the story. I also really admire the way that they incorporate all different kinds of characters with different ethnicities, disabilities, and abilities into their stories and renderings. This book should be in the hands of every child as it conveys such great life lessons within a fun rhyming storyline.

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The Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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The Messy KidsThe Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My 7 year old son read Messy Kids to me. It was a cute book and good for his age. He only got caught on a couple words. He liked the book, and we have read a lot of books by this author. We always enjoy them. It sparked a good conversation after, how it’s okay to make messes as long as you clean them up in the end. He liked the illustrations and how each alien is different.

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Reviewed by @way2gosmartguy

Holding Up the Sky (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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Holding Up the Sky (Giants and Monsters)Holding Up the Sky by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My son and I read Holding Up the Sky together. It’s a good book for elementary school age (he is 7). We liked the rhyming, as it made the book flow and have a bit of Dr Seuss vibe. Like many of this author’s book, it has a good message to the kids- Do not be quick to judge. Colleen is teased for saying her dad holds up the sky. She figures out a way to prove it to everyone, and learns a little about herself at the same time. The pictures are colorful and fun.

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Reviewed by @way2gosmartguy

Holding Up the Sky (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Melissa Fink

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https://www.amazon.com/review/RDK14HV1Z9LSV/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Holding Up the Sky (Giants and Monsters)Holding Up the Sky by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Holding Up the Sky is another great story written by Lois Wickstrom. I love how detailed her books are. Lois writes amazing kids books. The colors are always so bright and vibrant. The story had great world building and the plot was well thought of. My daughter really enjoyed the story and she is 9.

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https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3507923661

The Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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The Messy KidsThe Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Chester is a young boy and like all young boys, he hates it when his mum asks him to clean his room, so he agrees, but decides to do the sandbox first. When he gets there, he sees a spaceship which is shaped like a fairground ride and four aliens with cat like faces pop out of it! When they start to play with the sandbox, Chester realises that they are more messy than him, so when they all go to his room and instead of tidying it, they just put all of the toys under the bed, Chester’s mum is annoyed and asks him to clean his room properly.

Will Chester’s mum believe him when he tells her that it was the aliens who did it wrong and will he be able to teach them how to do it right? This is a cute story which teaches an important lesson about the right and wrong way to do things which is easy to understand and shown in a charming way which is suitable for all ages.

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Reviewed by @roxsannel

Holding Up the Sky (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Rebeca Elliott Figueiras

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Holding Up the SkyHolding Up the Sky by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another lovely book from the author. The story line was engaging, and the illustrations were colourful and bright.

As usual there is a lesson to be learned from this author’s stories and this one is an important one. Treating people with kindness no matter what they look like.

The story is fun and easy as well as being educational/thought provoking for children.

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The Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Christine Baranek

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The Messy KidsThe Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Messy Kids
By: Lois Wickstrom

This is such a fun book about Chester. Chester is like every kid I’ve ever met, he doesn’t want to clean up, there are so many amazing things to do that are so much more fun. However, when he encounters the messy kids, his mom has the best idea. Why doesn’t he teach them how to clean up? This is really a great, easy children’s book that I know all kids will enjoy. I definitely recommend reading it as it is a fun bedtime story.

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The Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Rebeca Elliott Figueiras

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The Messy KidsThe Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is another great kids book by this author. As usual, the writing is clear and fun and the illustrations bright and colourful.

I know I was a messy kid as a child to the point my mum put photos/stickers on each toy box so I’d know where things went and it still made no difference. I did not want to clean my room. Having a kid that feels the same way as the main character makes them more relatable for other children, keeping them engaged with the story.

As usual after reading one of the author’s stories, kids walk away feeling like they learned something in a fun way.

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Holding Up the Sky (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Christine Baranek

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Holding Up the Sky (Giants and Monsters)Holding Up the Sky by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Holding up the Sky
By: Lois Wickstrom

This is another wonderful children’s story with really cute illustrations written by Lois Wickstrom. As with all of her books, they have really wonderful characters with a story line that teaches the readers a lesson. This story focuses on how people perceive others. Colleen’s dad is huge and it seems that he has been given the task of holding up the sky. Because of his giant size people are not always very kind to him. One day, her dad puts down his hands and what ensues is a wonderful lesson on how we treat people. I definitely recommend this as it has such a wonderful message!

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The Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Dr. Anya Schultz

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The Messy KidsThe Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Messy Kids book was okay. Like many kids, Chester doesn’t want to clean his room so he decides to go out and play instead. While playing, he sees the “Messy Kids” climb out of a merry-go-round that was in a tree. Chester follows them and watches them do a lot of things and he thinks they do them bigger and better. So when they “help” him clean his room he feels they do the same – make everything bigger and better. However, they really just hide their mess instead of cleaning it up. So in the end, Chester has to show them how to really clean and not make such a mess. As many of these author’s books, they don’t always make sense to me or they seem all over the place. The illustrations were cute. I am sure however that kids would find the Messy Kids to be fun little companions.

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Holding Up the Sky (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Moriah Venable

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Holding Up the Sky (Giants and Monsters)Holding Up the Sky by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Colleen’s Dad walks around with his hands in the air, declaring that he is holding up the sky. Colleen loves her Dad and doesn’t like when kids make fun of her or her Dad. One day, Colleen’s Dad puts his hands down. Is he really holding the sky?

While reading, I was confused because I wanted to know if her father was really holding the sky.
When he took his arms down and just started relaxing in the grass looking up, I predicted that either his daughter would take over for him, or he wasn’t really holding the sky, it was more used as a metaphor. I wanted to know if he was really holding the sky or not.

I enjoyed the artwork and the different opinions of the people around them as well as the people’s thoughts and opinions changed over the course of the story.

It was very cute, but is also shows bullying and name calling and how these affect others. It also shows initiative with Colleen who wants others to get to know her Dad.

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The Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Jessie Hopkins

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A fantastic children’s book with a good lesson to it. I read this with my 6 year old and was very impressed when her response to Chester putting everything under the bed was “you aren’t supposed to do that! That’s not really cleaning”. But she definitely did want to have her own Messy Kid friends to help clean her room after.
The illustrations are fantastic and it is a book that puts a smile on everyone’s faces. With a great story that is relatable for both parents and children.

The Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Jennifer Reimer

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The Messy KidsThe Messy Kids by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely love how this author writes in little life stories and lessons into all her books. this one is about how if you do something that your told you will get rewarded and to show how satisfied having something done can feel. But I do have to say this book didn’t start off that way. it started as Chester doesn’t want to do what he was asked by him mom, which is something every kid doesn’t like to do, which is clean their room. Chester decides that he really wants to play instead and off he goes outside, and instead makes a bigger mess out there then what it was. But he had a little help from some new friends called the messy kids. Well, these messy kids try to help clean Chester’s room but instead just push everything under his bed, which his mom isn’t too happy about. This book has amazing pictures and illustrations that go very well with the story of the book. It was another really great kid’s book.

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Holding Up the Sky (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Jennifer Reimer

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Holding Up the SkyHolding Up the Sky by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was another cute kid’s story, the lessons that are taught in these story’s are so wonderful to teach kids in a different way. This book is about bullying, and name calling. All the kids are bulling colleen’s dad which in turn makes her sad. Everyone is laughing at him and saying what her was doing wasn’t right and that there isn’t a need for him to do it. But colleen decides that she wants to make it right, so she makes a plan that her dad must put his hands down and some things start to happen. So, was he really holding the sky up? This book was suer cute, and I loved the story it tells, the pictures and illustrations make it come to life not just in the words. Being kind, helpful, understanding, no judging, are all things everyone should learn to do. This was a quite wonderful read.

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Holding Up The Sky(Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Anna Hirsch

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Holding Up the SkyHolding Up the Sky by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Holding Up The Sky (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom
4 Stars

This is a cute, imaginative story about Colleen and her dad. Most little girls think their daddys can do anything. Colleen’s dad can. He’s a giant and he holds up the sky. Problem is , no one believes her. Colleen tries to think of a way to show everyone what he can do. When he lets go, things start happening. Read the book and find out what happens. The story is fun to read and has colourful pictures to enthral the children. I love reading this author’s books.

Review by @Anna Hirsch
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