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Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese – Review by Nichole Chrisman

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today?Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story introduced children to the idea that just because they aren’t celebrating their culture everyday doesn’t mean they aren’t a part of that culture. In this story the little boy asks his mom if he is Indian that day because they are getting dressed in traditional Indian clothing for a wedding. The mom explains where their family is from and how they are always Indian. The illustrations help the author paint a beautiful portrait of this family and the country of their heritage. This is a very short story and doesn’t deep dive into the idea of cultural self. What it does do is open the conversation for families.

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It’s Cool To Be Kind by Shermaine Perry-Knights – Review by Candice Estes

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It's Cool To Be Kind: A Children's Book on Kindness and FriendshipIt’s Cool To Be Kind: A Children’s Book on Kindness and Friendship by Shermaine Perry-Knights
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is intended for young children around the ages of 7 to 9 years old, but can probably be read and understood by children of other age ranges as well. This book tells the story of a group of friends who are trying to find what they are best at. As the friends explore and try to figure it out, they discover that for each of them, what they are best at is helping others. The illustrations were well done and colorful, making them engaging for young readers. I would recommend this book for any parent or teacher of young children who is trying to promote kindness and friendliness in the little humans around them. Toward the back of the book, there is even a guide on discussing kindness along with a couple of “games” that can be played with dice to help get the point across even more.

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese – Review by Amelia Stansell

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today?Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a cute book. It was a little advanced for my 4 year old. I like how she explained to her boys a little about their heritage. They understood a bit more. I liked that it told us the names of the garments that they wore.

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It’s Cool To Be Kind by Shermaine Perry-Knights – Review by Kelli Harper

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It's Cool To Be Kind: A Children's Book on Kindness and FriendshipIt’s Cool To Be Kind: A Children’s Book on Kindness and Friendship by Shermaine Perry-Knights
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is geared to ages 7-9 but I think it should start a bit younger and go older. So many kids can benefit from learning kindness. The illustrations are very cute and will draw your child’s attention. There are interactive and educational games in the back of the book to further engage the kids.

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Gadrella by Tricia Gardella – Review by Kelli Harper

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GadrellaGadrella by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A young witch that has decided she wants to modernize and do things she wants/likes. Very colorful and fun illustrations as well as a great story-line. Quick read for young early elementary school aged kids. Perfect for the Halloween season.

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Down By The River by Tricia Gardella – Review by Julie Johnson

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Down By The RiverDown By The River by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My favorite part of this book was the illustrations. They are very colorful and well done! The story is a good one, that focuses on the nature surrounding the river. It has a rhythm throughout with the wording that will make it a fun read. Use this book to teach new words and about environmental awareness!

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Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book Series) by MJ Murray – Review by Nina Maes

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This is a fun story with problem solving and character building. Very engaging and a fast read. Can be read as a stand alone or with the series. I recommend this book for early readers and teachers to read out loud.Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book Series 3)Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf by M.J. Murray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a fun story with problem solving and character building. Very engaging and a fast read. Can be read as a stand alone or with the series. I recommend this book for early readers and teachers to read out loud.

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Hi Little Brother, I Love You by Deniese Dennis – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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Hi Little Brother, I Love You: A Sweet Gift Keepsake Book Welcoming a New Baby Brother to the Family.Hi Little Brother, I Love You: A Sweet Gift Keepsake Book Welcoming a New Baby Brother to the Family. by Deniese Dennis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hi Little Brother, I Love You is a super sweet book that would be perfect for any young child welcoming a new sibling. It demonstrates the love and bond that little brothers or sisters can create early on. The older brother is such a good brother, teaching the new baby all the fun games. The book has key words written in different fonts and colors which made the reading fun and mixed up. The full page illustrations are bright and full of color and texture. My favorite is the ownership page in the beginning. I remember loving a book with my name when I was a kid.

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Reviewed by @way2gosmartguy

Down By The River by Tricia Gardella – Review by Brittany Adams

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Down By The RiverDown By The River by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a really sweet story. My kids loved the almost repeated verses/words. The illustrations are beautiful and my kids enjoyed looking to see what they could find on each page. We have enjoyed all of the books we’ve written by this Author. My 3, 6 and 8 year olds enjoyed the story a lot.

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese – Review by Cindy Mayberry

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today?Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We can all learn a thing or two about the cultures around us. Learning about our heritage and cultural identity is so important to our families. The more our children know the better we will all be. The author shares a question in this interesting story. I really enjoyed this story. It was informative as well as captivating. What a pleasure to find out such interesting information about my own niece and nephew. Family history is so very important in society today. Our children are our leaders and can learn from every story they are allowed to read. I hope to discover more from this author. A must read!!!

Review@cinful

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Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book Series) by MJ Murray – Review by Krista Moulthrop

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Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book Series 3)Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf by M.J. Murray

Dylan, his sister, and their dog have been at camp for a few days and still haven’t had much fun due to some bad weather. When it finally clears up and they can start on camp games, they realize the camp trophy has been stolen. Dylan takes on this case with his trusty detective kit and his list of suspects grows and grows until suddenly the trophy reappears. This was a fun and engaging mystery story for kids. Can’t wait to read more from this series.

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese – Review by Jennifer Crain

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today?Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Mommy, Am I Indian Today?* is a delightful and thought-provoking children’s book that elegantly addresses the complexities of cultural identity through the innocent lens of a child’s curiosity. The book showcases the vibrant journey of a family as they navigate their multicultural identity, emphasizing that one’s heritage extends far beyond clothing to encompass a rich tapestry of traditions, values, and cultural legacies. Varghese expertly weaves her family’s migration story into the narrative, providing readers with a context for the broader immigrant experience that resonates on multiple levels. By sharing personal anecdotes, she fosters a connection with young readers, prompting them to reflect on their own cultural backgrounds.

One of the standout features of this book is the stunning, vibrant illustrations that accompany the text. Each page is alive with color and detail, bringing the story’s cultural elements to life. These visual representations not only captivate young readers but also serve as a bridge to a deeper understanding of cultural attire and traditions, enhancing the overall reading experience.

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@bookworm1909

Down By The River by Tricia Gardella – Review by Krystal Compton

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Down By The RiverDown By The River by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Down by the river by Tricia Gardella – 5 Stars

This is a cute outdoorsy book for little ones! Perfect for those adventurers of the surroundings of rivers and the uniqueness of what’s in them, around them and where they flow. The illustrations by Kristin MacLaren-Abbot are absolutely beautiful and capture your attention with the story!

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese – Review by Shelly Kittell

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today?Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book. A little boy asked about his heritage and his mom told him. I love how it’s sweet, simple and age appropriate. It also leaves the door open for more questions and sharing about family. I enjoyed the sharing of the outfit that they often wear to celebrations. I believe our society should just share more about each other’s cultures like that. It’s kind of cool to learn about that .

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Hi Little Brother, I Love You by Deniese Dennis – Review by Julie Johnson

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Hi Little Brother, I Love You: A Sweet Gift Keepsake Book Welcoming a New Baby Brother to the Family.Hi Little Brother, I Love You: A Sweet Gift Keepsake Book Welcoming a New Baby Brother to the Family. by Deniese Dennis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is such a sweet book and would be great read to a young child who is about to be promoted to the oldest or older sibling. This book speaks of how the new baby brother will be much loved and what all they will do together. While most siblings will have some rivalry, this book will help keep the focus on being kind and sweet to each other, while sharing their things.

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It’s Cool To Be Kind by Shermaine Perry-Knights – Review by Amelia Stansell

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It's Cool To Be Kind: A Children's Book on Kindness and FriendshipIt’s Cool To Be Kind: A Children’s Book on Kindness and Friendship by Shermaine Perry-Knights
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was really cute. My little boy enjoyed it. It shows the different ways that you can be kind to others. Three friends had an assignment for school. They needed to write about what they are the best at. The three decided that there is still so much to discover.

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Gadrella by Tricia Gardella – Review by Brittany Adams

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GadrellaGadrella by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this story! I’m very stingy when giving books a 5 Star rating but I definitely feel like this children’s book deserves it! I first read this book on my own and immediately loved it. However, then I had to give it the true test. I had to read it to my 3, 6 and 8 year old children. Guess what! THEY ALSO LOVED IT! Gadrella is a world changer. She didn’t like it so she took charge of her own decisions and changed the narrative. We love a strong willed female role model in this house.

I highly recommend this book that helps teach children to be themselves.

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Thank you so much for this amazing read Tricia Gardella!

Reviewed by @britt87

Down By The River by Tricia Gardella – Review by Felicia Bates

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Down By The RiverDown By The River by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Down by the River is a well written children’s book that reads very quickly. The illustrations are gorgeous and the story flows very well. No pun intended. I enjoyed that we learned about the animals and activities that happen by the river while learning positional vocabulary too. Overall, it was a well thought out children’s book!

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Cam Creates a Hero by Dagmara Sitek

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Cam Creates a HeroCam Creates a Hero by Dagmara Sitek
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a cute story. It’s about a foster kid who dreams of building a robot hero to save kids for bad parents. It shows how to follow your dreams and not give up when things don’t go your way. I read this story with my daughter who really enjoyed reading it. This is the second book of Dagmara Sitek I have read and we really like the series

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Hi Little Brother, I Love You by Deniese Dennis – Review by Michelle Mulvey

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Hi Little Brother, I Love You: A Sweet Gift Keepsake Book Welcoming a New Baby Brother to the Family.Hi Little Brother, I Love You: A Sweet Gift Keepsake Book Welcoming a New Baby Brother to the Family. by Deniese Dennis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hi Little Brother, I Love You is really sweet book about a boy welcoming a new baby brother. This book reminds me of how the girl I care for was towards her baby sister when she was born and a toddler. The older sibling loves their new baby sibling and helps out with feeding and everything else. They love to teach their new baby everything they know from sounds animals make to ABC’s to even riding bikes. Very sweet read

Review by @xchellex

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Hi Little Brother, I Love You by Deniese Dennis – Review by Heather Harmon

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Hi Little Brother, I Love You: A Sweet Gift Keepsake Book Welcoming a New Baby Brother to the Family.Hi Little Brother, I Love You: A Sweet Gift Keepsake Book Welcoming a New Baby Brother to the Family. by Deniese Dennis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a cute book for a big brother to read to his younger sibling! I enjoyed the different scenarios the author used for Big Brother to help his Little Brother. The illustrations were well done, too. All around, it is a delightful book to give a big brother!

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Finally Friends: Donut the Dog & Peanut the Squirrel Learn Social Skills (Donut & Peanut Collection) by Debbie Sullivan – Review by Carrie Reed

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Finally Friends: Donut the Dog & Peanut the Squirrel Learn Social SkillsFinally Friends: Donut the Dog & Peanut the Squirrel Learn Social Skills by Debbie Sullivan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved the art in this book, Donut and Peanut are so sweet. Poor Donut just wants to make friends and Peanut is terrified. Talking through the misunderstanding together makes them both happy. I like the end with the description of social emotional learning and where you can see it throughout the story. I can’t wait to see what Donut and Peanut get up to.

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese – Review by Carrie Reed

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today?Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beautiful book. I love the Indian culture, and this book is a good tool to teach other Indian children that they are not just Indian when they put on their cultural garments but everyday. And that they should be proud of where they come from and what their families have accomplished. The art work is also very lovely, kind of water color like, the colors are beautiful.

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese – Review by Angela Hayes

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today?Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars

 

Mommy, Am I An Indian Today? is a sweet children’s storybook inspired by the author’s own son asking her that very question. The story is accompanied by cute, bright, colourful, and engaging illustrations that really made the story ‘pop’.
We follow as our characters explore cultural/multi-cultural identity and heritage, embrace and celebrate cultural roots and traditions- and discusses the importance of honouring one’s ancestors. There is a bit of an educational component to the story too.
I love reading stories that celebrate diverse backgrounds, while showing/teaching us about different cultures along the way.
Happy Reading…

 

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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Finally Friends: Donut the Dog & Peanut the Squirrel Learn Social Skills (Donut & Peanut Collection) by Debbie Sullivan – Review by Kelli Harper

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Finally Friends: Donut the Dog & Peanut the Squirrel Learn Social SkillsFinally Friends: Donut the Dog & Peanut the Squirrel Learn Social Skills by Debbie Sullivan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful illustrations and a great story about how to make new friends. Making them comfortable even though there are differences and overcoming those differences.

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It’s Cool To Be Kind by Shermaine Perry-Knights – Review by Dawn Daughenbaugh

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It's Cool To Be Kind: A Children's Book on Kindness and FriendshipIt’s Cool To Be Kind: A Children’s Book on Kindness and Friendship by Shermaine Perry-Knights
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Stars
It’s Cool To Be Kind by Shermaine Perry-Knights

It’s Cool To Be Kind is a cute children’s book that children ages 7-9 can enjoy but honestly children of any age can it. One thing I loved about this book was the lessons it teaches children. This story teaches them about being kind. You can be Kind in many different ways and this book teaches children about that. My son loved this book. I highly recommend reading it and we look forward to reading more from this Author.

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Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book Series) by MJ Murray – Review by Heather Bass

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Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book Series 3)Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf by M.J. Murray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have read a few of these books to my son and we love them. This is the third book to the awesome youth Sleuths series. . You could read it as a stand alone because they are so much more fun when you read them together. This story was so much fun to read it only took us about an hour to finish this book. I can’t wait to read more in this series.

Dylan and his little sister go to camp. He is not too excited especially when it rains for a few days straight. Dylan always brings his detective kit and his trusty dog Theodore wherever he goes. He is getting really bored until Mrs. Fan announces there will be some fun games and the winner will get a cool trophy. When Mrs. Fan reveals the trophy is gone and a rock is in its place. Dylan is so excited to solve this mystery. He needs some help from some of his old friends as well as some new friends. Will Dylan and Emily figure out who took the trophy and why?

Review by @heatherbass
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Finally Friends: Donut the Dog & Peanut the Squirrel Learn Social Skills (Donut & Peanut Collection) by Debbie Sullivan – Review by Jaimie Salmon-Colburn

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Finally Friends: Donut the Dog & Peanut the Squirrel Learn Social SkillsFinally Friends: Donut the Dog & Peanut the Squirrel Learn Social Skills by Debbie Sullivan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finally Friends is such a cute book. A great story and fun illustrations. Inspired by the author’s dog you follow along with Donut while she tries to befriend a squirrel. In the beginning Donut is sad because her friend moves away and she has no one to play with. Laying in her dog house she is sad, but then she hears a noise, Peanut the squirrel! She decides to befriend Peanut. She cleans her teeth with her bone the next more and makes sure her breath isn’t stinky. She wants to make a good impression with a big smile. But Peanut sees it and runs. Thinking of trying again, Donut makes up a silly dance to win over Peanut. Peanut jumps over the fence and runs away. Donut doesn’t understand. She decides just to say hi and see with Peanut will talk back. When Peanut makes it over the fence again she doesn’t see Donut. She barks a hi and scares Peanut so bad that she falls over before getting back up and running up the tree. Donut feels lonely and she doesn’t know why Peanut won’t be her friend. More happens but I don’t want to give it all away. It’s a super cute book that I enjoyed reading with my daughter. This book is a wonderful SEL (Social Emotional Learning) book. It helps kids learn at the same time reading a fun book. This author did so great with this book. I can’t wait to get some of her other ones!!

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese – Review by Shannen Kern

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today?Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was my first experience with this author’s work, and it was nothing short of amazing! The storyline is simple yet captivating and informative. While it is gearing toward younger readers, I still found myself thoroughly engaged with the turn of every page. The illustrations are absolutely stunning and vibrant, beautifully enhancing the narrative. This book will definitely have a permanent place on our shelves. Both of my kiddos, ages 8 and 12, loved every bit of this book, and it also sparked some good conversations between us. I highly recommend getting this book and sharing it with young readers in your life. I can’t wait to explore more of this author’s work!

Reviewed by @shannlynn

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese – Review by Jenni Bishop

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Mommy, Am I Indian Today?Mommy, Am I Indian Today? by Sheeba Varghese
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This charmingly illustrated story stemmed from one innocent question: “Mommy, Am I Indian, Today?” It is a story of embracing your heritage and knowing who you are every day but that traditional clothes the Kurtas is only worn for special occasions and in this case for a wedding. Sheeba has created an inspiring tale of diversity, culture, and ethnicity. It’s a story of family, heritage, and celebrating not only who you are, but also others around you. Although it is a children’s book, it holds important lessons for adults as well.

My grandsons loved this story; afterwards, they shared about the differences within their groups of friends. I am happy to say that I raised my kids right, and they have passed down the same philosophies to their children, and I’m sure to my great grandbabies.

Reviewed by @jennadb

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