children's books

Book Spotlight: Dog Park by Kathryn Kazoleas

DogPark copy

How cute is this book! Read on for more info about Dog Park by Kathryn Kazoleas!

DogParkCoverHighRes

Dog Park

Publication Date: May 30th, 2021

Genre: Middle Grade/ Chapter Book

Gibson the labradoodle is about to begin her first day of training to become a dog park ambassador, something she has been dreaming about her entire life. Dog park ambassadors hold a very high honour within the dog park community and have many important roles to make sure the dog park is a fun and safe place to be. She has so many great ideas and cannot wait to get started.

While Gibson is training alongside lead ambassador and trainer, Meistro the bulldog, things don’t go as planned. Gibson meets challenge after challenge and isn’t allowed to introduce any of her new ideas. Being a dog park ambassador isn’t what she thought it would be so she starts to question whether the role is really for her.

At the end of her very first training shift, and just as she’s about to give up and tell Meistro she isn’t cut out to be a dog park ambassador after all, there’s an emergency at the river. One of the dog park’s new puppies, Clover, has swam too far out and cannot get back to shore. Gibson’s best friend and greatest supporter Stretch the dachshund, convinces her she has to go help. Gibson springs into action, with Stretch at her side and encouraging her the entire time. Gibson saves the day…almost!

Having been swept downstream and far away from the dog park, Gibson is forced to lead the trio back to safety. There’s only one way back and it’s through a dark forest with strange sounds and smells. The sun is starting to go down and everybody is tired and scared. But, Gibson knows she has to get her friends back home, despite what, or who, gets in her way.

Excerpt

Tyler didn’t know it, but today was an important day and one that she had been looking forward to for a very long time. Each week, the regular pack at the dog park delegated a dog park ambassador. It was a job that held a very high honour within the dog park community. Dog park ambassadors were to make sure all the dogs at the park got along, and that all the humans felt welcomed so they would bring their dogs back. As ambassadors, they were to intervene in any disagreements between dogs, explain the rules to the new dogs and puppies, and were to greet the humans to welcome them to the park.

Gibson had been asking to get involved for months now, but the committee always told her they didn’t need any more ambassadors. But finally, her persistence paid off and they agreed to let her start training. Today was her first day.

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Indigo

About the Author

20924627

Kathryn is from Alberta, Canada where she lives with her dog Koa and her cat Keeva. In her free time, she can be found playing ball with Koa, enjoying the outdoors, reading or writing.

Kathryn Kazoleas | Twitter | Instagram

Book Blitz Organized By:

R&R Book Tours

Cover Reveal: The Littlest Dinosaur Finds a Home

Cover Reveal Banner

Wow! If you thought the first book was adorable, check out the cover of The Littlest Dinosaur Finds a Home!

The Littlest Dinosaur Finds A Home Cover

The Littlest Dinosaur Finds a Home

Expected Publication Date: September 1st, 2021

Genre: Kids/ Children’s Books

The Littlest Dinosaur is off on a new adventure. It’s time for bed, and the newborn dino has nowhere to lay down his sleepy head. Luckily, he’s got Ty The Tyrannosaur to show him the meaning of family and help him find a place to call home.

Coming Soon!

The Littlest Dinosaur (Book #1)

outlook-dr5qmdgk

Publication Date: November 2nd, 2020

Genre: Children’s Literature

Illustrator: Tessa Verplancke

Ty, The Tyrannosaur just wants to make a new friend.

Sadly, the other dinosaurs are all afraid of his sharp teeth! So Ty must go on an adventure to find a dinosaur brave enough to be friends with a Tyrannosaur.

The Littlest Dinosaur

About the Authors

Authors with dinos

Bryce Raffle was the lead writer for the video game studio Ironclad Games. He also writes stories for young adults and designs book covers.

Steven Kothlow is making his debut as a children’s book writer. He hopes to tell many more stories that help spread a message of diversity and inclusion especially in children’s literature.

Tessa Verplancke is a sound designer by day and an illustrator by night. She lives to tell stories through as many mediums as possible.

Cover Reveal Organized By:

R&R Button

R&R Book Tours

Book Review: Venus Underwater: Songs from Mermaidia

When I first saw the cover of Julia Hengst’s Venus Underwater: Songs from Mermaidia, I was definitely interested in reading it. It looked like a charming book, something that my daughter might have loved when she was slightly younger (or even now, to be honest). I’m glad to say that the book is filled with beautiful and charming illustrations, and that it describes a fascinating underwater world of mermaids, octopi, and other sea creatures.

The book is made up of short poems and whimsical stories about the mermaids, including how they are born and grow up, how coconut catfish and giant squids protest the mermaids, and how they celebrate different families. It’s actually quite long to read the whole book as a bedtime story, but that’s okay because the book has several sections and lots of short poems that would work very well as bedtime reading. I really liked all the little characters in the poems and stories, especially the giant squid and octomom. If anything, I wish that some of the characters had slightly longer stories, sort of like T.S. Eliot does in Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. However, it is interesting to have so many little characters as well. I loved the huge variety of mermaids and sea creatures in Hengst’s world, from cat-fish to manatee teachers.

If I had a criticism of the book, it’s that there’s some talk of things like chakras (called “sharkras” because mermaids live in the sea, which is admittedly cute), or auras, which I honestly feel are a little…new-agey. While I did like some of the positive messages in the book about unconditional love and celebrating who you are, I wish there was more whimsy and less hippy. Still, I overall think that the book does have a positive message, and my daughter did like it. I especially did enjoy the illustrations, which are very lovely.

Overall, I’d recommend this to moms with young kids who really like yoga, haha, or anyone who’s interested in positive parenting. Just please vaccinate your children! Unconditional love is amazing, but science is awesome too!

Cover of Venus Underwater: Songs from Mermaidia by Julia Hengst and Esther Samuels-Davis

Cover of Venus Underwater: Songs from Mermaidia by Julia Hengst and Esther Samuels-Davis

About the Book

The magic universe of mermaids, full of laughter, song and delight: help your child

discover self-confidence and find their inner flow by diving deep into the magical world of

Mermaidia. Venus Underwater: Songs from Mermaidia introduces the underwater world of

Mermaidia. This humorous and whimsical collection of poems and songs reveals how baby

mermaids are made, what mermaid families are like, and how mermaids study magic at

School of the Fish to become Sea Witches (not Sand Witches). Created by family therapist

Julia Hengst the Venus and Her Fly Trip series helps nurture the whole child, promoting self-

esteem, confidence and social/emotional/mental health in a fun, playful way.

Picture of Julia Hengst, author of Venus Underwater: Songs from Mermaidia

Picture of Julia Hengst, author of Venus Underwater: Songs from Mermaidia

About the Author

Julia Hengst is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, an avid surfer, traveler and word

nerd who resides in Maui. Passionate about psychology, spirituality and media literacy, she

holds an undergraduate degree in Media Studies from UC Berkeley, a Masters degree in

Counseling Psychology, and an imaginary degree from the University of

Puns. 

Website: https://venusandherflytrip.net/

Social Media: Facebook and Instagram

Giveaway: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0e7c6a8f274/

Different: A Great Thing to Be!

Different: A Great Thing to Be is a charming children’s picture book by Heather Avis, illustrated by my friend Sarah Mensinga.

The story is about a little girl, Macy, who is different because she has down syndrome. But she’s warm and kind, and she makes friends with other kids. Macy, who is based on Avis’ daughter, comes across as a wonderful character with a great spirit. I also love Sarah’s drawings, which really bring all the characters to life and depict a wide variety of children embracing and celebrating their uniqueness.

Overall, the book has a good message, and many of the words rhyme, which makes it fun to read. My eight year old read it out loud to my toddler, and both kids really enjoyed it. I’d recommend it to teachers as a good read aloud book for any classroom, or to parents looking for a good book for their children.

Cover of Different: A Great Thing to Be! by Heather Avis and Sarah Mensinga

Cover of Different: A Great Thing to Be! by Heather Avis and Sarah Mensinga

Sarah has illustrated several other books, and she also writes both novels and children’s books. Check out more of her work below!

Learn More About Sarah Mensinga!

Books: Currently, The Box, and Shimmerdark

Find me at http://www.sarahmensinga.com/

Instagram: @sarah_mensinga

Twitter: @sarahmensinga

Review: The Littlest Dinosaur

I don’t normally review children’s picture books here, but I do actually love them! For one thing, I do have children, and my little ones love picture books, especially ones about dinosaurs (I have so many dinosaur books). So I was excited to get a copy of The Littlest Dinosaur in exchange for an honest review!

This is a very cute book. I loved the illustrations of the little dinosaur and all the other dinosaurs that he meets while he’s looking for a friend on his journey. The story overall is very cute and simple, something that would make a good bedtime story. If I had a criticism, it would be that the dinosaur calls himself a “vegan” multiple times, which seems like a word many young kids wouldn’t easily understand. Also, as someone who loves science, I wasn’t necessarily convinced that a carnivore like T-Rex should be personified as a vegan. But it is a fantasy story, and it has a very cute ending. And if you are a vegan or interested in veganism, it might be a fun book for you and your kids to share.

Overall, I think this would be a good book for any families, especially if they have kids who love dinosaurs! My daughter (who is seven) also read it, and she thought it was very cute too.

Ty, The Tyrannosaur just wants to make a new friend.

Sadly, the other dinosaurs are all afraid of his sharp teeth! So Ty must go on an adventure to find a dinosaur brave enough to be friends with a Tyrannosaur.

To win a digital prize pack which includes the ebook copy of the book, two desktop wallpapers for the computer, two cell phone backdrops, plus three printable activity pages including two coloring book pages and a maze, click the link below to enter!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0e7c6a8f236/

Bryce Raffle ad Steven Kothlow, Authors of The Littlest Dinosaur

Bryce Raffle ad Steven Kothlow, Authors of The Littlest Dinosaur

About the Authors

Bryce Raffle was the lead writer for the video game studio Ironclad Games. He also writes stories for young adults and designs book covers.

Steven Kothlow is making his debut as a children’s book writer. He hopes to tell many more stories that help spread a message of diversity and inclusion especially in children’s literature.

Tessa Verplancke is a sound designer by day and an illustrator by night. She lives to tell stories through as many mediums as possible.