Category: books

Most little girls want a Princess Party one year for their birthday (mine being the exception!), and there are plenty of licensed goods that you can get to have a party like that.  But if you’re wanting to host a party that all the children, especially yours will remember, you need to get the Princess Party Cookbook by Annabel Karmel.  With over 100 recipes and ideas, that all girls (even if they’re tomboys!) will enjoy – from appetizers to desserts, invitations to table settings, Princess Parties of all kinds are laid out page by page with lots of pictures to help you out!

If you’re looking to become a more positive and happy person, then one of the latest Chicken Soup for the Soul’s books, is definitely something you should read.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive; 101 Inspirational Stories about Counting Your Blessings and Having a Positive Attitude (Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Amy Newmark, Foreword by Deborah Norville), was released for purchase on September 28, 2010.

I was planning to review what I thought about the book, but really am just going to post a few paragraphs excerpted from Deborah Norville’s foreword, because she does a great job of prefacing the book, and really summing up what’s in these stories.

Ah ha – caught your attention did I?  Well here are some books that your tweens and teens might want to read.  A guest post by none other than my 14 year old daughter Amber, who read all these books (one of them in just a day!).  She’ll share her thoughts, on why your kids might want to read them too!

NERDS: M is for Mama’s Boy by Michael Buckley
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Amulet Books; 1 edition (September 1, 2010)

Preceded by Knuffle Bunny:  A Cautionary Tale and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, Mo Willems concludes his Knuffle Bunny book series with Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion.

Don Colbert, MD, is board-certified in family practice and anti-aging medicine and has received extensive training in nutritional and preventative medicine. He is the author of numerous books, including two New York Times best sellers, Dr. Colbert’s “I Can Do This” Diet and The Seven Pillars of Health.

Joseph A. Cannizzaro, MD, has practiced pediatric medicine for thirty years with specialties in developmental pediatrics, nutrition, and preventive medicine. He is the founder and managing pediatrician for the Pediatricians Care Unit in Longwood, Florida.

Dewey Readmore Books may just be the most famous cat since Garfield.  Little did Librarian Vicki Myron know that opening the book return box at the public library in Spencer, Iowa one fateful winter day in 1988, would change the course of her life forever.

The tiny little kitten she found inside, who the townspeople later named Dewey Readmore Books, united a community, and in turn touched the world.

When his story, told by his “Mom,” librarian Vicki Myron, hit bookshelves in 2008, it became an instant #1 bestseller.  Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World sold over a million copies in hardcover, spawned three children’s books, and became the basis for a film adaptation that is currently in development, with Meryl Streep in the lead role.

Spending time with God each day by way of Bible reading and through someone else’s thoughts on the subject is a time of refuge for me.  It’s amazing what happens when one spends time in the Word, the circumstances of your life might not be any different an hour later, but your attitude is, and that can make all the difference between a good day and a miserable day.

I was humbled to be able to review Daily Guideposts 2011: A Spirit-Lifting Devotional.  I’m glad I can share with you these enjoyable, engaging and thought provoking, short devotionals.

The adolescent crowd and their parents love “Fire Station Buddies: The Pact” by Karen McHale. It’s the story of a group of animals that long ago made a pact with firefighters to help fight wildfires.

Only Fire Buddies Can Know the Secret—

The secret is out about an elite team of wild animals that help fire fighters do their jobs.  Could it be real? Is there a cover up to keep these animals a secret?

Klutz books have kept me sane over the years.  With a creative child in the home, many of their books have a place on the bookshelf in Amber’s bedroom.  They make great gifts for kids of all ages, for traveling and are an instant cure for the “I have nothing to do’s”.  They have books for the crafty girl, and the silly boy, and more often than not, I have seen adults perusing the pages of the books we own!  A favorite in our home is the Draw Star Wars The Clone Wars.

I am honored to be a part of the new Klutz Blog Tour that has been a part of the blogosphere.  I am stop number 14 on this 16 blog tour.

Guest Post by Amber Litke

DragonArt Evolution (by J. ‘NeonDragon’ Peffer) is a new how-to-draw book in the DragonArt series.  This particular book focuses on the ins and outs of how to draw all things dragon.

First and foremost I will share with you all that I love dragons, which is what got me so excited to receive this book.  Well, that and the fact that I can’t draw dragons…or I used to not be able to, until I got this DragonArt book.