The Berenstain Bears, Blessed are the Peacemakers by Mike Berenstain

The Berenstain Bears, Blessed are the Peacemakers by Mike Berenstain

Description from the publisher:

In this new Berenstain Bears 8x8 book, Blessed are the Peacemakers, Brother and Sister have a wide circle of friends at Bear Country School and they get along with pretty much everyone. But not all their friends get along with each other. Too Tall and his bullying gang, for instance, are often in conflict with Cousin Fred, Ferdy Factual, and their friends. So what happens when the cubs all need to work together on the annual school play? Brother and Sister have to decide whether they should “mind their own business” or get involved as peacemakers and try to calm the troubled waters.

This book was excellent. The lesson it taught was easy to understand and very relevant for kids in the world today. It is very easy to expand on this book to make the situation relevant for your child's life. There are a few quotes from the Bible that added to the lessons of this book. The last page has some discussion questions that helped my son understand even more. 

Review from my 7 year old son, Max- "This book is so awesome! I love the Berenstain Bears! The pictures were so cool too!"

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review.***

I Ate a Cicada Today by Jeff Crossan

I Ate a Cicada Today by Jeff Crossan

Based on a song of outrageous rhymes, I Ate a Cicada Today is a humorous children's picture book illustrated in ink and watercolor with an accompanying CD.  Each two-page spread features a verse about a different animal or insect including such fanciful scenarios as "I peppered a leopard today" and "I hid a giant squid today."  The CD is a guitar/vocal performance of the song by author/illustrator Jeff Crossan, who interjects each verse with a short spoken aside to provide added comic punch to the zany lyrics.

We did  not get the CD with this book so were unable to review that half of this book. The story itself was silly. If you do not like silly books, you would not like this book. The rhymes are cute and funny. This was not the best book I have read but it was cute and fun!

The pictures are colorful and amazing! They are really eye catching and fun!

Review from my 7 year old son, Max, "This book is so funny! I like the squid the most!"

Q&A with Jeff Crossan

Did your kids help come up with any of the rhymes?
 My kids are both very creative. My daughter is an artist and my son is a songwriter. But they 
were just little kids when I started coming up with ideas for the song in the restaurant. I was sitting 
across from them in a booth and every now and then I’d blurt out “I peppered a leopard” or “I thrilled a 
gorilla” or “I hid a giant squid,” any animal rhyme I could think of. They were just sort of amused by 
what I doing as I recall. I don’t remember them trying to come up with ideas of their own. If they had,
my son’s ideas would probably have all been dinosaur rhymes and my daughter’s would have been 

about horses.

Where did you get the idea to turn “I Ate a Cicada Today” from a song into a children’s book?
The song sat around gathering dust for several years. I had no idea what to do with it. I was 
writing country songs and, let’s face it, there aren’t many country acts out there looking for songs with 
a zillion verses about animals and insects. Then I started drawing cartoons for the Presbyterian Voice 
and one evening while I was working on a cartoon the thought just popped into my head, “Hey, I could 
take that crazy cicada song and turn it into a picture book.” I had more than enough verses to choose 

from – 30 or 40, I think. I picked 16 of my favorites and drew the cicada and leopard first.

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

The Berenstain Bears God Shows the Way By Stan and Jan Berenstain, with Mike Berenstain

The Berenstain Bears God Shows the Way By Stan and Jan Berenstain, with Mike Berenstain

Description from the publisher:

Now in a convenient 3 stories in one collection, young readers will learn from the Berenstain Bears just how important it is to serve and love one another. Written in level one of the I Can Read standards, this bind-up of stories from the Berenstain Bears Living Lights I Can Read series is sure to please young, emergent readers as well as parents and grandparents looking for good quality reading that will help practice early reading skills as well as teach lessons about serving and caring for others. Included in this collection are the following titles: Faith Gets Us Through, Have No Fear, God Is Near  and Piggy Bank Blessings

This book is amazing! First of all, three books in one is a great choice. My son was able to take this one book in the car to run errands and had three books to chose from. It takes up less space and is easy to carry. 

The three stories are  great! There are so many lessons in each one of these books. I was able to expand on these lessons as well to make them fit my son's life a little more. This book would be great for teachers to use in church schools and Sunday school. Any parent that wants to help their child understand God's love a little more would benefit well from this book!

My seven year old son was able to read this book by himself. Together we enjoyed the pictures and stories and lessons. Max told me what he thought the books meant and why the lessons were important so that tells me that he really understood and it was written well. 

Review from my seven year old son, Max- "This book is so awesome! I love the Berenstain Bears!!! I will read this book lots of times!"

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

Ready To Wed by Cindi Madsen

Ready To Wed by Cindi Madsen

Description from the publisher:

Dakota Halifax loves to be in love. In fact, as one of Las Vegas’s premier wedding planners, she’s built a whole career around romance. Which is why her own wedding has to be nothing short of perfect. And then her fiancé jilts her. While she’s waiting in her wedding dress. On a cruise ship already out at sea.

Once back on dry land, Dakota tries to pour her heart into her business and weekly wedding advice column, Get Ready to Wed. But how can the heartbroken celebrate others’ true love? When she reconnects with her childhood best friend, surprisingly sexy and all-grown-up casino bouncer Brendan West, Dakota wonders if maybe she can fall back in love with being in love.

But then her ex reappears, begging for another chance and suddenly Dakota questions if she’ll ever understand love. Can someone once-burned and twice-shy ever find her way down the aisle again?

This book was fantastic! I have always wanted to be a wedding planner and would still love to so I was excited to get to read this book. The idea of a wedding planner getting jilted on her wedding day was exciting.....heartbreaking, but exciting to read about. I LOVE all of the characters, especially Brendan.

To me, the reason this book was so good was because the author was really able to make the reader feel the characters emotions. Dakota went through very real emotions. They were not sugar coated or fake. Amazing!

***This book was given to me in exchange  for an open and honest review***

A Hot Time In Texas by Ann Defee

A Hot Time In Texas by Ann Defee

Description from the publisher:

Etta Morrison had vowed never to get involved with another man in law enforcement, but she broke that vow when she fell for Texas Ranger Rafe Claiborne. Her reward? He left town without even a goodbye. But now Rafe's back—and he wants to pick up where they left off.

Two years after Rafe skipped out on her, Etta's over the moon with her new job as manager of the exclusive Sparkle Plenty costume jewelry store. In the world of synthetic diamonds, Sparkle Plenty is king—and this year, they're providing the crowns for the San Antonio Fiesta Coronation. Except the crowns have gone missing. Next thing you know, people start dropping dead and a couple of jerks shoot up her store.

When Rafe hears that Etta may be a target, he decides she needs a bodyguard. Him. In addition to keeping Etta safe in the middle of murders and a diamond-smuggling conspiracy, Rafe has to convince her to forgive him. Not an easy task, but Rangers are tough and Rafe is tenacious.

Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this book. It was VERY slow to start. I found it dragging and boring but a few chapters in, it got interesting and I could not put it down. I was intrigued and could not wait to see what was coming on the next page! Then I got to the end of the book and was very disappointed. I felt like the author was rushing the ending and ran out of space. There was no big drama. Rafe never faced any real fear. I expected the bad guys to come after him and they didn't. I expected Rafe to have to save Etta and he never had to.

I loved the characters. Rafe was rugged and tried to act like a tough guy, but you can see that he has a big heart. Etta has been hurt and tries hard to protect her heart but of course, Rafe wiggles his way in!

The middle was fantastic. If you can get through the beginning, I think you will really like this book. I would like to know what you thought about this book, so please let me know!

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson

The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson

Description from the publisher:

"Jonathan and Rosie have been together so long they finish each other’s sentences—so when he (finally) proposes and asks her to move across the country with him, everyone is happily surprised.
 But when things suddenly unravel, Rosie sends Jonathan packing and moves back home with Soapie, the irascible, opinionated grandmother who raised her. Only now she has to figure out how to fire Soapie’s very unsuitable caregiver, a gardener named Tony who lets her drink martinis, smoke, and cheat at Scrabble.
It’s a temporary break, of course—until Rosie realizes she’s accidentally pregnant at 44, completely unequipped for motherhood, and worse, may be falling in love with the sentimental, troubled Tony, whose life is even more muddled than hers. It’s not until Rosie learns the truth about her mother’s tragic story that she wonders if sometimes you have to let go of your fears, trusting that the big-hearted, messy life that awaits you may just be the one you were meant to live."

This book was VERY slow to start. To be honest, I almost stopped reading it but I like to push through the slow parts and see how the book ends. For this book, it really did take a while to get going but once I got into it, it did get better. About half way through, I had a hard time putting it down. I did enjoy the characters and I loved how the relationship built up between Rosie and Tony.

This book was a good read on a rainy day but it is not something I would read again. But, as I always say, don't take my word for it, read this book for yourself and let me know what you thought about it!

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***