BOOK NOOK REVIEWS: Susanna Leonard Hill

 

 

Title: When Your Llama Needs A Haircut

Author: Susanna Leonard Hill

Illustrator: Daniel Wiseman

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Publishers

Ages: 0-4 

Synopsis: 

Does your llama need a haircut? When your llama needs a haircut, you'll first need to pick the perfect style...

Why you should get it:

When I found out my friend, author Susanna Leonard Hill, was releasing a new series of board books, I offered to review one. My friends know I'm not likely to give a favorable BOOK NOOK REVIEW unless I sincerely like the book I've been given. 

The day WHEN YOUR LLAMA NEEDS A HAIRCUT came in the mail, I was having a very rough time at work. I thought I would give Susanna's book a quick read and then delve deeper into it at a later time. I found myself actually chuckling out loud at some of the adorable illustrations Daniel Wiseman created to compliment Susanna's cute story, like this one...

It brougt me back to the days of my own youth when I tried wearing a perm myself, as well as those days of trying to tame my own son's curly locks. It is also written in a similar vein as author Laura Numeroff's "If You Give..." series which makes WHEN YOUR LLAMA NEEDS A HAIRCUT a very enjoyable read. I can't wait to read other books in the series like WHEN YOUR LION NEEDS A BATH and WHEN YOUR ELEPHANT HAS THE SNIFFLES.

Young readers will laugh at the whimsical artwork and parents will find their own little ones asking to hear this delightful story "just one more time!" A great addition to any home library...

Like-O-Meter Rating:   5 out of 5...grab it.

**Rating scale**

 
 5 out of 5...grab it!
 4 out of 5...think about it.
 3 out of 5...take it or leave it.
 2 out of 5...maybe not for you.
 1 out of 5...forget about it!

 

ARE YOU THE MISSING PIECE? is now available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble Bookstore, and other fine retailers. It was a #1 bestseller in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US earlier this month.

 

International best selling author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt Taekwondo Instructor by day and a 'ninja' writer of children’s picture books, chapter books and young adult novels by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host and past book reviewer for Harper Collins, She is also a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators and Children's Book Insider. Donna is a lover of dark chocolate, time at the beach, and well written stories.

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BOOK NOOK REVIEWS: Donna Gibbs

Title: When The Cat’s Away

Author: Donna Gibbs

Illustrator: Lionel King
Publisher: Moshpit Publishing

Ages: 4-8 

Synopsis: 

When The Cat's Away, a picture book for young children, is set in Paris. A family of mice move into their new home beneath the CafE des Chats. Gussie and her twin brother, Pierre, are keen to explore their new surroundings. It is not long before Pierre's nose for adventure puts his life at risk and takes them far away. It takes some luck and all of Gussie's bravery and ingenuity to stage his rescue. Their triumphant journey through the streets of Paris back to their home almost comes unstuck. And then at the very last minute they realise they have another problem - the resident cat is not quite as far away as they had hoped! 

What I Think About It:

I was given a copy of this children’s book in exchange for my honest review.

I grew up devouring picture books…ones read to me until I could read them on my own. Then I dove into the written word and beauty of the illustrations to help take me on an adventure of the spirit.

Children’s author Donna Gibbs has published more than 35 books which is a testament to her devotion to children's book. Lionel King’s illustrations support the plot and the concept of two mice, new to Paris, going on a grand adventure is a good one.

Unfortunately, I felt the execution of the story line hit some bumps along the way. Today’s picture books should be full of the art of “showing”, while I found When The Cat’s Away is heavier on the “telling”. I was also a bit confused how easily Pierre and Gussie were able to find their way home when earlier in the story we discover they’ve just recently moved into their new home which implies the two main characters would not be familiar with their surroundings. Especially if viewed from a mouse's eye on top of a van speeding away from their doorstep.

Despite my struggle with the execution and flow of the story itself, I feel there is still an audience of young readers out there who might find this particular  picture book a delightful read.

Like-O-Meter Rating:   3 out of 5...take it or leave it.

**Rating scale**

 
 5 out of 5...grab it!
 4 out of 5...think about it.
 3 out of 5...take it or leave it.
 2 out of 5...maybe not for you.
 1 out of 5...forget about it!

 

ARE YOU THE MISSING PIECE? is now available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble Bookstore, and other fine retailers. It was a #1 bestseller in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US earlier this month.

 

International best selling author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt Taekwondo Instructor by day and a 'ninja' writer of children’s picture books, chapter books and young adult novels by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host and book reviewer for Harper Collins, She is also a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators and Children's Book Insider. Donna is a lover of dark chocolate, time at the beach, and well written stories.

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Linkedin
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Book Nook Reviews: Jessi Colter

 

 

Title: An Outlaw and a Lady

Author: Jessi Colter
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Ages: Adult 

Synopsis: 

 

Renowned songwriter, singer, and wife of Waylon Jennings writes an intimate, enormously entertaining memoir of American music, of life with Waylon and the Outlaws, and of faith lost and found.

 

What I Think About It:

Growing up with a mother who didn’t recognize ANY other genre of music other than Country, I was very familiar with the musical talents of both Jessi Colter and husband, Waylon Jennings. When I had the opportunity to read this tell all biography, I eagerly awaited the book’s arrival, which is why I was rather surprised how disappointed I was after reading Jessi’s story.

It wasn’t that the story wasn’t well written, because each chapter obviously was well thought out as it chronicled Jessi’s life from growing up as Miriam Johnson to her own success as a country music artist and her eventual, somewhat tumultuous, marriage to country music icon Waylon Jennings.

For me, there was something missing in the overall “voice” and “hook” of this story that had me struggling to turn the next page in each chapter. Fans of Jessi or Waylon may find the book the perfect read, but for the rest of us, you may want to think twice before adding this one to your home library…

Like-O-Meter Rating:   3 out of 5...take it or leave it.

**Rating scale**

 
 5 out of 5...grab it!
 4 out of 5...think about it.
 3 out of 5...take it or leave it.
 2 out of 5...maybe not for you.
 1 out of 5...forget about it!

(Disclaimer:

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”) 

 

 

BOOK NOOK REVIEWS...Rachel Hauck

   

 

 

 

Title: The Writing Desk

Author: Rachel Hauck
Publisher: Zondervan

Ages: Young Adult, Adult

Synopsis: 

 

Tenley Roth's first book was a runaway bestseller. Now that her second book is due, she's locked in fear. Can she repeat her earlier success or is she a fraud who has run out of inspiration?

With pressure mounting from her publisher, Tenley is weighted with writer's block. But when her estranged mother calls asking Tenley to help her through chemotherapy, she packs up for Florida where she meets handsome furniture designer Jonas Sullivan and discovers the story her heart's been missing.

A century earlier, another woman wrote at the same desk with hopes and fears of her own. Born during the Gilded Age, Birdie Shehorn is the daughter of the old money Knickerbockers. Under the strict control of her mother, her every move is decided ahead of time, even whom she'll marry. But Birdie has dreams she doesn't know how to realize. She wants to tell stories, write novels, make an impact on the world. When she discovers her mother has taken extreme measures to manipulate her future, she must choose between submission and security or forging a brand new way all on her own.

Tenley and Birdie are from two very different worlds, but fate has bound them together in a way time cannot erase.

 

Why You Should Consider It:

When is an old writing desk not a desk anymore?

When it becomes a bridge, helping to connect the lives of two women living in vastly different worlds set in a time one hundred years apart from each other.

Birdie Shehorn is born during the Gilded Age in New York, where young ladies are expected to bow to their mother’s wishes and marry some titled aristocracy from across the ocean in order to secure their place in high society. Too bad if Birdie has other dreams of how her life should be…like writing romance novels.

Tenley Knickerbocker, on the other hand, is very much a modern woman, riding high on the success of her first blockbuster novel. But Tenley’s life isn’t all smooth sailing either. Pressure from her publisher to produce her next best seller is causing writer’s block. Pressure from her boyfriend to go away with him to Paris at a time when her life feels like it is unraveling. Pressure from her estranged mother to go to Florida to help her through chemotherapy.

But maybe the very essence of life isn’t very different no matter whether you live in 1900 New York or modern day Florida. We all want to be able to choose who we will one day fall in love with, determine the paths our own lives will take, and  feel in control of our own destinies.

Author Rachel Hauck does a superb job of taking us deep into the lives to two seemingly different women and weaving a tale of how one desk helps connect them to their deepest desires no matter their individual circumstances or even the ocean of time standing between them.

A nice addition to any home library!

Like-O-Meter Rating:  5 out of 5...grab it!

**Rating scale**

 
 5 out of 5...grab it!
 4 out of 5...think about it.
 3 out of 5...take it or leave it.
 2 out of 5...maybe not for you.
 1 out of 5...forget about it!

(Disclaimer:

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)