Publishing has changed so much since we were kids. It’s no longer just about the reading experience, but how the experience can expand into your reality.
This is Sadie is a simple story written by Sara O’Leary and Illustrated by Julie Morstad. The quiet pace and the gentle whimsy of the illustrations lend themselves beautifully to a cuddle session on Mom’s lap.

As a mom of a Sadie, you need to know that the name is very common with animals (especially dogs) and so, finding a human character with this name in a children’s book was extra special.

This is Sadie tells the story of a little girl who has a very active imagination. Sadie is very creative and the books she reads become inspiration in her playtime.

The stories she reads and the worlds they represent provide a fun escape for Sadie as she pretends her day away.

It’s a quiet lesson in the value of story, imagination and the ability to self-entertain.

Beautiful illustrations move the story along and bring humor and depth to the text. It has the potential to be just a relaxing book that is fun to look at, but like I said at the beginning, publishing has taken a turn.

Push the story right on into reality and allow your children to become Sadie and play out all of her adventures themselves. Print out the free Activity Kit for This is Sadie which includes a fox mask, alphabet bunting activity, paper dolls and paper flowers.

If you have a child 3-7 years old, they will most likely relate to Sadie’s playful nature and her ability to turn the simplest things into pure adventure.

This book will be released May 12th, 2015. It is currently available for pre-order on Amazon,Barnes&Noble, Indie Bound, McNally Robinson, Indigo, Powell’s.

Visit the Author’s Website at http://thisissadiebook.tumblr.com/ . There is a lot to see there.

Also, hop by Julie Morstad’s site at http://www.juliemorstad.com/

Disclosure: I received a free copy of This is Sadie from Tundra Books via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I give this book four stars, not because of quality, but because it’s a book I’d probably borrow from the library rather than purchasing. My youngest is 7 though, so perhaps younger children would be more likely to read it again and again.

In any case, it is an adorable story with fun extras that could keep little ones busy and teach them the value of using their imagination.

 When I was about four, I decided my name was no longer cool enough and I refused to answer to anything other than Snow White.She’s been my favorite princess ever since, but I never really saw any true similarities between her and myself . . . until I read Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs.
I’m a big fan of books that rework famous or well known stories. In homeschooling, books like these can be a great tool for talking about plot or perspective. Comparing the new version with an older telling demonstrates in a clear and fun way that the slightest changes can makes dramatic differences to the story overall. Comparing and contrasting two versions of one story can be an instant lesson, not to mention a fun game.

Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs by Davide Cali is a quirky and fun reimagining of the classic fairy tale story, Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs.

Instead of 7 hardworking dwarfs, this Snow White lands herself with 77 practically helpless dwarfs who need her to do everything for them from laundry to beard combing. Snow White’s daily task list becomes a mountain of demands that leave her in a state of panic and dread. Worn out and unappreciated, her downward spiral becomes especially familiar to mothers.

My children caught on right away saying “Mom, she sounds like you.”

What Snow White does next will have mothers and children laughing in their seats.

​I mean, this illustration says it all doesn’t it?

What mom alive hasn’t been there?

The vibrant, colorful illustrations of the dwarf’s environment play in sharp contrast to the simple black, white, and red of Snow White.

Don’t miss this funny retelling. You’ll adore the ending.

I give this story 5 stars.

This book releases on April 14th, 2015 but you can pre-order your copy of Snow White and The 77 Dwarfs on Amazon or Barnes&Noble.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs from Random House of Canada Limited via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Are you looking for a fun way to teach a tricky topic like dangling participles? Don’t Dangle Your Participle by Vanita Oelschlager delivers laughs and educational value in a 42 page book designed to teach children ages 6-10.
The book opens with a rundown on what a participle is and a few examples which serve to explain the importance of correctly placing the participle.

The academic tone of the first two-page section made my children squirm a  little as they began to think that this book was going to be too much like a text book with a couple cute images thrown in to tease them.

Then we turned the page.

Beautiful, full-page illustrations popped with color, bringing to life some goofy sentences with participles placed all wrong. Even my youngest was catching on to the silliness.

Each goofy page was followed by a corrected sentence and an illustration to express the change.

The contrast was obvious and the problems were more quickly noticed as we progressed through the book.

Each participle is written in italics which helps the kids to spot them faster.

I thought this book was clever and educational. After their initial scare, my children were very pleasantly surprised that this book really was fun. Listening as they giggled and shouted out the correct sentences before I could flip the page, was all the confirmation I need that they were enjoying this unexpected lesson in grammar.

The website provides some neat ideas for using this book in a homeschool setting. I especially like this suggestion:

• Art classes could do their own ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ sentences

with participles.

I’m sure we’ll revisit the book in the future, both for reviewing the concept of dangling participles and for a hilarious moment together.

​I give this book five stars.

Order your copy on Amazon or Barnes&Noble.Disclosure: I received a free copy of Don’t Dangle Your Participle from Vanita Books via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

 I am trying to add a bit more poetry into our homeschool. Ivy in Bloom is a perfect resource in reaching that goal.

Ivy in Bloom by Vanita Oelschlager is a clever, out-of-the-box story that infuses famous lines written by well known poets of the past with a modern children’s story written in poetic verse.

At the surface, the book appears to be a poetic story of little Ivy Van Alsberg’s deep desire for spring.

​Sick of the gloom, she begins to describe the chilly March day and imagine the changes on their way when April arrives.

Within her descriptions are familiar lines borrowed from poems of the past.

Here’s an example:

In the story there is a line which reads . . .
“She wore her yellow sun-bonnet
She wore her greenest gown;”

This is a segment of a poem by A.A Milne, but the story continues without quoting anymore of that poem. The full poem is in the back of Ivy in Bloom along with other poems whose lines were borrowed. Poets referenced include:

• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• Charles Dickens
• William Cullen Bryant
• John Greenleaf Whittier
• e.e Cummings
• Christopher Morely
• Walt Whitman
• Edna St. Vincent Millay
• Robert Frost
• Thomas Nashe
• A.A. Milne
• Robert Browning

All this poetic genius is woven together into the modern story text written by Vanita Oelschlager and complemented by the adorable illustrations of Kristin Blackwood.

If you are using this in conjunction with your homeschool, don’t miss the extras provided here including a word search, word scramble, coloring pages and more.

The author and illustrator went out of their way to provide a truly usable tool for exciting children about the value, legacy and unfading message of poetry.

I give this book five stars and wish I could give more. It’s brilliant!

Order your copy of Ivy in Bloom on Amazon or Barnes&Noble.

​I received a free copy of Ivy in Bloom from Vanita Books via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.