Chuga the Beluga by Carl F. Kristeller

Genre: Upper Elementary, Middle Grade, Adventure

Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

First let me say that we need more books like this one.  Chuga is a Beluga Whale. This is his first migration to Black Pebbled Beach. He must make some very important decisions that will affect him for life. Along the way he has the guidance of his mother and others. This is a simple yet important book because every child will be able to see themselves or others in this book. It deals with issues of new friends, bullying, building relationships based on kindness, how to show patience and most important, how to forgive. This will ring true with the youngest to the oldest showing the consequences of decisions they make.  This book is not preachy, which is what makes it so wonderful. Along this journey there is much to be learned about life in the ocean. 

Several Wonderful Books by Leela Hope

Genre:Children's Picture Books

Finn's Upside Down Day 
Finn and Tim are dragon twins. One day Finn wakes up grumpy. It seems everything goes wrong. This book is sure to make your grumpiest child smile.







Tim and Finn The Dragon Twins: First Day of School
Another wonderful story with Tim and Finn that teach children it is okay to be different. Join the dragon twins on their first day of school.






At the Beach Today
This is a cute story of a family's adventurous trip to the beach.








Mia the Dragon Goes to the Fair
Mia goes to the fair with her friends where they each perform a trick. When Mia tries she fails. Find out what encouragement can do to help someone be successful.






Mia the Dragon Learns to be Kind
This book teaches the lesson of showing kindness to those who may not be kind to you.








Mia the Dragon Learns to Fly
Mia tries to learn to fly. When she is unsuccessful she hides. Her friends find her and encourage her. Believing in herself gives her the confidence she needs.






Mia the Dragon Plays Pretend
Mia and her friend Cherry Chipmunk have a wonderful day playing pretend when they can't go out to play.

Andy and His New Shirt – Leela Hope

All children have items that are special to the
m. It may be a blanket, a toy or a special item of clothing. When Andy’s grandma gives him a new shirt he state he will always wear it. As he spills things on it and gets it dirty he continues to wear it. Not until something dire happens does he decide he needs to wear clean clothes each day.

The I Spy Game – Leela Hope

Traveling with children can always be a challenge. The Davidson family have a game they play to help them pass the time. They play the I Spy Game. They each name a color and the family must guess what the item is that was seen.  I have played this with my own children. This is a wonderful book, especially for new parents who might actually need this game.

The I Spy Alphabet Game – Leela Hope

The Davison family is going on another trip. This time they play the I Spy Alphabet game. In this game they must find items that start with each letter of the alphabet. A cute way of teaching the alphabet, teaching kids to be observant around them and to have fun while traveling.

The Strange Ways of Providence in My Life by Krystyna Carmi

Genre: Adult, Memoir

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Once I started this book I couldn’t stop reading it.  At times it was difficult to read.  The fact that someone as young as Krystyna was when she went through all of these terrible events survived is a testament to her faith.  Raised a Jew she was interested in her Catholic friends religion. She kept her knowledge secret. This and her mom’s statement that “God protects  orphans”, helped carry her through this hardship.  For those who want to read  a clean cut memoir that takes them from point A to point B smoothly, you need to know that this doesn’t happen in this book.  I believe that is why I enjoyed it.  It reads like someone who is telling a story and remembers it in bits a pieces. The author has done an excellent job of putting things in chronological order. However, It is obvious that there are gaps in her memory. This makes it seem even more authentic. We remember things  and then what we remember triggers another memory. However, we don’t want to interrupt our story so we throw that thought in and tell our audience we will discuss it in more detail later.   So many people who have survived the Holocaust came out bitter.  No life was not easy and was not fair to the author. However, she took the lessons learned and used them in a positive way to shape her life.

We teach about the Holocaust in our eighth and ninth grade English Language Arts Classes.  This is definitely a book I will put on my shelves at school. It is another voice added to so many. Yet this is told in a manner my students will definitely be able to understand.  I highly recommend this book.

Author Bio

Facebook