Day 1 - Review of Books by Emily Hartmann

For the next several days I am going to post reviews of children's picture books I have purchased but have not yet read.  As many of you know, in March we lost a teacher I worked with.  I was asked to help with his classes until the end of the year. Unfortunately that meant I read very little except history assignments and my students' English assignments.  I am trying to make up for that. I am taking a couple of days to read a middle grade, young adult or adult book. Once finished I will post a review of said book.  In the meantime I am trying to read down the children's books I have in my Kindle. They tend to grow daily. So sit back and enjoy reviews from some of my favorite picture book authors.

Here are  reviews of books written by Emily Hartmann

Ask First
Emily’s books are full of wonderful illustrations.  In this book children learn boundaries. They learn before they ever do something they may need to stop and ask first.  The story is interactive so it is best for those preschoolers just learning life lessons.

Think First 

This is another book with Bobo. In this book Bobo needs to learn to stop and think first before he does
something. Once again it is interactive. After Bobo has a couple of problems, children are asked to help  Bobo remember to stop and think first before he does things.

Stay Calm – Emily Hartmann  

This cute book shows Bobo going ballistic with his emotions. He blows up at everything.  The book gives children two or three ways to calm themselves down before they throw that tantrum due to getting so emotional.

My Daddy is the Best – Emily Hartmann

A great bedtime story with dad. A father spends quality time with his daughter having all kinds of
adventures. He checks under her bed for monsters, tucks her in tight. She knows that she is loved and she loves him back for being such a great father.  We need more books like this about fathers.

The Invisible Bubble – Emily Hartmann

This is probably one of my favorite books.  We need to teach kids from the youngest age about boundaries. I teach middle school and will have kids get within a couple of inches of me. I ask them to take two steps back then jokingly say, “This is my space,” as I draw a box in front of me. I tell them I have space issues. Some of them apologize because they get it. Some look at me like I have two heads. Maybe if their parents had read this book to them as a child they would understand. This a a children’s book, but I believe everyone can benefit from it.

Goodnight Little Sleepyheads – Emily Hartmann (Animal Bedtime)Once again the author has used animals performing one last nighttime ritual before going to sleep. The author asks after each page to do something the animal is doing. All of this is to prepare your little one for sleep.

 

The Sleepy Animal Game – Emily Hartmann

Great to read to your young one as you put them to bed. The story is comprised of small animals and what they do as they prepare to go to sleep.

 

Curl Up Tight - Emily Hartmann

This book is similar to Breathe Like an Owl. This book uses farm animals to help your little one relax. Once again she give little tidbits of information about the farm animals. This is a two for one book. You get relaxation techniques and information for your child in a simple calm manner.

 

Sleepy Snuggles – Emily Hartmann

Another bedtime story to prepare your child for sleep. Read to them what little animals do to prepare to sleep. Each page asks the child to perform an act the animal would, such as moo like a cow or tuck their head in like a duck. Simple pre-school bedtime book.

 

Breathe Like an Owl -Emily Hartmann

Teach your little ones relaxation techniques with this book.  The author not only uses animals to help little ones stretch, breathe and relax, but she also gives a tidbit of information about that animal at the bottom of each page. For example, “Lynxes have extra furry paws to help them walk on snow. “  I never knew that. The relaxation techniques could become a nightly ritual for you and your little one. The illustrations in this book are in shades of blue to create that calming effect.

 

Forest Night, Sleep Tight

A book of bedtime routines using forest animals and gentle rhyming lines. Just the thing to read with your child before bedtime. Beautiful illustrations.

 

You Are One of a Kind

Teach your children that they are unique by reading them this bedtime story of mothers and babies. The story told in rhyme shows a mother pointing out what makes their child one of a kind, before they tuck them in for the night.

A Chance For Charity by S.L. Baum

 

Genre: Young Adult, Adult, Supernatural Mystery

Source: I received a copy from BookBub. The opinions expressed here are my own.

     A former student of mine would call this book a romantasy.  I am usually not big on romance novels in any form. There has to be something mysterious or different going on in the story.  That is probably why I was never a fan of the Harlequin romance stories. I didn’t get into the mushy, gushy side of it. I never really felt like they had a strong plot thread. This book is different.

     Emily, previously known as Charity and her “family” have moved to Telluride, Colorado. They have to move every few years to keep up appearances.  They are immortals with special abilities.  You can imagine the issue this could cause for a relationship. In addition to all of that Charity and her family is going through, they are being hunted by two brothers whose sole job is to hunt down immortals. 

     Charity usually stays to herself. She isolates herself because it is so much easier. She begins school makes friends fairly easy. Then she meets Link, another new student. There seems to be a connection between Link and Charity. I told you Charity was an immortal, but Link is not.  This adds another complicated layer to the story. The author has created a story that shows well developed world building as well as well developed characters.  It truly has everything you could want. It has the romance, if you are into that. It has the mystery/supernatural side.  This is what kept me reading even though it is a romance.   As I read this book, I kept thinking about how difficult it is being a teen. The tension is raised because Charity not only has to live the life of a teen, but she has had to do this numerous times. I teach teens and every day with them is a reminder of what my teen years were like. I would not want to relive that life over and over again.  So, if you are into supernatural romances, then you will definitely want to check out this book. As a supernatural romance, it has a bit of something for everyone.

Flume by Bigfoot

 

Genre:  Middle Grade, Mystery

Source:  I purchased a copy

This is a book with a very interesting premise.  We meet Shanks a young boy who lives with "the Captain".  It is his birthday and Captain has purchased him a ticket for the worlds tallest Flume.  There is one problem. Shanks hates water and can't swim.  When he reaches the top and starts his trip down he reaches his two friends  Flo and Yam. Each of these characters is very unique.  Flo is the tech guru. Yam keeps going into trances and proclaims someone will die.  The flume was designed and built by a former explorer who just happened to die when he took the first trip down. His body was never found.  For Shank, not only is he terrified of water, he's terrified of heights. Now that the fear level is at its highest, let's throw in a sudden thunderstorm that is the worst in a long time. As Shank zooms down the thirty-three minute ride he has hallucinations. The visions involve his parents who are long dead.  As we take this ride we find Yam telling the story of the explorer and the different places he travelled and the worlds he wrote about. What is the connection between his vision, the explorer and this flume?  I definitely need to check out this author's other books.  I enjoyed this even with the twist at the end. It is the only thing I didn't find satisfying.