I honestly have not had much going on lately, except that my son turned one on the 15th, so we had a little party with family and friends. It was our first get-together at our rental house, but thankfully it went off without a hitch, except for the semi-crappy weather. We are in “monsoon” season here in Arizona, which means that the humidity, which is normally under 10%, skyrockets to the 40% + range at times. This produces either really bad duststorms (we are in the desert after all), or thunderstorms. It is the only time we really get rain here. Before the first storm of the monsoon season in July, we hadn’t had rain since February. On my son’s birthday, it was like 44% humidity and looking like rain, though it didn’t rain thankfully. I felt like I was melting. I mean, I grew up in the South and had to live with 100 degrees with 100% humidity, no small feat, let me tell you. But switching back and forth between dry heat and humidity sucks big time, and it screws your body all up. Anyways, my son got some people food (his daddy’s famous German Potato Salad) and his own piece of cake, plus a bunch of new toys to play with, so he was happy camper. I can’t believe my baby is now a 1 yr old toddler. Crazy how fast time flies! I will include a picture below.
So I’ve been reading more this summer than I have in awhile, which is a nice change. I’m steadily making my way through the Caldecott Challenge and have read all the books from 2002 – 2012 Caldecott Honors and Winners (42 out of 43), with the exception of one book which is only in the Children’s Reference section and so I will only be able to read it in the library. I’ve managed to stay on top of recent children and YA books that have come out this year. I’m currently on the wait list for Mary Hoffman’s City of Swords, and the 7th book in the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer, The Last Guardian. I hope to soon get on the wait list for Rick Riordan’s 3rd book of The Kane Chronicles: The Serpent’s Shadow. The only thing I am regularly listening to/reading right now is Lirael (Abhorsen #2) by Garth Nix, read by the amazing Tim Curry. As always, I rate things from 1 – 5 stars, one being the lowest and 5 being the highest. The Caldecott Challenge is my attempt to read all of the Caldecott Honors and Award winners from 1938 – the present.
Children
Sir Ryan’s Quest by Jason Deeble
A very cute and imaginative book about a young boy, named Sir Ryan, who goes on a quest around his house one day. He meets a king, a mysterious man in the jungle, a castle guard, and a dark cave filled with a hungry beast. To celebrate his exploration, his mom hugs him and prepares a feast. My son liked the pictures and the story. Recommended for ages 1-7, 5 stars.
Naamah and the Ark at Night by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
I picked this book up after finding it on my local library’s booklist for children. I had never seen it before and since I’ve started a list of Biblical picture books, this one was a great (though different from your regular Bible story). Naamah (pronounced Na-ah-mah or Nay-ah-mah) is Noah’s wife and in the book she sings the entire ark to sleep, using a ghazal, which is a form of Arabic poetry dating back to the seventh century. In the author’s note, Bartoletti says “I hope that this lullaby inspires readers to trust in the darkness, as Naamah did.” Like I have said before in other reviews, I normally don’t like collage, but I think Holly Meade did a fantastic job with these illustrations, especially the black/white/grey ones. Even my son liked the illustrations. Recommended for ages 1-5, 4 stars.
Happy Birthday, Little Pookie! by Sandra Boynton
I love Sandra Boynton books and this has to be one of the cutest ones she’s ever created! In this board book, it is Little Pookie the pig’s birthday, but he just can’t wait for it to come. He keeps waking his parents up through the wee hours of the morning before they finally get up at 5:30am. Daddy makes Pancakes Supreme, they go buy a balloon and then have cake and open presents. I love Little Pookie’s comments throughout the book, they’re so precious. I borrowed this book from the library for my son, who turned 1 on the 15th, and let me say we were as exhausted as Little Pookie’s parents by the end of it. Recommended for ages 6 months – 3 yrs, 5 stars.
Caldecott Challenge
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Another book for the Caldecott Challenge, though given my recent obsession with Jerry Pinkney books, I would’ve read it sometime soon anyways. This book won the 2010 Caldecott Award and although I enjoyed All the World, this book is so beautifully illustrated, it is no wonder that it won. Pinkney’s books are literally works of art in and of themselves, and this book is no exception. I was surprised that this version of the Aesop fable was wordless, but the penciled and watercolored illustrations more than make for that fact. Recommended for ages 1-9, 5 stars.
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
This was another book for my Caldecott Challenge that I’ve been putting off forever, because frankly it was very publicized and I tend not to read overly publicized books, at least not at first (Harry Potter & Twilight are perfect examples of this theory). It won the 2004 Caldecott Medal. It’s actually an interesting story, once you get into it. In 1974, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in NYC were almost finished being built. Philippe Petit, a young street performer saw them whilst performing in Central Park and thought they would be great to walk between. He had done something like this before, across the two towers of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, though nothing as grand as this. The book explains how he got the top of one and set up the tight rope between the two towers with some friends and then proceeded to walk back and forth between the two until he was spotted by a pedestrian below and the police were called. The painted illustrations were lovely, with all the greens and blues, and the extended pictures to put things into perspective for the reader. Recommended for ages 3-9, 4 stars.
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Another book the Caldecott Challenge, this won a 2004 Caldecott honor award. I liked this one better than the authors’ other attempts at nonfiction picture books. Even though this was a bit too advanced for my son, he liked it and the illustrations (which are done in Steve Jenkin’s trademark cut-paper collage style). The book explores the different ways animals use their varied body parts, such as noses, eyes, tails, ears, mouths, and feet. Each section ask the question “What do you do with a [body part] like this?” and shows different animal parts, so you can guess whose they are. It then follows with the animal and what they use that part for, like “if you are a platypus, you use your nose to dig in the mud.” The back, like the other Jenkins’ books, features an index of the animals features with more info about them. Recommended for ages 3-7, 4 stars.
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport
This book won a 2002 Caldecott Honor, but I would’ve read it anyway because I like the author. I will say that I have a very hit and miss relationship with collage, Bryan Collier’s chosen medium in this book, I wasn’t a particular fan of this time. I liked that the author and illustrator shared their experiences with and thoughts about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The text was simple but straightforward and I liked that they added so many Dr. King quotes throughout the book. There is a timeline in the back of the book, along with a nice bibliography. Recommended for ages 5-10, 4 stars.
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill
This book is a 2011 Caldecott Honor book. The cool thing about this book, aside from the subject matter, is that I know the guy that modeled for Dave. He was a youth librarian and now works at the Columbia Museum of Art in their Youth Department, teaching kids about art (and he’s a really nice guy). Dave the Potter was a real person, a slave born around 1801, who lived in Edgefield, South Carolina (right outside of the capital city of Columbia). He was an artist and poet, in a time where most slaves were not allowed to be either of those things. To have created 40,000 pots, especially such large ones that involved lifting and molding sixty pounds of clay on a manual potter’s wheel took an incredible amount of strength and skill. I’ve handbuilt and wheel-thrown pottery before, but never anything that enormous. Just getting a pot centered is hard enough without trying to do it with one leg and make pots that are 20-40 gallons. I liked the author and illustrator’s notes in the back of the book, and that they included a picture of some of Dave’s surviving pots. The book also contained a thorough bibliography and websites to check out. Recommended for ages 5-12, 5 stars.
Blackout by John Rocco
This book was a 2012 Caldecott honor book, which again, I thought was better than the one that won the award. The text is very simple and describes a young boy who wants to play a board game but everyone is too busy to bother with him. So he goes off on his own and plays by himself, that is until the power goes out all over the city, and then they have to do things together. They do cool things like making shadow puppets, looking at the stars, checking out the parties on the roof and the street, and having some good family time. So when the little boy wants to play with his family, he just turns off the lights (which makes me wonder why people never slow down and have non-electronic fun anymore). Loved the illustrations. Recommended for ages 3-7, 4 stars.
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford
This book was a 2007 Caldecott Honor Winner but definitely gives the winner, Flotsam, a run for the money. It has, as another reviewer has said, stunning illustrations plus the text is really well done. Through them, you can imagine Harriet Tubman going through all the trials and tribulations of escaping slavery in the South and being led by God through these hardships and on to Philadelphia and freedom. You can also see how because of her faith in God, she discovered the Underground Railroad System and helped hundreds of other slaves escape into Canada. She really was like Moses. Recommended for ages 5-12, 5 stars.
Red Sings From the Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman
I had never heard of this book before reading it for my Caldecott Challenge. It won a 2010 Caldecott Honor. I liked it because it was a tribute poem to the seasons, done in colors (i.e. the colors were used to describe the season). For example, in summer, there are white ice cubes, yellow sunshine, red hummingbirds, green leaves, blue water which turns into turquoise/azure/cerulean, and purple shadows. and I enjoyed the whimsical representations of summer, winter, fall and spring done in mixed-media painting and computer illustration. It was a little too much for my 1 yr old, but I liked it. Recommended for ages 4-8, 5 stars.
Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems by Joyce Sidman
This book won a 2006 Caldecott honor award. Honestly, I didn’t think much of this book from the cover, but the book itself is genius. The author created these fantastic nature poems about insects, birds, amphibians and other pond creatures. They are paired with these absolutely gorgeous woodcut and watercolor illustrations. Each poem has a scientific explanation about the creature featured in the poem and there is an index of scientific terms in the back of the book. I believe that this book or Zen Shorts should’ve won the Caldecott Award that year. Highly recommended for ages 7-11, 5 stars.
Coming on Home Soon by Jacqueline Woodson
This book won a 2005 Caldecott Honor, and I’m reading it for my Caldecott Challenge. It was a story about a young African-American girl whose mother goes to Chicago for work during WWII. The girl is very sad as she is really close to her mother, and then even more so when her mother doesn’t write for ages. She takes comfort in her grandmother and a black kitten she finds. Finally after a very long wait, her mother writes them to say she is coming home soon. Honestly I don’t think I would’ve given this book very many stars, was it not for the gorgeous watercolor illustrations done by E.B. Lewis, that really made the story. Recommended for ages 5-8, 3 stars.
My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann
This book won the 2003 Caldecott Award, and even though I liked it, I believe Tony DiTerlizzi’s The Spider and the Fly should’ve won that year (for far superior illustrations). Now, the reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 3 is because I really like the illustrations and the imaginative problem-solving that Mouse’s friend Rabbit concocts. I mean if you had an airplane stuck in a tree, most kids would just ask an adult if they could help get it down. But Rabbit grabs and elephant, rhino, hippo, deer/elk, crocodile, bear and goose to reach it. I liked when they were all in a pile on the ground looking very grumpy at Rabbit, “who means well and is [Mouse’s] friend, even if whatever he does, wherever he goes, trouble follows.” It is interesting that the book later became a children’s cartoon show in Canada and the UK, which was quite successful. My son loved the illustrations. Recommended for ages 1-7, 4 stars.
The Stray Dog by Marc Simont
This book won a 2002 Caldecott Honor Award. I loved the watercolor illustrations by the author/illustrator, who is apparently really well-known and had been illustrating books since 1939. The book is about a family who is having a picnic in the park when they meet a dog, which they name Willy. They play with him and feed him, but the parents won’t let them keep him. All week the whole family thinks about him, and it isn’t until the following weekend, when they’re at the park again, that they “adopt” him and take him home. Very cute story. Recommended for ages 1-7, 4 stars.
The Three Pigs by David Wiesner
This book won the 2002 Caldecott Award. I am finally reading it for my Caldecott Challenge, though I probably would’ve eventually as I love David Wiesner’s work. He has an imaginative take on things in all his books, and this one is no exception. In this version of The Three Little Pigs story, the pigs actually step out of the story and wander into other fairy tales and nursery rhymes, before heading back to the third pig’s brick house. Thanks to the dragon they brought home, they have no more trouble from the Big Bad Wolf. Recommended for ages 3-7, 3 stars.
Children and Young Adult
The Siege of Macindaw (Ranger’s Apprentice, #6) by John Flanagan
This book was way better than the last book, which was another building up the story line book but not actually giving you a satisfactory conclusion. It was once again read by the amazing John Keating, who does all the voices, and is the narrator for the series.
Will Treaty the Ranger meets up the shipwrecked Skandians from the previous book and the agree to join his fighting force that plans to lay siege on Castle Macindaw and get it back from Keren, the knight that has taken it over with his thug militia. Will meets up with his old friend Horace, a knight of the Royal Guard, and explains the situation and they go back to Grimsdale Wood, to pow-wow at the house of Malcolm the Healer. Will has another reason to get into Castle Macindaw, his very good friend Alyss is being held prisoner there. Keren has been hypnotizing Alyss to give him information on the Ranger and his allies. Alyss discovers that Keren has made an agreement with the Scotti, the people from the land of Picta, right across the border from the castle. General MacHaddish, a Scotti, is sent to work out the arrangements with Keren and on the way back he is captured by Will and his friends. They scare the information out of him and learn the Scotti’s entire raid plans. So Will comes up with one of his amazing and crazy plans, which seems impossible but ends up working, and they take back the castle. Will rescues Alyss during the siege and eventually they all go their separate ways.
I liked the bickering between Will and Horace, especially because Will never seemed to speak up to Horace before and vica-versa. It was only a matter of time before Horace fell for Cassandra/Evanlyn, especially given their current situation. I’m so glad that Will and Alyss finally admitted their true feelings for each other. Will deserves a little happiness as he has had a tough life. Recommended for ages 10+, 5 stars.
Young Adult
City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments, #5) by Cassandra Clare
Where to start with this book? As a whole, I enjoyed the book, but I do not think it is her best work. I was 400 pages in and kept wondering when was this book gonna get better? I thought the ending was well-done, but gave you enough that it made you want to read the next book. I guess it was frustrating to read because there were so many sub-plots going on that you weren’t really sure which one to concentrate on, though I will say they were a lot more interesting than the main story.
This is the basic gist of the book. After Sebastian (Jonathan Morgenstern) has been risen from the dead, Sebastian manages to get in Jace’s head and control him. They are now literally inseparable, i.e. if you hurt one, you hurt the other. So Clary, Isabelle, Alec, and Simon are trying to find a way to separate them. They enlist Magnus the Warlock’s help, who summons first a demon and then helps them summon Raziel. Sebastian and Jace came to Clary’s house to get her and end up mortally wounding Luke (Clary’s soon-to-be werewolf stepdad) with demon metal, so he is on death’s door for most of the book. Clary eventually ends up living and traveling with Sebastian and Jace as they hatch their evil plan, and she tries to figure out all that it entails (it is actually a pretty brilliant plan though very evil). Meanwhile, you have the side romance between Jordan and Maia, a developing one between Isabelle and Simon, and the falling apart of Alec and Magnus. Plus Simon has been kicked out of his house by his mother who thinks he is a monster, and him finally telling his sister Rebecca what has happened to him. Simon, who’s got the Mark of Cain (making him pretty much invincible) is the one who actually has to summon the Angel Raziel, who thanks to the Mark, he can’t smite automatically. He gives them Glorious, the sword of Archangel Michael, which they use on Jace to get rid of the evil part of him. But there is a drawback to this strategy, even though he is finally separated from Sebastian and his influence.
Clary’s incessant whining about Jace was driving me a little crazy. The whole part of the book where Sebastian, Jace and Clary are together was just weird and a little creepy. As per usual, her kissing and nearly sex scenes are pretty hot and steamy, and definitely hold your interest while you are trying to wrap your head around the rest of the book. There were some interesting points in the book, like when is she going to connect Jace with Will Herondale as they are obviously related (I’m guessing grandfather). Why is Brother Zechariah so interested in preserving the Herondale line? Recommended for ages 15+, 4 stars.
Emma, Volume 10 by Kaoru Mori
The last volume of the series and I must say I’m sad to see it end. Most of the stories focused on the servants and seeing things from their point of view. The first story was about Emma and William and her trying to learn how to ride a bike, even though it frightens her, because she gets to spend time with him. The second story is interesting because it finally gives us the perspective of Adele, the head maid in the Meredith’s household. The third story is about Arthur and his experiences at Eton as a prefect and a particular young boy who reminds him of his sister Vivi. The next story is a very short one about Eleanor and Ernst and admitting their true feelings for each other. Chapter 17 gave a us shots of the Merediths’ and Jones’ family as viewed through their servants. The rest of the manga was devoted to the servants of the Meredith and Jones’ households getting ready for Emma and William’s wedding, which they were all invited to and the ensuing craziness that happened. This part illustrates how much changes at the end of the Victorian era and the beginning of the Edwardian period. Overall, I enjoyed the ending, though I kind of think the author made you think of new ways the story could branch off, like how will Emma & William approach their new life together, do Hans and Adele have a thing going on, and will Eleanor finally find some happiness with Ernst. Recommended for ages 14+, 4 stars.
Adult
Fables, Vol. 5: The Mean Seasons by Bill Willingham
This volume gives us the aftermath of the war with the Adversary (Emperor of the Old Kingdom) in Fabletown and the Farm. Snow White is in labor for 42 hours (I would go crazy during this amount of time, and I thought 6-7 hrs was a long time) and ends up giving birth to not one but six kids. Only they’re not all exactly human, most are pretty wolfish, courtesy of their dad Bigby Wolf. He ends up leaving after a fight with Snow and she heads to the Farm (where the magical non-human creatures go) with the kids, to stay with her sister Rose Red. King Cole is voted out of the Mayor’s Office and Prince Charming is voted in, so Snow and Bigby are out of a job, and Beauty and Beast take their places. Everything is not so perfect as Prince Charming would have imagined after becoming the mayor, first Boy Blue leaves and then someone is mysteriously murdering the inhabitants of Fabletown and the Farm.
I must say that my favorite parts were the story between Cinderella and Ichabod Crane, as well as Bigby and the Dog Company story during WWII in the beginning of the story, and the twist in the ending of the mysterious killer story at the end. Overall, I really enjoyed the story, though they took forever to tell you why the babies were floating. Can’t wait to read the next volume in the series. 5 stars.
Fables, Vol 6: Homelands by Bill Willingham
I swear this series just keeps getting better and better. The first section of the comic is about Jack Horner/Nimble/Giant-Killer, who has stolen a bunch of gold from Fabletown with the help of Jill (who turns out is as big as Thumbelina). They go to Hollywood where Jack buys a film studio and starts making a series of three movies about himself (though no one in the Mundy world know he is a Fable). Everything goes great until Jill gets fed up being held prisoner by Jack and calls Sheriff Beast on him, who confiscate all the money and the studio. Beast lets him escape with one suitcase full of money on the promise that he will never be seen again. The second part of the comic is the stories of Boy Blue, who has stolen the Witching Cloak and Vorpal Blade, and is in the Homelands trying to get to the emperor. He kills a whole bunch of Fables in the Homeland and creatures, before he finally reaches the capital and assassinates the emperor, or so he thinks. It is afterwards that we discover who the real power behind the empire is (which is one of the most interesting stories in the whole volume). Boy Blue eventually escapes with the real Red Riding Hood, who has no memory of him, back to Fabletown. He is, of course, in a lot of trouble with the Mayor’s office, or is he? Meanwhile, back in NYC, Mowgli of Jungle Book fame, has come back to Fabletown. He goes to the farm to see Bagheera, who has been imprisoned since his role in the uprising last year. Mowgli bargains with the Mayor to secure Bagheera’s release. To do so, he must find Bigby Wolf and bring him back to Fabletown. The Mayor and his staff find out they have a traitor in their midst and he is disposed of. Highly recommended, 5 stars.
Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham
I liked this short collection of Fable stories. The overall story is that Snow White is in the Middle East trying to warn them about the Adversary, who is about to turn the Homelands of the Middle East and Africa, however her warnings fall on deaf ears. The Sultan is tied up in his own problems and at first doesn’t listen to her. Snow ends up being a Scherazade of sorts, telling the Sultan 1001 tales of Fables. I enjoyed it because it gives a background for Snow White and her first husband Prince Charming, the true story about Frau Totenkinder and background on Bigby Wolf. Being that he’s the son of the North Wind (which you also find out in Fables Vol 6), it makes sense that he can “huff and puff and blow your house in” like in The Three Little Pigs story. I liked that he started out as the runt of the litter, but turned out to be this incredibly powerful humongous wolf. I also liked how you got the back story on how Old King Cole became the first mayor of Fabletown. I love the guy who illustrated the Fables series, Mark Buckingham, but the illustrators in this book were a mixed bag. Some I liked (Charles Vess, James Jean, and Esao Andrews) but most I didn’t. You don’t have to have read the Fables comic book series to understand this book, but it definitely helps (at least the first 6 volumes). Highly recommended, 4 stars.
Preacher, Vol 2: Until the End of the World by Garth Ennis
Wow, what can I say about this volume! It had a little bit of everything in it, including gratuitous heads blowing up and T&A. Not gonna lie, this is definitely an adult comic and one I wouldn’t leave lying around the house for my parents to find. Now given all that, I thought it was a pretty kick-ass volume. It gave you Jesse Custer’s entire back story, told to his girlfriend Tulip while they are both being held captive by his insane (literally and figuratively speaking) maternal relatives. It is because of what happens to Jesse before and during his stay at the L’Angelle household that him and Tulip get back together for real. They meet up with Cassidy in San Francisco, where he had gone to meet his old girlfriend, who had died of a drug overdose. He wants to punish the people who gave her the drugs and gets involved with Jesus de Sade, one really messed up guy, who calls himself and his cohorts “the Gomorrah people,” with good reason. Meanwhile there is a secret organization called the Grail (similar to the whole “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” book theory), which started with the secret bloodline of Christ and has survived to this day. This organization wants to use Custer as the new Messiah, to “hold sway over the masses after the coming Armageddon (p 237).” But things don’t go as planned, and I’m super curious to see what happens in the next volume. 5 stars.
Ripe: A Fresh, Colorful Approach to Fruits and Vegetables by Cheryl Sternman Rule
This was a gorgeous and mouth-watering photographed cookbook, which featured a different and color-coordinated approach to fruits and vegetables. I found it helpful because it not only gave tips on how to cook the fruits and veg in simple directions at the beginning of each section, as well as tips on how to prepare them, and also gave a full recipe for each. Some of my favorite recipes included Kumquat Arugula Salad with Currant-Walnut Vinaigrette, Apricot Frangipane Galette, Cardamon Baked Plums with Coconut Ice Cream, and Gruyere-Crusted Leeks and Apples. I can’t wait to give these recipes a try as I am trying to wean myself off red meat and eat more vegetarian food. 5 stars.
Food Lovers’ Guide to Phoenix and Scottsdale: The Best Restaurants, Markets & Local Culinary Offerings by Katarina Kovacevic
Most of the restaurants and food establishments listed in this book I already knew of, so I was looking for ones I hadn’t heard of before. I found 13 news ones that I want to check out online before I decide if I will go there in the future. I liked that the beginning featured a food news/blogging section, a list of food festivals and events, and a list of food trucks available in the area. There was also a food glossary of terms used in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, which is helpful if you’ve never been here before. The restaurant listings themselves are broken down into areas of Phoenix, Scottsdale, East Valley and West Valley. I must say that I am sad that there are no Chinese or Indian places listed at all (my hubby and I have been searching for a good Chinese & Indian place since we got here), so that would be my only gripe with it. Well that and the fact there is hardly any under $20 places in Scottsdale. I mean I know it’s the fancy-pants part of town, but still, I know some regular folks live there too. The back of the book featured recipes by local chefs, which I’m guessing they use at their restaurants. My favorites were the Argula Pesto with Pickled Tomatoes Bruschetta and Lamb Drumstick with Ginger Beer BBQ Sauce. Highly Recommended for Foodies, 4 stars.
Green Babies, Sage Moms: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Your Organic Baby by Lynda Fassa
Overall this book was a little preachy on organics. I realize that if you’re a rich ex-model you can afford organic baby clothes and expensive organic makeup and other things like that. Normal people, living paycheck to paycheck, cannot. So I’ll take some of the points you have, such as how to make natural highlights, soothing natural treatment for rough heels (which is hard to avoid in Phoenix), and how to use baking soda to clean your house. I will also check out some of the links you provided in the back of the book. A lot of this book was common sense, like how you shouldn’t go to the nail salon when pregnant because of the fumes and harmful products they use, and how to eat healthier when you’re pregnant because what you eat affects the baby’s development. I do however hope that the second book you wrote for older children is better. 3 stars.
Green Kids, Sage Families: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Your Organic Kids by Lynda Fassa
Once again, there were a couple of things I found helpful but overall most of the things in this book were common-sense stuff that pretty much anyone could figure out. Kids should be eating healthier, avoid pesticides and lead paint, and gardens make kids appreciate what they are eating and growing. Not impressed with this book. 2 stars.
Library Mom 
You must be logged in to post a comment.