Girls and their Horses...Ariel's Journey (Review)

Have you heard of the book, Ariel's Journey? No silly, not THAT Ariel, we are talking about a horse of a different color...or in this case breed.

Ariel’s Journey: The Ice Horse Adventures by Doug Kane and Christy Wood is a book right after this grown-up horse girl's heart. Centered around the love between girls and their horses, Ariel's Journey is the first in the Ice Horse Adventures series.

Five very different young women go on an overnight trail ride together riding Icelandic horses - beautiful, fluffy, stocky horses. They hold hidden abilities and knowledge, which the girls are about to discover. The horses and their young riders are pulled centuries into the past to save the village of their ancestors.

Uncovering amazing strengths in both in the horses and themselves, they all work together to challenge a ruthless enemy, rescue a young princess, and realize their destinies include a prophecy only they can fulfill.

Will the girls develop the trust and friendship necessary to battle together? Are the horses going to survive a battle plan sure to end in disaster? Can the young princess be saved before the evil chieftain destroys her? Can true love cross the distance of eight hundred years? Their very lives will depend on the magic only the Ice Horses can provide, and the courage hidden within their hearts.

What I Say:
I'll admit that I had to keep pretending these girls were a little older that indicated in the story, especially to be able to buy into the romance but maybe that is just me. However the time spent with these marvelous horses was spot on. Not up on your Icelandic fantasy? There is a well-written glossary to help keep you on track. The story moves along at a good pace, leaving you curious about what will happen next.

Ariel's Journey is intended to be a young readers book and would probably appeal to girls ages 8 and up. As the adventure to the mystic and historic Iceland is somewhat surreal, I think those who enjoy historical fiction with a touch of romance and fantasy would enjoy the book as well. Add to that all of the horse-lovers, young and old and, well, the book would appeal to many.

Another reason to select this book is that it is brand spankin' new...available for the first time Saturday, November 1st. It retails for about $15.99 and can be purchased online at Amazon.com or your local book seller. So chalk another one up for the Christmas lists and check it out today!

Thanks to Parent Reviewers for making this giveaway possible!



Be sure to check out my other blog, 3 P's in a Pod...You just NEVER know What Might Happen There!!
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Looks Like a MEGA Party is Planned!

You may have noticed that I recently added this button to my sidebar under Mark Your Calendars Now. Parent Reviewers are one of the great groups that I am lucky enough to do reviews with and do they have a great party planned for YOU!

Their upcoming MEGA Xmas & New Year Giveaway Bash will run from 1st Nov to 31st to Dec 2008. It’s a two months event with a giveaway or more every 3 days and prizes totaling more than $1,200!!! So mark those calendars for sure and I'll see ya there!

Be sure to check out my other blog, 3 P's in a Pod...You just NEVER know What Might Happen There!!
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Sam Feels Better Now - A Review

I love to read children's books. Always have. In fact, for P1's recent birthday, I could not decide on any one book...so she got 4! lol Oh well...they were the $3 version at Walmart of things like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and one of my favorites, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.

I just had the chance through Parent Reviewers to read and evaluate a new children's book titled, "Sam Feels Better Now!: An Interactive Story for Children" by Jill Osborne. The purpose of the book is to help children who have experienced traumatic events to be able to learn how to cope, and reduce the effects of traumatic stress. Let me tell you about it.

What I Found:

Sam has seen something scary! After seeing the scary thing, Sam is experiencing some problems in his life. Can you help him to feel better? You Can! In "Sam Feels Better Now!: An Interactive Story for Children" you can help him to feel better by reading about Sam, his problems, and drawing pictures and telling stories about Sam.

Sam Feels Better Now! is written by author Jill Osborne. Jill graduated from Toccoa Falls College in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Counseling Skills and Psychology. After that, she went to work for the state of Georgia in a psychosocial rehabilitation and peer support program. During that time she completed a Master of Science (M.S.) in professional counseling in 2006 and a Specialist in Education (Ed.S) in professional counseling in 2007 from Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. There she specialized in play therapy, traumatology, and child and adolescent therapy.

Jill wrote the book so that when a child is working with this book he or she can use his or her own experiences in defining what experience Sam has had. Sam's trauma could be a variety of things, sexual abuse, physical or verbal abuse, natural disaster, war, even dog bites. This is all directly targeted toward children ages 4-10.

What I Liked:
I really like they way the book is written, laid out and presented. The graphics are friendly and inviting and the language in the text is understandable to the age group she wrote it for. The story has pages included that allow the reader to draw their interpretation of how Sam is feeling or doing. The questions that Ms. Carol, the Play Therapist in the story, asks are questions for the readers to answer as well. I can easily see this drawing feelings and thoughts out of children that they did not know how to express.

I also really like that Jill included a Therapist Guide at the end of the story, allowing direct follow up to coincide with the book. She has the book broken down into 6 chapters for the Therapist and leads them through the questions to ask the child, step by step. Thorough references and additional books on the subjects included are referenced at the end of the book as well.

What I Disliked:
I do not have a background in children's therapy but I am a Mom of children in the age range intended. Based on that background, I find no deficits or faults of any kind with this book. It is amazingly well done.

What I Say:
Hopefully most of us will not need to provide therapy of a serious nature for our children. Nevertheless, it is sometimes beyond our control. My P1 has not had great harm done to her but she is high-strung, head-strong and has a hard time expressing her feelings in appropriate manners. I think this book can be of great benefit to us for her, just to help her with her feelings and her ability to express them. I will keep you posted.:)

If you think there might be any reason your child or a child that your love could use some help working through their feelings and emotions following trauma or difficulties of any kind, I would not hesitate to recommend this book. It retails for $24.95 and can be found at most major book retailers online.

Be sure to check out my other blog, 3 P's in a Pod!
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Childrens Book Review: SUNNY'S ADVENTURES

I have always loved to read, as I have mentioned before and thankfully, we seem to be raising a group of reading girls here at Chez Nous. Since the girls like to be read to and are now learning to read themselves, we often make trips to the library plus I am always on the lookout for new and exciting books and characters to introduce them to. I recently learned about a new book titled Sunny's Adventures. It is a delightful and fun children's mystery book written by Leketha Marie Johnson.

Here is what I found:

About the Book:

Meet Sunny. She's smart. She's kind. She lives with her Mom, Dad and Grandma. She's a heck of a pie maker and she loves to solve mysteries.

Young readers will delight in investigating neighborhood dilemmas and schoolyard crimes alongside Sunny in SUNNY'S ADVENTURES (Jabberwocky Books; Mill City Press; Copyright 2008, 2008; $12.95), where they'll piece together clues and will be able to think through conclusions.

In The Case of the Missing Puppy, Sunny and her friend Rita set out to find Rita's puppy, Fancy, who's disappeared. The two girls follow the dog's footprints until the strangest thing happens. They vanish right outside of Mrs. Taylor's house! Did Mrs. Taylor kidnap Rita's puppy Fancy? Young readers are asked at the end of the chapter to think about what clues helped the friends find Fancy.

All of the students at Riverton Elementary School love their class's pet turtle, Wilma. But one morning, Mrs. Peabody informs the class that the turtle has gone missing. Will

Sunny solve The Case of the Missing Turtle? Of course! And she'll make a new friend in the process.

Sunny's mother and grandmother are both excellent bakers. When Sunny and her mom decide to participate in the Mother and Daughter Baking Contest, Sunny is thrilled to learn that the prize is a trip to Disney World! They work hard together to perfect Grandma's best recipe, an apple streusel blueberry pie. But when Sunny and her mom return from the contest break, they find that someone has stolen their masterpiece. Readers will help Sunny solve the Cooking Contest Mystery.

The riddles don't stop there. Sunny must also work through The Case of the Missing Doll and the Disappearing Diamond Ring. Along the way she makes new friends, learns lessons about being kind to others, and has fun with her loving family. Best yet, at the end of each mystery, young readers are asked to work back through what clues were helpful in solving the crime, teaching the importance of active reading.

Children, parents and teachers alike will be smitten with Sunny's bright personality and vibrant, kind mind. Complete with delightful illustrations, SUNNY'S ADVENTURES is sure to bring smiles to readers of all ages.

About the Author:

Leketha Marie Johnson was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California (just like I did). She is currently working on a series of children's books for all ages. Mrs. Johnson resides in Riverside, California, with her husband Vernon and her daughter Mya. Click here to read more about the author, Leketha Marie Johnson.

Here is what I did like:

The book actually contained 5 individual short stories. They were the perfect length to hold my daughter's attention. Each story revolved around a mystery of some sort and at the end of each story, there are a few questions for the reader to answer involving the clues. This is so helpful in building creative thinking and problem solving. Each story shows Sunny helping someone as well as reinforcing the value of honesty, anger management, forgiveness and more.

I like that the illustrations are hand-drawn, making the feel of the book be more intimate and like that of a good friend.

Another thing I noticed and really appreciate about the book is that the main character is a little girl who happens to be African American - a minority. Her friends however, are from a variety of races and race is quite obviously not an issue for any of them. As the mama of a minority child now, this really hits home and I cannot thank Leketha Marie Johnson enough!

Sunny, although clearly intended to be a girl is clever enough and non-frilly enough for boys to enjoy as well. The book is actually aimed at children ages 9 to 12 but my 6 year old 1st grader thoroughly enjoyed hearing the mysteries and helping to solve them.

Here is what I didn't like:

The book is actually a soft-cover book, making me fear that it may not hold up as well as a hard-cover book would. However, the cover is laminated, front and back and is a good quality. The only other thing that I wish was different is that the illustrations inside the book are all in black and white. It is probably just a personal preference on my part but I wish they were in color like the cover is.

Here is what I say:

Overall, the book is a great read with five short stories that the children are sure to love. If you are trying to encourage reading and to broaden a child's horizons in an entertaining and educational way, Sunny's Adventures is a terrific choice. Once again, children can learn while they do not even realize it and reinforce all of those great values that are so needed in our world.

The book can be purchased from the author via the Sunny's Adventures website or from Amazon Books.

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Be sure to download your free coloring book pages from Sunny's Adventures. Also don't miss having your child enter the coloring contest. They will instantly receive two free book marks just for entering! Enjoy!

This post was made possible courtesy of the Parent Reviewers .




Be sure to check out my other blog, 3 P's in a Pod!
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