May Book Reviews
“Pretty Minnie in Hollywood” reviewed by Sarah Jewel Adams
“Pretty Minnie in Hollywood” is the perfect book for any little fashionista between the ages of 1-6 who like glamour and puppies.
My 3-year-old daughter was captivated throughout the whole story while following Pretty Minnie on her adventures with her best friend, Françoise ( and her mom) as they ventured from Paris, France to Hollywood, California.
“Mommy, she’s on a plane … Mommy, she’s so pretty!” My daughter wanted to know what would happen next with Minnie as we dove through the story. We loved the conclusion where Minnie becomes a star.
At first, I was skeptical of the author (“Huh? Danielle Steel wrote a kids book?), yet the story is simply charming and easy to read. The illustrations and details within the illustrations are impressive as well. This book is also a spin off of “Pretty Minnie in Paris” so it gives us another book to get excited to find. We will definitely this to our list of birthday presents for our friends!
“Pocket Piggies Opposites!” reviewed by Stacy Faraci
“Pocket Piggies Opposites!” is a sweet board book that was a big hit in our house. Anything pig related will catch my 9 month old daughter’s attention, thanks to Peppa Pig, so needless to say, this was right up her alley.
It features real photos of adorable teacup pigs of Pennywell Farm and uses them to relate opposites throughout the book. Most of the photos and words chosen are very easy to relate and with clear photos and single words on the page, making it a good reading experience for a younger audience.
In our home, we find that board books with more than a few words to each page are hard to keep our daughter interested in until the end, so we look for those that are shorter in length with easy to relate to words and photos.
Overall, this was a big hit with my daughter, even not as a piggy fan, it was a great little read that I can see using over and over to relate vocabulary words with for her. It’s a book we will certainly keep for many years to come.
“Move!” reviewed by Mary Edinger Shive
This is an interactive book that encourages children to become an active participant in the story and not as an idle/passive observer. There are handles on the book that allow for easy gripping so that children can participate in turning the book, using it as a steering wheel or making it into a flying saucer.
Each page has a different activity that a child is encouraged to act out, such as laying down on it and paddling as if it were a surf board; stomping like a dinosaur; or piloting a ship.
The theory behind this book is excellent; it has fun lively colors; exciting and interactive wording; and kept my sons interest.
The execution is where it is lacking; when my son tried to stand on the book it slipped and he fell down, when he would lie down on the book we couldn’t see the words. Since we were reviewing the book we followed the directions as the book was written. After a few failed attempts I began directing my son to just lay on the ground to pretend he was on a surf board and then to move his arms to row the boat.
The concept behind the book is an excellent on and with different wording and/or instructions I would recommend it. As it is now you should make accommodations to change things around for fun and safety.
This book is best suited for an older 2 year old to 6 year old for use. The child should have good body awareness and be able to follow directions.