Ghoulia

Ghoulia
Author: Barbara Cantini
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Kelly

Summary: Ghoulia lives with her Auntie Departed in their mansion called Crumbling Manor.  Ghoulia is a zombie and spends most of her time playing with her dog, Tragedy.  All Ghoulia wants, more than anything, is a real friend.  She wants to get past the manor walls but is consistently stopped by her Auntie Departed.  Her other problem is that she doesn’t look like all of the other “normal” kids.  She has pale white skin, dark purple circles under her eyes, and long black hair.  She begins to devise the perfect plan; that she will venture out into the nearby neighborhood on Halloween.  That way, all the kids will be wearing their costumes, and she can be herself, a zombie.  Will the other children realize what Ghoulia really is?  Will they understand that friendship comes in many forms?

Review: There are three words that I will use to describe this book.  Illustrations.  Illustrations.  Illustrations.  I read this story out loud with my 20 month old daughter and we loved it.  The book is complete with illustrations on each page.  It was such a thoughtful, festive and creative story.  A beginning chapter book for some, it is the perfect addition to our fiction collection.  I would recommend this to any young reader looking to get into the Halloween spirit.  I also think it is great for fans of, The Nightmare before Christmas, as the illustrations are of the same style.

Also included in this book, were fun Halloween activities, a list of items needed to dress up as Ghoulia for Halloween, and much more.  I plan on purchasing a copy of this book for our, at home library and reading it yearly together for Halloween.  Such a creative way to get in the spooky spirit and learn a valuable lesson about friendship.

Ten Cents a Pound

Ten Cents a Pound
Author: Nhung N. Tran-Davies & Josee Bisaillon
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Juan

Summary: A heart-warming story about a mother’s love for her daughter. The mother shares the sacrifices she’s willing to endure for the betterment of her daughter. At first the daughter is torn on leaving but after highlighting her mother’s hard work, she sets off to pursue a life of opportunity. 

Review: A moving story about a mother who endures any hardship so that her child can live the best life possible. The illustrations are nicely done as well as the descriptions the author uses throughout the book. Overall, it paints an inspiring picture of determination and willingness to have a successful life.  

Heal the Earth

Heal the Earth
Author: Julian Lennon
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Denise Z.

Summary: Encourages the reader to join in an imaginary journey aboard a magical plane, the White Feather Flier, to help sick and hungry children, restore coral reefs and rain forests, and more. Includes a note from the author about The White Feather Foundation. 

Review: I was looking for more interacting picture books and came across this one with a very important message. I really liked how the author made sure that kids can make a difference in this world and how this works so well with them being able to press buttons in the book, and tilt the book sideways. Just like a child needs to be active when reading the book, so do they when they want to help the world. The illustrations are fresh and the explanations about difficult environmental topics are explained in a simple way for children to understand. I especially enjoyed the added poem at the end. I would have loved to have seen even more interaction opportunities in this book. 

Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel
Author: Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Gloria

Summary: The book was about the story of how Gabrielle Chanel became Coco Chanel. It was about her journey in life and what she went through. She was an orphan and was sent to a strict school, and that is where she learned to sew. As a young adult she was a seamstress during the day, and a night she would like to entertain people so she would sing. She was always different and at first everyone judged her for it. But Coco remained herself no matter what others thought. Until finally she wasn’t seen as different and everyone wanted what she was making, because it was different and comfortable.  

Review: I really enjoyed reading this book, the story was creative and very amusing. I liked how it teaches you that it is okay to be different. To believe in yourself. And that is how to ultimately be happy.