The Olinguito is a small mammal that was recently discovered in the cloud forests of South America.  I am happy that a children's book with a strong message of environmental conservation and speaking up for yourself has come out so quickly after discovery. 

Tomás the Galapagos Tortoise has many stories to tell.  The rest of the animals in the Cloud Forest are tired of these stories, but Olinguito wants to hear the stories and finally makes his way down from the treetops. Tomás tells stories of his friend Lonesome George and his travels from the Galapagos to South America.  Though these stories Olinguito finds confidence to tell his story. 

A great story with great messages.  Written in English and Spanish with many real animals of the cloud forest to help spawn interests for kids.

This book was provided for free in return for an honest review

It's has been a year since sixteen-year old Jazz was in a car accident that killed her mom and left her with permanent scarring on her face.  Once an outgoing girl who liked to experiment with make-up and had dreams of being a lawyer, now Jazz is consumed with grief and insecurities about her facial scars.  When her father, a large animal vet, takes a job on a wildlife preserve in Africa, Jazz is devastated.  Jazz continues to feel out of place until she comes across a leopard cub whose mother has been killed by poachers.  Along with her father and friend Zach, Jazz learns to re-wild her leopard, Asha and learns a lot about herself in the process.

A coming of age story and important story not only for the human aspect of finding confidence within yourself, but for the environmental aspect as well.  As Jazz and Asha grow, both of them learn to live and be confident.  This is a great lesson for any younger reader.  I was happy to see that a lot of emphasis was placed on the importance of predatory animals in an ecosystem and the problems that are encountered with poachers. Author Sibel Hodge is even donating royalties from the sale of The See-Through Leopard to Panthera's Anti-Poaching campaign! 

My one criticism of the book is that almost every character that Jazz came in contact with that was not family or a friend of her family, verbally criticized Jazz's scars.  For example, Customs Officials made a comment about her scars that Jazz could hear, as did random people at a music concert.  I know it was important for the reader to know that Jazz was self-conscious and insecure about her scars, but the amount of times this device was used was unrealistic and overdone.  I also, personally did not like where Jazz and Zach's relationship ended up, but the younger me probably would have.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Maynard Moose has a story to share with you...

Complete with specialized Moose Language (don't worry, there's a glosary!), Maynard Moose tells the tale of a Moose who could not go to sleep.  Little Moose just can't seem to fall asleep at night, instead she stays awake thinking all sorts of interesting thoughts.  By the time Mommy Moose wakes Little Moose up in the morning, Little Moose is so tired that she feels like she has a "pillow stuffed between the ears."  Little Moose can not concentrate in school and learn to count to three (did you know moose can only count to three?).

This is a charming story of Little Moose that many children can relate too.  Can falling asleep be fun?  Little Moose will help kids find out.  Charming pictures and whimsical moose speak fill the pages to keep kids entertained.  A wonderful story to read with children before bed. 

This book was provided for free in return for an honest review.

A great introduction to a fun backyard bird to watch, the Blue Heron!   Priscilla Whitaker takes children through the day of Mr. Blue with beautiful, bright photographs of the blue heron and simple descriptions of Mr. Blue and his activities throughout the day.

I love that this was an interactive book and asked questions such as:  "Mr. Blue likes to spend time playing games. Do you like to play games?"  These questions are great for fostering appreciation of animals around them. 

Mr. Blue is aimed at younger children, best suited for ages 2-6.


Mr. Blue was received for free in return for an honest review.