bookishrealm's reviews
3761 reviews

I read this book as a part of the picture book challenge I am participating in on my blog. One of the categories was to read a book that is a book by Eric Carle so I decided to choose this book. If you're interested in the picture book categories I'll be reading from as part of the challenge be sure to check out the link here: 2017 Challenges.

After reading so much Eric Carle last year, I was happy to find that I still enjoyed his works and this one in particular. I was definitely fooled by the cover in seeing the blue gorilla because I thought that it was going to be solely about animals. Little did I know that this book encourages movement in children with the help of animals. If you're looking for a way to assist your young child in moving around more or becoming more flexible I would definitely recommend this book.

The various movements and motions had me wanting to attempt various twist and turns! I loved that the text overall moves the child in the direction of proving that they, like the animals, are capable of being just as flexible as the animals they see from day to day. I think this is great read aloud material and something parents/guardians should think about doing with their little ones. The artwork was great as always and in the amazing style of Eric Carle.

I read this book as a part of the picture book challenge I am participating in on my blog. One of the categories was to read a book that is a book by Kevin Henkes so I decided to choose this book. If you're interested in the picture book categories I'll be reading from as part of the challenge be sure to check out the link here: 2017 Challenges.

This was such an adorable picture book and I loved the simplicity of the art. It reminded me so much of my own experiences with having that toy or blanket that you don't want to give up even when your parents just want to do something as simple as clean it.

Owen is the most adorable character I have ever seen. He just...ahhh I can't even find the words to describe the way I feel about him. I really enjoyed the writing style of Henkes as well so I know that I will be checking out more of his works sometimes soon. I don't know if I would necessarily recommend this as a read a loud simply because it's on the longer side and it may take to long to read for storytime; however, this is a great story to share with kids that are definitely going through the same phase as Owen.

Oh wow! So I picked this one out for #diverseathon and I must say it was quite amazing and such a sad tale. And the artwork! Oh boy it was BEAUTIFUL! If you've never heard of Misuzu Kaneko before you definitely need to check her out. The only thing that I could possibly say about this book is that you have to discover the beauty of it on your own! : )

Okay so I'm convinced that I'm going to like some fairy tale characters much better than others. While this one was definitely an improvement from the last book, I still didn't really click with the characters. I think that Rapunzel lacked the confidence I would have expected that ultimately ended up making her shallow. I just want the characters to go back to those fierce individuals they were in the first three books. They showed that girls didn't have to follow in the typical footsteps of the princesses they were used to seeing and for some reason I feel like we're losing a little bit of that in this novel and the past one.

What I will say I loved is the audiobook! It was amazing as always and I'm glad our narrator actually knew how to sing. It added to the overall atmosphere of the novel and I completely enjoyed it.

I probably will be doing a review of this novel and the 2-4 novels sometime soon. I'm going to continue to see if these novels get back to the old ones I'm used to seeing and experiencing.

Update!! Full Review: http://www.bookishrealmreviews.com/2017/01/a-monster-calls-by-patrick-ness.html

Okay I just want you guys to know that first of all there is no way I'm going to be to write a review right now. I'm just too full of emotions. This book was beautifully written and the story was so heartbreaking that it's the first book that has brought me to tears in a while. I just wish I had the words to express how I felt, but just know that I think that Patrick Ness is a genius and the way he handled grief in this book was fascinating.

I would highly recommend going into this book blind. I knew that people loved it, but I had no idea what the story was about specifically and I'm glad that I didn't know because boy oh boy was this book the most beautiful journey I have ever taken. And I definitely would like to add that it is my first five star read of the year and I'm becoming less and less generous with my 5 stars.

Once I can successfully pull myself I will then be able to write a full and complete review.

I read this book as a part of the picture book challenge I am participating in on my blog. One of the categories was to read a book that is a book about friensdhip so I decided to choose this book. If you're interested in the picture book categories I'll be reading from as part of the challenge be sure to check out the link here: 2017 Challenges

This book was adorable! I think everyone can relate to that person that comes around and always asks you so many questions and can seem incredibly annoying, but they're only doing it because they love you and they really love being your friend. I definitely have been the duck in various situations, but I definitely have friends that represent the bear who after getting annoyed loves the duck just as much as the duck loves him.

The artwork was interesting because it was vibrant, but seemingly fuzzy at the same time. I know that probably doesn't make sense, but once you read it I think you'll understand where I'm coming from. I've never read anything by this author before, but if her other work is like this then I'm pretty sure I would enjoy it. If you're looking for a picture book that teaches children about friendship and caring then I would definitely recommend this book.

Yup this is the first book finished for the year of 2017! I started this series last year and I must say I'm thoroughly enjoying it. It's not the best writing in the world; however, it definitely makes for a fun read. Here are some things that I really love about this book and the series in general:

-The author definitely takes the original concepts of fairy tales and flips them around making them unique and different.
-She completely turns around the typical stereotypes associated with fairytales (example: all the girls have to be beautiful, they all need to be saved by princes, they can't do anything unless their kids)
-They're all fast, quick reads. I love that I can literally sit down for a little while and listen to these books and fly right through them.
-The narrator for the audiobooks is AMAZING. If you're considering reading or starting this series I would highly recommend the audiobooks.
-I loved that they touched on the original Little Mermaid story, not the Disney version.
-The change in name of characters and scenery is extremely entertaining.
-This a great way to get younger kids into reading especially if they enjoy fairy tales.

I would definitely recommend these stories. They all kind of have the same format with the concept that the kids get sucked into a fairy tale world and then they must figure out have to save the main character of that story; however, I will say that each story has it's own twists and turns so I wouldn't expect them all to be 100% the same. I really do enjoy these and probably will try to finish the series this year.

Jane is a pain in the butt!!! It isn't great writing but once again the drama kept me interested

This was just as great as the first time I read it! I really enjoyed the characters and the plot. Aunt Josephine was a trip. She really did make the entire story. I can't wait to continue on with my re-read of the series next year.

Okay so this wasn't the best piece of literature in the world however I really think the drama of the story kept me going. I was interested in how the characters were going to handle their new fame and fortune and it definitely proved to be a great insight to what reality tv is like behind the scenes.