Friday, May 31, 2019

[BOOK REVIEW] The Big Balloon Race by Eleanor Coerr




Title:  The Big Balloon Race

Author:  Eleanor Coerr

Artist: Carolyn Croll

Genre: Balloons / Adventure / Family / Children's

Year Published: 1981

Year Read:  2019

Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers


Series: I Can Read Books

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 4+  (Some Complex Terms)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 




When I was little, my parents used to buy me and my sisters a couple of books from the “I Can Read” book series.  We have quite a lot of books from this series and one of the books that we had owned for a long time was “The Big Balloon Race” by Eleanor Coerr along with artwork by Carolyn Croll.  This is definitely a book you should read if you are a huge fan of aeronauts!



The story starts off with Ariel begging her mother Carlotta the Great to go into the balloon race with her.  But Carlotta the Great thinks that Ariel is too young to be in the race and tells Ariel that as soon as they get to the race, she should stay in the Odds and Ends box until it was time for the race to begin.  When the Myers family finally made it to the balloon race, there was a huge celebration for the competing balloonists, which was between Bernard the Brave and Carlotta the Great herself.  Ariel then slept in the Odds and Ends box until the mayor’s speech was over.  But Ariel accidentally overslept and Carlotta the Great ended up going into her balloon and taking off with Ariel inside the basket.  When Ariel finally woke up, she noticed that she was now in the air with her mother and now she has to help her mother win the race against Bernard the Brave!



Wow!  I was quite impressed with this book!  Eleanor Coerr did a fantastic job at writing this book as the book is full of excitement and wonder as we get to see how the balloon races were set up during the 1880s!  I enjoyed seeing the excitement that the protagonists have for the balloon race and I loved the fact that they gave it their all in competing in the races.  I especially loved the way that Eleanor Coerr wrote both Carlotta the Great and Ariel as they were the most intriguing characters in the book.  I loved the fact that Carlotta the Great was a strong female protagonist who kept her cool throughout the entire race and even tried to protect Ariel throughout the race.  I also loved the fact that Ariel was so determined to be in the race and when she finally got into the race, she may have panicked at some moments, but she eventually got herself together when the situation got tough.  Carolyn Croll’s artwork is adorable and creative to look at as all the characters have nice rounded faces and I enjoyed seeing all of the different types of balloons that were used in the race.

Overall, “The Big Balloon Race” is a truly joyous read for anyone who loves reading books about balloon races and want to know what aeronauts are.  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since some small children might not understand what the term “aeronaut” means, unless it was explained to them by a parent or a teacher.



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Fairy Tale and Folktale Fridays #38: The Emperor and the Nightingale




Hey there!  Welcome to "Fairy Tale and Folktale Fridays," a new feature on my blog where I discuss about some fairy tales and folktales I have read throughout the years. 






The Emperor and the Nightingale







 

Type: Fairy Tale

Country of Origin: China (Setting); Denmark (Origin of Author)

Main Character Hero or Heroine: Hero

Recommend?: Yes! 





The story starts off with the Emperor of China hearing about a nightingale that lives in his kingdom and how its song is the most beautiful thing in his kingdom.  He then orders his servants to seek the nightingale and bring it to him.  When the servants finally found the nightingale, they brought it to the Emperor's palace and the nightingale began to sing for the Emperor.  The Emperor was so moved  by the nightingale's singing that he wanted the nightingale to stay with him and sing for him.  Unfortunately, the nightingale wanted to go back to the forest so it could live in freedom.  One day, the Emperor received a gift of a beautiful bejeweled mechanical bird that was able to sing just as lovely as the real nightingale.  The Emperor then became so engrossed in the mechanical bird's singing, that he lost interest in the real nightingale and the real nightingale ended up returning to the forest.  One unfortunate day however, the Emperor became ill and the servants thought that he was going to die.  It was during that night that Death came to the Emperor and was going to take the Emperor away.  The Emperor then begged the mechanical bird to start singing for him, but the mechanical bird wouldn't sing, due to being played too many times .  It was during that moment that the Emperor realized that having the real nightingale is much more precious than having a mechanical bird who's beautiful on the outside.




I absolutely loved this story!  I loved the fact that this story takes place in China since I love reading stories that take place in foreign countries and I think that this story captures the true essence of China so well!  I also loved the fact that this story is about what true beauty is all about as the mechanical bird may be beautiful on the outside, but it can't be counted on when the Emperor really needed it. I loved the fact that the Emperor learns his lesson about true beauty when the real nightingale ends up saving the day, even though he dismissed it earlier in favor of the mechanical bird.





1. What's your definition of true beauty?

I think that true beauty is something that is in the inside, meaning that even if you have an ugly appearance on the outside, if you are a kind-hearted person, then you are beautiful no matter what.

2. Have you ever received a beautiful gift from anyone before?

I had received several over the years.  But some beautiful gifts I had received were jewelry from my relatives and parents, which I still keep to this very day!







The Emperor and the Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen; illustrated by Robert Van Nutt







The Nightingale by Andy Beck and Brian Fisher







The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen; illustrated by Catherine Huerta






The Emperor and the Nightingale by Fiona Waters and Paul Birkbeck






The Emperor and the Nightingale by Ladybird







The Three Little Pigs









Fat Cat

Book Blogger Hop #53: May 31st - June 6th




Hello everyone! I'm participating in another book meme called the Book Blogger Hop which is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer!  Basically, you just answer weekly questions and then post up your link on the question's page.


This week's question is : 

 This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Review.





Oh yes!  I've read many books that were over 400 pages and I've enjoyed so many of them!  The "Harry Potter" series has always been one of my all time favorite book series and most of the books in that series were over 400 pages long!




Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Waiting on Wednesday #135: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson




Hello everyone! "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that is hosted by Breaking the Spine and the purpose of this event is that we spotlight upcoming releases of books that we are excited for!  This will also tie into Wishful Ending's Can't Wait Wednesday post!







This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:






Title:  Sorcery of Thorns
Author:  Margaret Rogerson
Expected Publication Date:  June 4th, 2019



All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.
 

Any time a book mentions the word "library" in it, you can bet that I will be checking this book out!  Oh!  And also the mention of  the word "magic" will get me on board in reading this book!  So, I'm definitely interested in this book!


So, what upcoming books are you looking forward to?  Please respond below!







Sunday, May 26, 2019

The Sunday Post Meme (171)




Hey everybody! I am participating in a book meme called the Sunday Post which is being hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer!The goal of this meme is to share news you have  on various books and things you’ve read or received and also talk about what is coming up for your blog! Book hauls can include library books, yard sale finds, arcs and bought books and you can share these finds with other book bloggers!


Hey everyone!! I know it's been awhile since I last posted, but I was so busy for the last few weeks.  I did managed to read some good books this month and I hope to continue to do so.  I also watched this new movie called "Sorry to Bother You" and I really enjoyed the movie!  It was weird, but in a really good way and I can't wait to re-watch that movie again!




Book Reviews








Miscellaneous





  

Book Photo Sundays Meme!

 

Looking for New Guest Posts! 

 

My TBR List!

 

  

Comic Book Bingo Challenge 2018 Sign Up! 



Cover Spotlight Meme






2018 Caldecott Medal Challenge Sign Up!



 







One Word: NOTHING.







(TUBI)

* My sister actually introduced me to this series and I just saw the first three volumes of this series and now I'm totally hooked!  I really want to see the rest of the volumes soon!




(HULU)

* Wow!  This was a strange yet amazing movie!  I never would have thought that this movie would turn out so weird as it did and yet be so hilarious and entertaining at the same time!  Also, that huge twist towards the end of the movie really threw me off!







 

How have you been?



  Check out Paper Fury's review on THE PANCAKE BOOK TAG (FT. BREAKFAST OPINIONS & CHAOTIC RECS)


☆ Check out Feed Your Fiction's Addiction's post on All the Little Checkboxes Confuse Me!! Let’s Discuss.

★ Check out It All Starts at Midnight's post on THE 100 EPISODE 6×03: THE CHILDREN OF GABRIEL




Well, that's the Sunday News for today and I will have more news for the various books I've read in the near future!



Posted on Sunday, May 26, 2019.