Showing posts with label picture book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label picture book. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

[ARC REVIEW] Jungle Kali by Amie White (@LiteraryTitan)

 





Title:  Jungle Kali

Author:  Amie White

Artist: Olena Oprich

Genre:  Children's / Animals / Adventure / Family

Year Published: 2026

Date Read: 4/21/2026

Publisher: Noctilune Publishing 

Source:  eARC (Author)

Content Rating:  Ages 4+ (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon 



I would like to thank Noctilune Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So, I had read Amie White’s previous book “A Friend for Hope” and I really enjoyed that book!  So, of course, I was so happy to receive a copy of another children’s book that was written by Amie White and it is called “Jungle Kali” and man, was this book a treat to read!


The book starts off with a young leopard cub named Kali who is about to take swimming lessons with her mother.  But when Kali and her mother went into the jungle, Kali ends up getting separated from her mother and she spends most of the book trying to find her mother, while meeting up with the other animals in the jungles of the Congo, such as elephants and hippos.


Amie White did a great job at writing this book as the book was both adventurous and cute to read.  I loved the fact that we get to meet so many different animals that are found in the Congo Rainforest, such as elephants, hippos, leopards and bongos and it was interesting getting to learn about these animals and how they eat or clean themselves in the jungle.  I also loved the fact that this book took place in Africa, since I love reading books that take place in different countries and it was great seeing the beauty of Africa through this book.  Olena Oprich’s artwork was beautiful to look at.  I especially loved the drawings of the jungle itself as everything looks so lush and beautiful and I really loved how each of the animals were drawn in this book, especially Kali herself.


Overall, “Jungle Kali” was a great book that has lots of adventurous moments and beautiful artwork and if you are a fan of books that take place in Africa or you love reading books that features different animals, then you will definitely enjoy this book!  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing problematic in this book.


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Saturday, November 29, 2025

[ARC REVIEW] A Friend for Hope by Amie White (@LiteraryTitan)

 





Title:  A Friend for Hope

Author:  Amie White

Artist: Olena Oprich

Genre:  Children's / Animals / Friendship 

Year Published: 2025

Date Read: 11/29/2025

Publisher: Noctilune Publishing 

Source:  eARC (Author)

Content Rating:  Ages 4+ (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon 




I would like to thank Noctilune Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.



So, I have always loved reading children’s books that dealt with the main character wanting to have a friend and they ended up finding a friend in the most unlikely place.  Well, when I received a copy of “A Friend for Hope” by Amie White, I just knew that I found just the right book that explores the power of friendship!


Zoe Meadows is a nine-year-old girl who lives in Ivy Creek and even though she is homeschooled, she desperately wants a friend.  So, when Zoe’s parents noticed how sad Zoe was, they decided to give Zoe a friend: in the form of a dog!  So, Zoe and her parents ended up going to the dog shelter to find a dog for Zoe.  It was then that Zoe finds an old dog, who has been at the shelter for many years.  Zoe decided to take the old dog with her and named the dog Hope. Unfortunately, once they got home, the old dog had trouble connecting with Zoe, due to being too shy.

Will Zoe and Hope become good friends?

Find out in this book!


Amie White has done a great job at writing this book as the relationship between Zoe and Hope felt extremely genuine.  I loved the fact that Zoe tried everything to become good friends with Hope and how she also tries to respect Hope’s hesitation at getting close towards Zoe, due to being alone for so many years; something that Zoe herself had experienced.  Olena Oprich’s artwork was extremely beautiful to look at, as all of the characters look so adorable!  I especially loved how Zoe’s hair was drawn in this book as Zoe’s hair was extremely beautiful to look at and I especially loved how adorable Hope looked as it made me really want to cuddle Hope.



Overall, “A Friend for Hope” is a truly cute book about the importance of friendship that anyone who loves reading books about friendship will definitely enjoy!  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up, since there is nothing objectionable in this book.




* 2025 Literary Titan Book Award










Wednesday, April 10, 2024

[ARC REVIEW] Sparky and Mya: The King Must Laugh by Godwin Temisa

 


Title:  Sparky and Mya: The King Must Laugh

Author:  Godwin Temisa

Genre:  Children's / Animals / Humor / Friendship / Royalty

Year Published: 2020

Date Read: 4/11/2024

Source:  eARC (Author)

Content Rating:  Ages 4+ (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon 




I would like to thank author Godwin Temisa for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So, I received a copy of this cute little children’s book called “The King Must Laugh” by Godwin Temisa and man, was this book a joy to read!

 

The book starts off with a dog named Sparky, who enjoys making people laugh and his dream is to become a clown for the King of the land.  But unfortunately, Sparky ends up falling ill and he asks his friend, Mya the Cat, to go to the King and make him laugh in his place.  So, Mya goes to the King’s palace and tries to make the king laugh, but she keeps on messing up her routine.

 

Can Mya make the King laugh and will Sparky’s dream to become a clown come true?

 

Read this book to find out!

 

Wow!  This book was really enjoyable!  I loved the way that Godwin Temisa made this book so cute and heartwarming to read through.  I really loved the relationship between Sparky and Mya as they have a great friendship and I loved the fact that Mya was willing to help out Sparky, when Sparky got sick.  Another thing that I liked about this book was the artwork.  Godwin Temisa’s artwork was extremely unique, as the characters have odd and detailed designs and yet, those designs made the characters really stand out to me.  The artwork reminded me of those 90s cartoons, like “Duckman” and “Rugrats” that have unique designs to the characters and the artwork in this book made me feel nostalgic for those cartoons.

 

Overall, “The King Must Laugh” is a truly adorable and heartwarming book for anyone who loves reading books that deal with friendships.  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.







Thursday, August 31, 2023

[BOOK REVIEW] Pebbles and the Biggest Number by Joey Benun (@joeybenun)

 


Title:  Pebbles and the Biggest Number

Author:  Joey Benun

Artist: Laura Watson

Genre:  Children's / Animals / Numbers / Educational

Year Published: 2023

Date Read: 8/31/2023

Publisher: Joey Benun

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon 


So, over the years, I have read many children’s books that teach children about how to count numbers.  But I rarely come across children’s books that teaches kids about what the highest numbers are and “Pebbles and the Biggest Number” is one such unique children’s book that teaches children about what the biggest numbers are!


Pebbles the Butterfly is on a mission to find out what the biggest number is and in order to search for the answer, Pebbles travels across the world and asks every animal he meets along the way.  Of course, Pebbles’ journey is a dangerous one as he has to escape earthquakes, avalanches and tsunamis! 

Can Pebbles find out what the biggest number is?

Read this book to find out!


Wow!  This book was so cute and educational for me!  Joey Benun has done a fantastic job at writing this story as we get to learn more about what some of the biggest numbers are such as, sextillion, septillion and octillion.  I never thought that such numbers like sextillion and octillion actually existed and I’ve been learning numbers since elementary school!  I had a lot of fun learning about what big numbers I haven’t heard about and I’m glad that there’s a children’s book out there that can educate children about what the biggest numbers in the world are!  Laura Watson’s artwork is extremely adorable to look at!  I loved the images of Pebbles the Butterfly himself as Pebbles looks adorable on each page!  I also loved how colorful and energetic the artwork looks, especially whenever Pebbles meets up with a different animal throughout the story and whenever Pebbles tries to avoid any dangerous situations such as being around an earthquake or a tsunami.


Overall, “Pebbles and the Biggest Number” is a truly cute and educational children’s book for kids who want to learn more about numbers, especially what the biggest numbers are.  I would recommend this book for children ages 5 and up since some of the detailed information featured in this book might be a bit confusing for smaller children.

*2023 Literary Titan Book Awards for Gold Award
*2023 Mom's Choice Awards for Gold Award
*2023 National Indie Excellence Awards for Children's Non-Fiction and Finalist for Picture Books: All-Ages
*2023 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards for Best Cover Design, Best Illustrations, Children's Nonfiction, Educational/Instructional, New Author: Nonfiction, Picture Books 6 & Older, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math)


Friday, April 30, 2021

[ARC REVIEW] The Speckled Feather by Johanna Ries ( @NorthSouthBooks , @NetGalley )

 







Title:  The Speckled Feather

Author:  Johanna Ries

Genre:  Children's / Friendship / Animals

Year Published: 2020

Year Read:  2021

Publisher: 
 NorthSouth Books

Source:  eARC (NetGalley)

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (One Intense Scene)

Buy on:  Bookshop  





I would like to thank NorthSouth Books and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So, after years of not being able to read any children’s books that dealt with animals (which are some of my all-time favorite children’s books), I finally came upon a children’s book that dealt with animals called “The Speckled Feather” by Johanna Ries. I must say that I really enjoyed this cute little story about friendship!

The story starts off with three birds named Ade, Emem and Nuru who all live on the back of an elephant in the savanna.  One day however, a beautiful speckled feather is blown into their midst and when one of the birds picks up the feather and sticks it to themselves, the other birds quickly got jealous and they wanted the speckled feather for themselves, despite the fact that this is ruining their friendship with each other.

Will the birds stop fighting over the feather to save their friendship?

Find out in this story!

Wow!  This book was both fantastic and cute to read through!  Johanna Ries has done an excellent job at both writing and illustrating this book!  I just loved the way that Johanna Ries wrote this book as the narrative was simple yet impactful as the story shows the importance of friendship and how friends can argue with each other if something came between them.  I was actually sitting on the edge of my seat, wondering if the birds will regain their friendship again, despite the appearance of the speckled feather.  Johanna Ries also did a fantastic job at illustrating this book as the animals in this book look so realistic, especially the elephant that the three birds live on.  I also loved the abstract look of the savanna as it has a simplistic look, but still conveys the appearance of the savanna pretty well.

Parents might be a bit concerned about one scene where the main characters are being chased by a predator.  While this scene was pretty short, some smaller children might be a bit scared by the main characters being in any danger.  Parents might want to read this scene first before reading it to their children.

Overall, “The Speckled Feather” is a fantastic children’s book about the importance of friendship and how your friendship is much more important than any materialistic thing.  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up due to one intense scene in this book.


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