[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)

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[ARC REVIEW] Hola! Let's Learn Spanish: Visit New Places and Make New Friends! by Judy Martialay (@judyruth10)

Title:  Hola!  Let's Learn Spanish:  Visit New Places and Make New Friends!

Author: Judy Martialay

Genre:  Mexico / Foreign Language / Educational / Party

Year Published: 2015

Year Read:  2017

Publisher: PoliglotKidz Press

Source:  eARC (Author)

Content Rating:  Ages 3+ (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads

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

Now, I have read many children’s books that dealt with teaching children about foreign languages, but I had never read a children’s book where a term would be phrased in English and then be translated into Spanish in the same sentence and author Judy Martialay has certainly created an intriguing story that combines both Spanish and English terms in her book “Hola! Let’s Learn Spanish: Visit New Places and Make New Friends!”

Basically, this book teaches children about Mexico and its culture and language, which their language is Spanish. There is also a story woven in this book that stars a small Mexican jumping bean named Panchito who wanted to find new friends that he could play with and he ends up journeying through the marketplace and winds up at a piñata party!

What will Panchito discover at the piñata party?

Read this book to find out!

Judy Martialay has done an excellent job at creating a book that would help children understand not only about the language of Mexico, but about its culture as well and I have always enjoyed children’s books that try to teach children about foreign cultures and how to pronounce their languages at the same time.  I had a lot of fun in trying to pronounce the Spanish verses for the English verses, such as “Hola” meaning “hello” in Spanish and “Los Frijoles” meaning “beans” in Spanish and I loved the way that Judy Martialay had the English verse being spoken first and then the Spanish translation for that verse coming right after the verse such as this phrase “Look! Miren!” as it helps children see how that English verse is translated into Spanish.  Judy Martialay’s artwork is extremely cute to look at as the characters are rendered in scratchy and simple outlines and I enjoyed the images of Panchito himself as he is shown as a jumping bean who has stick like legs and a small hat that he wears in each panel.

The reason why I gave this book a four-star rating was because I felt that the pacing was a bit too slow at times and I sort of wished that the story moved at a faster pace in introducing us to the world of Mexico.

Overall, “Hola! Let's Learn Spanish: Visit New Places and Make New Friends!” is a great book for children in learning about Mexico and their language Spanish and would be a great book in helping children understand foreign languages! I would recommend this book to children ages three and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book and the Spanish language is introduced in a way that would be easy for smaller children to understand.

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• Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant's Tale by Duncan Tonatiuh

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[BOOK REVIEW] How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz

Title:  How I Learned Geography

Author: Uri Shulevitz

Genre: Geography / World War II / Biography
 
Year Published: 2008
 
Year Read:  2011

Publisher:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Themes of War)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository

When I have heard of Uri Shulevitz’s most recent children’s book, I was excited at reading this book!  “How I Learned Geography” is a Caldecott Honor book by Uri Shulevitz that details author Uri Shulevitz’s experiences as a young Polish refugee during World War II and how he lived in Kazakhstan and how a map made him realize the beauty of the world.  “How I Learned Geography” is a truly brilliant book for children who want to learn about author Uri Shulevitz’s life during World War II and want to look at the beauty of the world through a map.

When World War II started, a young Polish boy had escaped the land with his mother and father and they headed to a country called Kazakhstan where they lived their lives as refugees.  One day, the boy’s father went to the bazaar to buy bread and he ended up buying a map instead.  This ended up making both the boy and his mother furious at the father for letting them starve that night, however the next morning; the boy’s father put the map on the wall of their little room, which covered the entire wall.  When the boy started looking at the map, he discovered that the map can open up a world that he has never known existed right before his eyes!

Oh my goodness!  This book was truly a wonderful experience for me!  I never would have realized that a map could help a person see the true wonders of the world through their own eyes and help them get through tough times during their lives!  Uri Shulevitz has done a brilliant job at writing about his childhood during World War II and it was truly written in such a dramatic and heartwarming way that I often find myself sympathizing with the boy in the story many times.  It was interesting seeing how the family had to run away from their home to find safety from the war and Uri Shulevitz has certainly done a brilliant job at detailing the hardships and pain that he and his family had to go through during the war, such as not having enough food to eat.  I loved how Uri Shulevitz pointed out in the book that he found happiness in the dreary life he was thrown into by witnessing the wonders of a map through his mind.  Uri Shulevitz’s illustrations are extremely colorful as there are detailed images of the country Kazakhstan  with images of small houses that are made of clay, straw and camel dung, in the background.  I also enjoyed Uri Shulevitz’s colorful images of the different countries that the boy visits through the map such as running across the beach and jumping about in the dessert sand.  My favorite image in this book was of the boy flying all around the world and you can see various buildings from Europe to North America standing beneath him.

Overall, “How I Learned Geography” is a truly amazing and imaginative book that detailed the magic of viewing a map in an exciting and inventive way and children might be interested in witnessing the lives of many refugees during World War II in this book.  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since some of the countries that the boy mentions might be difficult for smaller children to understand and the themes of war and hunger might upset smaller children.

 * 2009 Caldecott Honor

[BOOK REVIEW] Gruesome Guide to World Monsters by Judy Sierra

Title:  The Gruesome Guide to World Monsters

Author:  Judy Sierra

Artist:  Henrik Drescher


Genre: Monsters / Information / Horror



Year Published: 2005



Year Read: 2008

Publisher:  Candlewick Press

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 7+ (Some Scary Moments and Scary Imagery)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads

“The Gruesome Guide to World Monsters” is an excellent book about monsters that is presented in a travel guide format. Judy Sierra and Henrik Drescher both work together on this project and therefore, created a book that is a combination of horror and comedy.

“The Gruesome Guide to World Monsters” details various encounters of some of the most dangerous and gruesome monsters around the world. The book describes the monsters’ habits, where they live, survival tips when encountering them, and how dangerous they are to the traveler. There are sixty-three monsters mentioned in this book and only one monster in this book is known to be just frightening, not dangerous. These are the summaries of some of my favorite monsters:

ROLLING HEAD

The Rolling Head’s gruesomeness rating is five skulls, which means that it is a fatal monster. It lives in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and this monster came about when a man accidentally cut his finger with a knife. When the man licked the blood off his finger, he enjoyed the taste of blood so much that he started eating his entire body, leaving only his head. The head now rolls around and eats unsuspecting people in his path. The survival tip is not available for this monster.

SIGBIN

The Sigbin’s gruesomeness rating is three skulls, which means that it is a very dangerous monster. It lives in the Philippines and it looks like a beagle, but its hind legs is higher then the front part of its body. The Sigbin can fly using its long ears, but watch out for its intestinal gas, for it is very fatal and will kill anyone who stands downwind of the Sigbin. The survival tip is to not stand downwind of a Sigbin and that if a person learns the right magic spells then he or she can fly a Sigbin.

Judy Sierra’s masterful storytelling of describing various monsters around the world is both excellent and morbid at the same time. Sierra goes into great detail about each monster and also gives a clear survival tip to each monster whenever one encounters them. Henrik Drescher’s illustrations are equally special in this book as he draws each monster in a childish yet nightmarish way. It was as if the illustrations came out of someone’s nightmare and they are trying to describe the nightmare by drawing out the images portrayed in the nightmare.

Parents should know that this book may be too disturbing for younger children because of its horror content. Most of the monsters in this book eat humans or make them go insane and that may scare younger children. The monster that will probably scare younger children the most would be the Curupira, since this monster sucks out people’s organs for disobeying a rule and that would lead children into thinking that someone will kill them if they break the rules.

“The Gruesome Guide to World Monsters” is an excellent travel brochure-like book for people who want to learn more about the monsters around the world and how to survive their encounters. This book is a true treat for both kids and adults, but adults may want to steer their younger children away from this book if they are afraid of monsters.