Tag Archives: comical

December 12, 2025 · 7:00 am

Bellyrina: A Tutu Tale from the Belly of the Beast by Once Upon a Dance (Book Review)

Bunny leaps from the wolf’s belly with only one memory—she loves to dance. But something, or someone, is STILL MISSING!

Bellyrina delivers Once Upon a Dance’s signature blend of heartwarming stories and playful humor wrapped in the mission of inspiring joyful movement.

Dance-Along Fun with Once Upon a Dance features
• Interactive movement prompts
• Sweet, silly, and uplifting
• Screen-free fun that encourages connection
• Movement motivation photos
• Lessons in empathy that extend to all creatures
• Positive characters that celebrate strong girls

Perfect for ages 4–8, Bellyrina features adorable animals, fairy magic, gentle drama, and plenty of sparkle. Whether shared in classrooms, studios, or at home, this Dancing Ever After series debut invites children to dance their own happily ever after.

From the creators of over 40 dance books comes a fresh twist on a classic tale, great for
• Bedtime stories to get the wiggles out
• Dance classes and creative movement activities
• Family reading time with built-in physical play
• Gifts for little dancers, animal lovers, and active kids

Bellyrina: A Tutu Tale from the Belly of the Beast Movement & Learning Benefits
Physical Skills Development
• Full-body movements: stretching, jumping, bunny hops, twirls, spins
• Coordination patterns: arm sweeps, windmill arms, lasso movements
• Balance & control: tiptoeing, reaching, controlled falls
• Partner activities: hand-holding twirls, cooperative movement

Social-Emotional Learning Through Story
• Core themes: courage, resilience, kindness, friendship, and identity
• Emotional intelligence: recognizing and expressing joy, suspicion, and wonder
• Mindfulness concepts: breath awareness and finding stillness
• Character development: persistence, teamwork, and appreciation

Creative Expression & Social Skills
• Imaginative movement: gulping, sneezing, shivering for story context
• Free dance exploration and personal expression
• Interactive play that builds confidence

Transform reading time into active fun with giggles and wiggles for everyone!

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery.  I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

It’s time to get up and get movin’ with Bellyrina: A Tutu Tale from the Belly of the Beast by Once Upon a Dance! Follow the dancer’s movements demonstrated in the purple ovals. Challenge yourself with the “trickier” moves, such as “wolf creep.” Try your hand at matching the moves to the story. (Bonus feature) However, before you do all that, let’s take a look at the story and discover what or who is causing such a commotion.

Wolves in fairy tales tend to bite off more than they can chew, and the beast in this energetic and exciting story is no different. Luckily, Peter and his friends are there to wrangle and see him safely to the zoo, but this is not the last we’ve seen of the big bad wolf. Why? Because a pink bunny with selective amnesia says the wolf swallowed not just them but someone else, too, and that mystery animal is still trapped in the wolf’s belly. Let the rescue mission begin!

How does the friend group, along with the rabbit, plan to retrieve the imprisoned animal? Ah, that adorable plan will remain a secret. To find out the answer, you must get the book. I highly recommend you do. Bellyrina: A Tutu Tale from the Belly of the Beast features page after page of cuteness from the silly artwork to the amusing text.

The heart on the bunny’s belly was a sweet touch. The rescued animal looked adorable in their tutu. Milo’s (the cat’s) facial expression and sarcastic tone when meeting the bunny for the first time were quite humorous. The dance party scene will tickle some ribs. Plus, let’s not forget that every page encourages readers to get up and move with visual prompts.

There is so much to love about this book, from its amusing storyline to its interactive movement prompts. I encourage you to share it with your family or students, as it not only entertains but also promotes physical activity.

Amazon recommends a reading age of 4-8 years.

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤
Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

 

Meet the Team! 

Discover a delightful way to introduce children to the world of dance. Once Upon a Dance combines whimsical stories with movement, breath, and connection to spark imagination and foster self-expression.

Their catalog (36 books across six series) offers positive role models, whimsy, humor, and diverse characters. Alongside movement and dance, books feature themes of empathy, friendship, the value of practice, self-acceptance, sibling relationships, anger management, and working toward goals.

Ballerina Konora is living her dreams as a full-fledged ballet Company Artist. Teacher Terrel arrived in Seattle after a Peace Corps stint teaching English and dance. Complementing decades of teaching dance, she worked in early childhood education and for non-profits supporting kids. Terrel was recognized by her local City Council for “embodying the spirit of partnership and commitment to children in our community” for her work with young dancers. She also serves on Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Board of Directors.

Stories are lovingly crafted, and royalties are donated to charity partners. A few highlighted honors:

• Family Choice Award

• Mom’s Choice Gold Award Recipient

• PenCraft Award: First Place

• Firebird Book Award: First Place

• Royal Dragonfly Book Award: First Place

• Pinnacle Book Achievement Award – Best Book Juvenile Fiction

• Outstanding Creator Awards: Best Children’s Book, Top 10 Author of 2022 & 2023

• Kirkus Reviews Starred Review

@Once_UponADance (Instagram)
DanceStories.com 
Amazon Author Page Link
Reedsy Author Link

 

 

 

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November 7, 2022 · 7:00 am

165 Ridiculously Absurd Questions and Statements: Creating Laughter and Fun Moments with Yourself and Others by J.T. Newcomb (Book Review)

This book may literally be the only comedy book of its kind in terms of the comedic topic and approach! It can work like a social game where friends and family take turns reading one of the 165 comedic bits to each other. The sheer randomness of what might be read makes it all the more fun!

What’s included in this work of comedy:

  • 165 brief comedic items that may be statements, questions, or a mixture of both.
  • A unique voice in humor that may not have existed until this book.
  • A fun dose of unpredictability due to how utterly random each item is.
  • A book that can be used as a game where friends and family take turns reading the comedic items from the list to each other.
  • Comedy that completely avoids any raunchiness and vulgarity that comedy often has.

Enjoy clean, comedic absurdity just for yourself or to enhance a social gathering of any number (but get a microphone for very large groups)! Discover a fresh experience of humor that is likely to get a variety of reactions to keep things interesting!

If you want to lay hold of this unique work of comedy to create laughter for yourself and others, click the “Buy” button and enjoy!

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

165 Ridiculously Absurd Questions and Statements Creating Laughter and Fun Moments with Yourself and Others offers brief comedic items that may be statements, questions, or a mixture of both. 

Some of J.T. Newcomb’s statements were quite amusing. For instance, number twelve, “If I woke up one day with actual octopus tentacles instead of arms, I would wonder why I only had two and not the usual eight.” I’m unsure if I wonder or ponder the number so much as I would freak out that I now have tentacles. On number 13, the author wrote, “If your name is Jim and you promote going to the gym, wouldn’t people think you’re a bit bias?” The author was not suggesting naming a gym “Jim,” but I thought it was a funny coincidence I recently had a discussion about homophones and these particular words.

Number twenty-seven states, “Sharks are mean.” Maybe they are just hangry. I would suggest offering them a Snickers, but I doubt that’ll fix their issue. Plus, do you want to get your hand that close to a shark’s mouth? 

Do you love dad jokes or puns? Check out number thirty-three! “If you’re a food reviewer writing about a dish comprised of ground beef and okra called Meaty Okra, be careful when describing it as mediocre.” By the way, I shared it with my husband, who laughed; therefore, this has earned the “dad” stamp of approval. 

So many statements and questions had me rolling my eyes because they were so ridiculous. Which was great; I loved their silliness! The whale and pizza incident, catfishing and cat fishing, shampooing a pigeon, and many more. And to answer the sloth question (#109), yes, it would! (Read the book for the question.)

From a design point of view, I would suggest adding a space or two after each number. Some have the space and so don’t. Also, some readers might like a few images because the inside contents do look a bit plain. 

165 Ridiculously Absurd Questions and Statements Creating Laughter and Fun Moments with Yourself and Others is slightly over twenty pages and contains a whole lot of comedy, making this a book I highly recommend! Perfect for the entire family! 

Review edited on 10/5/22 (Reedsy) 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

About the Author

J.T. Newcomb has had a long history of comedic focus such as in writing songs like the “Good Ol’ Days in the Amniotic Sac” and a song about how cheap rent would be if the roaches paid their share. He’s done stand up comedy and now translates his absurdist style to a book for the first time.

Reedsy Author Link

 

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