Tag Archives: moon

The Great Inventor of the Stars by Avery Davis (Book Spotlight)

The Master is the Great Inventor and Sam is his apprentice. Sam is given the task of making sure the Master can see the people on earth at night because at night there is only darkness. In sending the newest invention, the Moon into orbit Sam breaks the sky but finds the solution with the ultimate invention of the Stars.

 
 
 
 
 
-Gold-Living Now Book Awards
-Finalist-The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
-Finalist-International Book Awards
-Honorable Mention-Purple Dragonfly Winner
-Honorable Mention-Hollywood Book Festival
-Honorable Mention-Royal Dragonfly Winner
-Honorable Mention-Story Monsters Approved
 
 
 
 
Joanie (Amazon) 5 stars: “This is a unique book with gorgeous illustrations that fit so well with the words and ideas the author has chosen. Her book will be finding its home in our Waldorf library on Maui and I know will be enjoyed thoroughly by the students as well as the teachers. Hoping Avery has another book in the works as she is very talented and knows how to pique one’s interest as I couldn’t wait to turn the page.”
 
Readers’ Favorite:With brilliantly colorful illustrations, this tale leads the reader through an alternate creation analogy. In presenting the story, the author encourages young readers to think creatively, to follow through with their creative thoughts, and not to be discouraged when they think their creation is a disaster because sometimes great things come out of disasters, as Sam found out.”
 
 
 
 

Meet the Author

Avery Davis graduated in Environmental Law. She lives half of the year in Cordova, Alaska as a fisherman’s wife and the other half drying off in the deserts of Utah. She is the mother of three, who love a good bedtime story.

Reedsy Author Link
Amazon Author Page Link

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Luna and Helio The Eclipse by Gina Keulemans (Book Review)

Luna and Helio is a fictional tale of the Sun and Moon,and of their place in the solar system. It is a story of how one day Luna must stop Heliofrom making a very big mistake. it is a heart-warming tale of friendship and the value of helping each other to do the right thing, even when it isn’t easy.

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

 

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

 

Luna (the moon) and Helio (the sun) help Earth, but they couldn’t agree on which had a more vital role. Their arguments led to important facts about the sun and the moon. Helio, the biggest and brightest star in the solar system, helps warm up the planet and helps things grow. Luna guides people through the darkness, such as fishermen. During their spat, Helio (sun) shouted that he planned to move closer to Earth, which all the other planets quickly voiced their opinion on why that would be a horrible idea. Helio is stubborn and thinks he knows best. Many parents can relate to their children thinking they are correct, and parents are clueless. No amount of talking will change their mind. That’s what occurred in Luna and Helio: The Eclipse. Helio’s mind was made up; he was moving closer to Earth.

Helio’s stubborn actions could’ve been disastrous without the quick thinking of Luna and the eight planets in our solar system. However, instead, Helio’s actions caused what earthlings call an eclipse. They are spectacular to see, and we have an annular solar eclipse crossing North, Central, and South America this October! 

I recommend reading this story for fun or in preparation for the annular solar eclipse crossing the Western Hemisphere later this year or the total solar eclipse happening in April 2024. Creating a viewing apparatus so your family and class can watch the amazing display safely is a great idea, too! 

Luna and Helio: The Eclipse gives basic information about the sun and moon’s usefulness that is easy for preschoolers to understand. The book could inspire a research project about our sun, moon, and planets. 

My recommended reading age is three years and older. The illustrations are quite lovely, and the story is educational but doesn’t overload young minds with a thousand facts. 

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

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

Meet the Author

This is Gina’s first published children’s book, she lives in London with her husband and has two grown up children. Gina worked as a P.A in advertising before donating her time to raising funds for Cancer Research UK, Gina now spends her time working on her creative side.

Reedsy Author Link

 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tilly and the Sleepyhead Sun by Emily Pray (Book Review)


Come along with Tilly the owl on the adventure of a lifetime as she tries to wake up a sleepyhead sun who forgot to rise with the morning. With funny, silly, and noisy efforts, will Tilly save the day?

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

 

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

 

In the middle of a little village rested a tall clock tower, and at its tip lived a little brown owl named Tilly. Tilly maintained the clock. She polished the bell until it was shiny. The owl would sound the bell in the morning, alerting the villagers it was time to start their day. She had a significant role in making the day run smoothly, more than she ever realized.

One day, Tilly was sleepy and decided to stay in bed longer than usual. Little did she know, so did the sun. The village remained dark without the sun’s rays, and the residents stayed asleep. The town was quiet from everyone snoozing the day away. Even the birds weren’t singing. 

Tilly attempted to wake the sun in several different ways. The dear, sweet owl tried to coax the sun awake with delicious, smelling foods that might make readers’ mouths water. She used loud instruments and slipped on a pair of tap dancing shoes. Nothing worked! 

Tilly brainstormed ways to wake the sun, so the day could officially begin. Before you read how Tilly finally woke the sleeping sun, ask your young listeners what other ways might work. Get your child engaged in the story by having them grab maracas, pots and pans, party blowers, or any other loud instrument, and join Tilly as she tries to wake the sun using loud sounds. Have them get up and stomp or dance with Tilly. 

Tilly and the Sleepyhead Sun by Emily Pray is an interactive storybook with lovely illustrations. (Artist: Emma Slawson). It has silly moments and images that’ll appeal to any size audience: home or school. I particularly loved the snoring sun and the tap-dancing owl. 

I recommend Tilly and the Sleepyhead Sun to children from three to nine years of age. 

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

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

Meet the Author

My name is Emily Pray, and I’m the author of Tilly and the Sleepyhead Sun, my debut children’s story. I’m a therapist, mother, and artist living in Missoula MT with my family.

Reedsy Author Link

 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

What Bird Heard (Traveler Series, Book 2) by Tricia Gardella (Book Review)

In Book 2 of this Traveler Series, Mouse and Bird are busy at work resolving Bird’s Book 1 mistake– trying to fly an airplane to the moon. Everyone knows it takes a rocket. But are there any other things Mouse and Bird need to be aware of?

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 


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

 

What Bird Heard, book two in the “Traveler” series, picks up where its predecessor left off – trying to figure out how to get Mouse to the moon. 

We all have aspirations in life and reasons behind life choices/goals. Mouse’s reasoning for wanting to visit the moon is simple; he’s looking for cheese. Oh yes, this tiny rodent hasn’t gotten the memo that the moon isn’t made of cheese. 

The farm animals band together and use their resources from the scrap heap to construct a rocket. Their design was quite good based on the materials they had. The core was a soda code, and the base was from a can of tuna. The top, a funnel.

Construction, manufacturing, engineering, and space travel involve problem-solving. In the case of Bird and Mouse’s rocket, they need fuel. What Bird Heard teaches children to work as a team to brainstorm ideas. Why? Because teamwork makes the dream work, of course. 

When a creator’s design doesn’t go as planned, it’s essential to understand that alternative solutions must be considered and utilized. Good lessons to pass on to young minds!

Through talking to his friends, Mouse realized that the location was the issue; his goal was to see the world. Earth is a vast land with countless sights to explore. A trip to a library opened Mouse’s eyes to the wondrous world around him and made him realize they were so much to see, touch, taste, and experience here on Earth. Maybe one day the rodent will make it to the moon, but for now, he’s content to explore the planet he calls home. 

What Bird Heard had a couple of pages where the text overlapped the background; most of the text was clear. The illustrations were fantastic, like in “ABSURD,” SAID BIRD (Traveler Series Book 1).”

What Bird Heard encourages creativity, problem-solving, and exploration. I recommend this book to children 3-8.

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤1/2

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

Meet the Author
 

Tricia’s books are influenced by ranch, animals and family life. She has tried it all, and almost mastered some: canning, cooking, knitting, fiber arts, rug-making, gardening. She has a BA in Ancient History and lots of grand children, giving her much food for thought. She lives in California.
 
 
 
 
 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

“ABSURD,” SAID BIRD by Tricia Gardella (Book Review)

Mouse promises to bring back cheese for every farm animal to help him build the plane he thinks he needs to get to the moon. He ignores Bird who all the while warns Mouse that his plan is absurd. The fun comes when we discover the reason Bird calls the plan absurd in this short and to-the-point tale.

Amazon Purchase Link

 

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

 

The joke that the moon is made up of cheese has been floating for as long as I remember. Family members often ask one another, if it were made up of cheese, what kind would it be? The mouse in “ABSURD,” SAID BIRD. also believes the moon is composed of cheese ad plans to snatch a chunk. The barn animals are curious about his mission and how mouse plans to build a plane for the extraordinary trip. 

The farm animals agree to help him with his project after he promises them he’d bring back a moon souvenir, in other words, cheese! Ginger Nielson did a phenomenal job taking barnyard junk and morphing them into a recognizable plane. The windmill for the propeller was ingenious! 

This short story teaches children that not everything will go as planned when transitioning from concept to construction. Mouse faced such a predicament. But engineers never quit; they return to the drawing board and brainstorm ideas. Mouse leaned on their team for help, and his actions made him a great role model to future engineers. When in doubt or trouble, always ask for help! 

Did mouse ever make it to the moon? Did he and the farm animals get their cheese? Those questions can only be answered by reading “ABSURD,” SAID BIRD. by Tricia Gardella. 

Amazon has this children’s book listed for 3 – 8 years. Even children younger than that will love the story. Babies will love the bright illustrations. And the drawings will help teach toddlers farm animal names and then sounds. Of course, readers in the recommended age bracket will enjoy the adventure story. Let them draw their conclusion before starting the story. Let your young readers explore how the tiny mouse could reach the moon through art, Lego building, play dough, or brainstorming ideas from your family’s “scrapheap.” 

I loved this story, and I believe your family will too! 

 

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

 
 
 
Meet the Author
 

Tricia’s books are influenced by ranch, animals and family life. She has tried it all, and almost mastered some: canning, cooking, knitting, fiber arts, rug-making, gardening. She has a BA in Ancient History and lots of grand children, giving her much food for thought. She lives in California.
 
 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized