Vanita OelschlagerRecensioni

{my thoughts} - This book is about a car named Carrot. A sweet little orange kitty with dreams of becoming rich and having things that a rich cat should have. Carrot comes upon a cat named Fluffy on yacht and begins wondering what it would be like to be her. After awhile Carrot decides it's okay just being Carrot.

This book is written as a long rhyme. It is nice but it does use some words most children wouldn't know or be able to pronounce. I know that a part of reading is running across new words but I honestly wouldn't expect my own children to know these words. The words in question are:

"She could have a party,
A kitty cotillion.
Full of rich socialites,
From a town called Vermilion."

The illustrations in this book are bright, vivid and go along nicely with the story.

{reason for reading} - This book was a free download through netgalley.

{my thoughts} – This is a really nice take on how a lesbian relationship with children works. I don’t believe that a family has to be a mom and a dad. I am a very open minded person when it comes to the fact that individuals cannot help who they fall in love with. This book helps to show that both Mommies have their roles in the relationship as well as they share some of them in order to maintain a united front. This book is also written in a rhyme type scheme, however it is also a question and answer book. The little boys friends are asking him questions and he is answering them and telling them who does what within his house.

{reason for reading} – This book was a free download through netgalley.

{my thoughts} - This is a nice book about idioms. It helps to introduce just how silly they are when taken literally. The illustrations are nice and the book appears to have been well thought out.

{reason for reading} - This book was a free download through netgalley.

{my thoughts} - This book is a illustrated remake of the Bible story with "Moses in the Basket" plus it is about all the good and bad that happens to children in other countries. It helps young readers to understand that not everyone in the world has things as good as everyone else, however most make due with what they have. There is always a bright side to every dark side in a sense. I really like this book because it speaks of the truth and the author wasn't afraid to add in religion. I haven't seen many children's books with Religion like aspects involved lately. This book is nicely illustrated and remarkably written.

{reason for reading} - This book was a free download through netgalley.

{my thoughts} – This book is quite similar to the book she had written called {a tale of two mommies} and it is just as good. I enjoyed this book. It helps children to understand that it is alright to have a different family dynamic. It’s alright that most children don’t have a mommy and a daddy. Some children have two mommies and two daddies. I am one of those people that don’t have an issue with other individuals and their life choices as long as they don’t affect my life and my children. When I say this, I don’t mean it in a bad way. People cannot help who they fall in love with and children cannot help who their parents are.

This book helps to show another side of what a real family can be like. As long as a child has a parent that will happily help them do whatever needs to be done to help the child grow, learn and become all that they can be. That it is possible for any child to become more then they are and that the parents that raise them with the values that are instilled in them are the only values that matter. This is a well written book and I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to share it with my children.

{my thoughts} – This was a nice book about war and the impact that it can have on children. Many parents don’t realize that when they go off to war the make the children and families worry and hurt for them until the time they come back.

In this book it talks about WWII and another more present time war, but that one isn’t named. It explains the difference in traveling and communication between the two eras. It also helps to make it easier for children to understand that war may not be something that is liked but it is something that is needed.

It is also made clear that those who fight in the war have many different reasons, but mostly because they love their country. Those that love their country will ultimately want to defend it and it’s liberties and that can occur by them helping to fight in the wars.

{my thoughts} – This book is wonderful when it comes to learning about participles and where they belong in the sentence structure. I enjoyed this book and also admit to a few giggles while reading and looking at the illustrations. The first two pages tell what a participle is and how to use it in the sentence. The rest of the book is a sentence written the correct way and then an incorrect way, showing how you are suppose to properly identify which noun is being described. When a noun is described improperly it makes the sentence silly and doesn’t make sense to the reader. Although it does allow for some giggles. The illustrations help you to understand just what the sentence is trying to portray to the readers.

This is a good book for any teacher/ homeschooling mom or library. I think that any child could benefit from learning the proper use of a participle. This book helps to make writing make a little more sense to children that may otherwise struggle with it.

{my thoughts} – This is a cute little book about a baby porcupine called Porcupette. Porcupette is afraid that no one loves him because his real mommy went away one day and never came back. When that happened he went out in search of food and found a mother bear and her cubs. He squeezed in and started eating with the cubs and soon the mother bear adopted him as her own.

This book helps to show children that have been adopted that it is okay to be different. It is okay to have a different family love you other then the one you were born into and it is okay if you make mistakes because your adopted family will still love you.

I think this is a good book for any young child to read that has been adopted or is curious about adoption. It doesn’t go into all the specifics but it does show that you can be loved by another family and sometimes that’s all children need to know. They need to know it is okay to be loved by someone else and to love them in return.

{my thoughts} – Idioms, of how wonderful they can be. I always get a good giggle when my children ask me how it is possible for someone to be a {couch potato} or how a book can be as {flat as a pancake}. Children have the problem with seeing things literally instead of in the light they are meant to be seen. Idioms are meant to be silly ways for an individual to express themselves.

I personally am a very logical and literal person so I tend to interpret things as such. Idioms are something that I have always struggled with as a person. I understand the concept and how they work and their purpose. But it is difficult for me to agree that they ultimately make sense. This book is rather creative and it takes some of the more popular idioms and puts them to illustration to show children just how silly they are. This book would be a wonderful addition to any teacher/ homeschooling parent or libraries shelves. It is a wonderful learning tool in my opinion.

{my thoughts} – This is a sweet little book about adoption. The little girl in this book is adopted from China and her older sister makes her feel more like an object then a person. The older sister hurts her feelings and soon the little girl goes to talk to their father about it. He clears it up and a nice way and tells her yes she was made in China but not like an object. She was born there and then came to live with them and they love her very much. At the end of the book she seems to be happy and playing again.

This book is fairly true to what it has to say about adoption. Some children really do feel out of place when they have been adopted. Some don’t really know how they are suppose to feel once they find out and others are tore up because they find out that was hidden from them. Then there are some that feel out of place and never know what until they discover they were indeed adopted. I think this would be a good book for any child that has been adopted to read if they know about the adoption. It may help them to better understand some things. The most important is that their biological parents gave them up because they loved them and not because they didn’t want them. Although that may not always be the case, most the time it is. It is also important for children to understand that they are loved by their parents no matter where they come from or how they became a part of their family.

{my thoughts} - This is a nice book about idioms. It helps to introduce just how silly they are when taken literally. The illustrations are nice and the book appears to have been well thought out.

{reason for reading} - This book was a free download through netgalley.

{my thoughts} - This book is a illustrated remake of the Bible story with "Moses in the Basket" plus it is about all the good and bad that happens to children in other countries. It helps young readers to understand that not everyone in the world has things as good as everyone else, however most make due with what they have. There is always a bright side to every dark side in a sense. I really like this book because it speaks of the truth and the author wasn't afraid to add in religion. I haven't seen many children's books with Religion like aspects involved lately. This book is nicely illustrated and remarkably written.

{reason for reading} - This book was a free download through netgalley.

{my thoughts} – Idioms, of how wonderful they can be. I always get a good giggle when my children ask me how it is possible for someone to be a {couch potato} or how a book can be as {flat as a pancake}. Children have the problem with seeing things literally instead of in the light they are meant to be seen. Idioms are meant to be silly ways for an individual to express themselves.

I personally am a very logical and literal person so I tend to interpret things as such. Idioms are something that I have always struggled with as a person. I understand the concept and how they work and their purpose. But it is difficult for me to agree that they ultimately make sense. This book is rather creative and it takes some of the more popular idioms and puts them to illustration to show children just how silly they are. This book would be a wonderful addition to any teacher/ homeschooling parent or libraries shelves. It is a wonderful learning tool in my opinion.

{my thoughts} – This is a really nice take on how a lesbian relationship with children works. I don’t believe that a family has to be a mom and a dad. I am a very open minded person when it comes to the fact that individuals cannot help who they fall in love with. This book helps to show that both Mommies have their roles in the relationship as well as they share some of them in order to maintain a united front. This book is also written in a rhyme type scheme, however it is also a question and answer book. The little boys friends are asking him questions and he is answering them and telling them who does what within his house.

{reason for reading} – This book was a free download through netgalley.

{my thoughts} – This book is quite similar to the book she had written called {a tale of two mommies} and it is just as good. I enjoyed this book. It helps children to understand that it is alright to have a different family dynamic. It’s alright that most children don’t have a mommy and a daddy. Some children have two mommies and two daddies. I am one of those people that don’t have an issue with other individuals and their life choices as long as they don’t affect my life and my children. When I say this, I don’t mean it in a bad way. People cannot help who they fall in love with and children cannot help who their parents are.

This book helps to show another side of what a real family can be like. As long as a child has a parent that will happily help them do whatever needs to be done to help the child grow, learn and become all that they can be. That it is possible for any child to become more then they are and that the parents that raise them with the values that are instilled in them are the only values that matter. This is a well written book and I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to share it with my children.

{my thoughts} – This is a cute little book about a baby porcupine called Porcupette. Porcupette is afraid that no one loves him because his real mommy went away one day and never came back. When that happened he went out in search of food and found a mother bear and her cubs. He squeezed in and started eating with the cubs and soon the mother bear adopted him as her own.

This book helps to show children that have been adopted that it is okay to be different. It is okay to have a different family love you other then the one you were born into and it is okay if you make mistakes because your adopted family will still love you.

I think this is a good book for any young child to read that has been adopted or is curious about adoption. It doesn’t go into all the specifics but it does show that you can be loved by another family and sometimes that’s all children need to know. They need to know it is okay to be loved by someone else and to love them in return.

{my thoughts} – This is a sweet little book about adoption. The little girl in this book is adopted from China and her older sister makes her feel more like an object then a person. The older sister hurts her feelings and soon the little girl goes to talk to their father about it. He clears it up and a nice way and tells her yes she was made in China but not like an object. She was born there and then came to live with them and they love her very much. At the end of the book she seems to be happy and playing again.

This book is fairly true to what it has to say about adoption. Some children really do feel out of place when they have been adopted. Some don’t really know how they are suppose to feel once they find out and others are tore up because they find out that was hidden from them. Then there are some that feel out of place and never know what until they discover they were indeed adopted. I think this would be a good book for any child that has been adopted to read if they know about the adoption. It may help them to better understand some things. The most important is that their biological parents gave them up because they loved them and not because they didn’t want them. Although that may not always be the case, most the time it is. It is also important for children to understand that they are loved by their parents no matter where they come from or how they became a part of their family.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

A Tale of Two Mommies by Vanita Oelschlager (author) & Mike Blanc (illustrator) is a charming book about a young boy talking with another boy and girl about his two mommies, Mommy and Momma.

I enjoyed this book, but I didn't give it five stars because I felt that began and ended really abruptly. Perhaps that's how the author intended it to be, but it felt awkward to me. Outside of that, I really enjoyed this book.

The illustrations are brightly colored, engaging, and delightful. There is a diversity in the characters. The two mothers appear to be caucasian, as is the little girl the young boy is talking to. The protagonist of the story is a little black boy and the other little boy is Asian. I appreciate that the author/illustrator took the time to make the characters diverse.

I also loved how the questions were very much kid-oriented. They're great questions and answers as far as which Mom helps the child with various things.
I would definitely recommend this book as a good LGBTQ resource!

Bonyo grew up in Kenya where his family had little money and walked everywhere. His little sister died very young because there was no medical care nearby and this made him want to become a medical doctor to serve his village. It was very difficult and yet he was able to overcome very difficult obstacles and become what he wanted for his village and more. Well told and illustrated in a way that is simply inspiring.
The illustrations by Kristin Blackwood and Mike Blanc are clear, imaginative, colorful, informative.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on PDF from VanitaBooks LLC via NetGalley. Thank you!

Little Moses survived, not one, but two natural disasters in his Caribbean country of Haiti. First, a powerful flood washed away his family. Miraculously he was found floating in a basket, hence his biblical name. From there, he was cared for by a local orphanage run by nuns. Then came the disastrous Earthquake of 2010 that devastated the country. Once again, Moses was faced with hard times, as children were displaced and facing deadly illnesses such as Cholera. This is his story. Coupled with the beautiful illustrations, the author did a wonderful job of explaining one boys story in a meaningful and compelling way for young readers.

The tragedy of this book is the writing. The illustrations are glorious, but the rhyming text is awkward and clunky. Still, I think it's a decent book to share, once you get past the initial harshness of the blond daughter making fun of her adopted sister for being "Made in China" like all of their toys.

Dyslexia means that letters and/or numbers aren't seen in the same order as most people see them. This makes learning difficult. The boy once known as King Louis the Third has dyslexia and felt bad about himself. There are many famous people who have dyslexia, but he felt discouraged. His dad told him "We are all good at something. You just have to find it." After a number of tries, he accidentally found the very thing!
A wonderfully encouraging story delightfully illustrated by Joe Rossi!
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age, great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your public library!
I requested and received a temporary electronic copy on Adobe Digital Editions from Vanita Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

A beautiful book about a very real boy who survived hurricanes and earthquakes in Haiti during his young life. It shows the good that the people who ran the St Damien's Hospital and the St Helene Children's Village did for him and far too many children who have been orphaned by natural disasters. It is illustrated by pictures and photos in the form of collages and clearly shows Moses' happiness with his life and the needs of the children in Haiti.

This is a beautiful story about how hard separation can be due to a war. It's hard enough explaining war to a child, but separation is even harder. A book like this is truly welcomed to explain these hard topics. I am truly impressed, as usual, by the amazing books authors write and how helpful they can be for their target audience.

This book has a great personality about it - the postcards and old times pictures at the start really set the mood. It brought me back in time and made me feel like I was there with the author. I really liked how cool and unique the book was and how it presented it's difficult topic of war.

This book seems like it would be good for younger readers (about grade three) and middle schoolers. It's also just a beautiful book in general. It's a great picture book with a great story and theme behind it. Books like these are important to share! If only my history classes taught using tools like these, I might have enjoyed history more back in my childhood.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and VanitaBooks for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Ivy Van Allsberg just wants spring to come! Can you blame her? All of the birds and flowers and sunshine are delightful!

The bibliography to show how this book was crafted was one hundred percent the best part. As an adult reader reading a children's novel, that is what really drew me in. Kids will love the fun pictures and the story, but I loved seeing how it was made. Books like this where there is something for the kids, and then something for the parent or educator really stand out to me!

My biggest negative is that the rhyming felt very forced at times. Some of the lines were truly timeless and felt very right, but some of them didn't sound as good. The second page is where I cringed at the rhymes, but the rest didn't fall flat like that one did for me. One line doesn't ruin a book though!

Other positives notes:
1. I absolutely LOVE the cover of the edition I was given from NetGalley. The little girl standing on "In" and the pretty flowers set the scene just right.

2. And not just the cover, all of the pictures within this book. They are cartoon-y and yet so classic!

3. I'm pretty much Ivy. I relate way too much.

Overall, this book is a sweet little read! The poetry is lovely and the pictures are awesome. I'd highly recommend this book for young readers.

Four out of five stars.

I received this book for free from NetGalley.