Weird But True Facts About New York City & Craft Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Have you been to New York City? I have several times and have taken Hazel a couple of times. I have a good childhood friend who lives outside of the city so she takes Hazel and me in when we want to go. My nephew just moved there. It has been his dream to live there. He is hoping to establish residency and attend City College at the resident rate. While he is exploring the city and finding his way, I jumped at the chance to review National Geographic Kids newest edition in their Weird But True! Series. This one is Weird But True! New York City. It is recommended for ages 8 to 10, however it will be in my 19-year-old nephew's stocking this year!

Ways to Use a World Atlas in Different Lessons

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

How do you use a world atlas? Do you use it when you are teaching/learning geography? Are there other ways to use it? Today I am sharing with you the 6th Edition of National Geographic Kids World Atlas. And I am going to share ideas of different ways to use it in different types of lessons. They are not all social studies either! The World Atlas is recommended for ages 10 and older. 

Autumn Crafts - Leaf Embroidery & Autumn Fairy

 

I haven't been crafting much lately. Every once in awhile I work on a diamond painting, but otherwise life has been busy. Awhile ago I saw beautiful embroidered leaves on a Facebook ad similar to these.  I thought that was so neat and wanted to try it. I went out and gathered leaves, wiped them and left them to dry, but didn't get around to them until they were really dry. However I decided to try them out. I did some research and found a few places that give directions including one for kids. 

Losing a Beloved Pet -- RIP Pumpkin Girl

 

Today my heart is heavy and my home is a bit emptier. Last night Steve and I had to make the difficult decision to put our sweet Pumpkin girl down. We noticed she was losing weight and not eating or drinking water like she usually did. She also had changed her spot to spend most of the day. She wasn't being her normal self. I moved her vet appointment up a week because we were growing increasingly worried. She was due for a well visit next week. When our vet saw her she knew something was wrong. After a quick examination she told us she needed to get an x-ray, bloodwork and some liquids into her. She was very dehydrated. She asked us to give her about 20 minutes. We sat on the porch of the vet clinic and waited. When she got all the results she called us in and brought Pumpkin to us. She was fighting tears as she told us that Pumpkin definitely had cancer. She had liquid in her chest and abdomen. We had two options. Take her to a vet hospital ER and let them try to remove the liquid and start chemotherapy or put her down. We couldn't imagine having our sweet Pumpkin girl spend nights in a cage away from us while the poked and examined her, so our decision was clear. It broke our hearts to say goodbye. 

Book of Haikus about a Japanese Poet

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today we are talking about haikus. I love a good haiku and love that they are relatively easy to write. A haiku is a simple three-line poem that usually follow a syllable rule (five syllables in the first line, seven in the second and five in the third). They started in Japan and are often about nature. Today I am sharing a new book (released today) about a Japanese poet, Matsuo Basho, and his journeys. Basho is generally known for making haikus a poetry genre. He lived in 1644-1694. After suffering some personal tragedy he went out on five long journeys which he recorded in travelogues. This book is about his journeys based from his travelogues. It is Basho's Haiku Journeys by Freeman Ng and illustrated by Cassandra Rockwood Ghanem. 

Powerful Latinx Novels for Hispanic Heritage Month

 Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

Hispanic Heritage Month ends Friday and I wanted to share two new Latinx books with you to help celebrate. One is a graphic memoir. The author was in middle school living in New York City when 9/11 occurred. The other is a young adult novel that deals with ethnicity as well as rape and more. We will start with Big Apple Diaries by Alyssa Bermudez. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12. 

Florence Merriam Bailey -- a Pioneering Nature Activist

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Now in the summer of 2020 I declared my love of birds with my Who's in the Backyard? series. I am a bit obsessed with female cardinals. Today's picture book which was just released is about another woman who loved birds. Her name is Florence Merriam Bailey and she was a pioneering nature activist who fought to protect the birds. Now you can share her story with 5- to 8-year-olds with She Heard the Birds: The Story of Florence Merriam Bailey by Andrea D'Aquino. 

Violets Are Blue -- New Middle School Novel about Friends, Family, Divorce and More!

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I am sharing Barbara Dee's newest novel. Barbara's novel seem to always capture the emotions and actions of middle school students. This one is no different. It is Violets Are Blue. It is recommended for grades 4 to 8.

Latinx Books to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a Focus on Immigration

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

Hispanic Heritage Month started September 15th and ends on Friday. I have four Latinx books to share with you this week in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Each book has its own focus and don't necessarily relate to one another besides having Latinx main characters, so I am going to share two of them today and two later in the week. The two today focus a bit on immigration. One is a more modern picture book and the other is a middle grades novel about a middle schooler immigrating from Cuba in the 1960s. We will start with the picture book. It is I Wish You Knew by Jackie Azúa Kramer and illustrated by Magdalena Mora. It is recommended for ages 4 to 7.

Fun Facts about Fluffernutters (& Fluff) for National Fluffernutter Day!

 

Today is National Fluffernutter Day! Have you ever had a fluffernutter? It is a sandwich with peanut butter and Fluff (or marshmallow crème). It is a childhood favorite for many children in New England. When Hazel was in third grade we went to the Lynn Museum on a school trip. It was there that I learned about the history of Fluff. I thought today I would share some fun facts about Fluffernutters and Fluff with you!

The Hideaway -- a new middle grades novel

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Today I get to share a new middle grades that is perfectly eerie and haunted with a special All Souls Day celebration. It has a boy who witnesses his mother being abused by her boyfriend and he runs away to a graveyard. It is coming out today just in time for the spooky month of October! It is set in the United Kingdom. It is called The Hideaway by Pam Smy. 

Books to Celebrate World Animal Day!

 

Disclosure: I was sent copy of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Did you know today (October 4th) is World Animal Day? It is celebrate annually on October 4th which is also the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. I know our church always has a blessing of the pets day around October 4th to honor St. Francis. The idea behind World Animal Day is to work for increasing the status of animals and helping keep them from becoming endangered and/or extinct. (Source and more information on World Animal Day.) Hazel is a big animal lover and especially loved learning about animals when she was younger. She was a huge Wild Kratts fan. Over the years we have shared many animal themed crafts, books and activities. Today we are going to share two more animal-themed books in celebration of World Animal Day. The first is a book I wish was around when Hazel was younger. It is Howl Like a Wolf! by Kathleen Yale and illustrated by Kaley McKean. 

Adorable Knitted Animals -- a Crafty Sundays Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Tomorrow is World Animal Day. To celebrate I am sharing a book to knit adorable stuffed animals. This way you can make an animal or two for your child to play with or for you to cuddle! The book is Adorable Knitted Animals: Cute Stuffed Toys to Knit the Japanese Way by Hiroko Ibuki. 

Bambi 1,000-Piece Puzzle

 

Disclosure: I was sent this puzzle in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Did you know this coming Monday (October 5) is World Animal Day? To honor this day and the world's animals I am going to be sharing several animal themed products over the next few days. Today we are going to start with a fun jigsaw puzzle I fell in love with because it is such an adorable picture. The Bambi Puzzle by Nathalie Lété’ is a great quality and the picture is beautiful.