Be a Scribe! Working for a Better Life in Ancient Egypt -- Book Review

 

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

Have you ever wondered about what life was like in ancient Egypt? We hear stories of the royalty like Cleopatra. We hear stories about the slaves in the Bible. But what was life like for the average person? What were the better jobs? How were people treated? Today I get to share a book that is about a father taking his son up the Nile to a school far away from home in hopes that his son will have a better life. The original story was written in ancient Egyptian language but has been translated to English. The book is Be a Scribe! Working for a Better Life in Ancient Egypt by Michael Hoffen, Christian Casey and Jen Thum. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.

The Pop-Up Guide Cities Around the World -- Book Review with Crafts, Recipes and More!

 

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

Looking to teach little ones about the world? Today we are sharing a fun pop-up book that takes us around the world. I am also sharing links to crafts, activities, and recipes to go with each city and/or its country. The book is The Pop-Up Guide: Cities Around the World by Maud Poulain and illustrated by Sandra de la Prada. It is recommended for ages 3 to 5. 

Can You Spot the Leopard? --Review & Giveaway of a Beautiful Picture Book about African Animals

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Karen B. Winnick for this blog tour and will receive a small stipend for this post. All opinions are my own.

Do you know an animal lover? Or perhaps you have a unit coming up on Africa and its animals? I have a beautiful new book to share with you that is perfect for both!! It is Can You Spot the Leopard? An African Safari by Karen B. Winnick. This is the type of book Hazel would have loved when she was younger. 

Ultimate Food Atlas -- Explore the World through Food with This Book

 

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

When Hazel was younger, we loved exploring the world and participated in a blog group celebrating food from around the world. We did the series Around the World in 12 Dishes. I miss it sometimes because it got us exploring different dishes. Some we loved and others not so much. Today I get to share a book that lets you explore the world through food so basically our series in one book sort of. The book is Ultimate Food Atlas: Maps, Games, and Recipes for Hours of Delicious Fun by Nancy Castaldo and Christy Mihaly. It is from National Geographic Kids and is recommended for ages 8 to 12 but could work with younger kids with adult help.

Oi Gets Lost -- Book Review, Cat Craft Round-Up & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Bright Light Books and will receive a small stipend for this post. All opinions are my own.

Do you have a cat lover in your house? We are all cat lovers here and have two cats in our household including a kitten (at least for a few more weeks). Most kids love animals including kittens. If you have an emerging reader you will want to check out today's book. It is Oi Gets Lost by Lorna Likiza and illustrated by Yeveheniia Melnyk. 

Learning Black History Prior to Slavery

 

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

Have you seen the Facebook meme about learning about Black history before slavery? It discusses how Black people have the longest history of humans and how there is beautiful history well before slavery. Today's book will help you do just that. The book is African Icons: Ten People Who Shaped History by Tracey Baptiste and illustrated by Hillary D. Wilson. It is recommended for ages 10+.

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. 

Spirit of the Cheetah

 

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

Did you know the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970? Earth Day is 51 years old this year. It was started to make people aware of the devastation to Earth that pollution, technology and more were causing. One great worry was the deforestation and extinction of wildlife. (Source) With that concern I am sharing today's picture book as an Earth Day resource. The book shares a tale that is set in Somali and shares a bit about the endangered cheetahs. The book is Spirit of the Cheetah: A Somali Tale by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed and illustrated by Julia Cairns. 

Review of Stories of the Saints -- a Book to Celebrate All Saints Day

 

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

I grew up Protestant and did not learn about saints. We now go to an Episcopal church which is still Protestant but recognizes the saints. Plus Steve is Catholic so he wants Hazel to know about the saints. With All Saints Day coming up I thought it was the perfect time to share today's book, Stories of the Saints by Carey Wallace and illustrated by Nick Thornborrow. 

Global Kids: 50+ Games, Crafts, Recipes & More from Around the World -- Multicultural Children's Book Day Review

Disclosure: I was sent a set of these cards in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

For today's multicultural review I am sharing a neat set of cards to teach kids about different cultures of the world. It is Global Kids: 50+ Games, Crafts, Recipes & More from Around the World by Homa Sabet Tavangar and Sophie Fatus.  

Fun Facts about the Tooth Fairy & Lost Tooth Traditions from Around the World

Did you know that August 22nd (and February 28) is National Tooth Fairy Day? In honor of this fun holiday I am sharing some fun facts about the mysterious Tooth Fairy. No one knows what the Tooth Fairy looks like, but often the Tooth Fairy is betrayed as a female with wings.

New Year Traditions from Around the World

How do you celebrate New Year's? Most of the people I know go to a party or celebrate with their family at home, but have you ever looked at what some of the traditions are from around the world? There are some interesting ones.

Picture Books for Everyone

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

It can be hard to pick the right picture book for your child. There are so many choices out there with so many different themes, messages and more! Today I am going to share a variety of new picture books with you and I am sure there will be something for each child in this group!! 

Multicultural Coloring Books -- A Relaxing Saturday Review

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

It has been awhile since I have done a Relaxing Friday review, so today I am sharing three coloring books with you. These books each help teach a bit about cultures. Join us as we take looks at Asia, a Japanese garden and Ancient Egypt. Our first book is A Touch of Asia from Tuttle Publishing. 

Multicultural Children's Books -- Mutlicultural Children's Book Day Review

Disclosure: Scholastic gave me a copies of these books free of charge for this review in return for an honest review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation.  As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

 Today I get to share with you three books from one of the Platinum Sponsors of Multicultural Children's Book Day. We have had so much fun with these books. We will start with The Granddaughter Necklace by Sharon Dennis Wyeth and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. 

Christmas in Nigeria -- Jollof Rice

Today we get to share our post for Christmas in Different Lands. Before we do, however, I want to share a quote from Hazel: "Next year you should pick four countries and cook something from each one for each week of Advent to post on your blog."

We decided to explore Nigeria because Hazel wanted to learn more about it. One of her best friends' family is from Nigeria, so I asked her mother for information. So much of this information is straight from someone who grew up there and still has family there.

Exploring Libya -- Global Learning for Kids

This month Global Learning for Kids had us exploring Libya. Libya is a country in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, Chad and Niger. It is the fourth largest country in Africa. It has the tenth largest oil reserves in the world. The capital and largest city is Tripoli which is home to more than one million of the six million people who live in Libya. The other large city is Benghazi.

Easter in Nigeria

As part of the Easter Around the World series, I decided to take a look at Easter in Nigeria. Unfortunately I had no luck finding books that included Easter celebrations in Nigeria. We did find several books about Nigeria and stories from Nigeria however. Hazel was very excited to read books about Nigeria since one of her good friends is from Nigeria. I also happen to be good friends with her mother so I asked her for help. 

Madagascar's Lemurs -- Global Learning for Kids

This month Global Learning for Kids is exploring the African country of Madagascar. Madagascar is an island just east of Africa (the green island in the map below). Being separated from the mainland it has some unique wildlife that exists in the wild only there. This is what I decided to focus on with Hazel since she loves animals and has seen several of the Wild Kratts episodes where they were in Madagascar. In many ways she was teaching me this month!

By Shosholoza (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Exploring Morocco -- Global Learning for Kids

Map Source

This month Global Learning for Kids is exploring Morocco. We have had a little exposure to Morocco in the past with the Moroccan Snow White and Maps Activity Book, but Hazel does not remember much about it. We also have eaten couscous previously, but she didn't really remember it since it has been awhile. We started as we always do with some books from the library.