The Forgotten Memories of Vera Glass -- a new young adult novel that is intriguing and mysterious

 

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

Have you ever read a book that was so hard to get into because it forced you to question things and struggled at first to understand? Today I am sharing a young adult book that did just that for me. It was hard to read at first. It was hard to get into it. It was hard to comprehend--not understand but to truly comprehend what was happening. It is in a world where everyone has a magical power and people are being entirely erased from existence one by one. However, once I got far enough in, I was hooked and had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to solve the mystery. The book is The Forgotten Memories of Vera Glass by Anna Priemaza. 

That's Betty! -- The Story of Betty White -- a new picture book to honor this American Treasure

 

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

On December 31, 2021, the news of Betty White's death saddened the country. She was weeks shy of her 100th birthday. With the pandemic still going on people were upset that 2021 took yet another beloved person and thing from the normalcy of life. Shortly after her death #bettywhitechallenge was everywhere. The idea was to donate $5 to a local animal shelter in honor of Betty White on her 100th birthday, January 17, 2022. Betty White was a huge animal lover and spoke out for them often. Well people in the United States and elsewhere honored Betty for her birthday. On Facebook and Instagram alone $12.7 million was donated to animal shelters. (Source) The LA Zoo got almost $95,000 in donations. The Calgary Humane Society in Canada posted that it received over $91,000 (Canadian) in honor of Betty White. (Source) And that does not even cover the small animals shelters that people like me donated to directly. After her death Betty White was making a difference. Today I get to share a wonderful new picture book about Betty White. It is called That's Betty! The Story of Betty White by Gregory Bonsignore and illustrated by Jennifer M. Potter. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8. It is also a multicultural children's book. 

The True Story of Nick the Firedog with Fire Safety Tips

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Timothy P. Dexter, Jr. and will receive a small stipend for this review. All opinions are my own.

When you hear firehouse dog, I am guessing you don't think about a pit bull. Today I get to share with you a fun new picture book about a firedog who is a pit bull!! This sweet picture book is fun and introduces pet care as well as fire safety to young children. The book is The True Story of "Nick the Firedog" by Timothy Dexter, Jr. 

We Can Talk About Encanto--Encanto-Inspired Craft & Fun Movie Facts

 

It seems like everyone is talking about Encanto and of course the hit song, "We Don't Talk About Bruno." Have you seen the movie yet? How many times? We have watched it a couple of times and love it. I thought it would be fun to make an Encanto-inspired candle since the candle plays such an important part of the movie. I also thought it would be fun to share some fun facts about the movie. So we will start with the fun facts.

Finding Oneself as the Pandemic is Hopefully Ending

 

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

The last two years have been tough on everyone. Everyone I talk to seems to be struggling in some way or another. And it is not because they lost a loved one (though many have) or that they or a family member caught Covid (though many have). It is because we are all tired. Tired of masks. Tired of restrictions. But mostly tired of fighting. America seems more divided than ever. We were divided by politics and that division has grown. We have been divided by racism which is coming to a forefront. Now we are also divided about masks, vaccinations and more. If a person or company does not have the same beliefs, people are fighting, debating and at sometimes getting violent. Then add in that there is a shortage of workers. Everywhere seems to be hiring and they are operating understaffed. People's patience is not there, and they are being rude to the few people who do show up to serve us. It is such a mess. All of these things have gotten me feeling down and miserable. For 2022 I have picked positivity as my word of the year. Let's face it we all need more positivity in our lives (just not positive Covid tests).