Category: children

Author: Sally O. Lee
Publisher: Booksurge
Genre: Children’s
ISBN: 1-4196-8392-6
Pages: 32
Price: $17.99

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A peculiar little boy named Clarence likes to steal all the cakes in his neighborhood. Wearing his mask, he sneaks into homes and steals them from their stands. But one day he receives a surprise. When he lifts the cake cover, he finds an invitation addressed “to the cake thief” to attend a party. But he needs to bring a cake.

Knowing he can’t bring one that he stole, he gets to work baking his own cake. When it’s done, it’s just as wonderful as the others, and he goes to the party, no longer needing to wear his mask. And since he now knows how to bake his own cake, he doesn’t need to steal them anymore.

This is a charming tale of a misfit who finally finds a way to fit into his community. Sally O. Lee also illustrates the text in vibrant and colorful oil paintings. Combining lyric prose and whimsical illustrations, The Cake Thief is sure to delight children of all ages.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Leigh M. LeCreux
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-595-46375-6
Pages: 75
Price: $9.95

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Chris has always known he could do anything he set his mind to do. But when baby sister, Rachel, comes along, he finally encounters a problem he can’t solve. Why do her socks always come off her feet, and how can he fix this for her?

After spending the afternoon working on the puzzle, he sends an email to NuPont to ask a question. His email sparks a chain of events that lead to unusual and wonderful surprises.

Chris is a smart kid, and it’s great to see him approach a problem looking for a solution. He doesn’t rely on others to solve it for him. But this solution seemed to come out of nowhere for him. He simply asked a question and found himself in the middle of patent paperwork declaring him an inventor.

While I think this story was wonderful in concept – that kids have the ability to do anything they want to do – I didn’t feel Chris put enough effort into solving the problem. I’d have loved to see more research and even a special sock design submitted before he was approached for a patent.

Also, there were many typos in the text, and the foreword, introduction, and testimonial statements of classroom students detracted from the actual story, which should stand on its own. With a little tweaking, Astro Socks has great potential, but it’s just not quite there yet.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Jimmie Powell
Illustrated by: Bobbi Switzer
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4327-1326-3
Pages: 42
Price: $15.95

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Mr. Worm and his friends are determined to keep Mr. Squirrel and his family from getting any nuts. The worms have covered the nuts in webs and they’ve all rotted. Now Mr. Squirrel needs to come up with a plan to get his nuts before Mr. Worm can get to them each year.

Though his plan is not particularly clever, he and his family are able to outsmart Mr. Worm and get their nuts. And Mr. Worm is never any wiser.

This story has great potential as a problem-solving attempt by a family of squirrels. But the solution is very ordinary, and the problem itself is puzzling. Why did the worms want the squirrels to starve? No answer is provided.

The brightest contribution to this story is the illustrations by Bobbi Switzer. Cheerful and colorful, these delightful squirrels come alive in their forest habitat.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Janie Lancaster
Publisher: Star Publish
Genre: Children’s
ISBN: 1-932993-60-6
Pages: 108
Price: $10.95

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Every kid knows there are treasures waiting for them in Grandmother’s attic. When Julie goes up to investigate, she expects to find baby squirrels. Instead she discovers a lost fairy tale.

The original owner of the manuscript came to the United States fifty years ago with the goal of seeing it published. Since she wasn’t able to complete her mission, Julie takes over for her, making a promise to see the fairy tale in print.

Julie’s quest to fulfill her promise sets in motion her own magical fairy tale. The reader will delight in her enthusiasm and determination in achieving her mission. And this story, just like the best fairy tales, has a happy ending that will leave you smiling.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Marianne Mitchell
Publisher: Rafter Five Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9673497-1-8
Pages: 126
Price: $9.95

Author’s website

Are you looking for great bedtime stories to read to your kids before you tuck them in for the night? Windows of Gold is a collection of twenty short stories, many of which first appeared in Highlights for Children. Told in folk tale style, these delightful stories will entertain your children for many nights to come.

Some of these charming tales take place in the southwest, with such colorful characters as Coyote, Rabbit, and Puma. Another has mysterious purple footprints left at the scene of secret acts of kindness. The title story demonstrates that not everything is exactly as it seems. And there’s the occasional troll and leprechaun to captivate the reader.

Marianne Mitchell is a master at telling folk tales. These vibrant stories come alive, and invite you to journey through foreign lands and magical places. You and your children will definitely enjoy the ride.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Paul Mullen
Publisher: Orange Frazer Press
Genre: Young Adult
ISBN: 978-1-933197-30-2
Pages: 146
Price: $12.95

Author’s website

Michael “Fuji” Powers is the last of the Powers brothers to have a chance to play for the Withamsville-Tobasco Cardinals C Ball team. He’s always dreamed of playing his championship game at Great American Ball Park and hitting a home run there.

But before he has the chance to hit a historic home run, he has some obstacles to overcome. First he has to make the team. And once he does, he has to deal with being teased as one of the two rookies. Fitting in isn’t as easy as he thinks, and he needs to learn how to stand up for himself to prove his worth to one of the team’s best players.

Fuji is growing up quickly, and he’s suddenly aware of the feelings he has for Cathy, who has always been a tomboy he’s played baseball with. Cathy shows interest in someone else, and Fuji realizes he wants her to be something more than a friend.

Mr. Powers always instilled a strong desire in his sons to succeed, but sometimes Fuji feels pressure to be perfect for his difficult-to-please father. But Fuji learns a lot about his father’s life during the course of this book, which ultimately brings the two closer together.

Fuji is a typical twelve-year old boy, playing baseball, getting into mischief with his friends, learning about family values and experiencing his first crush on a girl. He’s a likable boy that kids will relate to, and will want to see succeed. And his crowning moment of glory will leave the reader feeling proud to have spent time with him.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Traveling Bear and the Drive-Through Safari (Vol. 1)
Traveling Bear and the Yellow Flipper Roller Coaster (Vol. 2)
Traveling Bear and the Search for Treasure (Vol. 3)

Creator: Christian Hainsworth
Publisher: Winning Kids, Inc.
Genre: Children’s
ISBN: 978-1-933547-01-4 / 978-1-933547-11-1 / 978-1-933547-03-0
Price: $14.95 each

Traveling Bear website

Traveling Bear is a new learning series created by Winning Kids, Inc. This fourteen part series is designed to help children overcome obstacles, make good choices, have a positive outlook on life, set goals and have the desire to always do their best.

The series is set up so that a theme is introduced on each day of the week, and then that theme is repeated in the second week. All of the books in the series have read-along CD’s included, as well as a motivational song at the end of the CD.

In volume one, Traveling Bear and the Drive-Through Safari, the theme is building confidence to ask questions and find answers on your own. Traveling Bear is encouraged to ask questions at the safari, and then to look in a book to find those answers, rather than asking the safari leader.

The second volume, Traveling Bear and the Yellow Flipper Roller Coaster, stresses the importance of thinking ahead and trying your best. Traveling Bear and his friends need to decide how they can ride on the roller coaster, while still making it to their bus on time.

And in the third volume, Traveling Bear and the Search for Treasure, the importance of setting and achieving goals is introduced. In this story, Traveling Bear makes the decision to search for treasure, and he needs persistence to make it to his goal.

This series provides a positive message for kids, and teaches them life skills in a fun way. Kids will learn to read as they read along with the CD, and they’ll learn valuable lessons that will help them as they grow up.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Songs by: Pete Buchwald
Genre: Children’s Christian
Price: $13.99

Booples website

Booples 2: Yikity Blar! features stories from the Bible presented in a fun and creative way for kids 0-6 years old.

In “Forgive Each Other”, one Boople finds it hard to forgive her brother, so they all go to their friend, Bah, for help. He shares a verse from the Bible explaining why it’s important to forgive. Then they learn forgiveness in action as each does something to another that requires forgiveness.

In “Jonah & the Tarshish Fish,” the Booples discover that not everyone who hears God’s commands obeys immediately, and that sometimes drastic measures are necessary. The song in this story is particularly cute, and it stayed with me for days after viewing.

“David Rocked Goliath” shows the Booples that God can use even the tiniest among us to do His will. And “God Is Faithful” explains God’s promise after the flood through the rainbow.

The songs in this DVD are catchy and cute, and kids will learn the words quickly to sing along. The Booples are not “perfect” Christians. They are very human, and they learn that they don’t have to be perfect – they just need to love God and each other as directed by the Bible.

Yikity Blar! is not preachy, but instead models Godly behavior through the actions of the characters and their intentions to live a Godly life. Kids will really enjoy the cute stories, and parents can feel good about their kids learning positive messages through watching Yikity Blar!

Reviewer: Alice Berger