Posted in BEA, Giveaway on June 20, 2016

midsummer eve hop

I have books and #BEA16 swag galore and I am giving away at least 1 set of goodies, possibly more if there are high entries!

Enter below and if you tweet, share the giveaway!

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Also visit these other blogs for their giveaways

Posted in 5 paws, BEA, Children, Review, Texas on May 23, 2016

While at BEA I was very excited to find a publisher, Waldorf Publishing, that was very close to where I live in Texas.  Very small world if you ask me.  But was very glad I stopped by their booth because I love their logo – it’s a dog, and you know I love dogs!  Well I hope you know I love dogs since I give my book ratings in paws!

waldorf publishing

Review

There is a line of children’s books about Mr. Waldorf and he visits various places and always manages to lose his spectacles.  I think he needs to tie those to him so they don’t continually get lost! Each of the books tells you some facts about the country or state and the illustrations really make the the book more enjoyable.  I think it helps the kids learn more about the location Mr. Waldorf is visiting.  In the Alaska book, Waldorf’s spectacles can be found through out and it is a great interactive moment with the children to see if they can find them.  This was not available in the other books and that did disappoint me a little bit since I think it involves the children in the story. We enjoyed all of the books and give them 5 paws up.  Here are the 4 books due out this fall.

waldor in alaska

Synopsis

Mr. Waldorf is a loveable and inquisitive canine on a voyage to see the United States and International worlds of wonder. On this adventure, Mr. Waldorf discovers the Wild State of Alaska. The curious canine encounters fun new friends and places while fishing for salmon, discovering glaciers, panning for gold and visiting Eskimos.

Silly Mr. Waldorf has a tendency to misplace his favorite reading spectacles and can’t seem to find them while discovering “The Last Frontier”. Mr. Waldorf will learn all about Alaska, while seeking his missing spectacles. Will you help him find them and learn all about this amazing state?

Children will fall in love with curious Mr. Waldorf and they will also discover the world in a fun and exciting way. Mr. Waldorf invites you to join his “Whoofishly” fun adventures! Where will the curious canine end up next?

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waldorf in texas

Synopsis

On this adventure, Mr. Waldorf discovers the Great State of Texas. The curious canine encounters fun new friends and places while exploring the vast state visiting the Alamo, riding a bull for 8 seconds, making new friends in Dallas, exploring Austin and more. Children will fall in love with Mr. Waldorf and they will also discover the world in a fun & exciting way. Mr. Waldorf invites you to join his “Whoofishly” fun adventures! Where will the fuzzy canine end up next?

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Mr.-Waldorf-travels-to-the-Huge-Russia

Synopsis

On this adventure, Mr. Waldorf discovers the huge Russia. The curious canine encounters fun new friends and places while visiting Saint Petersburg, the Ural Mountains, Lake Baikai, Russian State Library & more.

Silly Mr. Waldorf has a tendency to misplace his favorite reading spectacles and can’t seem to find them while discovering the largest country in the world. Mr. Waldorf will learn all about Russia, while seeking his missing spectacles. Will you help him find them and learn all about this historical and enormous country?

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Mr.-Waldorf-travels-to-the-Mysterious-China

Synopsis

On this adventure, Mr. Waldorf discovers the mysterious China. The curious canine encounters fun new friends and places while visiting Beijing, discovering the Great Wall of China, climbing Mount Everest and traveling the Yangtze River.

Silly Mr. Waldorf has a tendency to misplace his favorite reading spectacles and can’t seem to find them while discovering The Peoples Republic of China. Mr. Waldorf will learn all about China, while seeking his missing spectacles. Will you help him find them and learn all about the ancient and beautiful country?

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About the Authors

Beth Ann Stifflemire is a woman who decided to make dreams a reality in 2010. She created a bucket list and never looked back.

To date Beth Ann has tackled many items on that bucket list: written a book, published a book, run a half-marathon, started a blog, changed careers and much more.

Beth Ann has been featured in the Austin American Statesman, Monster.com, Texas Wine Trail, Texas A&M University Communications Department Feature, Georgetown View Magazine, Hill Country News, Lonestar Literary Life and Nerd Girl Books.

Through her bucket list journey Beth Ann uncovered an underlying passion for writing and decided to tackle it head on. She is a published author with her next titles to be released the fall of 2015: Diverted Heart (August 2015) and Fates Betrayal (October 2015).

Beth Ann suffered a devastating and tragic loss in 2003 that changed the entire course of her future. This one single event changed her outlook on life and she knew she wanted to leave a mark on this earth. This ignited the desire to follow her passions and in 2010 after contemplating a way to personally document her life journey and aspirations the bucket list was born.

Beth Ann is from Texas and come from a family rooted in strong family values. She is the middle of three children and was forever affected when her parents internationally adopted her younger brother from Russia during the 1990’s. This amazing little boy was a dream of her parents and through their unselfish act demonstrated to Beth that you can achieve the dreams of your heart. After graduating high school she attended Texas A&M University and received a Bachelors in Communications in 2004. She married her husband one week prior to graduation and they’ve now been married ten years and have a son. Beth Ann jokes that her husband was the first person she ever went on a date with, but the one who stole her heart. She entered the business world working for the CLO and CFO of a local Austin Based Credit Union in 2005. It was only by an unexpected opportunity that she later fell into Human Resources and most recently spread her wings even further when beginning another career as an author.

When not writing, Beth enjoys spending time at home with her family, blogging, reading any self-help book or romance read she can get her hands on, likes trying out Texas wines, is an avid hot tea drinker, loves discovering all kinds of music and is adding a new pair of shoes to her ever growing closet inventory.

Barbara Terry is the founder, conductor, general, and head honcho of Waldorf Publishing has had a wild ride on her way to literary business!

She is one of the most sought-after Auto Experts, Columnists, Producers, Show Hosts and Authors in Television, Print and Radio. Barbara is a marketing, media, product integration and PR expert and has over 20 years in business ownership and management experience.

She has appeared on the cover of Kiplinger’s Magazine, has been featured in over 100 publications and has made more than 800 Television and Radio appearances since 2006 such as: Fox Sports, The CBS Early Show, Inside Edition, The Tony Danza Show, CNN, Maxim Radio, Oprah Radio, ESPN Radio, ivillage, SPEEDtv.com among a long list of others.

She wrote a weekly auto advice column for The Houston Chronicle for 6 years, has written for Examiner.com, First30Days.com, motorolaroadtrips.com, Men’s Fitness Magazine, New York Daily News and wrote a chapter in “The Experts Guide”.

Barbara has served as the Spokesperson/Representative/Host for numerous companies such as Ford Motor Company, eBay Motors, General Motors, Goodyear, NAPA, Pennzoil, Sylvania, Quaker State, Fix A Flat, FRAM, Prestone, Gillette, Volkswagen, Shell Oil, Liquid Wrench, Gunk, RainX, Duracell, GPS Protected, American Airlines, General Tire & Turtle Wax.

Barbara has served as Television & Internet host for Turtle Wax, About.com, US Auto Parts, AutoMD.com and Gillette. Barbara has also hosted live events for American Airlines, Volkswagen, Goodyear and was Emcee for GM Style Dubai Event in Dubai for General Motors.

Barbara has interviewed hundreds of A-list celebrities and professional athletes such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Rusty Wallace, Arnold Palmer, Michael Strahan and Richard Marx, many of which appear in her book,“How Athletes Roll”

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Posted in 5 paws, BEA, Children, Review on May 22, 2016

good-night-chicago

Synopsis

Good Night Chicago makes it a joy for adults to share their passion for this great American city with the children they love, and who will undoubtedly come to cherish Chicago too. This board book delights in the many kid-friendly institutions and places that help make Chicago one of the world’s great cities. In keeping with the Good Night Our World series, readers pass through both a day and a year while rhythmically saluting special aspects of the place. “Good morning, Lake Michigan and Lighthouse.” “Good evening, blues and jazz musicians.” “Good night, planetarium.” “Good night, Chicagoans.”

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Good Night Books * Amazon * B&N

Review

I picked up this board book at BEA thanks to Good Night Books.  Since we were in Chicago it seemed appropriate to get this one tied to that city.  For someone that is traveling to Chicago (or any city if you pick up one of the other books) it is a great introduction into some of the things that you might see and do on that trip with a young one.  The illustrations are colorful and engaging and help share what the child will see when in this city.

I like for the sports teams where it is generic wording but the illustration depicts all of the major sports teams in Chicago.

The book takes the reader from morning until night and wishes each spot either good morning, good afternoon, good evening or good night.

There is a whole series of these books for states, major cities and even some that are tied to Mom, Dad, Baby Brother or Sister and even toys and such.  They even have the books written in other languages and have international themes.

We give this 5 paws up!

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About Good Night Books

The Good Night Books Series of board books has been designed and developed since 2005 to celebrate special places and themes in a way that young children, ages 0-5, can easily relate to and enjoy with their families. All the books are written and illustrated with a simplicity that captures the “essence” of each subject and place.

Every book is printed in bright colors on high-quality board to endure the attention of young children. All have six-inch by six-inch pages, making for large 12 x 6 open page spreads.

Each title takes its readers through the passage of a day (“good morning,” “good afternoon,” “good evening,” and “good night”). And most titles, if set in a place with seasonality, also include the seasons of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter). Children are further introduced to the practice of using polite salutations and greetings, all while being lulled to a good night’s sleep.

The series is, in part, inspired by Walt Whitman’s poems, such as the classic book Leaves of Grass and the famous poem “Song of Myself,” in which the poet catalogs item after item, in a process whereby the mere naming of each item draws attention to it and thus imbues it with a sense of import. The Good Night Our World Series tries to recognize and celebrate the world in a Whitmanesque spirit.

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Posted in BEA on May 22, 2016

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I attended my first BookExpo America event this year since it was held in Chicago.  Not because I live here, but because it is a “little” less expensive to stay in Chicago than NY.  It didn’t hurt that I got a round trip ticket from DFW to O’Hare for $70.  Yes you read that right, $70.  Half of the ticket cost was taxes and fees!

Anyway, I flew in on Tuesday (the day before) because I didn’t want to miss anything should my flight be delayed or something crazy like that.  I was meeting up with Mary from Bookhounds since we had met probably a decade ago on a (now defunct) book swap site called Frugal Reader.  We had discussed doing this a year or two ago and despite only working part time I felt like I should take the plunge and do it.  I may never attend another BEA, but you just never know.

So I flew in and decided to be adventurous and take the train from the airport to downtown Chicago.  Plus it was only $5.  I was doing fine until I got off of the train and was making my way up to street level and couldn’t figure out which way to go to my hotel.  Google maps wasn’t very helpful and neither was the lady at the information desk IN THE COURTHOUSE!  Ummm, really you don’t know where anything is?  Can’t you look it up?  Oh well, I was on an adventure so I walked for who knows how long and far before I finally got it figured out.  I still don’t know what the Chicago Ped Way is (or where it is).

Wednesday we got up and headed over to the convention center where BEA was being held.  This place is HUGE!  But we checked in and grabbed a daily magazine to see what would be where and when.  We met and talked to many in line and wandered around and ended up off in the corner where there was another entrance that very few people seemed to know about.  Not even by Friday had the masses discovered this entrance.  I’m not complaining, less crowds for us to navigate.

All around the check in and in the building were signs for the different authors and books.  Here are a couple of them:

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And here was the view from the entrance where we waited to be admitted (we had to wait until 1pm!).  Oh the entrance was by this Showcase (probably for a lot of indie authors or self-published, but very cool to check out more books!)

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Once we were admitted inside we went up and down all of the aisles.  This took ALL afternoon!  But we were getting our bearings on who was where and many times we doubled back because a publisher was giving away a book later that afternoon.  It was amazing to see all of these publishers – many you have heard of, some maybe not yet but you will.

I was being a bit silly but had my picture taken with a North Pole Ninja (book out in mid October).

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We left about 5 or so and went back to our hotel to rest a bit since we were meeting another friend from Frugal Reader for dinner (and a couple of her friends).  We went to a Russian Tea Room and the dinner was delicious!

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After dinner, we went back to our hotel to plan our day and what booths we wanted to hit and at what time.  Luckily a lot of booths had when they were doing giveaways and signings so we could plan accordingly.  Of course not everything was disclosed.  So it was helpful to pick up the daily “newspaper” to see who was doing what and when.  I was able to pick up a cookbook that I hadn’t known was going to be available (more about that in the coming weeks as I test out the recipes).  Mary and I split up but would connect back up at various times to see what each other had scored in the way of books.  I picked up a new series by Ridley Pearson and talked to him for a few minutes.  For some reason he seems to think I have an accent!

I should mention that one of the best features of BEA was the shipping area.  Now I’m sure you are thinking…what?!  Why would THAT be your favorite area?  Well it is because you can set up a box to be mailed to you and all through out the day I would do dump off a load of books so I didn’t have to carry them around.  Trust me, those books get very heavy after awhile.  Luckily most of the publishers were giving out totes so we had something to put it all in until we could drop off at the shipping area.  To give you an idea of how many books I brought home, I shipped 45 POUNDS of books!  And those were all that I had, I had some in my suitcase and some in my carry on bag.

I did get a few photos with authors (some I will save for later posts) but I did get one of Maria Semple signing a picture from an upcoming book.  I was hoping for the book but no such luck.  Maybe they will send later?

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Anyway, Thursday was busy busy busy but we had a party to attend that evening hosted by Big Honcho Media.  We stopped for some dinner on the way there since the party didn’t start until 9pm.  While I never think of myself as old….I kept wondering about all the others that were there and if they were old enough to drink!  Everyone looked so young.  But it didn’t matter, we chatted with a few other book bloggers and librarians, enjoyed a glass or two of wine and some yummy desserts.  We decided we had partied enough for that night so grabbed a hoodie and headed back to the hotel.

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I loved how they held down the balloons with books.  What a great idea!

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Friday was our last day and Mary already knew she was going to be staking out Penguin Books for most of the day.  I only had a few things I wanted to do for sure and wandered around most of the time, chatting with publishers, publicists, authors….pretty much anyone and everyone.  I did see Kristi Yamaguchi signing posters of her new book.

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Friday afternoon I did attend a round table geared towards book clubs and librarians touting upcoming books for this fall and next spring.  We were lucky enough to be able to take some home with us that caught our eye after hearing about them.  Funny thing is that I had already picked up several earlier.  But it just reinforced that the book was going to be good.

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We wrapped up the day by packing our boxes and getting those shipped back home.  Yes, my box was 45 lbs and not all the books were for me.  I am stocking my great-niece’s library and you will be seeing some reviews of those books over the next few weeks.

All in all, BEA was a blast and I wouldn’t mind going again.  It will probably be a few years so I can save up some money, but it was well worth it just for the exposure.

Oh and here are some of the books that I brought home that are for me!  Many are signed too.  I have the stack of children’s book and even coloring books that I picked up for another friend that is big into coloring.

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Posted in 4 paws, BEA, Children, Review on May 21, 2016

Today I bring you another children’s book that I picked up at Book Expo America.  It came out in July 2015 internationally but won’t be available here until September 1.  I didn’t realize, but Max has other books out as well, so look for those available now and this one out in September.

I’m sure you are thinking…why so many children’s books?  Well they are all for my great-niece AND I can catch up on my Goodreads challenge since I had fallen off the wagon with my reading and was behind!  Children’s books are a great way to catch up.

max at night

Synopsis

Meet Max – the mighty kitten and New York Times bestseller.

This is Max. Max is very sleepy. It’s way past Max’s bedtime. Max has drunk his milk. Max has brushed his teeth. Max has cleaned behind his ears. Now Max just needs to say goodnight…

Max is tired and all ready for bed, but when he can’t find the moon to say goodnight to, he sets out to find it. But that’s not as easy as Max had hoped… Witty and heart-warming, this stylish and beautifully illustrated book is the perfect bedtime read.

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Review

I picked up this ARC at BEA and it is a cute story about a kitten looking for the moon one night because the moon is nowhere to be seen. So the kitten goes on an adventure to find the moon and that he does.

Cute story, great for kids and I think it would be a good bedtime story because it is very repetitive and calming.  Just what you need to get a kid to sleep!

We give it 4 paws up.

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Posted in 5 paws, BEA, Children, Review on May 20, 2016

I loved going to BEA and picking up all these books for my great-niece.  She may be a bit young for some of them, but I know her parents will read the books to her and eventually she will be able to read them herself.  The author, Marianne Richmond, wrote and illustrated this book.  She is not new to the children’s publishing world and has many other books out there that are available now.

This book is due out in January 2017 (may be October 2016 but not 100% sure).  It is available on Amazon for pre-order.

bedtime blessings

Synopsis

Dear God,

It’s the end of the day and time for my prayer to say thanks for your blessings  and heavenly care.

Bedtime Blessings offers a peaceful way to end the day with a special child through this heartfelt prayer of gratitude and wish for God’s blessings on others, too.

Create to help grow a joyful spirit of contentment in even the youngest child, this sweet blessing will guide them into dreamland with a heart full of thanks and love.

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Review

I was able to meet the author at BEA and pick up a copy of this book.

This is a great book to read to young children to teach them the meaning of being thankful for all that they have and those around them.  It also is a way for parents to institute nightly prayers with their children, something that seems to have disappeared in many homes.

The graphics are simple but the words can have a powerful impact on impressionable children which is what we would want to create a kinder society for the future.

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Posted in 5 paws, BEA, Children, Review on May 19, 2016

Today’s children’s book from BEA is Busy, Busy by Eileen Spinelli and illustrated by Eliana Ellis.  This is a board book so perfect for my great-niece right now.

busy busy

Synopsis

Sometimes, when life gets hectic and schedules get crowded, children may feel a little lost in the shuffle. In this new board book, the animals are all quite occupied. Beaver is busy; squirrel is busy; frog is busy. Mole is digging, bear is fishing, and cat is pouncing. And like many parents, Mama is busy too. But she’s not too busy for a hug! Children will love the busy animals and the warm conclusion. This lighthearted, lyrical book will gently reassure children that, in spite of how busy their families are, there is always time to share love.

Ages 2-5

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Review

This is a board book and so not very long, but let’s the child know that even though everyone is busy through the day, mom isn’t too busy to cuddle with her child. It sends a good message to children that lets them know that they are loved.

5 paws up for this book!

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Posted in BEA, Children, Review on May 17, 2016

Today I am featuring another book I received at Book Expo America, Also an Octopus written by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and illustrated by Benji Davies.  Like the book I highlighted on Sunday, this book is not due out until October, but you can also pre-order it on Amazon.

octopus

Synopsis

Even the most totally awesome story starts with a little bit of nothing. What happens next is up to you! A delightfully meta picture book that will set imaginations soaring.

It begins with an octopus who plays the ukulele. Since this is a story, the octopus has to want something—maybe to travel to faraway galaxies in a totally awesome purple spaceship. Then the octopus sets out to build a spaceship out of soda cans, glue, umbrellas, glitter, and waffles. OK, maybe the octopus needs some help, like from an adorable bunny friend, and maybe that bunny turns out to be . . . a rocket scientist? (Probably not.) But could something even more amazing come to pass? Debut author Maggie Tokuda-Hall, with the help of illustrator Benji Davies, sets up an endearingly funny story, then hands the baton to readers, who will be more than primed to take it away.

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Review

I picked up this book for my great-niece to build up her library, but I was not expecting a great story about how anyone can write a story and that no idea is too silly.  In fact, this book would actually help an aspiring young author by showing the steps they need to go through to actually write the story.

I do love how the book starts:  “Every story starts the same way…with nothing.”  It s true, every story that any author has written started with nothing to very little other than a dream to write that story.

We give this 5 paws up!

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