Nancy Clancy

Fancy Nancy: Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth
By Jane O'Connor



This is a dear little book. Nancy Clancy is a precocious little girl who's obsessed with Nancy Drew, and tries to find mysteries around her house and neighborhood. By oldest, Bea, thought this was a great book, and searched the house for a magnifying glass of her own. This book is more suited to slightly older kids, and if they're starting to read on their own it would be great for them.

20 Halloween Stories

20 Halloween Stories/Free Fun Games for Children
By Shane Alex Lee

Unfortunately it's time for a negative review. This book is a disappointment on just about every level. First off, the cover looks like it was drawn in Windows Paint by someone who's never seen a book cover before. The Jack-o-lantern looks a bit deranged, and in the top corner is what I'm guessing is supposed to be a full moon, although it looks more like a cross between a film reel and a chocolate chip cookie. And inside the pictures don't get better. Any child could easily make drawings as good as these, but at that age it would still be cute. The writing is basic and uninspired, and there's really no point to it. For .99 cents, it's way over priced. I recommend passing on this book.

Five Little Pumpkins

Five Little Pumpkins
By Cindy Bracken

Another book for Fall! To me this book is a perfect read for the night before Halloween. It's a sweet little rhyme, much like the Ten Little Indians nursery rhyme. It's simple, but it leaves lots of room for fun. The expressions on the pumpkins' faces would be a great way to help your toddler identify emotions. It also might go great with some pumpkin cookies!

My Noisy Farm

My Noisy Farm. A children's picture book with extra first word pages
By Moira Butterfield

This is a great book to teach kids about farm animals. It's rhyming style makes the words flow, and the realistic pictures offer a good visual. At the end of the book is a list of cartoon animals, with both the names of parent and baby animals. I really like that the book gives both options, so that kids can see what the animal actually looks like, but have a fun cartoon option too. It also includes the noises made by each animal, which gives you an opportunity to be silly and make these noises with your kids.

Marvin's Mysterious Monster

Marvin's Mysterious Monster
By Michael Yu

 "Marvin's Mysterious Monster" was pretty cute. Marvin is going to bed when he sees a monster hiding in his closet, and he dresses up like a superhero to fight it off. It ends up being only a teddy bear, and Marvin goes to sleep safe and sound. I like how it ended - I was expecting it to be the dog or something hiding in the closet, but I thought the teddy bear was sweet. There are just enough words on the page and they're clear and easy to understand, however, I didn't like the format. The pictures and words were on separate pages, which would be fine in a hard copy, but on the Kindle, you can't see both at the same time. This is only a minor issue in a great book, and it certainly won't keep me from reading it to the kids, it's just a pet peeve of mine. Otherwise, it's a good read.

Autumn is Here

 Autumn is here!
By  Heidi  Pross Gray

This book is so cozy! The Fall hues make me want to wrap up in a blanket with the kids and eat soup.  The color combinations really look great, and the rustic artsy of the pictures is perfectly appropriate. The book takes you through typical Autumn images from apples to muffins to mittens, and you can almost smell pumpkin spice and crisp air. The words are simple but compelling, and it's great for identifying these seasonal objects. It really gets you in the mood for Fall.

Hugo's Cat Circus

Hugo's Cat Circus
By Julie Dweck

I love cats. And I like the circus, so I was a little excited for this book. The French cats put on an annual circus, Le Cat Circus Show, and the story takes you through all the different circus acts as well as cat breeds. I think some of the French names and breeds might be hard for kids to read, but it's a great way to introduce them to these words. The main cat, Hugo, was so darling in his little tux. The rhymes are amusing, and so is the mouse juggling. Overall I thought it was sweetly informative and light-hearted.