Monday, January 21, 2013

Goddess Fish: "Bird Brain Books" by Emlyn Chand Book Review/Giveaway (Ends 2/1) WW


BLURB:

Honey the Hero

Honey, an inquisitive young parakeet living in the Australian Outback, decides to become a superhero after she spies a human family watching Superman. Since she already has the power of flight, all she needs to do is create a costume to conceal her true identity and then fly off in search of animals that need rescuing.

Unfortunately, every time she tries to help, Honey only ends up making matters worse. She spoils Kangaroo’s game of hide-and-go-seek by revealing his hiding place to Wallaby; Mr. Anteater must go hungry when she alerts the ants to his presence, and Mrs. Koala is made a laughingstock among bears when Honey pretends to be her Joey. Finally realizing that she’s not as heroic as she’d like, Honey gives up her day-saving efforts.

But what happens when someone actually needs Honey’s help? Will she rise to the challenge?


Honey the HeroHoney the Hero by Emlyn Chand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is my favorite of the series so far.  I think it has something to do with the fact that my daughter loves super heroes, and this one made me think of her.  She would have loved this book when she was an early reader, and the message is fantastic.  Again, readers and parents will be reminded of what is really important.  It's not always about doing big things, but it is about having your heart in the right spot.  There is also something to be said for trying too hard.  The pictures really added to the telling of the story in this one in a very real way.  I even found the humor in this one.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.


View all my reviews

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Davey the Detective

Davey dubs himself the luckiest crow in the entire world when he finds a wonderful, shiny object. It even has a fantastic name: “paperclip.” Wow!

One dark and dreary day, Davey’s treasure goes missing, and he is beside himself with grief. Luckily, he knows just how he can find out which of the forest animals is to blame for the theft. Inspired by the torn pages of a Sherlock Holmes story that were used to fashion his nest, Davey calls on the help of Sarah the sparrow to investigate the mystery and, hopefully, retrieve his prize.

Together the two birds begin to collect clues. Their trail leads them straight to Mr. Bushtail, a greedy squirrel who keeps a giant store of objects in a hollowed-out tree trunk. When Mr. Bushtail refuses to cooperate, the two birds have no choice but to break into his tree house in search of the truth.

Justice will prevail and treasure will be found in this intriguing tale of mystery.


Tommy Goes Trick-Or-Treating (a Bird Brain Book)Tommy Goes Trick-Or-Treating by Emlyn Chand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Nothing like a good detective story, and there are often books with a bit of mystery are not available for this age reader. Emlyn Chand does a great job of keeping the reader in suspense, and at the end, truth is paramount.  Children will again learn incredible values, and they will find themselves wrapped up in the mystery.  My daughter would have loved this book, and I wish I had found it when she was a little bit younger.  The story is one that parents and children will definitely enjoy together.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.


View all my reviews

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Poppy the Proud

Poppy is the prettiest peacock in the entire garden, but one day his privileged existence is upset when an all-white peacock is born and promptly named the most beautiful by a smitten flock. Intensely jealous, Poppy no longer knows where he fits in and decides to reclaim his title as the fairest bird in all the land, no matter what it takes.

In a desperate attempt to regain the admiration of his peers, Poppy steals items from the humans that visit his park. He wraps himself in a beautiful silk scarf, wears a series of ornate bangles around his neck, and even tries to dye his feathers with colored dust from a festive Holi celebration. Unfortunately, each of these attempts not only fails to improve his appearance, they actually make it worse. What’s a poor bird to do?

In this compelling tale of self-esteem, pride, and learning what makes each of us special, Poppy the peacock discovers that true beauty lies beneath the feathers.


Poppy the Proud (a Bird Brain Book)Poppy the Proud by Emlyn Chand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another great "bird brain" book from Emlyn Chand.  The book's theme will resonate with children who struggle with self-esteem (and which child does not from time to time?).  Children will be reminded that true beauty is not outward but what is inside.  The illustrations are gorgeous, and the story is clear and sweet.  Parents can feel good sharing the story with their children, and early readers will find this story quite readable.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.


View all my reviews

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Tommy goes Trick-or-Treating

Tommy is a mischievous little woodpecker who loves to fly to the edge of the forest and watch the people in the nearby suburb. One evening, something strange and exciting happens—people emerge from their houses wearing costumes and carrying colorful buckets with smiling faces on them. What’s even crazier is that they shout a special codeword while standing outside of each house, and are given delicious-looking candy.

Tommy simply must join in the fun. He and his friend, Michael the raccoon, fashion their own costumes and head off to join in the festivities. Thanks to Tommy’s knock-knocking beak and Michael’s quick paws, the duo is able to heist many a candy bar from the unsuspecting homeowners and children.

But are they missing out on the true spirit of Halloween?


Davey the Detective by Emlyn Chand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Very often, children's Halloween stories have no redeeming merits.  I have found them to be fun, but there is no teaching involved.  Not so with this book!  This book is fun, and yet the true spirit of Halloween is emphasized.  Parents can feel good about having their children read this book and enjoy Halloween, and there is nothing scary.  I wish I had discovered this book when my daughter was younger because she is way past the age of reading it.  However, it is the ideal book to read in September/October.  I truly enjoyed the illustrations in this one!  Excellent values in this one.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.


View all my reviews

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Courtney Saves Christmas

Courtney is a peppy young penguin who just loves exploring, and is overjoyed when she receives a compass from Santa on Christmas morning. She’s so grateful for the gift, in fact, that she just needs to give Santa a great big hug and say “Thank you!” in person. The only problem is she lives in the South Pole, and Santa is all the way on the other side of the globe!

With the aid of her new compass, Courtney sets off on a journey that takes her almost an entire year. By the time she reaches Santa’s workshop, the elves are in a flurry preparing for the upcoming holiday. Unfortunately, Rudolph is feeling very sick—too sick to guide the sleigh. If Courtney can’t find a way to help, Christmas will be ruined and all the children of the world will be devastated. What’s a little penguin to do?

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
With Christmas just around the corner, this is the perfect Christmas book for your kids (or kids at heart).  The story is delightful, cute, and sweet.  And it is even geographically correct!  My daughter only recently taught me that penguins live in the South Pole, so it was neat to see that things were correct. The illustrations were sweet and fit exactly with the story.  I thought it was neat to feature a penguin family.  Normally, children's books seem to feature dogs and cats.  This was a fresh idea, as far as I was concerned.  I look forward to sharing it with my daughter even though she is a little bit older than the suggested age for the book--around 5-7.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.



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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Emlyn Chand emerged from the womb with a fountain pen clutched in her left hand (true story). When she's not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm Novel Publicity. Best known for her Young Adult novels, she is also developing a small, but devoted, following to her children's book series and is beginning to dapple in other genres as well. Emlyn enjoys connecting with readers and is available via almost every social media site in existence. Visit EmlynChand.com for more info. Don't forget to say "hi" to her sun conure Ducky!

ONLINE LINKS:

Website & Blog:  www.emlynchand.com




Emlyn will be awarding a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour and a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host.  Follow the entire tour.




21 comments:

  1. Thanks for the GC chance, I would love to win, as I read a lot and this would help my book budget (or lack therof)!!

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  2. I love your covers, very childrenfriendly! Did you chose them yourself?

    emiliana25 at web(dot)de

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the compliment! The covers are almost entirely the brain children of my wonderful illustrators, Sarah and Noelle. All I do is provide some notes, and they make the magic happen!

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  3. What really cute story books for childden. The stories sound really sweet.

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  4. Emlyn...Did you choose to write the "bird brain" books because you have your own "Ducky"? I had budgie birds many years ago and loved them. They were fun to watch and interact with.

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    Replies
    1. Absolutely 100%! Because of Ducky, I just love birds, and I wanted to honor them in my children's books--there are just too many stories about dogs and cats and not enough about our fine feathered friends!

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  5. I like all but Davey The Detective is my favorite. My nieces and nephews will love these. :)

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    Replies
    1. Awesome, Anne! Davey and Courtney are my two favorites ;-)

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  6. thanks for the giveaway my son will love to read these books

    kmichellec87(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  7. I'm getting one of those for my niece, is there any particular reading order?

    galaschick78 at gmail dot com

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Gala. That's wonderful! These books are stand-alones, so you can read in any order. I'd recommend starting with Honey or one of the holiday editions. Vicky Finds a Valentine just released last week :-D

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  8. I love the look of these books. Congratulations to all the great reviews!

    lennascloud(at)gmail(dot)com

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  9. Oh my gosh how adorable!

    justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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  10. Tommy goes Trick-or-Treating sounds so cute! I'm sure my little cousins would love these!
    michelletucker at baconnation dot net

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  11. Thank you for the wonderful reviews, Ruth. I'm so glad you enjoyed all the Bird Brain Books--wahoo! Thank you for joining me on my GoddessFish tour, and if you have a moment to cross-post these to Amazon, I'd really appreciate it. My big goal for 2013 is to get the Bird Brain Books on more parents' radars!

    Em <3

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  12. Such a fabulous collection of stories.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  13. They are great for children, my niece loved her first book and Honey's book is next on her list.

    moonsurfer123 at gmail dot com

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  14. Thanks for your review and the excerpt. Sounds like a great bunch of books!

    kareninnc at gmail dot com

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  15. Thanks for the intro--my kids are just beginning to get into e-books--this sounds like a great collection to start them on!

    f dot chen at comcast dot net

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  16. These all seem like great books that all kids can enjoy! I especially like Davey the Detective who seems like an awesome character

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