Oliver and Jumpy Stories 49 – 51 by Werner Stejskal is Another Wonderful Book for Children

There are three adorable stories in this installment of Werner Stejskal’s children’s book series, Oliver and Jumpy. We follow Oliver, the dapper and clever cat, and his best friend Jumpy the Kangaroo with these new stories: 

1. Ice
2. Mice Chase
3. Dragon Heat 

In Ice, Oliver wakes one cold morning to find a beautiful ice scene outside his window. Oliver decides to go ice skating with all of his friends. His friend Joey is having a difficult time skating, so Oliver helps him and the two friends end up in an action-packed and scary adventure.

In Mice Chase, we find out that, although Oliver is a cat, he’s a cat that doesn’t eat mice because he’s allergic to them. Mausi the Mouse is one of Oliver’s friends and needs some help. He knows he can count on Oliver to keep him and his family safe from all the other cats by teaching them some escape techniques.

In Dragon Heat, Oliver and Jumpy come across a blackened and charred forest, and wonder what’s happened. A very large mail carrier ant explains it’s the work of a destructive dragon. Oliver and Jumpy enlist the help of a giant and the three friends search for the dragon to stop him from causing any more damage.

As before, I enjoyed these Oliver and Jumpy stories. They’re fantastically illustrated, full of action and adventure, and are sure to become favorite go-to stories for children. I highly recommend Mr. Stejskal’s Oliver and Jumpy book series for children, parents, grandparents and caregivers!

5 of 5 Stars, Review by Susan Barton

Jam-Packed with Fun, Engaging Activities for the Whole Family - "Frugal Family Fun" by Amanda Mawhinney is a Must Have Book!

The author opens this book by introducing readers to what frugal is and why it’s so important to not only families, but to a variety of other groups. After all, states the author, the tips and suggestions contained in Frugal Family Fun can easily be used by churches, scout troupes, teachers and other group organizers. Right from the start Ms. Mawhinney had me hooked because the book is already promised to be a multi-purpose tool!

Every step is geared toward bonding together in a fun way. And, bonding together as a family or like-minded group builds stronger relationships and who doesn’t want that? The author’s suggestion of making the first activity fun by creating a list of ideas complete with interactive props along with a budget is excellent. This is a great way to get everyone onboard. It also provides a teachable moment with children about finances. There’s that multi-purpose aspect again!

There are ideas for every age group in this book. The author emphasizes the importance of getting all members of the group involved. There’s a generous section on taking special needs and challenges into consideration, which I found to be valuable.  

From there, the author includes specific fun activities that are designed for specific purposes. Things like team-building, crafting, cooking, role-play, gardening, woodworking, stargazing, nature hiking, puppetry and so much more are included in great detail. There are things to do together outdoors or indoors, during the day or at night, and during any season of the year. In fact, this book is so packed with fun activities you’ll probably never hear those dreaded words, “there’s nothing to do” again. I love, love, love that the author devoted a full chapter to volunteering. It’s so important to make good stewards of our children as early as possible.

The author’s writing style is conversational, easy-going and engaging. She was definitely able to motivate me to try several of her ideas already! I highly recommend Frugal Family Fun to parents, teachers, caregivers and group leaders!

5 of 5 Stars, Review by Susan Barton

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

Co-Reading with Your Child at Its Best with "You Read to Me, I'll Read to You/Very Short Stories to Read Together" by Mary Ann Hoberman

I’m a huge advocate for reading to children and any book that encourages this gets an A+ in my opinion. The author clearly agrees with me and goes one step further. She’s written a book that’s designed to be co-read by an adult and a youngster.

The stories in this book are entertaining, humorous and educational. For example, “The Dime” tells the story of one pig who loses his dime and the friend who just so happens to find a dime. They realize it’s the same coin, so they split it up and buy a book to share. So, in just this one story alone the author has managed to address honesty, sharing, problem solving and math. Brilliant! All of the stories in “You Read to Me, I'll Read to You/Very Short Stories to Read Together” are equally as good as “The Dime”.

The illustrations are adorable and aren’t only there for accompaniment. They contribute to each tale and at times tell a story all their own. They’re colorful and whimsical, and are sure to delight even the youngest child.

 

© 2006 Mary Anne Hoberman

I would highly recommend getting a copy of this book and adding it to your child’s book collection. Wonderful!

5 of 5 Stars, Review by Susan Barton

I received this book as part of a book blogger sponsored giveaway.