Review: "On The Run From Santa"

Review: Children's Book "On The Run From Santa"

Please be aware that this post contains affiliate links, all opinions expressed are my own.

"On The Run From Santa" 

Written and Illustrated by: Melinda Kinsman

Self Published through Amazon Digital Services Inc. November 13th, 2015

In my quest to increase my holiday offerings to my daughters and my readers, I have been searching for themed eBooks that fit the bill. This book, by Melinda Kinsman, landed on the top page of my search query on Amazon, and at $0.99 on Kindle or $7.99 in paperback, it found its way into my cart.

While this is my first foray into this particular authors work, I will look at her other offerings (IF they are on Promo) in order to see what kind of 'lessons' they teach. First off, let me say that while the story itself is not that great, it does have an appeal that caught the kiddos attention, enough so that I am including it on the Blog.

Overview: 

The Wardrobe Gang is a team of cuddly toys that write rhyming books for kids, and Thingy is the newest addition to the group - this is his story. He arrived last year to a new family on Christmas Eve, but soon they discovered that this adorable stuffed toy was far from well behaved. Throughout the year he gets into trouble after trouble, causing mayhem and mischief wherever he goes. When Christmas time rolls around again, the big man has had enough - he realizes that Thingy is a defective toy, and he wants to recall him. So begins the actual 'Running From Santa' part of the tale, though it really involves traveling to the North Pole and pleading the toy's case. 

Pros: 

Like I mentioned above, there is a certain appeal to this book that grabbed the littles attention, and kept it throughout the tale. They enjoyed the idea that a toy could be 'bad' and even 'naughty' - and that there would be repercussions if Thingy didn't shape up and learn right form wrong. All's well that ends well, and this has a happy ending.

Kinsman has added a seek and find quality on every page and tops off the special features with several pages of matching games at the end. As for the illustrations, they are colorful and definitely kid friendly.

Cons: 

As a parent, there are two parts to this book that bother me. After a few months, the toys want to send Thingy away; they can't deal with him nor teach him how to behave. Even though they quickly learned that Thingy was part of the family and wanted him back, it bothered me. The toy, and a toy it truly is, is given human characteristics in order to be relatable to the readers - and the idea of just giving him up.... bugs me. Families don't do that, or they shouldn't. Fast forward and then it's Santa's turn to judge Thingy. Once again, it goes well - but are these messages we really what we want to be giving the kids? Behave or go away? Maybe I am reading too much into it, but I probably won't be reading this to my girls again.

I want to rate this higher since my daughters did enjoy it, but the overall message and under story gains this a 2 star. 

You may also like: "Review: Christmas Stories" 

Review: Christmas Stories for Kids by Uncle Amon

Review: Children's Book - "Christmas Stories" by Uncle Amon

Please be aware that this post contains Affiliate links, all opinions expressed are my own.

As any avid reader and parent knows, there are a myriad of free books available on Amazon at any given time - and this time of year, those free offerings start featuring Holiday staples, new favorites and fledgling Indie authors trying to get their Holiday themed works to the mass public. In that vein, now that Thanksgiving is over, I have decided to write reviews on some of the new Holiday books I am reading to the girls, both the ones that I find free and through their promotional deals.

First up:

"Christmas Stories: Fun Christmas Stories For Kids"

By: Uncle Amon

I discovered this book through a link on HundredZeros, a site that features a treasure trove of free and almost free Kindle ebooks. Updated often, this site is one of the best that I have found discovering new authors and ebooks to fill my ever growing eLibrary. Broken down in easy to understand categories, it gets you where you want to go with descriptions and links galore. Valuable and dangerous.

Joining a rash of new ebooks I picked up recently, this one is offered on Amazon Kindle for free, in paperback for $8.99 and on Audible for $3.46. 

A quick search reveals that Uncle Amon seems to be a small time King of free Kindle ebooks, with over 100 of his 164 listings offered on Free Promo or available through Amazon Unlimited. Many revolve around Holiday themes and are aimed for ages 8 and below.

Judging by the lack of an Illustrator Credit it appears that Uncle Amon illustrates his (or her?) own work, or at least employs some almost clever stock photography licensing. The pages are filled with 5 stories ranging from a cute one about Santa's beard to a humorous, kid friendly take on Boxing Day (or what a kid would think Boxing Day is). Uncle Amon has added jokes and even a coloring section to complete his or her book, making this collection of shorts into one a child could readily love. Marketed to children aged 4-8, I found the narrative in the stories to be for the older side of that scale. While the younger audience may enjoy some of it and the jokes, the older kids will get a kick out of the idea of a Canadian Aunt taking a turn in a Boxing Rink. 

Conclusion: For a free book, you can't beat it. The kids will like it and you won't pull your hair out trying to read it.
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You might also like "Review: The Day My Mommy Slept In!" 

Review:"The Day My Mommy Slept In"

Children's Book Review

Please be aware that this post contains affiliate links
All opinions expressed are my own

"The Day My Mommy Slept In!"

Written by Kally Mayer and Illustraed by Mindy Liang.

This cute little book is the third one I have read by this author, and another hit with my daughters, ages 4 and 2. The mom, a hard working woman who takes care of her family and works outside the home, doesn't hear the alarm one morning, staring off a day of mishaps, troubles and angst. Luckily for all involved, the day does turn around resulting in fond memories for the children and a valuable lesson for the readers.

Pros: It is nicely illustrated and the lesson is delivered in a way any child can understand, even a toddler as young as 2. The rhyming stanzas are easy to read and slip off the tongue with few stumbles.

Cons: Maybe it is just me, but my brain edited the text as I went along, inserting connecting words that made the narrative smoother. While I truly enjoyed this book and I believe it can be an asset to your growing children's ebook library, I would have left out a page or two and reworded some of the text - but again, maybe that is just me. 

Conclusion: My daughters find a book that they love and request it to be read every night till one or both lose interest. As of this writing, we are going on 5 nights of requests, I'd call that a win - and a buy. 

You might also like: "Review: Christmas Stories" 

Lost... found?

Right now there are so many.... correction... TOO many things on my plate. Between family emergencies and other life happenings, I have neglected my passions and my goals. I am frustrated and in need of encouragement. How do I get past myself and my own nerves to see the future - to see where blogging may lead me, or where the next big project could take me? I am not sure, but surly actually putting my fingers to the keys and penning this heartfelt angst is the first step. Isn't it? Please tell me it is..... *sigh* 2015 proved to be a heart happy but financially sad year for my family, maybe 2016 will bless us both ways? Truth be told, while lack of finances stresses me out, being happy makes my heart glad in ways cold hard cash never can.

Here's to actually keeping this blog up, seeing past the equations and getting back to myself!

Have advice for me? Please comment - I truly want to hear it.