My kids love to talk about the universe, identify planets, use the telescope and identify the constellations. Luckily for them, my husband shares this passion with them. They can talk for hours about it all and love watching eclipses and meteor showers together. If you are less than savvy about all things in the universe but have kids with loads of questions, I want to share something that can help you.
Max Goes to Jupiter is an educational picture book written by an expert astrophysicist and educator whose books happen to be on board the International Space Station and are being read aloud by astronauts!
Dr. Jeffrey Bennett opens a window into space in the half-fiction, half-science story Max Goes to Jupiter(Big Kid Science, June 2018, updated second edition with a special section for teachers and parents about how to use the book and “Story Time From Space”) which is also now available in Spanish: Max Viaja a Jupiter. Read about Story Time from Space in this Huffington Post article.
I really like that this book is filled with so much information about Jupiter. My kids just loved learning about all the interestings facts like the ones below:
How to find Jupiter in the night sky
The importance of Galileo’s discovery of moons around Jupiter
Why spaceships can’t land on Jupiter
The missions to Jupiter
The possibility of a future “space elevator”
What the ocean is like on Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons and could there be life?
Giveaway:
PR By The Book is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win their own copy of Max Goes to Jupiter! Thanks again to PR By The Book for the review copy and for sponsoring an out of this world giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! Open to US Readers.
Max Goes to Jupiter Hardcover Book Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
Turns out penguins aren’t the only animals with problems. . . From the creators of Penguin Problems comes GIRAFFE PROBLEMS, a second hilarious collaboration from picture-book superstars Jory John and Lane Smith.
Can you guess what’s making this giraffe self-conscious? Could it be . . . HIS ENORMOUS NECK? Yes, it’s exactly that—how on earth did you figure it out?
Cyrus the giraffe can’t understand why his neck is as long and bendy and, well, ridiculous as it is. No other animal has a neck this absurd. He’s tried disguising it, dressing it up, strategically hiding it behind bushes—honestly, anything you can think of, he’s tried.
Just when he has exhausted his neck-hiding options and is about to throw in the towel, a turtle swoops in (well, ambles in, very slowly) and helps him understand that his neck has a purpose, and looks excellent in a bow tie.
This is such an adorable book that conveys a very important message to kids. Check out my video review of Giraffe Problems below:
Giveaway
Random House is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky reader will win their own hardcover copy of Giraffe Problems! Thank you to Random House for the review book and for sponsoring this awesome giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. Open to US residents.
Giraffe Problems Book Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
Talk about a fun book, Chomp Goes The Alligator, is that and more! This large, interactive board book has loads of things for little ones to touch and feel as well as a pull tab so you can make the Alligator’s mouth chomp throughout the story.
Check out my video to see more about this great book.
The book is written by acclaimed novelty book creator Matt Van Fleet. His innovative books have been introducing children to basic concepts for more than twenty years. His other books include Dance Cat, Heads, Alphabet and Moo as well as, the #1 New York Times bestsellers Tails and Dog. His books have sold more than eight million copies and have been translated around the world. Hi lives with his family in New York.
Giveaway:
Simon and Schuster are sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will win their own copy of Chomp Goes The Alligator! Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the review book and for sponsoring this amazing giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. Open to US Residents.
Chomp Goes The Alligator Interactive Board Book Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
God’s Spirit is living among God’s people. He always was, always is, and always will be. These are the stories that tell about him and what he does.
The Spirit of God Illustrated Bible, written by Doris Rikkers and illustrated by Fernando Juarez, contains over 40 Bible stories from the old and new testaments that show how God’s Spirit has been with his people from the beginning of time. I am so excited to share this new release from ZonderKidz with you!
From the glory of creation through the powerful letters of Paul, God’s Spirit is living in his people. Old and New Testament stories such as Adam and Eve, Abraham, Joseph, the Baptism of Jesus, and Pentecost come alive with dramatic illustrations by Fernando Juarez and moving text by Doris Rikkers. With a cover that sparkles and shines with foil, this is a special storybook Bible that will appeal to both children and parents alike.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, If I settle on the far side of the sea, Even there your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.
~ Psalm 139: 7–10
My Thoughts:
This Bible is perfect for my kids, they can read the age-old stories of the Bible from the Old and New Testament in a format that is not overwhelming. The easy to read text and beautiful illustrations captive them and peak their interest. It is also a great Bible for myself or my husband to read aloud to them. Giveaway:
Propeller Consulting, LLC is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will win their own Spirit of God Illustrated Bible! Thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for the review Bible and this inspirational giveaway. Open to US Residents.
God’s Spirit is living among God’s people. He always was, always is, and always will be. These are the stories that tell about him and what he does.
The Spirit of God Illustrated Bible, written by Doris Rikkers and illustrated by Fernando Juarez, presents over 40 Bible stories from the old and new testaments that show how God’s Spirit has been with his people from the beginning of time. I am so excited to share this new release from ZonderKidz with you!
From the glory of creation through the powerful letters of Paul, God’s Spirit is living in his people. Old and New Testament stories such as Adam and Eve, Abraham, Joseph, the Baptism of Jesus, and Pentecost come alive with dramatic illustrations by Fernando Juarez and moving text by Doris Rikkers. With a cover that sparkles and shines with foil, this is a special storybook Bible that will appeal to both children and parents alike.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, If I settle on the far side of the sea, Even there your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.
~ Psalm 139: 7–10
My Thoughts:
This Bible is perfect for my kids, they can read the age old stories of the Bible from the Old and New Testament in a format that is not overwhelming. The easy to read text and beautiful illustrations captive them and peak their interest. It is also a great Bible for myself or my husband to read aloud to them.
You can hear and see more of my thoughts in the video below:
I was provided with a copy of this Bible to facilitate my post. As always, my words and views are 100% my own.
School is back in session throughout the country, and reading is so important. Finding interesting books that your child wants to read, will really help, if you have to battle with them to read for 20 or 30 minutes a day.
My boys love books that draw them in and capture their interest with an exciting and engaging story. The Last Kids on Earth series does just that! Described as Diary of a Wimpy Kidmeets The Walking Deadthese very funny post-apocalyptic graphic novels are perfect for middle-grade readers.
This is a four book series to date and it all starts with Book 1;The Last Kids on Earth.
Ever since the monster apocalypse hit town, average thirteen year old Jack Sullivan has been living in his tree house, which he’s armed to the teeth with catapults and a moat, not to mention video games and an endless supply of Oreos and Mountain Dew scavenged from abandoned stores. But Jack alone is no match for the hordes of Zombies and Winged Wretches and Vine Thingies, and especially not for the eerily intelligent monster known only as Blarg. So Jack builds a team: his dorky best friend, Quint; the reformed middle school bully, Dirk; Jack’s loyal pet monster, Rover; and Jack’s crush, June. With their help, Jack is going to slay Blarg, achieve the ultimate Feat of Apocalyptic Success, and be average no longer! Can he do it?
Told in a mixture of text and black-and-white illustration, this is the perfect book for any kid who’s ever dreamed of starring in his or her own comic book or video game. And then grab the rest of the series, now a New York Times bestseller!
The zombies are disappearing. This might seem like a good thing, since zombies eat your brains, but normal human kid Jack Sullivan is suspicious. He keeps hearing an eerie shrieking noise that seems to be almost summoning the zombies—but to where, and for what (probably) foul purpose?
Jack, his three best friends (maybe the only people left on Earth), and their pet monster Rover need to get to the bottom of this. Along the way they encounter a lot more than they bargained for, including a giant Wormungulous, a pizza parlor monster hangout, an ancient evil who destroys worlds, and a stereo system that is totally the bomb. Can Jack figure out why the zombies are vanishing . . . before he and his friends are next?
Life after the zombie apocalypse is pretty good for 13-year-old Jack Sullivan: he lives in a mind-clobberingly cool tree fort with his best friends, speeds through town playing Real-Life Mario Kart, has a crew of monster buddies, battles zombies on the regular, and generally treats life-like it’s a video game!
But then Jack’s friends make a startling discovery: they may not be the last kids on earth, after all. This is great news for everyone… except Jack. Once they’ve found other humans, his friends won’t stick around for long! Jack’s only hope for keeping things the way they are is to prove that everything here is perfect, life is crazy fun, and nothing else could be any better.
One problem: it’s hard convincing his friends that everything is great when they’re being hunted by a monstrous Nightmare King and an ancient evil who won’t rest until Earth has been devoured. Crud! Maybe life after the monster apocalypse is more complicated than Jack thought…
The newest installment in this New York Times bestselling series introduces new monsters, new bad guys, and tons of new laughs!
It’s the first winter after the Monster Apocalypse. For Jack and his buddies, that means sled catapults, epic snowball battles, and one monstrous Christmas celebration. But their winter wonderland turns dark when a villainess begins hunting them. And this villainess is different—she’s a human.
When the villainess steals Jack’s prized monster-slaying tool, the Louisville Slicer, he vows to get it back. But it won’t be easy. Jack and his friends soon discover that the Louisville Slicer is the key to a dark plan that threatens the entire world—and beyond…
You can watch a video trailer for the series below:
About The Author:
Max Brallier (maxbrallier.com) is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty books and games, including the previous books in The Last Kids on Earth series. He is the creator and writer of Galactic Hot Dogs, an ongoing middle-grade web serial and book series with Aladdin. He writes for licensed properties including Adventure Time, Regular Show, and Uncle Grandpa. Under the pen name Jack Chabert, he is the creator and author of the Eerie Elementary series for Scholastic Books. In the olden days, he worked in the marketing department at St. Martin’s Press. Max lives just outside of New York City with his wife and daughter.
ILLUSTRATOR BIO:
Douglas Holgate has been a freelance comic book artist and illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia, for more than ten years. He’s illustrated books for publishers including HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Hachette, and Simon & Schuster, and comics for Image, Dynamite, Abrams, and Penguin Random House.
Giveaway
Penguin Random House is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win Book 1 and Book 4 of The Last Kids on Earth Series! Thank you to Penguin Random House for the review books and for sponsoring this great giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! Open to US residents.
The Last Kids On EarthBook 1 and Book 4 Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
I am so blessed to live in the gorgeous Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York. The Hudson Valley Region has so much to offer in breathtaking beauty and diverse culture. We love living only 90 minutes from NYC, so we can attend shows and events, and still live surrounded by trees, meadows, lakes and rivers.
As a hobby photographer, I rarely take a walk where I don’t have my camera around my neck. With the advances in technology, smartphones provide us with a camera we have with us everywhere. I am forever snapping photos and recording video of my amazing surroundings. I love sharing my photos and videos, so others can experience the pristine beauty.
Picturing America: Thomas Cole And The Birth of American Art by Hudson Talbott, is a stunning biographical picture book and an excellent tool to introduce children to Thomas Cole. This book is so beautiful and filled with fascinating information about the life of Thomas Cole.
Picturing Americagives us a bird’s-eye look into Thomas Cole’s life. From his humble beginnings and immigration from England to America, to his development of a new painting style that became America’s first formal art movement: the Hudson River School of painting. The pages of Picturing America are peppered with some of Cole’s most beloved paintings, beautifully framed by Hudson Talbott’s watercolor illustrations.
You can see more in my video review and reading of Picturing America below:
As a resident of the beautiful Hudson Valley, I am thrilled to announce that Penguin Young Readers is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win their own hardcover copy of Picturing America! Thank you to Penguin Random House for the review book and for sponsoring this amazing giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! Open to US Residents.
Picturing American Hardcover Book Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
As most of the schools are now back in session, you might be searching for engaging books for bedtime reading. I would like to share a bright, bold and quirky new book about finding and taming the beast within. How To Be A T.Rexis about Sal, a girl who thinks being herself is kind of a drag. Sal does not want to grow up to be a doctor or teacher, she wants to be an awesome T.Rex!
You might be surprised to learn that becoming a T. Rex is not hard at all. However, it is hard to make friends when you are a super-giant, super-loud, super-stompy dinosaur. If only Sal could be as 100% awesome as a T. Rex all of the time! The book is written by Ryan North and illustrated by Mike Lowery.
Check out my video about the book below:
About the Author: RYAN NORTH is a New York Times bestselling author and cartoonist known for his online strip Dinosaur Comics, his critically acclaimed work on Marvel’s Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, as well as his Eisner Award-winning writing for the Adventure Time comic. He lives in Toronto with his wife, Jenn, and their dog, Noam Chompsky. HOW TO BE A T.REXis his debut picture book.
About the illustrator: MIKE LOWERY is an author, artist, and an avid collector of weird bits of knowledge. He’s illustrated dozens of books for kids, including the Gingerbread Man is Loose in the School series. Mike lives with his wife and two kids in Atlanta, Georgia.
Giveaway:
Penguin Random House is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will win a hardcover copy of How To Be A T. Rex and a book poster! Thank you Penguin Random House for the review book and posters and for sponsoring this awesome giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. Open to US Residents.
How To Be A T. Rex Hardcover Book Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
I want to introduce you to a new picture book by the New York Times bestselling author/illustrator of Max the Brave comes an inspiring and adorable picture book about a pair of unlikely friends who face down a pack of bullies, Ed Vere. How To Be A Lion shows kids that you don’t have to roar to be heard.
Leonard is a lion who has a duck named Marianne, as his best friend. One day the lion bullies come around, and tell Leonard they understand he is different, he likes writing poetry and being gentle, but not chomping a duck is going too far.
Leonard and Marianne find a way to show the lion bullies that there is more than one way to be a lion. In the end, the words Marianne and Leonard put together, show the bullies that they should worry about being themselves and let Leonard be who he is.
The story reinforces the importance of accepting people for who they are and to stop using stereotypes of the way they should act. It is an important lesson that is conveyed beautifully on the pages.
Ed Vere’s new book is part of trend in children’s literature – books meant to empower boys to think independently, engage with their emotions, and not conform to traditional gender roles.
In a recent interview about the topic, Vere said: “Too often strength and sensitivity are presented as mutually exclusive. We need to teach compassion, respect and empathy at an early, foundational age. If we can teach this to boys at around five, and demonstrate that being gentle, sensitive or emotionally engaged isn’t a weakness, but part of being a fully rounded grown up man, then we’re getting the message through to them before toxic attitudes have a chance to solidify.”
Ed’s book, HOW TO BE A LION, is being praised for successfully conveying this important message.
“Positive role models showing boys how to be a whole person are few and far between these days. This marvelous book triumphs in that essential job.” – Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“Vere’s fable makes a watertight—and charming—case for ignoring the pressures of conformity.” – Publishers Weekly
“Children will feel empowered after reading such a deliberate story of unyielding strength and self-awareness. Thoughtful and provocative words to live by.” – School Library Journal
Listen as I read the book in the video below:
Giveaway
Penguin Random House is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win their own hardcover copy of How To Be A Lion! Thank you to Penguin Random House for review book and this king of a giveaway. Open to U.S. Residents.
How To Be A Lion Hardcover Book Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
Do you know Baby Code? If not, you can learn with this set of four new adorable board books. The Baby Code! board books by Sandra Horning are illustrated by Melissa Crowton.
Perfect for the littlest hands, the BABY CODE! board books show the youngest readers that coding is all around them, and how they can take part in it. Making use of experiences common in a baby’s world, like holding a teddy bear or playing with an electric train, these charming board books full of bright, colorful illustrations are the perfect introduction to coding in many different forms.
The first book, BABY CODE! introduces coding in relation to everyday objects like a dog or phone, while BABY CODE! ART, BABY CODE! MUSIC, and BABY CODE! PLAY tie in the earliest experiences—like hearing a melody or playing on a swing. The sweet board books also feature real code, encouraging parents and children alike to be actively involved in technology from the very youngest
These books are so cute and fun to read to little ones. You don’t need to fear ripped pages from overzealous little hands, because the sturdy board book pages stand up to even not-so-gentle babies and toddlers. Great to take along in a diaper bag to entertain while eating out or traveling.
Giveaway:
Penguin Young Readers is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win their own Baby Code! Set of Board Books! Thank you To Penguin Young Readers for the review set and for sponsoring this amazing giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! Open to U.S. Residents.
Baby Code! Board Book Set Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
Hello, I’m Carolyn! I am a PR Savvy, WAH Mom to 5! I love Photography, Baking, DIY Projects, Crafts, Cooking and making memories with my family. I love sharing reviews and giveaways too!
