Children's Book Wednesday: Fixer-Mixer and the Friends of Gooseville by Althea Southwick

Should Fixer-Mixer befriend a new goose who is different than the rest of his friends?
Or should he treat her like the rest of them and ignore his own feelings about the situation?

I received a copy of Fixer-Mixer and Friends of Gooseville at the St. George Book Festival on Saturday. Author Althea Southwick did a fabulous job writing a story that teaches values.

This story tells what happens when a new duck Quaky-Lacky moves to town. Quaky-Lacky is different than the other ducks and some of the ducks are mean to her. Fixer-Mixer has to decide if he will go along with the others or have the courage to do what is right.

I enjoy books like this one that teach an important lesson to children. Reminds me of a story you would find in The Book of Virtues. Filled with colorful, simple illustrations, this book will delight readers of all ages.

Content: Clean

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Source: From Author for Review

Children's Book Wednesday is a feature started by The Crazy Bookworm. Since I adore children's picture books I'll be joining The Crazy Bookworm by sharing at least one picture book each week.

Childrens Book Wednesday: Review: Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol: A Pop-Up Book by Chuck Fischer

This beautiful re-imagining of Charles Dickens's timeless fable, A Christmas Carol: A Pop-Up Book features artist Chuck Fischer's richly painted depictions of the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, brought to life in intricate pop-up scenes by paper engineer Bruce Foster. The entire text of A Christmas Carol is reproduced in five removable, illustrated, keepsake booklets. An introductory booklet provides a biography of Dickens and an illustrated feature on the enduring appeal of this beloved story. The perfect gift, A Christmas Carol, now in pop-up form, will brighten the holidays for young and old.

Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol: A Pop-Up Book by Chuck Fischer and Bruce Foster is an amazing pop-up book. I've never seen a book with so many intricate details. On the front cover it says "Paper Engineering" - that's a much better description than calling it a mere pop-up book.

The book itself is basically wordless. On each page is a small removable booklet that contains the text of Charles Dickens' classic Christmas story.

This would make a great gift book but it's not a book I would hand to a child to read. They would most likely ruin the beautiful pages if left unsupervised. This is a book to share with a child by sitting them on your lap and allowing them to look at the book with you.

This book will make a fantastic Christmas gift and I know just who I'm going to give it to!

Rating: 5 Stars

Source: From Publisher for Review

Children's Book Wednesday is a feature started by The Crazy Bookworm. Since I adore children's picture books I'll be joining The Crazy Bookworm by sharing at least one picture book each week.

Children's Book Wednesday - Grandma's Gloves by Cecil Castellucci

A child who loses a beloved grandparent finds comfort in carrying on the activities they shared in this sweet, genuine look at a universal rite of passage.

Grandma is always on her knees in the dirt, with her gardening gloves on, talking to her roses and laughing with the birds-of-paradise. Her home brims with plants and blossoms, and on hot days, she waters her granddaughter, her “most special flower of all,” with the garden hose.

But a day comes when Grandma is no longer there to care for the little girl, who feels sad and small and alone until she remembers all that her grandmother taught her — and all that she now has to teach.

Full of light and life and the solace of green growing things, this moving and beautifully illustrated picture book explores a timeless bond with warmth and joy.

It's not very often a children's book brings tears to my eyes but this one did. Beautiful illustrations and simple text make this the perfect book to share with a child who is dealing with the death of a loved one. In her first picture book Cecil Castellucci used her memories of her own grandmother's love of plants as an inspiration for this touching book.

This book along with a pair of gardening gloves would make a perfect gift for a child who has lost their grandparent.


Childrens Book Wednesday is a feature started by The Crazy Bookworm. Since I adore children's picture books I'll be joining The Crazy Bookworm by sharing at least one picture book each week.

Childrens Book Wednesday: The Bracelet by Miriam de Rosier

Teddy is not Miss Thompson's favorite student. He doesn't focus in class, his homework is never complete, and he comes to school unkempt. When, at Christmas, Teddy gives Miss Thompson a bottle of cheap perfume and a rhinestone bracelet with half the stones missing, Miss Thompson is confused-until she discovers that these items had belonged to his recently deceased mother. Miss Thompson's profound realization changes her attitude and behavior forever; in turn, young Teddy begins to truly blossom. The Bracelet is a heartwarming story of how one person can deeply affect another person's life, and it will touch everyone who reads it.

What a beautifully done, touching book. I've heard this story before but it still made me cry. Gorgeous illustrations accompany the retelling of this classic story.

This book would make a great gift for a teacher who has touched your child's life. It illustrates how a teacher can open a world of possibilities for a struggling student. Also a good lesson it not judging others because we don't know what they've been through.

The perfect gift book for teacher appreciation.


Childrens Book Wednesday is a feature started by The Crazy Bookworm. Since I adore children's picture books I'll be joining The Crazy Bookworm by sharing at least one picture book each week.

Childrens Book Wednesday - Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed

Can one good deed from an ordinary girl change the world?

It can when she's Ordinary Mary-an ordinary girl from an ordinary school, on her way to her ordinary house-who stumbles upon ordinary blueberries. When she decides to pick them for her neighbor, Mrs. Bishop, she starts a chain reaction that multiplies around the world. Mrs. Bishop makes blueberry muffins and gives them to her paperboy and four others-one of whom is Mr. Stevens, who then helps five different people with their luggage-one of whom is Maria, who then helps five people-including a man named Joseph who didn't have enough money for his groceries-and so on, until the deed comes back to Mary. It's a feel-good story that inspires and celebrates a world full of ordinary deeds!

What a cute children's picture book with a great message.

Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson introduces the ideas of "Pay It Forward" and "What Goes Around Comes Around" in a fun, inspiring way.

Mary does the simple good deed of dropping off some berries on her neighbor's doorstep. The neighbor then makes muffins and shares them with 5 people. Those 5 people do something nice for 5 other people and so on. A great book to use to teach children about the impact we can have by serving other and being kind to them.

Ironically this book reminded me of a conversation my son and I had just yesterday. He asked me if his allowance could be a penny doubled everyday for a month. I think not! I'd only owe him $5,368,709.12.


Childrens Book Wednesday is a feature started by The Crazy Bookworm. Since I adore children's picture books I'll be joining The Crazy Bookworm by sharing at least one picture book each week.