Thursday 21 May 2015

Kid Lit Blog Hop #60

Kid Lit Blog Hop
Welcome to the 60th Kid Lit Blog Hop where we continue to develop a dynamic and engaged community of children's books bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists. So, you are always more than welcome to join us by popping in a post and hopping around to meet some of your fellow Kid Lit bloggers and authors! This week, we are excited to be including a Goodreads Linky Party to be held in conjunction with the Kid Lit Blog Hop. These linky parties are designed to give you the opportunity to connect with and grow your network of fellow kid lit bloggers, authors, and parents through your various social media platforms.  

Hostesses:

Mother Daughter Book Reviews

Julie Grasso, Author/ Blogger

Cheryl Carpinello, Author / Blogger

Stacking Books

BeachBoundBooks

Pragmatic Mom

Reading Authors

The Logonauts

A Book Long Enough

Spark and Pook

Today I have a very special book to share with you from one truly awesome author friend of mine.
 
 
 
 
Anzac: The Story of a Little Goat
Written and Illustrated by Jacque Duffy
 
Description: What happens when a little goat wants to be part of a family. What lengths will he go to to win them over.
 
My Review:
 
Anzac was won in a two up game and sent to live on a cow farm. The cows happen to be an unfriendly bunch, so Anzac decides he will live in the house with the family.
 
The family are not so convinced. Anzac does every thing he can think of to get the family's attention. He plays with the kids, impersonates the family dog, tries to help the father in the vegetable garden, ( that doesn't end well) and even curls up in bed like the cat, but the family will have none of it.
He is banished to the barn with the cows, when the local butcher arrives.
Anzac looks at the family with sad Anzac eyes when the butcher drives off with him in the back of his truck.
Poor Anzac. What will his fate be?  All he wants is to be loved by a family. 
He befriends the butcher's little girl and finally gets his wish.
 
There ends the tale of a little goat named Anzac.
 
This is a sweet story, about perseverance as we journey with Anzac in his bid to find love and acceptance.
There is however, a little more to the story than first meets the eye.
 
 
If you are an Australian, you will need no explanation of how Anzac got his name.
 
For those of you who have no knowledge of our history, the name Anzac stands for Australian New Zealand Army Corp.
Two up was a game that soldiers played during war time. The Anzac's as we remember them every year on April 25, were the brave soldiers that attempted to capture Gallipoli peninsular during World War 1.
 
This battle has great significance in Australian history, not for victory, but for devastating loss of life.
 
For as long as I can remember, I attended dawn services on April 25. Leading up to the day, we buy red poppies as a sign that we will never forget the sacrifice the soldiers made.
At the service, An Ode To The Fallen, an excerpt from a poem by Laurence Binyon is read.
 
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them."
 
The last post, a melody that signals the end of a soldiers day, is played, a minutes silence is observed followed by Revielle, which means wake up.
 
As an Australian, you cannot help but read stories like Anzac, without a tear close to the surface.
 
This is a lovely little book, that will hopefully open up dialogue with children all over the world, when they ask, "What Does ANZAC mean."
 
LEST WE FORGET
 
Thanks for joining in our hop.
 

Happy Hopping everyone and enjoy the Hop!


 

Kid Lit Blog Hop & Linky Party Rules *Please Read*

1. LINKY PARTY: Add the link to your Goodreads profile page in the Goodreads Linky Party list below. Be sure to visit at least the two links directly before yours as well as your hosts' Goodreads pages. Be sure to friend or follow some folks with similar interests and like any reviews that catches your eye. If you do not have a Goodreads profile, you are welcome to link up a different social media profile (Pinterest, Facebook, etc.). 2. KID LIT BLOG HOP: Link up any Kid Lit related post in the Kid Lit Blog Hop. This can be a link to a children’s book review, a discussion about children’s literature/literacy, or a post on a recently-read children’s book or one that you love from your childhood.
* Don't link directly to your blog, it must be a specific post.*
* For Authors, we prefer you to link to your blog if you have one. Please link unique posts each time ~ no repeats please. *
* Make sure you include an image relevant to the POST (e.g., book cover), not your blog button or photo of yourself.*
* Feel free to link more than one post.*
3. KID LIT BLOG HOP: Please visit AT LEAST the TWO LINKS from the Kid Lit Blog Hop directly ahead of your own and leave them some love in the form of a comment. We are trying to build a community of bloggers, readers, parents, authors, and others who are as passionate about children’s literature as we are so please CONNECT and follow any or all of the blogs that interest you! 4. If you like, grab the button above and put it somewhere on your blog, preferably the post you're linking up. If you'd prefer, you can just add a text link back to this Hop so that others can find it and check out all these great book links! 5. It would really help us get the word out about the Kid Lit Blog Hop if you would be so kind as to tweet, share, and spread the word about the Hop!

Happy Hopping!

 

GOODREADS LINKY PARTY

(***Please do not link a blog post here - see below for the Kid Lit Blog Hop***)


KID LIT BLOG HOP

Thursday 7 May 2015

Kid Lit Blog Hop #59

Kid Lit Blog Hop
Welcome to the 59th Kid Lit Blog Hop where we continue to develop a dynamic and engaged community of children's books bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists. So, you are always more than welcome to join us by popping in a post and hopping around to meet some of your fellow Kid Lit bloggers and authors! This week, we are excited to be including a Pinterest Linky Party to be held in conjunction with the Kid Lit Blog Hop. These linky parties are designed to give you the opportunity to connect with and grow your network of fellow kid lit bloggers, authors, and parents through your various social media platforms.  

Children's Book Week Kindle Fire (Kids Edition) Giveaway

If you haven't entered yet, be sure to check out the Children's Book Week Kindle Fire, Kids Edition Tablet giveaway hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews where you can enter to win a brand new Kindle Fire HD 7", Kids Edition tablet + a $50 Amazon gift card to buy some new books (can substitute a $200 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash). This giveaway is open worldwide and ends May 31, 2015. No purchase necessary. Just click the image below to take you there. Children's Book Week Kindle Kids Edition Giveaway 2015

On to the Hop...

Hostesses:

Mother Daughter Book Reviews

Julie Grasso, Author/ Blogger

Cheryl Carpinello, Author / Blogger

Stacking Books

BeachBoundBooks

Pragmatic Mom

Music Teaching and Parenting

Reading Authors

The Logonauts

A Book Long Enough

Spark and Pook

 
 Today I have a book review by a fantastic author that I have come to admire greatly.

Edward Trayer, writing under the pen name of Billy Bob Buttons, also runs the Wishing Shelf Independent Book awards, of which Frankie Dupont book 1 won the silver award for 2014
Check It Out

Edward won the 2014 People Book Prize Uk, and he does amazing book tours throughout the UK, independently promoting his books. 

His success is inspiring.  Now onto the book.

Description from Amazon
 
My name is Tiffany Sparrow and my job is to slay spooks. It can be messy work, but I enjoy it. Mostly. I get to do a lot of travelling which is fun, but often just to crumbling tombs and spidery cellars. My mum was a slayer too; and so was my grandmother. I miss them terribly. They were killed, you see, by Grimdorf the warlock, so now there's only me and my old grandad left. But the word on Voodoo street is... GRIMDORF'S BACK! And he's brought a few of his pals with him.

  
My Review 
Billy Bob Buttons has done it again, with this fast paced, action packed, super engaging story for middle grade readers. Tiffany Sparrow is not your average girl. She is the only scythe wielding, but kicking, spook slayer left in Devil's Ash since her mum and grandmother were will killed by Grimdorf, the warlock. She lives with her gramps who gives a new meaning to gourmet cooking, and is mostly happy. That is until she has a run in with Atilla The Hun, a rather pesky pizza eating spook, at the Crusty Crypt Inn and learns that Grimdorf is BACK. Tiffany knows that's just not possible.

Her mum and grandma may have perished at Lurch Manor during their shown down with Grimdorf, but they did eliminate him. Or so the townsfolk and her gramps thought. Tiffany is no longer so sure. A strange boy spook keeps visiting her, giving her odd clues as to Grimdorf's intentions.

Tiffany realises that she has one battle royale on her hands when spooks, who should be all mist and goo, are starting to actually throw things at her. If she is going to keep her reputation as well as free Devil's Ash from her arch nemesis, she will have keep her wits about her, and Hell's Talon of course, her trusty scythe. Oh did I mention, Grimdorf stole it from her.


A fun and engaging story, that will keep even the most reluctant reader on the edge of their seat. I am fast becoming a firm fan of Billy Bob Buttons.
 
Happy Hopping everyone and enjoy the Hop!

 

Kid Lit Blog Hop & Linky Party Rules *Please Read*

1. LINKY PARTY: Add the link to your Pinterest profile page in the Pinterest Linky Party list below. Be sure to visit at least the two links directly before yours, say hello and repin something that catches your eye and follow folks as per your interests. If you do not have a Pinterest profile, you are welcome to link up a different social media profile (Twitter, Facebook, etc.). 2. KID LIT BLOG HOP: Link up any Kid Lit related post in the Kid Lit Blog Hop. This can be a link to a children’s book review, a discussion about children’s literature/literacy, or a post on a recently-read children’s book or one that you love from your childhood.
* Don't link directly to your blog, it must be a specific post.*
* For Authors, we prefer you to link to your blog if you have one. Please link unique posts each time ~ no repeats please. *
* Make sure you include an image relevant to the POST (e.g., book cover), not your blog button or photo of yourself.*
* Feel free to link more than one post.*
3. KID LIT BLOG HOP: Please visit AT LEAST the TWO LINKS from the Kid Lit Blog Hop directly ahead of your own and leave them some love in the form of a comment. We are trying to build a community of bloggers, readers, parents, authors, and others who are as passionate about children’s literature as we are so please CONNECT and follow any or all of the blogs that interest you! 4. If you like, grab the button above and put it somewhere on your blog, preferably the post you're linking up. If you'd prefer, you can just add a text link back to this Hop so that others can find it and check out all these great book links! 5. It would really help us get the word out about the Kid Lit Blog Hop if you would be so kind as to tweet, share, and spread the word about the Hop!

Happy Hopping!

 

PINTEREST LINKY PARTY

(***Please do not link a blog post here - see below for the Kid Lit Blog Hop***)


KID LIT BLOG HOP

Sunday 3 May 2015

Do you want to win a KINDLE

Mother Daughter Book Reviews, in collaboration with the fabulous sponsors listed below, is pleased to be coordinating a giveaway for a Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition 7" Tablet (+ $50 gift card/cash). This giveaway will take place from May 1 to 31, 2015, overlapping with Children's Book Week (May 4 to 10, 2015).
Children's Book Week Kindle Kids Edition Giveaway 2015  

About the Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition 7" Tablet

Fire HD Kids Edition Tablet The Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition Tablet also comes with 1 year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited (which means kids get unlimited access to 5,000 books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, and games—at no additional cost!). It includes a quad-core processor for great performance, a vivid HD display, front and rear-facing cameras, and Dolby Audio PLUS comes with a Kid- Proof Case, and a 2-year worry-free guarantee - if they break it, return it and Amazon replaces it for free. No questions asked! PLUS, we will also gift the winner a $50 Amazon gift card to help fill up their new Kindle with books!  

Fabulous Sponsors (Bloggers)

Thank you to the following bloggers who are sponsoring this giveaway. Please consider visiting at least one or two and thanking them personally.
 

Fabulous Sponsors (Authors and Publishers)

A big thank you to all of the participating authors and publishers who are sponsoring this giveaway. Below you will find their fabulous books Please consider purchasing one, two or more books that interest you as a "Thank You" to these generous sponsors. Some books are free, others only 99 cents! Ebook Lemon Festival 

Fiasco cover final Low Res 14 March 2015Lobo Goes to the Galapagos by C. L. MurphyABC Adoption and Me by Gayle and Casey SwiftIsabella Babysits BaxterBingo Summer by Dawn MaloneThe Escape of Princess 

Madeline by Kirstin PulioffDreamscape_FinalThePrincelingsoftheEast__FinalBookElves Anthology Volume 1The IfsThe Boy Who Spoke to God by Randa HandlerCubbie1coverIf I Were King coverConference of the BirdsGood-bye Baby Max by Diane CantrellHansel and GretelRani in Search of RainbowThe Tail of a Boy Named Harvey by Gregory BraySing Along Construction Song by Louise LintveltWind Catcher - CoverWhat if - SidebarBBBGAllGhost Leopard - New Cover - resizedThe Mystic Princesses and the WhirlpoolGuinevere: On the Eve of Legend by Cheryl CarpinelloBetween the Lines by Claudia WhitsittBilly Combo Cover Red brickYoung Knights of the Round Table: The King's Ransom by Cheryl CarpinelloTutankhamen SpeaksMice & Spiders & Webs... Oh My!My Fingerpaint Masterpiece - coverManner-Man by Sherrill CannonGimme JimmyThe Magic WordPeter and the Whimper Whineys -coverSanta's Birthday GiftCaterpillar ShoesRiddle CoverVIN & DORKYDUET-new cover-333x500Dewy and the Seeds of Doom by Maggie LyonsA Pair of Docks by Jennifer EllisThe Lumpy DucklingAstro is Down in the DumpsSophia's Jungle Adventureperf5.0625x7.8125.inddWhen Violet Was Blue by Deb TroehlerThe Aesir Kids by James Goldin & Charlotte GoldinThe Boy Who Flew With Eagles by Ben WoodardFront Cover Final 400x600Time Square: The Shift by S. W. LothianEoE_CoverPlace to Call HomeLittle Miss History Travels to Intrepid Sea 

Air & Space MuseumLexi and Marie CurieWaddley Sees the World ChinaJohn Bloom and the Victory Garden by Leigh Shearin                                                                  

Giveaway

Prize: One winner will receive either a new Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition 7" Tablet + a $50 Amazon gift card (US only) a $200 Amazon gift card (US Only) or $200 PayPal cash prize (International) Contest closes: May 31, 11:59 pm, 2015 Open to: Internationally How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com. NOTE: When the winner is chosen, ALL of their entries will be verified. If ANY of the winner's entries is invalid, they will be disqualified and a new winner will be chosen. In our last Kindle giveaway, the first winner chosen was disqualified for this very reason!  

* PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU BEGIN *

ADDING BOOKS TO WISH LIST ON AMAZON: Hint...if you scroll to the bottom of the list on Amazon, you will see a button "Add All Items to Your Wish List". One click is all it takes! ADDING BOOKS TO "WANT-TO-READ" SHELF ON GOODREADS: If you do not see the column entitled "my rating", click on "settings" and make sure that the "shelves" box is checked. This will make it super-easy to add the books to your "to-read" shelf. a Rafflecopter giveaway MDBR Book Promotion Services Page 1 of 12

Mother Daughter Book Reviews, in collaboration with the fabulous sponsors listed below, is pleased to be coordinating a giveaway for a Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition 7" Tablet (+ $50 gift card/cash). This giveaway will take place from May 1 to 31, 2015, overlapping with Children's Book Week (May 4 to 10, 2015).

Children's Book Week Kindle Kids Edition Giveaway 2015  

About the Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition 7" Tablet

Fire HD Kids Edition Tablet The Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition Tablet also comes with 1 year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited (which means kids get unlimited access to 5,000 books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, and games—at no additional cost!). It includes a quad-core processor for great performance, a vivid HD display, front and rear-facing cameras, and Dolby Audio PLUS comes with a Kid- Proof Case, and a 2-year worry-free guarantee - if they break it, return it and Amazon replaces it for free. No questions asked! PLUS, we will also gift the winner a $50 Amazon gift card to help fill up their new Kindle with books!  

Fabulous Sponsors (Bloggers)

Thank you to the following bloggers who are sponsoring this giveaway. Please consider visiting at least one or two and thanking them personally. Page 2 of 12
 

Fabulous Sponsors (Authors and Publishers)

Page 3 of 12 A big thank you to all of the participating authors and publishers who are sponsoring this giveaway. Below you will find their fabulous books Please consider purchasing one, two or more books that interest you as a "Thank You" to these generous sponsors. Some books are free, others only 99 cents! Ebook Lemon Festival 

Fiasco cover final Low Res 14 March 2015Lobo Goes to the Galapagos by C. L. MurphyABC Adoption and Me by Gayle and Casey SwiftIsabella Babysits BaxterBingo Summer by Dawn MaloneThe Escape of Princess 

Madeline by Kirstin PulioffDreamscape_FinalThePrincelingsoftheEast__FinalBookElves Anthology Volume 1The IfsThe Boy Who Spoke to God by Randa HandlerCubbie1coverIf I Were King coverConference of the BirdsGood-bye Baby Max by Diane CantrellHansel and GretelThe Tail of a Boy Named Harvey by Gregory BraySing Along Construction Song by Louise LintveltWind Catcher - CoverWhat if - SidebarBBBGAllGhost Leopard - New Cover - resizedThe Mystic Princesses and the WhirlpoolGuinevere: On the Eve of Legend by Cheryl CarpinelloBetween the Lines by Claudia WhitsittBilly Combo Cover Red brickYoung Knights of the Round Table: The King's Ransom by Cheryl CarpinelloTutankhamen SpeaksMice & Spiders & Webs... Oh My!My Fingerpaint Masterpiece - coverManner-Man by Sherrill CannonGimme JimmyThe Magic WordPeter and the Whimper Whineys -coverSanta's Birthday GiftCaterpillar ShoesRiddle CoverVIN & DORKYDUET-new cover-333x500Dewy and the Seeds of Doom by Maggie LyonsA Pair of Docks by Jennifer EllisThe Lumpy DucklingAstro is Down in the DumpsSophia's Jungle Adventureperf5.0625x7.8125.inddWhen Violet Was Blue by Deb TroehlerThe Aesir Kids by James Goldin & Charlotte GoldinThe Boy Who Flew With Eagles by Ben WoodardFront Cover Final 400x600Time Square: The Shift by S. W. LothianEoE_CoverPlace to Call HomeLittle Miss History Travels to Intrepid Sea 

Air & Space MuseumLexi and Marie CurieWaddley Sees the World ChinaJohn Bloom and the Victory Garden by Leigh Shearin              

Giveaway

Prize: One winner will receive either a new Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition 7" Tablet + a $50 Amazon gift card (US only) a $200 Amazon gift card (US Only) or $200 PayPal cash prize (International) Contest closes: May 31, 11:59 pm, 2015 Open to: Internationally How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com. NOTE: When the winner is chosen, ALL of their entries will be verified. If ANY of the winner's entries is invalid, they will be disqualified and a new winner will be chosen. In our last Kindle giveaway, the first winner chosen was disqualified for this very reason!  

* PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU BEGIN *

ADDING BOOKS TO WISH LIST ON AMAZON: Hint...if you scroll to the bottom of the list on Amazon, you will see a button "Add All Items to Your Wish List". One click is all it takes! Page 12 of 12 ADDING BOOKS TO "WANT-TO-READ" SHELF ON GOODREADS: If you do not see the column entitled "my rating", click on "settings" and make sure that the "shelves" box is checked. This will make it super-easy to add the books to your "to-read" shelf.