Noodles and Albie On Thin Ice by Eric Bennett

It appears I'm starting out this year a little differently than those before...how? Normally, I grab books from a series without having read any of the other books before. But this month, I've actually read books in several of the series before. Amazing, right? But no worries, I'm sure this trend won't hold.

Today's read comes from an adorable penguin series. The author brought out the first one in 2014 with the intention of raising awareness for penguins (at least, I'm pretty sure that was the reason). It's now time for book four, and it's fun to see these have been doing so well.

So, let's see what the latest adventure holds!

NOODLES & ALBIE ON THIN ICE

by Eric Bennett

Nightingale Books

Picture Book

30 pages

ages 4 to 8

Who doesn't love penguins, and especially Noodles? Kids of all ages will fall head over flipper for Noodles and his best pal, Albie, in this unique, fun, adventure story of travel, friendship, and saving a colony of Australian Little Blue Penguins.

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON    /    B&N

MY TIDBITS

This friendly penguin not only packs tons of cuteness but knows how to save the day.

It's time for a baseball game to celebrate New Year's Day in Antarctica, but it doesn't take long before Noodles needs a nap. When he awakens, he discovers that his igloo has broken off from the ice and is floating out at sea. He isn't sure where he's headed, but with Albie at his side, there's no doubt that adventure is coming his way.

This is part of the Noodles & Albie series, and while it can be read as a stand-alone, there are some characters at the end, whose presence will be more understandable if the other books have been visited first. But it does make a lovely story on its own, too.

There is quite a bit of penguin goodness in these pages. While the adventure unfolds, the author seamlessly weaves in some penguin facts and introduces readers to a new species, its habitat, and more. It works right into the story flow, letting the adventure steer the tale from beginning to end.

Noodles is easy to connect with thanks to his human-like and imaginative aspects, such as the baseball cap and a penguin baseball game. This humanization, however, stays on the border to allow the more factual side of penguins to still come across clearly. It creates an enjoyable atmosphere with the hum of fantasy and is sure to draw younger readers/listeners in. But then, Noodles is a lovely character and full of charm.

The text is on the heavier side for a picture book, which makes this a nice read-aloud for story time. It can also be used as an early reader for those, who are sure of their words. Some of the sentences, however, are longer in length and hold a bit more complicated structure. But this also practices those reading skills.

This is a nice addition to the existing series, and it's fun to learn a little about Fairy Island and the penguins which live there.

Go Go Fun Learning Books with Music

Today, I'm going to do something a little different. Instead of a book review for a single book, I wanted to hit upon a series from an independent publisher. No, I'm not receiving any reimbursement for doing this...my kids think I'm crazy for never finding a way to make money from my reviews. But as you might know, Bookworm for Kids is a labor of love. That means that I am never pushed to share a review. So, I'm presenting these books because I really think young readers will enjoy them.

These books come from the Go Go Fun Learning series. This is a musical, singing book collection, which holds over 14 titles. My kids loved books like these when they were small, and this collection has quite the broad assortment as a little more to offer than simple entertainment.

Of course, the music player with the buttons makes it easy for young listeners to choose what they want to hear. The songs are presented in a more childlike fashion (you can head over here to see the demos.) They will quickly pick up on their favorites, no doubt. Each button correlates with a song, which is found on one of the pages. So, it's very easy to use.

For the most part, the songs are already known ones. I was glad to see old nursery rhymes and such included (like Hickory Dickory Dock), since I've noticed that quite a few kids don't seem to know these anymore. 

The collection includes a nice variety of directions...nursery rhymes, lullabies, and Christian songs. But what I also find extremely nice is the foreign language collection. These center around Spanish and Chinese. The English translation is printed along with the Spanish or Chinese one. As a bilingual family, I've noticed that songs tend to stick much faster in young minds than simple words. Plus, older readers, who can read, will enjoy that the two languages are side by side...so much easier to work with.

The illustrations are bright, hold a rounder-cartoon style, and present an energetic and friendly atmosphere. They are easy to identify on the button pad as well.

Summed up, these are fun books, which young readers/listeners are sure to enjoy. And they might learn a few things, too. 

Words from the founder of Go Go Fun Learning...

I’m Tania Wu, a mother and founder of Go Go Fun Learning. I’m always looking to inspire young minds with the joy of language, music, and storytelling. Growing up trilingual, my passion led me to pursue a PhD in literature, teach at UC San Diego, and train in Speech Language Pathology at Boston University. My journey, combined with my background in playing the piano and classical Chinese instruments like the Erhu and Guzheng, fueled the creation of our interactive musical children’s books, the Go Go series.

As winners of the 2024 Mom’s Choice Award and Family Choice Award, at Go Go Fun Learning, we celebrate diversity through melody and rhyme. Our language-learning musical books are available in English, Spanish and Chinese and come with English translations. They blend multicultural musical elements with innovative content, offering a sensory-rich experience that delights little learners. We also offer Christian sound books. Each page comes musically alive with the press of a button, bringing stories, animal adventures, and family-themed songs straight into a child’s hands. In the past year alone, we’ve produced 127 songs in three languages to promote immersive, joyful early learning.

Here's a link to our store:
https://gogofunlearning.com/

Transformers EarthSpark Day for Early Readers

I remember when the very first Transformers appeared, and yes, that probably dates me. It's fun to see that these characters are still going strong. The reluctant readers, whom I know, love things they recognize from videos, movies, and such, and even beginner readers like to visit familiar characters. So, I'm always happy to find reads, which draw these kids in, too.

Let's see how these books do!

TRIO OF TERRANS!

Transformers EarthSpark

Ready-to-Read, Level Two

by Maria Le

Simon Spotlight

Early Reader

ages 5 to 7

EarthSpark is a kids animated series from Nickelodeon and Hasbro introducing the first Transformers bots to be born on Earth, streaming on Paramount+!

Meet a daring new trio of Terran siblings in this Level 2 Ready-to Read based on the show!

Autobot siblings Nightshade, Jawbreaker, and Hashtag have a lot to learn. Join them as they navigate their new world and select their alt-modes!

TRANSFORMERS © 2024 Hasbro. EarthSpark TV series © 2024 Hasbro/Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 GOODREADS    /   AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

Fans of the EarthSpark series will recognize the characters and situations, and root for their favorites until the end.

Nightshade, Jawbreaker, and Hashtag get to step into the spotlight in this fast-paced adventure. And I do mean fast. Right away, Optimus Prime and friends are attacked, and the tension stays high thanks to escapes, captures, villains, and more. Each page thrusts the action forward and exposes one sticky problem after the next. Of course, teamwork is golden and the friendship firm, and the three main characters are awaiting a few surprises too as they grow into the challenge. But then, that's one of the things which makes Transformers inspiring.

On the reading end, this is just right for those, who are sure of their words and are building up reading strength. There's about 2-3 sentences per page, and these are written in large font with wider spacing. The vocabulary does stretch word skills while the action flows. This is a very directly described adventure, which states the events, one right after the other, without any descriptions or puff in between. This makes it great for knowers of the show, but maybe not so much for those who aren't as settled into the characters already.

The illustrations concentrate mostly on the individual Transformers with only snippets of the surrounding scenes here and there. Fans will recognize what's going on right away and enjoy seeing their favorite Transformers and more.

This is a fun book for those, who know the series, and is sure to draw these fans in.

WHAT DWELLS WITHIN

Transformers EarthSpark

adapted by Maggie Testa

Simon Spotlight

Picture Book

24 pages

ages 3 to 7

Robby and his Terran friends fight for their lives while trapped underground in this storybook based on a popular episode of the show.

When Robby’s cybersleeves stop working, the Malto Terrans return to the cave where they were born to find the water Robby needs to heal them. Once there, the friends get stuck in an underground tunnel system with Starscream, Nova Storm, and Skywarp! But the devious bots aren’t the most dangerous thing lurking in the tunnels. Can the group band together when faced with a common enemy?

TRANSFORMERS © 2024 Hasbro. Transformers: EarthSpark TV series © 2024 Hasbro/Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved.

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

Adventure and action shift into high gear as the group of friends do their best to survive.

Robby's and Mo's cybersleeves are no longer working, so they decide to head to the place where the Terrans first appeared, hoping the water there will fix them with its powers. But things go wrong, and the group finds themselves stuck lost in the caves with several very dangerous enemies close behind. Worse yet, they have no idea how to get out.

This short picture book packs a punch and is suitable for those readers, who are pretty sure of their words. It also works well as a read-aloud for individual settings. The print is on the smaller side (white lettering against a dark page), holds around two paragraphs on each page, and helps build word skills as the adventure races along. The tension stays high the entire way through as the group of siblings runs from one dangerous situation into the next. The story glides along nicely and lets even those, who aren't quite as familiar with the characters, sink into the action.

The tension will keep action fans at the edge of their seat, and the illustrations help bring the moments to life. These hold with the text, giving aid to the story flow, but they are also engaging and add to the tension. The dark color tones and constant dimness fit well to the dreary cave atmosphere. However, thanks to the dark coloring of the entire page, the scenes are often very difficult to see. This makes the book less ideal for a group read-aloud, but it's still very entertaining for individual, reading sessions.

The exciting tale grabs and makes this an engaging read, especially for fans, from beginning to end.

Cursed Princess Club Vol. 4 by Lamb Cat

It looks like I'm on a very odd trend, righ  now.  Despite my huge talent for simply picking up books in the middle of a series (or end) without reading the others first, these last days, I'm hitting ones which I've, actually, visited before. It must be a moon/star alignment thing. 

Anyway, today's read is the latest in the Cursed Princess Club series, a graphic novel for teens or middle graders, which takes some very different twists. I'll admit that I've been beginning to wane on this one, since the plot hasn't been seeming to move along anymore, so I'm hoping this book brings some gusto with it.

Guess, it's time to find out.

CURSED PRINCESS CLUB, #4

by Lamb Cat

Webtoon Unscrolled

YA Fantasy

Graphic Novel

320 pages

COMING...

JANUARY 28TH!!!

For fans of Disney princesses and Sailor Moon–style girl power, Cursed Princess Club is a lighthearted story of a young royal who finds her place in a world obsessed with princes, beauty, and happily-ever-afters.

Just because you're cursed doesn't mean you're not special.

Gwendolyn, the youngest of the king's three daughters, is living proof that princesses don't always have it all. She isn't like the other princesses in the Pastel Kingdom. In spite of her big heart and love of baking, Gwendolyn isn't particularly attractive. Unlike her sisters who have woodland creatures do their hair and makeup, or have flowers blossom wherever they sleep, Gwendolyn is a bit. . . different.

When her father proposes marriage for her and her sisters to make an alliance with the Plaid Kingdom, it breaks Gwendolyn's heart to hear that Prince Frederick thinks she's “really ugly.” Overwhelmed and ashamed, she runs away to the forest and encounters the twisted world of the Cursed Princess Club, where her life will never be the same.

In this fourth book of the series, Gwen plans a dinner party with Frederick's help; Frederick spends an afternoon with the Cursed Princesses (without realizing it); and we learn about Prince Whitney. . . all the while Nell's premonition hangs over their heads. The question remains. . . if Nell really is clairvoyant, then who will end up dead?

This volume collects episodes 78-93 of the hit WEBTOON series. A special epilogue features a day with Prince Jamie.

GOODREADS

MY TIDBITS

Gwen, her family, and friends are in for some surprises, which change more than a few things in their already quirky lives.

Gwen and her siblings are miserable after their father, the King, informs each of them about his expectations. It's as if the loving father never understood any of them at all. While her siblings do their best to handle the situations (or mourn them), Gwen is determined to steer clear of embarrassment and heads to the forest to talk to the Cursed Princess Club members...not to ask for their help, though, because they've done too much for her already. Instead, she's going to instruct them to stay away from an invite to the castle. Little does she know that Prince Frederick is following her on a secret mission of his own, one that's going to be completely misunderstood and creates the first step to what might be complete disaster.

While this book starts out with the same trend as the rest of the series, it quickly feeds into several surprising twists and turns. As always, there are misunderstandings, which lead to humorous occurrences...and sometimes, dangerous situations. But the plot starts to take on a new enough direction to demonstrate an over-arching plot, which promises more surprises to come. A couple characters are about to have their worlds turned in a new direction, and with that come some valuable lessons. Of course, these type of changes have their price with this group, which opens the door to tension with the sense of darkness, which makes this group of royalty so fun and unique.

There seems to be a bit more depth in this latest collection, which still stays true to the main message while taking it a step further. Intrigue thickens (well, in the sense that this group tends to run), and it did leave off with me looking forward to see what happens next, more so than the last one did. 

Also, the addition of Prince Frederick's story was a nice add on at the end and gives important richness to the rest of the story while not being overly direct.

I'm looking forward to seeing where the series goes from here because it appears things are going to get interesting in the next episodes.

Journey to the Far Lands by Pirate Sourcil

Today, we're taking a look at the 5th book in the Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior series, a graphic novel adventure with huge nods towards Minecraft and Co. I've, actually, looked at one (or two?) of the earlier books in the series, so I have a pretty good idea how this one is going to go. If it stays true to the rest of the books, that is. 

I've been diving into this series simply because I know more than a few young readers, who adore them. Yes, these kids love video games (especially the one mentioned above), and yes, they are reluctant readers. This is one of the only books I see them grab up and smile about. 

So, off we go to take a look and join in on what should be a quirky adventure!

JOURNEY TO THE FAR LANDS

Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior, #5

Cube Kid

by Pirate Sourcil

Illustrated by Jez and Odone

Andrews McMeel Publishing

Children's Fiction   /  Graphic Novel

96 pages

ages 7 to 11

COMING FEBRUARY 25th!!!

Grab your pickaxes and jump back into the action in this fifth installment of the Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior graphic novel series.

Runt and his crew are back for the fifth installment of the Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior Graphic Novel series. As they prepare for the epic battle against the evil incarnate of Minecraftia: Herobrine, they know they'll be stronger together, but first they have to get Sweetpea on their side. Unfortunately, the baby dragon does what he pleases. As they contemplate their best strategy, Runt and Blurp have the same nightmare: Herobrine won’t let anyone get out alive … unless they give him back Sweetpea. What should they do? Do they stand a chance of defeating Herobrine without losing all their friends? They will need to find courage to face this formidable adversary.

The zany fun continues as Runt embarks on his latest pixelated adventures with his friends. Grab your pickaxe and shovel and get ready for more fun!

GOODREADS   /    AMAZON   /    B&N

MY TIDBITS

Seemingly impossible battles aren't easy to prepare for, but this crew can do it with silly style...or maybe not.

Runt and his friends are getting ready for the huge battle against Herobrine, the evil-of-evilest villains. To do it, though, they're going to need the help of a little dragon. This little dragon has a mind of its own and is almost a battle in and of itself. Still, if they stick together, maybe they can pull this whole thing off.

This read is especially directed at fans of certain video games or those, who simply enjoy digital worlds. While there are obvious parallels to the gaming world for this age group (because this does stay nicely snuggled into the intended audience age level), this is an unique adventure to call its own with fun and quirky characters. The teamwork and friendships make it golden as little Runt keeps determination high, makes quite a few mistakes, and still presses forward to learn and grow. It's a great message for the age group and others.

The tale is fast-paced, packs enough heart to make the characters easy to root for, and always works in a bit of humor to keep things light. Sweetpea is a cute dragon, and his antics will have readers understanding and sympathizing with Runt and his group. The worries and other aspects also add a nice edge, but not enough to darken the story. Just a dab to increase tension, and it works.

The illustrations are, as always, colorful and lively. They accompany the story and add to the atmosphere and humor. The text is never heavy and gently works on word skills, while sinking into the adventures. It's very suited for even reluctant readers.

This is a nice adventure to add to the series and makes sure to keep things interesting so there's not even the slightest sign of boredom yet.