Review: Jenny's First Catch by Susan Sachs Levine

Today's book caught my eye thanks to the super sweet Roseate Spoonbill chick on the front. Isn't Jenny cute? This book hit my expectations and surpassed them...but I'm not writing my review here. You have to peek further down to see it.

I'm asking about birds...thinking about birds...wondering about birds. And believe it might soon be time to head to the zoo to see some like Jenny. Or I'd have to take a trip to the Everglades. Road trip, anyone?

JENNY'S FIRST CATCH

An Adventure with Florida's Wading Birds

by Susan Sachs Levine

Illustrated by Irene Bofill

Mascot Books

Picture Book

38 pages

ages 4 to 8

Jenny wants to surprise her mom and teach herself how to fish. So, Jenny goes on an adventure through a mangrove estuary where she meets several different wading birds including a White Ibis, Wood Stork, Snowy Egret, and Great Blue Heron. Each bird tries to teach Jenny how to fish, but Jenny’s big spoonbill just won’t work like the other birds’ bills! Young readers will learn all about Florida’s wading birds, as Jenny discovers important lessons about perseverance and being true to herself.

BOOK DEPOSITORY / GOODREADS / AMAZON  / B&N

BOOK BLINK

                                                         * very cute illustrations

                                                         * tale with heart...and well-written

                                                         * great for story time

                                                         * offers tons of information about water birds

                                                         * teaches about bill shapes and purposes

MY TIDBITS

Not only is this a super sweet story just as it is, but the author has done an amazing job at weaving in tons of bird facts and that without even slightly jarring the tale.

Jenny has fledged and can't wait to learn how to catch fish on her own. And that sparks an idea—she's going to impress her mother and catch one right away on her own. Realizing that she has zero knowledge and experience, she seeks out various water birds and asks them to help her out. But this whole catching fish thing might not be as simple as she expected it to be.

The cover caught my eye on this one...and my daughter's, too, since she immediately shoved the book into my hands and asked me to read it to her (and she's no longer in the intended audience age group.) This tale was surprisingly extremely well done. The story flows effortlessly and allows listeners/readers to sink right in. Jenny is simply a sweet bird, and it's hard not to like her as she does her best to give her mom a surprise. The other birds are kind and friendly, doing their best as well. And that's where even humor dips in.

Bird lovers and animal lovers are going to enjoy this one, too. While the story itself is amazing enough to hold its own, the author has build in water bird facts on the side of several pages. These 'bubbles' of information do not disturb the story, while reading it, but if a reader wants to come back and learn more about each type of bird, they can. The information in these is easy to understand while delivering a good overview about each species. Plus, the tale is all about Jenny fishing...and while that doesn't sound like much on the surface, it teaches readers about bill shapes without them even realizing it. I honestly can give extra kudos on this front.

The only slightly stumble I had (and my daughter) is on the last page, where each bird pipes up again. But that tiny-tinsy bit by no means whatsoever made me see this book in anything but a super-positive light. And on the last pages....as bonus material for teachers, homeschoolers and such....there is more than a little extra information offered, which opens up an entire session on learning about these birds. But since it's the last pages, that leaves this book open to simply reading for fun as well.

In other words, this book is getting an extra star from me.

Review: Inspector Dewey by Kristen Heimerl with Giveaway!

INSPECTOR DEWEY

by Kristen Heimerl
Illustrated by Irene Bofill
Orange Frazer Press
32 pages
Picture Book ages 4+

My name is Dewey--Inspector Dewey.

I live in the big green house on Hampshire Avenue with my family: Thumper, Lily, and Anna. I am the Big Cat—responsible for keeping everyone safe and in order. I do this quite well, in spite of the fact that managing my family is like, well, herding cats!

Mostly our life is peaceful. But one night it wasn’t. That was the night the bad guy showed up on our block. Of course, I knew exactly how to outsmart the outlaw, but—miserable mullet!—would Anna and the police understand my instructions?

To find out how the adventure ended, you’ll have to read my book. But I’ll give you a hint: there’s a reason I’m called Inspector Dewey.

Fifty percent of the profits from the sale of this book will fund veterinary care for pets whose families are in financial need, so that the animals can remain in their homes and out of the shelter system.

BECAUSE PETS BELONG WITH THEIR PEOPLE™

To learn more, visit threenorwegians.com

 

MY TIDBITS

The moment I saw this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. A detective cat, and one as cute as the one pictured on the cover, was bound to win over the hearts of my kids (and probably me too).

I'll just start with the illustrations because those are the heart of picture books, and in this case, are especially enjoyable. I and my children fell in love with the artwork. The characters are lovingly illustrated and so enjoyable to watch that we were flipping through the pages the second we got the cover open.Of course, my daughter wants a cat just like Dewey now. The illustrations never act as an after-thought but accompany the story, adding a bit of fun as well as clarity. I, myself, could look at them again and again.

The story is cute! There's a nice amount of mystery, adventure and tension but never anything which could push the borders of being inappropriate for kids. It was nice to see that a good mystery doesn't have to involve violence or injury or any of those sorts of things at all. Just like the mystery itself, Dewey's sleuth techniques are kept fairly believable with a small dash of fantasy. This lovely mixture had my daughter certain that her pets might be secret super sleuths too. She's just waiting for the fitting mystery to prove her right.

I'm hoping this is the beginning of a series. Not only is Dewey a great character, but his sidekicks are sweet and hold so much potential. All characters are thoroughly introduced in the beginning (something my kids weren't totally hooked on and I found a bit long-winded), but it gave us the impression that there will be several Dewey adventures still to come. If this is the case, I found the descriptions appropriate.

The story is told in a child friendly way with humored phrases peppered in. I loved these, although many of them went over my kids heads. Some of these phrases as well as the vocabulary will require explanation, which is by no means a bad thing. I simply suggest that parents read this with their children the first few times. And even then, I wouldn't recommend this to the youngest readers since the descriptions and wording are more fit for school kids and a little long for the litter ones. The youngest, however, will still love the illustrations. My children especially loved the mixture of sounds and character reactions - claimed it was original and so much fun.

This is a high quality book made, written and illustrated with tons of love. It's a joy to read and, I think kids 5+ will enjoy it. But parents beware - your kids might be begging for a pet cat detective of their own.

And here she is. . .

Kristen Heimerl!!!

Marketing Officer, Strategy Expert, Innovator and Brand Builder, Kristen’s business career spans 20+ years serving the biggest brands in industry and the biggest hearts of start-ups and entrepreneurs. Kristen revels in bringing compelling products and services to life and helping leaders and individuals with big dreams realize their big goals.

Kristen’s life joys include her 2+ year obsession creating the most beautiful self-published picture book possible, the breathtaking forests and lakes of her Minnesota birthplace, the family that really does love her no matter what, and her three magnificent Norwegian Forest Cats who together, with Kristen, helped catch the bad guy on their block that inspired her upcoming book (stake out and high speed chase included!)

She holds a master of science in eCommerce from Carnegie Mellon University, an MBA from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management, and a BA from the University of St. Thomas. As the great transformer in her life, Kristen supports others’ education and literacy as an adjunct professor of business and strategy and, more recently, through her children’s book, Inspector Dewey (Available September 2015).

Kristen’s site for her work “Inspector Dewey” will be premiering on May 31st, 2015. In addition, you can read more about Kristen’s work at threenorwegians.com, also live on May 31st.

Connect with Kristen:   Website  ~   Facebook Author  ~   Facebook Inspector Dewey

GIVEAWAY!!!

Prizes: ​

1) 1 of 10 copies of Inspector Dewey (International) or

2) 1 of (4) $20 Amazon gift cards (international) or

3) 5 books to the literacy non profit, library or school of your choice (USA only) or

4) $100 payable for vet visit for family/pet in need (USA only)

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