The Fairview Review: November 2022

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Honeycake: A Helping Hand Virtual Tour

ABOUT THE BOOK

Honeycake: A Helping Hand

Written by Medea Kalantar

Illustrated by i Cenzial

Ages 4+ | 33 Pages

Publisher: Medea Kalantar | ISBN-13: 9781777289768

Publisher’s Book Summary: In the sixth installment of the delightful Honeycake book series, Nala’s uncles, Victor and George, take her to a fundraiser where she meets Alexis, a girl with an artificial arm. Through her interactions, Nala learns that you are never too young to lend “a helping hand,” that it’s okay to be different, and that being different doesn’t stop you from doing great things in life.

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon

Bookshop

Barnes and Noble

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Medea Kalantar is a Reiki master and practitioner, a Guinness World Record Holder, and a multi-award-winning, best-selling author of the Honeycake Book Series(TM). Inspired to write these books when she became a grandmother, Kalantar’s stories are based on her own family, whose members come from many ethnic backgrounds. This unique mix is a perfect recipe—just like the spices in a honey cake. That is why she calls her grandchildren her little Honeycakes.

With all the negativity in the world, Medea Kalantar’s series is a much-needed glimmer of hope and positivity. The Honeycake Book Series(TM) teaches valuable life lessons, giving children the tools to overcome obstacles in their everyday lives. The Honeycake books teach children about diversity, acceptance, kindness, mindfulness, trust, and gratitude. This series will enlighten, empower, educate, and entertain children and their families for generations to come.

https://honeycakebooks.com/

https://www.instagram.com/honeycakebooks/

https://twitter.com/honeycakebooks

https://www.amazon.com/Medea-Kalantar/e/B07PDJ4F93

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18921007.Medea_Kalantar

TOUR SCHEDULE

Friday, November 18, 2022

The Children’s Book Review

A book review of Honeycake: A Helping Hand

Monday, November 21, 2022

Me Two Books

A book review of Honeycake: A Helping Hand

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

icefairy’s Treasure Chest

A book review of Honeycake: A Helping Hand

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Barbara Ann Mojica’s Blog

A book review of Honeycake: A Helping Hand

Thursday, November 24, 2022

The Children’s Book Review

An interview with Medea Kalantar

Friday, November 25, 2022

The Momma Spot

A book review of Honeycake: A Helping Hand

Monday, November 28, 2022

The Frugal Grandmom

A book review of Honeycake: A Helping Hand

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Life Is What It’s Called

An interview with Medea Kalantar

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

A book review of Honeycake: A Helping Hand

Thursday, December 1, 2022

The Fairview Review

A book review of Honeycake: A Helping Hand

Friday, December 2, 2022

The Children’s Book Review

Instagram Reel of Honeycake: A Helping Hand

Virtual tour in partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Medea Kalantar.

Monday, November 28, 2022

Fall Reading 2022 Not a Detective

I enjoyed the character and how her ability to solve mysteries came as a surprise to her and everyone else. I think many young people have skills they don't recognize until the need for them arises, just like Lucy. And I know from my own students that many of them notice details that others overlook, so if they could put them together the way she does, they could also figure out things that others have missed. That makes Lucy a believable character, even if some of the situations she finds herself in are overly dramatic (brother falsely accused of murder, rich recluse who suddenly decides to hire an amateur sleuth to solve the mystery of his wife's death, etc.) The school-based events seem more real-life, but I realize that higher stakes such as suspicious deaths make a more gripping story. The similarity of teens in Lucy's hometown to teens elsewhere should make the story appealing for young adult readers from multiple areas. The puzzles she receives from a mysterious email sender are also a fun way for readers to try their skills against hers.

The supporting characters - her best friend (Susan), her family, the school's information broker (Patrick), and the local police - all play their parts in supporting, or hindering, Lucy's investigations. The fact that she can take something she saw, something she overheard, and put it together with other facts to come up with a different theory than everyone else makes her a possible peer for young sleuths such as Nancy Drew or Enola Holmes. This may be her first outing, but it won't be her last.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Saturday, November 5, 2022

Fall Reading 2022 How to Catch a Class Pet

This series is a kid-pleaser. Whether young readers are interested in dragons, mermaids, or unicorns, the rhyming text and charming illustrations offer laughs on every page. This new title was released in time for back to school read-alouds in classrooms everywhere. The students in the book are eager to return to school, but stop to have a little fun on the playground before class begins. The scene allows readers to see what those playing outside the school don't notice - the pets are on cell phones! When the bell rings and everyone heads inside, the pets have all disappeared. Plans are made and traps are constructed so that the pets can be reclaimed during recess. But all the preparation doesn't work and kids head back inside empty-handed.

Whether youngsters read on their own or with a parent, everyone will get a laugh out of seeing the "Petchat" app, the bearded dragon holding up a sign urging the other pets to play hide & seek from the kids, or the turtle standing against a green wall so that he is overlooked by searchers. Those classes and libraries who already have the previous books must be sure to add this title. For those who are only encountering the series for the first time, this introduction will show how much entertainment can be expected from the other books. Betcha can't read just one!

Fall Reading 2022 Gustav & Henri

Henri and her irrepressible friend Gustav have incredible fun together. Whether they are visiting the moon to retrieve their badminton shuttlecock, traveling through time to return an overdue library book, or celebrating Pig Day, they always manage to enjoy their escapades.

Gustav comes up with ridiculous ideas like a pig-shaped spaceship, but Henri actually seems the more sensible of the pair. She builds the spaceship while Gustav sleeps, although "as anyone who has tried it will know–it is almost impossible to build a spaceship quietly." When their trip into the past ends with a T-Rex chasing them, it is Henri who thinks of a way to escape. And when the beautiful cake that Gustav made for their Pig Day celebration disappears, it is Henri who works out the mystery.

The cast of supporting characters are just as entertaining. There is King Steve the Best, King of the Moon whom they met during their space journey. Cassandra, the Librarian, who was the reason for their trip through time. And Robert Swan, who believes he was mistakenly invited to the Pig Day party. They might challenge our heroes to a pancake-eating contest, or double permanently hyper-cancel their library cards, or plot to steal their cake - but friendship and good intentions will triumph.

Additional laughs come from the extra material at the end of each story. Readers can enjoy Gustav's recipe for Victory Nachos or smile at Henri's shopping list (which includes baked beans and hydraulic gorilla arms). I chuckled over Cassandra's comment, "Ahh, my favorite page of the book! The publishing information!"

A good choice for kids who have already gobbled up all the Elephant and Piggie books and want more best-friend stories.

Thursday, November 3, 2022

Can You Spot the Leopard? Virtual Book Tour

ABOUT THE BOOK

Can You Spot the Leopard? An African Safari

Created by Karen B. Winnick

Ages 7+ | 48 Pages

Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group | ISBN-13: 978-1626349759

Publisher’s Book Synopsis: Can You Spot the Leopard? is author/artist Karen B. Winnick’s newest picture book, an adventuresome African safari presented through poems and full-color paintings. Readers begin at sunrise, climbing into a jeep for a bumpy ride to view the wondrous animals as they would on a real safari. All the poems are based on real observations of what animals do in the wild, related in an accessible way. There’s even a sighting, finally, of the elusive leopard, before returning to safari camp under a starry night. At the back of the book, further information is related about each animal. A fun, informational, educational adventure to read and reread.

Ms. Winnick is an animal enthusiast, president of the Los Angeles Zoo Commission, and author of more than a dozen picture books, including Gemina: The Crooked-Neck Giraffe, How Lucky Got His Shoe, and Mr. Lincoln’s Whiskers.

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon

Bookshop

Barnes and Noble

MY REVIEW

Colorful paintings illustrate the poems about African wildlife in this beautiful book. Readers are taken on a safari past a lake full of flamingos, herds of gazelles, elephants playing in the mud, and other amazing sights. Sometimes the text asks questions to make the reader stop and ponder. “Does a zebra foal know its mother from the pattern of her stripes?” On other pages it might describe a crocodile as “an old, warped barge” or a black rhino as “a stalled armored truck.” The poems capture the appearance or behaviors of each animal included in the book. The illustrations show details of coloration, activity, and habitat for a guinea hen and her chicks rushing through the grass, a lion lazing on a rock ledge, or meerkats sprawled in the sun. As the light fades the solitary leopard emerges from the shadows, “a prowler in the dark.” This book would make a wonderful present for a child who is fascinated by animals. The images and careful word choice create an enjoyable exploration of faraway fauna. It would also be a good mentor text to use in the classroom when studying poetry, or looking at ways to present information other than a straight recitation of facts.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KAREN B. WINNICK is the author of more than a dozen picture books for children, most of which she illustrated. An animal lover, she serves on several boards devoted to the well-being of animals. She’s a graduate of Syracuse University, mother of three grown sons, grandmother of eight, and minder of five pups.

For more visit, karenbwinnick.com.

TOUR SCHEDULE

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

The Children’s Book Review