I had the pleasure of reading the heartwarming story, Tom T’s Hat Rack, by Michele Spry, this past week and wanted to share my thoughts with you.

The story is about a delightful fourth grader, Shelby, and how she tackles and completes a very meaningful project during her summer vacation.

This is not an ordinary summer project.  This is a project that focuses solely on giving back to her community with the help of her good friend, Mr. T.

When all of the kids in her fourth grade class are talking about their grand travel plans for the upcoming summer break, Shelby is excited to stay in her home town and spend time with her neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. T, who also happen to be her babysitters while her parents are at work.

Little does Shelby know what Mr. T has in store for her during this particular summer when he asks her to help him with a building project.  Even though Mr. T keeps what they are building a secret until the very end, Shelby dives in, works hard, and helps Mr. T build every day during her summer break.

When the great reveal of what they have built takes place, Shelby is overwhelmed with delight.  Showing her caring nature, she comes up with another project to complement the one they completed which will help even more people in her community.

The character of Shelby is simply wonderful.  She thinks about others before herself and displays a positive attitude wherever she goes.  Her effervescent personality puts smiles on faces and spreads a warmth that is eagerly received by others in her life.

She is trustworthy, hardworking, creative, and kind.  As I read through the story, I found myself hoping that elementary and middle school age kids read this book and receive the message of giving back, hard work, persistence, and kindness.

I highly recommend this book for elementary and middle school age readers.  They will be taken through a well written story while learning the valuable lesson of giving back.

The illustrations throughout the book are simply stunning.  They are incredibly lifelike and unique.  Very impressive indeed.

We will definitely be on the lookout for more heartwarming stories by Michele Spry in the future.

What happens when a curious penguin finds a mysterious golden box in the icy waters of the Pole?  Pandora the Penguin and her friends can tell you…..something magical!

Bam Bam and I read “Pandora’s Box”, by Julia Dweck, tonight and were treated to a wonderful story with an important life lesson.

Pandora is a penguin who lives in the Pole.  One day as she is skating, she falls in the ice, and discovers a mysterious box in the water below the ice.

Even though all of her brothers and friends urge Pandora to not open the box, she stands strong and remains curious enough to push away their warnings.  She does not let fear and peer pressure rule her decision.  Instead, her curiosity and confidence to trust in herself, prompt her to continue to try to open the box.

What is inside the box is for you to find out, but we will tell you it is something wonderful.

Pandora discovers something in the box that is beyond anything she could have imagined.  Her discovery is something that multitudes of animals and people have had the opportunity to admire and enjoy throughout history.

Without Pandora’s steadfastness and bravery, this discovery would never have been made, and many people and animals would have missed out on something amazing.

As written in the book about Pandora, “She didn’t waddle with the flow”.  Because of Pandora’s leadership and willingness to break free of the group and explore on her own, she is rewarded.

The lesson of thinking for yourself, being brave, and not following the flow is something I try to instill in my kids every day.  Its so nice when a captivating story reinforces this lesson in such an entertaining way.

The illustrations by Chris Robertson are wonderful and really make you feel like you’re in the Pole with the penguins, humpbacks, and seals.

Bam Bam was captivated by Pandora’s story and I could tell that he couldn’t wait to get to the next page, as the next page brought us closer to finding out what was inside the mysterious box.

Even though, after the first reading, Bam Bam knew the contents of the box, we have now read Pandora’s story at least five times in the last day, at Bam Bam’s request.  🙂

I asked Bam Bam a few questions about the story, and the answers are below in his own words:

Q. What was your favorite part?

A.  When they opened the box, because I was curious.

Q.  Who was your favorite character?

A. Pandora. Because her friends listened to her.

Q.  What did you like most about the book?

A.  When Pandora finds the box.

Q.  What would you tell your friends about this book?

A.  Its a fun book with a mystery box.

You can tell by Bam Bam’s response to the second question above that he received the message.  If you show leadership, others will listen to you and respect you.  Be a great example, do not always go with the group, be brave, and good things will follow.

We also recently had the pleasure of reading Julia Dweck’s Pie-Rits, which is a magical rhyming tale about bakery treats, pirates, and ocean adventures.  Check out our Pie-Rits review here.