Mom on the Make

Finding fun amidst the chaos of Motherhood

Tom T’s Hat Rack, by Michele Spry

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tom t's hat rackI 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.

Double Fudge, By Judy Blume

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double fudge

Imagineer loves Judy Blume’s Fudge books.

So, its no surprise that Double Fudge ranks at the top of her favorite stories.

She has read this one a handful of times in the past few months.  Its on her kindle and serves as her “go to” book, when she is in between books.

She thought it was silly that we had not posted a review yet on one of her favorite stories.  And, I agreed, so we sat down today for a short interview.

Q. Describe this book in a few sentences

A.  This book is about a boy named Fudge, and his older brother Peter.  Fudge gets interested in money and money becomes his whole life.  Fudge and Peter’s parents get worried and then his Grandma says that they should go to Washington D.C. and show Fudge where money comes from and Peter’s Dad agrees and says it might even help Fudge understand about money.

Q. Describe the main character                    

A.  The main character is probably Peter who is in seventh grade and his brother, Fudge, who is in mixed group, which is an accelerated program, that let kids who have either done kindergarten or are smart enough for 1st grade, but not old enough.

Q.  What is your most favorite scene in the book?

A.  My favorite scene in the book would be when Peter’s friend’s Dad, Mr. Fargo, who is an artist, has an art show and puts Peter’s little sister, Tootsie, on his shoulders and says, “Here is the star of my show, the one, the only Tootsie Pie!”  I like this scene because I like imagining Mr. Fargo with Tootsie on his shoulders and saying “the one, the only, Tootsie Pie.”

Q. Would you recommend this book to your friends?

A.  Yes.  I would recommend this book because it is funny and it is a book you can read over and over, again.

For another review from Imagineer check out Bandit.

Paying Piper, by Ilana Waters

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paying piper

What would you do if your town was overrun by rats?  Would you move?  Would you call an exterminator?  Would you pay someone to calmly lead the little rascals out of your town?

The people of Hamelin Town were faced with this very problem and were offered a unique solution in Paying Piper, by Ilana Waters.

They enlist the help of a mysterious Piper to solve their problem and embark on quite an adventure.  The people of Hamelin Town learn an important lesson in their dealings with the Piper, and this lesson is the heart of this fantastical story about rats and men.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of rat excavation, a whimsical piper, and lessons learned.

Stories that keep you guessing and beckon you to turn the page to see what’s going to happen next are my favorites.  Paying Piper fits into this category for me.  After a critical scene where the Mayor pays the Piper, my head was spinning with the possibilities of how the Piper would react, and I could not wait to turn the page to the next scene to find out.

As I have mentioned before on my blog, I really appreciate it when authors take the time to incorporate important life lessons into their captivating stories.  The lesson learned here is focused on treating others with kindness and respect.

Children learn a great deal from books, and when a lesson is presented in a fun and interesting manner, it will stick with them for years to come.

My 9 year old daughter enjoyed reading Paying Piper as well, and  I sat down with her to ask her a few questions about this delightful fantasy.

Q. Describe this book in a few sentences

A. This book is about a piper who solves 2 problems in the town of Hamelin.  One of the problems he solved was he made the adults be better, kinder, and they didn’t scream and yell at each other as much.

Q. Describe the main character                    

A. The main character is The Piper. The Piper has a pipe, and pointed ears at the tip.

Q.  What is your most favorite scene in the book?

A. My favorite scene in the book is when at the end the rats dress up as the children.

Q. Would you recommend this book to your friends?

A. I would recommend this book to my friends that like fiction or fantasy, books. I would also recommend this book to my friends that like a good, short book.

For another review by Imagineer, check out:  The Secret of Platform 13

“Pandora’s Box”, by Julia Dweck

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pandora's boxWhat 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.

“Pie-Rits”, by Julia Dweck

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I thoroughly enjoyed reading Pie-Rits, by Julia Dweck, to my five year old son, Bam Bam. Pie Rits, by Julia Dweck

The main characters of this magical tale are a cupcake named Sweet Cherry, a French Bread named Pierre, and a crescent roll named Victor.

Pierre and Victor meet Sweet Cherry at the bakery and tell her tales of their ocean trips.  They explain that the Pie-Rits have stolen all of their dough and they need to find them to retrieve it.  They are leaving for their trip and ask Sweet Cherry to join them.

Sweet Cherry agrees and the adventure begins.  I love that the three friends jump into a mixing bowl to sail away in search of the Pie-Rits.  🙂

One of my favorite illustrations in this book is of Sweet Cherry, Pierre, and Victor in their doughnut inner tubes, holding their swords while approaching the Pie-Rit ship.  They look so threatening.  🙂  Really cute.

Once on board the Pie-Rits ship, the battle for the dough begins.  We will not say anymore.  You’ll have to read this magical rhyming tale to find out what happens to Sweet Cherry, Pierre and Victor.  I will say that there is a food fight involved, and as Bam Bam says, “its really funny”.

The rhyming is so much fun to read aloud and the characters are incredibly unique and likable.  I love books that encourage the love of reading in our little ones, and Pie-Rits is definitely one of those books.

Bam Bam was absolutely riveted the whole time.  He pointed to the cleverly illustrated sweet treats and said, “I want one of those.”  You could tell that he could not wait to see what was going to happen on the next page.

My favorite quote from Bam Bam was at the end, when he said, “Can we read the next story about the Pie-Rits now?  PLEASE, where is it, where is the next story?”  He was very insistent on hearing more adventures about the Pie-Rits.  🙂

I sat down with Bam Bam to ask him a few questions about Pie-Rits.  Below are the answers in his own words.

Q.  Describe this book in a few sentences

Pirates and Adventures and it has yummy food in it.  Pirates using swords in big fights.  Goodies against pies.

Q. Who is your favorite character?

A.  Victor, the Crescent Roll.  Because he looks yummy.

Q.  What is your favorite part of the story?

A.  When the Pie-Rits were fighting.

Q.  Did you like the ending?

A.  I liked it when one of the Pie-Rits split.

As I’m writing this review, Bam Bam is saying, “Mom, can you read the Pie-Rits again right now?  Pleeeaaaasssse?”

My nine year old daughter, Imagineer, loved listening to Pie-Rits as well.  In fact, when we went out to run errands the next day, she asked, “Mom, can we go to the bakery to buy a crescent roll named Victor?”  🙂

This book was a big hit in our house, and we look forward to reading more books from Julia Dweck.

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