Kid Konnection: Bubble Tubbie by Epiphany Schwarz

Bubble Tubbie by Epiphany Schwarz, photography by Gil Lempert-Schwarz, Epiphany Schwarz, Brian Swanson, Greg Christman and Studio West Photography
Black Catapult Publishing
ISBN: 978-0985292058
Published 2012
Hardcover, 32 pages

This bright book is perfect for toddlers and  preschoolers who loves bubble baths because through its oversized pages he can venture into imaginative worlds, such as the Bubble Shoe Shop, Bubble Ice Cream Parlor and the Bubble Marsh, which were favorites for me and both my kids. The thick glossy pages explode with original artwork and close-ups of photographic images. Really, this book has a lot for the eyes to feast on.

The rhyming text takes readers on a magical exploration of soap bubble orbs and what we can imagine in them. I particularly liked the many photographs because they can be used as a guessing game of trying to figure out what the close-up of each photo is. The author also includes on every page spread the definition of two words so that new words are learned. At the back of the book, there are vinyl stickers that can be stuck and used over and over on the pages, but also in the bathtub! Both my kids thought this was so cool. 

The book is available in hardcover with a shiny white padded cover, as a waterproof bathtub book with LED light and also as an interactive iPad book app, which includes narration from the author's two daughters, sound effects and all kinds of fun stuff to do. This book is so attractive that my 12 year-old daughter loved looking through it as much as my younger son, and she thought both the artwork and the photos were awesome.

Highly recommended to brighten up the world of any child who loves big books, bright pictures and, of course, bubble baths.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.

Here's a page from the Book app version which gives you an idea how colorful and bright this book is.

Reviewed by Laura and Son and Daughter

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher and Author Marketing Services for sending us this book for review. We were not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Every Saturday, Booking Mama hosts a feature called Kid Konnection—a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, visit Booking Mama.

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Trauma Farm by Brian Brett

Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life by Brian Brett

Post Hypnotic Press

Released Feb 01, 2013

Narrator: Michael Puttonen

Length: 11 hrs, 47 mins, 10 CDs

When I read the synopsis of this book I thought it to be some sort of documentary about our Canadian farms and the meat-packaging industry, but instead it's a memoir of journalist and poet Brian Brett as he recounts the eighteen years he spent on his farm, which he refers to as Trauma Farm, situated in British Columbia on an island called Salt Spring Island which is nestled up against the east side of Vancouver Island. I looked it up and found it to be stunning.

Brett's writing is beautiful and his love of nature and the land are immediately apparent in his description of the flora and fauna, the farm animals, their behaviour (funny and awe-inspiring) and his experience with it all. Brett chooses not to write in chronological order but instead describes the eighteen years in one day, beginning with his memories of walking naked in the darkness of night on his 10-acre land, and on to the dawn, morning and so forth of that eighteen-year day.

Brett is forthright and honest about his opinions and observations on everything to do with farming. I marvelled at his discussion of the humble but versatile egg and also that of the honeybee, but I cringed and was saddened when he spoke of the horrific condition of animals on commercial farms. He speaks fondly of his everyday life experiences with his wife Sharon. And there are funny moments in the book, intimate moments too. I appreciated Brett's wisdom acquired from life on the farm and his reflections of it, even though I disagreed with his beliefs on evolution.

Being a city girl, I learned quite a few things listening to the musings of this poet-farmer and it made me long for the time when I believe (in the future under God's rule) we will go back to living in a paradise, a beautiful garden, as the Earth was meant to be, and be in harmony with the land, going back to a way of life that has becoming lost and destroyed by greed and commercialism. I even envied Brett his experiences with the land and farm, something I barely know about, and feel it as a loss.

Sometimes Brett lost me as he rambled on about everything along with his philosophical views only because there was no chronological order and his poetic mind could take on one subject after another. But for the most part, his humanity appealed to me and kept me listening.

I think that narrator Michael Puttonen captures well the voice of Brett, his moments of irony and humour. He conveys the feelings the author has of the farm life he muses on. I recommend this to readers who love memoirs, nature and learning about the life of farming.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to Post Hypnotic Press for sending me this audiobook for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Sound Bytes is hosted by Devourer of Books, a weekly Friday meme where you can link up your audio book reviews.

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The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas

The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas
The Overlook Press
ISBN: 978-1468302462
Published January 10, 2013
Hardcover, 480 pages

Mair Ellis finds an exquisite shawl, the craftsmanship of which is unparalleled today, as she is clearing out her dead parents' house. Along with it she finds the lock of a child's curly hair. With her adventurous spirit, Mair sets out to find out all she can about the shawl which belonged to her grandmother. She traces it back to Kashmir, India, where her grandparents Nerys and Evan Watkins did missionary work. There she embarks on a quest that changes her life.

The story alternates with that of her newlywed grandmother Nerys in 1941 during WWII when she and her husband Evan live a simple life doing missionary work in a remote area of India. When Nerys suffers a miscarriage, Evan sends her with friends to rest in Kashmir, an exotic lakeside city, where the British dance, have affairs and gossip, while he travels on a missionary assignment elsewhere. There Nerys learns a lot about herself and what makes her happy. She becomes involved with three people who become key players in her life, Myrtle, Rainer and Caroline.

Although the book has a slow start and some slow parts throughout, Thomas is a great storyteller as she brings her story from the present to the past and weaves the two together. India is exotic and poor, and I learned so much about the fascinating art of shawl weaving. Both the present story and the historical one kept my interest. There is a scene in Mair's story that is heartbreaking. I also couldn't help but be reminded a little of The Great Gatsby as I read the historical one because of how the British socialized. The War affected the British society in India, and I can appreciate this was hard on wives whose husbands left to fight. It was touching to see how Nerys and Myrtle came to the aid of one of the women.

Nerys is a level-headed woman who is unsure about her faith except she loves her role in helping the children in the missionary post. She doesn't have a relationship with God, but she is kind and generous and self-sacrificing. But she does eventually engage in an affair with another man who falls in love with her. She feels absolutely no guilt about doing so and she gives no thought to what this relationship will mean to her lover, especially when her husband returns. This made me uncomfortable as it seemed that the book's message was that having an affair could actually spice up one's marriage and would not affect a woman's relationship with her husband. I could understand what drove one of the other women to have an affair but not Nerys. Her husband was not perfect but neither did he deserve to be cuckolded.

I can see that quite a lot of research went into the writing of this epic novel with storytelling that pulled me in and kept me turning the pages. I was invested in the story, but not always in the characters.

Note: This book is rated S = sex scenes, not too explicit and P = profanity for some religious expletives.

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher and  from Author Marketing Services for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

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Frozen in Time by Mitchell Zuckoff

Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff
HarperCollins
ISBN: 978-0062133434
Published May 2013
Hardcover, 400 pages

Have you ever read a thriller novel where extraordinary and harrowing things happen to the characters but somehow they get through it against all odds? Well, that's what it was like reading Frozen in Time, except that it's not fiction, it's the true-life thrilling story of how a handful of WWII officers crashed into the barren and frozen Ice Cap of Greenland and survived for months. The story also alternates with the present story of a quest to find the lost Grumman Duck plane and the frozen remains of three officers.

Just as he did with Lost in Shangri-La, Zuckoff once again blew me away with his writing, bringing to life through narrative prose these valiant men, their adventures, their survival stories, and their families. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew these people personally. This is the gift of Zuckoff's writing. He allows the reader to truly get to know the people he writes about—not just facts, but their hopes and dreams—making the reading experience a touching one.

I didn't know a thing about Greenland, but Zuckoff makes sure the reader understands what kind of land it is just so one could appreciate all the obstacles the survivors encountered and how miraculous their survival really was. There were several times I choked up with tears as I read about these men's self-sacrificing acts and their mental anguish.

This was a suspenseful read. I could feel the relentless cold, hear the howling wind through the many snowstorms and feel the fear as the men had to trudge through snow and watch out for hidden crevasses that were bottomless. I kept marveling at the men's resilience and ingenuity. One of the things that kept the men's hope alive was the power of prayer. Zuckoff writes that they prayed daily, stating, “There were no atheists in their ice hole.”

Zuckoff makes it clear in his note to the reader that he takes no liberties with facts, dialogue, characters, details or chronology. This nonfiction work is based on his thorough research in the form of declassified documents, maps, photographs, interviews and previously unknown journals. He also joined the expedition team that travelled to the remote glacier in Greenland in search of the lost Grumman Duck plane. He tells us firsthand all about it.

I am counting this book as a favorite of 2013. I am a big fan of Zuckoff and will read anything by him, knowing that I am in for a well-written, exciting, and grand story.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read with the exception of 2 f-words when quoting the words of a US Coast Guard commander.
For more reviews, please visit the TLC Book Tour Page.

Watch the book trailer:

About the Author:
Mitchell Zuckoff is the author of Lost in Shangri-La, a New York Times bestseller and winner of the Winship/PEN New England Award. His previous books include Robert Altman: The Oral Biography and Ponzi’s Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend. He has written for national and regional publications and is a former special projects reporter for the Boston Globe, where he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for investigative reporting. He is a professor of journalism at Boston University and lives outside Boston.

Find out more about Zuckoff at his website, connect with him on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter.

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

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Mailbox Monday and It's Monday, What Are You Reading? May 13 Edition

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia who now blogs at To Be Continued. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Abi at 4 the Love of Books is hosting for the month of May. You can also view the touring blog list here for the upcoming months.

Current Giveaways:

Mira's Diary: Home Sweet Rome by Marissa Moss (Ends May 20)
The Happiness Handbook by Jenn Flaa (Ends May 21)

Review Books:

However Long the Night by Aimee Molloy

In However Long the Night, Aimee Molloy tells the unlikely and inspiring story of Molly Melching, an American woman whose experience as an exchange student in Senegal led her to found Tostan and dedicate almost four decades of her life to the girls and women of Africa.

This moving biography details Melching's beginnings at the University of Dakar and follows her journey of 40 years in Africa, where she became a social entrepreneur and one of humanity's strongest voices for the rights of girls and women.

Inspirational and beautifully written, However Long the Night: Molly Melching's Journey to Help Millions of African Women and Girls Triumph is a passionate entreaty for all global citizens. This book is published in partnership with the Skoll Foundation, dedicated to accelerating innovations from organizations like Tostan that address the world's most pressing problems.

Life is Full of Sweet Spots: An Exploration of Joy by Mary O'Connor

Explore and connect with the niches and nuances of the earth, the sea and sky, our bodies, minds and souls—the places where joy resides. Come away with new understanding of life and how its beauty and powers make us inwardly hum, how gardening or stargazing, touching something wild, listening to the sounds of silence, learning and loving, just simply being, all feed our emotional wellness and craving for joy.

• Meet and read the personal reflections of over 40 artists and individuals from 20 states, Canada and Australia who share the ways and places in which they found fulfillment or simple contentment in life.

• Find nuggets of insight, supportive research and notable quotes that will help illuminate your own sweet spots of life.

• Stretch your mind and nurture your creativity through more than 150 listings and links to actual places, activities and resources for turning the discovery of joy into an everyday affair.

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. This is where we keep track of what we are currently reading and plan to read.  The kidlit version is hosted by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

Read and reviewed:
The Journey by John A. Heldt (good time travel story)
While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax (audiobook review of fun story)
Nalah and the Pink Tiger by Anne Sawyer-Aitch (gorgeous illustrations!)

Currently Reading:
The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen
True (...Sort of) by Katherine Hannigan (with my son)
Namesake by Sue MacLeod (with my daughter)

Hope you all have a great reading week!

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