Rosco the Rascal at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade by Shana Gorian

I finished reading this book three days ago and my review follows Gorian’s book blurb found on Amazon.

“This time it’s not Rosco who’s been making mischief – it’s the leprechauns! Rosco and Sparks are marching in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade accompanied by Rosco’s owners, brother and sister, James and Mandy. But Mandy thinks the leprechauns have jinxed her with bad luck, so when Sparks goes missing, what will it take for Rosco and the kids to find him? And will Mandy be able to restore her good luck, or will the leprechauns ruin her St. Patrick’s Day? Find out in this heartwarming, family adventure, complete with charming illustrations within the chapters. It’s the latest in the Rosco the Rascal series and the perfect addition to your child’s March reading list.”

I found Rosco to be an engaging character right from the start! Rosco the Rascal at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade had me hooked by the gorgeous cover art, and then by the magical story of the St Patrick Day Parade. Whether Irish or not, leprechauns are wonderful for children of all ages to read about. Old Irish folklore is harder for younger children to understand, but this allows for older children, parents, etcetera to get involved with their child and reading with them. Will Sparks be found? Can one be jinxed by a leprechaun? I highly recommend this fantastic children’s book and must rate this book as five stars!

The Cabin Jesus Built by A. M. Lewis

I just finished reading this book and my review follows the authors book blurb found on Amazon.

“The Cabin Jesus Built is a work of Christian Fiction set in Lapland. It follows four families from very different backgrounds as they travel to Santa’s Village for the holidays. A bus accident on the way to the village tests their faith and their strength as they struggle to stay alive in the cold Arctic wilderness.”

The Cabin Jesus Built is truly inspirational and with a multitude of different characters coming together in a snow storm after their bus wrecked. The many messages are clear and one must believe and has faith. For the above I rate this book as five stars. Heads Up: If you read this book from a cell phone like I did, please know that some areas look like they need editing and that isn’t necessarily true.

The Big Cheese Festival eBook is #FREE for three days August 5th through 7th! Grab your copy today and help children build their self-esteem!

There are issues that plague all children as they grow up. Each child struggles with identifying who they are as a person, how they relate to other people and how to find out what they believe in. Children can be cruel to each other while they learn how to navigate the messy world of emotions. This can come out in the form of bullying. In The Big Cheese Festival the authors explore the concept of bullying and how it can impact the life of another. What may seem like funny and harmless words to one can truly hurt another. We’ve got a fantastical world of anthropomorphic mice, one of whom only has half a tail. He is named Stubby and due to the unkind bullying from his brother’s friend worries about whether or not he’ll find any worth in himself.

Bullying is a big issue to tackle. Some children’s books try to address this and drop the ball completely. Jackson and Raymond have bundled up the idea of bullying in their book. They take an obvious difference, like having half of a tail, and use it to illustrate how others might react to something so clearly different from the norm. It’s a cute book with the little mice getting ready for a festival. Cutter Mouse, who is friends with Stubby’s brother, is the perpetrator or of the bullying. It is often someone close to the bullied who begins the abuse, which Jackson and Raymond have captured here.

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I just finished A Dog Named Derf by Raven H. Price and my review follows the authors book blurb found on Amazon.

“Derf has a mission. He wants to share with everyone, young and old, how a loving Creator along with the Holy Spirit rescued him as a puppy and gave him a wonderful life.
He was blessed with a loving home and two wonderful human parents, an extended human family and five cats.
With Daddy Ralph, his parent, and best friend. Derf spends twelve short years enjoying fellowship, going on adventures and watching over those they loved
Allow Derf to tell his amazing story of salvation, love, overcoming trials and learning not to fear even death and loss.”

This was an endearing read for me and is a great read for the entire family. I loved how the story was told from the dog, Derf, point of view. The whole gamut of emotions is felt right from the beginning with Derf losing two sibling puppies, and happiness follows this sorrow. I dislike thinking of all the animals that fend for themselves in a cold and vicious reality of the needs for food and shelter. Price brings the Holy Spirit into this short story and that is comforting. Derf was loved by Price and her husband, and when you lose a pet it is a difficult thing to deal with. Some say it is like losing a child, but that it is not. Having lost lifelong pets and two children, I know how much harder child loss is in real life. I cried buckets over losing my pets as well. Due to grammar and editing issues, I can only give four stars at this time. Upon being edited, I will adjust my review accordingly.  

The Good Teacher: Women of Willow Wood Book 1 by Lorraine Carey.

I just finished reading this book and my review follows the authors book blurb found on Amazon.

“When first-year teacher Daniella Reyes starts teaching at a new school she is frightened by the crows that follow her everywhere. As a woman with highly empathic abilities and the victim of child abuse, she is tuned to pick up the vibes from abused children in her classroom. She’s desperate to help them while trying to cling to a normal life with Luke. As she slowly discovers the secrets of a powerful, ancient cult, and New Mexico’s hidden world opens up to her, she finds that her life is anything but normal. She must make a life-altering sacrifice if she wants to save the children, her father’s soul, and her own life.

This paranormal thriller is book 1 of Women of the Willow Wood.”

When suspense is woven around darkness, supernatural, emotional abuse, mixed with engaging characters makes The Good Teacher a great read! I thought the heroine (Dani) was somewhat into herself looks wise and that created a sensual feeling for the romance lovers. The protagonist starts off her first full year of teaching in a school in New Mexico. Dani had no idea of the huge impact the school year would have on her life. One teacher is friendly and fun, mixed with a principal who was rather evil, and then paranormal things start happening. Dani relieves her own abusive childhood, and her new students are important to her, especially the ones who are suffering abuse. A fun read all around. Needs slight edits done, a five star book.