Tag: friendship stories

REVIEW: Bear in a Bathrobe by Maddie Frost

REVIEW: Bear in a Bathrobe by Maddie Frost

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

When Bear’s friends invite him out to go ice skating, he always has an excuse. Bear is not a big fan of the outdoors – especially because he gets to wear his cozy bathrobe when he stays inside!

But Bear’s friends have special things that help them when they feel scared – a special scarf or a lucky hat. Maybe if Bear had a cozy special something he could feel brave enough to join his friends!

Review

This is super cute!! I fell in love with Maddie Frost’s illustrations when I read her Wombats series earlier this year. So I had to check out this picture book  – and it is gorgeous! I love her art style and the cute touches in her spreads. The liner papers in this are rows of coffee/cocoa mugs, and they are darling.

The story here is both funny and inspiring. It’s a friendship story while also being a story about being scared and trying something new anyway. And Bear’s ice skating adventure isn’t perfect. But he’s okay and able to roll with the ups and downs.

This would be a lot of fun to read aloud. And I think kids will want to get up close so they can pour over the artwork in this one. Don’t miss this darling winter story!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ – Great! Might re-read

 

REVIEW: Little Ghost Makes a Friend by Maggie Edkins Willis

REVIEW: Little Ghost Makes a Friend by Maggie Edkins Willis

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Little Ghost has always wanted a friend, but he’s been worried he might scare people away. When someone new moves in next door, and she likes so many of the same things that he does, Little Ghost decides to be brave and invite her over for Halloween.

Review

This is such a sweet friendship story! The artwork is lovely, and the pastel fall colors add to the cozy vibe. And happily, Little Ghost and Anya hit it off right away. She also tells Little Ghost that she’s happy to be his friend exactly as he is – and her human friends agree. This is a super sweet read for the season – check this one out!

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: Life in the Wild by Nicholas Oldland

REVIEW: Life in the Wild by Nicholas Oldland

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for an honest review. (I also read 5 of the stories in single-story form from the library.) All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

Six stories from the Life in the Wild series are collected here in one volume. You can read my reviews of two of them at the links provided.

Big Bear Hug (♥♥♥♥)

Make the Moose Out of Life – A reserved moose learns to embrace adventure and try new things when he gets shipwrecked. This was cute. I liked that Moose was driven by his own desires to change rather than being cajoled or shamed into being someone he is not. He recognizes his nervousness but also tries things until he finds activities he likes. (♥♥♥♥)

The Busy Beaver (♥♥♥♥½)

Up the Creek  – Three best friends who disagree a lot try to go on a canoe trip together. This is another fun and funny tale of these three friends. This includes some great examples of ways to learn to get along for the good of the outing. (♥♥♥♥)

Walk on the Wild Side – Three friends climbing a mountain discover it can be more fun to enjoy the journey rather than race to be the first one done. This is another cute story with a nice lesson. I love that none of these stories include shaming. There are just experiences and learning from them along with friends who decide to work at being better friends. (♥♥♥♥)

Hockey in the Wild – This is the one story I only read because I received the ARC of the collection. And for me, this was the weakest story in the set. It just didn’t click for me.