Your Alien by Tammy Sauer and Goro Fujita + a Fiona Friday pic

Your Alien by Tammi Sauer, Illustrated by Goro Fujita
Copyright 2015
Sterling Children's - Picture Book 
32 pp.

Your Alien is the story of a little green alien who arrives on Earth, where he befriends a little boy. They have a bit of fun together at home and school, but then the alien appears to be growing sadder. His new human friend discovers the problem when he glances at a family portrait on the wall. The alien is longing for his family.

To help the little alien, the boy turns on all the lights in his house and decorates the outside of his home and yard with so many lights it can be seen from space. This captures the attention of the parent aliens so that they're able to fetch their alien child.

Highly recommended - I loved the sweetness of the story and I'm absolutely crazy about the illustrations. What an adorable little green alien! The only thing I disliked about Your Alien was the chosen tense, which is not my favorite, but the story is so warm and funny that I smiled all the way through the book. I can imagine Your Alien being a hit with the young ones and it's charming enough that I know I wouldn't mind reading it over and over and over again to an eager child.

I received a copy of Your Alien from Sterling Children's Books for review. It came with a little alien button and a bookmark. I'm assuming those were promotional items that don't normally come with the book. I keep the button in a place where I can admire it, I love that little alien so much.

In other news:

A few days of not writing reviews was restorative, so I have no plans to take off, at this point. I am, however, going to participate in National Novel Writing Month. I never know whether that will keep me away from the blog or make me crave writing about something besides my own story, but I hope to make some progress wading through the large stack of children's books beside me. I'd originally intended to have a Children's Day, but so many children's books arrived that I decided there were too many to review in a single day. So, I'll write up the reviews individually, unless I get a sudden urge to review several at once.

It's Friday! Have you hugged your cat, today? Or dog. It's okay if you hug a dog, instead.

Izzy loves my iPad. The newer one doesn't have cat fishing but she's perfectly happy to page around on Facebook, chase clouds on a weather page with a moving background, and sleep on it when she tires of trying to buy things I don't want.

Happy Halloween!

©2015 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Dinosaur Farm by Frann Preston-Gannon

I'm a little late getting around to talking about Dinosaur Farm by Frann Preston-Gannon because of all that recent blog angst but I don't want to skip it because I adore Preston-Gannon's lighthearted storytelling and cheerful illustrations. I also very seldom hold drawings at Bookfoolery but Dinosaur Farm is worth sharing. Page down for info about the giveaway. It will be a short one so sign up quickly if you're interested and please pass it on if you've got friends with little ones.

Dinosaur Farm is just what the cover indicates, the story of a farmer's day in which the livestock are dinosaurs, perhaps farmed for their eggs:

The reader follows the farmer's day as he feeds his livestock, gives the dinosaurs a scrubbing, cleans out his pond and shovels up dino manure. He also has a garden to tend and the garden has a unique, prehistoric look.

There are hatchlings to attend to and the evening meal to deal with. Then the farmer gets to go home and take a bath, knowing his animals are safe and happy. The farmer forgets to close the gate, though, and some of the dinosaurs sneak inside to sleep with him. Such a cute ending!

You will be happy to know this book is Isabel-approved, meaning it smelled good. I'm sure she'll enjoy it if I ever read the book to her, as well. Cats love it when you read to them.

©2014 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Dinosaur Opposites, Dinosaur Colors, Dinosaur Shapes and Dinosaur Numbers by Paul Stickland

Dinosaur Opposites, Dinosaur Colors, Dinosaur Shapes and Dinosaur Numbers
Written and Illustrated by Paul Stickland
Copyright 2010
Source: Sterling Children's Books

Dinosaur Opposites, Dinosaur Colors, Dinosaur Shapes and Dinosaur Numbers are slender books with gorgeous illustrations for preschoolers. I have mixed opinions of the books, which is a little surprising when you consider the fact that they're all by the same author.

Dinosaur Colors is a book that contains a single word -- the color -- per two-page spread.

I love the fact that the dinosaurs are not exclusively one color because, as you see in the spread of the color "blue" above, there is a little green goo dripping off one dinosaur's back and the other dinosaur's belly is pink. The fact that the word "blue" is written in the correct color makes it perfectly clear which color is the focus of each page spread, but then you can point at the other colors and say, "What color is his tummy?" or "See the tree? It's a different color, isn't it? Do you know what color?" So, there's plenty of room for interaction.

The same is true for Dinosaur Shapes. There is a highlighted shape for each two-page spread but a bit of crossover with a bold color to identify and then one or more shapes to find on the opposite page, where the dinosaurs are doing something: standing on squares, bouncing with a triangle in hand, holding up a rectangle.

The dinosaur holding a triangle also has triangular-shaped stripes on his back and sharp, triangular teeth to point out to a little one while the page spread about circles contains a spotted dinosaur.

Dinosaur Numbers is much the same as Dinosaur Shapes with a large number on the left-hand page and dinosaurs on the right. Note that there are two dinosaurs to go with the number two, but three bones so you have an opportunity to count something different and talk about the fact that the number of dinosaurs and the number of bones is not the same, the number two is red, and the two dinosaurs are not the same color:

I think Dinosaur Numbers, Dinosaur Colors and Dinosaur Shapes are all excellent. The concepts are clear and there's plenty to talk about beyond the the subject matter. So there's a surprising amount of learning material within each book. And, you can see the dinosaur pictures are absolutely adorable.

Unfortunately, Dinosaur Opposites is a completely different story. I neglected to take an interior photo and now my photo-editing software is freaking out on me, again. So, you'll just have to trust me when I say the illustrations in Dinosaur Opposites are mystifying rather than precise in their representation of concepts. The page spread that shows "fast" and "slow", for example, shows two different types of dinosaurs running. The slow dinosaur is a bulky triceratops and the fast dinosaurs (there are three of the same type) are leaner. But, all are running and it's not particularly clear who is running faster. In fact, the "slow" dinosaur is in the lead.

Three recommended, one not recommended - It feels a little odd to say three out of four books in the same series are recommended and one not, but I think Dinosaur Numbers, Dinosaur Colors and Dinosaur Shapes are all excellent little books for preschoolers, yet Dinosaur Opposites is simply too vague. Having said that, I will backtrack on myself and note that "lumpy" versus "spiky" is pretty clear and Kiddo says "good" and "bad" is works for him because one dinosaur looks like he wants to eat the other and the "good" dinosaur has an, "Oh, sh*t" look on his face. I'd advise flipping through Dinosaur Opposites (or searching for interior photos online) before buying, but the rest are terrific little books with charming illustrations and plenty to talk about beyond the subject matter.

©2014 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

How to Lose a Lemur by Frann Preston-Gannon

How to Lose a Lemur by Frann Preston-Gannon
Copyright 2014
Sterling Children's Books - Preschool to early reader
Source: Sterling

Clearly, Sterling sends me a lot of children's books and I've fallen behind in the reviewing but I absolutely love their books and How to Lose a Lemur is a personal favorite.  It starts out, "Everybody knows that once a lemur takes a liking to you, there is not much that can be done about it."

I read that first sentence and had no idea where the book was going to take me but then the first lemur starts to follow the little boy narrating and from there the book just gets cuter every time you turn the page.

The little boy tries hiding up a tree, riding away on his bike, and telling the lemurs to leave.  By this point, he has five lemurs following him, two of them clinging to his body and all of them smiling as he sternly insists that they must go away.  It doesn't work so he hops a train and then a boat:

And, so forth, with the little boy traveling in a hot air balloon, across the desert on a camel, climbing the highest mountain he can find and walking through a forest.  And, then he realizes he's lost and alone.  But, of course, he's not alone because the familiar faces of the five lemurs that have followed him everywhere appear.  They take him by the hand and lead him back home.

And, then he realizes maybe it's not so bad being friends with a lemur, after all.  Or, five, in this case, the theme being that it's a good idea to give new people a chance if they want to be your friend.

Highly recommended:  I know I've highly recommended all three of the last books I've reviewed but I really think the quality is exceptional.  How to Lose a Lemur is the kind of book you stick your nose up to to sniff, but even more important it's a good story with wonderful illustrations and a solid theme. And, the lemurs are so freaking cute. I smiled all the way through the reading of this book.  It's definitely one I'll hang onto for future grandchildren and the kind that makes me want to run out and find a child to read to.

©2014 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Who's in the Tree? by Craig Shuttlewood

Who's in the Tree and Other Lift-the-Flap Surprises by Craig Shuttlewood
Copyright 2014
Sterling Children's Books - Preschool and up
Source: Sterling

I was just flipping through my list of books read and realized I haven't reviewed this book.  It's so cute I can't possibly skip it, even though I'm a month or two behind, so I reread the book and took some interior photos.

Brief synopsis:

A lift-the-flap book in which something beneath the flap is out of place.  Where does the item really belong? Why doesn't it belong in the place shown? Children can lift the flap for a giggle and a lesson about where things belong and where they don't.

Here's an example of a page spread and the animal beneath the flap (click on image to enlarge).  Please note that the illustration colors vary depending upon the angle of the book just a bit so it's difficult to get a perfect representation of the colors in these page spreads.

Although the penguin does say, "It's too HOT here for me!" that is not always the case. In some cases, one will need to explain to a preschooler why an animal is out of place. The animal beneath the flap in a jungle illustration is an octopus, for example.

My thoughts:

I absolutely adore the illustrations in this book -- so much that I'm tempted to cut it up and turn it into bookmarks.  But, don't worry, I won't.  I would happily photograph the entire book interior to show off the illustrations if I felt like that would be appropriate.

Highly Recommended - Love the concept of something out of place for the sake of laughter and discussion and the illustrations are wonderful. My only caution is the expected one, that the book is best for children who are past the ripping stage or those who can sit quietly while being read to and having a parent lift the flaps.

©2014 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

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Clumsy Duck by Britta Teckentrup

Clumsy Duck by Britta Teckentrup
Copyright 2013
Boxer Books - Ages 3-6
32 pp.

Clumsy Duck is the story of a duck who is awkward on land, no matter what she does.

Fortunately, Duck has a very upbeat friend called Chick.  They take a walk and Chick ignores the fact that Duck falls twice on the way up the hill, instead admiring the view.  He chuckles when Clumsy Duck falls into the mud and notices Duck's big, muddy foot prints.  No wonder Clumsy Duck trips all the time!  Her feet are huge.

Clumsy Duck wonders aloud why her feet are so big.  Chick doesn't know but suggests they try to figure it out.  This is my favorite page spread, when Duck and Chick are trying to figure out whether running might be the purpose of those big feet:

I love this author/artist's illustrations but the bold flowers in that particular illustration are especially pretty.  I'd love to have a dress with that flower print on it.  Weird tangent, I know.  

The conclusion is predictable for adults; eventually, Clumsy Duck and Chick discover that the duck's big, webbed feet are best suited for swimming.  "She moved across the water like a ballerina."  Clumsy Duck ends with the words, "And from that day on, Duck didn't mind one little bit that she was a clumsy duck on land because she was such a wonderful swimmer in the water." 

I absolutely love Clumsy Duck!  It's about friendship, thinking positive, finding what you're good at and overlooking the things you're not so hot at doing.  I love positive message in a children's book and the combination of upbeat storytelling with beautiful, bold illustrations (some of which remind me a bit of Eric Carle) make Clumsy Duck a winner.  Highly recommended.  

©2013 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Wooby & Peep: A Story of Unlikely Friendship by C. Liu & M. Peterson - #3 for Children's Day

Wooby & Peep is subtitled "A Story of Unlikely Friendship" because Wooby (a dog?) and Peep (oh, dear -- a duck? a chicken?) have decidedly different personalities.  Wooby has a nice petunia garden and an ancient tree he loves and he's accustomed to a quiet home in a sedate neighborhood "where the neighbors minded their own business".  Peep is very happy-go-lucky, noisy and friendly.  Wooby and his neighbors are not sure what to think when Peep begins to move in and the movers pull out her enormous sound system.  All the neighbors are invited to a housewarming party that promises to be the "wildest" housewarming party of the year.  

The other neighbors are so nervous that they all make alternate plans for the time of the party.  All except Wooby, who arrives with his goldfish, Wendy.  The party is a total flop.  The next day, Peep tries to do something nice for Wooby that ends in disaster.  And the pattern continues.  Peep is determined to make friends with the only animal who showed up for her party but disaster seems to follow her.  

Peep has a pet iguana and Wooby has his goldfish, but the truth is that they're both lonely.  When Peep tries to make everything right and admits she's lonely, ". . . do you have any idea how hard it is to play Go Fish with an iguana?  No offense again, Ricardo," the light dawns.  They have more in common than Wooby realized.

Wooby & Peep is a sweet story (and pretty funny) but I was a little unsure about it, at first, because the illustrations are a little bit busy, with the various animal neighbors peeping over fences and making comments that are essentially animal jokes.

"What are the neighhh-bors doing now?" asks a horse.

"They really should use bamboo," says a panda.  

After rereading it and pondering the days when I had little ones to read to (and I read to my kids a lot), I remembered that if you just read the main storyline you don't have to point at everything and explain it. By the time your kids are old enough to get the animal jokes, they're so curious that if you try to get away with reading nothing but the story itself, they'll point at the other things happening and ask, "What's he saying?" then giggle when they get the joke or nod when you explain.  

Recommended - A lovely tale of friendship with colorful, cartoonish illustrations in which there's quite a bit going on.  If possible, I'd recommend flipping through the book in a bookstore or going to a site where you can peek inside Wooby & Peep before buying, if you're concerned about the "busy" aspect, which irritates some children but others love.  After reading the book a few times, I've come to the conclusion that my anti-busy-book child would still have enjoyed Wooby & Peep because of its pleasant storyline. 

Wooby & Peep was sent to me by Sterling Children's Books. The suggested age range is 3 to 7 years.  I agree with that.  It's a sweet story to read to little ones but has enough text that beginning readers will appreciate it, as well.

This is review #3 for Children's Day.  One more to go!

©2013 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Time for a Hug by P. Gershator & M. Green, illus. by D. Walker - #2 for Children's Day

I reviewed the 24-page version of Time for a Hug, last year, and liked it a lot but for some reason I like the board book version even better.  You can read the opening text from the book by following the link to my earlier review.  I give away most of the children's books I review, but I can't recall whether or not I kept Time for a Hug.  If I did, it's still packed so I'm unable to compare the original book with the board book.  However, just from looking at last year's review and the board book, it appears that the text is exactly the same.  The only difference is that the Time for a Hug board book is smaller (looks like about 6" x 6") and the pages are, of course, very sturdy.  

The moon comes out,
The stars shine, too.
The clock says eight.
What shall we do?

Bathe, brush, floss,
say goodnight,
hop into bed,
turn out the light.

Pull up the covers
warm and snug--

What time is it?

Time for a hug!

A big bear hug
and a little hug, too.
Every hug says 
I LOVE YOU!

Awww.  What a sweet little book.  Time for a Hug is one of those children's books that makes me long for the early mommy days.  I'm tempted to hang onto the board book, just in case of future grandchildren. 

Highly recommended, 'cause who doesn't love any excuse to get a hug from a little one?

This is post #2 for Children's Day.  Two more to go.

©2013 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Pigs in Love by Teddy Slater, illus. by Aaron Boyd - #1 for Children's Day

Pigs in Love by Slater and Boyd is a board book that was sent to me by Sterling Kids.  I planned to have a "Children's Day" well before Valentine's Day, but then life went all blooey on me.  Anyway, sorry this one is late.  You can tell from the cover alone that this one would be a great little book to read to kids on or near Valentine's Day, but here's a peek at some of the text:

Pretty pink pigs on Valentine's Day,
All dressed up, with something to say.
They say it with flowers.
They say it with hearts.
They say it with candy and strawberry tarts.

Each line is either a page or page spread's worth.  So, Pigs in Love is a great book to read to very wiggly little ones or to let little ones going through a book-tearing phase flip through on their own.

Great things about Pigs in Love:  It's sweet, a little funny, tough, big (about 8" x 8", eyeball measurement) and colorful with a metallic sheen to the illustrations that is pretty much impossible to photograph.  Trust me, though; if you like all the shiny things or your kid does, you'll love the look.   

Recommended with a reminder that the book is seasonal.  I'd particularly recommend Pigs in Love to people who don't mind reading about Valentine's Day any old time of the year (because otherwise you'll feel limited to a very short time in which the book will feel right to read) and teachers of preschoolers who want something quick and sweet to read for circle time.  It's a good one to hang onto if you have good reason to keep a book for preschoolers to read year after year or to toss in a box for the little ones to "read" on their own.

This is post #1 for Children's Day.  3 more reviews forthcoming.


©2013 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Two board books I love: Spot the Animals and 1-2-3 Dinosaurs Bite, both illus. by Steve Jenkins

The following books are both board books that would make excellent last-minute gifts or stocking stuffers, if you're in need of ideas for a baby, toddler or preschooler. 

Spot the Animals is a "lift-the-flap" book in which an animal is hidden behind a beautifully illustrated flap, cut to fit the shape of whatever the animal is hiding behind (leaves, coral, rocks).  I couldn't find any decent images online, so I snapped my own.  I think it's best just to show you a little from the inside.  You should be able to click on each image to enlarge.

There are six animals and colors in Spot the Animals.  In the final page spread, there are six stripes -- one of each of the colors of the animals that have hidden -- and each of the colors is labeled.  On the right-hand side, the 6 animals are shown and labeled by name.  The wonderful thing about Spot the Animals is that it's so simple and short that you could easily read the book to a small baby (I read to mine while they were still in the crib and later would prop them in a seated position and read to them while rocking) but Spot the Animals is also educational, so preschoolers and even early readers can get something out of it.  

1-2-3 Dinosaurs Bite is similar in that it's educational and has a special feature, in this case bites chopped out of each page.  You actually count the chunks missing from the book.  How cool is that?  By the time you arrive at 6-7-8-9-10, there's a page that is so bitten there's only about a third left.

The last page spread incorporates counting with other learning tools, for example: 2 horns, 3 sharp claws, 6 footprints, 8 letters in the word dinosaur.  The final words are "Guard all 10 of your fingers -- these DINOSAURS BITE!"

Both books are highly recommended.  Perfect illustrations that are colorful, balanced and interesting with a unique twist (bites cut from the pages; die-cut shapes the animals are hidden behind) and plenty of educational material crammed into a few short pages make can't-miss fun for children and will satisfy a parent's urge to teach.  I absolutely love these books.  Since they're board books, they're also quite sturdy, even with folding pages and chunks missing.

On a side note, because I had trouble finding any images of these books and had to take my own, I got to see a large number of other illustrations by Steve Jenkins.  It looks like he's the kind of artist I would seek out if I still had small children.  I don't, but I'm hoping there are grandchildren in my future.  I'm hanging onto these two board books, just in case.


©2012 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Who's Looking at You? and Tushes and Tails by Stephane Frattini

My copies of . . . 

Who's Looking at You? by Stephane Frattini and . . . 

Tushes and Tails by Stephane Frattini both arrived from Sterling Kids in August and both my husband and I were completely besotted.  Usually, the spouse just ignores the children's books but he actually sat and looked through these with a smile on his face.  Who's Looking at You? and Tushes and Tails! are large flap books.  I took a couple inside photos to show you the size and quality.  The first is a photo of a spread before the flaps have been opened.  I placed a ball point pen on one page as a reference to size.  

The second photo shows the flap of the above left photo, opened.  The snail image was one of my favorites.  I had never seen a snail up close and personal and actually said, "Oh.  That is so cool!" aloud, when I opened it.  The flaps are pretty sturdy and you can see by looking above that there's a good 1/2" of glued margin.  From our experience, flap books tend not to last too long.  So, I'd try to keep little hands from tugging on the pages, but the text is brief and informative so both books are super for on-the-lap reading time.  The recommended age range is 2-5.

Tushes and Tails! and Who's Looking at You? are both highly recommended.  Beautiful, often surprising photographs, just the right amount of information in a nice, bold print that's easy to read and a nice sturdy feel to the flaps make both books winners.  And, actually, they'd make excellent gifts if you're looking for books for preschoolers.  

©2012 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Time for a Hug by Gershator, Green & Walker review and update

Time for a Hug by Phillis Gershator & Mim Green

Illustrated by David Walker

Copyright 2012

Sterling Children's Books

(Ages 3-5)

24 pages

Wake up! Wake up!

The day is new.

The clock says eight.

What shall we do?

Wash our faces,

comb our hair,

choose the clothes we like to wear.

Eat from a bowl,

drink from a mug--

What time is it?

Time for a hug!

The little bunny in Time for a Hug is one well-loved little guy. After the intro, above, he gets another hug at 9:00 and then 10:00. He and his mother bake a pie, make sock puppets, build with blocks, read and snuggle, then hug some more.

Time for a Hug is a lovely, upbeat book for preschoolers with cheerful illustrations. As a small child, many of my favorite books had catchy rhymes and happy themes; and, they were always the first I'd reach for to read to my own small children, particularly when I was tired. A happy book with a nice rhythm is always a pleasure to read. Time for a Hug is one of those books I can imagine a small child adoring and it's certainly a great book to snuggle up and read (plus, a good excuse for lots of hugging).

Highly recommended for parents and grandparents of small children. Many thanks to Sterling Books for the review copy. I usually try to pass on children's books to a new home after reviewing them but am sorely tempted to keep this one.

In other news:

I haven't said much, this week, because it's my last week with Kiddo around the house and he made it a busier week when he was involved in a fender-bender (hit from behind -- all involved were uninjured). Other than the accident, the start of the year has been a good one. I've finished two books:

• The Ballad of Gregoire Darcy by Marsha Altman - The fourth installment in my all-time favorite Pride & Prejudice spin-off series, and
• Hal Spacejock by Simon Haynes - A crazy, slap-stick sci-fi by a Nano buddy of mine, which is currently free for Kindle download (I'll be buying the next in the series).

Time for a Hug will be counted as my third, short as it is, and I'm on the verge of finishing Little Princes by Conor Grennan - the memoir of a man who made it his mission to rescue trafficked children in Nepal and reunite them with their parents. So far, I've loved everything I've read in 2012.

I'm slowly but surely working on my reading, writing and blogging goals for 2012 but I'm not sure they're worth posting about. However, among them is a goal to clean up the look of my blog and I'm working on moving my blogroll to a separate page for starters. Recreating links is turning out to be a bigger chore than I'd anticipated, so it may take me a while.

I've also decided to rewrite my review policy. My first attempt was more like a novella than a review policy, so I took down the link and will attempt to create something very brief.

No new books have entered my house, this week. I did receive a few over the Christmas holiday. I've already read one and am about to finish another, which leaves three:

• Vurt by Jeff Noon from Paperback Swap - I have no idea where I read about this book but it sounded unique and was readily available, so I ordered a copy.
• A Light on the Veranda by Ciji Ware - from Sourcebooks, for review
• The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel - from Unbridled Books, for review

Fiona Friday post is coming up, next. I decided to remove the cat photo from this entry and make it a separate post. Sorry, Christmas apparently ate my brain. I forgot Friday and cats go together!

©2012 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.