Who Was Rosa Parks? by Yona Zeldis McDonough #RosaParksDay #nonfiction #childrensbooks

"No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in." ~Rosa Parks

Synopsis: In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. This seemingly small act triggered civil rights protests across America and earned Rosa Parks the title "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement." 

My review:

I am old enough to know who Rosa Parks was and what she did for the civil rights movement. Admittedly, being of the white race, her contribution to the country would not affect me as it has others. Or has it?

Indeed, it has!

This book tells her story beginning from when she was a child living on a farm with her brother. She had been taught that even though she was black, she was somebody that deserved respect. She was mostly safe living there but not far from her lived racist people who wanted nothing but her and her family dead.

The book (spoiler) mentions a story, that she wrote about in her later memoir, about her walking on the sidewalk. A young white boy skated by and deliberately pushed her off the sidewalk. She pushed back!  His mother said she could get arrested for doing that. Rosa told the mother she did not deserve that as she was hurting nobody. Rosa stood up!

This was just an early mention of what Rosa would eventually be known for. However, she really never meant to be the icon she is today. She was only wanting equal rights among all people, something she had learned for herself and listening to other civil rights leaders that she has met with. The quote above is how the book ends because many, like me, thought she did it because she was tired from work. No, she was tired of being mistreated!

 

Did you know she was not the first to get arrested from sitting in the front of the bus? It's true, but she is the one that became the face for women and civil rights in general. The book highlights many civil rights actions and leaders who helped to gain many rights for black Americans. These are little side pages that further explains things for children. It is a nice plus to the book.

I liked that the book also told about her later life as she continued to fight for equal rights and especially for voting right to be better and easier. It tells of her awards and honors from colleges to American Presidents. The book also mentions her funeral, a surprise too.

She is quite the heroine in my mind! This book is a winner for me and yes, I learned things I did not know and all the better for it. Although I read this book celebrating Rosa Parks Day, I highly recommended for all children any day!

~Michelle

Disclosure: I borrowed a copy of this book from my local library. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

5 stars

Amadeus Mozart by Ibi Lepscky #nonfiction #music #review #atozchallenge2020

This book is one of a series of four books that tells the tale of children geniuses.
It was interesting in the fact it gave details of Mozart's life as a child, not as an adult.

I could not say he has a "normal" childhood though as he (spoiler) was taken to courts of royalty to play piano, violin, and other instruments. He was often seen as entertainment than for his genius. Still, he was a child.

I love how the book showed his childish ways like chasing after his sister and his pet. I also loved that his parents recognized him as a genius and encouraged him to work hard but let him be that child he was at the same time.

In the end, we have been graced by the brilliant music he would eventually create for our pure enjoyment.

Dislosure: I purchased a copy of this book for my own collections. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle

#Spotlight & #Giveaway: Notes to My Son by Eric Lynn @Ross @iReadBookTours #parenting #parenthood #family

Book Title:  Notes to My Son by Eric Lynn Category:  Adult Non-fiction 18 yrs +,  128 pages Genre:  Parenting Publisher:  Sharknado Prss Release date:   September 9. 2019 Content Rating:  G: It's advice for what parents should talk to their children about. Book Description: “THE GREATEST GIFT FOR DADS OF ALL AGES AND IN ALL STAGES.” “Your path is your own.”  “No one can tell you how to walk it.”  “Responsibility lies with you.”  These are just some of the important conversations we are gently reminded to embrace within Notes to My Son. With parenting, there are so many things we need to do and take care of, but what conversations are we having to be sure we truly impart the wisdom of our lives into our loved ones? Are we having difficult conversations, asking hard questions, and talking about things without regret?  Don’t let another day pass by without this book.  In Notes to My Son, you’ll discover twenty-five topics to inspire deeper, more meaningful conversations throughout your child’s life, even if your child is now an adult on their own.

Click to View Book Trailer Buy the Book: Amazon.com  Add to Goodreads

Meet the Author: Eric Lynn spends his professional life managing workforce solutions for small, mid-sized and Fortune 1000 companies. With years of professional experience, Eric understands the value of preparation. Thus when his wife, Ashley, became pregnant, Eric sought a way to prepare for his new role as a father. Something shifted within him causing him to ask different questions of life. As he awaited the arrival of his first child, future conversations with his son, Summit, began to take shape. Eager to prepare for this new role, Notes to My Son was born. The Lynn family lives in Colorado where they enjoy climbing 14ers, skiing, playing tennis and appreciating the abundance of all nature has to offer. Eric and his family hope that the relatable life wisdom shared in this book touches the hearts of all who read it. ​Connect with the author:  Website  ~  Facebook Giveaway: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review & Activites: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr #middlegrade #history #nonfiction #multicultural

Summary:
Hiroshima-born Sadako is lively and athletic--the star of her school's running team. And then the dizzy spells start. Soon gravely ill with leukemia, the "atom bomb disease," Sadako faces her future with spirit and bravery. Recalling a Japanese legend, Sadako sets to work folding paper cranes. For the legend holds that if a sick person folds one thousand cranes, the gods will grant her wish and make her healthy again.

My review:
Growing up and being a historian, I have always know about the bombing of Hiroshima. I knew it was dropped to end WWII. This is a known fact the world over. What is not always known, nor thought of, is what long-term effect it had on the people (the innocent) of Hiroshima. 

This is the story of a young girl and her family who lived through such an atrocity. It saddens me on a different level than the Japanese people but also gives me hope for world peace.

Many of the children in the Red Cross hospital that Sadako eventually ended up at, never left. They were all inflicted with leukemia and other diseases that ravaged their small bodies. One boy mentioned in the book contracted leukemia due to his mother carrying the disease before he was born, well after the bomb dropping.

Sadako's friend told her the legend of the  thousand paper cranes and gave her the first one which was golden. Sadako prayed every time she made a crane, paper given to her by many different people.  Many were hung on her ceiling and some in her hospital room. Eventually she got too weak to make them and before dying had made 644. 

Her classmates made the rest of the cranes in her honor. Today a statue stands in honor of Sadako and every year on " Japanese Peace Day" thousands of cranes can be seen at the foot of the statue. I would like to see this statue someday and maybe leave my own crane there.

In the back of the book, you can find step-by-step instructions on how to make a paper crane.

Disclosure: I purchased this book for my own collections. The view here is 100% my own and may vary from yours. ~Michelle

Activities:
1. Attempt to make 1000 cranes before International Peace Day which is Sept. 21st.
2. Read more about Japanese Peace Day
3. Visit the Sadako Statue in Japan

4. Make your own "shrine" for peace
5. Read more about International Peace Day

Where to find the author:
The author died in 2010. She was totally fascinated with the Japanese culture. She had a friend in High school that was Japanese and taught her about origami and many traditional things of the culture.
Amazon

Goodreads

Catch Me If You Can :The True Story of A Real Fake by Frank Abagnale #Review #nonfiction #memoir

Synopsis: I stole every nickel and blew it on fine threads, luxurious lodgings, fantastic foxes and other sensual goodies. I partied in every capital in Europe and basked on all the world's most famous beaches'. Frank W Abagnale, alias Frank Williams, Robert Conrad, Frank Adams and Ringo Monjo, was one of the most daring con men, forgers, imposters and escape artists in history.

My review: Before this became a box office hit, there was the book. This book is simply about a teenager who took a wrong turn at Brooklyn and became an internationally wanted man.  As simple as that sounds, the author, Frank Abagnale, was anything but simple.  

One would think being a high school drop out he would have bungled his 5-year chosen "career" somewhere along the way. No, what he did some would say he was brilliant. If he didn't know something, then he studied until he did, managing to alluding authorities around the world and conning banks, and others along the way.

His story is so incredible that it almost seems contrived and yet, it isn't.  As a reader, I almost got swept away in his adventures forgetting that he truly was a con-man. I could see how people got caught up in his smoothness that allowed him to live such a life.  What is even more incredible is how he ended up living a good life in true formidable form. 

I think in truth, Frank Abagnale would still live that life if he had not gotten caught.  Had he not met people that believed he could be redeemed. He even mentions them as admirable in his book. 
He writes as someone who enjoyed every single moment sans moments of anxiety. 

As I have seen the movie and now read the book, I have to say the book is better. The book delves into details that were left out in the movie including his horrible stay in a French prison and his romances with many more airline personnel. The book also provides Q &A with the author and his thoughts on the movie.

This is by far a 5 star book.

Disclosure:I purchased a copy of this book for my own collections. the views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.
~Michelle

Where to find the author: 

Goodreads

#Review: The Bible Code by Michael Drosnin #nonfiction #secretcodes

Summary:
The first book in a series that claims a secret "code", written nearly 3000 years ago, has been hidden in the Old Testament, original Torah books, that reveal predictions for world events.

My review: It is not too often that I come across a book that I really don't care for. This happens to be one of those books. I got through chapter 7 and quit reading. Frankly it is just too much.  I had high hope for this book based on the fact the author is coming from a journalistic perspective and not one from religion (as he claims to be atheist). Here is why I could not continue.

First of all, I hate the repetitiveness of the author. It seemed to me he repeated himself so much that he was trying to convince even himself of what he is trying to prove.

Secondly, It seems that if it was a truly workable "code" that predictions would be seen/available before events happen. Everything that I have read with one exception has been after the fact.What use is a predictive code if you cannot prevent things from happening?  Even if the "code" is true, truthfully what good is it because most people are not going to base their life on what it says.

Finally, and frankly, unless you know Hebrew, the code is useless for the common person, the whole code is being interpreted (?) by people who know Hebrew and taken for their word.The author said that you cannot find the "code" in any other language. Honestly, the Hebrew they say are the "code" could be anything. I speak English and a bit of Spanish.  How am I to know?

Bottom line, I think this book (and apparently the next two books the author wrote) are a bunch of hooey. This gets a one star from me.

Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book for my own collections. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle

#Review: The Legendary Miss Lena Horne by Carole Boston Weatherford/ Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon #nonfiction #multicultural

Summary:
Celebrate the life of Lena Horne, the pioneering African American actress, and civil rights activist.

Lena Horne was born into the freedom struggle, to a family of teachers and activists. Her mother dreamed of being an actress, so Lena followed in her footsteps as she chased small parts in vaudeville, living out of a suitcase until MGM offered Lena something more—the first ever studio contract for a black actress.

But the roles she was considered for were maids and mammies, stereotypes that Lena refused to play. Still, she never gave up. “Stormy Weather” became her theme song, and when she sang “This Little Light of Mine” at a civil rights rally, she found not only her voice but her calling.

My review:
"You have to be taught to be second class; you’re not born that way." 
What a powerful statement that was said by Miss Horne and one she proved time and time again through her actions and words. This book gives a complete account of her life from birth, career, and death(that can be found in bibliography notes).

Growing up, I often saw movies that featured Lena Horne and found her to be a talented and a beautiful woman. Her voice was lovely. 

Of course being of "privilege" I had no idea what her life was truly like or what she had to endure to be in those movies. This book gave me an insight to her complete endurance and fight for civil rights. She paved a way for the musical and movies stars of today, they should be grateful that she did. She did it with dignity and head held high. 

This book has opened my eyes further about this lovely woman and I am the better for it. I am only sorry that I never met her and that her voice musically and for civil rights is now gone. 

One would be amiss to not know about Miss Horne and this book should be in every classroom and homeschool room shelves.

5 stars!
Disclosure: I obtained a copy of this book at my local library. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~M.M. Hudson aka Naila Moon

Where to find the author:

Amazon
Goodreads

#Review: Back Pocket Coach by Diane Brennan & Alexandra Ross @RossCoach, @coachdianeb and @iReadBookTours #communication #backpocketcoach

Summary:
Have you ever been in a situation that was emotionally charged and the stakes were high? And it was difficult to find the right words? Back Pocket Coach™ provides 33 power-packed communication strategies to support you in creating satisfying conversations that result in good outcomes for you and others. These just-in-time strategies will help you move through conversations masterfully, whether you're engaging with one person or a team of people. This book also introduces Game Changing Conversations, the 8-step process that prepares you for any difficult or high stakes conversation. 

My review:
This book was a very quick read and comprehensive as well. It has come at a time when I was actually having a struggle in the workplace. It not only gave good advice as to how to communicate with my boss but how she could communicate with me more effectively.

The book was laid out pretty well and the contents make it easy for quick reference. I could pick a strategy and go quickly to it without having to read the whole book again. This is certainly a nice little reference book to have especially for any manager.

4 stars.

Disclosure: I received a copy for free. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. 
~M.M. aka Naila Moon

Where to find the authors:

Amazon
Goodreads

#Review & #Giveaway: How To Find Your Dream Dog by Dixie Tenny #nonfiction

Summary:
How To Find Your Dream Dog is here to fix the disconnect of dog ownership. It walks you step-by-step through the process of choosing the right type of dog for you—not only exploring the canine qualities that can determine your perfect puppy, adolescent, or adult dog but also assessing your lifestyle to make sure you’re a good match for the dog too. The book also looks at good (and bad) sources for finding healthy and sound pet dogs, gives guidelines for evaluating individual puppies, and warns of some red flags to watch out for during your dog search. With this guidebook in hand, you can be confident that the next puppy or dog you bring home will be the right companion and friend for you for the rest of its days.

My review:
I have been wanting a dog for awhile now. I do realize that there are all sorts of sizes of dogs and breeds but other than that, not much more do I know. Reading this book, opened my eyes to many things a potential dog owner should think about. 

The author wrote a comprehensive book in just a few pages, less than 150 to be exact. She includes everything from breed types, to temperament, to care, and owner lifestyle. She is quick to point out that a new puppy is like having a new baby in the house, it takes time and patience to train to be with you and your household. The author is quick to tell the reader that this puppy is meant to be with you for the rest of its life. This is the sole purpose of the book so that the owner picks the right dog for him/her and does not have to return the dog to a shelter.

The author's years of training dogs are exemplified throughout the entire book and is a good guide to picking just the right dog. For this purpose, it is worth buying the book.

The only negative that I do have is that the book is meant to be just a guide. For reading other than that, it serves no other purpose. Also, the book could have been shortened even further into a novelettish or pamphlet size if the pages had been written in 12 point font and not larger font. The larger font to extend the book was unnecessary. 

3 stars.

Buy the Book:  Amazon  

Where to find the author:

​Dixie Tenny is a Certified Training Partner with the Karen Pryor Academy of Animal Training and Behavior. During her 30+ years spent working with people and their pets, she has seen again and again how mismatches between dog and its owner can create “behavior problems” that never would have happened if the right dog had been matched to the right owner in the first place. She wrote this book to help puppy buyers and dog adopters start out on the best possible foot with their new pet dogs, and stay on that path for years to come.
Website  ~  Facebook

Disclosure: The views contained here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. This review is also part of the iRead Book Tours.
~M.M. Hudson aka Naila Moon

Giveaway: Win one of 5 Dream Dog prize packages! Each package includes a copy of How to Find Your Dream Dog, a $15 Amazon Gift Card and an Outward Hound Slow Feeder Dog Bowl)

Open to USA & Canada. M.M. Hudson is not responsible for prize shipment. This giveaway is not associated with any social media outlet.

Ends April 8, 2017

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