#Spotlight & #Giveaway: Creative Haven Color By Numbers by illustrator, George Toufexis #coloringbooks

Creative Haven Color by Numbers Books

Coloring Books

Publisher: Dover Publications

 

Dover brings the popular Paint by Number concept up to date. Intricate image features numbers corresponding to a coloring key -- experienced colorists can follow the guide or use colors of their own choice.

 

 

Creative Haven Glorious Gardens Color

978-0-486-83669-0

Date Published: 10/16/19

 

Relax and unwind as you color a stunning variety of flower-filled landscapes. Forty-six scenes present roses, tulips, sunflowers, succulents and more as well as dozing cats, majestic mountains, bubbling waterfalls, and the occasional garden gnome. It's easy to achieve realistic effects with the help of lightly printed numbers that correspond to a simple color key. Pages are perforated and printed on one side only for easy removal and display. Specially designed for experienced colorists, Glorious Gardens Color by Number and other Creative Haven® adult coloring books offer an escape to a world of inspiration and artistic fulfillment. Each title is also an effective and fun-filled way to relax and reduce stress.

 

Purchase Links

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Dover Consumer Website

 

Additional Titles

 

 

Creative Haven By the Sea Color by Number

978-0-486-84046-8

Date Published:  5/21/2020

 

Relax and unwind as you color a stunning variety of flower-filled landscapes. Forty-six scenes present roses, tulips, sunflowers, succulents and more as well as dozing cats, majestic mountains, bubbling waterfalls, and the occasional garden gnome. It's easy to achieve realistic effects with the help of lightly printed numbers that correspond to a simple color key. Pages are perforated and printed on one side only for easy removal and display. Specially designed for experienced colorists, Glorious Gardens Color by Number and other Creative Haven® adult coloring books offer an escape to a world of inspiration and artistic fulfillment. Each title is also an effective and fun-filled way to relax and reduce stress.

 

 

Creative Haven City Sights Color By Number

978-0-486-82281-5

Date Published: 8/15/2018

 

This charming book depicting city life includes 46 illustrations packed with taxis, trolleys, and traffic jams, along with street vendors, dog walkers, store window displays, and much more. Colorists can achieve realistic effects with the help of lightly printed numbers that correspond to a simple color key. Pages are perforated and printed on one side only for easy removal and display. Specially designed for experienced colorists, City Sights Color by Number and other Creative Haven® adult coloring books offer an escape to a world of inspiration and artistic fulfillment. Each title is also an effective and fun-filled way to relax and reduce stress.

  

Creative Haven Country Scenes Color by Number

978-0-486-82280-8

Date Published: 7/18/2018

 

 Forty-six picturesque scenes celebrate the simple pleasures of country life: farms, roadside stands, pastures, mills, covered bridges, and more. Colorists can achieve realistic effects with the help of lightly printed numbers that correspond to a simple color key. Pages are perforated and printed on one side only for easy removal and display. Specially designed for experienced colorists, Country Scenes Color by Number and other Creative Haven® adult coloring books offer an escape to a world of inspiration and artistic fulfillment. Each title is also an effective and fun-filled way to relax and reduce stress.

 

Additional Titles

 

978-0-486-84698-9     Creative Haven Around the World Color by Number – Coming 7/1/21

978-0-486-84474-9     Creative Haven Autumn Inspirations Color by Number

978-0-486-79857-8     Creative Haven Birds Color by Number Coloring Book

978-0-486-79858-5     Creative Haven Butterflies Color by Number Coloring Book

978-0-486-81853-5     Creative Haven Cats Color by Number Coloring Book

978-0-486-83253-1     Creative Haven Christmas Color by Number

978-0-486-80447-7     Creative Haven Dogs Color by Number Coloring Book

978-0-486-79385-6     Creative Haven Floral Design Color by Number Coloring Book

978-0-486-79384-9     Creative Haven Horses Color by Number Coloring Book

978-0-486-79797-7     Creative Haven Mandalas Color by Number Coloring Book

978-0-486-79795-3     Creative Haven Sea Life Color by Number Coloring Book

978-0-486-84543-2     Creative Haven Spectacular Spring Scenes Color by Number

978-0-486-80448-4     Creative Haven Still Life Color by Number Coloring Book

978-0-486-79856-1     Creative Haven Wildlife Color by Number Coloring Book

 

 

 

About the Illustrator

Montreal-based George Toufexis is a freelance illustrator who has worked as an art/creative director and illustrator/designer. He has been involved in designing and illustrating t-shirts, stickers, temporary tattoos, and education-related licensed products for Warner Bros., Disney, Fox, and LucasFilm, as well as non-licensed materials for various publishers. George has published nearly 500 editorial cartoons and created dozens of coloring and activity books for Dover, many of which are bestsellers. He is also a musician and songwriter, specializing in blues, roots, and gospel music.

 

Publisher Contact Links

Website

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(The) Flute Player: An Apache Folktale by Michael Lacapa #multicultural #NativeAmerican #atozchallenge #review

The story tells of two young ones who come to a Hoop Dance but dance with no other. They separate to their own families but the boy, a flute player, plays for her. She secretly sends "messages" to him that he likes how he plays. The village thinks the music comes from the trees. Eventually, tragedy strikes but the music is still heard through the canyon.

This folktale could almost be Romeo and Juliette-esq. Except the two lovers are not kept from each other with the exception of time. I loved this story but the ending was sad. You will have to get your own copy to know what happens.

 I do believe students reading this book would understand it to be folklore or albeit the way to explain things. It is a great book to read and study for Native American studies. I will say though, although this book is listed for younger readers, it could go up to 5th grade with more in depth study.

This book is beautifully illustrated by the author as well. The graphics are in browns, blues, muted yellows, and green. The Apache people are illustrated in bold line drawings. I truly love this and it speaks to the authors naive heritage. His book keeps the stories alive.

This book gets 5 stars from me.  Amazon

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

Zen Ghosts by John J. Muth #Halloween #duality #ghosts #ScholasticBooks

Summary:
It's Halloween. The trees are ablaze in fiery reds. Excited children don colorful costumes. And there's mystery and fun around every corner!

When Addy, Michael, and Karl finish trick-or-treating, their bags are brimming with treats. But the fun isn't over yet. Their good friend Stillwater the panda has one more special surprise in store for them. A mysterious visitor is about to tell them a spine-tingling story --- one that will fill each and every reader with wonder.

My review:
This is a beautifully illustrated book with all the colors you would expect to see in the Fall and at Halloween. It started out fun with the characters deciding what they wanted to be for Halloween. The story carried on right through the sorting and trading of candy. After that, the panda friend was to tell the children a ghost story.

At this point a ghost story is told by a seemingly look-alike panda. It is a real Chinese story ages old. This is where the book turns deep and thought provoking. It was a good story but the problem I had with it was the story was not meant for young children. In fact, if anything, the story was meant to be for adults who are studying Zen practices. 

If you want a book that is for Halloween type illustrations (to a point), then by all means, get this book but be aware of what I mentioned above. I think you might even need to have a bit of pre-talk before reading.

Overall, I still give this book 4 pumpkins.

Disclosure: I borrowed this book from the library. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle

Where to find the author:

Amazon

Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins #Halloween #pumpkins #individuality

Summary:
Stumpkin is the most handsome pumpkin on the block. He’s as orange as a traffic cone! Twice as round as a basketball! He has no bad side! He’s perfect choice for a Halloween jack-o-lantern.

There’s just one problem—Stumpkin has a stump, not a stem. And no one seems to want a stemless jack-o-lantern for their window.

As Halloween night approaches, more and more of his fellow pumpkins leave, but poor Stumpkin remains. Will anyone give Stumpkin his chance to shine?

My review: 
Each pumpkin was taken from a shop a little at a time. Each was turned into a jack-o-lantern and sat in a window. Stumpkin was the only one left because he had no stem. On Halloween night he finally gets taken by...

As I was reading along, suddenly there was two black pages. This seemed that Stumpkin was doomed. In fact, I thought the book had ended, leaving this reader to wonder what happened to the poor pumpkin. Fortunately, I realized just to turn the page.

Although this book was simplistic, I really truly liked everything about it. First of all, there is the illustrations. Every page is done in browns, blacks, splashes of orange, and touches of green. This gave the feeling of a bit of spookiness without being spooky.

Also, the whole point in this book, at least in my mind, was to be yourself and be patient because good things will come about if you do.

This book gets 4 pumpkins from me.

Disclosure: I borrowed this book from the local library. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle

Where to find the author:
Amazon

Review: Freedom Over Me by Ashley Bryan #Multicultural #AtoZblogchallenge #F #CorettaScottKingAwards #Newberry

Summary:
Using original slave auction and plantation estate documents, and In his gentle yet deeply powerful way, Ashley Bryan goes to the heart of how a slave is given a monetary value by the slave owner, tempering this with the one thing that CAN’T be bought or sold—dreams. Inspired by the actual will of a plantation owner that lists the worth of each and every one of his “workers”, Bryan has created collages around that document, and others like it. Through fierce paintings and expansive poetry he imagines and interprets each person’s life on the plantation, as well as the life their owner knew nothing about—their dreams and pride in knowing that they were worth far more than an Overseer or Madam ever would guess.

My review:
This has got to be one of the most compelling children's book I have ever read. The book starts off with hearing from the plantation owner and why she is going to sell. Then the meat of the book begins with the first person's name, age, and story, as well as how much that person is "worth" on opposite pages. The next spread tells of his/her dreams.

I have known, as is possible for me, about slavery and the injustice of it but when I saw a bill of sale, my mouth dropped. I am not talking about something that was made up by the author but a tangible bill of sale. Seeing this made it real and shows the lack of human compassion. Wow!

The eleven human beings in the book were real, the lived, and had no life but had dreams. This is where the author used his power of writing to create those dreams for people who could only hope for such a thing, a voice for the powerless. The author's pen gave them a life, a life they would not have had from the bill a sale.

Not only did the author give them their voice but he also created their looks. He is the one who illustrated the book with collage and painting of each person. These are all in browns, blacks, and beige tones. Their dreams are alive with color and hope.

That was the whole purpose of the book. To make these people human in the eyes of the reader. He accomplished his goals and then some. 

This book should be in every library and classroom. If I could, I would give this book much more than the 5 stars I can only give.

If you are not convinced by my review, the book has won the following:
Newbery Honor Book
Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book



Disclosure: I obtained a copy of this book from my local library. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from your opinions. ~M.M. Hudson

Review: David Travels to the Past by Gonzalo Martinez de Antonana & Maria Jose Mosquera @editorialsaure @iReadBookTours #graphicnovel #education

Summary:

David is a young and restless apprentice painter who wants to know everything about painting. His intelligent teacher, the Master Messina, invents a way of transporting David through time to prehistory. They go there looking for the origins of art, but once they are there nothing will be as they thought.

In a second adventure they travel towards the unknown art of Mesopotamia. This time they won´t go alone. The sympathetic and intelligent Angela will travel to the past with them bringing her particular point of view.

My review:
I am not someone who generally enjoys comic books but in this case, I make an exception. The two authors of this hard back book, have combined efforts to come up with a truly extraordinary book.

The book is designed completely in comic book style. The story tells the tales of David and his teacher Messina who end up traveling in time to learn about varying art styles mixed with history lessons. The story may seem overwhelming at times but for the older child, they would love it.

The colors are perfect for the styles of art and subject. I personally learned a thing or two as I read, which of course, is the intent of the book to begin with.

The book is targeted for no younger than late elementary to young adult. It should be noted that a couple of times expletive language is used, which could have been left out and still made for a great book. It is nothing major and for me, not a drawback to the book at all.

I give this book 5 stars.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Naila Moon

Where to find the authors:

María José is a teacher. She won international illustrations awards.

Gonzalo has a degree in art history. He works in museums and as a tourist guide.

Connect with them: Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook

Review: Bossy Flossy by Paulette Bogan @paulettebogan1 @iReadBookTours #childrensfiction #kidlit #giveaway #bossykids

Summary:
Flossy is the bossiest girl around. She's bossy at home and she's bossy in school. She's bossy to her friends and she's bossy to her cat. Sometimes she's even bossy to her teacher! Flossy doesn't understand why no one will listen to her. One day, Flossy meets Edward, a boy who may be just as bossy as she is. Has Flossy finally met her match?

My review:
I have known a few bossy children in my time as a teacher and mother. It is without a doubt frustrating for all when such a child is near. That is why I could understand Flossy and Edward.

It was nice to see the ending but I felt something was missing. When I taught preschool, we used redirection for children like Flossy and Edward and different other techniques to teach children why they were in trouble or why kids did not want to play with them. In the book, Flossy and Edward are sent to time out but there is no understanding for them of why their behavior is unacceptable. I realize this is a book and author privy but it just seemed this part was needed.

Other than that, I enjoyed this book. I thought the illustrations, also done by the author were just adorable. All of the pictures were colorful and larger than life. They made the idea of bossiness even more so.

Overall, this was a cute book and even with what I said above, I still give it 4 stars. 

If you would like to enter in a giveaway for three books and Amazon cash, go HERE. There will be two winners.

Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book for my open and honest opinion. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. This review is also part of the iRead bog tours. ~M.M. aka Naila Moon

Where to find the author:

Paulette Bogan admits she was bossy as a child. She is the author and illustrator of Virgil & Owen, which was chosen as one of Bank Street Best Children's books of the Year 2016, Virgil & Owen Stick Together, which won a Mom's Choice Award Gold Medal for Picture Books, and Lulu The Big Little Chick, which won a Children's Choice Book Award. She lives in New York City with her husband, three daughters, and two dogs. They ALL think she is STILL bossy. But they've never told her to go to her room!

Connect with the author: Website  ~Amazon  ~  Facebook

#Review: People by Peter Spier #Multicultural

My review:
As the title suggests, this book is all about people. People of every nation, people around the world, people of every color and creed. I love this book because it takes an in depth look of how we all live, dress, worship, play, and enjoy life without prejudice.

The book gives children an idea of how being different is ok. However, it does not shy away from the fact that when we are different, that other people may not like us but, it is still ok to be the way we are. The author shows us that in our differences we are still all human beings, we are born as babies and die at some point.

The colors of this book are amazing:blues, reds,yellows, greens, and browns. The illustrations are all pen drawn with the colors added. This adds to the whole feel of the book and once again, highlights the title, "People".

The author has been awarded several awards for the book and it is without a doubt deserving of my 5 stars. This should be in every home, library, and classroom.

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


Where to find the author:

Amazon