Spies, Code Breakers, and Secret Agents by Carole P. Roman #Review #WWII #codes #Childrensnonfiction

Synopsis:
Discover World War 2’s hidden heroes and villains. Spies, Code Breakers, and Secret Agents explores the intriguing world of spy craft and shows you what goes on behind the scenes in war.

From spy schools and ciphers to sneaky tools and secret armies, this guide takes you on a declassified tour of the undercover operations that helped decide the outcome of World War 2. There’s also more than a dozen short spy-ographies that cover some of the most famous (and infamous!) agents that were active during the war

My review:
I was so excited to get this book. I am not overly fascinated by things about WWII but I do like to read about it. This one intrigued  me for two reasons.

The first being it was a book written specifically for children. That is not too surprising considering the author has so many children's books under her belt. More than likely she wrote for an interest from a grandchild. 

The second reason is that this one is different than other children's books on the subject, is it is about spies and World War II secret codes. I like that! I was intrigued by the multiple real-life spies like Julia Childs. Did you know? I liked reading what they did and how they did it without getting caught. Photos were included for the different spies that were mentioned.

I also liked reading about the different codes used and how they were broken by code breakers. The author illustrated some of these codes which made it that more intriguing. One of the code breakers that she mentioned in the book was the Navajo Code Breakers. I was happy to see them mentioned.

This book is simply packed full of information and well worth reading for children and adults as well. There was nothing in this book that I did not like!

This book gets 5 ... _ ._ ._. ...  from me.

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

Where to find the author:

Amazon

A Note...

Dear followers, friends, and A-Z participants.

You may have noticed no A-Z postings coming from me in the last week or so.
Unfortunately, I have been in the hospital twice in three weeks (non-c-19 related). I obviously  got behind and have decided to not be concerned with it.

Having said that, I will still be doing the reviews and intend to finish, it simply will just not be on time.  Please check back often and by all means, leave me a comment on the wonderful authors I read and review.

Thanks for understanding,
Michelle

Lighten Your Mental Load by Amy Thorton #Giveaway #spotlight #nonfiction

Book Details:

Book Title:  Lighten Your Mental Load by Amy Thornton
Category:  Adult non-fiction,  129 pages
Genre:  Self-Help
Publisher:  Tell-Tale Publishing
Release date:   January, 2020
Tour dates: Apr 13 to May 1, 2020
Content Rating:  PG: The author uses occasional mild swear words in the book.

Book Description:

Mental labor, or the mental load, involves the many — and extremely varied — tasks that are involved in managing a household and/or workplace. This topic has exploded over the past couple of years, especially for women. As stated in an October 2017 Washington Post article, “The constant stress of trying to stay organized — and to remember to execute so many tasks every single day — is affecting women's relationships with their spouses, children, friends, and colleagues. They are experiencing mental, emotional, and physical fatigue trying to stay on top of it all.”

Lighten Your Mental Load shares real stories of what this load is like for both men and women across the globe and how it originated. It offers practical advice on how to lighten this burden through technology and other methods in the following areas:
• Home
• Shopping and Meals
• Marriage/Partners
• Children
• Pets
• Transportation
• Career
• Birthdays, Celebrations, Holidays, and Vacations
• Volunteering, Church Activities, and Hobbies
• Caregiving
• Retirement

Finally, the book discusses ways to not add to the mental load of others and how we can more evenly distribute the mental labor between both sexes for future generations.

BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon~ Tell-Tale Publishing
Add to Goodreads

 

Meet the Author:  

Amy Thornton Shankland, GPC, has been battling the mental load for over 29 years. She is a former Dale Carnegie instructor, has been a grant professional for 18 years, is a columnist for the Hamilton County Reporter in Central Indiana, and a wife and mother. She also published Joy to You and Me (At Work!) in 2018 through Tell-Tale Publishing.

Connect with the Author:  website ~ facebook ~ twitter

Enter the Giveaway:

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

(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

Egypt (If You Were Me and Lived In...Series) by Carole P. Roman #atozchallenge #review

I love the "If You Were Me and Lived In..." series of books by Carole P. Roman. I am privileged to have almost the entire collection from around the world. This one is a view of Egypt.

As with all of her books from this series, she follows a general format which includes: city capital, name for parents, names for children, money used,foods eaten, places to visit, school name, holidays. 
This time some of those words were hard even for me to pronounce! Thank goodness for that glossary of terms in the back.

This book seemed to be a little bit more sophisticated than the first few I read. It gave much more detail and she seemed to have upgraded for a more reading emergent child. 

I knew about the Nile River but did not know that you could travel up and down it on an everyday trip. Wow, what fun! 
Since I am fascinated with Egyptian lore, all the information about the pyramids and rulers was great too.

Want to learn more? I highly recommend this book and the whole series.  Amazon
Another 5 star book to me.

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

David's ADHD by Sherrill S. Cannon #review #childrensbooks #differentabilities #atozchallenge

Synopsis:
Does your child have ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)?

Meet David, one of award-winning author Sherrill S. Cannon’s “Classroom of Kids,” who manages his ADHD with the help of classmates.

David discovers ways to cope with his hyperactive brain, while learning how to calm and soothe his ADHD. Solutions include setting daily schedules and following simple rules that regulate behavior. His teachers and therapists encourage using the computer for academic advancement, and to establish a pattern for study as well as for occasional recreation. David not only learns self-control and communication skills, but is able to fit into the classroom and make friends.

My review: 
There has not been one book that Sherrill S Cannon has written that I have not liked. Her stories for children have always been point on and needed to help children help themselves. This book is no exception.

This time the author tackles the problem of ADHD but from the standpoint of the child who has it, "David". David's problem is causing disruption in his parents, school, and himself. With the help of his classmates and family, he learns ways to control his behavior and gain  support.

As always, Kalpart illustrators do an excellent job in making Sherrill's "kids" come to life with bright and bold illustrations. Also, don't forget to look for other books by the author that have been cleverly hidden.

Told completely in rhyme, this book is more than just a book to help children to understand other kids like David. This book is a resource that should be in every home and school! In the back of the book are resources parents can use to help their own children who suffer from ADHD.

I highly recommend this 5 star book!  Amazon

Michelle

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

Can a Princess Be A Firefighter? by Carole P. Roman #atozchallenge2020 #girlempowerment

This adorable little book is another winner for author, Carole P. Roman. A departure from her series books, the author takes on questions proposed to Daddy by two little girls...aka her granddaughters.

The girls are clearly princesses and the apple of "Daddy's" eye. However, they want to know if they can be something else and still maintain their princess status. Of course they can!

With short sentences and colorful pastel colors, the reader is whisked away in thoughtfulness of what they could possibly do when they grow up. The girls in the story as well as young readers are made to feel empowered to be whatever they want to be. More importantly, they are told no matter what they do, they will always be loved. To this reader, that means everything!

5 stars!
Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book from the author. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.  ~Michelle