On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go! by Alva Sachs, illustrated by Patricia Krebs (Three Wishes Publishing, 2009). 

This is the story of a day in the life of three best friends. Marcus, Justin, and Mario start their Saturday playing videos and making lunch. When they're not sure what to do next, Justin's dad suggests enjoying the nice weather outdoors, and helps them spruce up their old skateboards. They invite the other dads to come and watch them race in the park. While it's a simple story, it's nice to see diverse friendships and father-son relationships. I really love the illustrations by the Argentinean artist. 

The author and and illustrator have collaborated on several picture books. More information can be found here.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Mad Libs

Disclaimer: I received this gift bag from the publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

I was fortunate to recently receive a bag from Brightly filled with Mad Lib books and other little goodies. I absolutely loved Mad Libs as a kid; they were so fun to play alone or with friends and family. 

If you don't yet know about Brightly, it's an online resource from Penguin Random House that helps parents, educators, and anyone with kids in their lives grow lifelong readers. Brightly offers book recommendations from all publishers for every age and stage, reading tips, author essays, and much more. It's a great site and they have lots of fun giveaways; in fact, I randomly won a copy of the new Jerry Spinelli book from them a little while back.

Since I don't have kids yet, I plan on donating these to a local children's literacy charity organization. I know some kids will have a lot of fun with them while also practicing vocabulary and grammar skills!

And the best part is that Brightly is offering a downloadable 15 pack of Mad Libs for FREE on their site here! So be sure to check that out.

I Just Kept Spinning

I Just Kept Spinning by Destini Berry, illustrated by April Foxx (Kifani Press, 2017). 

This is a wonderful book based on the experiences of the author, who is only eighteen. 
I especially love the rich, soulful acrylic illustrations. Kifani Press (which is co-owned by sisters April and Ashley Foxx) raised $15,000 on Kickstarter to publish the book. 

All seven-year-old Destini wants is to dance, but she's banned from her first recital because her natural locs go against the "rules" for a ballerina. But Destini won't back down, and her mother promises her they'll be able to conquer the problem, because "small people can do big things." Her mother starts calling newspapers and TV stations and soon lawyers start wanting to help them. The whole town gets talking about how it's an unfair rule, and Destini is allowed to dance in her first recital just the way she is, with her beautiful locs.

I'm pleased to be able to offer a discount on this book to my followers. You can just go to the website and use discount code SYS15 to receive 15% off your order through September 15. 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Anything But Pink

Anything But Pink by Adelina Winfield (self-published, 2016). 

This is a cute book about a little girl named Starri whose parents don't get her anything pink when she's a baby because they don't want to feed into the stereotype. Of course, as Starri grows up, all she wants is pink. Pink clothes, pink toys, pink room... everything pink! Finally her parents tell her, that while pink is great, there are so many other wonderful colors out there, and variety is the spice of life.

I liked both the message and the cute illustrations for this book. My only complaint is that all the characters' mouths are always puckered into O's like dolls, which is a little odd, and doesn't allow for variety of expression in their faces. But otherwise, I enjoyed this book. I also liked that the parents seem to be an interracial couple, or at least they could be seen that way, so that little mixed girls can see themselves in Starri as well. 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.