Month: March 2019

Blog Tour: It’s Not Easy Being a Superhero

It’s Not Easy Being a Superhero: Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder
Thank you to Pink Umbrella Books for the free review copy. All opinions are my own!

In my opinion, all kids are superheroes. Seriously. They have to deal with a lot sometimes! But some kids might have a harder time seeing themselves as superheroes than typical children. Kelli Call’s It’s Not Easy Being a Superhero is for them, and for whoever else wants to learn about what it’s like to have very special powers.

From the publisher:

Unlike most superheroes, Clark’s superpowers aren’t a secret. And instead of just one, Clark has five superpowers he must learn to control: super hearing, super sight, super smell, super taste, and super feeling. He uses his five superpowers to defeat sensory triggers, and his arch-nemesis Igor Ance.  This beautifully illustrated picture book helps parents, teachers, students, and friends understand what it’s like for these superheroes who have sensory processing disorder and the tricks they learn to control their powers.

This book is absolutely amazing. If you have a child with SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), they will see themselves in Clark, and recognize their own superpowers. If you don’t have a child with SPD, this book will help them to understand what SPD is, why those kids are special, and what they can do to support those special powers. This is such an empowering book, written in a large comic book format, which makes it easy for all ages to read and comprehend. I truly think this book should be in all libraries, both at school and home. Every child deserves to see someone like them in a hero role, and It’s Not Easy Being a Superhero gives kids with SPD that opportunity. This book is wonderful!

Blog Tour: It’s Not Hansel and Gretel

It’s Not Hansel and Gretel (It’s Not a Fairy Tale)
Thank you to Blue Slip Media and Two Lions for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own!

Josh Funk is one of my favorite children’s authors, and he’s hit it out of the park again with It’s Not Hansel and Gretel, the second in his It’s Not a Fairy Tale series. My kids and I loved the first (It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk) and this one is just as funny, well-written, and well-illustrated!

Hansel and Gretel are in their own fairy tale story. The only problem is that they refuse to listen to their narrator, and keep trying to go on a different path than the traditional story dictates! Gretel wants her name first in the title, they don’t want to waste bread crumbs, and they don’t think there’s any way a person who has a home made of sugar could be evil! The narrator keeps trying to get them back on the correct plot, but not without a struggle!

These books are genius, in my opinion, and so much fun to read out loud to kids! The characters outright argue with the narrator, and the narrator is hilariously frustrated that they just won’t listen. My kids (ages 7 and 10) both thought this book was funny, and my 7-year-old reads it to himself several times a week. And can we talk about the illustrations for a minute? Edwardian Taylor’s illustrations are amazing, filled with cartoonish candy, jokes, and other fairy tale characters hidden throughout. There’s no way a child won’t be entertained by this book!

It’s Not Hansel and Gretel is perfect for the younger and elementary school crowd, but it’s also a book you won’t get tired of reading to your kids or students. I can’t wait to see which fairy tale Funk chooses to twist next! (Hint: I think there’s a wolf and a little girl with a red cape involved!)

EXTRA!

There are extra materials for kids on Josh’s website!

Josh Funk

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