Blog Tour: Eraser
Thank you to Blue Slip Media and Two Lions for the free copy of Eraser! All opinions are my own!
I love books in which inanimate objects come to life and have their own personalities. (Such as The Day the Crayons Quit!) Even better? When they have a great message for kids. Eraser
Eraser tells the story of an eraser who doesn’t feel as important as her colleagues. Pencil is so sharp, and everyone thinks he’s the coolest. Crayons? They make beautiful art. Even tape and glue help hold things together. All eraser does is clean up after others. She’s ready to do more. When she goes on a journey to try and be something she isn’t, eraser discovers how important she really is, and everyone around her appreciates what she brings to the table. Literally.
This is a really fun book, and the illustrations are super cute and detailed. Kids will find all kinds of silly situations in them. But what I really love about it is the (not so subtle) message of acceptance, both of yourself and by others. Eraser wants to be like other school supplies, and refuses to see how much talent and skill she actually has. When she starts to believe in herself and realizes her own self-worth, all the others do too, and she decides not to let her particular skill be lessened ever again. I realize I’m talking about an eraser’s self-worth, but I think that self-worth and self-respect are issues with kids today that are only getting bigger, and this story breaks it down in a simple, fun way.
Eraser
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What My Kids Are Reading: New Orleans Edition!
Bayou Magic
When I visited New Orleans last month, I knew I couldn’t leave without bringing home at least one book for my kids. So of course I ended up bringing back 4! While I did visit the wonderful Faulkner House Books, I actually found these at a toy store in the French Quarter! The Little Toy Shop (This is not sponsored in any way, I just want to let you know where I found them!) had a surprising amount of children’s books, from beautiful editions of fairy tales to, of course, a good selection of New Orleans and Louisiana-based stories. It was hard to choose just these four, but I think the variety is pretty good, and the books seem perfect for a variety of ages.
Bayou Magic
I picked up this book for the cover alone, but the story sounds amazing. Rhodes wrote the acclaimed Towers Falling and Ninth Ward, and I’m really excited to read this with my 9-year-old. Bayou Magic is the third in a trilogy of books about 3 separate girls visiting Louisiana during different times of crises. In in this one, Maddy goes to spend the summer with her grandmother in the bayou, and immediately loves the feeling she gets there. In between hearing her grandmother’s fairy tales, a possible sighting of a mermaid, and Maddy’s realization that she might have REAL magic, a tragic oil spill occurs. Maddy may be the only who can help. This sounds like an amazing book set in the South, and I have a feeling I’ll be picking up the first two in the series as well.
This one was a no brainer! My kids love the Who Was series, and I had to get this edition about Louis Armstrong. This book details Armstrong’s childhood in one of the roughest neighborhoods in New Orleans through his adulthood and famously successful career. I love learning about important people in history just as much as my kids, and he’s definitely an important person to learn about. He didn’t let adversity and severe racism stop him, and that’s a message that we can all learn from.
This is a really cute picture book about a little boy tromping through the swamp at bedtime. The little boy keeps hearing funny noises and isn’t quite sure what any of them are. It’s told in rhyme, and is perfect for kids of any age who like funny books with wonderful illustrations.
The Pirate Lafitte and the Battle of New Orleans
A pirate? Swashbuckling through New Orleans? There was no chance I wasn’t bringing this one home for my 9-year-old. This is a real chapter book great for more advanced young readers or older readers, or to read with your child. It’s all about the pirate Jean Lafitte, his background, and what brought him to New Orleans in the 1800s. Some people loved him, some people hated him, and this looks like a really interesting book for any kid who loves pirates and their history!
[Top]Review: I Am Famous
I Am Famous
If you have kids or know anyone who has kids or have seen anyone in public around kids, you understand how . . . overzealous we can get with taking pictures sometimes! I Am Famous
Kiely knows without a doubt that she is famous. People follow her ALL THE TIME with their cameras. Those darn paparazzi! She loves it, but being famous can be tiring. When she has a big performance at her grandfather’s birthday party, she makes a mistake and is worried that she might lose her fans forever. (Spoiler alert: She doesn’t!)
I so loved this book, and believe it or not, both of my sons did too! (They are ages 6 and 9.) The illustrations are so good, and the story is very cute. I loved seeing what it might look like from a child’s perspective to have someone following you around all the time taking pictures, whether you want them to or not.
I definitely recommend this book for young readers, and it would make a fantastic book gift for anyone with a child as sassy and wonderful as Kiely!
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