Jonathan James and the What If Monster

Recommended ages: 3-7, everyone! :)
Good for kids who like: monsters, trying new things or scared to try new things, getting over fears, picky eaters

This is by far one of my favorite books I've come across so far. It's a children's book but the story is something that resonates with every single person. We all have those moments when we say, "but what if something goes wrong?" and so does Jonathan James. His little What If monster follows him around and every time he thinks he wants to try something, his What If monster casts doubts. What if my painting is awful? What if this food is yucky? What if they all laugh? But in the end, enough is enough. Jonathan James is tired of hearing those what ifs and decides he's going to go for it. And guess what folks? The results are surprisingly pleasant. The painting wins an award, that food is delicious and Jonathan James makes a new best friend. 

Seriously a very cute story about turning those negative what ifs into positive ones. Because really, what if everything turns out great? I think everyone should read this book. I bought this book in paperback, and now I want the hardcover version. And hey, there's a matching plush (look how cute he is!). I don't own him, but I plan to soon. I mean, you know... for E.

Desert Dustup (Wheelnuts!)

Recommended ages: 7-10

Good for kids who like: cars, racing, action, comedy

Desert Dustup is the first book of the Wheelnuts! series. The series will likely have 5 books total to cover each track of the craziest race on earth - desert, haunted town, outer space, underwater and jungle. The six duos (dinosaurs, aliens, fairies, babies, actors/singers and a grandpa/grandson team) start in what will be the wildest no rules race of their lives. No holds barred in this race, any cheat is acceptable to get you to win - burps, volcanoes, and little old ladies included. But when things get unexpectedly rough, they still understand the value of setting aside the competition to work together as a bigger team. 

If you have any reluctant readers in your family, this is a great book to get them interested in reading again. Every page is completely in color and has plenty of pictures to break up the monotony of reading a whole page of text. The humor is very age appropriate, the text is medium sized, and the chapters are short enough that you can do one or two a night if you have younger readers. Highly recommended for boys and girls who aren't quite sure about reading, or avid readers who love comedy (let's be real - what kid doesn't love to laugh?). The map of the racetrack in the beginning of the book is also a very nice touch since it gives you an idea of what will happen in the book!

The second book of the series is called Spooky Smackdown and is already out, but I don't own it. If you like Desert Dustup though, be sure to pick up Spooky Smackdown as a perfect lead up to Halloween this year.

That's Not My Princess...

Recommended age: 9+ months

Good for kids who like: princesses, touchy feely books, glittery & shiny stuff

Out of the 33 books from the That's Not My series, E picked That's Not My Princess. I won't lie - I was kind of hoping she'd pick That's Not My Dragon but I was pleasantly surprised when I read the book.

That's Not My series is a nice board book series for babies and toddlers since they have the touchy feely stuff and lots of adjectives to teach toddlers new ways to describe things. The premise is that each page has something that is atypical of the subject. For example, in this case, on the cover of the book, it says "That's not my princess...her tiara is too bumpy." And it is a cool kind of bumpy I might add. Then at the end it finishes up the book with a princess that has exactly what is expected of a princess - a glittery tiara.

If you have a little girly girl, she is going to love this book. E is 3 and a half years old and absolutely loves it. Every page features a different princess and has tons of shiny sparkly glittery details that makes it that much more princessy. I feel like all the glitz & glamour was a bonus. 

Welcome to my mini nook!

Hi everyone! Thank you for visiting my page. I am now an independent consultant for Usborne Books & More so I will have access to a bunch of children's books! That means mini reviews galore for you guys!

Generally speaking, all of the books I review are available for purchase through my website: m4571.myubam.com unless I specifically say in the review that it is not an Usborne or Kane Miller book.

Happy reading!!