Fairy tale for kids 2-6 in search of self worth

 

The story of Princess Fluffy Plumpkin reads like a modern-day fairytale with a moral. It opens with an unhappy Princess Fluffy. She may be royalty, but she doesn’t feel like it. The source of her unhappiness is how she looks. Even as a princess, she compares herself to her sisters with their short colorful fur. Her fur is not short or colorful and she feels that even her parents treat her differently. She tries and tries to change how she looks but nothing works. As a last resort, she follows her brother’s advice. His plan works at first but doesn’t bring lasting change.

 

This fairy-tale brims with encouragement and uplifting moments for kids 2-6 years old who see flaws in their appearance. Princess Fluffy Easts Pink is engaging. Filled with interactive illustrations that depict Princess Fluffy’s journey of discovery. She realizes the advantages to being different and overcomes her feelings of inferiority. This delightful story delivers an important message on a child’s level. We are all unique. A person’s value should not be based on how they look. This story’s message will help kids love themselves and learn not to compare themselves with others in search of self-worth. I highly recommend this book for young kids and early readers. I’m happy to award it 5 stars.

 

As BookHookup, I am a long-time book reviewer and I received this book as a free review copy in collaboration with Blackberry Book Tours. I have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

 

About author Chris Roy

Chris Roy was raised on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He is a boxing trainer, and a tattoo artist.

Young Adult books:

• Sad Sally Salad
• Alex

Children’s books:

• Ronin Cleans His Room Like a Ninja

• When a Brave Bear Fights Cancer (by Carola Schmidt, edited by Chris Roy)

• Chubby’s Tale: the true story of a Teddy bear who beat cancer (by Carola Schmidt, edited by Chris Roy)

• Little Ricky’s Ambition (by Richard Lewis, Jr., edited by Chris Roy)

• Princess Fluffy Plumpkin Eats Pink

Imaginative, fun, & gets kids moving

Daryl and the Dancing Dolls brings a magical touch to everyday life. It is the believable magic of childhood that used to keep me awake to see my stuffed animals and dolls come to life at midnight. 

 

Daryl and the Dancing Dolls Book Review

Once Upon a Dance delivers another fun read for young children and early readers. The story centers on Daryl a truck driver who lives a routing life until one day when she is sent on a unknown delivery route in a special purple truck. That day, driving a purple truck on that unknown route, magic touches Daryl’s life when her cargo of dolls comes to life. I don’t want to say more to avoid spoilers but I can say this is a fun read filled with full-page colorful illustrations.

Within the pages of Daryl and the Dancing Dolls, Ballerina Konora joins the story-telling with photos and suggestions for movement exploration as she encourages kids to act out the story in their own way or to follow the dance-step photos. What a great concept. This book is entertaining and encourages interaction and imaginative play by an award-winning ballet teacher! Engaging! I give it five stars. While it is recommended for children six and up, I do think this story will appeal to children as young as four. And if they enjoy this story, I also recommend Frankie’s Wish by the same authors. It is just as imaginative, fun, and gets the kids moving.

As BookHookup, I am a long-time book reviewer and received a free review copy of this book in collaboration with Blackberry Book Tours. I have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

 

 About Once Upon a Dance Authors

Once Upon a Dance is an award-winning mother-daughter collaboration.

Ballerina Konora climbed the ballet ladder to pro, and she’s thrilled to be living her dreams dancing with Ballet Idaho. Along the way, she danced iconic roles such as Sugar Plum Fairy and Cinderella.

Teacher Terrel taught dance for decades and was honored by her City Council for “embodying the spirit of partnership and commitment to children in our community” for her work with young dancers. She’s breathed ballet from every angle and worked in early childhood education, for non-profits supporting kids, and as a university English teacher as a Peace Corps volunteer.

Once Upon a Dance 2021/2022 Awards: Mom’s Choice Gold Award, Family Choice Award, Royal Dragonfly First Place, PenCraft Award First Place, Firebird First Place, Pinnacle: Best Book Juvenile Fiction, Independent Press Award Winner, International Impact Book Award Winner, Outstanding Creator Awards Winner, Readers Favorite Certified Great Read, Indie’s Today 5-Star Recommended, The Wishing Shelf 5-Star, Literary Titan 5-Star Award.

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Four Square Miles where family survival meets organized crime

Four Square Miles the prequel by Keith Michael Preston unfolds through an omniscient third-person narrator looking in on a gritty inner four-square mile section of early 90s New York City. It centers on the Gento family where Mrs. Gento struggles as a windowed mother of two to not only make ends meet but to keep her children safe. Her oldest, Nuccio, has dropped out of school to support his family and worries about his attractive teenage sister, Maria, who is hanging out with the wrong people and placing herself in danger. 

The Westerns, a rough group of gun pushers that come in and take over small corrupt towns and cities like Four Square, enter the picture, and clash with the local thugs plans' of controlling things.

For Square Miles the prequel moves along quickly as family life fiction is infiltrated by organized crime. The protagonist, Nuccio Gento, is a loyal son and friend, and protective brother who navigates hard times, young love with a girl with a disapproving father, and faces difficult decisions when he comes up against organized crime. 

Book Review: Four Square Miles the prequel

In For Square Miles the prequel, family survival meets organized crime head on. It is tale of love, drama, sacrifice, corruption, and redemption with consequences. The characters feel real. No one is perfect, but many have good qualities. I hoped for the best for Nuccio as the pages turned. Could he come through it all on the right side of things? I recommend this book to readers who enjoy organized crime thrillers, family sagas, and coming of age in the 90s. While this book is a prequel, the story does stand on its own, but certainly whets the appetite to reach for Four Square Miles the layoff (Four Square Miles series), book 1 of 4. I give it a strong 4 stars.

As BookHookup, I am a longtime book reviewer. I received a free review copy of this book from BookTasters and have not received compensation for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

 About Author Keith Michael Preston

Keith started writing as a screenwriter of numerous topics and genres. Although he still writes screenplays, he ventured into novel writing to share his work with the public. Keith's dream is to have one of his stories on a network station or the big screen. Keith is married with two sons and lives in New York. www.KeithMichaelPreston.com

 

Think modern day dystopian Lord of the Flies meets the Maze Runner crossed with Hunger Games

Moneyland (Lockdown Book 1) by Michael Botur is YA dystopian fiction that surprised me. Think modern day dystopian Lord of the Flies meets the Maze Runner crossed with Hunger Games. With that said, I devoured the book. I was invested in the characters. Whether I liked them or hated them, I cared about them. I wanted them to survive.

@donnasundblad Moneyland TikTok Book Review #booktok #bookrecommendations #dystopianbooks #bookreview #moneyland #michaelbotur #bookhookup ♬ original sound - Donna Sundblad

About Moneyland by Michael Botur

Moneyland takes place in 2037. AI has taken over the labor force leaving humans desperate for money. High schooler, Eden Shepard’s family is in that boat and so she is up for it when she is chosen to enter a 12-month experiment with a chance of winning big money. She is joined by eleven other students who enter a biodome that encompasses an abandoned suburb. Each one of them receive a million dollars on their first day along with a shipment of junk food. The euphoria of being rich dissolves quickly when they find they are cut off from the “real world” and their money isn’t useful. Store shelves are empty, no ready-made foods are available, they have no electricity, and no fresh water. They rifle through the abandoned houses to find nothing of much use is left in them.

The plot quickly turns to one of survival and greed. It doesn’t take long for the group of 12 to divide into two. The two groups develop their own set of rules and a system of survival. But the two groups clash. One group’s leader vies for dominance and things turn violent and even brutal. The basis for relationships shifts based on what they get out of the deal. 

 

Moneyland Book Review 

While this book is classified YA I really enjoyed it and found it hard to put down. It delivers timely reveals to keep you turning the page and offers plenty to figure out along the way. I couldn’t wait to see how things turned out. I give this book a strong four stars and am ready to read Payback, Book 2 in the Lockdown Series. I recommend Moneyland to people who enjoy future dystopian survival such as Hunger Games or the Divergent Series. In fact, I think fans of survival fiction like Stranded on Castaway Island by Amy Laundrie will also enjoy this read.

I received this book through Black Phoenix Book Tours and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

 

About Author Michael Botur

Michael Botur, born 1984, is a writer originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, who now lives in Whangarei with his wife and two kids. He is author of four short story collections and published Moneyland in 2017.

Botur holds a Masters in Creative Writing from AUT University and a Graduate Diploma in Journalism Studies from Massey University, as well as degrees in arts and literacy. He has been making money from creative writing since the age of 21 and was in 2017 proud to be included in the University of Otago collection 'Manifesto Aotearoa: 101 political poems'. Today, he makes his living from writing as a columnist, corporate communications writer, blogger, advertising writer and journalist. He has published creative writing in international literary journals Newfound (US), Weaponizer (UK), The Red Line (UK), Swamp (Aus) and most NZ literary journals including Landfall, Poetry New Zealand, 4th Floor, JAAM and Tākahe. Botur has published journalism in most major NZ newspapers including New Zealand Herald, Herald on Sunday, Sunday Star-Times, as well as many magazines.

Botur has a long history of volunteering, including working with Maori and Pasifika literacy, Youthline, ESOL refugee tutoring, and assisting stroke patients, and in Whangarei is involved in improv theatresports and performance poetry.

Botur’s books include 'Moneyland,' ‘Payback,’ 'LowLife,' 'Spitshine', 'Mean' and 'Hot Bible’ and all available on Amazon.com. Most of Botur's short fiction is offered for free at https://nzshortstories.com/

For information on Michael Botur’s writing services, head to http://www.michaelboturwriter.com/

 

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International Read in the Bathtub Day - Feb. 9

These days every day is some sort of holiday or marked to celebrate something. In fact, most days offer several things. For instance, January 27 is National Chocolate Cake Day, Local Quilt Shop Day, National Seed Swap Day, and more. But February 9th is a holiday worth celebrating here at BookHookup. It's International Read in the Bathtub Day! The origin of this celebrated day is unknown, but it is a popular pass time around the world, this day and everyday.

What the tub and reading have in common

When you think about it, reading and soaking in the tub are both relaxing pastimes. Both provide a reprieve from the stress and problems of the day as they whisk you away to another place or time. Sometimes even into another dimension. That is if you're reading for enjoyment. This day of celebration is not for reading a technical manual for work, or your physics chapters for homework, or any other obligatory reading. It's for fun! So pick up a book you WANT to read and enjoy!

 

I just finished ready Moneyland by Michael Botur and can't wait to read book 2 in the Lockdownland series so that's my choice for this trip into the land of bubbles and steam. If you're looking for a fantasy read, check out Dragonborn by Donna Sundblad. That's me. It's a captivating epic fantasy of love, magic, and adventure for readers young and old. A tale of sacrifice for the greater good in which Dragonborn and their dragons become seeds of change traveling through time to thwart evil in the future. (I'm almost finished with Shadowalkers (Dragonborn Saga book 2). 

For now, I'm off for a soak until I shrivel! Happy International Read in the Bathtub Day!