Thursday, November 15, 2012

Holiday Gift Guide - Schiffer Publishing KIDS Books #review

Being a blogger sure does come with it's perks! I recently got the opportunity to review Schiffer Publishing Books.
Now- let it be first known that they have an endless (seemingly) selection of books for any reader & readers of all genres.
I- of course, most wanted the children's books.
Upon browsing their catalog I found 3 that REALLY called to me:



Shadows on My Wall (our Favorite) The Lollipop Monster (our second favorite) and Shirley's Cakes.
Naturally, they were all really good though.
What I most loved about all three of these books was the quality glossy thick card-stock pages , vividly printed upon, and the best part of all was the fact that the dust jackets were optional.

What I mean by that is: some books have plain covers underneath the dust jackets. My children will promptly destroy a dust jacket and have it bent, stepped on, tore and all sorts of stuff. They never last. These books (sadly) were no exception to the rule.


:(  *R.I.P* Dust Jackets ...

Underneath each book Schiffer Publishing sent's dust jacket was the exact same vividly colored image. *Phew!* sigh-of-relief...

Lets start with Shirley's Cakes.



I absolutely loved the beautiful illustrations and the fact that it provides simple recipes to do with your child!


The main character  Shirley- has a lot of spunk, and I like it. The book is perfect for my 7 year old, who reads on a 4th grade level.


"SWEET" story!!!
We liked that it isn't an overwhelmingly long chapter book, but I don't think she's yet outgrown picture books anyhow, and I don't expect her to for awhile.

Ambur Lowenthal (Author), Joe Werner (Author)

 Buy Shirleys Cakes on Amazon now, Hardcover for only $10.93

What little girl doesn't like cake? Shirley Walker, that s who! No cake has ever made her happy. At birthday parties and other events she would drive everyone crazy with her silly reasons for passing on a moist piece of cake too dry, too sweet, too this or that. The only way she was ever going to find a cake she enjoyed was to make it herself! Join Shirley as she takes her future into her own hands, tries something new, and bakes a cake from scratch. Will she actually like it? Beautifully illustrated and containing recipes for cake and frosting, this amusing tale will satisfy your sweet tooth and have you rooting for Shirley. For ages 8 and up.


 32 pages

NEXT:  The Lollipop Monster!
Eric T. Krackow (Author)



Now I'm not gonna lie. Sometimes I do feel this this blog (L of E!~) does spoil my kids rotten. Some of the times (I can't be the only blogger who does this)  I will review the product and then put it up for a Christmas/Birthday fill-in-the-blank gift.

But other times, or most of the time- especially is she's been good, and she normally is.. I'll give it to her. It's best to judge a review by what the child thinks, especially if it's a toy for kids. So instead of spoiling her endlessly, I decided we were going to give back to the community.

I actually read this to her, and let her play with it for a few days, and asked her to figure out who she wanted to donate it to.
She said (she's very aware for her age: 7) that since the book focuses on Bullying, it would be perfect to donate it to her school library.
I concur!

My kids love "Monster" anything, I knew that they would LOVE this story!!! This book was a bit long, but immersible story about a monster land where monsters have to learn that if you pick on someone littler than you, eventually you will be the littler monster.
It shows that bullies do NOT prosper, and it pays to be nice to people. The story was genuine, heartfelt, and extremely touching. I almost didn't want her to give it away. In the end, I was proud of her for being able to share, and this story was too cute. It's a must read, especially if your child has had issues with bullying, or being bullied.
64 pages


I give this book 10 out of 5 stars. Meaning it goes well above and beyond my expectations for it. This is a definite must add to your holiday shopping list!!!
I might just have to buy it and wrap it for her and stick it under the tree as a reward for being so generous ad willing to give it away without a fight. She's so sweet! The Lollipop Monster is available on Amazon in Hardcover for $13.25 w FREE Super Saver Shipping!


Monsters in the land of Monstoria did not get along with each other as well as they should. Just because they were bigger, large monsters were always mean to little monsters that lived in fear of being chased and bullied. This all changed when Larry the Lollipop Monster (one of the large monsters) decided to stick up for the little monsters. Join Larry as he lives with his decision and learns why doing the right thing carries both risks and rewards. Pre-K through grade 3

NEXT: Another great read that tells a great story: Shadows on my Wall.
What I loved most about this book was that my little girl, like most kids.. is kinda scared of the dark. heck, who am I kidding. I am too!
This story is 40 pages long, but mostly pictures. 


Beautifully, if hilariously illustrated. Even the inside cover has cute shadow creatures of all sorts.
 Shadows On My Wall is one of two new books from author/illustrator Timothy Young. It's about a boy who see's all kinds of scary things in the shadows on his wall. Find out how he learns to see that the things he thought were frightening may just turn out to be fun.

The street lights make shadows on Kevins wall! In those shadows, he sees monsters, dragons, and all sorts of frightening creatures. Does he let them scare him or does he find imaginative ways of dealing with these creepy shadows? Find out in this frightfully fun book. Through 15 creative illustrations of silhouetted shadow characters, contrasting with night-time colors, Kevin s room and his imagination come to life! Illustrations also show how you can create your own shadow figures! From Kevin s experience, children will learn how to deal with their own shadowy fears. Grades Pre-K to 4.
 Kevin can be frightened at night by the creepy shadows that appear on his bedroom wall. But, he comes up with clever and imaginative ways to turn those scary shadows into friendly or benign figures. At first he is very scared, but then he realizes he can fun with them, and I love that! I am hoping it helps show Gigi that there isn't anything to be scared of, so she can get a more restful nights sleep! Talk about an appropriate book for us. It surely fits the bill! 
Buy this book on Amazon for $13.25

I also loved how at the end of the book, it shows you how to make a few shadow puppet animals of your own. Giana popped out a flashlight and got to trying to make them on the wall! It was cute!

In conclusion: Any three of these books would make a perfect addition to your child's bookshelf or book collection. Especially withe the holidays around the corner, books are a perfect gift that keeps on giving! I know my kids adore all three of them, and read them over & over and over!!!
Be sure to check out more of Schiffer Publishing Children's books!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own. Your experience with the product may differ from mine. The sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment and will be shipping the winner(s) their prize(s). For more information read my rules/disclosure policy.

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