Guest Post, Review & Giveaway! The Smiley Book of Colors by Ruth Kaiser

Today I have a big post with lots going on for a fun, inspirational and beautiful new children's book called The Smiley Book of Colors by Ruth Kaiser.  Today is my stop on the WOW Blog tour, which includes a review, guest post, treasure hunt and giveaway!!!  So, read on.

Book:  The Smiley Book of Colors by Ruth Kaiser, Random House Children's Books, March 2012, 32 pages.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
This unique hardcover, which grew out of the popular website Spontaneous Smiley, will appeal to kids and adults. Who can resist the wacky, cute smiley faces to be spied in photos of colorful found objects? Young readers will enjoy learning their colors as they're identifying what the smileys are made from—an electrical outlet, a hubcap, even a piece of toast—and readers of all ages will appreciate the witty rhyming text, and its inspirational message about choosing happiness.

My Thoughts:

I thought this book was adorable!  What a fun idea to find smiley faces in every day things.

This is kind of two books in one, a book of colors, but there is also a cute, rhyming text about choosing to be happy.  This is such an important message, one which I try to teach my children, and try to remember myself!  The text of choosing our thoughts fits in perfectly with the idea of finding smiley faces all around us - we look for and find what we want in our lives.

I think parents and children will like this twist on a book of colors.  Having read many such books to my kids over the years, it is nice to find one with an engaging rhyming text with an uplifting message to go along with the basics of learning colors.  Also the pictures that will have kids scouring the pages, and their world, for smiley faces.

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book from the author for review.

Guest Post:
What if life was one experiment after another? by Ruth Kaiser

Latex Gloves Smiley

Remember doing science experiments in school? Remember how the teacher cheered you on regardless of the outcome? You know, the pep talk about how what failed this time is simply data to help you design the next experiment.

What if life was one experiment after another? Wouldn’t it be great to allow yourself to accept that the screw ups we all make are valuable data for next time. But, isn’t that actually accurate?  Life is an experiment. We surely learn as much from things going wrong as we do from their going well. “There is no failure, only feedback.” (author unknown)

Lab Equipment Smiley

Since life is an experiment, as a good scientist you’ve got to evaluate the screw ups. No head in the sand behavior if you’re the scientist. Look at the data and make changes. Modify what you do next time, using what you learned this time.

And here’s the coolest thing of all: Give yourself permission to be more experimental. Be a little daring. Experiment with being vulnerable. Be the one to take the first step. Be the one to say, “I’m sorry.” or “I love you.” first. I bet you’ll be amazed at how OK it really is. Use one experiment’s it was OK data to help you design other experiments.

Telephone Smiley

Might this idea help you to call that friend you’ve been meaning to call? Could experimenting help you to reach out a hand in affection, a gentle touch, in the middle of an argument? How about experiment by not criticizing a behavior that’s driving you nuts. The data might come back that your criticizing hasn’t been helping the behavior diminish.

Hand Smiley

I love this idea. I was never good at science when I was in school. But these kinds of experiments hold my interest because they have the pay off of a better life. I’m going to be a diligent scientist.

Smile. Be happy, and experimental.
Ruth

Thanks so much, Ruth!  What a great post.

Treasure Hunt Time!

Now it's time to start searching for Smileys in your neighborhood! When you find one snap a pic and upload it to Spontaneous Smiley (http://spontaneoussmiley.com/) on the "Share Your Smiley" page (http://spontaneoussmiley.com/shareyoursmileys.php)  using "WOW" in your Smiley title.

Just one Smiley makes you a Smiley Captain! Not only will you brighten people's day with your Smiley AND help raise money for Operation Smile, a non-profit organization that helps children with facial deformity receive the surgery they need, but you'll be entered in a contest just for Ruth's WOW friends to win a copy of The Smiley Book of Colors. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, April 17! Now grab your camera and start searching for Smileys!

Giveaway! (Another way to win this book)
If you would like to win a copy of Ruth's book and you live in the US or Canada, you can leave a comment on this post with your email address and be entered to win!  The deadline is Thursday, April 17 at midnight.  The winner will be chosen by Random.org and will have 2 days to respond to my email or a new winner will be chosen.

Info about the Spontaneous Smiley Project:

ABOUT www.spontaneoussmiley.com

KIDS' BOOK: www.tinyurl.com/smileybook

KIDS' SONG: www.spontaneoussmiley.com/themesong.htm

TED Talk: www.vimeo.com/26190208 

BLOG: www.blog.spontaneoussmiley.com/?cat=4 

FBk: www.facebook.com/ruth.kaiser 

FBk group: www.facebook.com/groups/SpontaneousSmiley/

SMILE-A-THON: www.spontaneoussmiley.com/smileathon.htm

TWITTER: SpontaneSmiley

XmasSong youtu.be/LAKZfZ5BZtU

A Video from a Smiley Fan: http://youtu.be/gHcOUBXHqsU

Happy Easter

Today I get to spend the day with my wonderful family, read a bit, and maybe even write a bit.
 I hope all of you have a wonderful, happy Easter!!!

Book Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Book:  Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers, April 3rd 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcour, 549 pages.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

My Thoughts:
I have to admit, I was intrigued when I read the tag line for this book:  Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?  And then to see the book was about assassin nuns... well, I knew I had to see what this was about.  

The book has an explosive start and certainly captures the attention.  The setting is the late fourteen hundreds and there is huge amounts of political intrigue and rules about how people act at court.  It is a time when women don't have much power over their own lives and Ismae takes the only option available to her that would lead her from her traditional, expected life.  It is obvious the author has done a lot of research because the politics and backstabbing at court was so crazy and convoluted, it is nearly impossible to keep track of it.

For the most part, I really liked Ismae.  She had a certain realism to her.  She was tough and ready to take action, passionate in her beliefs.  But she was also conflicted and imperfect, which is something I love.  I also like how she grew in the book to make decisions for herself rather than always following orders.  However, I did find her a bit repetitive in some of her concerns.

The romance part of the book isn't bad, though it is pretty obvious.  I am happy that she got to stay strong and didn't have to give up who she was through the romance.  It is a big part of the book, but there are also so many other parts, which all add to the richness of the book - the mystery, adventure, history and the paranormal aspects.  I have to admit, I really liked the paranormal part and all of the parts about the god of Death.

Disclosure:  I received an egalley of this book for review from NetGalley.

Here is the book trailer from YouTube:

  

Marvellous Middle Grade Monday: Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Welcome to Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, hosted by Shannon Messenger.  If you click on the link, you can go to her blog and check out the list of other bloggers who are participating and read their reviews, interviews, contests, etc, all to do with middle grade books.   

Book:  Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick, September 2011, Scholastic Inc., 640 pages. 

Synopsis from Goodreads:

From Brian Selznick, the creator of the Caldecott Medal winner THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET, comes another breathtaking tour de force.

Playing with the form he created in his trailblazing debut novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick once again sails into uncharted territory and takes readers on an awe-inspiring journey.

Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother's room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing.

Set fifty years apart, these two independent stories--Ben's told in words, Rose's in pictures--weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder. Rich, complex, affecting, and beautiful--with over 460 pages of original artwork--Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary. 

My Thoughts:
This is the second book now that I've read by Brian Selznick and I have to say that he is brilliant! (You can read my review of The Invention of Hugo Cabret here.)  The way that he juxtaposes the text and the art, both of which move the story along, is amazing.

In Wonderstruck, he tells two stories:  one of Ben, a ten year old boy in Minnesota whose mother has just died, is told in the text; and the other of Rose, a deaf girl fifty years earlier, is told in the pictures.  These stories are weaved together beautifully to form a singular, beautiful story.

The characters and the emotion in the book are wonderful.  I found that I really felt for both Ben and Rose and their impossible situations.  Selznick uses both art and words to focus in on what is important and to help us sympathize with the characters.

Like the Invention of Hugo Cabret, this book appears to be long, but it is not.  It has so many wonderful illustrations, this book has over 460 pages of them, that it is actually a fast read.  However, I found myself lingering over the pictures, taking in the details and enjoying how well done they were.

I highly recommend this book for both kids and adults.  The book would be good for middle grade and up and for those who like a well told story with adventure and touching humanness.

Book Review: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Book:  Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) by Richelle Mead, August 2007, Razorbil, 332 pages.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

My Thoughts:
I have shied away from vampire books as they generally are not for me, but I kept hearing about Vampire Academy from different people, so decided to try it and was pleasantly surprised.  Maybe because it is about vampires in a whole vampire society, not how they interact with humans, I'm not sure, but the vampire part of the story was not in the forefront.  Instead, it was about these kids with unique challenges in a boarding school, who happen to be vampires and half-humans training to protect the vampires.

Mead does a good job of creating the world of this boarding school, the routines, the cliques, the bullying, the politics and the pettiness.  Even though many of these are taken to the extreme, I'm sure most teenagers will relate to these characters.  There is even romance and adventure.

I really liked Rose and the story is told from her point of view.  She is strong, gutsy, feisty, and no nonsense.  She also shows some really good growth in the book.  I loved her friendship with Lissa, her best friend.  Their connection is so interesting, but I also loved reading a book that is largely about the friendship of these two girls.  All of the other story lines, the romances and the drama, supported this major theme.

Lissa is a great foil for Rose, part of a whole other social circle.  There is a story line where she has self destructive tendencies that I think the author handles really well and matter of factly.  She goes into the reasons, the emotions, and the fact that she ultimately needs help beyond what her friend can give her.

Actually, there are several issues mentioned in the book, such as sex, drugs and drinking.  These seemed authentic to me to how teens act and I liked how Rose thought about where her boundaries were for these things.

I enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it, especially to teen girls.

To find the author:  Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter