Freckles' Best Ribbit Book Review

 

Author: Lori Rotter 

Illustrator: Vaughan Duck

Publisher: LFR Creative, LLC

Released: June 3, 2024

Format: Kindle, Paperback

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

ISBN:  979-8988752929

Page Count: 36

Price: Paperback $9.99, Kindle $1.99 

Reviewer: Ellwyn Autumn

Rating: 5 Lemon Drops

Available on Amazon

Filled with vivid characters and a touching message, Lori Rotter and Vaughan Duck have delivered yet another winning story!

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the Reedsy Discovery and agreed to give an honest review.

Review:

Book Summary: 

Freckles the frog is downhearted and feeling bad about himself. He can’t ribbit like the other frogs at the pond and will not tryout for the Spring Chorus.

Instead of improving things, his friends’ assistance backfires, causing his ribbits to turn into ribb-achoos, ribb-hiccups, and ribb-squeaks!

After much perseverance, Doc Mookie finds a solution and Freckles lets out an enormous CROAK!

Despite Doc Mookie’s cure, Freckles realizes his croak is still different from the other frogs’. After his initial hesitation, he discovers his unique style and overcomes self-doubt with the support of his friends, and croaks his heart out.

Opinion:

Freckles’ Best Ribbit is narrated in the third person. With a forest setting, the story introduces a lovable cast of woodland animals that come in a range of colors. In this group, there’s Freckles the green frog, Georgie the pink rabbit, Cece the blue raccoon, Doc Mookie the turquoise owl, and Calvin the brown bear.

The story highlights the challenges of Freckles Frog as he navigates through a personal issue that leaves him feeling quite different from other frogs. He can’t ribbit.

The story’s lively rhymes and clever onomatopoeia will hook young listeners until the very end. Young readers are given the opportunity to actively participate in the read-aloud by the author’s use of repetitive text.

The eye is drawn to brightly colored text in different sizes that adds to the humor in the story. Freckles’ large exclamations seem to leap off the page.

The humorous misadventures of Freckles’ friends as they try to help him find the right way to ribbit will make children (and grown-ups) laugh out loud. They will relate to his struggle of feeling different and attempting to fit in.

His example will teach them that self-acceptance and self-confidence are nurtured by persistence and true friendship.

Another element in the story I appreciated was how Freckles used his newfound confidence to help others find theirs. He literaly models the adage, “Pay it forward.”

Brimming with humor, color, and relatable characters, Vaughan Duck’s illustrations are sure to be adored by young readers. The combination of Freckles’ exasperated expressions and Calvin’s sleepy face after being startled by Freckles’ loud croak were especially amusing.

I give it  5 Lemon Drops!

Classroom Connection:

Freckles’ Best Ribbit would enhance various lessons, including a literacy focus on the main character, problem/solution, rhyme, onomatopoeia, and themes of friendship, and self-esteem.

Age Range: The author recommends 3-5 years.

Targeted Vocabulary:

Onomatopoeia, tryouts, puckered, worry, complained, allergies, swooped, absurd, mend, stammered, gulped

Resources:

About The Author:

Lori Rotter is an award-winning toy designer and debut picture book author.

Her large extended family keeps her laughing and inspires her story and toy ideas. Like in her toys, Lori enjoys sparking the imagination and adding small details for kids to discover.

Lori lives in New York with her husband, lots of fish, and two silly French bulldogs.

About the Illustrator:

Vaughan loves drawing pictures that make kids giggle. He lives downunder in Australia where it’s always sunny.

You can visit Vaughan at vaughanduck.com.

Wiggly Woggly Lady Book Review

Author: Debi K Fraser

Illustrator: Stephen Stone

Publisher: Debi K Fraser

Released: May 14, 2023

Format: Kindle, Hard Cover, Paperback

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

ISBN: 978-1738978403

Page Count: 30

Price: $12.99 (paperback) $3.99 (kindle) $13.70 (hard cover)

Reviewer: Ellwyn Autumn

Rating:   5 Lemon Drops

Available on Amazon

This book will have your kiddos wiggling and giggling as they wobble along with the characters!

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author and agreed to give an honest review.

Review:

Book Summary: 

The Wiggly Woggly Lady enjoys wiggling and woggling all day long, wherever she goes. Unfortunately, her shyness leaves her feeling lonely and searching for friends to wiggle and woggle alongside her.

One day she takes charge of her self doubt and embarks on a quest to connect with like-minded people. Despite a few letdowns and oversights, she learns her tribe has been there all along.

Opinion:

I knew from the first line I was going to love this book!

The story of The Wiggly Woggly Lady is narrated in the third person. The narrative follows the ups and downs of an introvert seeking out friends who share her interests.

The writing is skillfully done, using short, impactful stanzas to keep the story moving at a nice pace. It will grab children’s attention and keep them interested until the end.

The story’s playful rhyme and upbeat rhythm will have youngsters wiggling, giggling, and joyfully engaged. The repetitive text is easily memorized, allowing children to quickly participate in the read aloud and enhancing the overall enjoyment. As a result, a lifelong passion for reading will be nurtured.

Children will delight in the Wiggly Woggly Lady’s woggly hair and outrageous outfit. They will understand her shyness and self-doubt with talking to people and fear of rejection. They will learn through her experiences that overcoming these fears opens them up to friendship.

Stephen Stone’s illustrations work in perfect harmony with the witty text. The pastel-colored images are as quirky as the Wiggly Woggly Lady, drawn with flowing lines and rounded shapes.

I give it 5 Lemon Drops!

Classroom Connection:

The Wiggly Woggly Lady would enhance various lessons, including a literacy focus on the main character, rhyming, and themes of friendship and self-esteem. 

Age Range: The author recommends 3-7 years.

Targeted Vocabulary:

Wiggly, woggly, problem, shy, strange, failed, knitted, heaved, sigh, surprise

Resources:

About The Author:

Debi is the author of the Stories With Heart Series of children's books. Her love of stories and the characters that inhabit them has been with her since she was old enough to hold a book.

As a child she could often be found with a pile of cucumber sandwiches and any number of books containing dragons, witches and magical adventures. Her passion for creating her own naturally followed.

Although Debi is from New Zealand, she currently lives in Quebec, Canada with her two sons and her two dogs.

She loves being out in nature and can often be found walking her dogs through various nature trails or in the forest, where for her, magic and inspiration live. 

Stories dance their way into Debi's imagination morning, noon and night. But mostly in the forest.

About the Illustrator:

Steve was born in the North East of England where they are known affectionately as San-dancers. He now lives and work in Derbyshire with his soulmate Claire.

His creative career began after he completed a degree in Fashion Design, working as a designer for children’s and corporate wear companies. After a short while he took another direction and became a university lecturer for 12 years, teaching fashion design and visual communication to post and undergraduate students. 

During this time he completed a Masters in Visual Communication, specializing in Narrative Illustration.

With Love, From Mom: The Journey of Dreams Book Review

 

Authors: Gel See 

Illustrator: Gail Rae Javier

Publisher: Ma Gelyn Theresa A. See 

Released: June 12, 2024

Format: Paperback

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

ISBN: 978-6210614275

Page Count: 27

Price: $11.99 for paperback

Reviewer: Ellwyn Autumn

Rating:  4 Lemon Drops

Available on Amazon

A mother and daughter share a whimsical journey of fancy and love in the land of dreams.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from Reedsy and agreed to give an honest review.

Review:

Book Summary:

This story is a poetic and heartfelt expression of a mother’s love for her daughter. The duo, led by the mother’s love, ventures into a cosmic dreamland where imagination and love know no bounds.

Opinion:

With Love, From Mom: The Journey of Dreams will enchant readers with its melodic stanzas and whimsical illustrations.

The story opens with the mother and daughter wrapped in the warm embrace of sleep. Cushions of puffy pastels surround them; stars and planets float above them. It’s a scene that will captivate and touch the hearts of parents.

Throughout the story, the mother and daughter go on amazing adventures, from floating in a giant bowl to flying on a rocket and searching for a lavender-colored elephant on a safari.

Young readers will find delight in the magical scenes of the daughter and her stuffed rabbit on the back of a whale, and the mother and daughter walking through a glowing garden.

The mother’s abundant affection for her daughter is undeniable. In each dreamscape, the mother shares words of encouragement, wisdom, and infinite love. The daughter is given the freedom to explore the dreamland, comforted because her mother is always right there with her.

Young children will connect with how the daughter’s confidence blossoms with her mother’s support. Mothers will understand the bittersweet significance of the little milestones that contribute to a child’s independence.

The rhymes create a joyful atmosphere; the pattern is relatively consistent until page twelve. In one paragraph, there is a line that doesn’t rhyme with the three preceding verses. It is a bit jarring to the ears and briefly disturbs the smooth rhythm of the lyrics.

Javier’s illustrations are simply designed and delightful. Each adorable picture contains a dreamlike quality that is soothing and easy to appreciate. Parents and children will enjoy snuggling up together with this book at the end of the day. It’s a story that’s meant to be told before bed.

With Love, From Mom: The Journey of Dreams would also make a lovely gift for an expectant mother’s baby shower, a little girl’s birthday, or as part of a special mother-daughter day.

I also liked the author’s letter and the QR code at the end for accessing educational resources. It’s always nice when authors provide meaningful

ways to extend the book.

I give it 4 Lemon Drops!

Classroom Connection:

With Love, From Mom: The Journey of Dreams is a versatile book, perfect for lessons on Family, Imagination, and Mother’s Day.

The story could accompany a journal entry on dreams—What did you dream about last night? What do you dream of becoming when you grow up?

Kids can use the easel to recreate a scene from the story. Blend colors together to produce the soft hues featured in the book.

Age Range: The author recommends 4-8 years.

Targeted Vocabulary:

Journey, guidebook, zoom, engage, imagination, adventure, hurdles, explore, snug, roam

Resources:

Families Theme on Pinterest

About The Author:

Gel See, a children’s author from Metro Manila, crafts stories inspired by her own journey as a mom. Her book, With Love, From Mom, explores the magic of dreams and the power of a mother's love.

Gel See

About the Illustrator:

The first people who believed in Gail’s potential were her grandparents. She used to draw cat figures of different shapes and sizes. The pen is her magic wand, and the paper, her flying carpet.

My creations have already gone places, helped spark change and put people into action. And I'm truly grateful for the opportunities that come my way.

My specialty is print. I am very much in love with paper and forever will be. But I have grown to love digital media as the years have passed.

Gail Rae Javier