[Book Review] Remember the Ladies by Callista Gingrich

Remember the Ladies

by

Callista Gingrich

Blurb:

Ellis the Elephant is headed back to the White House! In Remember the Ladies, the seventh in Callista Gingrich's New York Times bestselling series, Ellis meets some of America's greatest first ladies and discovers their many contributions to American history. Join Ellis as he travels back in time to encounter:

• Martha Washington as she invents what it means to be a first lady
• Dolley Madison as she saves a portrait of George Washington from a burning White House
• Mary Todd Lincoln as she supports Union troops throughout the Civil War
• Eleanor Roosevelt as she redefines and strengthens the role of first lady
• Jackie Kennedy as she brings style and glamour to the White House

With beautiful illustrations and charming rhymes, Remember the Ladies will delight young and old alike with a look at the first ladies who helped make America an exceptional nation.

My Review:

This book is so cute! The illustrations are adorable, and I love that it's teaching the children about the first ladies. I think the first ladies sometimes get overlooked, but many of them have done some great things, and have championed some very important causes. I actually learned a lot! I didn't know about many of the middle first ladies. I know quite a bit about Martha Washington and Abigail Adams, and then I know quite a bit about the more current first ladies, but I learned a great deal about some of those first ladies in the middle. For example, did you know that Abigail Fillmore added a library to the White House? I'd love to see the library in the White House! And I didn't know that Jackie Kennedy gave Americans the first televised tour of the White House, or that Lady Bird Johnson worked to clean up America's highways. This book highlights many of the first ladies, and I love that the title is based on Abigail Adams telling her husband to "remember the ladies!" I think this book does a good job of covering first ladies from both parties. At the end there is a little snippet on each first lady. I was surprised to know that in a few cases the presidents' wives didn't want the role, so a daughter or someone else would fill the position. I enjoyed this book and do recommend it.

Rating: G (Clean!)

Recommendation: Everyone

Disclosure: I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Book Review] Mustaches for Maddie by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown

Mustaches for Maddie

by

Chad Morris and Shelly Brown

Blurb:

"Twelve-year-old Maddie has a quirky sense of humor and a fondness for spotting fake mustaches--a neon pink handlebar, a green fuzzy chevron, a blue pencil mustache--her fake mustaches always seem to get a laugh. Being funny gets her noticed by class queen Cassie and things are looking up when Maddie is cast as the lead in the school play. When strange things start to happen to her body, like tripping when she walks and having her hand curl up by her side, she blames it on growing pains, but her mom isn't so sure. The doctor confirms Maddie has a brain tumor and in an instant her world is turned upside down. With scary medical tests and surgery ahead of her, as well as typical sixth-grade problems--including the class queen who quickly turns into a bully--Maddie uses her friendliness, positive attitude, imagination, and her fake mustaches to battle her challenges. Maddie even gets an unexpected surprise when she receives hundreds of photos from friends, family members, and even complete strangers wearing fake mustaches to cheer her on. Based on a true story, Mustaches for Maddie teaches that everyone is going through somethings hard and everyone needs a compassionate friend and maybe a little bit of laughter from a mustache."

My Review:

I loved this book! This is such an inspirational story!  I love Maddie's voice in this book; her humor and wit are refreshing and so much fun, and her positive attitude during such a difficult time is truly admirable. Although this book is based on a true story, a big portion of the story is fictional. Part of the fictional story is about Cassie. She is a bully in Maddie's class, and the way that Maddie decides to handle the situation makes her an example to all children in similar situations. Instead of being mean back to Cassie, or turning inward and becoming depressed, Maddie decides to use her wit, her kindness, and her sense of humor to change the dynamics. I loved that part of the book! Maddie is actually the daughter of the authors, and she really did have a brain tumor. Neighbors, friends, and even strangers, sent her pictures of them with silly mustaches to cheer Maddie up after her surgery. How sweet is that? Seriously! That is how we should always treat each other; building up and doing everything we can to help during difficult situations. It's heart breaking to hear stories of children battling cancer, and to hear of such an amazing outcome is truly inspirational. The author was in the hospital with his daughter when his debut novel The Inventor's Secret was published. I did not know that at the time, but I was lucky enough to participate in his book tour, and his book has turned into one of my all-time favorite middle-grader reads! Mustaches for Maddie is well written, it flows well, the voice in the book is witty, charming, and so cute, and the character development is great. Another fabulous thing about this book are the lessons that it teaches. They are very powerful: standing up for yourself, anti-bullying, being yourself, enjoying life, and doing things that you love are just a few. So great! This is a fast, easy read that will leave you wanting to hear more from cute Maddie. I laughed and cried, and couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book for kids and adults alike! It'll make a great read aloud too! My copy came with these cute "Compassion in Action" postcards as well.

Rating: PG (Clean!! There is a bully in the book, and she does some mean things. It also discusses Maddie's medical issues. There isn't any profanity, "intimacy," or violence.)

Recommendation: As a silent read I'd say 2nd or 3rd grade and up, and as a read aloud I'd say K or 1st grade and up. All children should read this book to see how their actions affect those around them, and to see how Maddie handles the situation. I'm going to have all four of my kids read it!

Disclosure: I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Also by Chad Morris:

Book #1

Book #2

Book #3

Hail to the Chief (An Ellis the Elephant Story)

Hail to the Chief

(An Ellis the Elephant Story)

by

Callista Gingrich

Blurb:

"Ellis the elephant is back, and he's headed to the White House! In Hail to the Chief, the sixth in Callista Gingrich's New York Times bestselling series, Ellis meets some of America's greatest presidents and discovers how they have led our country throughout American history. Join Ellis as he travels back in time to encounter:

• George Washington as he is sworn in as our first president.
• Andrew Jackson as he welcomes thousands of Americans to the White House.
• Abraham Lincoln as he delivers the Gettysburg Address.
• Theodore Roosevelt as he builds our national park system.
• Lyndon Johnson as he signs the Civil Rights Act.

With beautiful illustrations and charming rhymes, Hail to the Chief will delight young and old alike with a glimpse at the leaders who helped make America an exceptional nation."

My Review:

What a great book! I love that it's a darling picture book with colorful illustrations, and yet it's packed with information! Children will think they're reading about a cute little elephant, and yet they're learning about American presidents and history. You know me, I hate it when authors push their agenda onto children through books and movies, and I was worried that this book might do that; it did not, thankfully! It is an unbiased look at several of America's former presidents; Republican and Democratic alike. The only agenda in this book is to get children excited about American history by helping them learn about former presidents. I even learned a few things! It's written in poem format, which is great because learning to rhyme is also an important skill for children to have. It's not forced rhyming, either. It flows well and is easy to read and understand. My copy is hardback, which I love for its durability. The illustrations are very well done. They're colorful, interesting, and full of great details. Not all the former presidents are highlighted in the book, but there is a little blurb on each of the presidents in the back of the book. (*Update 1/6/17: I had a reader contact me regarding the blurbs. She felt like the blurbs were biased, so I read through them. I think most of them are unbiased and informational. There are a few, especially with the more current presidents,  that are slightly biased. I didn't feel like they were extremely biased, but there was a hint. Still, I think the benefits of the book outweigh the negative. If you feel the blurbs are biased then you could take those pages out, since they are not a part of the actual story. The story itself is unbiased.*)  I highly recommend this book for old and young alike! This book should be in every elementary school library in the United States!

Rating: G (Clean!)

Recommendation: Everyone!

Disclosure: I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.