Creatures of the Desert World

Author: National Geographic Society

Title: Creatures of the Desert World

Publication: January 1, 1991 (4th edition)

Publisher: National Geographic Children's Book

Genre: Children, Pop Up, Educational

Pages: 16

Audience: 3 and up

Rating: 5 out of 5

Source: Purchased

 Goodreads Synopsis:
People, animals, and places, from ancient times to the present, spring to life from these imaginative and entertaining pop-up books. Multi- tiered illustrations will delight young readers as well as adults. These highly involving books have from five to seven pop-up spreads and, in most cases, one or two action devices on every page.

My thoughts:
I know this book is probably older than me, considering the fourth reprint/edition was put out in 1991, but it is so cool. I picked this up the Friend's of the Library for my nephew. However, it is at my apartment and I live three hours away....so I've been playing with it. Not only is the book educational- it is a POP UP BOOK! I don't care if you 100 or 2- pop up books are awesome! Some of the pop ups move, so I've been making the bats fly, the mountain cubs play, and the snakes slither all while learning about the desert creatures. I cannot wait to give this to my nephew!

Review: Keeping Score ~ A Guide to Love and Relationships by Marc Brackett

Title:Keeping Score~A Guide to Love and Relationships
Author: Marc Brackett
Publication: August 4, 2012
Publisher: Marc Brackett
Source: Author/Publisher
Genre: Non-Fiction, Self-Help
Rating: 5 of 5

Amazon|Website|Goodreads

Synopsis: It's a relationship book even a man can understand.

Keeping Score provides a relationship evaluation quiz followed by a common sense guide for relationship improvement, all with a humorous twist. You can determine if your relationship has the qualities it takes for a successful marriage and lasting love affair. If you're single- read this book to see how well your potential life partner measures up. If you're married- read this book to reduce conflict and increase your happiness.

Take control and shape your marriage into a relationship that will stand the trials of life and go the distance.

My Thoughts: I wasn't sure how I would feel about reading this one. Of course I want to know how my relationship stands but at the same time I really didn't want to know. This book was quick and painless. Marc Brackett has separate sections for the Ladies and the Men. I love the easy to read, straight to the point format and how the evaluation is broken up within each chapter. This is a practical tool for everyone in or thinking about being in a relationship. Keeping Score has allowed me to look at my relationship from a new perspective and identify changes that should be made. Keeping Score will be a great tool to use annually as a relationship checkup. 

This giveaway is for an e-copy Keeping Score and is International. Please use the rafflecopter form below to enter for a chance to win. 

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Review: American Hip Hop: Rappers, DJs, and Hard Beats by Nathan Sacks

Title: American Hip Hop: Rappers, DJs, and Hard Beats
Author: Nathan Sacks

Publication: August 1, 2012

Publisher: 21st Century

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Genre: Non Fiction

Audience: 10 and up

Amazon |Goodreads

Summary

A rapper spits rhymes into a microphone. A DJ scratches a record back and forth against a turntable needle. Fans' feet stomp along to a stiff beat. These are the sounds of hip-hop. 

Hip-hop music busted out of New York City in the 1970s. Many young African Americans found their voices after stepping up to the mic. In the decades afterward, rappers and DJs took over the airwaves and transformed American music. In the twenty-first century, hip-hop is a global sensation. 

Learn what inspired hip-hop's earliest rappers to start rhyming over beats, as well as the stories behind hip-hop legends such as Run-D.M.C., 2Pac, Lauryn Hill, and Jay-Z. Follow the creativity and the rivalries that have fueled everything from party raps to songs about social struggles. And find out how you can add your own sounds to the mix.

My Thoughts:  This book describes Hip Hop's journey from somewhat of a joke in the music industry to the mega powerhouse it is today. Hip Hop is the sound that changed the music world forever. This is a great book, especially anyone interested in the History of Rap/Hip Hop. There are so many great aspects of this book. Great Photography, "Must Download Playlist", detailed descriptions.  I learned so much about the music that is an integral part of our nation (I mean who doesn't know who Beyonce, Jay-Z, and Tupac are?). Even the most controversial aspects of Rap/Hip Hop are discused and analyzed (East Cost/West Coast, controversal language and behavior.) One of the best things about this book is the length. There is a lot of information packed in the short, 70 page, book.

Review: Follow the Drinking Gourd by Cari Meister

Title: Follow the Drinking Gourd

Author: Retold by Cari Meister

Publication: August 1, 2012

Publisher: Picture Window Books

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Genre: Children’s

Audience: 4 and up

Website|Amazon

Summary:Follow the Drinking Gourd is an American folk song from the 1920s. Legend has it that a man called Peg Leg Joe taught slaves the song to help them escape to freedom, and they used the Big Dipper and the North Star to guide the way.

My Thoughts: My 6 year old daughter, Jessie, and I read this together. We both loved it. This is a quick educational read. This is the retelling to the story that is the basis for the folk song. The illustrations are fabulous. I like that this book included a glossary to help young readers. I used this story as a tool to talk about slavery and our family’s role in slavery. Jessie’s comment was “the slave part was bad, but it was good when they followed the gourd to get free.”  My daughter and I made up our own tune to the lyrics, as I couldn't remember the tune, and we sang. Jessie and I even went outside in an attempt to find the drinking gourd and the north star. I am by no means an astrologist, needless to say we didn't find it.

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

Author: Marjane Satrapi

Title:Persepolis: The Story of Return

Publication: August 22, 2005

Publisher: Pantheon

Genre:  Memoir, Historical, Graphic Novel

Pages:192

Audience: 13 and up

Rating: 3 out 5

Source: College Library
Goodreads 

Purchase:Amazon| Barnes and Noble |Books A Million| 

Goodreads Synopsis:
Marjane Satrapi dazzled us with her heartrending memoir-in-comic-strips about growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Here is the continuation of her fascinating story. In 1984, Marjane flees fundamentalism and the war with Iraq to begin a new life in Vienna. Once there, she faces the trials of adolescence far from her friends and family, and while she soon carves out a place for herself among a group of fellow outsiders, she continues to struggle for a sense of belonging.Finding that she misses her home more than she can stand, Marjane returns to Iran after graduation. Her difficult homecoming forces her to confront the changes both she and her country have undergone in her absence and her shame at what she perceives as her failure in Austria. Marjane allows her past to weigh heavily on her until she finds some like-minded friends, falls in love, and begins studying art at a university. However, the repression and state-sanctioned chauvinism eventually lead her to question whether she can have a future in Iran.
As funny and poignant as its predecessor, Persepolis 2 is another clear-eyed and searing condemnation of the human cost of fundamentalism. In its depiction of the struggles of growing up—here compounded by Marjane’s status as an outsider both abroad and at home—it is raw, honest, and incredibly illuminating.


My thoughts:
I did not read the second book right away, but it was easy to remember where the last book left me hanging. This book picks up, but not where you think it would. Time has passed and Satrapi is doing her best to catch the reader up to speed. Life in Europe was not what she expected it to be. Also, he parents unfortunately are not there to help her develop in a teen or young adult. She is sent from one place to another due to limited space, behavior issues, and her happiness. Due to her homesickness and other various reasons, Satrapi reaches rock bottom, to the point that it almost kills her. She had her freedom in Europe, but when she comes home it is taken away from her. I enjoyed this book, but it seemed more predictable because of foreshadowing and you come to know Satrapi. I understand this was what her life was like and it wasn't a happy time for her, but I felt like there was a lot of pent of teenage/young adult angst. It drove me nuts. I wanted her to get over her situation and make the best of it. When she returns to Iran she has to learn the ways of life to which she was not exposed to. When her freedom is taken from her, that's when I truly started pitying her. Overall, I recommend it. If for anything, it is a very fascinating first hand account on the Islamic Revolution and what it did to the country of Iran. Plus, Satrapi's rebellious nature is enough to keep anyone from putting the book down. It is a great novel and completes the storyline. If you enjoy the books, there is a movie based on the graphic novels. I have not seen the movie, but I have heard it is good.

Persepolis: A Story of Childhood

Author: Marjane Satrapi
Title:Persepolis: A Story of Childhood
Publication: June 1, 2004
Publisher:Pantheon
Genre:  Memoir, Historical, Graphic Novel
Pages:160
Audience: 13 and up
Rating: 4 out 5
Source: Public Library
Purchase:Amazon Barnes and Noble Books A Million  Goodreads 

Goodreads Synopsis:
Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane’s child’s-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love. 

My thoughts:

I first heard about Persepolis during a presentation in one of my classes. I was intrigued. I'll be honest and admit to be ignorant. I was not a huge fan of graphic novels, but my boyfriend loves them so I thought I would give this one a try. I got Persepolis confused with Persephone from Greek myths. So when, I checked the book out from the public library, I had no idea about what I was getting myself into. The storyline is the main focus of the graphic novel. The artwork is in black and white, and even though I fail at even making stick figures, the art is very simple.  The image is there to just help convey the message Satrapi is wanting to convey. I didn't know much about Iran until reading this book. It was very eye opening in how Iran was before The Islamic Revolution. The book chronicles the life of Satrapi and the sacrifices she and her family have to make just to survive. At first, her family fights against the revolution, but eventually they have to give in. Her parents educate Satrapi on a variety of topics. I personally felt she was maybe 10-14 in the books, and I'm not sure she would have understood Marx or any of the other revolutionists. However, she mentions reading them and it being a bit overwhelming, but learning something from them. Some of the material seems dense for a 10-14 year old to read and much less comprehend. The books are a great start to a true historical story. Satrapi draws you in and makes you feel the story. I cried when I reached the end. It was a sad ending, but I had no clue there was a second book. I recently checked it out and read it. Next week, I'll review it!

Review: The Fairy Ring By Mary Losure

Title: Fairy Ring or Elsie and Frances Fool the World

Author: Mary Losure

Publication: March 27, 2012

Publisher: Candlewick

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Genre: Non-Fiction

Audience: 10 and up

Website/Goodreads/ Amazon

Goodreads Summery
Frances was nine when she first saw the fairies. They were tiny men, dressed all in green. Nobody but Frances saw them, so her cousin Elsie painted paper fairies and took photographs of them "dancing" around Frances to make the grown-ups stop teasing. The girls promised each other they would never, ever tell that the photos weren't real. But how were Frances and Elsie supposed to know that their photographs would fall into the hands of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? And who would have dreamed that the man who created the famous detective Sherlock Holmes believed ardently in fairies and wanted very much to see one? Mary Losure presents this enthralling true story as a fanciful narrative featuring the original Cottingley fairy photos and previously unpublished drawings and images from the family's archives. A delight for everyone with a fondness for fairies, and for anyone who has ever started something that spun out of control.


My Thoughts:The Fairy Ring: Elsie and Frances Fool the World by Mary Losure is the incredible true story of two girls and their encounters with fairies. The story is set in rural England during WWI. Elsie and Frances set out to prove to their family fairies are real. With painted cutouts and a couple of photos their Fairy pictures take the country by storm. Prominent people take an interest in the pictures and request more. Will Elsie and Frances tell the truth or make more “Fairy” pictures? I absolutely loved this story. I had never heard about Frances or Elsie but I had seen one of the pictures before. It was a pleasure to view all of the photos. I had never thought about the story behind the pictures. It was a joy for me to experience how the pictures come to be through the girls own words and corresponding with the key players in getting the photos published.  I like both Elsie and Frances and connected well with them. I feel that Frances truly saw fairies while Elsie was just going along. If it was left to Frances I don't think there would have ever been more than one fairy picture. I do respect that the girls were well into adulthood before they disclosed the true nature of the pictures.