Happy Book Birthday, WillieBoy Eats the World by Steven Schirripa!

It's time to shoutout a book birthday! Actually, I'm a teeny-bit early with this one, since it releases on the 21st (three more days), but I'm always excited to celebrate. So, I'm shouting already again.

Today's read comes from an independent publisher in New York, which I hadn't heard about before but has existed since 1996. It's always fun to expand the horizons because there are tons of publishers out there. Back to the book... it centers around a man and his dog and food. I do love food and dogs, which makes this a 'let's take a peek' book for me. I believe it will explore other cultures and the huge range of food available. 

Let's open it up and see how it goes!

WILLIEBOY EATS THE WORLD

by Steve Schirripa

and Philip Lerman

Illustrated by Kirk Parrish

Akashic Books, Ltd

Picture Book

32 pages

ages 4 to 8

Sopranos star Steve Schirripa gets a delicious and delightful lesson about the wondrous world of food from his dog WillieBoy in this beautifully illustrated picture book

WILLIEBOY EATS THE WORLD  is a children’s book that answers the question every parent has what do you tell children who won’t try new things?

Actor and best-selling author Steve Schirripa yields center stage to his adorable real-life dachshund WillieBoy in this New York City–based fantasy. It was inspired by the viral videos the two have become famous for, with Steve and WillieBoy chowing down on everything from pizza to churros. In WillieBoy Eats the World, Steve admits that he only eats Italian food because it’s all that he knows—so WillieBoy teaches him the joy of trying Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Korean, and dozens of other delights. WillieBoy “Trust me, my pal, you’ll be glad that I sent ya / On this great big fabulous dining adventure.”

The book is cowritten by author and journalist Philip Lerman, and illustrated by veteran artist Kirk Parrish.

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

Food, food, and more food pack these pages as a man and his clever friend learn how exciting the culinary world truly is.

Steve loves to eat his favorite foods, which means all Italian foods. Pizza, pasta, and more fill Steve's table, and that's fine with his dog, WillieBoy. One day while walking through the park, they run across a large group of dogs playing together. Each dog comes from a different culture, and here, WillieBoy learns that there is more than just Italian food out there. With a mission to introduce Steve to a much wider range on the culinary front, WillieBoy takes him on a food exploration-extravaganza. 

Not only foodies are going to enjoy this book as the pages open up to a huge variety of delicious delights. It begins with a food most young readers can get behind, pepperoni pizza, and takes off from there. Actually, the book begins with the warm, snuggly relationship between Steve and WillieBoy, and invites readers immediately to find both sympathetic and fun. The relationship between man and dog is inspiring and already hooks. Then, the cute-dog-crowd hits, which is sure to win dog fans over before heading into food, food, and more food. The scenes stay lively the entire way through, going from restaurants to food markets to dream-like states of delicious dishes floating everywhere. The visual fun holds the excitement high and keeps listeners engaged during read-a-louds.

The text is written in rhyme, most of it flowing well to create a smooth tale. There's a sense of playfulness while the cultural aspects of food slide onto the page. Listeners are sure to recognize many dishes and, maybe, discover a few new ones. The level is fitting to the age group and keeps fun and humor high while building in the cultural goodness. 

 

Girl of Lore by Melanie Dale

Ghosts, spooks, and more are hitting today's read. Well, sort of, I think. This is the first in a brand new series for the young adult audience and will explore the paranormal end of things. I'm getting the impression it will embrace quite a bit of heart and high school drama as well. And it includes a graveyard and secrets. Sounds like a promising setting, right?

Let's open it up and see what chilling moments lie in store!

GIRL OF LORE

by Melanie Dale

Aladdin

Middle grade Paranormal

368 pages

ages 9 to 12

COMING APRIL 21st!!!

A girl who’s used to battling the monster of her own mind discovers there’s a sinister evil lurking in her small town in this atmospheric paranormal novel that’s perfect for fans of Tracy Wolff and Maggie Stiefvater.

Stories of dark magic and even darker creatures have always swirled about Mina Murray’s town of London, Georgia. Mina knows they aren’t true—and are likely perpetuated only to drive the quirky tourist-trap ghost tours of downtown—but that doesn’t stop her from collecting the stories and drawing them in her sketchbook. Something about the possibility of real monsters helps her deal with the monster in her own her OCD, which convinces her danger lurks everywhere.

But when a body is found drained of blood and a classmate goes missing, Mina is thrust into a tangled web of London secrets…that she seems to be at the center of.

GOODREADS   /   PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

Town's secrets and myths swirl with dark undertones to create a read, which is packed with danger, drama, and more.

Mina suffers from severe OCD, her mind constantly shoving everything into category, sense, and place. She fights through each day in her mental, jumbled mess, and if that wasn't bad enough, the nights bring constant nightmares. She's found a way to gain, at least, a few minutes peace by hiding in the graveyard with her sketchbook and drawing the monsters in her mind. Or those from local myths and tales, which she know don't really exist but still finds fascinating. It's also gained her the 'creepy label at school, despite her fight to come across as normal-ish. When her dreams start showing up in reality and a dead body is found drained of all blood, she begins to realize that her nightmares and the myths might hold a truth more terrifying than anything she could have imagined.

The story starts out with delicious, dark tones and lets the reader dive right into chills before pulling back just enough to bring Mina and her circumstances across with sympathy. From paranormal fears to high school drama, the tale slides back-and-forth to weave both together to keep spooks, heart, and drama flowing. It's the OCD aspect, however, which the author brings across with potency. Mina doesn't just carry the label with a few hints of the challenge, but it grips her every move and thought. The chaos in her head constantly holds a battle, which not only lays an interesting background for everything else but also raises awareness of what OCD can really mean.

While the reader dives into Mina's mind, the entire atmosphere hangs a bit on the young side. There's enough depth to keep most characters interesting, and the author has packed in a lot on the plot and subplot end, bringing in the paranormal danger, Mina's OCD, family issues, school drama, and much more. Something is always happening and shifting, to keep Mina's world anything but boring. At the same time, less can be more, and the large amount of directions means that some points get lost in the crowd and don't receive the power they could wield. 

Fans of vampire, graveyards, friendship drama, dark secrets, and more will want to take a peek at this tale, and it will be interesting to see where Mina might go next.

And here she is...

Before embracing her love of monsters and sneaking into Mina’s fictional world, Melanie Dale published a bunch of nonfiction books, shambled around as a zombie on TV, and survived cancer. She’s written episodes for the anthology horror television series Creepshow and over a decade of essays for Coffee + Crumbs. While she has won no awards for literature, she won a Halloween costume contest one time and still feels pretty stoked about it. When she’s not writing, she’s teaching yoga or battling her own brain. She lives in the Atlanta area. 

Uh, Oh Spaghetti-Oh! by Susie O'Leary

Ready for a little humor and fun? At least, I hope that describes today's read. The title mixed with the wondrous little girl on the cover promise all of this. Add that this is a music book...meaning that there is a song, which can be played right along with it...and it should be more than just a little entertaining.

But let's open it up and find out!

UH, OH SPAGHETTI-OH!

by Susie O'Leary

Illustrated by Amna Zaki

Happy Singing Kids

Picture Book

26 pages

ages 3 to 6

"Uh oh spaghetti-oh!" is a bubbly tale that spins life's little hiccups into hilarious, sing-songy moments.

When zany mishaps, tumbling tumbles, or cheeky ant nibbles come your way, what's the perfect chant to chase the blues away - "Uh oh spaghetti-oh!" Join the silly spree, where a sprinkle of fun can fix any Whoopsie-doo!

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

Mistakes and mishaps are a part of life, and this book takes a silly and enjoyable twist to release the tension that comes with it.

This little girl is a ball of energy and enjoys almost everything she does, but not everything runs smoothly. Little mishaps happen, and instead of growing upset, she sings a silly song. This leads to a book, which listeners can join in on themselves, since it is connected with a song. This is available through the included QR code in the book (or through the website if you want to take a peek first).

The verses are short and describe an every day life situation, which suddenly takes a small turn in an awkward or not-so-great direction. Then, the refrain dives in, and here's where listeners can quickly join in with the funny words.

The book is brightly illustrated with familiar situations and a bubbly girl with a perky attitude. Some situations will make readers cringe and others will make them giggle. Each one is brought across clearly and shows the little girl, while not super happy about each incident, taking it with relaxed style. The text rhymes and flows smoothly, since it's also the lyrics of the song. Still, the book works nicely as a read-aloud. Of course, it also works very well when the song is played with it and lets listeners sing along.

There's a lovely message about taking things in stride and not turning every little incident into a huge problem or depressing moment. So, there's quite a bit of goodness in the pages.

You can find out more as well as other titles and songs at :  happysingingkids.com

Five Days at the Hotel Adams by Hailey Alcaraz

I'm a bit late...really late...with today's read. Let's just say that I had a change of plans last night as to things to do to day...real life things...and didn't get this up before heading out this morning. But there's no way I could skip today's read because I've been looking forward to picking it up for more than a few weeks. 

It is part of the American Stories for Gutsy Girls series, which I haven't read before but understand that it's a series of wholesome reads and highlights girls, who stretch beyond what usual life requires. So I'm expecting this to be a tale which inspires. I'm also expecting historical goodness and mystery.

Ready to see what these pages hold? I know I am!

FIVE DAYS AT THE HOTEL ADAMS

by Hailey Alcaraz

Tommy Nelson

Middle Grade Historical Mystery

272 pages

ages 8 to 12

COMING MAY 26th!!!

From Hispanic author Hailey Alcaraz, this historical tale of arson, sleuthing, and finding friendship in unlikely places is based on the real Hotel Adams fire of 1910. It's up to two Latina girls to turn their knack for being overlooked and underestimated into their greatest strength as they unravel a complex web of suspects, clues, and motives.

Ruth and Luisa live very different lives within the dusty desert town of Phoenix. Ruth is the only child of a political official. She spends her days stuffed into scratchy dresses and smiling prettily in the ballrooms of the Hotel Adams. Luisa is a young housekeeper. She looks at the Persian rug and thinks, I also know what it feels like to be walked over, barely noticed, and covered in other people's dirt. The girls stumble into a partnership when they overhear a plan to set fire to the hotel, a political hot spot for the growing western town. As they race to figure out who is behind the plot--and how to stop them--they must not only overcome what other people expect from them but what they've grown to expect from themselves.

Part of the Own Voices historical series American Stories for Gutsy Girls Five Days at the Hotel Adams ...

Transports children into the past with a compelling story full of secrets, subterfuge, and sisterhood;

Encourages tweens to look for friends in unexpected places;

Is perfect for fans of Pam Muñoz Ryan and Erin Entrada Kelly;

Includes black-and-white illustrations.

Enjoy this fast-paced adventure story in which two girls race against the clock to stop a crime as they learn that good always comes from trying your best--even if the outcome is the last thing you expected.

GOODREADS

MY TIDBITS

Set in 1910, this book takes a look at two very different girls and throws them into an exciting adventure.

Luisa is a very young housekeeper for the Hotel Adams and has a tendency to get side-tracked from her work...and this often gets her into trouble with the head maid. There's a lot going on at the hotel, especially with several big ordeals and very wealthy and prominent people involved. Ruth is about Luisa's age, and she's the daughter of one of the wealthy men staying at the hotel. Unlike many of the others from the upper class, Ruth finds it more important to see people for who they are rather than what they are. When she literally runs into Luisa, she finds her interesting right away. So, when Ruth accidentally overhears two unseen men whispering about setting the hotel on fire and knows no one will believe her, she decides right away who she wants to turn to for help, Luisa. Luckily, Luisa is all about mysteries and determined to stop the possible disaster.

This is a read wrapped with wholesome goodness. It begins with Luisa and her work as a maid, and she comes across sympathetic from the get-go. She's clever, has a good heart, but also tends to cause a little bit of clumsy trouble, which makes her very easy to connect with and root for. Ruth carries a tad bit more of astuteness thanks to her family's wealth, and yet, she's just as fun to meet. It's this forming friendship between two completely different girls, which gives this book its heart and inspiration.

While friendship is key, history and mystery roll right in as well. The setting is well done with natural descriptions to let readers sink right into the time frame. The novel has a steady pace, allowing the scenes and characters to unfold with grace. It brings readers into the scenes and life of that time smoothly. The mystery aspects add tension and urgency, which builds as the chapters progress. The clues are well laid, keeping readers guessing, and it's not clear how the two are going to work things out. 

It's an enjoyable read for mystery fans, who enjoy a wonderful tale of friendship along the way.

Wake Up!! by Benjamin Leavitt

With Spring comes early morning days and so much to do. Today's read should slide into this thought process nicely. I'm assuming there will be tons of humor and plenty of moments to draw giggles and smiles. But let's just open it up and find out!

WAKE UP!!

by Benjamin Leavitt

Illustrated by Ethan Roffler

Fair Oak Books

 Picture Book

44 pages

ages 3 to 8

COMING APRIL 20th!!!

This is no time to sleep! Too much fun to be had!

There’s a hippo in the bath, a gorilla doing math…joy and absurdity abound as an exuberant little girl awakens her dad with all the reasons why she can’t possibly stay asleep. A rhyming read-aloud that will help everyone (maybe!) catch a few more zzzzzzs.

GOODREADS

MY TIDBITS

With energy in hyper-drive, these pages race through a little girl's imagination and leave in smile unexplored.

The stars are still out, but this little girl can't sleep anymore. Not knowing what else to do, she wakes her father up. He tries to explain that she should let him sleep unless there's an emergency...and according to the little girl, there is. But this emergency isn't what anyone might guess, and it rattles on into an avalanche of fantastical fun.

This is an adorable book, which is sure to draw giggles and more. The little girl's energy is catchy, and while listeners will sympathize with the father, they'll most likely, connect with the little girl as well. As she starts to explain the problem, surprise after surprise unfolds, and each described situation is more ridiculous than the last. Add that this is written in fairly smooth flowing rhyme, and it creates a fun read-aloud, which will have listeners wondering what will come next.

The text is fitting to the age group and brings across each moment with, usually, a line or two. It's just enough to introduce the situation before letting the illustrations take over. Each scene thrives off of the illustrations as the sheer ridiculousness comes across with clarity and chaos. Young listeners can flip through these on their own and enjoy the lively scenes.

It's a chaotic silliness, which lightens the mood and might even have listeners wanting to come up with their own ridiculous moments.