book reviews / Show & Tell

Show & Tell : Good reads from Chronicle Books

Showandtell_updated

I have three great new books to share with you this morning, from Chronicle Books.

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Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace have teamed up again to create another amazing tale called, Little Oink
It is the story of a tidy little pig who loves to clean. But his parents remind him that as a pig, he must learn to make a proper mess.

Amy and Jen are also the creative talents behind Little Pea and Little Hoot, and Little Oink follows right in line with these best-loved books. My children request a reading from these stories so often that I have them committed to memory.

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When I was an elementary school teacher, I remember how helpful it was to find a series of books that my students latched on to. It was a sure-fire way to encourage a reluctant reader and it gave others something to look forward to. I have a feeling that this new series from Chronicle Books, Horse Crazy
, by Alison Lester, will be such a series for many children. The books are about two best friends, Bonnie and Samantha who live in a small town in the Australian bush and are crazy about horses. The books are sweet and fun and Emma has then tucked away in a drawer beside her bed–waiting for the day she can dive into them with a little more ease.

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The last book I want to share with you is called, Secrets of Simplicity
: Learn to Live Better With Less
, by Mary Carlomagno. The book is helpful resource that guides you through the journey of simplifying your life and bringing you to a healthier, more meaningful place. Secrets of Simplicity is a practical, interactive guide, but it also strives to get to the heart of the matter as to why our lives (and our closets) are overflowing with too many things. It is a book to move through slowly, taking in the ideas and wisdom that it offers.

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And thanks to Chronicle Books, I have one copy of each of these titles to share with you. Leave a comment and I'll pick three winners (one for each title) on Monday.

Happy Weekend, friends.

Showandtell_updated

I have three great new books to share with you this morning, from Chronicle Books.

9780811866552_large

Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace have teamed up again to create another amazing tale called, Little Oink
It is the story of a tidy little pig who loves to clean. But his parents remind him that as a pig, he must learn to make a proper mess.

Amy and Jen are also the creative talents behind Little Pea and Little Hoot, and Little Oink follows right in line with these best-loved books. My children request a reading from these stories so often that I have them committed to memory.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

9780811865548_norm

When I was an elementary school teacher, I remember how helpful it was to find a series of books that my students latched on to. It was a sure-fire way to encourage a reluctant reader and it gave others something to look forward to. I have a feeling that this new series from Chronicle Books, Horse Crazy
, by Alison Lester, will be such a series for many children. The books are about two best friends, Bonnie and Samantha who live in a small town in the Australian bush and are crazy about horses. The books are sweet and fun and Emma has then tucked away in a drawer beside her bed–waiting for the day she can dive into them with a little more ease.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

9780811863940_norm

The last book I want to share with you is called, Secrets of Simplicity
: Learn to Live Better With Less
, by Mary Carlomagno. The book is helpful resource that guides you through the journey of simplifying your life and bringing you to a healthier, more meaningful place. Secrets of Simplicity is a practical, interactive guide, but it also strives to get to the heart of the matter as to why our lives (and our closets) are overflowing with too many things. It is a book to move through slowly, taking in the ideas and wisdom that it offers.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

And thanks to Chronicle Books, I have one copy of each of these titles to share with you. Leave a comment and I'll pick three winners (one for each title) on Monday.

Happy Weekend, friends.

91 comments on “Show & Tell : Good reads from Chronicle Books”

  1. Oh molly, I need secrt of simplicity,I am a full time in home daycare, full time mother of two and a full time m-f student at night, I need all the help I can get!!I love your blog, it is a treasure to me!

  2. Little Oink looks so cute! My 4 1/2 yr old son has just recently become interested in “cleaning up”. He picks all the toys off of the floor and puts them on shelves, boxes, anywhere, just so the floor will be “all clean”. He’s very proud of himself!

  3. Hi Molly, These all look great, so thanks for the suggestions. I’m not sure where your girls are in reading, but even as a read-aloud/together, one of our favorites was The Penderwicks. And The Hundred Dresses. I’m off to check out Secrets of Simplicity, now. Thanks so much.

  4. I think Secrets of Simplicity sounds like a book I need at my house!

    Love your blog, by the way. I’ve been following for a week or so now. I love the pictures and interesting stories (my husband is sensitive to poison ivy too).

  5. Hi Molly! Thank you so much for picking Little Oink. I’m so glad your girls loves these books. I need to introduce these lovely books to my little ones as well. I used to babysit for Amy’s kids and it reminded me that I need to keep in touch. Also thanks for great writing and giving me ‘another place’ to go to when I am cooped up at home. You make the farm come alive and I LOVE it!

  6. What a lovely collection of books – but I must say, why are there SO few books on horses with boy characters?

  7. all these books sound incredible. in my family i could find someone for each 😉 thanks for the opportunity to receive. secrets of simplicity sounds needed here, just last night i was sharing with a friend how easy it would be if the ‘things’ would just get back to their places since they all do have a place and we still agreed it just too much stuff…..i need to simplify more….this confirms that. xo

  8. These books look wonderful. I’ve never heard of Chronicle Books, guess it’s time to head over there and check them out!

  9. Any of these three titles would find a well-loved spot in our home. Hope you’re feeling better for your weekend festivities.

    Thanks!

  10. These books all sound great.Thanks for the generous giveaway!

    I hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend. 🙂

  11. they all sound wonderful!we’re big fans of rosenthal/corace at our house too – can’t wait to check out the latest.

  12. Thanks so much for sharing…I’ve been looking for a book on simplifing my life, so even if I don’t win, I’ll be buying that book next week. I really love your site and enjoy watching your farm life adventures.

    Tamra

  13. Thanks for the suggestions! We just had our first little one a few months ago, so I’m just now delving into the world of children’s books. It’s so overwhelming trying to decide what to invest in – we love reading to her, but we need books that won’t totally bore us until she’s old enough to request and interact. Thnks again!

  14. My son received Little Pea for Christmas last year and loves it. Glad to hear there’s another one out. And both of my daughters are horse crazy so you can bet I’ll be checking out library for that title. Thanks.

  15. Oh, Little Oink looks so cute! I’ve been checking out all of the “let’s clean up” books from the library that I can find…it’s not a favorite chore of my 2 year olds. Or mine really! And Secrets of Simplicity, someone PLEASE tell me what they are! Where are they hiding?

  16. My twins love animal books, and I need something new to commit to memory, too! Mommy is tiring of what we have…

  17. We’re big fans of Little Oink and love horses and could use some simplifying – so I’d love to win. Thanks to you and Chronicle for hosting!

  18. I keep hearing about that Little Pea story (and all the books by those authors), I must check them out! thanks for the recs.

  19. I think my daughter would really love the Horse Crazy books, and of course, Amy Krouse Rosenthal is a favorite in my house. Thanks.

  20. Any of these books would make one or more members of my little family happy! Thanks for the giveaway!

  21. All the books look wonderful. I could especially use the Secret of Simplicity – simplifying has been my goal this year and I haven not made much progress.Thank you!

  22. I don’t give a hoot what other commenters say, we need “Little Oink” at our house…rules of the roost!

  23. All those books look great. We have a few books illustrated by Jen Corace and we love them all.

  24. Hi Molly, I keep telling friends about your blog. Thanks for the great life stories and links to other fun bloggers out there too.Boy my husband sure wishes I were that little pig with a problem of being too clean, maybe we need that to teach our 2 year old, because her mama sure isn’t. So along those lines I could use a dose of Simple Simplicity. Any of the books would be wonderful to be blessed with at this house.Thanks again.

  25. My boys could teach Little Oink all he needs to know… Perhaps if we embraced Simplicity, there wouldn’t be so much stuff with all it’s mess making potential…

  26. molly molly molly! How I would loooove the secrets of simplicity. I am sitting here on vacation (for another week) and have been thinking a lot about the house I am coming home to. I have grand plans and this book would provide much needed inspiration and a swift kick in my cluttered pants!

    (LOVE the little series – pea,hoot and oink. We have checked those out at the library sooo many times. they are too adorable)

    PS- sorry about your trees!!! gosh!

  27. these all look great! especailly the secrets of simplicity. books, ironically, are what is causing a lot of my clutter right now. 🙂

  28. All three books look delightful, but I’m drawn to the Secrets of Simplicity. If I could simplify my life, I’d have more time to enjoy the other two books! 🙂 Thanks for the wonderful blog, I find it very useful. 🙂

  29. i noticed S of S on your sidebar the other day and looked for it in my local library…no luck. (being in a rural-ish area has its downsides when it comes to finding books sometimes.) anyway, thanks for all the suggestions!

  30. What great books. I’d love to be in the drawing. Secrets of Simplicity would be an appropriate book for the stage of lfe I’m in. we are getting ready to go from 2 children to 4 this fall.

  31. These all look like beautiful books! I think I will end up with the “Secrets of Simplicity” one way or another. If I’m not so lucky as to win it I think I’ll need to purchase it.

  32. Thanks to Ann Voskamp for sending me your way. I’ll be parking myself here for a bit of reading, and I wouldn’t mind reading one of those books.

  33. Secrets of Simplicity sounds like a great read for me and Horse Crazy sounds great for my 5yo dd. She tells me practically everyday that she needs a pony! Thanks for the giveaway.

    Mrs. H

  34. I love your mini reviews. I have a chopper on the way and my daughter already got her chopper. She says it makes awesome salsa.

  35. oh these titles are all great! We love the little guy series, love horses, and would love simplicity…;)

  36. We are fans of the Little Pea/Hoot team around here.My gal is both book and HORSE CRAZY but that series may be something to remember for future since my daughter is “not quite 4” (what she tells people when asked her age).We are trying to sell our place and have de-cluttered a great deal and BOY do i feel more alive and open to possibility…i love the cover art for Secrets of Simplicity.Thanks for the suggestions and giveaway!

  37. I agree that if you can get a kid settled into a good series, you are good to go. My daughter is now reading the whole Ramona series and loves it. It takes no time for her to get interested in the next book as soon as she finishes one.

  38. Little Oink sounds adorable and I collect all things pig! I, however, already know how to make a proper mess. The Secrets of Simplicity must be in my collection one way or another. I am trying mightily to embrace the simple life but my years of pack-rattery tenaciously hang on. My new mantra has been the more I acquire the more trapped I am. I’m not sure it’s working. Thanks for the opportunity to win!

  39. Wow! what great books… something there for everyone in my house. My youngest loves Little Hoot, so I’m sure Little Oink would be a great success… My oldest would love a chapter book about best friends and horses and I would love a book on Simplicity and simplifying my life… thanks for the tips!

  40. All of these books look like good additions to feed my book addiction. I have to admit that Little Oink sounds like an awful lot of fun for my book-loving two year old! 🙂

  41. the books all sound lovely, especially the secrets of simplicity.been following your blog for a while now and really njoy it.have a great summer! anja

  42. thanks for sharing these great books….I love having some new tile to search for at the library & to tell my friends about 🙂

  43. GREAT GIVEAWAY! My daughter Hannah would dig the Horse Crazy books–she is a little horse crazy at the moment. I hear you about the cranky mama/cranky kids–I’m a single mama for the summer and it has been tough!

  44. The Secrets of Simplicity would go nicely with the plan my husband and I have been calling “Project Simplify”. We’re trying to learn to live better on less!

  45. Secrets of Simplicity has been on my wish list for a while- I’ve seen it recommended a few times and would love to win it.

  46. Secrets of Simplicity sounds refreshing at this point in my life! Thanks for the great book titles.

  47. My daughter is crazy for horse books and is just beginning to truely develop the love of reading and I am much in need of a little simplicity. Thanks for sharing!

  48. Secrets of Simplicity looks great to me. I’m sooo tired of all my “stuff”!! It was great to go on vacation and only have one suitcase of belongings!! 🙂

  49. All of these books look like must haves. We would be happy to have any of them. Thanks for the giveaway….will have to make a run to the library tomorrow.

  50. Thanks for the book suggestions, Molly! There has been a lot of interest at the library that I work at in simplifying these days, and I might have to order that last book…

  51. My girl loves horses, my little guy loves pigs, and I’m all bout the simple life, so we’d be thrilled with any of these three books. Thank you!

  52. Those all look like great books! I love Little Pea and Little Hoot. I’m so happy to see another of these lovely stories. Secrets of Simplicity also looks very interesting.

  53. Little Oink would be perfect for our home. My husband laughs that my obsessive picking up has rubbed off on our sweet 3 year old. He’ll even pick up trash off the grocery store floor!

  54. Good morning! I hope it isn’t too late to leave a comment. We went to the lake to camp for three days and just returned. Please enter my name in the drawing. I would love to read each of those books. Thank you! Blessings to you from Kansas! Gail

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