Stephen Hawking by Isabel Sanchez Vegara

New in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Stephen Hawking, the genius physicist and author.

When Stephen Hawking was a little boy, he used to stare up at the stars and wonder about the universe. Although he was never top of the class, his curiosity took him to the best universities in England: Oxford and Cambridge. It also led him to make one of the biggest scientific discoveries of the 20th century: Hawking radiation. This moving book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the brilliant physicist's life.

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This adorable little book gives us a brief history of Stephen Hawkings life. (Do you get the joke??) Its written in short simple sentences, with full color illustrations. Perfect for reading to pre-readers, and to extend the library of a little one whose in the throes of learning to read.

It talks about all parts of his life, including about his "rare disease" and its affects on Hawking; including that at the time, the doctors gave him only 2 more years to live. While this style of writing towards kids may seem harsh to some parents, I prefer books that are blunt to a point. And this book walks that line of being blunt enough so that children can get the full effect of the words and the implications behind them, without scaring them. 

I was very surprised and excited when I got to the end of the book, and was given a timeline of Hawkings life, as well as a few actual photos and a couple paragraphs that used his age when referring to certain events. The ending also lists some extra resources to look into if your child becomes especially interested in Hawking.

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This book is part of a series of children's books called Little People Big Dreams. Here is some info on them. 

 Little People, BIG DREAMS is a best-selling series of books and educational games that explore the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.

This empowering series offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardcover versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. Boxed gift sets allow you to collect a selection of the books by theme. Paper dolls, learning cards, matching games, and other fun learning tools provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.

Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS!

The end of the books lists several board books, and several hardcovers so I will be reviewing as many of those as I can and im even going to add LPBD as a tag since there are quite a few that im hoping to read!

This book is already out! It released on the 5th of February 2019!  You can find it on Amazon, Target, or Barnes and Nobles for about 11 dollars.

Dinner in a DASH by Nancy S. Hughes

Keep your body in tip-top shape with the one diet that all doctors love—and with the speed and convenience of pressure-cooking! The DASH Diet, developed at the National Institutes of Health in the US, is a low-salt, low-sugar, low-fat diet that is good for everyone—but especially for people with heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, or excessive weight. That's a lot of us!

Until now, there has been no cookbook for tasty and fast DASH meals in the Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker (or "multi-cooker"). In Dinner in a DASH, veteran healthy-cookbook author Nancy S. Hughes delivers 75 recipes that get you from here to a nutritious and delectable dinner in a flash. You'll get all the minerals and proteins you need without an excess of saturated fats, salt, or sugar.

From a homey and comforting Marinara Chicken with Parmesan to an adventuresome plate of Shrimp-Stuffed Poblano Peppers, and from an elegant Salmon on Spinach with Tarragon Mustard Sauce to a casual and carefree Flank Steak with Mushrooms, you'll do your body a world of good while enjoying every minute. Each of the recipes comes with complete nutritional data, and the book opens with a wealth of tips and tricks for mastering the Instant Pot and other electric pressure cookers. For fast and easy dinners full of flavor and nutrients, this is an indispensable book.

Starting off, the title is a play on words for a specific diet type called DASH! It stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. I had not idea this was even a thing until I got a hold of this book. But the introduction does an amazing job at explaining what you'll be getting out of this book in reference to this diet, in easy to understand words. We are taught some of the basics (low salt, high nutrients!) of the Dash diet and how we can use our handy-dandy pressure cookers (or Instant pots) to get healthy, easy, dinners that are not time consuming ('cause you and I both know that once we read that a recipe takes 3 hours of labor we usually decide on something else. XD)

After the Intro, the book has 7 chapters:

Chapter 1: Wraps, Sandwiches, and Tortillas

Chapter 2: Substantial Salads

Chapter 3: Soups, Chilis, Stews and Bowls

Chapter 4: Pasta and Egg Noodle Dinners

Chapter 5: Grain, Rice and Bean Dinners

Chapter 6: Protein and Vegetable Combos

Chapter 7: Fruits and Desserts

The one thing I noticed, which made me enjoy it even more, was that it didn't have a thousand crazy,hard-to-find, never-gonna-use-again herbs, spices, or ingredients. I personally have a decent sized her and spice cabinet, that covers a little more than basic. For someone whos' spice cabinet only contains salt, pepper and paprika, you MAY need to go shopping a bit, but really you should do that whether you buy this book or not. There was almost no fresh ingredients that I couldn't get at my local Walmart, 

Another cool thing about this book is that at the end of each recipe it lists the nutritional facts. Including calories. Which is helpful to anyone on any kind of diet.

So basically if you are someone who needs to be on the Dash diet, or even if you just realllly love your pressure cooker, this book is an awesome addition to your cookbook collection!

This book is set to release on March 12th 2019. I will post a link to where you can buy it when I have one!

The Real Witches of New England by Ellen Evert Hopman

Reveals the origins and history of the New England witch hysteria, its continuing repercussions, and the multilayered practices of today’s modern witches 
• Shares the stories of 13 accused witches from the New England colonies through interviews with their living descendants 
• Explores the positive role witches played in rural communities until the dawn of the industrial age, despite ongoing persecution 
• Includes in-depth interviews with 25 modern witchcraft practitioners, interwoven with practical information on the sacred calendar, herb lore, spells, and magical practices 
Exploring how the perception and practices of witches has evolved and expanded over the centuries, Hopman also includes in-depth interviews with 25 modern-day practitioners from a variety of pagan faiths, including druids, wiccans, Celtic reconstructionists, and practitioners of the fairy faith. Emerging from their insights is a treasure trove of practical information on the sacred calendar, herb lore, spells, and magical practices. Bringing together past and present, Hopman reveals what it really means to be a “witch,” redefining the label with dignity and spiritual strength.

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Ok, so first off, as a Pagan, I was super interested in getting my hands on this book. As someone who is married to a history buff, I was even more excited. Now being that I have read a lot on this subject out of curiosity and a craving for how someone like me could have had to live before the 1st amendment, I did still learn some new things from this book. 

On top of providing essential information for any practitioner on our history, it also gives some unique looks into the ritual practices of some more famous modern day practitioners of various faiths. While there are a ton of books written by various authors on their own practices, you are usually get only 1 view per book. The Real Witches of New England gives us multiple views, and to me that is very important to include when speaking on a lifestyle that is so diverse. 

This book has obviously been well researched, and considering that its a historical text, it reads almost like any other book you could pick up. The interviews and the stories presented inside give it that "novel" feel while still keeping it all very informative.This makes it easy to read and makes it a must have for all practitioners, history buffs, and anyone with a piqued curiosity.

Pages : 400

It comes out on September 18th 2018 guys! And you can get it on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, or you can find it at your local bookstore using IndieBound.

Draw Manga: Step-by-Steps, Character Construction, and Projects from the Masters by Sweatdrop Studios

Inside Draw Manga, 140 color illustrations and easy-to-follow directions are divided into three sections: basic tutorials; how to turn raw ideas into finished comics; and projects from the masters, with exhaustive detail on producing professional-grade artwork.

Draw Manga covers not only traditional media such as colored markers, pencils, and watercolors, but also computer-generated manga. And there's advice on special techniques for drawing the distinctive eyes and hairstyles that are the genre's hallmark, as well as on character creation, developing a first sketch, using color and motion, sequencing, pacing, and more.

In Draw Manga, professional manga artists reveal their secrets for drawing individual character elements and creating an effective manga character!

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Draw Manga is divided into three parts. 1.) Basic tutorials 2.) Creations and 3.) Projects.

Part 1 Is a very quick descriptions on how to draw heads, eyes and other body parts. It is not kidding when it says BASIC tutorials. They are quick, and definitely not for the beginner as the book describes. Part 2 is supposed to be step by step creations. This part of the book is to put what you learned in part 1 into action. But its not step by step. In fact it is mostly talking about what is implied by the drawing vs how to draw it (how confident the character looks because of where his head is tilted). Once again this part is not for beginners.
Part 3 the projects. They seem like more complete version of part 2. Having backgrounds added in and shading. Very much not beginner friendly.

i would guess that it is maybe in the "Advanced Beginner" category, because it does expect you to know some stuff already, and it doesn't take the time I would have liked to explain everything. Me being a Non-Artist, I was hoping to gain something from this book, but I mostly got frustrated. The first sketch they expect you to do after Part 1 is a full body and face.

This Isn't to say this book is bad, as I don't believe it is, but, it isn't one I would have picked up had I known its contents ahead of time, and it probably would have been that book that sat on my shelf forever not being read, or being given to a little cousin who can draw better than me..... >.>

It is something I could see as useful for those who have some general skills in art and who have some previous knowledge with drawing Manga. I like this book as it is, if it wasn't marketed as a beginners book.

Pages : 128

Can check it out on Amazon Here 

The Taco Tuesday Cookbook by Laura Fuentes

"The Taco Tuesday Cookbook is the cookbook your family’s been dreaming of, because if there’s one thing we all can agree on, it’s that tacos are awesome. They’re customizable. They’re quick. They’re tasty. And most importantly, they make us all happy!"

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So I haven't ever reviewed a cookbook before but who can pass up Tacos?? I mean they are tacos! The most awesome thing in the world.

So first off, it is exactly what it says it is : A cookbook about tacos. This book gives you 52 taco recipes so you can literally have a different taco every Tuesday for a whole year. It also provides sauce and drink recipes to add to your amazing main dish! One of the more interesting parts is the recipes for gluten free, vegetarian and paleo options, which means that dietary restrictions shouldn't stop you from 1.) purchasing this book and 2.) eating some freaking tacos on Taco Tuesday!

I did learn something from this book. I have had breakfast burritos before, but until this book I hadn't thought about breakfast tacos, and that alone made me so very excited to keep browsing this book. (Yes browsing, its a cookbook, I'm not going to read every single recipe) Also, the my daughter caught me looking at the breakfast tacos and we ended up having them for breakfast (Totally recommend the black bean and queso breakfast tacos!) and insisted we have tacos for breakfast this morning.

The last thing I would like to say about this cookbook, is that you dont have to have a ridiculous amount of time or money to make these tacos. The breakfast one we had actually said "1 can black beans" because this author KNOWS that soaking beans overnight just for breakfast tacos isn't always something someone can do when you have kids. These are easy recipes that would make a great edition to anyones house.

The Peoples Awards by Lily Murray

"Welcome to the People Awards! The ceremony is about to begin. Who will win the Best Hat award? Who will be named Bad-Tempered Musical Genius? Who gets the Stand Up For What You Believe In prize?

A celebration of 50 famous people from around the world who made history and changed the world for the better, with stunning art from award-winning artist Ana Albero."

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With full color illustrations, and pages brimming with information on everyone involved, The Peoples Award is a wonderful introduction to history both recent and not so recent, for curious kids! This book introduces you to a historical figure with a 2-3 paragraph blurb of what that person is famous for and gives you 4 great reasons that they have received their award at the bottom of the page. A cartoon representation of each person is given "portrait style" along with a quote. The second page devoted to each person is full of "snapshots", or illustrations of events that happened in that persons life as if a camera had been thee to see it. These are all followed up with descriptions.

Some awards have multiple earners, such as the Trailblazer Award. These pages contain 4 award recipients each who have a kind of "sub award"(ie: the shoot for the stars award) and a short description is given for each person.

Overall this book is a great addition to any curious kids bookshelf, or even a supplement to a history lesson in a school!

A List of all people featured: Albert Einstein • Wangari Maathai • Abraham Lincoln • Valentina Tereshkova • Leonardo da Vinci • Marie Curie • Mahatma Gandi • Trischa Zorn • Pablo Picasso • J. K. Rowling • Vincent Lingiari • Tim Berners-Lee • Ellen de Generes • Nelson Mandela • Mary Anning • Alfred Nobel • Frida Kahlo • Louis Pasteur • Gabriel Garcia Marquez • Olaudah Equiano • David Bowie • Anne Frank • Confucius • Cleopatra • Pelé • Beethoven • Maria Montessori • Tegla Louroupe • Malala Yousefsai • Isaac Newton • Erno Rubik • Sejong the Great • Jan Amos Komenský • Katherine Johnson • Roald Amundsen • Hanae Mori • Eva Peron • Joan of Arc • Sir Donald Bradman • Queen Anna Nzinga • Rosa Parks • Muhammed Ali • Antonia Rodrigues • Simon Bolivar • Rigoberto Munchu • Antoni Gaudí •Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart • Hans Christian Andersen • Sappho

10 Reasons to Love...a Lion by Frances Lincoln Children's Books

"Lions are magnificent animals! Did you know that lions are the only big cat to live in groups? Or that their roar can be heard for miles? Discover ten reasons why lions are amazing and five ways you can show they love them in this gorgeous picture book. A must for any young animal enthusiast and a fantastic introduction to environmental issues."

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10 Reasons, is a childs' book with full page color photos. It educates the reader on lions using text and images! The text tells you facts, IE: They are social cats. While the images present locales, and other animals, as well as plants that might be found in a lions habitat. This was my favorite part of the book honestly. The facts were something I would look up if a had a question about lions ( which you often have random questions you need to answer if you have kids!) But the illustrations brought the book to life with me.

The facts in the book are well presented and geared towards a 1st or 2nd grader, but are very child friendly even for the younger child.


10 Reasons releases on July 5th 2018!