Books that Arrived in June 2017

June began with an amazing trip with the kids to Washington DC and New York City. We soaked up the history of our country, sat in lots of traffic, had fun bartering, loved "Wicked" and "The Lion King" on Broadway, walked numerous miles, laughed, and got very little sleep. But it was a blast! So glad I could experience that with our kids!

I mentioned here last month that my dear friend passed away. She was also the librarian in our small community. Since her passing, I have been spending time at the library, doing all those administrative things that she did and trying to make sense of her untimely death. It has been a difficult month personally for many in our community.

Otherwise, June has consisted on a more relaxed routine, time with friends, and books read on the porch. It's been lovely. You won't believe the stack of books I received this month. It's insane and I can't wait to tell you all about them!

Currently Reading: The Sunshine Sisters Seven Threads
Currently Listening:  Lab Girl, An Invisible Thread
Up next: Lilac Girls


If you would like to purchase any of the books below, clicking the photo of the book will take you directly to Amazon. If you choose to purchase the book I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting me.




GRACE, NOT PERFECTION
Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy
By: Emly Ley
Published: October 11, 2016
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Format: Hardcover

I forgot to mention this book last month. My husband gave it to me for Mother's Day. I was already following the author on Instagram and so this was a thrill to get her book.

As a busy wife, new mother, business owner, and designer, Emily Ley came to a point when she suddenly realized she couldn’t do it all. She needed to simplify her life, organize her days, and prioritize the priorities. She decided to hold herself to a standard of grace rather than perfection. This mantra led to the creation of her bestselling Simplified Planner®, a favorite among busy women everywhere—from mamas to executives and everywhere in between.

GRACE, NOT PERFECTION takes this message from a daily planner to an inspirational book that encourages women to simplify and prioritize. Designed with Emily Ley’s signature aesthetic, this book gives women tangible ways to simplify their lives to give space to what matters most. With a focus on faith, Emily reminds readers that God abundantly pours out grace on us—and that surely we can extend grace to ourselves.

Have you been told you can have it all, only to end up exhausted and occasionally out of sorts with the people you love? Are you ready for a new way of seeing your time? Learn to live a little more simply. Hold yourself and those you love to a more life-giving standard in GRACE, NOT PERFECTION and allow that grace to seep into your days, your family, and your heart.



THE CUBS WAY
The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse
By: Tom Verducci
Published: March 28, 2017
Publisher: Crown Archetype
Format: Hardcover

I bought this for my husband for Father's Day. I knew it was a hit when he opened in and started reading it right away. Perfect for any Cubs fan!

It took 108 years, but it really happened. The Chicago Cubs are once again World Series champions. 
How did a team composed of unknown, young players and supposedly washed-up veterans come together to break the Curse of the Billy Goat? Tom Verducci, twice named National Sportswriter of the Year and co-writer of The Yankee Years with Joe Torre, will have full access to team president Theo Epstein, manager Joe Maddon, and the players to tell the story of the Cubs' transformation from perennial underachievers to the best team in baseball. 

Beginning with Epstein's first year with the team in 2011, Verducci will show how Epstein went beyond "Moneyball" thinking to turn around the franchise. Leading the organization with a manual called "The Cubs Way," he focused on the mental side of the game as much as the physical, emphasizing chemistry as well as statistics. 


To accomplish his goal, Epstein needed manager Joe Maddon, an eccentric innovator, as his counterweight on the Cubs' bench. A man who encourages themed road trips and late-arrival game days to loosen up his team, Maddon mixed New Age thinking with Old School leadership to help his players find their edge. 


THE CUBS WAY takes readers behind the scenes, chronicling how key players like Rizzo, Russell, Lester, and Arrieta were deftly brought into the organization by Epstein and coached by Maddon to outperform expectations. Together, Epstein and Maddon proved that clubhouse culture is as important as on-base-percentage and intangible components like personality, vibe, and positive energy are necessary for a team to perform to their fullest potential. 

Verducci chronicles the playoff run that culminated in an instant classic Game Seven. He takes a broader look at the history of baseball in Chicago and the almost supernatural element to the team's repeated losses that kept fans suffering, but also served to strengthen their loyalty. 

THE CUBS WAY is a celebration of an iconic team and its journey to a World Championship that fans and readers will cherish for years to come.




50 GREAT AMERICAN PLACES
Essential Historic Sites Around the U.S.
By: Brent D. Glas
Published: March 15, 2016
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: Paperback

I purchased this at the Ellis Island gift shop during our trip to New York City. I love these types of books and we also love traveling to historic places. I'm happy to say we have already visited several of the places mentioned in the book.

A one-of-a-kind guide to fifty of the most important cultural and historic sites in the United States guaranteed to fascinate, educate, and entertain—selected and described by the former director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

From Massachusetts to Florida to Washington to California, 50 Great American Places takes you on a journey through our nation’s history. Sharing the inside stories of sites as old as Mesa Verde (Colorado) and Cahokia (Illinois) and as recent as Silicon Valley (California) and the Mall of America (Minnesota), each essay provides the historical context for places that represent fundamental American themes: the compelling story of democracy and self-government; the dramatic impact of military conflict; the powerful role of innovation and enterprise; the inspiring achievements of diverse cultural traditions; and the defining influence of the land and its resources. Expert historian Brent D. Glass explores these themes by connecting places, people, and events and reveals a national narrative that is often surprising, sometimes tragic, and always engaging—complete with photographs, websites for more information, and suggestions for other places nearby worth visiting. 

Sites you would expect to read about—in Boston, New York, and Washington, DC—are here, as well as plenty of surprises, such as the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe, or Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, or the Village Green in Hudson, Ohio; less obvious places that, together with the more well-known destinations, collectively tell the story of America. For families who want to take a trip that is both educational and entertaining, for history enthusiasts, or anyone curious about our country’s greatest places, this book is the perfect guide.




AN INVISIBLE THREAD
The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, A Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny
By: Laura Schroff
Published: November 1, 2010
Publisher: Howard Books
Format: Audiobook

I've been wanting to read this ever since it came out and I saw a story about it on "Good Morning America." When I saw it was available as an audiobook through my library Bridges account, I snagged it. So far it is a great listen.

Stopping was never part of the plan...

She was a successful ad sales rep in Manhattan. He was a homeless, eleven-year-old panhandler on the street. He asked for spare change; she kept walking. But then something stopped her in her tracks, and she went back. And she continued to go back, again and again. They met up nearly every week for years and built an unexpected, life-changing friendship that has today spanned almost three decades.

Whatever made me notice him on that street corner so many years ago is clearly something that cannot be extinguished, no matter how relentless the forces aligned against it. Some may call it spirit. Some may call it heart. It drew me to him as if we were bound by some invisible, unbreakable thread. And whatever it is, it binds us still.





THE BOOKSHOP AT WATER'S END
By: Patti Callahan Henry
Published: July 11, 2017
Publisher: Berkley
Format; Paperback

I received this for review. The premise is a bit repetitive: friends meet up at a long-ago beloved spot to reminisce and dig up old secrets. But, it involves a bookstore, so I'm hoping it's worth the read.


Bonny Blankenship's most treasured memories are of idyllic summers spent in Watersend, South Carolina, with her best friend, Lainey McKay. Amid the sand dunes and oak trees draped with Spanish moss, they swam and wished for happy-ever-afters, then escaped to the local bookshop to read and whisper in the glorious cool silence. Until the night that changed everything, the night that Lainey's mother disappeared.

Now, in her early fifties, Bonny is desperate to clear her head after a tragic mistake threatens her career as an emergency room doctor, and her marriage crumbles around her. With her troubled teenage daughter, Piper, in tow, she goes back to the beloved river house, where she is soon joined by Lainey and her two young children. During lazy summer days and magical nights, they reunite with bookshop owner Mimi, who is tangled with the past and its mysteries. As the three women cling to a fragile peace, buried secrets and long ago loves return like the tide.




SEVEN THREADS
A Book of Short Stories
By: Jason Atkinson
Published: July 4, 2017
Publisher: Mascot Books
Format: eBook

Atkinson is an Iowa author and he approached me to check out his short story collection.

In this collection of seven short stories from Jason Atkinson, follow a man accused of murder, a runaway girl on a train, a scientist at the heart of a government conspiracy, and more! Full of twists and turns, Seven Threads offers a selection of fast-paced stories full of heart and excitement.





THE UNDERGROUND RIVER
By: Martha Conway
Published: June 20, 2017
Publisher: Touchstone
Format: Hardcover

This book came in my Page Habit box. I chose Historical Fiction as my book box choice and am thrilled with it. I haven't heard of this book before, but the synopsis shows it is right up my alley! With author notes throughout the whole book, it'll be even more interesting to read!

Set aboard a nineteenth-century riverboat theater, this is the moving, page-turning story of a charmingly frank and naive seamstress who is blackmailed into saving runaways on the Underground Railroad, jeopardizing her freedom, her livelihood, and a new love.

It’s 1838, and May Bedloe works as a seamstress for her cousin, the famous actress Comfort Vertue—until their steamboat sinks on the Ohio River. Though they both survive, both must find new employment. Comfort is hired to give lectures by noted abolitionist, Flora Howard, and May finds work on a small flatboat, Hugo and Helena’s Floating Theatre, as it cruises the border between the northern states and the southern slave-holding states.

May becomes indispensable to Hugo and his troupe, and all goes well until she sees her cousin again. Comfort and Mrs. Howard are also traveling down the Ohio River, speaking out against slavery at the many riverside towns. May owes Mrs. Howard a debt she cannot repay and Mrs. Howard uses the opportunity to enlist May in her network of shadowy characters who ferry babies given up by their slave mothers across the river to freedom. Lying has never come easy to May, but now she is compelled to break the law, deceive all her new-found friends, and deflect the rising suspicions of Dr. Early who captures runaways and sells them back to their southern masters.

As May’s secrets become more tangled and harder to keep, the Floating Theatre readies for its biggest performance yet. May’s predicament could mean doom for all her friends on board, including her beloved Hugo unless she can figure out a way to trap those who know her best.




18 MINUTES
Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done
By: Peter Bregman
Published: September 11, 2012
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Format: eBook

My cousin read this a few years ago and told me how great it was. It's been on my radar since then and I snagged it while it was a Kindle deal. Now to find time to read it!

Based upon his weekly Harvard Business Review columns (which is one of the most popular columns on HBR.com, receiving hundreds of thousands of unique page views a month), 18 MINUTES clearly shows how busy people can cut through all the daily clutter and distractions and find a way to focus on those key items which are truly the top priorities in our lives.

Bregman works from the premise that the best way to combat constant and distracting interruptions is to create productive distractions of one's own. Based on a series of short bite-sized chapters, his approach allows us to safely navigate through the constant chatter of emails, text messages, phone calls, and endless meetings that prevent us from focusing our time on those things that are truly important to us. 

Mixing first-person insights along with unique case studies, Bregman sprinkles his charming book with pathways which help guide us -- pathways that can get us on the right trail in 18 minutes or less.




ME AND MILO THE GREAT
By: Michelle Schlicher
Published: September 14, 2017
Format: eBook

I got this for review. Michelle is an Iowa author and I have previously reviewed her one of her books, GRACIE'S SONG.

My name is Holiday Sanchez. I carry a heavy burden.

But I'm not the only one.

There are others who know what it feels like to remember. Maybe they are the answer. Maybe we can help each other. Maybe I'll finally get past it.

Maybe it just takes time—and a little bit of magic.




LAB GIRL
By: Hope Jahren
Published: February 28, 2017
Publisher: Vintage
Format: Audiobook

Well, I decided to join Audible. I got an email offering it for $99 for one year. When I figured out the numbers it was a steal. Since I have really been loving listening to audiobooks in the van (mostly nonfiction) I decided this was a good time to join. LAB GIRL was my first credit choice after hearing so many rave reviews about it.

Acclaimed scientist Hope Jahren has built three laboratories in which she’s studied trees, flowers, seeds, and soil. Her first book is a revelatory treatise on plant life—but it is also so much more.

LAB GIRL is a book about work, love, and the mountains that can be moved when those two things come together. It is told through Jahren’s stories: about her childhood in rural Minnesota with an uncompromising mother and a father who encouraged hours of play in his classroom’s labs; about how she found a sanctuary in science, and learned to perform lab work done “with both the heart and the hands”; and about the inevitable disappointments, but also the triumphs and exhilarating discoveries, of scientific work.

Yet at the core of this book is the story of a relationship Jahren forged with a brilliant, wounded man named Bill, who becomes her lab partner and best friend. Their sometimes rogue adventures in science take them from the Midwest across the United States and back again, over the Atlantic to the ever-light skies of the North Pole and to tropical Hawaii, where she and her lab currently make their home. 

CODE 7
Cracking the Code for an epic Life
By: Bryan R. Johnson
Published: September 5, 2017
Publisher: Candy Wrapper Inc.
Format: Paperback

I received this for review. It sounds like a great middle-grade novel!

Life at Flint Hill Elementary School may seem normal, but seven friends find themselves on a path to crack the code for an epic life. Whether they're chasing their dreams on stage, searching for an elusive monster fish, or running a makeshift business out of a tree house, can these heroes find a way to work together to change their community?




BUGS!
Amazing Animal Facts Book #3
By: James Buckley
Published: June 13, 2017
Publisher: Animal Planet/Time Inc Books
Format: Hardcover

I received these two books from Animal Planet for review purposes! Great for those reluctant readers. Hopefully, I won't get creeped out reading them!

Animal Planet introduces information-packed nonfiction chapter books that are just right for pleasure reading and schoolwork.Fly away on a fascinating journey to the world of Bugs!. Meet the fastest flyers and the long-distance travelers--from huge moths and colorful butterflies to busy bees and annoying fleas. Learn about massive locust swarms and hungry caterpillars. Bugs! is the perfect overview for developing readers ready to explore this popular animal subject on their own. Special features include full-color photography throughout, "Meet the Scientist" sidebars, and "In Your Newsfeed" articles about amazing new discoveries.




SNAKES!
Amazing Animal Facts Book #4
By: James Buckley
Published: June 13, 2017
Publisher: Animal Planet/Time Inc Books
Format: Hardcover

Animal Planet introduces information-packed nonfiction chapter books that are just right for pleasure reading and schoolwork.

Slither along to an amazing adventure in Snakes!. Meet the biggest, the fastest, and the most venomous snakes--from massive anacondas and pythons to fierce and fanged vipers and cobras. Learn about snakes that climb trees and others that swim in ocean waters. Snakes! is the perfect overview for developing readers ready to explore this popular animal subject on their own. Special features include full-color photography throughout, "Meet the Scientist" sidebars, and "In Your Newsfeed" articles about amazing new discoveries.





ALPHABETTER
By: Linda Ragsdale
Illustrated by: Martina Hogan
Published: April 4, 2017
Publisher: Flowerpot Children's Press
Format: Hardcover

I received both of these books by Ragsdale for review.  They look awesome for young children! I'll be reviewing them in a couple weeks.

Empower your vocabulary with this hilarious dictionary full of playfully re-paired words that motivate, uplift, and inspire. Laugh and learn as you read each new word, and discover the amazing power our words have when we use them to encourage others and ourselves!




HOW I DID IT!
By: Linda Ragsdale
Illustrated by: Anoosha Syed
Published: April 4, 2017
Publisher: Flowerpot Children's Press, Inc
Format: Hardcover

This encouraging tale about a daring letter in the alphabet who wants to stand out. It uses a clever play on words to deliver a message about creativity, individuality, and following your dreams!





BIG BOOK OF WHY
Activity Book
By: Editors of Time for Kids
Published: July 18, 2017
Publisher: Time for Kids
Format: Paperback

I am a sucker for activity books. I loved them as a kid (they were perfect for Sunday drives with my parents). I got them for our kids and I love to give them as gifts. Add this to your gift list!

Hidden pictures, dot-to-dot, mazes, trivia, crosswords, and funny fill-ins are just some of the engrossing activities readers will find in this full-color game book jam-packed with more than 300 photographs and illustrations. Like picture puzzles? Try finding an out-of-place cell phone in a famous Civil War photograph. Think you know about tornadoes? Figure out this word scramble and learn even more! Love word searches? There's one based on the theme of every chapter in the popular book TIME For Kids Big Book of Why. Whether kids are on a summer family road trip, on the plane to grandma's house, or settling into a bunk at sleepaway camp, the Big Book of Why Activity Book is the perfect companion.
Featured topics include sports, animals, history, science, tech, and more!





NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS ALMANAC 2018
Published: May 9, 2017
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Format: Paperback

Almanacs were also favorites of mine as a kid. I loved those Guinness Book of World Record Books or any other fact-based book of lists or brief information to learn. I think kids will love this book. The cover alone grabs their attention!

Kids can have fun keeping up with our quickly changing world with the New York Times best-selling Almanac, packed with incredible photos, tons of fun facts, crafts, activities, and fascinating features about animals, science, nature, technology, and more. New features include three chapters on engineering and technology, space and Earth, and life sciences; a guide to New Orleans, just in time for its 300th birthday; an updated Fun and Games chapter filled with all-new games, jokes, and comics; all new weird-but-true facts, crafts, and activities; 18 Facts for 2018 feature in every chapter; updated reference material, and much more. 





DINOS ON DECK
A Gareth Lucas Noisy Book
By: Gareth Lucas
Published: June 13, 2017
Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books
Format: Board Book

These next several books are perfect for toddlers and ones you should definitely add to your gift list. I got them all to review so stay tuned!

Join your favorite dinosaur friends on an adventure in the seas! Hoist the sails, press the sound buttons, and laugh along as a Triceratops, a Stegosaurus, a T. rex and more search for treasure. With humorous art by Gareth Lucas and charming rhyming text, this sound book will be a perfect addition to story time. What will these dinosaur friends find when they open the treasure chest?





DIG, DIG, DIGGER
A Gareth Lucas Noisy Book
By; Gareth Lucan
Published: July 11, 2017
Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books
Format: Board Book

Dig, dig, dig…and dig some more with your favorite animal friends! In Dig, Dig Digger, children will be amused by the hilarious antics of the animals as they build an adventure playground. Young readers will delight in Gareth Lucas's artwork and in finding the sound button on every spread. Each turn of the page will bring humor and fun with hippos, bears, camels, and more on their day at the construction site.





OLD MACDONALD HAD A FARM
Woodworks Nursery Rhymes
By: Elliot Kreloff
Published: June 13, 2017
Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books
Format: Board Book/Play Mat

This is more than just a book. This playset and the one below are a great way to introduce interactive reading to toddlers. They are super cute and would make a great gift!

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O! This brand-new playset featuring the classic children’s singalong song "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" will be the perfect addition to your child’s library. With a chunky board book, a wooden tractor, and a playmat, little ones can read and play along as they go through the farm and meet cows, ducks, horses, and more! Join Old MacDonald and his farmyard friends for a reading adventure.





THE WHEELS ON THE BUS
Woodworks Nursery Rhymes
By: Elliot Kreloff
Published: July 11, 2017
Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books
Format: Board Book/Play Mat

The wheels on the bus go round and round! Climb aboard the yellow bus with this sweet playset featuring a chunky board book, a wooden school bus, and a playmat for added fun. Young readers will enjoy reading and playing along with their favorite nursery rhyme as they drive around the town and sing their way through the storybook. 





BUSY BUILDERS: AIRPORT
By: Timothy Knapman
Illustrated by: Carles Ballesteros
Published: December 20, 2016
Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books
Format: Book/Puzzle

Another great interactive set to encourage reading for your youngest reader! I am in love with all 3 of these book sets. Another great gift idea!

Pack your bags and get ready for an exciting flight to a faraway destination in Busy Builders: Airport. This three-dimensional interactive kit takes young children behind the scenes at a busy airport, allowing them to see how all the flights and passengers move smoothly through the terminal. The fact book introduces kids to the various procedures at an airport—from check-in to arrival—using cute illustrations and simple text. The box folds out to form an airport terminal, and the included model pieces for the runway, air-control tower, airplane, and baggage carts provide hours of interactive entertainment.

Includes:
32-page fact book
3-D airport terminal
48 model pieces





BUSY BUILDERS: FIRE STATION
By: Chris Oxlade
Illustrated by: Carles Ballesteros
Published: December 20, 2016
Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books
Format: Book/Puzzle

Sound the siren and grab your gear as you get ready to save the day in Busy Builders: Fire Station. Young firefighters can open up this three-dimensional interactive kit and go inside a busy fire station, where they will learn how rescue teams prepare to fight fires and save people from danger. The fact book introduces kids to the daily routines—and a variety of emergencies—of a firefighting crew using cute illustrations and simple text. Once children have read the book, they can spend hours with the foldout fire station, complete with model pieces for a fire truck, helicopter, and firefighters.

Includes:
32-page fact book
3-D fire station
46 model pieces





BUSY BUILDERS: CONSTRUCTION SITE
By: Katherine Sully
Illustrated by: Carles Ballesteros
Published: December 20, 2016
Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books
Format: Book/Puzzle

Dig in and get ready to work in Busy Builders: Construction Site. This three-dimensional interactive kit will bring young children to a busy building site, where they will meet the construction crew at work on a new school. The fact book introduces kids to the people and machines at a construction site, using colorful illustrations and simple text. Plus, the box folds out to form a school under construction, complete with model pieces for the building, vehicles, and construction workers.

Includes:
32-page fact book
3-D building
48 model pieces





SCANORAMA:  DINOSAURS AND OTHER PREHISTORIC CREATURES
Slide...Scan...and Reveal
By: Anna Claybourne
Published: December 20, 2016
Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books
Format: Hardcover

Do you have a science-loving or animal-loving kid in your home? These books offer tons of facts and a fun learning experience with the "scanner" in the book. These will make great gift books as well!

Scanorama: Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures gives young readers the feel of working as a lab technician as they study dinosaurs and other amazing prehistoric animals. Five movable sliders transform illustrated creatures—such as the deadly T. rex, the armored Ankylosaurus, and the massive Argentinosaurus—into virtual X-ray scans, revealing their fossilized skeletons. Detailed text, photographs, and illustrations provide insights into how each animal survived in the prehistoric world, and even more facts can be found under the interactive flaps throughout the book.





SCANORAMA:  AMAZING ANIMALS
Slide...Scan...and Reveal
By: Anna Claybourne
Published: September 13, 2016
Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books
Format: Hardcover

Slide the scanner across the page to discover what lies under the skin of the world’s most fascinating creatures! In Scanorama: Amazing Animals, readers will meet a variety of species from across the animal kingdom and learn about their astounding feats of strength, speed, and endurance. The five movable sliders transform the illustrated animals—including an anaconda, a thorny devil, and a blue whale—to reveal their skeletons, creating a virtual X-ray on the page. Captivating facts, photographs, and illustrations provide even more details on each animal, and interactive flaps to lift enhance the scan-tastic educational experience.





SCANORAMA: DEADLY PREDATORS
Slide...Scan...and Reveal
By: Anna Claybourne
Published: September 13, 2016
Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books
Format: Hardcover

On the pages of Scanorama: Deadly Predators, kids are treated to a virtual X-ray tour featuring some of the world's most dangerous animals. Five movable sliders transform illustrated animals into full-body scans that reveal their skeletons and show how they have come to rule their habitats. Featured animals include a tiger, a scorpion, and a great white shark; each animal is covered in detail through informative text, photographs, and illustrations. To learn about even more deadly creatures, readers can lift the flaps and discover what is hiding in wait, ready to pounce on its next victim!





WEIRD BUT TRUE KNOW IT ALL: US PRESIDENTS
By: Brianna Dumont
Published: July 4, 2017
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Format: Paperback

Another fun fact book. Kids love learning "secrets" about famous people and this book about the Presidents is super fun!

What's so weird about U.S. presidents? Plenty! Did you know that Abraham Lincoln was a great wrestler? That Ulysses S. Grant got a speeding ticket riding his horse - twice! Or that Benjamin Harrison was afraid of electricity? And let's not forget that President McKinley had a pet parrot that whistled "Yankee Doodle Dandy" duets with him! In this new single-subject Weird But True book, you'll have a blast learning that there's a lot of substance - and weirdness - in every president's past.





BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S WISE WORDS
How to Work Smart, Play Well, and Make Real Friends
By: K.M. Kostyal
Illustrated by: Fred Harper
Published: January 24, 2017
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Format: Hardcover

I love these types of books as an adult, so I bet I will love this one too. I could maybe pull out some of this info for classroom use!

Discover history through the eyes of one of the smartest, funniest, and coolest figures from America's past. This book presents 50 of Benjamin Franklin's famous "wise words" from Poor Richard's Almanack, his personal letters, and other writings, with sage advice on everything from good citizenship and manners to friendship and being happy. Sayings are paired with hilarious illustrations and witty translations for modern audiences. It's a great go-to for inspirational and innovative ways to practice mindfulness, industriousness, and self-improvement. 



I can't even tell you how awesome this stack of children's books is! These are some amazingly educational and fun books perfect for gift-giving. Make your list now for all those little kids on your Christmas list.

I'm linking up with THE DELIBERATE READER for her monthly feature NEW ON THE STACK. To see other bloggers new books from June, click HERE.