Children's Book Review: The Travel Adventures of PJ Mouse By Gwyneth Jane Page and A Giveaway

I'm joining with other bloggers to share a couple of great books with you as well as offer a wonderful giveaway. To see all the participating blogs on the iRead Book Tour, click HERE.

THE TRAVEL ADVENTURES OF PJ MOUSE IN CANADA

By: Gwyneth Jane Page

Illustrated By: Megan Elizabeth

Published: February 2014

Publisher: Friesen Press

PJ Mouse is found under a bench, wet and cold by Emily who takes PJ home. PJ is a stuffed mouse and becomes part of Emily's family. PJ is thrilled to find out Emily and her family are leaving on an adventure across Canada and PJ gets to go along. Even though this is a fictional story with a talking stuffed mouse, children and parents can learn about the country being visited by the family. Through conversations, and PJ's many questions, we learn about taking a ferry, walking across a glacier, a salt water lake, Niagara Falls, and much more during their trip through Canada.

Emily and her siblings treat PJ as one of the family and take him along on all the adventures, explaining the unique characteristics and special notes about each location. The story is age-appropriate for young children to keep them interested and yet factual based. Parents will enjoy learning about the uniqueness of each location along with their child. Besides learning about the tourist attractions, the reader will also be introduced to the language and the culture of the country. The chapters are the perfect length to read one at bedtime, leaving the child interested in hearing the next stop on PJ's adventure the next night.

The author's daughter is the illustrator. The cute colored pencil drawings of PJ Mouse on his many adventures are adorable and will help younger children stay interested in a chapter book.

I love books that combine creativity, imagination and learning into a story Since our family will be traveling to Niagara Falls and Canada this summer, I found this book interesting even without a young child to read to. I hope that the author continues to find new adventures for PJ Mouse and his family to share with readers.

THE TRAVEL ADVENTURES OF PJ MOUSE IN QUEENSLAND

By: Gwyneth Jane Page

Illustrated By: Megan Elizabeth

Published: December 2014

Publisher: First Choice Books


In the second book in the PJ Mouse series, PJ and his new family embark on an adventure through Australia. PJ is a stuffed mouse that Emily found wet and dirty under a bench. After bringing him home and washing him up, he became part of the family. Even the family cat likes PJ Mouse.

After taking a very long airplane ride, PJ Mouse and the family arrive in Australia. Their first stop is a theme park where PJ faces his fears on a number of exciting rides. The Great Barrier Reef allows PJ to meet a new friend after nearly becoming lost. More adventures on the beach and in the rainforest create funny situations that PJ must try to get himself out of. These silly predicaments will help children with problem solving and remind them that getting help from others is sometimes necessary.

Megan Elizabeth has created some gorgeous drawings to accompany this story. My favorite illustrations were during PJ's visit to the Great Barrier Reef.  She also includes a illustrated map of the country with their journey marked out so the reader can see how far across the country they have traveled.

I'm very impressed with this series of books and hope that PJ continues his adventures to other countries.

Gwyneth Jane Page and Megan Elizabeth 

Gwyneth Jane Page (Jane), who holds an MBA from Simon Fraser University, has called many countries home. She grew up in such places as England, Peru, the USA, and the Caribbean, and has also lived in Australia and Canada. She now resides in Victoria, BC with her husband and four children. The PJ Mouse books are based on Jane's family trips with the real stuffed animal, PJ, who was found by Emily, Jane's youngest daughter.

Megan Elizabeth, Jane's second oldest daughter, has lived in Canada and Australia and traveled extensively with her family and PJ. Having been artistic since she was a little girl, illustrating the PJ Mouse books has enabled her to combine her love of travel with her love of art. Megan completed her studies at VanArts and is now building her career as a professional photographer as well as an illustrator. She currently resides in Victoria, BC with her family.

For more on the author and this series of books, check out the website, HERE. You can also find the author on Twitter, HERE, and Facebook, HERE.

iRead Book Tours is sponsoring a giveaway for a book and kit pictured above. My readers are eligible to enter to win as well. Feel free to enter through the Rafflecopter giveaway below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To purchase a copy of these books, click the photos below:

I will be linking up with other bloggers on Booking Mama's Kid Konnection feature on Saturday. Click HERE to see other posts on children's and YA books.

Thanks to the author and iRead Book Tours for sending copies of these books to me for the purpose of these reviews. These reviews are my honest opinion. If you choose to purchase a copy of these books through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com.

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Review: RFID Blocking Credit Card and Passport Sleeves

With the holidays coming up, this is the perfect time for me to share with you an important way to protect yourself while shopping close to home and traveling away from home. 

These RFID Blocking Sleeves will protect your identity as well as your financial information. I had no idea of the scams that were out there and how easy it is for someone to steal all your sensitive information without actually having your card in their hand. 

Just sliding your credit card into these sleeves protects your cards from hackers stealing your information. There have been news reports of machines being attached to gas pumps, hackers waving their readers over your purse while you are shopping or even while you are sitting at the airport. These hackers are sneaky and before you ever realize what has happened they have taken off with your hard-earned money. 

For a small amount of money, you can protect yourself whether you are shopping at your local grocery store, flying to visit family, or traveling for business out of the country. This package includes two sleeves for your passports and ten sleeves for your credit cards and IDs. That is just $1.33 per sleeve to protect your priceless identity and credit. The only downside is the sleeves take up a bit more space, so my cards don't fit the same way in my wallet. But that is a small issue that I can fix by rearranging things. 

With our family traveling to Canada this summer, I will have a great peace of mind while we travel. I never even knew these items existed until Josh approached me to try these. I'm so thankful and now I can tell all of you about this super easy way to protect yourself. You should get them for everyone on your Christmas list! 

To get your own RFID Blocking Credit Card and Passport Sleeves, click the photo below:

I was sent this product in exchange for an honest review. If you choose to purchase the above item, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com. 


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Book Review: The Joy of Ballpark Food by Bennett Jacobstein

THE JOY OF BALLPARK FOOD
From Hot Dogs to Haute Cuisine

By: Bennett Jacobstein

Food Photography: Deborah L Jacobstein

Published: January 9, 2015

Publisher: Ballpark Food Publications

Non-Fiction

Baseball is synonymous with summer. People all over our country spend days, nights and weekends at ballparks cheering on their favorite minor or major league teams. Part of that enjoyment includes the food you eat at the game. Ballparks aren't just serving hot dogs, peanuts, and cracker jacks anymore. There are foods to cater to every palate as well as dietary needs. Bennett Jacobstein and his wife, Dorothy spent a good share of 2014 visiting all thirty of the major league ballparks in the United States. Their purpose was to investigate the various food offerings and find out what is unique about each one. Their book also shares iconic historical information related to the classic song, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", the creation of Cracker Jacks, hot dogs, nachos, and how peanuts became a top-selling item at ball games. Each ballpark is featured including their signature hot dog and some of the more "unusual" and popular food choices.  Dishes such as Grilled Wild Alaskan Salmon at Safeco Field in Seattle, Wild Rice Soup at Target Field in Minneapolis, Rocky Mountain Oysters at Coors Field in Denver, and a Lobster Roll at Fenway Park in Boston are just a few of the stranger options to enjoy during a ball game.

Image taken of a page in THE JOY OF BALLPARK FOOD showing a photo of the menu from Wrigley Field in 1947. 

The enjoyment of food during a ball game has become big business and the Jacobsteins' share some interesting tidbits of baseball history, how some foods were created, and unique hot dogs to fit every personality and geographic location. Wonderful photos are included throughout the pages to whet your appetite. After reading through these pages, you will want to order tickets to get to your favorite ballpark as soon as you can!

Our family has only been to four of the ballparks, and were familiar with several of the dishes mentioned at Wrigley and PNC Park. This book can certainly be used as a travelogue to visiting and tasting some of the chef-inspired dishes that have become so popular at games. Even though this book is offered in paperback form, it would make a great coffee-table book or conversation starter for summer gatherings or an excellent gift for that baseball fan in your life. Even non-fans will enjoy the food facts throughout the pages. The best part is that all royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank. That makes this book a "Home Run"!

Bennett Jacobstein

Bennett Jacobstein lives in San Jose, CA. He is a retired librarian and publisher of demographic materials. He currently works during the baseball season in the concessions stand at Municipal Stadium, home of Minor League Baseball’s Class A Advanced San Jose Giants. Every minor leaguer dreams of making it to the big leagues. Bennett had his dream fulfilled when he worked as a concessions stand substitute at three Oakland Athletics games during the 2013 season.

He enjoys both baseball and food but considers himself a much better eater than ball player. He had a two-year Little League career in which he went two seasons without getting a hit. His only RBI was when he got hit by the pitch with the bases loaded. When not batting or sitting on the bench, he would be found in right field praying that the ball didn’t get hit to him.

The three greatest days of his life were the day he married his wife Debbie, the day his daughter Aviva was born, and the day he first successfully replaced the nachos cheese bag in the dispenser at the San Jose Giants’ concessions stand.

To learn more, go to http://www.ballparkfood.org/. You can also find out more on Facebook, HERE, and Twitter, HERE. 


If you would like to purchase a copy of THE JOY OF BALLPARK FOOD, click the photo below:

Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any way for this review. If you choose to purchase the book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com reviews.

Traveling with the Kids for the Holidays

My tip for the day :

Are you planning to travel with your children this holiday?  One thing I like to do for the kids is pack stuff for them to do in the car.  I will often buy a new book or coloring book or small toy so they have something new to play with during that long drive or plane ride.  Kids backpacks are the perfect way to pack these items for the kids because everything fits in them well and the kids can be responsible for carrying their own bag.   

Happy and safe traveling ahead!