Review: Jay-Jay the Supersonic Bus

About The Book

Jay-Jay the bus is rescued from the dirty scrap yard, where he was sadly gathering dust and cobwebs. Feeling nervous yet excited, he is taken to an airport where he is magically transformed into a ‘Playbus’ full of toys, games and adventure.

A fictional tale based on a real life bus ‘Supersonic’, which flew in the imaginations of the many young children who visited it.

Book Beginning

"This one! This is the bus we want!"
It had been a while since Jay-Jay had felt wanted. He remembered how he had once been just an ordinary bus taking passengers on their many journeys. JJK 261 Route B

The Friday #56

"He had been invited to Buckingham Palace where he was going to receive a special award for all of his hard work."

Review 

Saved from a distressing situation, Jay-Jay overhears that the deal is complete. No, he won't be broken up into pieces. He's happy to know he'll no longer be lonely in the scrap yard again. He has felt in-significant for quite sometime now staying in a place where old buses go. Things are different now because he has been taken to an airport where exciting changes are magically beginning to transform Jay-Jay into a Playbus. The two things close to Jay-Jay's heart, children and the love of playing, give him renewed purpose. Come along for the journey and read about tea sets and dress up clothes. Plus, there's toys and games and a train track inside. The illustrations are warm and charming. You'll discover the newly painted bus with bright colors has a new name, Jay-Jay The Supersonic Bus and he proudly receives an award from the Queen. New imaginative adventures begin with a play group for the younger children on the famous playbus. Such a nice story. My grandchildren love it!

5/5 stars. Recommend to friends.

My grandson is 7 and is a good reader. He enjoyed the book and could easily read it to himself. He chose to read aloud to his younger brother who kept pointing to the bus!

About The Author

After giving up full time teaching in order to write, Sue Wickstead is now a supply teacher in Sussex and Surrey. Her involvement in a real mobile 'playbus' project lead to creating a photographic history book, and now the accompanying story book.

Jay-Jay the Supersonic Bus


Happy Reading!






“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis
© copyright 2015 – All rights reserved
LadyD Books

Animal Alphabet Search: Learn your ABC's and 1,2,3's

About The Book

ATTENTION ALL PARENTS!

DO NOT PASS UP ON THIS BOOK IF YOU HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN!
DO NOT IGNORE THIS BOOK if you have a child between 0 months and 5 years 
You love your child don't you? Then why not read a book that's fun AND educational? They'll learn their ABC's , 123's and animal names. 
Every child needs to spell and count. 
Every child needs encouragement, love and support to find their way in life. 
They depend on YOU to choose the best for them. 
This book gives you the opportunity to teach the Alphabet and Numbers, together with animal recognition, in a fun way. Would you say NO to educating your own child 

Friday #56

"Which three animals are hiding?"

Review

The book begins with counting the letter A's. Children are such great visual learners, and right away the author asks the question, "Can you see any letter B's?" The repetitive pattern to learning here is 'See' and 'Count.' It's educational, fun and very engaging. Kids will make a huge connection with many adorable animals, plus easy to read letters and numbers. Boys and girls will especially like the hippo, iguana, newt, meerkat and unicorns. I know my 5 grandchildren are delighted with the book and I really like the bright colorful illustrations. The dimensional textures are great! It's a good message for early readers to discover on their own and share aloud with brothers/sisters. The ending is quite exciting in finding hidden animals on the pages. I've looked at tons of counting books and this one is top notch! I highly recommend for home and school library. Parents and grandparents get this one. You won't be disappointed.

5/5 stars. Recommend to friends.

About The Author

John Priest - born in West Midlands, UK. 

Started writing in 1985 and had several articles published in National Magazines.

First children's book published by Ginn & Co, Ltd., titled 'Naughty Nigel Runs Away'.
This was followed by 'Tom's Birthday Treat', 'Answer The Phone Fiona!' and a CD called 'Tales for Tiny Tots'.

His list of online children's books are:

The Curse of Sea Shell Cave, a mystery whodunit/detective for children. This is the second book in the series of the Junior Private Investigators.

The first in this series is a detective/whodunit called 'Jay-Pea-Eyes aka Junior Private Investigators', for ages 8-10yrs and is about a group of children who solve mysteries faster than the grown-ups can!

'Peter Challenge - Time Surfer, a fantasy/magical adventure for children aged 8yrs - 10yrs. 

His latest book is a cuddle-up bedtime book for babies and great up to the age of 5 years as it teaches kids farmyard animal names, reading, listening and counting skills.

A writer who enjoys school and library visits (UK only - petrol tank not big enough to get to USA) to show how books are made. Always available for these visits, just email johnapriest@gmail.co.uk

www.johnpriest.co.uk

Animal Alphabet Search: Learn your ABC's and 1,2,3's







“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis
© copyright 2015 – All rights reserved
LadyD Books

Friday 56: Devotions from the Garden

I love to read devotionals and this one is excellent from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I especially like it because of the way the scriptural reading ties in with gardening concepts. The book meme entry is from the chapter called, Repellers. From Psalm 12:7, "You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked."

For one whole week our granddaughter came for a visit. We were so blessed to see her again. These were taken at the Safari Park. I really enjoy seeing the natural landscape since SoCal is experiencing a drought!

Book Description

Come to the garden alone, and fill your soul with His presence.

There's nothing on earth like the peace and loveliness of a magnificent garden. It's the place where Adam and Eve first fellowshipped with God, and where you, too, can escape from this chaotic world into His loving arms of beauty and serenity. Devotions from the Garden takes you to that place where senses are restored as dewdrops settle and butterflies gather to witness the miracles of God's creation bloom and grow. These ninety devotions explore the parallels of life with the elements of the garden to help you see God, to sense His presence, to soothe your soul, and to rest in knowing He is with you throughout each day. Included are striking photographs with a fresh, contemporary design for timeless appeal.

Friday #56

"All the repellers God puts into your life, however, are tangible evidence that He loves you enough to provide guidance and protection during times of difficulty, doubt, decision making, or when the enemy is on the attack." -- Miriam Drennan

Beginning Snippet

"Citronella, lemongrass, purple artist ageratum, marigolds - these are just a few of the plants that naturally repel pests like mosquitoes and nematodes and keep them from destroying the more vulnerable plants in the garden. Gardeners know to include such plants alongside their vegetables, fruits, and cutting flowers."

Ending Prayer

"Holy Father, thank You for _____. Thank You for the time, wisdom, and encouragement they've given me. Help me never to take them for granted. And help me either return the favor or help others in the same way they have helped me. In fact, reveal to me anyone who may need me to be a repeller - and then enable me to be effective."

Review

This is a great, inspiring devotional. I especially like how the author links gardening concepts with scripture. There's tons of Biblical references that go hand in hand with visual gardening tips. The beautiful illustrations make the book a most excellent gift. I am fond of meditating and reflecting upon the miracle of growth. Plus, the necessity to maintenance of plant care is quite informative and easy to apply in a practical sense; like crop rotation, companion planting, pinching and deadheading. I think we're all familiar with He is the vine, we are the branches. What I found within the pages is peace, rest and refreshment in reading about God's presence in the beauty of nature. You'll love it!

5/5 stars! A quality devotional I recommend to friends.

About The Author

Miriam Drennan is the author of Devotions for the Beach and the Days You Wish You Were There and Soar Above the Madness: Surviving Office Politics Without Losing Your Mind, Your Job, or Your Lunch. She currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she enjoys gardening and playing with words. Drop her a line at www.that-writer.com.

Devotions from the Garden: Finding Peace and Rest in Your Busy Life







“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis
© copyright 2015 – All rights reserved
LadyD Books

Salad Love by David Bez

About The Book

Discover 260 hearty, flavorful, and beautiful salads that can be prepared in a flash with little more than a knife and a cutting board.

Determined to eat more vegetables for lunch, David Bez embarked on a personal challenge to create one new salad every day using seasonal, healthy ingredients. In Salad Love, he shares his favorite recipes from his yearlong experience. 
Crunchy, savory, and incredibly satisfying, these salads go beyond your typical combination of lettuce, protein, and toppings to create vibrant, plant-based meals that offer something for every palate. In summer, try Oak-Smoked Cheddar, Peaches, and Blueberries; for fall, savor hearty Roast Chicken, Quinoa, Red Pepper, and Peanuts; in winter, fuel up with Ham, Roasted Potatoes, Carrots, and Dried Cranberries; and in spring, enjoy Egg, Asparagus, Croutons, and Pecorino. 

Complemented by 280 full-color photographs, Salad Love invites to you explore inspired salads any day of the year. 

Salad Love: Crunchy, Savory, and Filling Meals You Can Make Every Day

I must confess, I haven't tried soy cream before. I am an avid salad eater and love to hear myself go, "Crunch, crunch!" The section on Dressings & Spices is great!

The Friday #56

"Replace the cottage cheese with soy cream or pureed silken tofu."  

Cottage Cheese, Peas & Cucumber 

For the salad, assemble:

2 ounces arugula and baby watercress
Scant 1/3 cup steamed peas
Generous 1/3 cup chopped cucumber
Scant 1/4 cup cottage cheese
2 scallions, finely chopped

For the dressing, mix:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Pinch of salt and pepper

**********

Prosciutto, Melon & Croutons

For the salad, assemble:

2 ounces arugula

2 ounces prosciutto, roughly shredded

Handful of croutons

Handful of fresh chives, chopped

3 1/2 ounces cantaloupe, chopped

For the dressing, mix:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt and pepper

Vegetarian Alternative: replace the prosciutto with 2 ounces cheese, such as goat cheese or Brie.

My Review

The food photography is excellent and enticing. I love how plant based recipes are so vibrant and alive. Overall, the book is a visual feast for the reader. I found the cookbook to be well organized with colorful circles on each page referencing a vegan/vegetarian, pescatarian/omnivoire and raw recipe substitution. What I especially like is that the salads can be assembled quite quickly and the many flavorful dressings are simple to make as well. Grouping green salads with the seasons makes sense. For example, the author suggests a type of Cheddar with peaches and blueberries in the summer. For the Fall, enjoy Roasted Chicken, Quinoa, Red Pepper and Peanuts. I was inspired by the author's journey to try a different salad each day of the year. What a healthy goal to achieve. I'm diving into this beautiful, nutritious salad book to share exciting meals with my family and friends. Roasted sweet potato, black lentils and pistachios sounds great!

5/5 stars. Excellent!

  "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

About The Author

DAVID BEZ is the author of Salad Pride, a blog followed by salad fans all over the world. David is not a chef, he is an art director and a food lover with a limited lunch break; an Italian who cares about what's on his plate; a designer who knows that you eat with your eyes first. His blog chronicles his personal challenge to make one new salad a day for an entire year. He has been featured in Stylist, Emerald Street,The Huffington Post, The Times, and others.

Salad Love: Crunchy, Savory, and Filling Meals You Can Make Every Day

Happy Reading!







 “You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis
© copyright 2015 – All rights reserved
LadyD Books