Book Review: Pretty Please Press Giveaway

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I recently received four books from Pretty Please Press, who say their books are published for:

• Parents who love reading aloud and who are dedicated to raising great kids
• Educators who believe that a strong curriculum should help to build strong character
• Kids who love to laugh and look at pictures while they learn new words and concepts

Pretty Please Press stories entertain with colorful pictures and humorous text, but these books also contain a message about life and values that adults and children can talk about together.

My household meets all three criteria, and as a educator I was especially interested to see them because teaching life and character skills is becoming more and more a part of the unofficial curriculum in schools. However, it can be hard to find suitable lessons and materials to use with students. I was very pleased with the books and online resources Pretty Please Press provides. I hope they continue to expand their collection!

I liked how the books can be used to introduce new concepts and vocabulary, stimulate conversations such as, "What would you do in that situation," or, "How would that make you feel?" The books have lively text and colorful illustrations and are about subjects that kids are familiar with, like arguing with a sibling, being told they can't do something, and starting a new class. Or ones they are interested in such as creatures from outer space.

Bella Basset Ballerina

Bella Basset is a pup when her mother takes her to see the famous Royal Borzoi Ballet for the first time. At the ballet, a dream is born: Bella wants to become a dancer! But in Bella's world, only Borzois can dance, so she has many obstacles to overcome before she can realize her dream. This is a story about dedication and perseverance, which may give children (and grown-ups) the inspiration to pursue their dreams.

This was our favorite book of the collection because it combined ER's love of dogs and dancing. Of the four, I enjoyed this one the most too and thought it had the best and most detailed illustrations. You can see from the picture above that ER enjoys looking at the pictures a lot. The story was engaging and the world created where dog dance at all was endearing. Kid learn that dream can come true, but only after hard work is put into making it happen.

The Scritchy Little Twitchell Sisters

Lavinia and Emmeline Twitchell look like perfect little angels, but their behavior is anything but angelic! They squabble constantly, and their poor parents suffer in a noisy, divided household. When the girls are "discovered" by a creative vaudeville producer, their spectacular fights become entertainment, and they are launched on a glamorous career. Battles may be part of growing up with a sister, but it helps to look at them with humor. The Twitchell Sisters demonstrate that someday the fights may yield to understanding and appreciation.

Our second favorite of the four is by the same author as Bella Basset Ballerina, and I think every parent has had to talk to their child about proper ways to resolve conflicts. It begins on a funny note by taking squabbling sisters to the limit, the parents have to resort to dividing the house in half and labeling everything, ER thought that was pretty silly.

The pen and ink with watercolor illustrations are quite engaging. Picture books are often the first way children become aware of historical time periods and since this book is set in the vaudville era the pictures can be used to discuss the differences between then and now.

Kick Block Punch

Sam arrives at his first karate class all ready to receive his black belt. To his surprise, he has a lot to learn about karate, and there are many other belts to earn before he attains the rank of black belt. With the help of his patient instructor, he learns how to work hard toward his goal and to master this new skill. This story shows that patience and practice are important when we are approaching a new challenge.

This book was both relatable for young kids and well written, the author captured a young child's impatience to master a new skill and get immediate results perfectly. Of the four books this one ER was the least interested in. The photographs colored by hand and computer were unique looking but I just wasn't drawn to them immediately upon opening the book. The over all message it a good one, Sam sets a goal and practices hard to earn his yelllow belt and easily relatable to many school age kids.

Pynx

In a distant galaxy, on a very colorful planet, a brilliant purple Pynx settles into her new home in the jungle. But her noisy arrival upsets the other fanciful creatures who are already living there quite happily. When the Pynx expands her family with dozens of new babies, her neighbors are very upset. The very vocal Pynx has had this problem before, but this time, with a little luck, she finds a real home. This is a story about being tolerant, learning to appreciate differences, and about finding ways to communicate.

What I really enjoyed about this title is it's fantasy setting. That's one genre often missing in children's books. Plus it teaches tolerance which is a socially relevant topic for any age. ER was a little scared by the illustrations at first, the White Fuzzbun has an angry look in one picture and the creatures are quite unusual. She still sometimes hids behind her hands when this book is being read, so I'd recommend this one for more elementary aged children.

Over all, I found Pretty Please Press to have nice collection of character building books that many parents would enjoy having in the home as teaching tools. I think they're most appropriate for ages 5/6 and up if you want to get full use of out of the books and educational materials because the character skill concepts are too abstract for ER at 3.

Even if your children are preschoolers, it can still be a good time to add their books to your library to begin reading for enjoyment. ER is able to sit through lengthy storybooks, so the amount of text wasn't a problem for her. The books certainly do introduce sophisticated vocabulary and I've begun to talk to ER about the different skills taught in each book. It's just that at this point it's rather one sided, I talk and provide possible answers.

Add Pretty Please Press to your home library!
Save 20% off the list price for books purchased through prettypleasepress.com and get a “buy 3 books, get 1 free” offer, both valid through December 31st.

Giveaway:
Win a set of books from Pretty Please Press, with all four hardcover titles reviewed in this post.

Enter:
Visit Pretty Please Press and tell me which book you are looking forward reading with the special child or children in your life and why.

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Giveaway open to US residents now through November 24th Midnight EST. Good Luck!

Disclaimer: Thank you to Pretty Please Press for providing the review and giveaway books. This review relates my own personal and unbiased opinions and experience, with the books. Yours may differ.