This year, from all the books that I have received to read with my daughter she has picked out The Snowman’s Revenge as her favorite and wants me to tell everyone that they should get it for their child this Christmas and wrap it up all pretty with a bow. I will have to agree with her, it is a fun little story!

Buy The Snowman’s Revenge today!

Author: Jill Zabkar Martin
Item Reviewed: Froggy Boots Go With Everything book

A boy’s love for his most cherished rainboots is the endearing theme of JZM Media’s inaugural children’s book.  Beautiful illustrations and simple phrases capture the essence of a young child’s imaginative play.

Inspired by the beloved pink poncho of her youth — cozy sweater, long luxurious hair and beautiful ballet skirt — Jill Zabkar Martin turns a boy’s favorite fashion accessory into the prop that fuels his imagination.

Froggy Boots Go With Everything conjures nostalgic memories for kids of all ages.

My Thoughts

My youngest daughter loved this book and as she pointed out to me, “Her favorite boots do go with everything”. That sticks out in her mind because I am forever telling her that her boots do not go with the pants and shirt she is wearing, and this book proves me wrong, but in a good way. She carries Froggy Boots Go With Everything in her backpack that goes everywhere with her, and has quickly become her favorite book. And she said that she can’t wait to share it with her cousins the next time she sees them. That is a sign that she loves the book.

Author: Mark Smythe
Item Reviewed: Snowman’s Revenge

The snow’s piled up high and school’s cancelled, so let’s play outside and, of course, build a snowman!

Now, what if you were left out in the cold snow all by yourself, like that poor snowman?

Would you be mad? Of course you would!

Well, this snowman is out for revenge, especially after he sees those kids in the nice warm house, eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate!

So, let’s see what happens in this delightful story, nicely flowing with rhymed verse, very beautifully illustrated and quite humorous indeed.

So lovable, it’s sure to be an instant favorite and a timeless classic with “kids” of all ages.

My Thoughts

The Snowman’s Revenge is a cute book based on the fact that a snowman doesn’t want to be left out in the cold and the revenge he plots on the children who leave him outside. Both my daughter’s liked this book, with my youngest asking me to read it over and over again. My oldest enjoyed it as well and laughed at the ways the snowman went about taking out his revenge. Ended kind of sadly too. Fun book for the holiday season.

Author: Anna Dewdney
Item Reviewed: Llama Llama Home With Mama book
Item Given Away: Llama Llama Home With Mama book and Stuffed Llama
Start Date: October 14
End Date: October 28

Ahhh…CHOO! Llama Llama wakes up feeling under the weather. His head is feeling hot and his throat is sore. No
school for little Llama today. What is there to do all day? Being sick is such a bore. But when Mama begins to feel
sick, Llama knows just what to do. He gets her tissues, fluffs her pillow, and finds a book to read together. Spending time with each other may be just the thing to help Llama and Mama feel better!

Play games, watch videos and learn more here.

My Thoughts

My daughter loves this book and asks me to read it on a daily basis. She says she likes saying the word “Llama” says it sounds funny. She also enjoys reading this story to me. She says it is her favoritist new book I saw that they had Llama Llama Holiday Drama that I would like to get her for this holiday season.

I am excited I can share this fun new book with my readers. One lucky Dirty t Shirt can win a Llama Llama Home With Mama book and a Stuffed Llama. Please see rules below to enter today!

Rules

• MAIN RULE – Tell me in comments what your child’s favorite book is. (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
• 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed or by email (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button in header) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste – @Jentifa is giving away a Llama Llama Home With Mama Prize Pack! Check it out here http://bit.ly/pLEtk7. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.
• 1 Extra Entry – Friend me on Google Friend Connect on sidebar and leave a separate comment that you did.
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog.

This giveaway will run through midnight on October 28, with winner being announced the morning of October 29. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Author: Kelly Hancock
Item Reviewed: Saving Savvy Book

I am constantly trying to save money, especially with groceries. But following up on coupon cutting and sale papers and everything else in between is just too much to keep track of with me and my hectic life.

That’s why Kelly Hancock, founder of the wildly popular blog FaithfulProvisions.com, started employing easy money-saving strategies of her own.  After slashing her family’s grocery and eat-out budget by 80%, she started blogging her secrets.  Soon, legions were following her simple steps and daily deals, and her wisdom is now collected in Saving Savvy: Smart and Easy Ways to Cut Your Spending In Half and Raise Your Standard of Living…and Giving! A book that I have read cover to cover in less than a day to see just how I could implement the lessons taught in my daily life to save me money.

In the book, Kelly outlines a plan to reduce spending budgets, while raising the reader’s standard of living.  The goal isn’t to take extreme measures, but rather, to shop smarter while saving money and time. A theme that works well with my family.

Inside Saving Savvy, readers learn how to:

• Learn their saving style, via a special spending-style quiz
• Eat/cook organic foods on a budget
• Create a money-saving freezer template
• Cook ingredient-based meals based on sale + seasonal items
• Teach children about money and budgeting

Download a sample chapter here.

If you are anything like me and could use a little help in the saving department I recommend you read Saving Savvy by Kelly Hancock today! You will be happy that you did! It has done wonders for me!

Company: Scholastic
Item Reviewed: none at this time
Item Given Away: Copy of Bailey by Harry Bliss – 3 Winners
Start Date: September 12
End Date: September 26

Meet Bailey, a dog who surprises and charms his fellow human classmates with his irrepressible antics. In this funny new book from the bestselling children’s illustrator Harry Bliss, school proves to be an unexpected place for Bailey to do all sorts of things he loves: reading, fetching, painting, digging, singing — and making friends!

I have been given the chance to share Bailey with The Dirty t Shirt readers, 3 readers will win a copy of Bailey by Harry Bliss. Please see rules below to enter to win.

Prizing & sample courtesy of Scholastic valued at $16.99 each

Rules

• MAIN RULE – Tell me in comments who your child’s favorite book character is. (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
• 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed or by email (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button in header) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste – @Jentifa is giving away 3 copies of the children’s book Bailey by Harry Bliss! Check it out here http://bit.ly/oepOEh. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.
• 1 Extra Entry – Friend me on Google Friend Connect on sidebar and leave a separate comment that you did.
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog.

This giveaway will run through midnight on September 26, with winner being announced the morning of September 27. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Author: Judy Palaferro
Item Reviewed:Horace’s Big Hat Book

What did you want to be when you grew up? Horace’s imagination takes off, bringing the young reader along on an adventure around the theme of his big hat. Each big hat Horace dons tells a colorful tale of lifestyles and livelihoods. From berets to helmets to turbans, Horace’s hats journey through vivid images and wonderful details, whisking the audience into his boldly-colored adventures. Each individual story is created with patterned text and has been educator approved, perfect for the emerging reader.

My Thoughts

Any book that gets my daughter to start using her imagination is a good book to me. My daughter has asked me to read this to her continuously and she loves coming up with new things she can be wearing a hat. The story is good and the graphics are fun and even have an added bonus of being a kind of “What Do You See” story whee my daughter points out all the other fun things in the pictures. She loves doing that and making up new stories to go along with the pictures. I loved being able to share Horace’s Big Hat with my daughter.

Company: Scholastic
Item Reviewed: NONE at this time
Item Given Away: Super Diaper Baby 2 Prize Pack
Start Date: June 27
End Date: July 11

George and Harold (the co-stars of the enormously popular Captain Underpants series) are in big trouble again! Their mean principal, Mr. Krupp, has had it with their comic books. But the boys aren’t giving up, and they decide to create an all-new epic novel about a subject they’ve never tackled before!

Dr. Dilbert Dinkle started his career as an ordinary, everyday evil genius/inventor/bank robber. But when he awakens one day transformed into a walking, talking puddle of pee, he vows to destroy every toilet in town. Will the devious Dr. Dinkle and his conniving cat, Petey, ruin restrooms for the rest of us? Or could this be a job for the death-defying, dynamic duo of Super Diaper Baby and Diaper Dog?

Read about the The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby here.

I have a fun prize pack for the launch of this new title. Two Dirty t Shirt readers can win a Super Diaper Baby 2: Invasion of the Potty Snatchers Prize Pack which includes:

Two (2) winners will receive:

• Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers
• PLUS the first book! The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby
• Super Diaper Baby Ruler

Prizing courtesy of Scholastic

Rules

• MAIN RULE – Tell me in comments who your child’s favorite book character is. (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
• 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed or by email (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button in header) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste – @Jentifa is giving away a Super Diaper Baby 2 Prize Pack! Check it out here http://bit.ly/jsoTYS. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.
• 1 Extra Entry – Friend me on Google Friend Connect on sidebar and leave a separate comment that you did.
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog.

This giveaway will run through midnight on July 11, with winner being announced the morning of July 12. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Author: Francine Pascal
Item Reviewed: Sweet Valley Confidential

Now with this striking new adult novel from author and creator Francine Pascal, millions of devoted fans can finally return to the idyllic Sweet Valley, home of the phenomenally successful book series and franchise. Iconic and beloved identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are back and all grown up, dealing with the complicated adult world of love, careers, betrayal, and sisterhood.  WANT MORE SWEET VALLEY RIGHT NOW??  Become a fan of Sweet Valley Confidential on Facebook or Twitter.

Francine Pascal is the creator of the Sweet Valley High series and one of the world’s most popular fiction writers for teenagers and the author of several best-selling novels. As a theater lover and Tony voter, Ms. Pascal is on the Advisory Board of The American Theatre Wing. Her favorite sport is a monthly poker game.

Read an excerpt of this exciting new book here.

My Thoughts

Childhood flashback to the days I would curl up on my bed and read for hours. I couldn’t wait for the next Sweet Valley book to come out, it is the one thing that I put aside allowance for, that and a 5¢ piece of gum. I owned every single book there was and had dreams of one day giving them to my daughter. Sadly, I lost the lot in a flood and after I cried for days swore I would find every one again. Time got the better of me and I grew up and started my life and that dream got pushed to the side.

So imagine how jump out of my skin ecstatic I was to learn that Sweet Valley Confidential was coming out. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it to see how everything and everyone turned out. And when that day came, I sat down and opened the book and did not get up until I finished, in one day! Below you will find my thoughts, not too much detail but may contain spoilers so if you do not want to know then stop reading here. But know it was a great story that wrapped a lot of things up and created fodder for a whole new series

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Okay, so I was shocked about what Jessica did and I felt that the way Elizabeth dealt with it was probably what I would do. I found myself wanting Elizabeth to get involved with one if not both of the men she ran across in New York, loved how she planned her revenge (not because I am like that but because she was always the “good” one and would have never behaved that way…all it took was her to be brutally hurt). Loved the description of what the twins’ family dynamic became when they all eventually were in the same room with each other (happy to see as dysfunctional of a family as mine is ) and how everything was wrapped up with one perfect little bow. Left a whole new world to explore with all the goodies that Ms. Pascal gave us and I am only too excited to see what it can bring. I give it two thumbs up and highly recommend adding Sweet Valley Confidential to your library. It has sparked my want to get the entire series and start all over again!

Authors: Linda White & Katherine White
Item Reviewed: Pocket Guide to Camping

Camping has been enjoyed for generations, and is a fond memory of my childhood, from camping with my family to camping with my Brownie and Girl Scout troops.  And now, there is a book that will help kids have the best camping experience of their life, The Pocket Guide to Camping by Linda White and Katherine White. This mother-and-daughter team up to teach the basics of how to set up a tent, hike a trail and cook over the campfire. The Pocket Guide to Camping includes everything from camping skills and first aid to stories, games, activities, fun campfire songs and yummy campfire recipes for kids to make.

Linda White is the award-winning author of 10 books for children and adults.  She grew up camping in Wyoming, raised four campers, and still enjoys camping in Wyoming and other western states, often with children and grandchildren.  She lives with her husband in Allenspark, CO.

Katherine White received her International MBA from the University of South Carolina and is an international development consultant.  She is the also author of Cooking in a Can: More Campfire Recipes for Kids.  She lives, works, and knits socks in Colorado.

My Thoughts

Camping is so much fun! And it is something that I can’t wait to do with my girls when we move to Montana and The Pocket Guide to Camping will come in hand for my tween when she wants to learn the ropes, so to speak. She can learn about everything from pitching a tent to building a fire and how to have fun while on a camping trip. She has read about how to skip rocks and how to star gaze, something that she is really looking forward to seeing in the big sky of Montana, we can’t really see the stars living in a big city, so she is really excited about that. The Pocket Guide to Camping is a great book for children to learn about everything relating to camping and how to enjoy it and I highly recommend it to everyone who wants to teach their kids before heading on out!