Sadie’s Sore Throat

Author: Charlotte Cowan, M.D.
Illustrator: Katy Bratun
Publisher: Hippocratic Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 0-9753516-4-8
Pages: 32
Price: $17.95

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Sadie the giraffe doesn’t feel well. Her throat is sore and her tummy hurts. And when her mom takes her temperature, she has a fever of 102F. It’s time for Sadie to visit Dr. Hippo to see what’s the matter. Dr. Hippo takes a throat culture, diagnoses the problem, and Sadie is soon all better. She even gets to go to the fair.

Sadie’s Sore Throat is part of the Dr. Hippo series, designed to explain illnesses to children so they understand what’s happening to their bodies. This book shows us the stages of Sadie’s illness, her visit with the doctor, and how she gets well once she takes her medicine.

In addition to the story, a guide for parents is included, which explains what to look for when a child has a sore throat, and how to handle it. I highly recommend this cute and informative story for all families with young children.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Truth Heals

Author: Deborah King
Publisher: Hay House
Genre: Self-help / Psychology
ISBN: 978-1-4019-2301-3
Pages: 216
Price: $22.95

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Most people don’t want to look very closely at their painful pasts. But they probably don’t realize those memories are still hurting them physically. In Truth Heals, author Deborah King explores how these experiences affect our energy centers and shows us how we can reverse their effects.

Focusing on each chakra (energy center), King shares some of her own childhood traumas and those of her clients. She explains how these might affect a person’s health and emotional state today. Then she provides some thoughts on letting go in order to heal.

The reader doesn’t need to be familiar with chakras in order to benefit from this book. King explains what they are, along with the kinds of illnesses that manifest in each. She encourages those being treated for a specific illness to continue to work with their medical practitioners, while also integrating some emotional work to help the body let go of disease.

Practical, helpful and uplifting, Truth Heals is a reminder that we are all that we put into our bodies – including our thoughts. Since we can change our thinking, we can also help reverse disease in our bodies. Anyone who wants to improve their health will find this book helpful in making positive changes.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Gassy the Cow

Author: Garth Dahl
Illustrator: Reka Hegedus
Publisher: Modern World Publishing
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-978-2839-2-6
Pages: 32
Price: $11.00

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Gassy only thinks about one thing – food. He has a secret patch of herbs and vegetation that he won’t share with anyone. But eating these fine delicacies tends to leave him bloated and gassy with an obvious tooting problem.

One day Mona shows up on the farm, and Gassy falls in love. His rival, Bruno, catches her fancy, since Gassy can’t stop his smelly toots. Now Gassy needs to come up with a plan to win Mona’s heart.

There were a couple of things that didn’t work for me in this book. I found the illustrations to be odd, since these bovines stand on two feet, and Mona has both an udder and breasts. The author calls them all cows, even though that term usually refers only to the females, and he calls Bruno a heifer, which is a young female. Gassy also thinks he is lactose intolerant, but he has trouble digesting vegetation, not milk.

Gassy the Cow is full of farting humor which is popular with kids, and they will probably giggle over Gassy’s problem. Silly and cute, this romance ends on a happy note.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Santopia – Book One: Santa and the Lost Princess

Author: Sir Nicholas Throckmorton
Publisher: Gramercy Park Press
Genre: Children / Christmas
ISBN: 0981715400
Pages: 116
Price: $12.95

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Far north, in the magical realm of Santopia, the current Santa has a new son. The Wizard issues a prophesy for this new heir to the kingdom, which says baby Nicky will marry the first girl born after him.

But over in the kingdom of Drear, the Countess is nearly about to give birth. After hearing the prophesy, she induces labor and is pleased when her daughter, Dazzle is born. That is, until she learns another couple has also given birth to a daughter, who may have been born before Dazzle.

Upsetting the Countess of Drear is never a good idea, so this poor couple needs to do something quickly before they and their new daughter lose their lives. Escape is dangerous and nearly impossible, and intrigue and treachery abound.

This story is set at Christmas, and is full of colorful holiday imagery. Many of the Santa traditions are included, making the story feel real. But one thing I found a little confusing was the different races at Santopia that all ended in “elves” – Gelves, Trelves, etc.

I enjoyed this story, and found myself cheering for the young couple to save themselves and their daughter. But I have to admit I was a little disappointed in the ending, which left the story at an obvious cliff-hanger. If you love Santa and Christmas, I think you’ll enjoy this fast-paced and fun tale.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Weebeasts Plight

Author: Micah Linton
Publisher: Beast Stew
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9821734-0-4
Pages: 32
Price: $14.95

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Once upon a time, the weebeasts had a home. As a result of some unfortunate choices, they find themselves in search of a new place to live. And during their journey, they make some fascinating discoveries.

In Weebeastology, Vol. 1, author and illustrator Micah Linton introduced us to these fictional beings. By providing the pictures without the words, he invited children to discover the story of the weebeasts for themselves. Weebeasts Plight was created for a younger audience and provides the story line along with pencil and watercolor illustrations.

The weebeasts learn a lesson in how to play nice with others. They also discover that it’s exciting to go out and explore new places. Kids will have fun joining these unique creatures on a wonderful journey to their new home.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The SmartestWay to Save

Author: Samuel K. Freshman & Heidi E. Clingen
Publisher: Straightline Publishers
Genre: Personal Finance
ISBN: 978-1-4196-5683-5
Pages: 220
Price: $16.99

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In this uncertain economy, we’re all looking for ways to cut expenses and put money in the bank. Authors Samuel K. Freshman and Heidi E. Clingen have created a system called The SmartestWay to Save to help make it easier.

This book is all about saving, not investments. You won’t find any advice on where to put your money once you’ve accumulated it. Instead, you’re encouraged to do your own research and choose wisely. But if you want to learn how to build your savings, The SmartestWay to Save offers some ideas.

Many of the concepts discussed are pure common sense – don’t spend to keep up with others, don’t worry about what other people think, think before you spend, pay yourself first, comparison shop, and avoid debt.

But at times I wondered about their suggestions. They strongly tell us to avoid debit cards and ATMs, but if you keep careful tabs on your checking account balance, you can very safely use them to avoid credit cards. Shop discount stores like Sears and JCPenney? The last time I stepped inside either of these stores, I hardly thought their prices resembled “discount” prices. And Avon is “inexpensive” makeup? I don’t think so.

Many internet sites are sprinkled throughout the book, but these are simply store links easily found through a search engine. Instead I’d have liked to see information on finding “discount codes” at websites we shop on a regular basis – they’re out there if you know where to look for them. Tips on using the internet to find the best prices around would also have been helpful.

I’m a very frugal accountant, so my opinion may be slanted a bit, but to me, this is a very basic book designed to sway a spender to think about and start saving money. If you’ve been frugal for a while, I’m pretty sure you’ve been doing many of the suggestions already, and you’ll find this book too basic for your needs.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Love, Elmo

Author: Meg McLaughlin
Illustrator: Tom Brannon
Publisher: Dalmatian Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 1-40375-323-7
Pages: 24
Price: $3.50

Author’s website

Abby Cadabby has never received a letter, so Elmo decides he will make one for her with the help of his Sesame Street friends. As he visits with each of them, they all add their special thoughts to the letter. Elmo then puts the finishing touch on it with his signature.

This adorable little book is full of wonderful learning opportunities. New vocabulary words are sprinkled throughout to help children learn to express themselves more fully. Alphabet references are used with new and interesting combinations, like C is for cantaloupe. All of the drawings explained in the story show up in the final letter given to Abby, so children can match the words to the pictures.

Children will enjoy this sweet story of Elmo being kind to Abby, but they’ll also learn so much from the clever educational tools. I highly recommend Love, Elmo.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The Great Scarab Scam

Author: Valerie Storey
Publisher: Dava Books
Genre: Tween / Mystery
ISBN: 978-0-9643289-1-4
Pages: 212
Price: $12.95

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Lydia Hartley wants to be an Egyptologist like her dad, Phid. When a mysterious scarab scam surfaces, Phid is called to investigate. Under cover of a vacation, she and her family travel to Egypt to find the culprits.

But Lydia knows her father can’t help but try to find the Trove of Isis – a cache of treasure he had seen only once before it vanished. And now something fishy is going on at the Malik household where her family is staying, and Lydia needs to get to the bottom of it. Suddenly her trip of a lifetime has turned ugly.

Egypt and mystery blend together perfectly, but there are elements of this story that don’t fit quite as well. I had a hard time suspending my disbelief on a few plot points. The characters were likeable, the setting interesting, and there was great action. But if these elements were fixed, the story as a whole would flow better, in my opinion.

Kids who love Egypt and action-packed mystery will probably enjoy The Great Scarab Scam.

Reviewer: Alice Berger