“Paddington at Work” by Michael Bond

Paddington at Work 
(Paddington Bear Book 7)

by Michael Bond

Synopsis: 

There hasn’t been a single disaster since Paddington came back from Peru. But he soon makes up for lost time. The Stock Exchange, the ballet, the barber’s shop, Mr Curry’s kitchen… nothing is safe when Paddington gets to work.

For nearly sixty years, Paddington Bear has touched the hearts of adults and children worldwide with his earnest good intentions and humorous misadventures.

(from Amazon)

My Review:

⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

4 stars. This wasn’t quite as funny as “Paddington Marches On,” but it was funny enough. xD The second chapter was really hilarious, and so was the fifth!! Minus a few euphemisms, this is a great book. I can’t wait to read more Paddington books! :D

A Favourite Humorous Quote: “Mr. Curry picked up a stake from a nearby pile and then pushed it firmly into the ground with both hands. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘when I nod my head, you hit it.’
“For a moment Paddington looked at Mr. Curry as if he could hardly believe his ears and then, as the Browns’ neighbour closed his eyes and began nodding his head vigorously to show that he was ready, he took a firm grasp of the mallet with both paws.“A moment later a yell of pain rang out round Windsor Gardens[.] Paddington jumped back in alarm and the mallet fell unheeded from his paws as to his surprise, instead of looking pleased, Mr. Curry let go of the stake, gave another tremendous yell, and then began dancing up and down clutching his head with both hands.”

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“ Toothpaste Trouble” by Rebekah A. Morris

 Toothpaste Trouble

by Rebekah A. Morris

Synopsis: 

Do legos and toothpaste mix? 
Jerry and Jamie find out in this humorous short story. 
But before you read it, promise me that you won't try this at home.
(from Amazon)

My Review:

⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎

3 stars & 3/10 hearts. This is a cute little story, pretty realistic. ;)

 I thought the toothpaste idea was actually pretty clever!

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“When We Were Very Young” by A.A. Milne

When We Were Very Young

(Winnie-the-Pooh Series, Book 3)

by A.A. Milne

Synopsis: 

Celebrate the 90th birthday of one of the world's most beloved icons of children's literature, Winnie-the-Pooh!
A classic celebration of childhood, A. A. Milne’s When We Were Very Young is a collection of poems that have touched the hearts of readers for more than 90 years. His verses sing with a playful innocence, weaving together the worlds of reality and enchanting make-believe. Published two years before Winnie-the-Pooh, careful readers will also discover the very first appearance of the Best Bear in All the World. These treasured poems are perfectly matched by Ernest Shepard's whimsical illustrations, which have delighted countless readers. 
These poems have been read and re-read to generations of children, and today, they can still find a cherished place on every bookshelf.

My Review:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a delightful book. Beautiful poems, sweet poems, childlike poems... a glimpse at the life of Christopher Robin as a child. I don’t love these quite as much as the two Pooh books, but they’re delightful.

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“Jonas & Olivia” by Victoria Minks

Jonas & Olivia

by Victoria Minks

Synopsis: 

Fourteen year old Olivia Wilkerson is left desolate and grieving when her patriot father passes away. Willed by him to be placed in the care of an old friend, Olivia is forced to venture away from all she’s ever known to make her new life among people who are strangers to her. 
Unaware of the new responsibility about to be thrust on him, Jonas Carmichael lives the life of a reclusive in an attempt to ignore the painful memories of the past. His heart has grown hard and bitter over the past thirty years of solitude, and his hatred towards people has only multiplied. 
Suddenly burdened with Olivia, Jonas’s only burning desire is to shove the girl off on somebody else. But Olivia, still suffering from her loss, is only looking for someone to love her as her father did-- and soon realizes that there is more to Jonas than meets the eye.
With the Revolutionary War pressing closer around Jonas’s secluded bubble of safety and threatening to burst it at any moment, Jonas discovers that there are choices to be made--choices that will not only affect himself but those around him as well.
(from Amazon)

My Review:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

5+ stars & 8/10 hearts. This is one of my top ten favorite Indie Author books. I love the description and totally recommend checking out the Pinterest mood board for it because it will totally help create images in your mind. Ishmael. . . <3 I love Ishmael. So, so sweet and caring. <3 What more can I say?? I also loved the random boy Jonas talks to in the village ^_^ and also Anthony, Francis’ son. Jonas. . . I like Jonas too. He makes me laugh sarcastically. I did get quite furious with him for trying to scare Olivia though. *glares* And Nanny and the Culpeppers! Guys, totally check out the link at the end of the book. xD I don't really know how to describe this book. It is so cozy and real to me. I see the images of the drifting leaves and Ishmael's frogs. I love the plot. I just loved this book. <3 My only remark is that I personally do not agree with Olivia's view on the Revolutionary War. The era feeling is all right. Not super amazing but not lacking. The language is pretty much fitting to the era.
This is one of my favorite books. ^_^ I love it so much I can't express myself. And again, I definitely recommend checking out the Pinterest mood board. It really helps you see the images the book presents. <3 Oh, and you should watch the trailer too! ;)

A Favourite Quote: “‘I know why Father would never let fear or hurt get the better of me. Many times when I wanted to cry and huddle up somewhere and not ever come out again, he would pull me away and tell me I was stronger than that. Beyond fear and hurt, because I had Jesus in my heart.[’”]
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “She turned to the next page, the paper thin and soft beneath her fingers. Frogs, in motion, covered the pages in shades of greens. [...] Olivia turned again to the next page. The gentle face of a cow filled the whole paper, its eyes large and luminous. Each page had new treasures. One was sketched over with the wispy softness of feathers. Another held the lacy patterns of leaves. Still others displayed the glossy wings of birds, the velvet nose of a horse, the twisted forms of trees, and the shimmer of frogs and snakes.”
A Favourite Humourous Quote: “He was about to walk out of his room when he caught sight of himself in his mirror.
“He scowled. ‘Ugly beast of a man,’ he grunted, rubbing his prominent square jaw. His small light brown eyes narrowed as he viewed himself. He kicked at the mirror.“A split second later, he regretted it, hopping on one foot and snarling for the mirror to get out of his way before he ‘really got angry and broke it.’”

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“The First Four Years” by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The First Four Years

(Little House Series, #9)

by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Synopsis: 
Immerse yourself in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved Little House series, now featuring Garth Williams’ classic art in vibrant full-color!
Laura Ingalls Wilder is beginning life with her new husband, Almanzo, in their own little house. Laura is a young pioneer wife now, and must work hard with Almanzo, farming the land around their home on the South Dakota prairie. Soon their baby daughter, Rose, is born, and the young family must face the hardships and triumphs encountered by so many American pioneers. 
And so Laura Ingalls Wilder's adventure as a little pioneer girl ends, and her new life as a pioneer wife and mother begins. 

My Review:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This is a short book, but very interesting and enjoyable. I appreciated Almanzo and Laura’s hard work and dedication—especially Laura, so young and with so many difficulties. I wish the book were longer, but I enjoyed the glimpse it gave at their married life.

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“The Cannibal Islands” by R.M. Ballantyne

The Cannibal Islands:
Captain Cook's Adventures in the South Seas

by R.M. Ballantyne

Synopsis: 

Travel back to the late eighteenth century and join Captain James Cook on his scientific expeditions to such exotic places as Tierra del Fuego, the islands of Tahiti and New Zealand, and the scene of the closing of his great career as navigator and discoverer. Learn from Cook's own observations and Ballantyne's detailed, yet tasteful and true explanations of the habitations, customs, and encounters with unusual peoples, many of whom were so addicted to the eating of human flesh that their homelands were once called the Cannibal Islands
(from Goodreads)

My Review:

⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

4 stars & 4/10 hearts. I expected this to be a biography of James Cook, but it really was mostly a documentary on the South Sea Islands. It was highly interesting & informative. Although Ballantyne does say twice that people of a certain island + of a certain place are the stupidest of people, it is very obvious that he is not racist (he makes that plain in every one of his books) and he means it as a matter-of-fact statement. There is no nastiness in the atmosphere when he says it, which I appreciate. I love how he keeps coming back on the Gospel as the only way to change the islanders. There is some gruesomeness, since they are cannibals, but it wasn’t too bad. Really, I enjoyed this little book a lot.

A Favourite Quote: “It is the glory of England that many of her greatest men have risen from the ranks of those sons of toil who earn their daily bread in the sweat of their brow.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “It fills one with wonder to think of the strange and absurd things that men, in all ages and in all parts of the world, have done to themselves in order to improve their personal appearance. The flat-head Indian of North America squeezes his forehead out of shape; the Eastern beauty blackens her teeth and nails; the [Chinese man] shaves the hair off his head, leaving a tuft on the top; the Englishman shaves the hair off his face, leaving a tuft on each cheek,—and all of these deluded mortals run thus deliberately in the face of nature, under the impression that by so doing they are improving their personal appearance!”

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“Happy Jack” by Thornton W. Burgess

Happy Jack

(Green Meadow Series Book 1)

by Thornton W. Burgess

Synopsis: 

Happy Jack Squirrel fills his days with fun and foolishness — even while jealously guarding his winter supply of hickory nuts from his mischief-making cousin, Chatterer the Red Squirrel, and playful Striped Chipmunk.
But the bouncing, bushy-tailed creature's days of comfort and security are threatened when he wakes one morning to find his worst dream come true: Shadow the Weasel is close by, and Happy Jack finds himself running for his life, trying every trick he knows to get away from his enemy.
With gentle charm and good-natured humor, master storyteller Thornton Burgess once again draws youngsters into the timeless world of the Green Forest and the Green Meadows where young readers learn about nature and are encouraged to love the "lesser folk in fur and feathers." 
(from Goodreads)

My Review:

⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

4 stars & 4/10 hearts. I really do like this book. There are a few mentions of Mother Nature, but otherwise it’s full of good lessons. It’s a bit longer than the usual Burgess books, and it’s one of the best.

A Favourite Quote: “The very sound of Tommy's voice made Happy Jack feel better. One must feel very badly indeed not to be a little more cheerful when Tommy Tit is about. The fact is, Tommy Tit packs about so much good cheer in that small person of his, that no one can be downhearted when he is about.”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “... he watched the Green Forest wake as the first Sunbeams stole through it.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “Shadow had made up his mind to dine on Squirrel, and he didn't propose to see his dinner run away without trying to catch it.”

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