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More about Ellen

Hi there, I’m Ellen! Here you’ll find me reviewing books little ones love. I’ll do the searching, sifting, and summarizing for you. Simply follow Bellewood Cottage and when you see titles that sound perfect for you and your kids, just request them from your library or order online. Read More…

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🔹Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Strea

🔹Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton, illustrated by Don Tate🔹
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🔹Lonnie Johnson is persistent, hard-working, and creative. He doesn’t take no for an answer, even when circumstances seem against him. From his first place-winning robot at a 1968 University of Alabama science fair (only a few years after African Americans were even allowed in) to his groundbreaking work at NASA (even in the face of doubting colleagues), it’s through his persistence that Lonnie meets with success.
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🔹Where does the Super Soaker come in? Well, interestingly enough, the invention of the Super Soaker water gun was somewhat by accident! In a quest to improve the cooling systems of refrigerators and air conditioners, Johnson realized he had engineered a way to create the most phenomenal water gun. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🔹But even with this amazing new creation in hand, toy company after toy company denied him the chance to mass-produce it. However, yet again his persistence won out. You’ll love hearing how the famous water gun came to be in this non-fiction picture book filled with compelling illustrations and the stories of Lonnie’s inspiring inventions!

❄️Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

❄️Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton❄️
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Katy, a crawler tractor, is the pride of the city of Geoppolis. There seems to be nothing she can’t do, from pulling a steamroller out of a pond to plowing incalculable amounts of snow. When a giant snowfall descends on Geoppolis, Katy gets a chance to use her power and skill. Read and discover how she repeatedly saves the day in Geoppolis with her determination and persistence.
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❄️WHAT I LOVE❄️
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How fun is it to see a crawler tractor portrayed as a female character? I love that Virginia Lee Burton came up with this concept and it’s an excellent choice to add to your home collection whether you are raising boys, girls, or both!
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The illustrations – Sometimes it’s easy to dismiss older books because they don’t seem as flashy as newer reads, but there is so much enjoyment to be found in Burton's illustrative style. Whether you select this book, or one of her other stories, something from Virginia Lee Burton definitely belongs on your bookshelves.
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❄️ALSO READ❄️
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Don’t miss Maybelle the Cable Car (1952) and Burton’s 1943 Caldecott winning classic, The Little House.

❄️Red Sled by Lita Judge❄️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

❄️Red Sled by Lita Judge❄️
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WORDLESS BOOKS
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❄️How do you feel about wordless books? Sometimes I like to read Amazon reviews to get a sense of how books are working for other families. Wordless books always seem to have at least a few people who were VERY DISAPPOINTED THERE WERE NO WORDS. 🤷 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
❄️But I encourage you to embrace the lack of words and the interaction with your kiddos that will ensue. Asking questions, initiating conversation, letting your child narrate, etc. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
❄️Red Sled is a wordless picture book that includes onomatopoeia words that give you something to cling to if you really can’t handle the no words thing. In this story, when a young child leaves a red sled outdoors for the night, a curious bear approaches. Next thing we know, he is taking it for a joy ride. Other animals pile on until the sled hits maximum capacity. The sled is returned, but the next day the young owner might have a few suspicions…
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❄️Your little one will undoubtedly find this story humorous and entertaining!

💐 The Sleeping Beauty, illustrated by Valeria D

💐 The Sleeping Beauty, illustrated by Valeria Docampo 💐
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💐This rendition of The Sleeping Beauty, based on the New York City Ballet production, is a stunning picture book filled with beautiful backdrops and ballerinas. I know I would have loved this book when I was little! The story itself is a narration of the ballet production (readers familiar with the Disney version will notice differences). The book focuses on the fate of Aurora, who has fallen into a deep sleep per the evil fairy’s curse. A prince, named Désiré, journeys to find the princess and as you might have guessed, awakens her with true love’s kiss. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
💐 The illustrations are the major selling point of the book—they are gorgeous! However, there are a few (one page in particular) of the evil fairy that are just a little too intense for my preferences. You can check these out in my stories to gauge if they are something you will want to be aware of for your kids. Other than that, I really enjoyed this beautiful book! Publisher’s suggested age range: 4-8.

🥧 Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustai

🥧 Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Dee Romito, illustrated by Laura Freeman 🥧
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🥧 It’s 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, and Georgia Gilmore is a black woman who makes incredible-stop-you-in-your-tracks-delicious food. When the Alabama bus boycott begins after Rosa Parks’ arrest, Georgia Gilmore leads a group of women to help. She uses her culinary talents to cook and bake and bake some more, fundraising for the boycott. The women call themselves “The Club from Nowhere”. The name was spurred from Georgia’s answer whenever questioned about where all this money was coming from. “Nowhere”, she would answer. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🥧 When Georgia is fired from her job due to her connection to the boycott, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. himself encourages her to set up her own business, which she does to great success. The book explains, “She was providing good food for her community, but she was also bringing the people of Montgomery together—black and white.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🥧 I love the story-telling and the bright colorful illustrations in this book. What I love more is the challenge it gives through sharing the amazing work Georgia did. She operated fearlessly in her gifts (leadership, amazing food, and more) and brought about change. In the back you’ll find a list of sources and an author’s note for more detail on Georgia Gilmore’s life and the bus boycotts. Age range: 6-9.

❄️Winter Dance by Marion Jane Bauer, illustrat

❄️Winter Dance by Marion Jane Bauer, illustrated by Richard Jones ❄️
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❄️“’Winter is coming,’ says the fox. ‘What should I do?’” Various animals chime in and encourage him to follow their examples. A turtle burying its way into the mud. A squirrel gathering acorns. A snowshoe hare, its coat turning white to match the snow. None of this seems quite right for the fox though. Finally, it’s another fox that points the way. Read to the end to discover the surprising way foxes embrace the snowy cold. Bauer is a Minnesota dweller like myself, so I particularly enjoyed her take on winter in this unique picture book. Age range: 4-7 years. Also available in a beautiful board book! ❤️

❤️Lit for Little Hands: Pride and Prejudice, a

❤️Lit for Little Hands: Pride and Prejudice, adapted for kids from Jane Austen
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❤️What better book to share on Valentine’s Day than an adaption of the great romance of Pride and Prejudice?
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❤️Praise for interactive board books! My Little is currently OBSESSED with this book and I highly recommend it for the engaging elements. Got a baby about 6-18 months? Maybe even older? They’ll love it. Flaps to lift, wheels to spin, tabs to pull out, the book has it all. (And check my stories to see who pops out on the cover when Elizabeth moves).
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❤️From Mr. Collins’ proposal to Lydia’s elopement (expressed in a child-friendly way!) the book gives the general gist (with a few things out of order) of the story. The pretty illustrations have an informal feel that might leave you occasionally missing various characters’ appendages. Mr. Collins has a slight Larry the Cucumber look about him on one of the pages.
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❤️Now, some caveats. The interactive elements are what stand out to make this book a favorite with babies. Advanced literature condensed down to a board book is a difficult way to communicate the magic of a story like Austen’s. The story might feel a bit choppy or even boring to tiny readers, but again, the interactive elements are what stands out. The book also contains quotes from the original, which are certainly there for the benefit of the adult reader versus the baby being read to.
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❤️The fun for the adult reader is certainly present, and your baby will love the experience of reading this one, but don’t forget to buy classic board books like Sheep in Jeep, Time for Bed, Going on a Bear Hunt, and Goodnight Moon too!
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❤️Age range: Publisher suggests 3-6, I say 0+ with the caution that some of the elements are delicate (they are still sturdy, but we all know what toddlers are capable of!).

💕 The Ballad of Valentine by Alison Jackson, il

✨I Love You as Big as the World by David Van Bur

❤️ Full, Full, Full of Love by Trish Cooke, il

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