The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes

I read The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes when I was in 2nd grade and thought about it from time to time as an adult. I tried to find it for years and was thrilled when I finally found a copy.  I still love the book as much as I did when I was 8 years old.

The Witch Family is about two best friends, Amy and Clarissa and their bumblebee friend, Malachi.  The two girls make up stories and have incredible imaginations and a grand sense of adventure. The story takes place at Halloween and the girls meet witches and mermaids.

Amy and Clarissa have banished a wicked witch to a bare glassy hill as punishment for being so wicked. They only allow her off the hill on Halloween night. They soften up her punishment and send a witch girl, who is their same age, to ease the witch's loneliness.

The witch girl changes the witch's life and transforms the glassy hill into an enchanting land with other whimsical creatures.

This book is perfectly written for young girls and those who are still young at heart.  It is full of magic and charm and it is an especially fun book to read at Halloween time.

Happy reading!!

Thank you for stopping by ViBella Inspirations!

Cheri

Mermaid Dreams Book Review

My daughter and I are both big fans of mermaids. Just tonight, she told me that when she grows up she wants to be a "beautiful mermaid." Luckily, there are so many good mermaid books available. One of our favorites is an adorable tale about a girl who hates taking a bath.

The book illustrations are gorgeous and the writing is clever and features a twist at the end of the story.

Mermaid Dreams is written by Mark Sperring. This book is a must-have for mermaid fans.

Thank you for stopping by ViBella Inspirations!

Cheri

Belinda the Ballerina Book Review

Belinda the Ballerina is an endearing character. She loves to dance and she is a fabulous ballet dancer. There is just one problem, well actually two big problems. She has enormous feet.

She bravely auditions at the Annual Ballet Recital, but three horrible judges quickly dismiss her. The judges tell poor Belinda that she will never be a dancer. They say, "Go home. You will never be a dancer-not with those feet."

She is sad and gives up on her dancing dreams. She waitresses at Fred's Fine Foods. She is a hard worker but still miserable. One day, Fred hires a band and she begins to dance while she works. Her dancing draws in customers who adore her dancing.

One day the Maestro from the Grand Metropolitan Ballet comes to Fred's Fine Foods to watch Belinda dance. Her dancing wins him over and he begs her to perform at the Grand Metropolitan Hall. Of course, she accepts his offer. She dazzles the audience who do not even notice her feet.

This is such a good message. We need to pursue our passions even if we are not perfect. We need to never give up even when we hear we are not good enough.

I rate this book 5 stars for its inspiring message and gorgeous illustrations. It retails for $15.99. Amy Young wrote this gem for ages 3-8.

Thank you for stopping by ViBella Inspirations!



Cheri

Water Bugs and Dragonflies by Doris Stickney Book Review

Water Bugs and Dragonflies is a book that explains death to young children. The story starts out with water bugs who live quite happily under the water in the mud. Every now and then one of the water bugs clings to a pond lily stem and moves out of sight. It never comes back to the colony of water bugs.

The other water bugs are puzzled and cannot understand why it left the colony. The leader gathers the colony and says the next one who leaves the colony must come back and explain why he or she left.

The leader ends up leaving soon. He climbs up the stem to the pond's surface and sleeps for a long time. When he wakes up he discovers he is a dragonfly. He tries to go down into the water, but his new body will not allow him to descend. He cannot keep his promise and feels distraught. He realizes that the other water bugs will have to discover the reason on their own.

He flies off happily with his new body and knows that it will not be long before he sees the others again.

I think this is such a good book that explains death in simple terms and takes away some fear and confusion. I rate this book 5 stars for its helpful way to explain life's hardest and most painful lesson.

Thank you for stopping by ViBella Inspirations!

Cheri

Affirmation Weaver Book Review

Mean children constantly belittle and bully children everyday and it's our job to build up strong and confident children. This is no easy task. I constantly tell my daughter that others will not believe in her until she believes in herself. 

I bought a book called Affirmation Weaver A Believe in Yourself Story by Lori Lite. It is about a young dolphin that does not believe in himself. The hermit crab is the known as the Affirmation Weaver. The author wrote, "He was a crab of very few words, but his intricate web brought joy to anyone that took a moment to sit still and enjoy its beauty."

The dolphin feels depressed and hopeless because he does not feel as smart and talented as the other dolphins. Different ocean creatures come up to the dolphin and teach him affirmations such as "I like myself. I am a gift to the world. I am creative. I believe in myself. I am happy. I can do it. I love myself." 

As the hermit crab hears each affirmation, he weaves each one into his web.

The dolphin and the creatures imagine absorbing all the positive thoughts. They picture how it would feel if they could move all of the uplifting words in the whole being. 

A sea child says to the dolphin, "Now you're beginning to feel happy inside. You have a smile you cannot hide. Say nice things while you laugh and play. Affirmations help you feel this way."

The dolphin swims straight up and jumps the waves with joy and does not compare himself with the other dolphins. This book sends a strong message and instructions on adding confidence and belief in yourself.

I rate this book 5 stars for its strong message and appealing graphics. It retails for about $15.

Thank you for stopping by ViBella Inspirations

Cheri

The Invisible String Book by Patrice Karst Review

I read The Invisible String to my daughter after my mom passed away and she was struggling with my mom's death.

The book focuses on separation anxiety-whether it's being sad about going to school, going to bed, moving away, military deployment, or dealing with death. The book is about 2 children who are scared of storms during their bedtime and want their mom. Their wise mom tells them that loved ones are connected by an invisible string made of love. She explains," People who love each other are always connected by a very special string made of love. Even though you can't see it with your eyes, you can feel it deep in your heart and know that you are always connected to the ones you love."

The string can travel as far as France, space, the jungle, and even Heaven. You are never alone because you are always connected to the ones you love.

To be honest, when I first read The Invisible String to my daughter I felt disappointed in her reaction. I guess I was expecting a hallelujah chorus to descend upon us with a dizzying array of inner light bulbs brightening up the neighborhood. Instead she just sat there quietly while I read the book and did not seem very interested. However, she recently took the book with her to her old granny's house and shared it with her. Yesterday, she, out of the blue, started talking about the invisible string and she told me how much she loves her grandma. 

I cannot speak highly enough of this invaluable book for giving us some peace in the saddest of times. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars for its comforting message and cute illustrations.  It retails for about $12.  

Thank you for stopping by ViBella Inspirations!

Cheri

Have You Filled a Bucket Book Review

Kindness is a trait that I try to emphasize a lot to my daughter. Carol McCloud wrote Have You Filled A Bucket Today? and she emphasizes the importance of kindness and self-respect. You can fill a bucket by simply smiling at someone, saying thank you, and just being kind. On the other hand, you can empty someone's bucket by making fun of someone.  Carol writes that everyone has an invisible bucket and we should try to fill everyone's bucket.

Have You Filled a Bucket Today? is ideal for all ages and retails for approximately $18.

I would definitely recommend reading this book to your daughter and encouraging her to be a bucket filler. Girls have a tendency to be quite cruel and catty to one another and this book is a step in the right direction to curtail mean behavior.

Thank you for stopping by ViBella Inspirations!

Cheri

Sleeping Beauty Ballet Theatre Book Review

What a fabulous find!  It is still exciting to open this amazing book, set up the stage,  pick out a background, and place enchanting twirling figures from Sleeping Beauty.  My 6-year-old enjoys creating scenes and making up stories.  This encourages creativity and wonder. 

"This beautiful ballet theatre is a joy for children. It evokes all the magic of the fairytale world, and the ray of sunshine I felt within me when I danced the part of Princess Aurora." Irina Boronova, Prima Ballerina" --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.


If your daughter likes fairy tales or ballet, she will adore this amazing find.  The kit includes an audio CD, a booklet with the story and stage instructions, a pull out cardboard draw for storage, 9 twirling characters and supporting characters, and backdrops.  You can purchase it from Amazon or Barnes & Noble website.  It retails for approximately $23.


I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.  It is worth every penny.