Subscribe to blog via Email

Raisie Bay

Our Library - Book Reviews

Be Happy Be You – Book Review

by 4 Comments

Be Happy Be You

The Teenage Guide

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Collins (9 Jan. 2020)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0008367566
  • ISBN-13: 978-0008367565
  • Product Dimensions: 14.8 x 21 cm

The Blurb

This positive and insightful guide gives you the tools to build your confidence, eliminate negative feelings and boost happiness in all areas of your life.

Being a teenager has its own unique challenges, but it’s also the perfect time to shape your own mental wellbeing and happiness. Scientists reckon 40% of your happiness is within your control, that’s A LOT of happiness and this book will help you to harness it…There are tons of ideas to try from creating an anxiety toolkit, to planning a digital detox and meditating, plus you’ll learn the science behind why they work. Carry out the activities by yourself or with family and friends and take your happiness into your own hands!

My Review of Be Happy Be You

I’m so excited to be reviewing this book, Be Happy Be You, written by my blogging friends Becky and Penny. I’ve not been asked to review the book and I paid for it myself. The link above however is an (obvious) affiliate link to the book on Amazon. The book can be bought from other outlets.

My first impressions was how bright and exciting the cover was. No need for images just a bold red background and big white text…and a smiley of course.

As a Mum of a Teenager and a Tween I’m always grateful of any help they can get through these difficult years. I do my best, but sometimes it’s so hard for them to talk about their feelings. Being able to dip into an informative book is the next best thing to Mum.

From how to make friends, and how to deal with peer pressure, to getting along with siblings. This book will give a teenager advice and coping strategies that are easy to read and digest. It also explains the science behind the advice, not in a long winded text book way, but simple and precise with some fabulous diagrams to help understanding.

With it’s 40 chapters covering all the thing a teenager may worry about, it will certainly teach them how to choose to be happy. My girls are already getting stuck in and I’m sure it’s going to be a useful resource for them.

pages from Be Happy Be You
bookworms monthly

Discovering Energy – Book Review.

by 1 Comment

Discovering Energy
Pub month: November 2019
ISBN-13: 9781787080485
Author: Johannes Hirn & Veronica Sanz, illustrated by Eduard Altarriba
Price: £12.99
Binding: HB arlin
No. of pages: 48 pages
Dimensions: 248 x 248 mm
Colour: Full colour throughout

Discovering Energy is the fabulous new book from Button Books. It continues the series of books illustrated by Eduard Altarriba. You can see my previous reviews of My First Book of Quantum Physics, Discover our Solar System, Discovering Architecture and My First Book of Relativity.

The Blurb

We all know energy is important, but what exactly is it? What is electricity exactly? And how do combustion engines, nuclear reactors and solar panels actually work? If you want to know more about all the ways humankind harnesses energy, or how we produce the energy that our civilisation runs on, this beautifully illustrated book is the perfect introduction to understanding the many exciting ways that energy affects our lives.

In Discovering Energy we look at where energy comes from, how our understanding of it has evolved and the many different ways people have learned to harness it to make our lives easier. From the discovery of fire, through to advances in nuclear power, everything is explained and brought to life with dynamic diagrams. With climate change meaning that we need to find new sources of energy for the things we rely on and this book also looks at the exciting developments that will make clean, safe and sustainable energy for the future. This book shows us that energy is all around us – in the warmth that comes from the Sun, the movement of our bodies, the power stored in rivers and oceans and even in the force of the wind.

Our Opinion

Page from the book, steam energy

Kids love to read and kids love to learn.

We all need to begin somewhere and this book aimed at 8 to 12 year olds is a simple but clever look at energy of all kinds. From the energy you use in your own body to move and exercise to the energy produced in nuclear power stations.

The book is presented in an easy to read way with loads of fabulous illustrations. It’s hard back with good quality pages so you know it will last for ages. Kids will want to read this book and when they do they will be learning.

I’m always happy with these books, they are a great resource and I find that even I learn something new each time. With this book your child will learn about the energy we produce now and how we can be more energy efficient in the future.

It also fits in well on the bookshelf with the other titles and my kids will pick these books up over and over, even if it’s just to flick through.

nuclear fusion, discovering energy pages

This book was gifted to us in return for our honest review.

Wild in the City – book review

by Leave a Comment

Wild in the City, A Lonely Planet Kids guide to urban animals around the world.

Wild in the City book cover

Wild in the City

For readers age 9-12
November 2019 | £12.99 | 1st Edition
305mm x 245mm | 112 pages | full colour
Hardback | ISBN: 9781788684903

Currently reduced from £12.99 to £7.79!

The Blurb

Be on the lookout! Things are about to get really Wild in the City with Lonely Planet Kids

Discover the secret lives of more than 30 extraordinary creatures that share our cities with Wild in the City, the beautiful new book from Lonely Planet Kids.

Cities may seem unlikely places for animals to thrive, but there can be worlds of surprising opportunity for animals in urban areas. From relaxing in parks and raiding dustbins, to scaling skyscrapers and dive-bombing hotel pools, see how animals have learned to make the most of the city, whether they have only recently moved in or have simply learned to adapt to their surroundings.

Young readers will discover honey-making stingless bees in Rio de Janeiro, geckos that eat pesky household bugs, and hyenas in Ethiopia who help to keep the city clean by eating food waste from meat markets and rubbish dumps. Animals can have more influence on the city you live in than you might realise, and it is always handy to know how to spot a leopard in the darkness or what to do if you find a curious polar bear leaning through your kitchen window!

Written by Kate Baker, with beautiful illustrations from Gianluca Foli, Wild in the City will be enjoyed by adults and children alike, with essential tips on how we can make sure our cities are a home for both us, and our local wildlife.

Our Verdict

This is a hardback book with some beautiful illustrations. It’s a must for any animal lover. It gives locations of city animals and how to spot to them. From bugs to bears you can find them all in this book.

Pages from the book

At the beginning of the book there is a map which gives a brief and colourful illustration of where the animals can be found. For example, foxes in the UK. The guide will tell why they like living in the city, what they look like, where to see them and what to listen out for.

My first impression was that I was dissapointed by it not having photographs, but then I looked more closely and appreciated the lovely illustrations by Gianluca Foli. They really are lovely and add so much more to the book.

This book will be well read and loved by children and adults.

You can read more of my book reviews here ; Raisiebay’s Library

Disclosure: This book was gifted in return for my honest review.

Hidden Wonders -book review

by Leave a Comment

Hidden Wonders – A lonely Planet Kids Guide to the planet’s wildest, weirdest places

Hidden Wonders, book cover

Hidden Wonders
For readers age 9-12
November 2019 | £14.99 | 1st Edition
240mm x 185mm | 240 pages | full colour
Hardback | ISBN: 9781788683258

Book is currently reduced from £14.99 to only £8.99!

The Blurb

Take a journey into the unknown and discover the planet’s wildest and most wonderful sights. Paddle through the eerie glowworm caves of New Zealand, ride with the wild horses of the Namib desert, swing off the end of the world in Ecuador, and be amazed at hundreds more wonders you never knew existed!

This travel companion for the incurably curious is your guide to finding the world’s most amazing secret places. So grab your compass and let’s get started as you explore the far corners of our world. Start your adventure in the west at Hawaii’s Pineapple Garden Maze, before travelling along the line of longitude to Vanuatu’s underwater post office.

Get ready to bungee jump off a road to nowhere in the Brazilian jungle, or lose yourself in the world’s largest maze. Whether deep underwater in a prehistoric grotto or high on a cliff at the tip of a rock troll’s tongue, afloat on waters as pink as a rose or swimming with pigs on a sandy beach, adventure awaits around every corner. 

Our Verdict

A lovely hardback book with quality paper and gorgeous illustrations. This book would make a lovely gift for any chid aged 9 or over. It’s recommended up to 12 years but it’s one of those books that will interest anyone of any age.

With loads of photographs and short stories, it’s easy to dip into and find something interesting to read. A lot of these places you will have probably never heard of. And there is a whole 240 pages to digest. It will be a book that’s treasured for a long time.

You can read all my other book reviews here : Raisiebay’s Library

Disclosure: This book was gifted in return for my honest review.

Christmas Reading

by 5 Comments

Every year we have books on our Christmas gift lists. The whole family have their own tastes but there is always something to read in my gift stash. So, I thought I’d share some of our reading enjoyment with you to see if I can inspire more reading material for Christmas.

Magazines

I love my magazine subscriptions. Yes, it may be a little old fashioned when you can get so much information online, but it still doesn’t stop the excitement of getting a magazine through the door. My favourites are crochet and cooking magazines, but there are so many to choose from, they would suit any interest. I’ve so many Christmas crafts and cooking to be getting on with. And it’s not just for Christmas it would be the gift that keeps giving throughout the year. 

magazines christmas reading

Advent Books

We love our Christmas Books but we haven’t done an advent calendar with books for a while because it does work better with picture books. You buy the books before Christmas and wrap them to be opened and read each day before Christmas Eve. It’s nice to buy Christmas themed books and it helps build up the excitement to the big day itself. But as you will be reading  one book a day, it’s easier with younger readers.

There are some more books that can be shared with older children on a daily basis on the run up to Christmas. I have read ‘The Christmas Mystery’ By Jostein Gaarder to my kids in the past, one chapter a day starting from December 1st. 

Manga

My kids love Manga and we always have some on gift lists. If you’ve not heard of Manga before, they are Japanese graphic books which can read like a regular graphic book but are often read the Japanese way from back to front. You can buy them for all ages, don’t think they are just for kids and do check the age range for reading them. Some of them may contain adult content not suitable for younger readers.

Christmas Reading.

Why not join in with a Christmas reading challenge like the one that Tea And Cake for the Soul is doing. You’ll have a bit of catching up to do because she actually started it in October, but you could just up your reading time for Christmas and instead of indulging in those Christmas movies, you could pick up a book instead. The books don’t need to be Christmas themed but there are a lot of books out there. You can read my review of The Gift, By Cecelia Ahern, a lovely, if a little strange, story leading up to Christmas time. 

How many books do you think you could fit in between now and Christmas, just think of them as a way of chilling out from all the Christmas preparation stress.

pile of books including Christmas reading

Christmas Classics.

Everybody knows a Christmas Story. My Little Man still loves a good Christmas themed picture book even though he’s getting a bit old for them. But honestly, whoever gets too old for Christmas stories. A few years ago I took the girls to a Christmas Carol Sing-a-long at the Birmingham Symphony Hall and Brian Blessed read ‘The Night Before Christmas’ to us all. I think we have about six different copies of that book.

This year I’m taking my girls to see The Nutcracker ballet. (I can barely contain my excitement) but I’ve yet to read the story. On Sunday morning I watched a film I’d not heard of before called The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. It starred Helen Mirran, Keira Knightly and Morgan Freeman. I guess I can understand why it wasn’t such a big hit as you would expect, but I enjoyed it all the same. The Nutcracker and The Mouse King is a novel written in 1816 by the German author E.T.A. Hoffmann.


Do you gift books or magazine subscriptions for Christmas? Do you read more at Christmas time?