Review: Nibbles

Title:  Nibbles
Author:  Emma Yarlett
Published: March 1st 2016 by Kane Miller EDC Publishing
Goodreads / Book Depository / Usborne

Thoughts: We've actually had this book for a while, but I tend to avoid paper (vs board) books when it comes to my little one. She's better now, but she used to roughly rip pages in books, and it drives me insane. Sure it's by accident, but I think the bibliophile in all of us can agree that we live our books pristine and as perfect as the day the were born printed. Anyway, my reading assistant grabbed this book off of the shelf last night and said "Read this to me.". Who am I to say no to her?  After all, she's in charge of our picture books department

Nibbles is about a little yellow monster who loves nibbling on books.  He gets out of his cage one day and begins nibbling his way through other stories.  Goldilocks, Little Red Riding Hood, and even Jack and the Beanstalk!  Eek!

As the story goes on, you see yourself flipping through these books and finding the narrative has changed thanks to good ole Nibbles.  It's adorable.  Nibbles will scare some characters, anger others, and even possible save a few.  It really is a fun book, and C (my reading assistant) loved turning the pages to see where Nibbles wound up next.

It's an interactive book where you can search for Nibbles, try to catch him in his cage, and just smile as you read these "retold" classic tales to your wee one.  We both had huge smiles by the end, and now it's one of our favorite bedtime stories.  If you're interested, there's even a Nibbles plush out there to go along with your book.

Word of caution- My daughter thinks Nibbles is pronounced "Nipples", and lets me know she has two "Nibbles" on her body.  We laugh it off, but it definitely caught me off-guard when she pointed this out.  Too funny.

If you're looking for a cute, fun, entertaining book the entire family can enjoy, I highly recommend checking out Nibbles.  I do recommend it for children two and up though, because I don't think it would hold my daughter's attention if she were around the one year age range mostly due to the length of some of the pages.  It's not long, but it's not one year old attention span short (if you know what I mean). 

Rating:

5 Stars

Audiobook Review: Broken Beautiful Hearts

Title: Broken Beautiful Hearts
Author: Kami Garcia
Published: February 6th 2018 by Imprint Make Your Mark
Audiobook provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes and Noble / IndieBound / Book Depository

Review: You guys, I cannot rave about this book enough. It has everything anyone could want in a contemporary YA novel. Romance? Check! Complicated relationships? Check! Hilarious and amazing friendships as well as a strong family? Check! Leave it to Kami Garcia for writing, yet again, another brilliant novel.

The novel immediately starts off with Peyton, her crazy soon to be ex-boyfriend, her best friend (aka his sister), and the night that changed it all. Peyton uncovers a secret her ex has been holding and when she tries to break things off with him, he ends up doing the unthinkable. Now her town thinks she's a liar, her best friend sides with her ex, and the only people that believe her are her family. To protect Peyton, her mom sends her out to live with her uncle and twin cousins in a small country town in Tennessee. She keeps the story of what happened that night to herself, and decides to make the best of the situation. What she wasn't expecting was to find Owen- This brooding, rough yet sweet guy who also seems to be holding a secret of his own.

First off, I have to say how much I adored Peyton. She was the protagonist and the MVP of the Broken Beautiful Hearts show. There aren't a lot of women, much less teenage women, who would have the courage to face her abuser and stand her ground the way she did. On top of that, she's a great daughter, niece, cousin, and friend.

Next up, while her cousins weren't the star of the show, they were still some of my favorite characters. Their hilarity cracked me up, and they epitomized the everyday messy teenage guy. They obviously love Peyton and would protect her above all else. People are too quick to stereotype the high school jock. In the end, they might surprise you.

Lastly, Owen. Y'all, who wouldn't fall for Owen. He's complicated and brooding. For the superficial fangirl/fanboy in all of us, he's also devilishy handsome and has a killer body to boot. Though he could easily be the hero in the story, Peyton doesn't need him to be. She's her own hero, but it's nice to know there's a team out there who has her back, and Owen is the head cheerleader in Team Peyton.

For anyone out there who has been called a liar when they weren't, who has had rumors spread about them, and who came out the better person in the end, this one's is for you.

Rating:

5 Stars