Michelle Kafka's Book Reviews:
Book Review Policy/Guidelines: Book Reviews follow beneath.
Welcome publishers, authors, and readers. Thank you for your interest in either requesting a review or reading a review.
Book Genres To Be Considered:
Romance - all subgenres
Paranormal/Supernatural
Horror
Sci-Fi
Fantasy and Urban Fantasy
Contemporary/Realistic Fiction
Mystery/Thrillers /Suspense
Historical Fiction
Fictional Crime
YA
Childrens - children’s picture books,board books, and middle grade chapter books
Speculative Fiction
Poetry
Nonfiction - Self Help, Inspirational, Green/Healthy Living, Animals/Pets
Graphic Novels/Comic Books
Western
Short Story
Genres Not Considered:
Biographies/Auto
Memoirs
Religious
Political
Cookbooks
Financial
Law
True Crime
What Formats?
Print - Large Traditional Publishers, Small Press Books (paperbacks and hardbacks)
Self Published - Print or Ebook, Indie, iBook
Audiobook
Ebook - Amazon Kindle, PDF, Mobi
Smashwords coupons
Review Inclusions:
Amazon links etc
Authors social media links - FB, twitter, pinterest, etc
Book rating from 1-5 (5 being highest)
Storyline plot
Cover art
Cover comments
Illustrations
Page numbers
Fave book quote
Book trailer (if there is one available)
Other info
Some info may or may not be present
Review Turnaround:
1-2 weeks
Where will the review be posted?
My website/my blog
Your website/blog - you may copy and paste
Goodreads
If you would like me to post my review elsewhere, then please let me know, and I shall try to oblige as there are many posting possibilities out there. Also please let me know if you would like your book review featured in a magazine.
When you request a review, please provide:
1) Book Genre and title
2) Book Description and state fiction or non
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When you request a review, please send info to [email protected]
Please put in the subject line: Book Review For Consideration and your name.
I look forward to hearing from you.
If I decline your book for review for whatever reason I will email you back within five business days of receiving your email.
Please note:
All opinions on books are 100% my own. My reviews will always be honest, and based upon my own personal thoughts, and feelings on the book as a whole. If I received a book free of charge for review it will state that on my review. All other reviews are from books I bought, were a gift or got from the library. I will not change my review or rating. I reserve the right to not review any book at my discretion. If I do not like a book and choose to not finish reading it, I will not review it; author or publisher will be notified, and I may suggest this book to another book reviewer and hopefully they will enjoy it for review purposes, and their reading pleasure. If the book is part of a series, then please send book number one. Permission is granted to the author, publisher to use my review (s) in either their entirety or in partial segments as long as I the reviewer is referenced. The rights to all reviews published at Island Whispers are subject to copyright laws. Furthermore, I am willing to do author interviews, character interviews or profiles, guest posts, book blog tours, promo news, giveaways, cover reveals, book excerpts, and trailers on my blog (not website) as well. Finally, I will accept book swag - signed bookplates, bookmarks, magnets, etc for myself, and for the giveaways. For shipping consideration, I am a Canadian webmistress and blogger. Please email me today.
1. Anna and her RAINBOW-COLORED yoga mats Review: Sunday March 8, 2015:
About the Book:
Author: Giselle Shardlow
Illustrator: Paul Wrangles
Edition: Second
Copyright: 2014 Giselle Shardlow Images copyright 2012 Giselle Shardlow
Publisher: Kids Yoga Stories
Published: January, 2015
Genre: Children's
Pages: 32
Recommended Ages: 4-8 year olds
ISBN:-13: 978-1477400777
ISBN-10: 147740077X
Format: Ebook PDF (downloaded for review)
Contacted By And Received By: Author for free review
Reviewed By: Michelle Kafka
Date: Sunday March 8, 2015
Cover: Midground: Anna Foreground: Purple yoga mat Background: The wind
The cover is nicely illustrated with lots of white space. A young girl, Anna is shown holding up a purple coloured yoga mat. Anna appears quite comfy in her workout clothing consisting of a yellow t-shirt, brown pants, and two different coloured shoes with one being pink, while the other is blue. There is a wavy splash of blue behind Anna perhaps representing the wind, and the outdoors. The text is in black, white, and with an emphasis on rainbow words. The design is simple lines done in watercolour. This linear work is classic and has a cartoon-like feel to it. Both cool and warm colours are used. The typography is sans serif, which is used for emphasis, and more attention grabbing, and may be more readable for children. The text is unified with the content of the book.
The colours and tones suggest an energetic atmosphere. The artwork is centred, and symmetrical. Repeating shapes also appear. Paul Wrangles has illustrated the book.
Storyline: Plot:
Anna and her Rainbow-Colored Yoga Mats begins with Anna as a new student from the country on her first day of class. She is nervous. The students talk amongst themselves about Anna who is unaware of what the children are saying about her and the mysterious red item in her backpack (a yoga mat). During recess times, Anna takes out her curious things and uses them daily in strange, unusual ways. She started out alone, but soon began to gather a crowd. This book shows that the children stretch together through rain and shine.
Characters:
The characters in this story are all school children. Anna, the protagonist, makes her own just choices by bringing her mats to school and practicing yoga whether anyone is watching or not. Her motivation is to be on the move, and healthy. The effect that she has on other children is to motivate, and teach other children about healthy movement. Anna is a quiet girl who is easy to get along with. Anna is a dynamic character. The antagonist in this story is the weather, the city.
Setting:
The setting takes place during the day. The location is an elementary school. The story is in the present.
Illustrations: Throughout the book the pictures are consistent with the cover.
My Thoughts:
Overall, this book is a refreshing delightful read. It has simple language. This story emphasizes a child's individualness. This story's themes are health and friendship. These themes are traditional, and familiar.
It is a good read when looking for some energy, determination, and a healthy message. Anna displays pride, and self-worth. Anna's cheeks are dotted with freckles, which imply a youthfulness, and innocence. She strikes a confident pose. The author's writing style is informal. At some points in the story the pictures are more heavy set than the text is such as on pages 28 and 29. The author has clearly achieved her purpose in getting children to laugh, and to engage them in movement. The author has also achieved the importance of developing critical creativity in children. Third person point of view is used in this story.
In addition, what I liked about the story are the references to travelling around the world, the animals, the mats under the trees, and the audience growing bigger, and bigger, and this statement from Anna found on page 25... “I’m happy inside and my dreams have come true!” I feel I can relate to Anna because of the love of outdoors, and the need to achieve a healthy state of body, and mind. I can also identify with feeling nervous on the first day of school.
Finally, my grandson enjoyed the book because he laughed at the animal references, and he recognized the mats because he has similar puzzle piece play mats in the living room.
Furthermore, we did the motions together and I pointed out things to him in the story. Anna is undoubtedly the star of the show, and this story is a winner with us!
Noted: This ebook pdf book cover is different from the paperback book cover version.
About Author: Ms. Shardlow is an elementary teacher and Yoga instructor who resides in Boston.
Please find the author or more info at these social media locations:
https://www.facebook.com/KidsYogaStories
https://www.pinterest.com/kidsyogastories/
https://www.youtube.com/user/KidsYogaStories
https://twitter.com/kidsyogastories
https://plus.google.com/+GiselleShardlow/posts
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7569697.Giselle_Shardlow
or here:
http://kidsyogaacademy.com/faculty/giselle-shardlow
About Illustrator: Paul Wrangles is both illustrator and writer who is from the UK.
Please find the illustrator or more info at these social media locations:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5266749.Paul_Wrangles
https://www.pinterest.com/itpress/paul-wrangles/
Ratings:
Cover: 5
Storyline: 5
Illustrations: 5
Unity And Originality: 5
Total: 5
Recommendation: I recommend this book to children ages 2 to 11 looking for an adventurous read.
Health practioners, teachers, day-care workers, recreation leaders, and just about any person who works with children would enjoy this book. This is an excellent title to read for fun, for motivation, for education, and for a rainy day.
Where to buy the Yoga stories as single stories or the entire series:
Kids Yoga Stories website: http://www.kidsyogastories.com/store/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Giselle-Shardlow/e/B00B62E03O
About the Book:
Author: Giselle Shardlow
Illustrator: Paul Wrangles
Edition: Second
Copyright: 2014 Giselle Shardlow Images copyright 2012 Giselle Shardlow
Publisher: Kids Yoga Stories
Published: January, 2015
Genre: Children's
Pages: 32
Recommended Ages: 4-8 year olds
ISBN:-13: 978-1477400777
ISBN-10: 147740077X
Format: Ebook PDF (downloaded for review)
Contacted By And Received By: Author for free review
Reviewed By: Michelle Kafka
Date: Sunday March 8, 2015
Cover: Midground: Anna Foreground: Purple yoga mat Background: The wind
The cover is nicely illustrated with lots of white space. A young girl, Anna is shown holding up a purple coloured yoga mat. Anna appears quite comfy in her workout clothing consisting of a yellow t-shirt, brown pants, and two different coloured shoes with one being pink, while the other is blue. There is a wavy splash of blue behind Anna perhaps representing the wind, and the outdoors. The text is in black, white, and with an emphasis on rainbow words. The design is simple lines done in watercolour. This linear work is classic and has a cartoon-like feel to it. Both cool and warm colours are used. The typography is sans serif, which is used for emphasis, and more attention grabbing, and may be more readable for children. The text is unified with the content of the book.
The colours and tones suggest an energetic atmosphere. The artwork is centred, and symmetrical. Repeating shapes also appear. Paul Wrangles has illustrated the book.
Storyline: Plot:
Anna and her Rainbow-Colored Yoga Mats begins with Anna as a new student from the country on her first day of class. She is nervous. The students talk amongst themselves about Anna who is unaware of what the children are saying about her and the mysterious red item in her backpack (a yoga mat). During recess times, Anna takes out her curious things and uses them daily in strange, unusual ways. She started out alone, but soon began to gather a crowd. This book shows that the children stretch together through rain and shine.
Characters:
The characters in this story are all school children. Anna, the protagonist, makes her own just choices by bringing her mats to school and practicing yoga whether anyone is watching or not. Her motivation is to be on the move, and healthy. The effect that she has on other children is to motivate, and teach other children about healthy movement. Anna is a quiet girl who is easy to get along with. Anna is a dynamic character. The antagonist in this story is the weather, the city.
Setting:
The setting takes place during the day. The location is an elementary school. The story is in the present.
Illustrations: Throughout the book the pictures are consistent with the cover.
My Thoughts:
Overall, this book is a refreshing delightful read. It has simple language. This story emphasizes a child's individualness. This story's themes are health and friendship. These themes are traditional, and familiar.
It is a good read when looking for some energy, determination, and a healthy message. Anna displays pride, and self-worth. Anna's cheeks are dotted with freckles, which imply a youthfulness, and innocence. She strikes a confident pose. The author's writing style is informal. At some points in the story the pictures are more heavy set than the text is such as on pages 28 and 29. The author has clearly achieved her purpose in getting children to laugh, and to engage them in movement. The author has also achieved the importance of developing critical creativity in children. Third person point of view is used in this story.
In addition, what I liked about the story are the references to travelling around the world, the animals, the mats under the trees, and the audience growing bigger, and bigger, and this statement from Anna found on page 25... “I’m happy inside and my dreams have come true!” I feel I can relate to Anna because of the love of outdoors, and the need to achieve a healthy state of body, and mind. I can also identify with feeling nervous on the first day of school.
Finally, my grandson enjoyed the book because he laughed at the animal references, and he recognized the mats because he has similar puzzle piece play mats in the living room.
Furthermore, we did the motions together and I pointed out things to him in the story. Anna is undoubtedly the star of the show, and this story is a winner with us!
Noted: This ebook pdf book cover is different from the paperback book cover version.
About Author: Ms. Shardlow is an elementary teacher and Yoga instructor who resides in Boston.
Please find the author or more info at these social media locations:
https://www.facebook.com/KidsYogaStories
https://www.pinterest.com/kidsyogastories/
https://www.youtube.com/user/KidsYogaStories
https://twitter.com/kidsyogastories
https://plus.google.com/+GiselleShardlow/posts
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7569697.Giselle_Shardlow
or here:
http://kidsyogaacademy.com/faculty/giselle-shardlow
About Illustrator: Paul Wrangles is both illustrator and writer who is from the UK.
Please find the illustrator or more info at these social media locations:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5266749.Paul_Wrangles
https://www.pinterest.com/itpress/paul-wrangles/
Ratings:
Cover: 5
Storyline: 5
Illustrations: 5
Unity And Originality: 5
Total: 5
Recommendation: I recommend this book to children ages 2 to 11 looking for an adventurous read.
Health practioners, teachers, day-care workers, recreation leaders, and just about any person who works with children would enjoy this book. This is an excellent title to read for fun, for motivation, for education, and for a rainy day.
Where to buy the Yoga stories as single stories or the entire series:
Kids Yoga Stories website: http://www.kidsyogastories.com/store/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Giselle-Shardlow/e/B00B62E03O
Author Comments/Testimonials:
Thursday, March 12, 2015
"I really appreciate your comprehensive review. I’ve never seen a review that details the character, plot, setting, and illustrations. Very cool! I’m thrilled that your grandson enjoyed the yoga book too." ~Giselle Shardlow, Yoga Books for Children~
Thursday, March 12, 2015
"I really appreciate your comprehensive review. I’ve never seen a review that details the character, plot, setting, and illustrations. Very cool! I’m thrilled that your grandson enjoyed the yoga book too." ~Giselle Shardlow, Yoga Books for Children~
Review 2. Emily's Day In The Desert:
Author: Giselle Shardlow
Illustrator: Vicky Bowes
Pgs. 48
Genre: Children's
Ages: 4-7
Title: Emily's Day In The Desert:
The desert may be a dry, hot, almost barren piece of land, but the cover to Giselle Shardlow's new book "Emily's Day In The Desert" shows a bit different scene in where a child is quite happily demonstrating a yoga pose.
Three animals are shown who seem to be interested in what the child is doing. The sun is peeking just behind the mountains.
Vegetation lingers, and rocks are scattered about. The colours used to illustrate the cover blend between light, and dark while the majority of colour used is a brown sandy colour.
The illustrations are simple in design.
The story is set in Death Valley. It begins by mother and daughter standing in the desert with a lesson taught by the mother.
The family members venture on to have breakfast together, and meet some animals along the way. The little girl's enthusiasm , and eagerness is quite apparent. Travel is on foot, and by jeep.
Emily carries around a journal with her checking things off on her list. With all her heart there is one thing she wishes to see the most!
The little girl takes photos to remind her of the adventure. The story wraps up in the evening with the family resting.
Emily's Day In The Desert encompasses subjects such as science, geography, movement, visualization, imagination, photography, animals, and air pollution. Yoga poses vary from the Cat Pose to the Pigeon Pose.
Kids are able to identify with the characters. It is meant for the 4-7 year old group. Short sentences, and simple language make up the structure.
I recommend this book to kids, parents, yoga lovers, teachers, doctors, groups, classrooms, libraries, and music/dance studios.
My favourite part of the book is all the diverse animals. They are not your ordinary animals.
The book comes with instructions, and a parent-teacher guide. The book is informative, and educational, and has many great themes.
Ratings:
Cover: 5
Storyline: 5
Illustrations: 5
Unity And Originality: 5
Reviewed by Michelle Kafka, Thursday March 23, 2017
Author: Giselle Shardlow
Illustrator: Vicky Bowes
Pgs. 48
Genre: Children's
Ages: 4-7
Title: Emily's Day In The Desert:
The desert may be a dry, hot, almost barren piece of land, but the cover to Giselle Shardlow's new book "Emily's Day In The Desert" shows a bit different scene in where a child is quite happily demonstrating a yoga pose.
Three animals are shown who seem to be interested in what the child is doing. The sun is peeking just behind the mountains.
Vegetation lingers, and rocks are scattered about. The colours used to illustrate the cover blend between light, and dark while the majority of colour used is a brown sandy colour.
The illustrations are simple in design.
The story is set in Death Valley. It begins by mother and daughter standing in the desert with a lesson taught by the mother.
The family members venture on to have breakfast together, and meet some animals along the way. The little girl's enthusiasm , and eagerness is quite apparent. Travel is on foot, and by jeep.
Emily carries around a journal with her checking things off on her list. With all her heart there is one thing she wishes to see the most!
The little girl takes photos to remind her of the adventure. The story wraps up in the evening with the family resting.
Emily's Day In The Desert encompasses subjects such as science, geography, movement, visualization, imagination, photography, animals, and air pollution. Yoga poses vary from the Cat Pose to the Pigeon Pose.
Kids are able to identify with the characters. It is meant for the 4-7 year old group. Short sentences, and simple language make up the structure.
I recommend this book to kids, parents, yoga lovers, teachers, doctors, groups, classrooms, libraries, and music/dance studios.
My favourite part of the book is all the diverse animals. They are not your ordinary animals.
The book comes with instructions, and a parent-teacher guide. The book is informative, and educational, and has many great themes.
Ratings:
Cover: 5
Storyline: 5
Illustrations: 5
Unity And Originality: 5
Reviewed by Michelle Kafka, Thursday March 23, 2017
Other Reviews:
Jason B. Ladd E-course Review,
Book Review Banzai
Monday April 10, 2017:
The course is two hours, and 50 minutes long. It has 11 modules (with some having additional parts) in total ranging from five to ten minutes each with the exception of some being a bit shorter, or longer.
Module one begins with the course creator talking, and then launches into some pics, and how-to's. The tempo is a little fast. He is a speed-talker here. Jason gives out different info that isn't found all over the web. It is repetitious with the word "this". It's presented on parchment looking paper on a black background. All caps is used. It uses serif typography. There are headings. He is consistent throughout with the parchment paper, and black background. The text is light, and dark brown. The lessons are delivered in bite-size pieces. It is well-organized. It has a catchy name because it has onomatopoeia. It's short and easy to remember.
The reception is good. His voice is smooth, and clear. There is no background noise. It doesn’t cut out. It doesn’t echo.
Going further into the lessons, there are charts, demos, templates, tips, pics, and more.
I learned three and a half pages of info. The videos were short and sweet. The course was well presented overall. I would pay about $200.00 for this course.
Book Review Banzai
Monday April 10, 2017:
The course is two hours, and 50 minutes long. It has 11 modules (with some having additional parts) in total ranging from five to ten minutes each with the exception of some being a bit shorter, or longer.
Module one begins with the course creator talking, and then launches into some pics, and how-to's. The tempo is a little fast. He is a speed-talker here. Jason gives out different info that isn't found all over the web. It is repetitious with the word "this". It's presented on parchment looking paper on a black background. All caps is used. It uses serif typography. There are headings. He is consistent throughout with the parchment paper, and black background. The text is light, and dark brown. The lessons are delivered in bite-size pieces. It is well-organized. It has a catchy name because it has onomatopoeia. It's short and easy to remember.
The reception is good. His voice is smooth, and clear. There is no background noise. It doesn’t cut out. It doesn’t echo.
Going further into the lessons, there are charts, demos, templates, tips, pics, and more.
I learned three and a half pages of info. The videos were short and sweet. The course was well presented overall. I would pay about $200.00 for this course.
Copyright Island Whispers, Michelle Kafka 2024