Friday, October 28, 2016

Blog Tour/Review: Happy Mamas by Kathleen Pelley; Illustrated by Ruth E. Harper



Happy Mamas, by Kathleen Pelley; Illustrated by Ruth E. Harper
2016, 36p, Children's Picture Book
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: I partnered with The Children’s Book Review on this sponsored blog tour to provide you with this honest book review



Happy Mamas is a lyrical read aloud that pays tribute to the universal joys of mothering in the animal and in the human kingdoms. Charming illustrations depict all the activities that bring joy to a mama and her baby over the course of a day: feeding her little ones bundles of bamboo shoots, teaching her calf how to trumpet loud a jungle cheer, playing peek a boo, watching her little ones fly from the nest, singing a serenade to the man in the moon, or crooning owly lullabies through the deep dark woods. But as the moon glows and the stars shine, what is it that makes all Mamas from desert to jungle, from forest to field, from land to sea happiest by far?

Mamas and babies everywhere will delight in this happy romp – a perfect ode to Motherhood. Perfect for one on one sharing or for use in the classroom.

Ages 3-6 | CWLA Press | October 10, 2016 | 978-1587601606

I love how this book shows the love mamas have for their children--both humans and animals. The author takes different times of the day and asks a question which is then answered by showing how that applies to different animals and then to humans. They are simple things that any mama can do, and they certainly bring me happiness!

I also enjoyed the illustrations! The colors are soft and there are fun little details (like a smiley face on a stack of pancakes) as well as lots of animals to identify. Children will enjoy learning about the differences and similarities between animals and humans. It's a high quality book so it will make a nice gift and is a book that mamas will enjoy reading with their little ones!

(also available in Spanish)

Kathleen Pelley was born in Glasgow, Scotland, but spent most of her childhood summers playing on her grandparents’ farm in Ireland. Her passion for stories stemmed from listening to them on the radio during the BBC children’s story hour. Later, her gentle Irish father fanned the flame even more by feeding her his tales of fairies, leprechauns, and banshees.

So much did Kathleen love stories, that off she went to Edinburgh University and earned a degree in HiSTORY. She didn’t much care for all the facts and dates and numbers, but how she loved the stories of Rasputin, Napoleon, and Bonnie Prince Charlie! One character in particular captured Kathleen’s imagination—Florence Nightingale. After completing her degree, Kathleen studied to become a children’s nurse, but it was a brief and disastrous dalliance. For much as Kathleen loved children, she did not like to see them sick and suffering. However, decades later, Kathleen now sees herself as a kind of a nurse, because she believes that stories can heal the hurts in our hearts.

As a former elementary teacher, Kathleen enjoys sharing her passion with people of all ages. She has been a regular speaker at Regis University on “Nurturing a Passion for Stories,” makes frequent presentations at schools and conferences, and has been telling stories at an inner city elementary school for the past 20 years. She believes that one of the best ways to teach our children empathy is through stories that help them “walk a mile in another man’s moccasins.” When she’s not reading, writing, telling, or listening to stories, Kathleen enjoys knitting, Scottish music, and hiking with her husband and two Golden Retriever dogs along the trails of sunny Colorado.

OFFICIAL LINKS

Ruth is a self-taught English artist who fancies herself as a spiffy writer-in-the-making. She is the illustrator of #1 classic The Kissing Hand and Sassafras, and Happy Mamas is her 3rd book for CWLA. Powered by dark chocolate, she heartily knits stories together with letters, pencils and paintbrushes. She is often snatched up by breezes and colors and pint-sized things like rocks, leaves, shells, bugs, feathers, and creatures. You may also find her gardening, hiking, wildly dancing, and riding her bike really fast in an odd looking helmet. She now breathes easy in Iowa with an adorable husband, a dog, two cats, and six marvelous kids between them (with handfuls of grandbabies!). See her art at www.rutheharper.com.

*This blog tour is hosted by The Children's Book Review and sponsored by Kathleen Pelley.


Enter to win an autographed 6 picture book prize pack from acclaimed author Kathleen Pelley. The prize pack includes finger puppets, adorable stuffed animals, and Happy Mamas (illustrated by Ruth E. Harper, illustrator of the NY Times best seller The Kissing Hand).

One (1) grand prize winner receives:
Value: $150.00+

Three (3) runner-up prize winners receive:
  • A copy of Happy Mamas autographed by Kathleen Pelley
Value: $14.95

Giveaway begins October 10, 2016, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends November 10, 2016, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Giveaway open to US and Canadian addresses only.
Prizes and samples provided by Kathleen Pelley.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Tour Stops:

Monday October 10 2016
The Children’s Book Review
Tour Kick-Off & Giveaway

Monday October 10 2016
Word Spelunking
Happy Mamas Book Review

Tuesday October 11 2016
It’s Fundamental
An Article by Kathleen Pelley

Wednesday October 12 2016
Crafty Moms Share
Happy Mamas Book Review

Tuesday October 18 2016
icefairy’s Treasure Chest
Happy Mamas Book Review

Friday October 21 2016
The Children’s Book Review
Happy Mamas Book Review

Monday October 24 2016
Bumbles and Fairy-Tales
An Article by Kathleen Pelley

Friday October 28 2016
Mel’s Shelves
Happy Mamas Book Review

Wednesday November 2 2016
Curling Up With A Good Book
Interview with Kathleen Pelley

Monday November 7 2016
Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
Interview with Kathleen Pelley

Tuesday November 8 2016
The Fairview Review
Happy Mamas Book Review

Wednesday November 9 2016
Inspired by Savannah
Interview with Kathleen Pelley

1 comments:

Unknown said...

Books like this make me so happy. I cannot wait until I have grand kids to share them with :)

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