Busy Dizzy by Dr. Orly Katz

Busy Dizzy
Dr. Orly Katz
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com, www.amazon.com
978-1494701413, Print $13.97 US
B00HALMR6C, Kindle $1.99 US


Have you ever met a Dizzy? I am sure you have. According to the author, "Dizzies are strange peculiar creatures, sometimes funny, sometimes mean... that whisper annoying things in our children's ears which prevent them from doing what they really want." In other words, they are that voice inside one's head that tells them negative things and convinces them to behave in undesirable ways. They can make one feel angry, sad, or embarrassed. We all have them, but how do we help our children cope with them?

Dr. Orly Katz presents a unique solution for self-confidence issues with the intended audience being children from three to eight years of age. Through activities and song, she shows children the way to cope with their inner fears and emotions. The story is written in rhymes and provides a wonderful melodic flow when the text is read out loud. The illustrations are colorful and fun. They are a perfect complement to the text and are visually appealing. The story is set at a moderate pace and the content is certainly enjoyable throughout.

My children loved reading this and wanted to hear it multiple times. They enjoyed drawing their "Dizzies" and singing the song. Some of their comments included: "This story was really cool!", "I want to read this every day!”, and "These activities are fun!" Overall, Busy Dizzy was a huge success with the kids and this book is a treasure to have in our collection.

About the Author (Taken from "Busy Dizzy"):

Best seller author, Dr. Orly Katz, is an expert for youth empowerment and life skills, who hold a doctorate in Educational Leadership; she is a sought after guest on TV and radio, and a national speaker and workshop facilitator for parents, educationalists and youth.
Orly is the founder of the "Simply Me" Center for: Leadership, Empowerment and Self Esteem.
Her two book series: Surviving Junior High, and Surviving Primary School, and her yearly Digital course: "Empowering Teachers to Empower Students", are recommended by the Ministry of Education, and are being taught in many schools as part of the curriculum in life skills lessons. Orly lives in Haifa, with her Husband and three children.

Check out Busy Dizzy by Dr. Orly Katz:
Busy Dizzy (Motivational rhyming story for kids ages 4-8)


And do not forget to visit Dr. Orly Katz @ http://www.simplymemodel.com/

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If you would like your book reviewed for free, please shoot me an email with a Kindle Version or PDF. Currently, I am only taking on short reads--Children's Books Only--since my chapter book schedule is full. Sorry for the inconvenience. No Spammers Please!

Jaclyn M. Bartz
Author/Illustrator of "The Retired Tooth Fairy"
Volunteer Book Reviewer for Midwest Book Review

email: theretiredtoothfairy (at) outlook (dot) com

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Food Run by Cindy Santos

Food Run
Cindy Santos
Amazon Digital Publishing
B00L8OHIU2, Kindle $0.99 US, www.amazon.com


Synopsis (From Amazon.com): It’s getting late. An out-of-work, divorced mother of two, makes a last-minute dash to the supermarket before it closes. Referencing her shopping list, she races through the store, compares prices and strives to stick to her limited budget as she buys groceries for her school-aged children and ailing mother. Her late-night shopping trip almost goes according to plan, until it’s time for her to pay. An unexpected encounter at the checkout stand forces her to consider all her choices – and their consequences.

Cindy Santos delivers an emotional, descriptive short-story that tackles important issues related to the suffering of some modern day people. Food Run is a story about a divorced mother's dreaded trip to the grocery store. This Stanford graduate is forced to accept receiving government assistance in order to feed her family. The story throws the reader into the inner thoughts, fears, and frustrations while dealing with the less than ideal situation the main character faces. Ms. Santos does a wonderful job showing the struggles of her character and the prejudice people display toward people who are down on their luck. Additionally, she highlights the human disconnect between big grocery stores and local shops as her character remembers the days when store owners treated people as though they were important instead of the ones that only are concerned with their "bottom line".

This story is relatable for people experiencing similar situations, and is an eye-opener for those who look down on people receiving welfare. In my opinion, the best aspect of this story is the message about not judging people because no one knows what the other person is going through. In this recession, college educated people have lost their jobs and have not been able to recover. Some had to go on welfare for temporary assistance, others are going back to change careers, and many were forced to take low-paying jobs to try to make ends meet. It is a sad truth, and Cindy Santos does an amazing job bringing humanity into this story.

Food Run is a story for people who are experiencing these issues and for those looking to understand the problems in our society. I would not recommend this for anyone who cannot empathize with people down on their luck or those who demonize others for accepting government assistance.


About the Author (Taken from Amazon):
Cindy Santos is a Cuban-American author and writer with a social conscious. Born and raised in Southern California, Cindy developed a passion for writing at an early age and dreamed of one day becoming a journalist. After attending three community colleges, she transferred to the University of Southern California in 2005 where she double majored in print journalism and contemporary American history. As an undergraduate student, she interned at a magazine and three newspapers to make her dream a reality. Upon her graduation from USC in 2008, she initially pursued a career in journalism, but later decided to devote herself to writing fiction based on current events. Known as a champion for Latino literature and multicultural realism, Cindy's stories capture the essence of everyday life in our troubled times. Her recently released short story, "Food Run," is her first published work of fiction. Cindy currently resides in the greater Los Angeles area where she is working on her debut novel.

Purchase Food Run by Cindy Santos here:
Food Run by Cindy Santos

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If you would like your book reviewed for free, please shoot me an email with a Kindle Version or PDF. Currently, I am only taking on short reads--Children's Books Only--since my chapter book schedule is full. Sorry for the inconvenience. No Spammers Please!

Jaclyn M. Bartz
Author/Illustrator of "The Retired Tooth Fairy"
Volunteer Book Reviewer for Midwest Book Review

email: theretiredtoothfairy (at) outlook (dot) com

Official Website
Amazon Author Page
Facebook Author Page
"The Retired Tooth Fairy" Fan Page
Tweet Me~ @JaclynMBartz
Pinterest
Connect w/ me on LinkedIn

Elliot's New Friends by Justin Lambert

Elliot's New Friends
Justin Lambert/John Langton
Privately Published
B00LBDMZAS, Kindle $1.99 US


Have you ever seen an elephant jump into a tree? If not, then you will in this adorable non-rhyming picture book. Elliot's New Friends by Justin Lambert will have you laughing out loud while reading this fun story about friendship and acceptance. Elliot is a not-so-little elephant who has dreams of exploring life outside of his waterhole. Since he has spent his entire life with other elephants, Elliot assumes the creatures he meets must also be some very strange looking elephants. He starts out by judging the other creatures based on their looks. Eventually, he realizes that he was wrong to judge them and searches throughout the land for new unique friends who all have something about them that makes them uniquely special.

The ideal audience for this book is for children in 1st grade to 4th--even though it is marketed to younger groups. The language is a little too hard for new readers to sit and try to read this without assistance. However, I do feel those younger audiences would love the adorable illustrations and the silly actions of Elliot and his friends.

While my oldest daughter enjoyed the message the author conveyed, my younger two enjoyed the dialogue and the pictures. They laughed when Elliot jumped into the tree and giggled at the conversations the characters had with one another. Elliot's New Friends is a great story with a powerful message behind it. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cute story about friendship.


Purchase Elliot's New Friends by Justin Lambert:
Elliot's New Friends

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***
If you would like your book reviewed for free, please shoot me an email with a Kindle Version or PDF. Currently, I am only taking on short reads--Children's Books Only--since my chapter book schedule is full. Sorry for the inconvenience. No Spammers Please!

Jaclyn M. Bartz
Author/Illustrator of "The Retired Tooth Fairy"
Volunteer Book Reviewer for Midwest Book Review

email: theretiredtoothfairy (at) outlook (dot) com

Official Website
Amazon Author Page
Facebook Author Page
"The Retired Tooth Fairy" Fan Page
Tweet Me~ @JaclynMBartz
Pinterest
Connect w/ me on LinkedIn

Blog Button Fun

<div align="center"><a href="http://jaclynmbartz.blogspot.com/" title="Journey of an Aspiring Author"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWs-9ZmUSriPjVA2_LZ3H-HB9m3ZxdQEOXkxy0fC5QmLC_PHyVYZMocuZf1AX8mzTf8R_szd5BCjVYOFl5IC-xPU0VG8qD_guqrqENdtxV7RZ42CKf2M9Z0N8vgSESBAYzcKQPiQ9pF3g/s2048/Blog%252520Button%252520125x125.png" alt="Journey of an Aspiring Author" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I would consider this another one of those things I am desperately trying to learn on my own. Ha ha! So let me say this, I am trying that code generator, and it is not working. I made it only as far as creating the button. Oh boy! But I swear, I am going to do everything I can to create a functional blog button--even if it means still being awake when the little ones start coming out of dream world. Wish me luck!

Update:

YAY! I did it! I will be able to get some sleep tonight! Woo Hoo!

The hardest part was getting the image URL to work. Here's what I did to fix the problem. I uploaded my png image to my picassa photo bucket and I clicked it so it opened up its own page. I copied its URL before heading over to the Grab My Button Code Generator.

I filled out the required info before clicking on the preview button. It finally showed up right. I copied the code located on the page and moved back to Blogger.

From there, I went into my layout, added a gadget, and selected HTML code. I pasted my code into the box and saved it. And now, as you can see, my button and grab code are nicely displayed on my page. Yes! Thank You Internet! 

I'll have to write out a clearer explanation later. But I need my sleep. Goodnight my friends! :)

Please feel free to use my Blog Button!

Double Decker Books Blog Host

I am always looking for additional ways to help other authors with exposure. Along with doing my independent books reviews, volunteering with the Midwest Book Review, and offering tips & advice on this blog and through my independent publishing company--Green Owl Publications, I am pleased to announce that I have joined the ladies at Double Decker Books as a Blog Host.

I am proud to be affiliated with the Double Decker Books because they really care about authors, their talent, and their books, and help support them to the best to their abilities. They go "outside of the box" with services that are reasonably priced. Double Decker Books are always on the lookout for not just authors, but bloggers to that love to read great books and love supporting authors as well. 

Here is just some examples of their services. 

Extra Tweets 

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Interviews with Authors or Characters 

Book Reviews 

Double Decker Book Tours 

Book Blast 

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And more! 

Double Decker Books also offers! 

Free Cover Reveals 

Free Trailer Reveals 

Weekly Giveaways 

Author Giveaways (Author pays for the book/books/prizes) 

Kindle Free Party 

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Plus more services are being added to their service page as July 1st…so come check to see their great packages of promotional tools for authors! 

 Please stay tuned for my postings as a Blog Host for Double Decker Books.