Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨
A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Press
  • Writing
  • Contact

Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Book Review: Snow Bear {Piers Harper}

June 25, 2013 · Narrative

Snow BearIs it ok to review a book about snow when it was 100 degree outside today?

That’s a rhetorical question.

We have had this book, Snow Bear, forever. Or at the very least since Nick was Madeline’s age.

Which is pretty much the same as forever.

An adorable story about a small bear that ventures off to explore the area on the first day of Spring. Eager to see the world after a long, cold Winter, he didn’t heed his Mama’s warning about staying close enough so she could see him. Along his journey, he meets various animals who all help him on his adventure. Soon he’s wandered far enough away from his Mama that he can’t quite find his way back.

As this is a soft-to-touch book, there are flocked spots on the animals throughout the book for your children to touch. The pictures are softly colored and beautifully illustrated, and the length of the book makes it the perfect story to read at bedtime. It’s a sweet story with, spoiler alert!, a happy ending and one that Madeline reaches for time and time again.

A few critics that didn’t care for it panned it because the bear looks so sweet and happy in the story, yet he’s lost. I don’t know about you, but I’m not planning on having my daughter get upset and freak out because the bear is panicked. I’d rather she see that he kept his cool and because he did (mostly because of naivete), it all worked out in the end. The book was also tagged for not having enough depth. Given the intended audience is 3-5 years old, while I definitely don’t want a book dumbed down for my children, it also needs to be a concept that they can easily grasp given their age.

Definitely perfect for the intended age group, and a nice addition to our collection.

Now … since it’s summer time, that means summer reading programs are underway. Whether your kids are nose-deep in books that are required reading for school, or you encourage them to read to keep ’em sharp, there are a number of summer reading incentives that might keep them more motivated. I know it definitely works for Nick! I’ve included a few of the more nationwide ones below. If you know of more, please feel free to share.

Barnes & Noble – Read 8 books and record the information. Bring in the completed form and receive a free book.

Chuck E. Cheese’s – Complete their Reading Rewards Calendar and bring it in to your local Chuck E. Cheese’s and you’ll get 10 free tokens.

Showcase Cinema – If you are near a participating Showcase Cinema, bring in a completed book report every Wednesday for free admission to specified movie.

TD Bank – Read 10 books and bring in your completed form to receive $10 deposited into a new or current Youth Saver account.

Pottery Barn Kids – For kids 10 and under, read the books on their specified list and bring in your completed form to get a free book.

Half Price Books – We used to love visiting this store when we visited my grandmother. If you’re lucky enough to live close to one of their locations, keep track of your reading and once you hit 300 minutes, they will give you a $5 gift card.

iVillage – Join their summer reading community challenge and receive tips and games to encourage your kids to read.

American Girl – free downloads, activity sheets, and reading events available.

PS Did you enter the Country Crock giveaway I recently ran? Comment #16 Tabathia B – you’re the winner! E-mail me (cate AT sweetnicks DOT com) to claim your prize asap.

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPRINT

Posted In: Narrative · Tagged: 2013 summer reading programs, children's books, Piers Harper, Snow Bear book

Comments

  1. Joanne says

    June 26, 2013 at 7:55 am

    I can’t believe the reviewers said some of those things! Don’t they realize a psychologically complex novel might be too much for a 3 year old?!
    Joanne recently posted..Recipe: Stuffed Zucchini with Pistachio and Dill

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

Storytelling…
Through photos.
Words. And recipes.

Archives

Categories

Instagram

Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨

Pinterest

Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨
A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻

Copyright © 2023 Sweetnicks · Theme by Vicki Harrison Design