Blog Break

My daughter has been ill now for over a week. Right now my focus is on her health. I'll be back to blogging when we're healthy again here.

Full to the Brim - Kid's Book Giveaway List (3/2/12)

Welcome to this week's edition of FTTB! Full to the Brim is a weekly list I compile by hand of children's book giveaway online contests. Please check out my other "Full to the Brim" posts as well. Many contests are still underway. I *try to* publish "Full to the Brim" every Friday. If I missed your book giveaway, feel free to mention it in the comment section or send me an email.

(Despite how it looks, I have not forgotten my blog. The past couple weeks we've been battling various illnesses including strep and the stomach flu. I'm also smack dab in the middle of running our school's book fair. Thanks for your patience, and I promise there are more reviews to come on Brimful.)

It's a Dr. Seuss giveaway edition today!

Wonder Forge Dr. Seuss Game Giveaway at obSEUSSed - Ends 3/8

Cat in the Hat gift packs from PBS Kids
Teach Mama - Ends 3/9
Imagination Soup - Ends 3/5
Crazy About My Bay Bah - Ends 3/15
The Mama Maven - Ends 3/5
Mom It Forward - Ends 3/2
2 Boys + 1 Girl = 1 Crazy Mom - Ends 3/15
The Domestic Buzz - Ends 3/8
I"m not the Nanny - Ends 3/11

7th Generation Lorax Gift Pack Giveaways (some include book)
Coupon Geek - Ends 3/3
Growing My Kids Reviews - Ends 3/28
Momma in Flip Flops - Ends 3/15
Musing Maine-iac - Ends 3/13
Organic Mommy Today - Ends 3/2
Two Kids and a Coupon - Ends 3/13
A Thrifty Diva - Ends 3/9
Debras Dollars - Ends 3/25
Mom Files - Ends 3/9
The Children's Nook - Ends 3/25
Raising my 5 Sons - Ends 3/8
Connected 2 Christ - Ends 3/8

Universal Pictures Lorax Prize Packs
The Dirty t Shirt - Ends 3/9
The Mom Reviews - Ends 3/8
Blessings Abound Mommy - Ends 3/9
Mom Start - Ends 3/5
Simply Being Mommy - Ends 3/9
A Nut in a Nutshell - Ends 3/15
My Four Monkeys - Ends 3/5
An Island Life - Ends 3/9
She Scribes - Ends 3/5
Guessing All the Way - Ends 3/2

Silver Dolphin Dr. Seuss Building Block Giveaways
Heck of a Bunch – Ends 3/6
A Frugal Friend – Ends 3/6
Sweeps4Bloggers – Ends 3/13
My SLC Mommy – Ends 3/13
Babies Gotta Have It – Ends 3/14
Booking Mama – Ends 3/15


Fish for more children's book giveaways at Lori Calabrese's Fish for a Free Book linkup each Friday

Happy Leap Day!

A little leapfrog on leap day! My kids are both enjoying leap year for the second time in their lives.

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one,
Except for February alone,
Which has four and twenty-four
Till leap year gives it one day more.

Mother Goose Rhyme

Speaking of sayings about Leap Year, we recently ran across a Leap Day joke in Simms Taback's Great Big Book of Spacey Snakey Buggy Riddles and thought we'd share:

What is the best year for grasshoppers? Leap year!

Guess the same could be said about frogs, too!

Find more of this week's Wordless Wednesday (or Wordful) posts at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life - DVD Review (a new movie based on the middle grade novel by Wendy Mass)

It takes guts to write a middle grade children's book centering on the great philosophical question -- What is the meaning of life? In 2006 author Wendy Mass took a stab at answering the age old question in her book, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. Her book about living each day fully and finding one's equilibrium after personal loss went on to receive many positive accolades by both adults and kids.

A family-friendly movie version of the beloved story is set to release on DVD on March 6th. Mass' fans will be delighted to discover that the movie, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, retains many of the tender and quirky aspects of the book, even Jeremy's odd peanut butter sandwich obsession! The movie's cast includes some big names including Mira Sorvino, Joe Pantoliano and Roscoe Orman (Sesame Street).

Ever since his father's death, Jeremy Fink has dreamed of finding a way to connect with his dad, so much so that he attempts to build a time machine. Turns out he doesn't need a time machine, he needs a box! Jeremy receives a most mysterious gift a month before his 13th birthday - a locked wooden box with an unusual inscription on the top, "The Meaning of Life: For Jeremy Fink to open on his Thirteenth Birthday. Years earlier Jeremy's dad passed away in a car accident, and, before he died, he assembled the box with Jeremy in mind. Opening the box requires four keys, but sadly the keys are missing. Jeremy and his best friend, Lizzy, embark on a journey around New York City in search of the keys. During the search they meet several eccentric individuals who offer insights that bring them closer to finding the answers they seek.

Tender yet humorous at the same time, the movie provides a fresh and interesting perspective on life. The two teen actors who play Jeremy and Lizzy (Maxwell Beer and Ryan Simpkins) play their roles wonderfully in this coming-of-age story. Their devoted friendship is really the heart of the film. Lizzy helps Jeremy find his way and encourages him to face his fears. One of my favorite lines in the film is, "Are you gonna sit there what-iffing all day when you can actually go out into the world and find the answers?" It is also really nice to see a boy/girl friendship that maintains closeness without becoming romantic, despite Lizzy's "feminine wiles."

Before I watched the movie I made of point of finding a copy of Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life to read. I'm so glad I did. Wendy Mass has an amazing flair for bringing unusual subjects to light and writing books that stimulate the mind. Her characters have real emotional depth, while exhibiting true to life, somewhat humorous oddities. I really enjoyed this coming-of-age story and now understand why the book has a fairly large following. It is for this reason I was somewhat apprehensive to watch the movie version.

Thankfully, the book's storyline is only moderately altered. The movie version is lightened with the addition of dorky humor and over-the-top, wacky characters often found in kid flicks. This is definitely a movie meant for tweens, pimples and all! Several of the characters including Oswald and Jeremy's mother are a lot more eccentric in the film than in the book. To be honest, I wasn't very happy with how Mr. Oswald's character was portrayed in the film. In the book he is a distinguished mentor figure, but not so in the movie. Luckily, James the limo driver (played by Michael Urie), in a way, takes over this guiding role in the movie. As a Christian, I am disappointed the characters didn't at least explore a religious perspective on life in the film. I do really like the creative way Jeremy's time machine plays a key part in the search -- a nice twist different from the ending in the book. Jeremy's t-shirt in the middle of the film is an awesome touch. Yes, he is definitely a true "Rock It Scientist."


I'm sure Wendy Mass will gain quite a few new fans with the release of this film. It's thought provoking and full of heart without being too preachy, just like her books. Definitely worth a watch, but make sure to read the book, too! (And, by the way, if you watch really closely at the beginning of the museum scene, you might just see Mass star in a cameo role in the film.)

(DVD Source: DVD provided for review purposes by Phase 4 Films and Team Mom. All opinions expressed are my own. I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)

Sonoma Rose by Jennifer Chiaverini - Review and Giveaway

One of the perks of working in a library is that you come across titles that you might not otherwise stumble across. Such was the case for me in 1999. While shelving titles, I discovered a new book, The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini. After reading the cover flaps, I quickly learned the author, Jennifer Chiaverini, resides in Wisconsin. I always make a point of reading books by authors from my home state.

The book's subject also appealed to me right away. Recently married, I had received a special quilt made by my grandmother for my wedding. A cherished and personal gift, I know my grandmother spent much time lovingly piecing it together with my husband and I in mind. Powerful and memory evoking, it's amazing how quilts can tell stories and bring generations together. As I cracked open The Quilter's Apprentice and started reading I found an intriguing story involving two interesting characters, one elderly and one young, whose lives were brought together through quilting. I thoroughly enjoyed Chiaverini's first novel and over the years have read all of the books in her Elm Creek Quilt books series. Earlier this week on February 21st, Chiaverini released Sonoma Rose, the 19th book in her bestselling series.

Sonoma Rose is an adult, historical fiction novel set in California during the Prohibition era of the mid to late 1920's. The book explores the story of Rosa Diaz and Lars Jorgensen, lovers that are forced apart in their youth by old family resentments and personal choices. In a series of flashbacks readers learn that Lars previously struggled with alcoholism and Rosa, finding herself pregnant, decides to marry John Barclay, someone she does not love but deems stable. John becomes abusive and also becomes involved in various lawless activities. John and Rosa disagree about how to best care for their children, who are stricken with celiac disease, a mysterious and fatal (without proper treatment) affliction.

Lars slowly reenters Rosa's life and, at first, Rosa tries to keep him away. Eventually John's violent nature escalates and he almost kills a man. Lars and Rosa seek out each other and escape together with the children to wine country in northern California. Lars is wanted by the mob because he reported John's involvement with illegal liquor trafficking. The pair finds work and a home in the countryside at a vineyard owned by second-generation winemakers, the Cacchiones. While working there they learn all about the difficulties faced by winemakers and the dangers of bootlegging during Prohibition. Lars and Rosa struggle to find happiness together and though they live in fear that they might be discovered by the mob or by John when he exits jail, they remain hopeful for a better future.

Sonoma Rose is a rather complex combination of themes and fairly action-packed, full of dramatic events. The book brings together a lot of subjects including Prohibition, winemaking, spousal abuse, alcoholism, and celiac disease. Unlike many of Chiaverini's books, it does not focus as much on quiltmaking or women bonding as the result of creating quilts together. The setting of the book is really quite fascinating, and I learned a lot about the heartbreaking travails California's winemakers faced when trying to abide by the Prohibition laws and their dealings with corrupted law officers and politicians. Many winemakers lost their land, some which had been tended with care for generations. (For those that want to learn more about the Prohibition, I highly recommend watching Ken Burn's three-part documentary film series, Prohibition.)

Although Sonoma Rose can be easily treated as a stand-alone novel, it is truly a sequel to The Quilter's Homecoming, a story that focuses on the character of Elizabeth Nelson, a cousin to Sylvia, the founder of the Elm Creek Quilt Camps. When Elizabeth moves from Pennsylvania to California, she befriends Rosa and locates previously hidden quilts from Rosa's family's past. Elizabeth, in a sense, provides the tie to the other Elm Creek series stories and her character is also introduced in Chiaverini's The Christmas Quilt. The novel, Sonoma Rose, fleshes out the details found in The Quilter's Homecoming and supplies a satisfying ending to Lars and Rosa's story.

Sonoma Rose (Elm Creek Quilts) by Jennifer Chiaverini. Dutton / Penguin (February 2012); ISBN 9780525952640
Book Source: ARC provided by publisher through TLC Book Tours

Related Links:
Jennifer Chiaverini - Website

Win a copy! This review is part of TLC Book Tours, and Dutton / Penguin has kindly offered to give away a copy of Sonoma Rose to a lucky Brimful Curiosities reader!

For a chance to win, leave a comment relating to this post or if you're a Chiaverini fan, let me know the title of your favorite Elm Creek series book.

• For contact purposes, if you are a non-blogger or your email is not accessible in your blog profile, please leave a valid email address within the comment section.
• Contest is open to US only
• Contest ends on Monday, March 12th, 2012 at 11:59 PM CST.
• Winner will be chosen at random and sent an email notification.

Three ways to gain extra entries (Maximum total entries is 4; please leave a separate comment for each entry):
1st extra entry: Blog about this contest then post your link in the comment section.
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I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. Thanks to TLC Book Tours for including me in this book tour. (View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)

We Give Books - Read For My School

I thought I'd take a break from our busy Valentine's Day and let you know about a special campaign for public schools. Starting today, Feb. 14, the We Give Books website is running a new literacy campaign, "Read for My School." It's a really good way for kids to help out their schools and get a little reading in at the same time. Depending on the number of books kids read online, schools can earn up to 500 books.
More information here: http://www.wegivebooks.org/campaigns/rfms

We Give Books is a wonderful online resource for digital children's books. It's free although parents and teachers must first register before kids can read books. The website is run by the Pearson Foundation, and every time a child reads a book on the site the foundation in turn provides books to various literacy groups -- a win/win for all. Several Penguin and DK Publishing books, both non-fiction and fiction, are available for children to read and the books are appropriate for various levels up to age 10. Both my kids love looking at all the books online and I'm surprised at the number of popular books available like the Llama Llama books and The Snowy Day. My son especially loves the new book based on a true story, Little Dog Lost by Mônica Carnesi.

Even if your child doesn't attend a public school, make sure to take a look. You can help support other campaigns such as Support My School India and Tinga Tinga Tales Early Childhood Development Programme supporting children in Africa. And all the while your child will benefit as well!