Penny & Rio: The Diamond Collar Adventure Review & Giveaway

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If you have been a reader of mine for a while, you might remember me posting a review of the Penny & Rio book series before. If you don't remember, or weren't around then, HERE is my review to catch you up on the books.

Guess what!? Penny & Rio, the detective dogs are at it again! This time, in a action-filled case called The Diamond Collar Adventure! My boys absolutely love reading the Penny & Rio books! They love the dogs like they are their own! The action and adventure really gets and keeps their attention! There isn't much that can do that!

Penny & Rio: The Diamond Collar Adventure
 A new adventure! The dynamic canine detectives, Penny and Rio, escape from the backyard for the first time in search of a valuable diamond collar lost by Hannah, the beautiful show dog. During their search for the misplaced treasure, they encounter Ted, the loveable and energetic collie, Sarge, the belligerent and forceful German shepherd, and an obstacle of epic proportions. But just when if feels like Penny has reached the end of the adventure, the prize is ripped from her grasp. Solving this new problem will take all the ingenuity and determination these dog detectives can muster. 





For more information about author, Jennifer Swanson, the Penny & Rio series, and where to order, visit the website! Also, to celebrate the launch of the third book there is a Penny & Rio contest! Create a jeweled collar for your dog and you could win some fantastic prizes! Click the link I provided and get started today!!

                                                                                WIN IT                                                                        
One (1) lucky reader will Penny & Rio: The Diamond Collar Adventure, signed by author Jennifer Swanson!

                                                                  MANDATORY ENTRY                                                        
Visit Penny & Rio and tell me something you learned.  Please be sure to leave your email address in the first entry. I don't want to have to search for it! *You MUST do the mandatory entry! All bonus entries will be deleted if it's not done first!*

                                                                      BONUS ENTRIES                                                             
Leave separate comments for each entry

1 Extra Entry-
Follow me on Twitter

Follow Penny & Rio on Twitter
'Like' me on Facebook

'Like' Penny & Rio on Facebook and leave a comment telling them I sent you
Add my blog to your blogroll
Enter another one of my giveaways. 1 entry for each.

2 Extra Entries-
Subscribe to my blog via email
Grab my button and tell me where to find it

Follow me via GFC

8 Extra Entries-

Blog about this giveaway and tell me where to find it

Daily Entries-
Tweet about this giveaway. 3 tweets per day. Please do not tweet all together!

RT #Win the 3rd book in the Penny and Rio series from @USCGWifey and @JenSwanBooks  #Giveaway ends 9/26 http://bit.ly/bgzwZA

                                                                             RULES                                                                        
Giveaway ends September 26, 2010 @ 12 (midnight) CST
Winner(s) will be chosen via Random.Org., and contacted via email
Winner(s) have 48 hours to respond to the email or another winner(s) will be chosen
Open to US and Canada

Don't forget to thank a member of our MILITARY!

Book Review: What's It Like Living Green? & Giveaway

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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

These days, there's a lot of talk about living green, but doesanybody actually do it?

In What’s It Like Living Green? You’ll learn how other kids live green, along with tips on recycling, reusing and environmental awareness. Learn clean energy ideas as simple as putting on a sweater rather than turning up the heat. You’ll see how kids like you can save the earth. Meet a teenage girl who learned to drive with a car fueled by used cooking grease. Read about a boy who raised funds to build his first well to provide clean water for a whole village, when he was only seven years old. You will learn simple ways to help the environment, help others, and even earn some money.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Library of Congress Control Number: 2009900172

ISBN: 1-4392-2477-3

Printed in the United States of America on 30% recycled paper

Cover and Illustrations by Emma Austin

Cover format: Clarck Stewart

Book format: Jt Hollister

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jill Ammon Vanderwood is the 2008 Writer of the Year for the League of Utah Writers. She is the author of four children’s books: Through the Rug; Through the Rug 2: Follow that Dog; Stowaway: The San Francisco Adventures of Sara the Pineapple Cat, and she hopes to build environmental awareness with her first nonfiction, kid's book—What’s it Like Living Green: Kids Teaching Kids by the Way They Live. This book is the winner of the National Indie Excellence Award; The Teen Development Award and the Best Books 2009 Award. Jill grew up in Oregon, the third of eleven children. Jill and her husband Bill are parents of four and grandparents of six. They make their home in Utah. Jill loves going on adventures with her grandchildren, she loves to travel and tries to write something every day.

MY THOUGHTS

The book says for ages 9 and up. My boys are 4 and 5. It was still good though. I'm going through and reading it to them and expaining things the best I can to them. They really are learing from it. I think it's good to teach your children about living a more green lifestyle so that they and the generation after them can live in a more beautiful and healthy world. The book has 141 pages filled with lots of information. There are wonderful stories of kids who have made a difference. It really is inspiring.

BUT IT

The book sells on Amazon for $14.99

WIN IT

Jill is giving one of my readers the chance to win their very own copy of What's It Like, Living Green?!

**Mandatory Entry**

Go to Jill Vanderwood's website and leave me a comment telling me something that you learned, either about her, or the book. Please be sure to leave your email address in the first entry, or that it's visible on your profile.
*You MUST do the mandatory entry! All bonus entries will be deleted if it's not done first!*

**Bonus Entries**
{Leave separate comments for each entry}

1. Follow me on Twitter {1 entry}
2. Follow Jill on Twitter {1 entry}
3. Become a fan of Jill on Facebook {1 entry}
4. Subscribe to my blog {1 entry}
5. Grab my NEW button (old one doesn't count) and leave a link to where it's at {2 entries}
6. Follow my publicly on google friend connect {2 entry}
7. Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link to the post {5 entries}
8. Enter another one of my giveaways {1 entry per giveaway}
9. Add my blog to your blog roll {1 entry}
10. Tweet about this giveaway {3 tweets per day} Please don't tweet them all together! You can use this:

@USCGWifey is giving away a copy of What's It Like, Living Green? from @JillPickle11 ends 4/24 http://bit.ly/a5x31G

**Rules**
•Giveaway ends Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 12 (noon) CST
•Winner will be chosen via Random.Org., and contacted my email
•Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email or another winner will be chosen
•Open to US

Don't forget to thank a member of our MILITARY!

Book Review: There Was Once A Potato & Giveaway

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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Have you ever wondered...

What goes on behind your refrigerator's door closed door? All is well on Maple Street. Te confident and rather cocky Clamatoe Potato and his pals are chillin' until one day Alakazam Yam moves in and turns their icebox world upside down...

PRODUCT DETAILS

Publish Date: December, 2009

ISBN: 978-1-4327-3871-6

Format: 8.5x11 Color Paperback

Author: Ebony Haywood

Illustrated by: Bobbi Switzer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ebony Haywood is a poet. In 1996, her poem, There Was Once a Potato, won first place in the Los Angeles branch of the NAACP ACT-SO poetry competition. She lives in Los Angeles, California, where she is currently working on her next book. She enjoys writing clever and humerous poetry in the tradition of her favorite authors,  Dr. Suess and Shel Silverstein.

MY THOUGHTS

As you already know I have 2 boys ages 4 and 5. They LOVED this book! Everything was big and bright which kept their attention! Plus, the rhyming excited them. They are just starting to ask about things rhyming and this helped them out a lot. I read it the first time, and they automatically made me read it again!  Also, it was simple enough for them to understand the meaning of the book. I asked them what it was about and they were able to tell me without any trouble. The book had a really great message. It basically says not to fight, just work together. Having 2 boys, so close in age, this was great for them!

MY RATING

10/10

I found nothing to complain about!

BUY IT

The book can be found on Ebony's site, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble!

WIN IT

Ebony has kindly offered to give away a copy of There Once Was A Potato to one of my lucky readers!

**Mandatory Entry**

Leave me a comment giving me the best rhyme you've got! Come on don't be shy! I wont laugh...too much! :)  Please be sure to leave your email address in the first entry, or that it's visible on your profile.
*You MUST do the mandatory entry! All bonus entries will be deleted if it's not done first!*

**Bonus Entries**
{Leave separate comments for each entry}

1. Follow me on Twitter {1 entry}
2. Follow Ebony on Twitter {1 entry}
3. Follow Ebony's blog via GFC {1 entry}
4. Subscribe to my blog {1 entry}
5. Grab my NEW button (old one doesn't count) and leave a link to where it's at {2 entries}
6. Follow my publicly on google friend connect {2 entry}
7. Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link to the post {5 entries}
8. Enter another one of my giveaways {1 entry per giveaway}
9. Add my blog to your blog roll {1 entry}
10. Tweet about this giveaway {3 tweets per day} Please don't tweet them all together! You can use this:

@USCGWifey is giving away a copy of There Once Was A Potato from @EbonyHaywood ends 4/23  http://bit.ly/cPtgu9

**Rules**
•Giveaway ends Friday, April 23, 2010 at 12 (noon) CST
•Winner will be chosen via Random.Org., and contacted my email
•Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email or another winner will be chosen
•Open to US & Canada

Don't forget to thank a member of our MILITARY!

Book Review: Joe-Joe Nut & Biscuit Bill

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This was a cute book. I got to review, The Adventures of Joe-Joe Nut & Biscuit Bill Case#1: The Great Pie Catastrophe by Renee Hand. It had my kids attention because Joe-Joe and Biscuit are detectives. I loved that the book had chapters. That way, I could read a chapter every night and the boys would be left wanting more! I also loved that at the back of the book there was a section called animal facts and questions. My boys loved hearing about the animals and answering the questions!

Down in Acorn Valley, just before the 42nd Annual Pie Festival coud begin, a crime was committed. Someone stole Miss Cluck's Bueberry Pie that she was going to enter into the Pie Contest. Who did she call to come to her aid? She caled the best detectives in the valley of course, Joe-Joe Nut and Biscuit Bil Animals Detectives. As they discover clues and gather facts, the hunt beings and Jow-Joe and Biscuit follow animal tracks that lead them to four different suspects. Bears, ducks, frogs, raccoons...oh my! But who committed the crime? Use your deduction and reasoning skills to solve the case along with Joe-Joe and Biscuit. Learn about animal tracks and some of the animals who make them. Can the case be solved before the judging of the pies? Come find out in Book #1: The Great Pie Catastrophe.

I give the book a 3/5. I loved the story line and the animals facts and questions in the back. One thing my boys didn't like is that there were no pictures to look at. There was a picture at the beginning of each chapter, but that was it. My boys are 4 and 5, so they still like to see the colorful pictures on each page.

Renee Hand is an Award-Winning Romance Novelist and Children's Author. Please go check out her site to learn more about her and her books! Click HERE




Don't forget to thank a member of our MILITARY!

Book Reviews: Penny & Rio & Giveaway

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I had a wonderful opportunity to review 2 books written by Jennifer Swanson from her Penny & Rio series. My boys and I realy enjoyed reading these books together. These were the first books that I've read to them that had chapters. They loved that it had chapters because we would read a couple every night before bed, and they couldn't wait for the next night to see what happend next!

Jennifer based Penny & Rio off of 2 dogs that she owned. Guess what their names were. Ha, yup, Penny & Rio! Penny & Rio are always in search of adventure! Well, mostly Penny, but Rio steps in from time to time to help. My boys really loved that they were detectives! They usually run around the house saying that they are super agents, so they were totally into the mysteries in the books. Both books have won the Mom's Choice Awards, and I see why! I can't wait to see what happens next with those 2 loveable pups!

Penny & Rio: The Mysterious Backyard Meeting
Penny and Rio are two dogs who are complete opposites. enny is curious and always on the go, while Rio prefers a good nap. At their new house, Penny discovers that their backyard is the metting place for several different animals. Penny doesn't know why a cat, a groundhog, a squirrel, and an owl could possibly be meeting, but she knows she has to find out. She comes up with an ingenious plan for spying on them and discovers their plot. She has to stop them- but can she get her sister dog, Rio, to help her or will Rio decide that sleep is more important?
Follow along as these two pet detectives, Penny and Rio solve the first of many cases in Penny and Rio: The Mysterious Backyard Metting.

Penny & Rio: The Locked Doghouse Mystery
The crime-fighting dog duo of Penny and Rio are on the case again! Squeaky the mouse desperately needs thei help to recover his precious belongings from a locked doghouse next door. But will Hobbes, the Great Dane, who lives in the yard object? Through an inventive plan, the resourceful pair strive to solve this mystery. Can they recover Squeaky's belongings before the doghouse is destroyed? Follow along as the dynamic detectives, Penny and Rio, discover that they can do anyhing, as long as they work together.




~Buy It~
Go HERE to find out where and how to buy these wonderful books!

~Win It~
Trust me, if you have little ones, you are going to want these books! Jennifer is offering that chance for one of my readersto win a copy of the award winning book Penny & Rio: The Mysterious Backyard Meeting!

**Mandatory Entry**

Go to the Penny & Rio website and leave a comment telling me something you learned! Please be sure to leave your email address in the first entry, or that it's visible on your profile.
*You MUST do the mandatory entry! All bonus entries will be deleted if it's not done first!*

**Bonus Entries**
{Leave separate comments for each entry}

1. Follow me on Twitter {1 entry}
2. Follow Jennifer on Twitter {1 entry}
3. Become a fan of Jennifer on Facebook {1 entry}
4. Subscribe to my blog {1 entry}
5. Grab my button and leave a link to where it's at {2 entries}
6. Follow my publicly on google friend connect {1 entry}
7. Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link to the post {5 entries}
8. Enter another one of my giveaways {1 entry per giveaway}
9. Add my blog to your blog roll {1 entry}
10. Tweet about this giveaway {3 tweets per day} You can use this:

@USCGWifey is giving away a wonderful childrens book from @JenSwanBooks http://bit.ly/cx9oVB ends 4/3

**Rules**
•Giveaway ends Saturday, April 3, 2010 at 12 (noon) CST
•Winner will be chosen via Random.Org., and contacted my email
•Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email or another winner will be chosen
•Open to US

Don't forget to thank a member of our MILITARY!

Shushybye Review & Giveaway

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"It's bedtime boys."
"NOOOOO!!!" Let the crying begin!

That's how bedtime starts every night at my house! They DO NOT like the word 'bedtime'. I believe they think if they go to sleep, they are going to miss something very important. Which is never the case. So, when I got the chance to review Shushybye: Sleepover Surprise and Close Your Eyes CD, I was very intrigued and excited!

My boys and I enjoy reading together. The only problem is, even though I use different voice, they get tired of hearing the same voice. With Shushybye, they get to hear a lot of different voices, and I still get to be there and share that time with them! Last night, we popped the book CD into the player and cuddled up on the couch with the book. Well, that is until the music started playing and they got up to dance! Once the reading began, they sat there and listened to the whole story! Never once did they get bored! The pages are very colorful with wonderful illustrations. They really liked the fact that the cover would glow in the dark when I held it to the light for a minute! And, the cover is safe and nontoxic! After it was all over, they were excited to go to bed! They wanted to go make their Dream Wishes, and maybe even dream about going to see all the Shushies! They have already asked me today if we can read it again tonight!

The CD I got was also great! I put it on earlier in the evening while I was here on the computer. As soon as they heard the music, they came running! *INTERRUPTION*

Ha, my son just saw the CD cover here on my post and starting pointing and bouncing. So, we are listening now as I type! I really do love children's music. You can't help but sing along and dance! The CD is all about going to sleep, and why it's a good thing. So, I play it during the day and get them excited about going to bed. Isn't 'jammin' out' great!? Our favortie song is 'The Shushybye Bues', which is also featured in the book!

Shushybye is also on tour! The Shushybyes SUMMER DREAMIN' 2010 tour kicks off in June! They are starting off on the East Coast. For more information and ticket ordering, head on over to the website.

~Buy It~

Head on over to the Shushybye Shoppe and take a look around. You can get everything from the book, to the Shushy Plush Dolls! They are so cute!

~Win It~

Shushybye is offering the chance for one of my reader to win Shushybye: Sleepover Surprise & the Close Your Eyes CD!

**Mandatory Entry**

Leave a comment telling me some of the funny things you've told your child to get them to go to bed. OR go to the Shushybye website and tell me something you learned. Please be sure to leave your email address in the first entry, or that it's visible on your profile.

*You MUST do the mandatory entry! All bonus entries will be deleted if it's not done first!*

**Bonus Entries**

{Leave separate comments for each entry}

1. Follow me on Twitter {1 entry}

2. Follow Shushybye on Twitter {1 entry}

3. Become a fan of Shushybye on Facebook {1 entry}

4. Subscribe to my blog {1 entry}

5. Grab my button and leave a link to where it's at {2 entries}

6. Follow me publicly on google friend connect {1 entry}

7. Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link to the post {5 entries}

8. Enter another one of my giveaways {1 entry per giveaway}

9. Add my blog to your blog roll {1 entry}

10. Tweet about this giveaway {3 tweets per day} You can use this:

@USCGWifey is giving away a book & CD from @Shushybyeguy ends 3/25 http://bit.ly/dqXLOK

**Rules**

• 
  
  Giveaway ends Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 12 (noon) CST
• 
  
  Winner will be chosen via Random.Org., and contacted by email
• 
  
  Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email, or another winner will be chosen
• 
  
  Open to US & Canada only

Photos courtesy of Shushybye. This review was facilitated by TPRP. Thanks! These are my opinions, yours may differ.

Don't forget to thank a member of our MILITARY!