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Showing posts with label homeschoolers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschoolers. Show all posts

Friday, April 11, 2014

Book Review: Quincy and the Buck by Camille Matthews; Illustrated by Michelle Black

Fears, we all have them it’s how we handle them and learn to overcome these fears that make us strong. People are not the only ones that fall prey to their own fears, bullies and wild animals that scare us. Animals sense danger and might shy away from snakes, alligators or coyotes or even deer. Meet Quincy as beautiful red horse whose coat is the color of a shiny new penny and whose mane and tail were long and shiny. Quincy was a special horse that belonged to Cam who loved riding him. His home was a small barn near a magnificent desert. Just like people have best friends so does Quincy. Quincy’s best horse pal is Beau. Their stalls were next to each other and they were able to share their thoughts with each other. Living near an apple orchard with three apple trees illustrated in the book you can practically smell the apples and yearn for a taste.

Trail riding is something that Quincy never did and hoped to learn really soon. But, he was fearful of what he might find when leaving the comforts of his farm. Next to the barn was a great place for trail riding but although he dreamed and imagined himself on a long dusty trail in the desert, hoping to feel the crunch of sand under his hooves, and the wind blowing on his mane, he was afraid. He thought long and hard about what could go wrong and what might happen when he left the safety of his corral. What would he do if he encountered a deer or even a cougar?

Friends confide in each other and Quincy confided in Beau. Beau is a really great friend and explained to him that he needed to go out and face the surprises or he will never become brave. Staying home would not make him brave and wild animals are often just as afraid of you as you are of them. So, go out and follow a more experienced horse and he should be fine.

Just like a small child or even a teen he asked himself what else could happen if he went out in the desert or even someone going away to school for the first time or taking riding lessons. Quincy had little time to ask more questions when Cam put Beau’s saddle on him and the next thing he knew he and Cathy’s with her horse Buck were on their way to a trail ride.

Quincy is a great horse and even though he was afraid he managed to follow Buck and imitate his movements. But, Buck was mean and when he realized what he was doing you have to see the look he gave him. Well you can when you go to the page opposite the word BULLY and see just what he did to make Quincy even more afraid. But, Cathy would not stand for it and Quincy learned a new word: Bully. Now, he would learn the meaning.

Enter the trail, see the Mushroom People, check out their faces and see how the tower over the desert and then watch Quincy try to walk on rocks trying not to trip or fall. Quincy really wanted to be friends with Buck but Buck would not have it and what he does will let young readers know just what happens when someone wants to be mean and is a real Bully.

Watch what Cathy does and how she tries to teach Buck a lesson and then find out what Cam does when Quincy’s bridle breaks. The magnificent illustrations tell the story in their own way for young readers that cannot read. Cathy made sure that the two horses stayed away from each other but Quincy just wanted to be friends. Friendships are special and Beau and Quincy prove to young readers that friends can help you understand your fears and overcome them. Quincy is anxious to get back out on the trail with Cam: Let’s hope she writes another adventure for him and maybe next time Buck will come along as his friend.

Fran Lewis: reviewer

  • Age Range: 5 - 7 years
  • Grade Level: Kindergarten - 2
  • Series: Quincy the Horse Books
  • Hardcover: 40 pages
  • Publisher: Pathfinder Equine Publications (March 15, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0981924042
  • ISBN-13: 978-0981924045

Available in Ebook and Hard Cover (only 5 available for review)

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Crosley Speak Night Buddies Adventures Contest!

Calling all Night Buddies Adventurers! Author Sands Hetherington is writing his third book in the Night Buddies Adventures chapter book series for kids and would like your help in getting John and Crosley started on their next Adventure After Lights-Out. 

Crosley is looking for new words to add to his expansive vocabulary and he needs your help. Just come up with a new expression and its meaning for Crosley Speak! See the list of Uncommon Words for inspiration. And who knows? The winning words could end up in Book Three of the Night Buddies Adventures series. Excelsior! 

In order to be eligible you will need to . . . 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you need some help with ideas on what Crosley Speak is? Check out this list of words to get your brain gears turning.


If you haven’t discovered the Night Buddies Adventures series of chapter books yet, that’s okay! Let us tell you a bit about them and you can join us on this exciting “program”—that’s Night Buddies speak for adventure.
The first book in the Night Buddies Adventures series, Night Buddies and the Pineapple Cheesecake Scare, is about the nighttime adventures of a young boy named John, who is not ready to go to sleep, and his friend, a bright red crocodile named Crosley who turns up under John’s bed. 
They sneak out of John’s house using Crosley’s “I-ain’t-here-doodad” which makes them invisible to John’s parents. Then they embark on an adventure chasing down enemies and cleaning up one mess after another as they solve the earthshaking mystery: who stole all the pineapple cheesecakes from the only factory in the world that makes them! 

Night Buddies, Impostors, and One Far-Out Flying Machine, the second book in the Night Buddies Adventures series, has a ton of mischief going on all over the Borough, done by a red crocodile and causing confusion and hard feelings everywhere. It’s up to John to help prove Crosley isn’t the red crocodile behind this madness. 

Make friends and enter to win some fabulous prizes! 



Winner #1 will receive a $25 Amazon gift card and signed copies of both titles in these Adventures After Lights-Out escapades.
Winner #2 will receive signed copies of both titles in these Adventures After Light-Out escapades.
Winner #3 will receive a copy of Night Buddies, Impostors, and One Far-Out Flying Machine.
Winner #4 will receive a copy of Night Buddies and the Pineapple Cheesecake Scare.
Winner #5 will receive eBooks of both titles in these Adventures After Lights-Out escapades.

Want to let all your friends know how to join the Night Buddies Adventures? All you have to do is post the Book Lovers Blog Hop below to your blog. Promote the Book Lovers Hop and the Night Buddies Adventures contest on any social network. Tweet it once a day, share it on Facebook and then follow back others who leave you a comment. By joining the Book Lovers Blog Hop, you are automatically entered in the Night Buddies Adventures contest!

Hop Rules:
  1. Follow the Top link of the hop! Hop Host: Families Matter
  2. Grab the button for the hop and place it in a post, sidebar or on a blog hop page and let us know where it is in the comments section below. This will help the hop grow and gain new followers for all of us. It's a Win-Win for everyone!
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Please play nice and follow our simple rules! Make sure to FOLLOW AT LEAST ONE PERSON and as many other blogs as you'd like to have more follow back. This is what makes the Book Lovers Blog Hop so successful. If you're not willing to Follow, please don't link up.

Remember, you must to leave a comment here with your new Crosley Word to enter the contest and win of the FIVE fabulous prizes!

Book Lovers Blog Hop is Open…
Saturday March 2nd at 12am MST!




If you want to become a World of Ink Host and do a review or interview, shoot me an email: vsgrenier@gmail.com

Please make sure you Follow the Top Link of Hop if you want to link up!

Note: You can use all or parts of this post for your post about the Book Lovers Blog Hop.

The Night Buddies Adventures series of chapter books is juvenile fiction (much like the Captain Underpants series) for ages 7 and up.

Places where the Nights Buddies books are available for sale:
Amazon.com, BN.com, and in all fine bookstores.
(Dune Buggy Press titles are distributed by Delphi Distribution and are set up with wholesalers Ingram and Baker & Taylor.)

You can find out more about Author Sands Hetherington, Illustrator Jessica Love, and the Night Buddies series World of Ink Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/bysdkbv

Follow the Night Buddies at:
Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/nightbuddies
Twitter: @Night_Buddies
Publisher Website: www.dunebuggypress.com