Adventures in Odyssey Imagination Station Books ~ Review and Giveaway

Our family has a HUGE love for all things that go along with the Adventures in Odyssey Imagination Station from Focus on the Family. We have all of their audio cd compilations and they have accompanied us on all of our road trips…or just going to town trips. And don’t tell the kids, but I’m just as hooked on the adventures and characters as they are!

Our kids also love to read and when we saw there was a new book series based on the Imagination Station, I was on Amazon immediately to check them out. We ordered the newest book, Problems in Plymouth to read together and were hooked!

The Imagination Station books were written to introduce early elementary readers to the world of Adventures in Odyssey. Because there were very few Christian children’s historical fiction series focused toward that reading level, it seemed the perfect target audience. The result was pure fun, imagination and entertainment mixed in with a bit of history and learning!

The two latest books in the series, Showdown with the Shepherd and Problems in Plymouth have been much fun as read-alouds and individual reading in our house. One of our girls has been reading us a chapter {or more} a day at lunchtime so we can all be part in the historical adventures.

Showdown with the Shepherd takes place in tenth century BC and follows Patrick and Beth as they try to find a stolen ring. During their adventure they see firsthand the story of David and Goliath unfold and learn more about the importance of Faith. In Problems in Plymouth, Patrick and Beth travel back in time to the Plymouth Plantation in 1621. During their trip they meet several key historical figures including William Bradford, Miles Standish, and Chief Massasoit.

Our Thoughts

While we did start reading with book six, Problems in Plymouth, the kids liked going back to the beginning of the series to see how it all unfolded. Each of the books can stand alone, but knowing how the adventure all began made the books even more fun.

Each of the books has around fifteen chapters with black and white illustrations throughout the story to help keep children’s attention. Sentences are shorter in length and focus on a younger reading level {ages 7 and up} to help reluctant readers.

I love that this series incorporates history, adventure and imagination all from a Christian perspective. Our kids have enjoyed similar non-Christian series {Magic Treehouse}, but as the other series progressed there were elements that we really didn’t like so we stopped reading them. Knowing Focus on the Family, their beliefs and their other products, I’m happy to add these books to our reading library and continue to support their company.

Find Out More

Parents and children can also visit TheImaginationStation.com to find out secret words, family devotionals, parent guides and more that tie in with each of the books in the series. The website also lists what is true and/or exaggerated for each of the books along with additional links to characters in the stories.

The Imagination Station books are available for purchase through Amazon and are reasonably priced at $4.99/each. These are definitely books that we will continue to add to our library as they are released. The books are intended for the ages 7 and up, although we read them out loud with our kids and enjoyed them as a family {ages 5 and up}.
There are two new books coming in early 2012 as well ~ Secret of the Prince’s Tomb  {available for pre-order} and Mystery of Starlight Island.

The Giveaway!!!

Focus on the Family and Tyndale offered to giveaway a set of SIX of the Imagination Station books to one of my readers!! You all are going to love these! To enter, simply follow the directions in the widget below. You can earn multiple entries, so start clicking to enter!

 
I received a set of books from Tyndale to review in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not paid for this post and do not need to return the books. Prior to receiving the books, I had already purchased two of the books for my own personal use.

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• Red Wagon Tutorials….Science classes for junior and senior high
• Little Passports ~ This holiday give your child a glimpse of the world!

The Adventures of Munford ~ Review & Giveaway

 

Have you ever looked at a droplet of rain and wondered where that tiny droplet has been or come from? Maybe it was a local stream, a river far away or somewhere across the ocean. What if you could see and hear what that water droplet had seen?

 

Meet Munford. He’s two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen ~ a water molecule. He has traveled the world as rain, sleet, steam and has seen some amazing things in his lifetime. Munford brings your child along on his travels, teaching geography, history, science and more in The Adventures of Munford book series by Jamie Aramini.

 

When we received the set of books in the mail, McKenna walked off with the books and started reading them right away. She is currently reading the third book in the series and really enjoying them! We know she is absorbing the info, because we constantly hear about Munford during the day.

 

One night at dinner {and in the midst of reading The American Revolution}, McKenna shouted out ~ “Watch out! You might be drinking Munford!”…which then started everyone giggling and laughing. I love the creative twist on history that the series offers along with an imaginative narrator. So far McKenna has learned about The American Revolution, learned about an inventor in Munford Meets Robert Fulton, and is currently exploring with Munford Meets Lewis and Clark. The last book on her list is The Klondike Gold Rush.

 

Find Out More

Each of the books is published by Geography Matters and sells for $8.95. From now until the end of October, you can get 4 books for the price of 3 with the coupon code 4MUNFORD43. The books are written for all ages, but reading level is around a 3rd – 5th grade level. We could definitely use these as read-alouds for our younger boys {and most likely will!}.

The Giveaway

Geography Matters has generously offered to give away a full set of the books to one of my readers!!

I’m trying out a new giveaway system that should make this a much easier process, so hang in there and follow the directions in the widget below {you will need javascript to view the widget}.



 
I received four books from Geography Matters to review and provide my honest opinion, and in this case, my daughter’s too. I do not have to return the products and I was not paid for this post.

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Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids {Review}

Our house is littered with dictionaries for the kids ~ all ages and stages. One thing that we didn’t have until recently was a great Bible dictionary for them. A little something that would help them {and maybe me as a mom} find the definition or significance of things in the Bible that they don’t understand.

Because I don’t always have quick answers to their questions about what a denarius is…or what the names of the twelve disciples are. With the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids we have a great resource on hand to help answer some of those questions that do come up.

The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids is based on two other great resources: the Holman Bible Dictionary and the Holman Pocket Bible Dictionary and has a wonderful cross between real pictures and illustrations to help bring Biblical terms and places to life for kids.

Additional features of the Bible Dictionary include illustrated charts of Bible animals, insects, and plants; reconstructions of Biblical cities and buildings; charts of the names of Jesus and apostles; definitions of key Bible terms and pronunciation guides to those hard-to-say words.

Our Thoughts

Laurianna has been the one primarily using it and when I asked her what she liked about it, these were a few of the things that she said she really liked about the Holman Bible Dictionary for Kids:

~ nice pictures that are bright and colorful

~ pronunciations of the words so she knew how to say them

~ easy to find words with the letters alphabetized on the side of the page.

~ references along with the entries, telling you where you can find more about that topic

Overall, this is a book that we’ll keep handy on our bookshelf because it will definitely be useful in our studies.

Find Out More

You can get a sneak peek inside the book at the B&H Publishing site and download a pdf sample of the book. You can also purchase the book {$14.99} directly from their website.

Target age: 5 to 10 years old

The Trouble With Treasure ~ Kregel Publications {Review}

The name Susan Marlow is apparently well-known in homeschool circles for her Circle C Adventure series.

Is it wrong to say that up until this point I was not familiar with her writing? When the newest book in the Circle C Adventures showed up in our mailbox, it was officially the first time that I took notice of her books.

I have a feeling that we’ll be looking into more of these books, especially since she is working on some early readers that I know will be right up McKenna’s alley.

From the Publisher

When innocent horseplay temporarily lands Andi and her friends in jail, they decide that a trip into the mountains will leave their troubles far behind. Accompanied by big brother Mitch and armed with a map showing old gold diggings, they can;t wait to strike it rich. What could be better than two weeks of camping and horseback riding?

But instead of gold they find heaps of trouble -- trouble that leaves Mitch gravely wounded. Andi needs help fast. But who can she trust? And what good is a bag of gold when her beloved brother lies near death in the middle of nowhere?

About the Publisher & Author

Kregel Publications is a Christian company that is dedicated to providing books, videos and other resources for the spiritual growth of readers worldwide. Currently, they have over 900 titles available in print, for children up to adult age.

Susan Marlow started writing stories when she was about ten years old. With the publication of the first book in my Circle C Adventures, Andrea Carter and the Long Ride Home, she discovered that is really is more fun to share her stories with others then to keep them to herself! She currently has five books in the Circle C Adventure series and also has early readers in the works. You can visit her at her website ~ Circle C Adventures.

My Thoughts

Trouble with Treasure {recommended ages are 8-12} was on the higher end of where Laurianna felt comfortable reading on her own, so it is one that we are reading together. The story involves girls and horses…so really, that should be enough said when you are thinking about what young girls like to pretend and learn about. :) Even though we received the fifth book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone, without needing to read the first four to understand the plot/characters.

I love that there is a complimentary unit study guide to go along with the book too! These books would be great to use as unit studies and A Journey through Learning also has lapbooks that go along with each of the books in the series.

Find Out More

Andrea Carter and the Trouble with Treasure is available from Kregel Publications for $7.99. You can read an excerpt of the book here. A complimentary unit study guide is also available .

If you would like to learn more about Kregel Publications and see some of the other books that the company offers, visit their site and browse through their many books.

 

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This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Terrestria Chronicles {Review}

King Emmanuel rules over the kingdom of Terrestria ~ a land that was peaceful until Argamor, the King’s chief musician tried to take over the kindgom. Although he was defeated, Argamor contines to stir up trouble over the years, enslaving many of the King’s subjects ~ still hoping to overthrow the King.

The Terrestria Chronicles allegory series was written with a three-fold purpose: to honor Jesus Christ as King, to challenge young readers to love and serve Him, and to teach them to guard their hearts for Him. The focus of the series is always on the King.

Terrestria Chronicles is a seven book series, but each of the books are able to be read independently from the others. The Sword, the Ring, and the Parchment {Book 1} tells the story of young Josiah, a slave to Argamor who is rescued by King Emmanuel and adopted into the Royal Family. Prince Josiah is on journey in The Quest for Seven Castles {Book 2}, but is unprepared for many of the temptations he faces and realizes the importance of following the Book he was given and listening to the voice of the Dove.

My Thoughts

We received the first two books in the series to read and our kids. I haven’t read them out loud to the kids yet because I wanted to screen them first, but they will be ones that I know our children will enjoy. For now they will be read-alouds so that I can monitor a little better some of the content I present to them ~ because the books do not gloss over the darkness and depravity that sin causes.

The recommended age for reading is ages 10 and up and I would definitely agree. At the conclusion of each book there is a glossary section for some of the different terms as well as the ABC’s {Admit, Believe and Confess} of salvation. 

Find Out More

You can purchase the entire Terrestria Chronicles series for $39.99.  Books may also be purchased individually for $7.99. A study guide is also available for $5.99. There are free coloring pages for kids to work while families are reading the stories aloud.

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This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Seasons of Faith ~ Children’s Bible Hour {Review}

Our children really enjoy listening to audio books while we run errands and just drive around town. We have a wide variety of books that we like to listen too, and many times I find myself enjoying the books {as much as the quiet that ensues when all the kids are listening!}.  Children’s Bible Hour Ministries recently sent us the Seasons of Faith book series to review with our kids.

Seasons of Faith

This series is intended to encourage children in their walks with God and each book focuses on a ‘season’ in our walks. Each book in the series is beautifully illustrated and includes an audio CD telling of the story.

Each book in the series is beautifully illustrated and includes an audio CD telling of the story. From the website, here is a description of each of the stories:

“Becky spends spring break on her cousin Sarah’s horse farm in Montana. Taking horse rides amidst the beautiful mountains and valleys, Becky tries to share her faith with Sarah as she talks about God’s creation. Will Sarah listen?”

 

“Adam and his new friend Zack decide to build a tree fort one warm summer day. After zooming down a hill and falling into a muddy pond, Zack asks Adam about going to church and salvation. Will Adam be able to explain his faith to Zack?”

 

“Batter up! When Brad accidentally breaks the ice cream shop’s sign, the owner forgives Brad. But when his best friend Doug ruins Brad’s favorite baseball cap, will he be able to forgive Doug?”

“When Thomás moves away from his neighborhood and into a mobile home in his grandparents’ backyard, he misses his friends. There’s nothing to do around the apple orchard with no friends, his dad works a lot, and his little brother was hurt in an accident. All his sister wants to do is play with her dolls. Will Thomás be able to rely on God to get through the difficult times?”

My Thoughts

For our family, these books have brought up some great ‘discussion’ questions, but have especially encouraged our children to reach out to their friends and talk more about their love for God ~ which has been very wonderful to see. Somehow hearing the children in the stories talk with their friends about God triggered something in our two oldest and gave them a little boost of confidence to more openly talk with several neighborhood children about coming to church with them.

The Children’s Bible Hour website also provides a list of discussion questions that can be used to go along with each of the books in the series.

Find Out More

Each book in the series is available for $10. When you use the code FREESHIPAPR15 between March 17 and April 15, 2010, you can receive free standard shipping with the purchase of the 4 book set.

 

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This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Zeezok Publishing

Zeezok Publishing recently sent me a few of their classic composer series to use with our girls. In all honesty, it was a nice little break from our current studies and a little something different for us to help with the winter ‘blahs’ that Mommy was going through in planning.

We received two composer sets {Foster and MacDowell} and each set includes a biography focused on a composer {written in chapter book format}, a coordinating study guide chocked full of notes for the teacher, and a cd-Rom that has music from the composer along with a few printables. The study guides include timelines, maps, comprehension questions and more detailed information on the composer ~ tidbits that are not included in the book itself.

The biographies {$12.95} feature pen and ink drawings throughout the book and are focused toward elementary aged students {Laurianna had no difficulty reading the text, but it was above McKenna’s reading level @ 2nd grade}. The biographies also include snippets of the composer’s music and the companion cd {$7.95} also has printable music.

While the study guides {$4.95} offer much information on the composer’s, they do not have a ‘lesson plan’ format, so you will have to put together your own weekly plan. We found the chapter’s were a little long to do in one sitting {without having someone getting distracted}, so I pre-read Edward MacDowell and His Cabin in the Pines and we would stop at various places in the book to break it up a little bit more.

Overall the study was a great little break for us from our regular routine and our girls were especially interested since they had recently started piano lessons and now feel they may someday be a famous piano player. :)

Zeezok Publishing also offers a variety of other products, including penmanship programs and a series of books on the Civil War.  The composer sets are range in price from $30.90 to $35.80 each. Sets include a companion CD for free {$7.95 value}.

 

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This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Homeschool Library Builder ~ Fill Your Shelves!!

Last year I reviewed the site Homeschool Library Builder and wanted to share a little of the information with you all again ~ especially a great sale that is coming up this weekend!

Homeschool Library Builder is a site that helps you fill your homeschool library shelves with quality literature ~ at affordable prices. They carry a large variety of books {out of print and current} and organize their books by category making books quick and easy to find. It is a site run by two homeschool moms with a love of books and an understanding of providing excellent literature to families.

Here are a few of my favorite features of the site:

• A handy search feature to search for books for books related to a specific curricula: Beautiful Feet, Sonlight, Five in A Row, Tapestry of Grace...very nice!!
• Ability to search for books by country/geographic region (which I am LOVING!!)
• Spotlight on the season: ideas and suggestions for the upcoming season that includes crafts, lesson plans and other resources.
• New arrivals ~ a listing of all of the books that have recently been added to the site

Speaking of sales, you might want to mark this one down! This Superbowl Sunday {February 7, 2010}, you have the opportunity to take up to 35% off your order and help a great ministry that is supporting relief efforts in Haiti.

Homeschool Library Builder is already offering a 20% off your entire order sale for the entire month of February, but will send you a coupon for an additional 15% off on Superbowl Sunday when you make a donation of any amount to Heartline Ministries.



Head on over to Homeschool Library Builder to check out their stacks of books and see if there are any you’ve been looking to add to your library! You can also sign up to receive their newsletter which will alert you to special sales they have in the future.

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This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Bertie's War ~ Kregel Publications {Review}

From the Publisher

Everything has been going wrong for Bertie lately.

  No matter how hard she tries to do and say the right thing, Bertie keeps tumbling into embarrassing--and sometimes dangerous--situations. Her stern father has too many rules, her know-it-all sister won't stop teasing her, and her mischievous younger brother keeps getting into trouble. But what makes her really afraid are those Communist missiles pointed right at the U.S. As Bertie starts seventh grade in the fall of 1962, news of these missiles throws the nation into a panic and Bertie suddenly feels completely out of control. Can Bertie confront an ugly truth about herself and face her fears--once and for all?

About the Publisher & Author

Kregel Publications is a Christian company that is dedicated to providing books, videos and other resources for the spiritual growth of readers worldwide. Currently, they have over 900 titles available in print, for children up to adult age.

Barbara Blakely is a familiar name in homeschool circles and a nationally recognized speaker. She is the also the author of Total Language Plus, a literature-based language arts program.

My Thoughts

Bertie's War was above our girls reading level {recommended ages are 10-14}, so I was the one who sat down to read it. I'm not aware of many juvenile fiction books that focus on the cold-war era, so I was interested to read the book. The setting is the fall of 1962 and follows a young girl named Bertie as she walks through her many fears.

While the topic interested me, I had a rather difficult time really getting into the book itself. The book itself is well written, but it wasn't one that I personally enjoyed. However, because of the era of history that it covers, it would be a book to consider adding to learn more about the Cuban Missile Crisis. Discussion questions for Bertie's War as well as a teacher's guide are also available for download from the Total Language Plus website.

Find Out More

Bertie's War is available from Kregel Publications for $7.99. If you would like to learn more about Kregel Publications and see some of the other books that the company offers, visit their site and browse through their many books.

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This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have
to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post.
All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Giveaway #2 ~ Jotham’s Journey

This Giveaway is now CLOSED!

Arnold Ytreeide, author of the Jotham’s Journey trilogy, has donated a copy of Jotham’s Journey and also Bartholomew’s Passage for two of my readers! Please read through for the complete details on this great giveaway!

Last year our family was introduced to a wonderful advent book for families, called Jotham’s Journey. The book had originally been published years ago and gone out of print ~ until last year when the series began to be republished. There are three books in the Advent trilogy and each book is written in a devotional style for families to sit down together and read a bit of the suspenseful story each day and then finish with a short devotional story. The books can be read in a 3 year cycle, each one telling a story from a different child’s perspective, but resulting in the same thing ~ an exciting retelling of the Christmas story.

I will admit that I get pulled into the story {and even read ahead!!}. The stories are targeted for children ages 9-12, but we started reading them last year with our girls {ages 6 and 7} and they LOVED them. This year as we’ve been reading the second book in the series, Bartholomew’s Passage, they are remembering the characters from the book last year and beginning to see how they all fit together.

Jotham’s Journey

The first book in the series follows Jotham, a ten year old boy, as he searches for his family after he had run away in anger. During his trip to find his family, Jotham is helped by many different people and makes many new friends, ultimately bringing him to Bethlehem during the height of the census time.

Bartholomew’s Passage

The second book in the series follows the story of Bartholomew after his town is raided by Roman soldiers and he is sold as a slave. He is rescued by a Fool and begins an exciting travel that leads him to Bethlehem…I’d tell you more, but we’re in the midst of reading this one!!

Tabitha’s Travels

This last book in the trilogy focuses on Tabitha and is scheduled to be re-released in the Summer/Fall of 2010. Jotham meets Tabitha in his travels and this book tells the story from her perspective. {We can’t wait for this one either!}.

Note: While older children may be okay with some of the content, there are some situations in the stories that are a little more intense for younger listeners. When reading to our kids, I would either pre-read or scan the stories, editing out anything that was too much for them at the time.

The Giveaway!!

Arnold Ytreeide has donated two different books ~ Jotham’s Journey and Bartholomew’s Passage and I will draw a winner for each of the titles. There are several ways for you to enter this giveaway, but there is one mandatory first entry: leave a comment here letting me know if your family celebrates Advent together or if you have any traditions for Advent {it’s okay if you don’t!!}.

Note: US Residents only, please!

If you would like to earn extra entries {you can earn 2 extra entries}, leave a comment for each of the following:

• If you are a subscriber to my blog, give yourself an extra entry! Thanks so much! If you don’t subscribe, hop on board and leave a comment. :)
• Head over to the JerichoQuill site and find out what the special family Easter adventure is ~ come back here and leave a comment letting me know what it is! {it’s one that I am keeping an eye out for since it hasn’t been released yet!}

This giveaway will be open until Monday, December 14th until 8pm and I will announce the winner by Wednesday, December 16th. Please be sure there is a way for me to contact you ~ otherwise I will draw another winner.

I own this product and was not paid for this post.
All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Sarah's Wish ~ Sarah Books {Review}

During the peak of the Underground Railroad, Sarah's mother, Rachel, helped by opening her home to slaves as a stop along the 'railroad'. When Rachel is killed in a buggy accident, Sarah promises to continue helping the 'packages' arrive safely at their destinations and do all that she can to continue the care of the slaves.

Sarah is an orphan though, and she still needs to find a family. She is taken in by Granny Evans until a more permanent family can be found, but she still has the responsibility of guarding her mother's secret.

About the Author

Jim Baumgardner is a grandfather of nine who wrote the books for his homeschooled grandchildren. This excerpt from a letter that he sent along with the book sums up so much {and says it much better than I could!}:

"The Sarah Books are authored by me for my grandchildren. I say that so that you will know these books do not have any sex, profanity, or anything that would be offensive to young readers. I would never subject my grandchildren to such writing.

The books have been referred to as Christian fiction. I prefer to describe them as Young Adult fiction written by a Christian author. Sarah's faith is important to her and she lives by it, but the books do not try to convert the reader to anything. The stories do teach Christian principles of living a good life and treating others as you would have them treat you. I do not ignore the evil in the world and Sarah must confront it at times just as we all do."

Our Thoughts

Our girls have been reading and listening to Sarah's Wish by Jim Baumgardner over the last few weeks....and really enjoying it! At the back of the book is a code that unlocks a digital download of the files so you can listen to a reading of the story.

Laurianna has been reading the story as part of her independent reading time {3rd grade}, but the book was a little over McKenna's reading level {2nd grade}, so she is happy to have the audio version and be a part of the 'review'. As we've run errands and travel we have the audio version {about 4 hours long}, playing in the van for the kids and me to listen too. The audio version is read by one person who uses different voices for characters, which the kids think is hilarious.

The girls love period/historical books, so this book has been a lot of fun for them to read and listen too. Both thought the book was a little sad at first because Sarah's mother died, but quickly were wrapped up in the storyline.They have really enjoyed it and I'm glad to add another audio book to our listening library that will also teach the kids historical facts.

Learn More

If you'd like to learn more about Sarah's Wish and other books in the series, you can visit Sarah Books online. Sarah's Wish is available directly from the company {$9.99 w/ free s/h} or through Amazon. If you order directly from the company, you'll receive an autographed copy. Be sure to check out the other books in the Sarah series ~ Sarah's Promise and Sarah's Escape.

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Thank the FTC...As a member of the Homeschool Crew, I was given this product to review,
and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post.
All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Hank the Cowdog {Review}

Until recently I hadn't heard anything about Hank the Cowdog and came to realize that I've apparently been living somewhere way EAST of the cowboy land where Hank resides. Hank is pretty popular in homeschool circles, so I was anxious to see some of products from Maverick Books and find out what our kids thought of Hank.

Hank the Cowdog is Head of Ranch Security on a Texas ranch. He leads a variety of characters {in the truest sense of the word} in many adventures around the property. Hank is the creation of John Erickson, a former cowboy and ranch manager, who loves to tell stories and created the series to share a little of ranch life with families.

We received a pack of products to review, including Hank's Tales and Tunes cd, the book The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse and Hank's Tornado game ($12.99). Hank's Tales and Tunes ($3.00) is a compilation cd that introduces many of the characters from the Hank series and is done is a 'radio drama' style. There are excerpts from ten various stories as well as nine songs sung by different characters. John Erickson is the voice behind the characters and the cd sound effects are great {running time is 68 minutes}.

In The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse ($4.24) Hank discovers that bacon grease does not make a good breakfast, little girls can be a good thing {even if they dress you up}, and putting your life on the line to help someone can be painful but rewarding. The writing style is very laid-back but extremely kid friendly and funny.

The girls and I enjoyed playing the Tornado game together to see who could get their three Hank characters around the board first. It's great for 2-4 players ages 5+. The game board travels well too, because it folds up and the pieces store inside the board. Hank's Tornado game also includes a 30 minute cassette tape with excerpts from The Case of the Swirling Killer Tornado.

Overall, the products were great {and we will definitely use and play the game}, but for our family the book and cd are off limits at this point. I popped the cd in for the kids to listen to in the van, but found myself flipping past tracks because of the words and phrases the characters use {stupid, idiot, dumb, what the heck}. After the last phrase was said on the cd, I pulled it out and we had a talk about things that we don't say - and why. Unfortunately, there are now two little mouths walking around the house and saying 'What the heck?' quite a bit, so we are having to handle that.

If your child is a little older and might not be as...impressionable as our younger ones, you might want to check out your local library for some of the Hank books and take advantage of the Hank's Tales and Tunes cd to hear the songs and stories for yourself. You can also read more about Hank the Cowdog and explore his ranch too!

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As a member of the Homeschool Crew, I was given this product to review,
and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post.
All opinions expressed in this post are mine.