Life in the Sloth Lane by Lucy Cooke

Learn the secrets to contentment from the best in the world!

Life in the Sloth Lane is a little gift book stuffed full of inspirational quotes about contentment, mindfulness, and taking life as it comes. Interspersed are dozens of pictures of that most meditative of critters- the sloth, along with lots of neat facts about them.

I adore sloths! This little beasties were made for hugging, and they seem so gentle and good-natured. You really can’t look at a sloth without smiling. Who better to present these valuable life lessons? This would be a great coffee table book, or the perfect gift for any animal lover.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Workman Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

 

Stick Sketch School: Safari by Billy Attinger

A zany introduction to doodling and drawing stick figure animals!

These certainly aren’t  the ‘stick figures’ I grew up with! From sheep, monkeys, & koalas, to buffalo and many more Attinger takes you on a sketch safari to draw many different stick beasties. These figures are a bridging between simplistic stick figures and more detailed cartoon drawings. There’re even mythical critters like unicorns and dragons to try your hand at. The creature introduction usually has humourous comments, and a practise page follows. Each animal is shown several different ways, and with different expressions, so you can get a feel for them. All total, there are 10 chapters, looking at different biomes, such as Arctic, Outback, rainforest, and undersea.

I took a spin at drawing some of the critters. I found it easy enough to follow. I got very good at sheep 😆 This book is perfect for kids and adults alike, who wish to explore and practise stick sketching.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

 

Total Life Cleanse by Jonathan Glass

Drawing upon the traditions and wisdom of our global ancestors, Total Life Cleanse introduces a sleek and easy to follow cleansing to help detox the body. The book is divided into two parts. In the first, Glass gives us the why of cleansing. He shares his own experiences and investigations, delving into wisdom from the Vedas and other texts. Here concepts from ayurvedic medicine are introduced. Part two is the practical application of the cleanse. In addition to recipes and dietary information, exercises for emotional cleansing and meditation are presented.

Total Life Cleanse is a vibrant, holistic approach to helping the body detox. This is especially important to me, as I have a faulty liver that doesn’t process toxins correctly. I’m willing to try anything natural to help my body detox, and dietary changes have been the most important. I’m looking forward to trying out this cleansing method in full!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Inner Traditions for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

 

Traveling the Blue Road curated by Lee Bennett Hopkins

A haunting collection of poems surrounding the sea and those brave enough to voyage it.

Traveling the Blue Road is a collection of ocean-oriented poems curated by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Each poem-voyage is pair with stunning artwork. These poems range from Columbus’ travels, the Mayflower voyage, and the Irish potato famine, to slave ships and modern day refugee flights, among other topics.

While I greatly appreciated the beautiful poetry and artwork, my middle-of-the-road rating is due to the synopsis and marketing. It is billed as “a carefully curated collection of kid-friendly poetry about the ever inspiring subject of the ocean” and “a collection of poetry for children on the themes of the courage, beauty, and promise of sea voyages.”

No, son. This is not ‘kid-friendly’. Most of the poems do not emphasise beauty and promise, and even the ones that do are darker in nature. Many of the poems deal with weighty topics like slavery and refugees fleeing terrible conditions. Instead of the ‘8-12’ age range, I feel this collection is more appropriate to young adult and adults, beginning around age 12.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing/ Seagrass for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.