Happy Birthday to US! Virtual Tour: Review and Prize Pack Giveaway

America is turning 250 this summer! Happy Birthday to US! is the perfect picture book to get your little one excited about this historic milestone. Enter to win a copy autographed by award-winning author Sherry Ellis, plus a $50 Amazon gift card!

My Review:

Written in jolly rhymes and painted in patriotic colors, Happy Birthday to US! makes a lyrical introduction to Independence Day, celebrating freedom, valor, and patriotism.

A little boy born on July 4th is overjoyed by the way his birthday is celebrated every year by all the people in his home town - marching bands, parades, banners, balloons, flags, fireworks, and a lot more. When he finds out that the celebrations are not just for him, he takes great pride in sharing a birthday with America.

Through the eyes of a young child, this sweet story shows how the Fourth of July is typically celebrated in local communities composed of ordinary Americans. While feeling the joy and excitement about the special occasion, young readers learn about the significance of Independence Day, the role of the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence and Lady Liberty. A brief history of the holiday is included in the back matter to help explain why the anniversary means so much to the whole nation.

The book's vibrant, vivacious artwork, coupled with the narrative's first person perspective, easily immerses readers in the festive atmosphere, deepening their love for the country. The paintings enrich the text with delightful details, such as adorable pets wearing celebratory costumes and cheerful children with diverse ethnic origins holding hands in a circle, all of which motivate young readers to join the celebration of liberty, unity, and community.

Cleverly crafted and charmingly illustrated, Happy Birthday to US! stands out as a timely read for young children in the days leading up to America's 250th birthday.

About the Book:

Ages: 4–7 | 52 Pages
Publisher: A 2 Z Press, LLC (2025) | ISBN: 978-1962101240

Celebrate the joy of sharing a birthday with America! In this charming, rhyming picture book, a young child believes the local parade and fireworks are all for him—until he discovers that everyone is celebrating something even bigger: Our nation’s Independence Day. With cheerful illustrations and a heartwarming message, Happy Birthday to US! introduces young readers to the history and meaning behind July 4th while capturing the excitement of summer, birthdays, and community pride. A delightful read-aloud for classrooms, family story times, and patriotic holidays, this book is a perfect way to celebrate America’s birthday!

Purchase links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org

Patriotic Pillow Pets Review & Giveaway {Christmas in July Giveaway Hop}

Happy 4th of July! The well-loved Pillow Pets family has got a new member just in time for the celebration! The Americana Red Puppy Pillow Pet features an adorable patriotic design of red, white and blue fur with star accents. Available in the classic 18” size, it's perfect for cuddling with during a 4th of July firework show or a BBQ at the beach!

Not familiar with Pillow Pets? They are plush folding stuffed animals that creatively combine the security of a stuffed animal with the functionality of a pillow. Designed by a mom based in San Diego, they can be used as a plush toy for day and a pillow for night.

All my kids love the Americana Red Puppy that Pillow Pets kindly sent us for review. It's super soft and cuddly! It stands as a cute puppy when the strap closes underneath its belly. It then transforms into a fluffy 18-inch pillow when the strap is unfastened. The transformation process alone is fun enough to keep the kids excited for quite a while. Besides being a fun toy for imaginative play and a comfortable pillow for nap- and bedtime, the Americana Pillow Pet also makes a wonderful pal for story time, movie time and travel time. Yes, it's lightweight and easy to carry around. My kids loved its company during our recent road trip.

MagnetStreet 4th of July Sale

From now through 7/7, MagnetStreet is having a 4th of July sale and offering 25% off ALL wedding products available at MagnetStreet.com, including Wedding Save the Dates, Wedding Programs, Wedding Invitations and more! Please use code WAFJULY at checkout to receive your discount.

MagnetStreet.com is your Wedding headquarters for all your printed products, which come in a variety of designs in unlimited color options  to help you capture your moment and share your message in your own unique way.


Save the Dates

• Save the Date Magnets Large, small, square, heart—we offer a variety of magnet shapes and sizes for each design.
• Save the Date Cards From size and shape to paper stock, find cards to fit your unique style and budget.
  
• Save the Date Postcards Style and convenience! Available in two sizes, postcards are easy to address, stamp, and mail.

Wedding Programs

• Tea-length Programs With your ceremony printed on both sides, Tea-length Programs offer simplicity and elegance.
• Half-fold Programs Half-fold Programs open like a greeting card—sweetly narrating your nuptials on each side.
• Program Fans Available in four unique shapes, Program Fans help guests stay cool during your ceremony.

Wedding Invitations

• Rectangle Invitations Widely popular, Rectangle Invites are an easy way to tie your chic weddinglook together.
• Shaped Invitations Add a trendy touch to your wedding with a Shaped Invite. Unique, modern and totally fun!
• Pocket Invitations Keep your enclosures neat and organized inside a pretty pocket fold. Choose from two layouts.

If you or someone you know is planning for a wedding, don't miss the chance to take an extra 25% off all MagnetStreet wedding products with code WAFJULY by 7/7.

About MagnetStreet:

MagnetStreet.com is an online, full service stationery store that allows you to create highly personalized magnets, cards and other printed stationery from announcements to invitations and programs to thank you notes.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post and all contents were provided by the sponsor.

Freedom Giveaway Hop: $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Welcome to the Freedom Giveaway Hop!

~~The giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats to winner Mandy!~~
In honor of Independence Day, I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Simply Stacie are co-hosting a week-long giveaway blog hop with 200+ participating blogs, each giving away book-related prizes. Please use the linky at the end of this post to visit the other blogs in the hop and enter as many giveaways as you like!

While you're here, please feel free to enter all my current giveaways, including a $300 American Express Gift Card! Good luck!

I'm giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card! The winner could get one free book or two from my favorite online store.

Giveaway Rules

Required Entry: Follow my blog publicly via Google Friends Connect and leave a relevant comment on this post. That's it! Whenever you experience any problem with the GFC widget, you may choose to enter first and follow later by the end of the giveaway. Just let me know about the problem in your comment. (Please leave a valid email address in your comment or in this form, or make sure one is visible in your blogger profile).

Extra Entries (optional): please make sure you do the required entry first! Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry, i.e. 1 comment=1 entry.

• Join my team PMXFKQ for the Book Perk contest. If I win, each of you will receive a free book. Thanks for your help! (1 extra entry)
• Subscribe to my feed via email and leave your email address (1 extra entry)
• "Like" me on Facebook and leave your FB name (1 extra entry) 
• Follow Me on Twitter AND tweet the following message (1 extra entry per day)

RT @luckytoddler #Win a $25 #Amazon Gift Card! http://bit.ly/frdgh #giftcard #4thofjuly #contest #giveaway #sweepstakes
Please leave the link to your tweet in your comment.

• Sign up for the Bejool Summer Vacay Giveaway (1 extra entry)

Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm Pacific Time on 7/7/11
Open to US Residents Only

Winners will be chosen using random.org and will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Thanks for entering and good luck!

Disclosure: The prize is provided by me and will be delivered electronically.

Happy Fourth of July!

Wish all of you a happy and safe 4th of July! Enjoy parades and fireworks! I'd love to know how you celebrate the nation's birthday. We spent the day at the beach yesterday, planned to watch the fireworks at night, but ended up soaked in the storm. Still we felt happy. It was a memorable day after all.