The Dead Sea Squirrels: Season 1 (Original Soundtrack) Review and Prize Pack Giveaway

Are you a fan of The Dead Sea Squirrels series? The Dead Sea Squirrels: Season 1 (Original Soundtrack) is now available in both digital and physical forms. Take home the soundtrack! Buy now at DeadSeaSquirrels.com. And enter to win a fun prize pack including a CD of the Season 1 Original Soundtrack and a signed copy of the latest book in the series, Cybersquirrels: The Dead Sea Squirrels, Book 13!

About the Soundtrack:

From Mike Nawrocki, the co-creator of VeggieTales, co-founder of Big Idea Entertainment and the longtime voice of Larry the Cucumber, the soundtrack brings together all 22 songs featured throughout Season 1 of the hit animated serie. It features an impressive lineup of Christian music artists and performers, including Matthew West, MercyMe’s Bart Millard, Katy Nichole, Ellie Holcomb, Mac Powell of Third Day, Steve Taylor and three-time GRAMMY Award winner Ashley Cleveland.

Now streaming on all major platforms and available as a physical CD. Learn more on its official website.

Wishapick: Tickety Boo And The Black Trunk Prize Pack Giveaway

It is commonplace for a curious child to venture into an area that is clearly noted as "off limits" by the parents, but it is not so when the bold move opens up a whole new world of breathtaking adventures, like those experienced by the young boy in Wishapick, Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk. Learn more about this charming middle grade fantasy and enter to win an awesome prize pack including an Echo Dot!

About the Book:

Highly praised classic fairy tale Wishapick, Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk written by author M. M. Allen; and a CD of Wishapick Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk soundtrack composed by the talented Deborah Wynne. Moonbeam Gold Medal Award and 5 Star Readers Favorite.

Darkness -utter blackness. Was this why his mother had refused to let Jack unlock his father’s old trunk? It had been two years since his dad had died, and all Jack could think about was examining whatever treasures were stored inside the beloved trunk. But when he finally lifted the lid, he didn’t just fall in - he fell through it into a pit of rattlesnakes!

Trying to recall his mother’s stories about the Breath of All Good Things – anything to help him out of his dangerous predicament – Jack wished he had paid attention rather than mock the tales as childish myths… and that he’d waited to enter the trunk with his sister, Lilly. They could at least face this together.

“… a breathy and fantastical storytelling style, imaginations will flourish and the tale will be enjoyed by kids ages 8-12 who enjoy the genre of fantasy.”
— The Children’s Book Review

Wishapick: Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk is available on Amazon.
Ages 8-13 | CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform | 2015 | 978-1508437178

Wishapick Blog Tour: Book, CD & Fitbit Prize Pack Giveaway #WishapickBookBirthday

Wishapick: Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk, the perfect Halloween read for children, is celebrating its birthday with a fantastic giveaway. Learn more about this well-acclaimed adventure fantasy and enter to win a copy of the book, a soundtrack CD, and a Fitbit Alta!

About the Book:

Highly praised classic fairy tale, Wishapick Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk, a children’s book for all ages, written by acclaimed author MM Allen; and a CD of Wishapick Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk soundtrack composed by the talented Deborah Wynne.

Darkness-utter blackness. Was this why his mother had refused to let Jack unlock his father’s old trunk? It had been two years since his dad had died, and all Jack could think about was examining whatever treasures were stored inside the beloved trunk. But when he finally lifted the lid, he didn’t just fall in – he fell through it into a pit of rattlesnakes. Trying to recall his mother’s stories about the Breathe of All Good Things –anything to help him out of his dangerous predicament-Jack wished he had paid attention rather than mock the tales as childish myths… and that he’d waited to enter the trunk with his sister, Lilly. They could have at least faced this together. Jack quickly learns two things; the villagers in Wishapick think Jack is the only one who can bring light back to Wishapick – and accomplishing this feat is the only way he can return home.

Purchase your copy of Wishapick: Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk on Amazon.

Touching Sky Blog Tour: Review & $25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

"Touching Sky" is Stephanie Boyd’s debut album featuring a collection of original songs as well as a novel take on some favorite hymns. I had the opportunity to listen to this CD in its entirety. I'd love to share my thoughts about it and bring you the chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash.

About Touching Sky

The album includes 11 tracks that are not only pleasing to the ear but also to the soul:

Today
I am Divine
He Will Provide the Way
Storm before the Calm
Good for the Soul
Enlisted
It's Okay to be Happy
Waiting for My Rainbow
Rise Up
Eyes to See
Scatter Sunshine

My Review

Stephanie Boyd's unique voice and her masterly use of singing techniques, along with beautiful melodies and instrumentals, make the album stand out as a top notch production. It offers a good mix of different tempos and genres. Songs like Today and I am Divine can give your strength when you feel down; whereas songs like Good for the Soul and Enlisted will calm you down when you need to think things through.

My favorite track is It's Okay to be Happy, followed by Today and Rise Up. You may get a feel of the album by listening to the sampler and music video for Storm before the Calm below.

Amazon * Google Play * iTunes * Deseret Book

Back2School Bash: Captain McFinn and Friends Prize Pack (ARV $46) #Bck2SchlBash

Welcome to the Back2School Bash!
Hosted by Andersons Angels, MomVantage, Mommy of One and Counting & Joy of Momma Joyner.

This Event features everything under the sun you’ll need to send your kiddos Back to School! Each participating blog is offering a prize package valued over $25. Plus, there is a Grand Prize of $30 PayPal Cash! Enter for your chance to win on any of the hosting blogs listed above.

After entering my giveaway, be sure to visit the other blogs on the linky (toward the end of this post) for more chances to win! All giveaways for this event will end on August 10th. Good luck!

My Giveaway

I'm giving away an awesome Captain McFinn and Friends Prize Pack valued at $45.95!

It includes all 3 books in the series:
The Legend of Captain McFinn and Friends ($9.99),  
Captain McFinn and Friends Meet Coral Rose ($9.99),  
Captain McFinn and Friends Rock! ($9.99),
1 Captain McFinn and Friends "Finn-tastic" Activity and Sticker Book ($5.99), and
1 sing-a-long music CD Captain McFinn and Friends "Come Along With The Friend-Ship Band."($9.99)

Created by Phyllis Cafaro, Capatin McFinn and Friends is an original, engaging, and educational book series designed to promote friendship and kindness for children ages 4-8. The first book follows Captain McFinn, a black tip shark, as he transforms, with the help of his Undersea Friends, from the biggest bully on Sandy Dusty Reef to the leader and protector of the community. Each subsequent book introduces a new adventure in which Captain McFinn and his friends make great achievements through helping and caring for each other.

"Be a Buddy, Not a Bully" is the underlying theme of the series. I was shocked to learn from the National Association of Elementary School Principals that about 18 million children in the U.S. are being bullied each year and that negative feelings from being bullied account for 3 million student absences each month. The stories of Captain McFinn and Friends are to educate young kids about anti-bullying and to initiate positive changes in the way children interact with one another.

The books are beautifully illustrated and printed on high quality, sturdy paper. The stories are fun to read and easy to follow. The messages are sent loud and clear, making the little readers aware of what's right and what's not. They are great for kids and parents to read and discuss together. Older kids may also enjoy reading on their own.

My son really loves the Activity Book, which includes coloring pages, fun games like connect-the-dots, mazes, word searches etc., and colorful stickers featuring Captain McFinn and his friends! It keeps him busy for hours!

The music CD features 14 songs written by award winning songwriter Terry Sampson, whose other work include Angelina Ballerina and Winnie The Pooh. The songs are cheerful and upbeat, great to dance to or sign-a-long with. They are the perfect background music for reading the Captain McFinn and Friends stories!

You can order the entire series at the CaptainMcFinn.com as well as at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. A portion of the proceeds from sales will benefit the Captain McFinn Foundation, which supports a variety of children's charities.

If you're a K-3 teacher, you may want to check out Captain McFinn's S.H.A.R.K. (Students Help Achieve Respect and Kindness) Patrol, which offers educators, students and parents anti-bully tools, such as storybooks, lesson plans, puppets, posters and more. The goal of the program is to educate K-3 students how to recognize bullying, to protect themselves and others against it, and to prevent bullying by reinforcing positive behavior.

Please use the Rafflecopter form below to submit your entries. A few things to note:

*You must enable JavaScript to see the widget and it may load a bit slower than the rest of the webpage. Thank you for your patience!

*Please make sure you fill in the "Extra info" field in the form as instructed. I moderate all entries and only valid ones will count in the drawing.

* Comments are for feedbacks, questions, etc. but NOT for entries unless otherwise indicated. Thank you for following the rules and making things easier for all of us!

Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! Tour Coming to DFW & Prize Pack Giveaway!

Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!: It's Time to Dance Tour is coming to the DFW area this Saturday! We had such a blast attending the show last year that we can hardly wait to go again!

The Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! Tour is presented by Kia Motors, featuring an all new show performed by DJ Lance Rock, Brobee, Foofa, Muno, Plex, and Toodee, with special guests Hip Hop Legend Biz Markie and Razzle Dazzle Superstar Leslie Hall. Don't miss your chance to meet your favorite characters and enjoy awesome live music and dance, if you live close to a tour stop!

Here is a list of the remaining tour cities and show info:

Tuesday, November 29, 2011 6:00 PM
El Paso, TX--Abraham Chavez Theatre

Wednesday, November 30, 2011 6:00 PM
San Antonio, TX--Lila Cockrell Theatre

Friday, December 2, 2011 4:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Houston, TX--Verizon Wireless Theater

Saturday, December 3, 2011 2:00 PM & 6:00 PM
Grand Prairie, TX--Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie

Sunday, December 4, 2011 2:00 PM & 5:00 PM
Cedar Park, TX--Cedar Park Center

Tuesday, December 6, 2011 3:00 PM & 6:00 PM
New Orleans, LA--Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts

Wednesday, December 7, 2011 6:00 PM
Tallahassee, FL--Tallahassee Leon County Civic Center

Friday, December 9, 2011 3:00 PM & 6:00 PM
St. Petersburg, FL--Mahaffey Theater

Saturday, December 10, 2011 2:00 PM & 5:00 PM; Sunday, December 11, 2011
11:00 AM
Fort Lauderdale, FL--Broward Center for the Performing Arts

The Giveaway

Whether or not you will be able to attend one of the live shows, you're all welcome to enter to win a Yo Gabba Gabba! Prize Pack, including a copy of "Music is Awesome 3" CD and a DVD that is sold exclusively during the tour (You can't get it in stores)!

Please use the Rafflecopter form below to submit your entries. A few things to note:

*You must enable JavaScript to see the widget and it may load a bit slower than the rest of the webpage. Thank you for your patience! Need help to enable JavaScript? Click here.

*Please make sure you fill in the "Extra info" field in the form as instructed. I moderate all entries and only valid ones will count in the drawing. If you submit an empty form by accident, you can note that in the comment and I'll correct the entry for you.

* Comments are for feedbacks, questions, etc. but NOT for entries unless otherwise indicated. Thank you for following the rules and making things easier for all of us!

Yanni Truth of Touch Review

Earlier this year, the world renowned musician Yanni released his first instrumental album in over 8 years: Truth of Touch, featuring 15 original compositions that mark a return to the genre that Yanni helped create and advance.

I recently received a copy of this new album for review. I really enjoyed listening to the heavenly music in this album over and over again. The 15 tracks convey different themes and evoke various kinds of emotions. Some are cheerful, some are playful, some are peaceful and some are adventurous. Some sound exotic and mysterious. Most of them can be great background music for meditation, yoga, reading, driving, or just a break from work. I like the first 10 tracks better than the rest. My favorites include "Truth of Touch", "Seansons", "Flash of Color" and "Can't Wait" (featuring the voice of Leslie Mills).

Here is the list of all the tracks:
1. "Truth of Touch"
2. "Echo of a Dream"
3. "Seasons"
4. "Voyage"
5. "Flash of Color"
6. "Vertigo"
7. "Nine"
8. "Can't Wait"
9. "Guilty Pleasure"
10. "O Luce Che Brilla Nell'oscurità"
11. "I'm So"
12. "Long Way Home"
13. "Yanni & Arturo"
14. "Mist of a Kiss"
15. "Secret"

On March 22, Yanni launched a 40-date tour of the US. The tour will take him through theaters in major cities across the US including Radio City Music Hall in NYC and the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. Tickets are already sold out for some of the tour stops. Order yours while you can. Be sure to check out Truth of Touch if you can't make it to a live concert. Yanni will never disappoint his fans!

Disclosure: I received free product for review through One2One Network. No monetary exchange took place. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Let's Play Review #2: Debi Derryberry's Baby Banana

Debi Derryberry, the multi-talented children's entertainer and voice-over artist, has released her new music CD "Debi Derryberry's Baby Banana" in early May. She is well known for her award-winining kid's music CDs "Very Derryberry" and "What A Way To Play". She is also the author of the children's book "Baby Banana and the Licorice Tree". Even if you have never heard Debi sing, you are probably familiar with her sweet and angelic voice, which is best known as "the voice of Jimmy Neutron" and has appeared in popular movies like "Ice Age 2" and "The Wild".

I'm very happy to have received a copy of the "Debi Derryberry's Baby Banana" CD for review. The tropically-themed CD is named after Debi's cute preschool character, Baby Banana and the songs are centered around the loving family of Baby Banana, Momma Duck and Daddy Gorrila. My general impressions is that the CD provides a great mix of everything-new and old songs, fast and slow rhythms, hip and traditional music genres, and songs and stories.

The CD includes 5 new tracks-I Wish You Could Fly With Me, Happiest Day, Oodle the Orangutan, Tropical Fruit, I'm A Chameleon, and 4 popular Debi's songs from previous recordings-Baby Banana, Scoops of Ice Cream, Freckle Face Freddie, and Slumberland. While most of the songs are great to dance to, Slumberland is a great lullaby that helps put kids to sleep. With an interesting blend of calypso, reggae, jazz and folk rock genres, the songs has brought to life Baby Banana's fantasy world of exotic animal friends and tantalizing tastes, sights and smells. The CD also includes a bonus track of Debi reading her storybook "Baby Banana and the Licorice Tree.

The "Debi Derryberry's Baby Banana" CD is intended for children aged 2-6 years old, but I think it's entertaining for younger babies and adults too. My son loves listening to the happy songs and flipping through the colorful lyrics book, although he has yet to understand their meanings. His favorite song appears to be the title song Baby Banana because every time I replayed that song, he ran closer to the CD-player and started to dance. Listening to the CD also helps me relax and cheer up. My favorites are Oodle the Orangutan and I Wish You Could Fly With Me. Overall, it's a great music CD to add to your collection. Your kids will love it!

If you're interested in learning more about Debi, you may visit her website http://www.debiderryberry.com/, join her Fan Club, and watch videos showing her perform live in front of kids.

Many thanks to Extraordinary Mothers and Nina Stern Public Relations for this great review opportunity!