The Life and Times of Birdie Mae Hayes: The Gift

Title: The Life and Times of Birdie Mae Hayes: The Gift

Author: Jeri Anne Agee

Illustrator: Bryan Langdo

Publisher: Sky Pony Press, January 2, 2018

Pages: 110

Genre: children (age 7 to 10), southern fiction

Obtained: advanced reading copy from publisher in exchange for an honest review



Summary: Birdie May Hayes has been feeling like something is going to happen. When she starts seeing future events in her mind, she wonders if this is a "gift" she can give back, or maybe she could use it to help people.

Thoughts: This was a really cute book about friendship, family, bullies, helping others, and just plain being nice to everyone. It showed that everybody has bad days.  It was a feel good book set in Alabama, and I just loved the southern flair.  Birdie May Hayes is lovable.  She is brought to life by the author.  The writer balances humor with life lessons and knows how to write for kids.  The illustrations were expressive and comical and added to the story.

I read this book to my 10 year old son.  It took him a couple of chapters to get into it.  He would say it had a slow start, but I wondered if girls might get into it right away since the focus at the beginning is on relationships, feelings, and thoughts, rather than action.  As soon as he found out Birdie May had "a gift", he was hooked.  He loved the book and was very happy to hear this will be a series.  He can't wait for the next one, Henry the Cat which is set to be released on February 20, 2018.

As I read the book, I did find that some of the sentences were very long and thought it may be difficult for some struggling readers or children reading above their level to grasp meaning and / or keep up their stamina in some spots.  This was only in a few spots, and the pictures being in there may help with both these issues when kids stop to look at them.

This was an advanced reading copy, so there may be differences to the finished, published version.  The release date for The Life and Times of Birdie Mae Hayes: The Gift is January 2, 2018.  It would have been fantastic if it had been released in September because it is a great book for autumn and Halloween, something to keep in mind for next fall.




                                                                     

Company: Adagio Teas

Tea: Chocolate Chai

Obtained: purchased








I purchased the Chai Tea Sampler from Adagio Teas.  It arrived quickly with no problems and with some free samples which is always fun!  The sampler consisted of 4 different chai teas, each making about 5 cups for 20 cups of tea.  The samples were in resealable bags with ingredients and directions on each bag.

I opened the package of chocolate chai easily.  The tea was made up of long, thin black tea leaves mixed with small chucks of light and medium brown spices.  Ingredients listed on the package were black tea, cinnamon bark, ginger root, cocoa nibs, natural cinnamon flavor, and natural chocolate flavor.  I put 2 heaping teaspoons of tea into my teapot and poured 12 ounces of water that had been boiled over the leaves.  I let this steep for 3 minutes.  The liquid was a medium orange brown that was a bit cloudy.  The scent reminded me of warm brownie with cinnamon.  The taste was a blend of light, subtle chocolate and spices.  It was delicious!  Again, the chocolate flavor is just subtle, so if you are looking for a deep chocolate flavored tea or want the chocolate flavor to be strong and prominent, this is not the one for you.

I thought this would be the perfect fall tea, but after drinking it, to me, it is the perfect winter tea.  It is a warming tea that I would want to drink on a cold, snowy day.  It gave me a relaxing, cozy feel.