Harper and the Scarlet Umbrella

Title: Harper and the Scarlet Umbrella (book 1 in the Harper series)

Author: Cerrie Burnell

Publisher: Sky Pony Press, 2017

Pages: 122

Genre: children's fantasy (ages 7-9)

Obtained: from publisher in exchange for an honest review






Summary: All of the cats in Cloud City are missing, including Harper's beloved pet, Midnight.  Can Harper and her friends find the missing cats?

Thoughts:  This series is one that really needs to be read in order.  My son and I read the third book first, and we kept looking back to see if we missed something.  Well, we did- in the first two books!  The first book flowed much better and we didn't have to look back once.

The author has created a magical, musical world with whimsical characters, and the illustrator has added to it with her black and white artwork.  Pets are an important part of this world, along with friendship and family. 

The print in this story is large and most chapters are 6 to 8 pages long with pictures mixed in.  The recommended age group for this book is 7 to 9, but I think children 5 to 10 years old would enjoy it.  It is probably a second to third grade reading level if a child is reading it themselves.


                                                                   

Company: Plum Deluxe

Tea: Gratitude Blend

Obtained: from company in exchange for an honest review







Today I tried the Gratitude Blend from Plum Deluxe.  The tea came in a see through, resealable plastic bag that can be seen in the picture above.  The tea ingredients and steeping instructions were right on the bag, which just seems to make life easier.  This tea contains black tea, orange peels, blue cornflowers, strawberries, raspberry leaves, bergamot oil, and strawberry essence.  All ingredients are organic.

The tea leaves were thin and black and had purple and yellow flower petals mixed in.  The leaves had a strong strawberry scent.  I put 1 1/2 teaspoons of leaves in my tea maker and poured sixteen ounces of boiling water over the leaves.  I let this steep for 3 minutes.  The liquid was a dark reddish brown with a scent of strawberries.  The taste was a blend of black tea, bergamot, and strawberries with an aftertaste of vanilla combined with a slight bitterness.  The vanilla taste does the perfect job of balancing out the bitterness.  Even though I am not a big vanilla fan, this really works here.  This tasted like an earl grey made for springtime.  It is a wonderful variation to the classic earl grey.  I found it uplifting.