I recently had the pleasure of discovering children’s book author Susan Ross. Susan lives in Ontario, Canada, and has published four children’s picture books. My six year old daughter and I just read two of her books, The Great Bellybutton Cover-up and Say Please to the Honeybees. Here are our reviews:
The Great Bellybutton Cover-up
Violet’s been sheared and she’s very embarrassed. Everyone can see her bellybutton! Being an extremely creative sheep, Violet comes up with hilarious and imaginative ways to solve her dilemma.
Make a Sheep instructions included.
Ages 2 – 8 (Grades preschool – 3)
This book was delightful! My daughter and I giggled all the way through it. She loved all of the funny ways Violet tried to hide her “naked” bellybutton; I loved that in addition to being entertaining, the author subtly interwove lessons about good manners throughout the story, using repetition to clearly demonstrate each lesson. The wonderful illustrations add to the story; full of bright colors and adorable characters, the pictures engage the reader as much as the words! My six year old (just started 1st grade) was able to read this aloud with minimal assistance. The repetitive style made the reading aloud easier for her and parts became almost like a chant. I additionally loved that the concepts were very age appropriate and written in a very current way that children can relate to (my little diva wouldn’t be caught dead without a proper ensemble)! 
My daughter’s favorite thing about this book is the awesome directions to make a sheep at the end of the book. The illustrated step-by-step instructions are clear and easy to follow. We haven’t had a chance to make Violet yet, but when we do we will update this review with photos! She is very excited!
We give The Great Bellybutton Cover-up FIVE STARS
Purchase The Great Bellybutton Cover-up here!
Say Please to the Honeybees
Taking honey from the bees lands Violet in a heap of trouble. Violet is plagued by bees seeking comical revenge, spiders wanting tasty treats, a hungry horse, a gaggle of geese and a snippy salesperson. Children will love this humorous story with its adorable ending.
Make a Bee instructions included.
Ages 3 – 8 (Grades JK – 3)
My daughter was thrilled to see Violet again in this adorable book. Violet gets in trouble and once again winds up “naked,” this time because she takes honey from the bees without asking first. It was fun to see all of the different ways Violet discovered to cover up her bareness. Like The Great Bellybutton Cover-up, this story is fun and easy to read. My daughter was able to read it with just a bit of help, and loved the different “outfits” Violet wore and all of the funny things that happened to her. I again loved the lessons intertwined in the story, such as being polite and asking before taking something that is not yours. We also really enjoyed the darling poem about bees at the end of the book, which taught both of us some very interesting information! The book also ends with a craft project, making your own bee. The directions are easy to follow and illustrations make the project fun and simple. I am definitely going to recommend this book to my daughter’s teacher, as the first graders always take a field trip to visit real honeybees and this would be a great introduction to the unit!
Say Please to the Honeybees also gets FIVE STARS
Purchase Say Please to the Honeybees here!
Thanks so much to Susan Ross for sending us copies of these wonderful books to review! We look forward to reading more books by this great children’s picture book author soon! Check out her website here.
