I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

I usually talk about illustrations at the end of my reviews, but where I didn't get the illustrations for this book on my Kindle, I'm beginning with them, and just to tell you I have no idea what they look like.

Now that I've got that out of the way, onto the story. It reminded me a lot of the Care Bears, and since all I had to go on was words, that's what I was picturing the entire time I was reading this book. And the mood bears honestly seem to behave quite a bit like the Care Bears as well.

I did like the message of this story, basically that you should look for ways to help others when you can because spreading joy and happiness is the bees knees. And I really wish I could have seen the illustrations in my copy so that I could comment on them for you, but you'll just have to judge based on the cover like I did.

Overall I give this book 3 out of 5 stars because it felt a little too derivative.

Was not able to post to Goodreads.

Mood bears are busy in their quiet town. There is angry bear, hope bear, silly bear,- the whole gang of mood bears.

Happy Bear got swept away on a cloud and was sent to Amie to help her with her sad feelings. Amie had a difficult life for a young girl and her 7 year old birthday was just around the corner.. The bears were able to show Amie compassion and kindness on her special day.

It is a book that will help your child encourage others in kindness and compassion.

Thank you NetGalley and Cherish Editions for accepting my request to read and review Amie's Party.

Authors: Iain Lauchlan
Illustrator: Nik Afia
Published: 08/04/22
Genre: Children's Fiction -- Parenting & Families -- Self-Help

Amie's Party at first glance appears to be happy and carefree. This story is riddled with problems.

The author eludes that Amie's father left she and her mother. As a result they move, downsizing, and don't see her dad. Those problems are not going to be solved in a few brightly colored pages. This is written for children ages 2 - 5?

The author attempts to fix Amie's problems with Mood Bears who are introduced in rapid succession without reason.

The social, familial and financial problems are too big for this tale and age group. It's not reasonable. The Mood Bears may work in a one-on-one therapy session, but not here.

Following the conclusion of the book, bios and info is given on the Author and. Illustrator, and the information there is where I was able to piece together the author's intent.

First and foremost, I would love to thank NetGalley, the author, and publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this advanced copy. This book is cute Recommended

Thank you so much to Cherish Editions and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Amie is sad as she wants a birthday party with all her best friends but knows it’s not possible this year, parties are too expensive. Then Happy Mood Bear is summoned to come help her and gives her a party.

This was so cute, I loved that this bear was connected to her, he came when he knew he was needed. He came and brightened up her day, he prepared such a beautiful party for her and invited the kids that lived in her flat to join in. She didn’t believe she was going to be able to do anything to celebrate but Happy Mood Bear changed that.

I really love the concept for this series, with the bears connected to a child’s mood. It reminded me a lot of Care Bears and that they wanted to bring joy and happiness to children that desperately needed them. They would do anything it took to fix the problems and make them happy again. It so sweet.

It was really sweet and is a great book to show that things might be hard but with a little bit of help you can still make things magical and fun, especially a birthday. I loved the illustrations they were so bright and vibrant and great to look at. Such a sweet book and will bring you a smile once reading.

Thank you for the eARC! The Mood bears throughout the story were very cute. I was a little confused while reading the beginning since the cover had nothing about these Mood bears. Overall this book was cute, it reminded me of Inside Out with the different emotions.

This was a fun book that does a really good job of describing many different feelings that children experience. The story was engaging and the illustrations were cute. I really enjoyed reading it to my grandkids.

I liked the idea of this book and what it stands for but wasn't a fan of how it all came together.

It's a bit wordy to keep the attention of very young children. The illustrations definitely appeal more to VERY young children.

I think if the story was a bit shorter, more simplistic it would match the illustrations better and hit the target audience of young elementary school children.

I did not dislike it myself, but the kids in my family wouldn't sit still for the entire book.

This book is a great tool for the classroom, especially in health education. The story talks about some very serious issues that children often need to face. One of those issues is the fact that Amie’s parents have split up and because of that Amie and her mother move from their house into an apartment which is a very big change to Amie’s life.
Because of their move, Amie has moved away from all her friends and because of their financial changes Amie understands that there just isn't any money for a fancy birthday party. She doesn't know anyone in her new neighbourhood, so who would she invite anyway? This is when the Mood Bears come in and ensure that Amie has a great birthday party. They even invite a few of the children around her age who live in her apartment building, thus introducing Amie to a bunch of potential new friends. A really nice and heartwarming book that can help children feel less alone in their situations.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC. I reviewed with complete honesty.

The mood bears are great tools to teach emotions to children. The story of Amie and her mom will be relatable to many children and will be a great tool in classrooms and households

It's Aimee's birthday and she is feeling sad and lonely after moving f I'm her family home. Who better to cheer her up than Happy Bear from the MoodBear group.

I read this story to my daughter and she found it really engaging, the illustrations were bright and colourful and the story was well written. It's a good book to empathise and talk about being sad and I would highly recommend it to others with younger children.

First of all, I need the mood bears in my life! Haha. I love the set up for each bear first so that we connect with who they are. I also appreciate the reality of Amie’s situation. I think it could be relatable for anyone going through life changes or even as a result of financial downturn due to the pandemic. I really love the message of making the best of any situation and the outcome of making new friends even if it wasn’t what she had hoped for in the beginning!

MY REVIEW:

If you look at my first name and the way it is spelled, you will realize why I chose this children's book to #ReadAndReview It is exceptionally rare to find a book (or anything else) with my name (Amie) spelled correctly.

Upon first reading of the book, I was introduced to the Mood Bears. They seem to be a UK updated version of the Care Bears that were popular here in Canada for many years and in fact seem to still be going strong. The major difference seems to be that the Mood Bears books and stuffed animals are sold as a way to make money for children's charity whereas the Care Bears are strictly for making profit.

Amie’s Party is not just an entertaining story, although it very much is entertaining. The story talks about some very serious issues that children often need to face. One of those issues is the fact that Amie’s parents have split up and because of that, Amie and her mother move from their house into an apartment which is a very big change to Amie’s life. Children who, like Amie, experience the divorce of their parents, and/or a housing change, often suffer in silence. This book validates their experience and helps them to feel less alone.

"According to ONS figures from 2018, 1 in 10 children “often” feel lonely in the UK."

Because of their move, Amie has moved away from all her friends and because of their financial changes Amie understands that there just isn't any money for a fancy birthday party. She doesn't know anyone in her new neighborhood, so who would she invite anyway?

This is when the Mood Bears come in and ensure that Amie has a great birthday party. They even invite a few of the children around her age who live in her apartment building, thus introducing Amie to a bunch of potential new friends.

This book is beautifully illustrated and written with sensitivity towards children's mental health. This is a subject that most children's books avoid.

In addition, the Mood Bears have a website where stuffed Mood Bears are available to buy.

What I love the most about this book and about the plush bears is that a portion of the proceeds go to the mental health charity SHAWMIND.

I rate AMIE'S PARTY as 4 out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

*** Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.

I love that I really felt happy after finishing this quick read. I already shared with my 466 students that I see every week (twice per week). Amie wants to feel loved. She is lonely and needs a helpful friend. She feels special by the end. That's all we ever really hope for. This is a great read for showing kids empathy and how to inclusive. My students got a lot out of this book already just from hearing me gab all about the great theme!