Shrimping West Texas ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Spotlight!

 

Shrimping West Texas:

The Rise and Fall of the

Permian Sea Shrimp Company

By Bart Reid

Nonfiction / Texana / Science / Aquaculture

Publisher: Texas Tech University Press

Pages: 256

Publication Date: May 21, 2024

SYNOPSIS

When you think of a marine environment, what do you picture? Wetlands, possibly; coastal shores, perhaps. When you think of a shrimp farm, what do you picture? Some folks who know a thing or two about aquaculture m ight say any marine or freshwater environment will do. Bart Reid, one of the founders of the Permian Sea Shrimp company, is here to tell you otherwise. 

Shrimping West Texas is the story of that business and the history of the harebrained notion that farming shrimp is possible in the West Texas desert.

Spanning twenty years of successes and failures, Reid captures the quintessential West Texas entrepreneurial spirit, tallies the unique environmental factors that made this possible, and depicts the motley crew of business folks, scientists, and schemers who were part of the tale.

CLICK TO PURCHASE:

TTU Press | Amazon | Bart’s Bay Armor

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bart Reid is a marine biologist with a master's degree from Texas A&M University. He has been in the aquaculture (fish farming) business for over thirty years. After many years of farming shrimp in West Texas. he now farms algae for Omega 3 supplements and bioplastics. He also owns Bart’s Bay Armor, a fishing apparel and wading boot company based out of Port Mansfield, Texas, where he fishes on the Laguna Madre.

Website ◆ LinkedIn

Amazon ◆ Facebook ◆ Goodreads

VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO POSTS, UPDATED DAILY DURING THE TOUR,

or visit the participating blogs directly here:

10/15/24	The Plain-Spoken Pen	Review
10/15/24	LSBBT Blog	Review
10/16/24	Ames for the Stars	Bonus Stop
10/19/24	Chapter Break Book Blog	Spotlight
10/22/24	It's Not All Gravy	Review
10/23/24	Rox Burkey Blog	Spotlight
10/24/24	Guatemala Paula Loves to Read	Spotlight
10/28/24	Hall Ways Blog	Spotlight
10/31/24	The Page Unbound	Spotlight
11/03/24	Boys' Mom Reads	Review
11/07/24	Rebecca R. Cahill, Author	Spotlight
11/09/24	StoreyBook Reviews	Review

blog tour services provided by

In Praise of Mystery ~ Children's Book Review

 

IN PRAISE OF MYSTERY

By Ada Limón

Illustrated by Peter Sís

Poetry / Children's Picture Book / Science & Environment

Norton Young Readers

35 Pages

Published October 1, 2024

ABOUT THE BOOK: As part of her tenure as U.S. poet laureate, Ada Limón has written “In Praise of Mystery,” which will be engraved on the Europa Clipper spacecraft that launches to Jupiter and its moons in October 2024. Published here as Limón’s debut picture book, this luminous poem is illustrated by celebrated and internationally renowned artist Peter Sís.

In Praise of Mystery celebrates humankind’s endless curiosity, asks us what it means to explore beyond our known world, and shows how the unknown can reflect us back to ourselves.

BUY NOW WITH MY AFFILIATE LINKS

and help fund my retirement!

(I get a small commission when you click & buy from here.)

Kindle *** Hardcover

FREE 30-Day Kindle Unlimited Trial

*

HALL WAYS REVIEW: IN PRAISE OF MYSTERY is tough to review as a children's book. BUT, it is absolutely worth having on your shelf, whether you're five or fifty-five or ninety-five, simply for the reason it exists in the first place: the poem is engraved on NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft which will launch any day now (Hurricane Milton delayed it) and journey to Jupiter's second moon, Europa. How glorious and unique is that? 

The poem, written by 2023 US Poet Laureate Ada Limón, is beautiful and evocative, and as a stand-alone poem, I'd give it 5 STARS. The illustrations, created by multiple-award-winner Peter Sís, are a visual delight -- dreamy, engaging, and also evocative -- and they are also worthy of a 5 STARS rating.

Unfortunately, the execution of putting the two elements together is where the book suffers. So as a children's book, I'd rate it 4 STARS. The poem is a bit advanced for younger readers to process, but when the words of the poem are separated from each other and scattered across pages, comprehension is even more difficult and the poem loses its cadence and flow. At times, the text blends too much with the artwork, and the font is lovely, but not really young-reader friendly.

Even so, IN PRAISE OF MYSTERY would make a good read-along title where younger readers can wallow in the beauty of the art and older readers can wallow in the beauty of the words. And I could even visualize the book being used in the classroom with high schoolers as a springboard for a multitude of activities across the curriculum.

Thankfully, the poem is included in full at the end of the book, as is the Author's Notes section that gives the explanation of why the poem was written and where the otherworldly journey it will take. VERY cool. 

I received a digital ARC from the publisher as part of School Library Journal's Day of Dialogue. I will definitely be purchasing the hardcover edition for my personal collection. 

CLICK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EUROPA CLIPPER MISSION 

Saving the Seas for the Purple and Green ~ Book Blog Tour Review & Giveaway!

SAVING THE SEAS

FOR THE PURPLE AND GREEN

A Story of Cleaning Up the Ocean 

WRITTEN & ILLUSTRATED

BY NANCY CARLISLE

Children's Fiction (Ages 3-7) / Science & Nature / Environment

Publisher: Sage Green Press

Pages:  34 pages

Release date: March, 2022

Content Rating: G. There is nothing even close to PG or R in this book, it is totally G

Book Description:

A young girl loves the tide pools that she sees on her runs by the ocean, but one day notices garbage amongst the colorful creatures she finds there. Along the beach she meets conservationists cleaning up the beach who educate her about the dangers that trash poses to ocean life. She decides to help also.

 

Buy the Book:
Amazon
add to Goodreads

Science Makes It Work Series ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours BONUS Spotlight & Giveaway!

 

SCIENCE MAKES IT WORK SERIES:
Secrets of the Snow Globe

&
The Wonder of Color

by

CATHERINE STIER

Categories:  Picture Book / Science / STEM (ages 4-8)

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co.

Date of Publication: March 1, 2022

Number of Pages: 32 pages 

 

Scroll down for Giveaway!

 

Secrets of the Snow Globe:

After starting to collect snow globes with the help of her grandmother, Lily has questions. She wants to know who invented them, what the snow is made of, and how the tiny scenes look so magical when she peers inside. As she researches and experiments, Lily learns about light waves, magnification, and density—all while gathering ingredients to make her own snow globe.

CLICK TO PURCHASE!

│ The Twig│ Barnes And Noble │Amazon│

The Wonder Of Color:

When Ms. Vega announces a mural painting contest at school, James can’t wait to draw a picture to fill the library wall. But as he explores color, he has a lot of questions about where color comes from and how our eyes see it. As he experiments and reads, James learns about prisms, the color wheel, and light waves—all while working on his colorful contest entry.

 

CLICK TO PURCHASE!

│Amazon│ Barnes and Noble │
│The Twig│

HALL WAYS BLOG Mini-Review of The Wonder of Color. Okay, technically I didn't read the hardcover (read the digital ARC), but I can tell that having this colorful, informative, and well-written book in hand will make the 5-Stars rating double to 10.

The illustrations by Floss Pottage are warm and make learning how science works less intimidating -- and dare I say it - fun! Author Catherine Stier uses the correct terms, which I applaud even for such a young audience. The key, that she clearly gets, is explaining those terms in a way readers of all ages understand it.

The main character's curiosity is refreshing, and readers will enjoy the family dynamic and gentle lessons about kindness and sharing. There’s so much to love in this book, and I think it will become a classroom favorite for any teacher or librarian who shares it with students.

 

Catherine Stier is the author of more than twenty children's books including the SCIENCE MAKES IT WORK picture book series and the Kirkus star-reviewed A DOG’S DAY chapter book series. She holds a master’s degree in reading and literacy and has served as a magazine writer, newspaper columnist, and writing instructor. Stier resides in San Antonio, Texas.

◆  WEBSITE  ◆ FACEBOOK  ◆  TWITTER ◆

◆  AMAZON  ◆  GOODREADS  ◆

◆  INSTAGRAM ◆  TIKTOK ◆

--------------------------------------

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

 ONE WINNER 

Autographed copies of both books, pin (for adults), snow globe socks,
& a snow globe making kit.

(US only, ends midnight CST, 3/19/2022.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Edison Jones and the Anti-Grav Elevator ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Book Trailer & Giveaway!

EDISON JONES AND THE ANTI-GRAV ELEVATOR

by

MICHAEL SCOTT CLIFTON

Genre: MG-YA / Action & Adventure / Men's & Boys'
Publisher: Book Liftoff
Publication Date: February 11, 2020

Number of Pages: 282 pages

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE GIVEAWAY! 

Twelve-year-old Edison Jones is a prodigy with a passion for technology and inventions. Paralyzed from the waist down since the age of five, he hasn’t let his disability slow him down. Then his world changes overnight when his grandfather, a billionaire tech company owner, decides to enroll him in a public school. Algorithms, quantum physics, and digital engineering are easy. Finding his way in the bewildering world of boys and girls his own age is quite another thing . . . the biggest challenge of his life.

CLICK FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS:

  Amazon  ┃  Draft2Digital 

Multi award-winning author Michael Scott Clifton, a public educator for over 38 years as a teacher, coach, and administrator, currently lives in Mount Pleasant, Texas, with his wife, Melanie, and family cat. An avid gardener, reader, and movie junkie, he enjoys all kinds of book and movie genres. His books contain aspects of all the genres he enjoys: action, adventure, magic, fantasy, and romance. His fantasy novels, The Janus Witch and The Open Portal, received 5-Star reviews from the prestigious Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews, and he has been a finalist in a number of short story contests, with Edges of Gray winning First Place in the Texas Authors Contest. Professional credits include articles published in the Texas Study of Secondary Education Magazine. Clifton’s latest book, The Open Portal, won a Feathered Quill Book Finalist Award, and launched the fantasy book series, Conquest of the Veil. 

║ Website ║ Facebook ║ Twitter ║ 

║ Instagram ║ LinkedIn ║  Amazon Author Page ║ 
║ Goodreads ║ 

-------------------------------------

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

THREE WINNERS!
1^st Prize
Signed Paperback Copy of Edison Jones + $15 Amazon Gift Card + bookmark
2^nd & 3^rd Prizes
eBook Copies of Edison Jones

APRIL 9-19, 2020

(Print copy U.S. Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

4/9/20	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
4/9/20	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
4/10/20	Review	All the Ups and Downs
4/11/20	Review	Reading by Moonlight
4/12/20	Review	The Clueless Gent
4/13/20	Review	That's What She's Reading
4/14/20	Review	Sybrina's Book Blog
4/14/20	BONUS Post	Sybrina Publishing
4/15/20	Review	The Page Unbound
4/16/20	Review	Kelly Well Read
4/17/20	Review	Missus Gonzo
4/18/20	Review	Book Fidelity

   blog tour services provided by