Livinglovingandexploring!

Let me say; I have GOT to visit Iceland! I’ve honestly never given it much thought before. I mean, I know it’s a country, and I know it’s pretty cold. Thus the not thinking about it too much. I am just not a fan of the cold. But, now that I’ve read RA Anderson’s super adorable kids series, ‘Iceland: The Puffin Explorer Series’ books 1-3, I’m pretty obsessed! She creates a beautifully worded and illustrated story-line centering around Árni the puffin, his friend Birta, and Árni’s parents. She also gives just enough information about the country itself to keep kids (and adults) well informed and interested!

The first book in the series, ‘Puffins Take Flight,’ introduces you to Árni and Birta, and fills your child in on puffins and how their young, pufflings, end up leaving the nest. The begin journeying on their own once they come ‘of age,’ which isn’t that old! Especially considering the kiddos we try to nurture for as long as we can! I was shocked at how little time the pufflings spend with their parents! Árni and Birta are about to leave their nests to head off to the ocean for a few years to grow up, but before they can do that, Árni discovers that Birta is missing! So, he can’t just leave the nest without his best friend! He has to go and search for her! This book follows Árni while he searches for Birta, and while he is searching for her, his parents are searching for him as they know it’s the night that their little guy is supposed to leave the nest! Here’s the link on Amazon to purchase if you’d like: https://www.amazon.com/Puffins-Take-Flight-Iceland-Explorers/dp/1950590062/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=puffins+take+flight&qid=1588705804&sr=8-1

By the by, isn’t puffling the cutest word!? Did you know that puffins can fly? I certainly didn’t. Now, per RuthAnne, the puffins can fly, but they are NOT graceful! It takes a lot of work for those little birds to get off the ground!

We are treated to an abundance of phenomenal photos that the author and her family explored while they were there! The pictures don’t do the reality justice, I’m sure! But, they do entice and make me wish I was there right now!

The second book in her series is ‘Puffins Off the Beaten Path.’ The story-line continues following Árni and Birta while they’re off gallivanting around Iceland! They weren’t supposed to be gone for so long, but while they were off playing, they ran into two motherless sheep. That was just not good in their opinion, so for the majority of this book, they’re out searching for the sheeps’ mother so that they can reunite the family again! They’re still being tracked by Árni’s parents, who are having their own set of adventures while searching for their boy! Another adorable book, filled with even more information introducing children and parents alike everywhere in Iceland! The link to Amazon for book # 2: https://www.amazon.com/Puffins-Off-Beaten-Path-Iceland/dp/1950590089/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=puffins+off+the+beaten+path&qid=1588705829&sr=8-1

Did you know that in Iceland, they still have their language, Icelandic, and it’s still very much in use today!? I didn’t. RuthAnne takes the time to introduce young minds to a few commonly used words in Iceland throughout the series, as well as the longest word in their language, which is Vaðlaheiðarvegavinnuverkfærageymsluskúrslyklakippuhringurinn. Let’s see you tell me what THAT word means without looking it up :).

The third and final book in this particular series is ‘Puffins Encounter Fire & Ice.’ Your child will get to see how the story turns out in the tale of Árni and Birta and his parents! I’m not going to lie; I read all three right in a row as I cannot stand when things end with a cliffhanger! An excellent finish to the series, your child will see that pufflings do leave their nests and head off for the ocean to be on their own at what we would consider a young age! The book ensures that you understand that after a few years out to see, the pufflings, now considered adults, will make it back to where they were born and begin their own families! Last but not least, if you’re at all inclined: https://www.amazon.com/Puffins-Encounter-Fire-Ice-Explorers/dp/1950590100/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=puffins+fire+%26+ice&qid=1588705850&sr=8-1

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This series is a must for anyone who has an interest in wildlife, nature, landscapes, history, puffins, and language! They mix history into the now, along with beautiful photographs that illustrate their character’s journey, instead of sketches or doodles. It’s also a perfect series to teach a bit about global warming and the effect its’ having on the world. There are sheep, horses, reindeer, seals, and a few other characters (animals) that get introduced! One of which is an arctic fox – beautiful – but deadly for the puffin population! I enjoyed this series and am excited for when my kids are a bit older and can sit still enough to enjoy the information! I think kids between four and six years old would be an excellent place to start for these particular books. My two and three-year-olds don’t have the patience yet!

By the way – that word I mentioned before means: the keyring to the tool work shed in the road works of Vaðlaheiði, a mountain road in North Iceland. 🙂 Now, you know too! Who would’ve thought!

RuthAnne Anderson has several ways of keeping in touch with her and her unique thoughts, talents, and photos! She’s an award-winning writer and photographer who has had her works published in multiple outlets! You can find more about her on her website: https://ra-anderson.com/. Or, keep in touch via her social media pages: FB: https://www.facebook.com/raAndersonAuthor/ ; Twitter: @aruthanne Twitter; IG: @ra_anderson_author Instagram OR @aruthanne Instagram. Also, a special thanks to Teresa Hinojosa, with Ascot Media Group, for giving me the capability of reading and reviewing this whole series! You can find more information on them here, https://ascotmedia.com/.

If you decide to purchase this incredible series, please let me know what you think! I love hearing about other thoughts on books I’ve read! Thanks in advance!

Love ya,

Kelly Ann

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