Best Buddies: What’s in a Name? by Mother Melania Salem | 4.5 Star Children’s Book Review ~ Author Guest Post ~ Giveaway
A book blog tour from iRead Book Tours.
Thank you to the author, publisher, & Lauren at iRead for providing me with the information for this tour. 
Book Details
Best Buddies: What's in a Name? by Mother Melania
Series: Best Buddies #1
Published by Independent Publisher on January 25, 2023
Genres: Children's Picture Book
Format: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 32
Source: iRead Book Tours, Kindle UnlimitedWhat happens when a homeless dog befriends a homeless teen?
Join them and find out!
Content Rating: G – This is a children’s picture book. It deals with homelessness but in a way appropriate for young children. There is nothing graphic and no bad language.
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Purchase Links for Best Buddies: What’s in a Name?
Amazon-OneLink for all countries
Best Buddies: What's in a N...Shop on Amazon
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My thoughts on Best Buddies: What’s in a Name?
Best Buddies: What’s in a Name? by Mother Melania is a heartwarming and impactful children’s book that tackles the issue of homelessness. The author was inspired by a homeless couple, Michael and Angela, who exemplified decency and kindness. The book aims to address the problem of homelessness by recognizing the homeless as individuals with their own names and lives.
One of the highlights of this book is its strong and heartfelt message. It encourages parents to take their children to various places like soup kitchens, church ministries, and homeless shelters to interact with homeless individuals and see them as fellow human beings made in the image of God. The author acknowledges that these experiences may be challenging but assures readers that they will receive more than they give.
The illustrations in Best Buddies: What’s in a Name? are bright, cute, and engaging. Despite the author claiming to be “no artist,” the renderings are impressive and effectively capture the essence of the story. Children between the ages of 5 and 8, regardless of their backgrounds, will enjoy these colorful illustrations and find themselves drawn into the narrative.
A notable aspect of this book is the availability of free activity worksheets and lesson plans as downloads on the website. This provides an opportunity for parents and educators to extend the learning experience beyond the book itself, adding an interactive element to the story.
Final Summary:
Best Buddies: What’s in a Name? is a commendable children’s book that addresses the issue of homelessness with compassion and sensitivity. Its strong message, delightful illustrations, and the availability of additional resources make it a valuable addition to any child’s library.
I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
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I love to read books through my Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription.
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About Mother Melania
Mother Melania is the Abbess of Holy Assumption Monastery in Calistoga, CA.
She grew up in a house that always had tons of children around, her poor parents had to read to her till they were hoarse, and from the moment she learned to read, she always had her nose in a book.
So, it was only natural for her to grow up to write children's books. In her books, she strives to teach virtue in a fun, non-preachy way.
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Guest Post
A Different Kind of Bag Lady
When we first came to the monastery, our abbess instructed us to keep bags of goodies to hand out to homeless people. This allowed us to express God’s love towards His homeless children, without exacerbating addictive behaviors and making a bad situation worse.
In all the years that we’ve done this, I’ve only ever had one person get mad at me and refuse to take the bag. Everybody else has been very gracious and thankful. Usually, they would happily take the bag. Sometimes, they’d go through the bag and just take whatever they need. Other times they’d take the whole bag and remark that they’d share with their friends. It’s humbling to watch these people accept our little bags with such gratefulness.
A particular instance stands out for me. It was a few days before Christmas, and we were coming back from a dollar store, where we had been stocking back up on the things we included in our bags (canned food, fruit drinks, rain ponchos, hand warmers, gloves, hats, socks, etc.). As we were turning out of the parking lot onto the main thoroughfare, we came upon a young homeless couple bearing a sign that said “Our Christmas Wish List.” I don’t remember all that was on that list, but it included a security deposit for an apartment.
We had several cars behind us and needed to move onto the road. All our supplies were in the back seat. So, we reached for the first thing we could grasp, a package of socks. The husband joyfully exclaimed to his wife, “Look! Socks!” Then we looked at their sockless feet. We didn’t even catch their names. We just had time to say, “God bless you” and went on our way.
Why am I telling this story? Mostly to honor the amazing gratitude of this homeless couple who accepted a few pairs of dollar-store socks as a beautiful Christmas present. But also, as an encouragement for those who feel helpless to do anything about the pain we see around us. Maybe we can’t do much. But EVERYONE can do SOMETHING. So, think about what you might be able to do. And if you can’t up with anything in particular, I invite you to join the ranks of us “bag ladies”!
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As a special promo during the tour, anyone who clicks on this link can download a FREE digital copy of the book!
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/rdzfhtm2tn
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Easy Amazon Links
Amazon-OneLink for all countries
If the above link does not take you to your country, here are a few more:
Please send me a note if your country isn’t listed and you would like to purchase using my links. Using my link does not change the price you pay. Amazon pays me a minimal amount out of their share.
Best Buddies: What's in a N...Shop on Amazon
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Giveaway!
Win a signed copy of BEST BUDDIES: WHAT’S IN A NAME?, plus $25 Amazon Gift Card (one winner / USA only) (ends Jun 30)
Please visit more stops on the tour for extra chances to win!
Official Tour Page for Best Buddies: What’s in a Name?
Full Tour Schedule:
une 5 – A Mama’s Corner of the World – book review / giveaway
June 6 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 7 – Bound 4 Escape – book review / giveaway
June 8 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 9 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
June 9 – Library Lady’s Kid Lit – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 9 – Library Lady’s Kid Lit – book review / giveaway
June 12 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / giveaway
June 12 – Splashes of Joy – book review / giveaway
June 13 – Sandra’s Book Club – book review / giveaway
June 14 – Paws.Read.Repeat – book review / giveaway
June 15 – Liese’s Blog – book spotlight
June 15 – FUONLYKNEW – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 16 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / guest post / giveaway
June 19 – Reading Authors Network – book review / giveaway
June 20 – Nighttime Reading Center – book review / giveaway
June 21 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
June 22 – Character Madness and Musings – book spotlight / author interview giveaway
June 23 – mamof9 – book review
BEST BUDDIES: WHAT’S IN A NAME? Book Tour Giveaway
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Book Title: Best Buddies: What’s in a Name? by Mother Melania Salem
Category: Children’s Fictions (ages 3-7), 32 pages
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Publisher: Holy Assumption Monastery
Release date: December, 2022
Tour dates: June 5 to June 23, 2023
Content Rating: G – This is a children’s picture book. It deals with homelessness but in a way appropriate for young children. There is nothing graphic and no bad language.
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Shared on:
This looks like a cool book!
This sounds like a sweet book to share with the family.
Looks like a cute book.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Best Buddies: What’s in a Name? , the author’s guest post, bio and the book details,, this sounds like a wonderful story to read with my grandchildren
Thanks so much for reviewing my book!
Fearless and Friends is a part of our children’s bookshelves.