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Astrid and Apollo
Astrid and Apollo and the Puppy Surprise
The twins’ birthday is coming! Astrid and Apollo each have a special, surprise gift planned for the other. Astrid thinks she has guessed what Apollo is giving her, but as she puts more clues together, she realizes she’s in the middle of a birthday mystery! Join in the fun as the twins try to pull off the ultimate birthday surprises for the best birthday ever! Readers will love joining the twins on their adventures in this chapter book series about a Hmong American family.
64 pages, Hardcover
Published August 1, 2021
4 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 13, 2021
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
Astrid and Apollo and the puppy surprise is a beautiful children's book about twins Astrid and Apollo preparing for their birthday.
Both twins have some fantastic gift ideas but will Apollo be able to pull his off in time for their birthday!
I love this series. This is my second read of the series so far but highly recommend them.
The family in the story is Hmong American and I love seeing different cultures in children's books today!
Astrid and Apollo and the puppy surprise is a beautiful children's book about twins Astrid and Apollo preparing for their birthday.
Both twins have some fantastic gift ideas but will Apollo be able to pull his off in time for their birthday!
I love this series. This is my second read of the series so far but highly recommend them.
The family in the story is Hmong American and I love seeing different cultures in children's books today!
March 19, 2021
"𝙎𝙪𝙝-𝙥𝙞𝙨𝙚!"
"Astrid and Apollo and the Puppy Surprise" by V.T. Bidania, is as heartwarming a story as it sounds! It is a short little story about how the twins surprise each other every birthday, and this year the stakes are so much higher.
This book is entertaining, educative, flawless, and fills you with fuzzy feelings. Reading the relationship between the siblings, made me wish I had one. Bidania does a wonderful job of building up the characters, each of them with a different yet charming personality, and also establishes wonderful chemistry between the family members; all without disrupting the pace of the story and with a little bit of mystery, this book demands to be read!
And I must take a moment to appreciate those gorgeous illustrations, which made this story come alive! With such warm and bright colors, it was visually very appealing to flip through the pages and see what happens next.
The story flows smoothly and I think, is a perfect book for children who are starting to step into the world of stories!
This book also has a small little guide for pronunciation and meaning of some difficult words, including a little information about the heritage of the Hmong people, which was very enlightening.
Although this part of a series, I assure you that it can be read like a stand-alone. I would definitely buy this book for my younger cousins and friends!
"Astrid and Apollo and the Puppy Surprise" by V.T. Bidania, is as heartwarming a story as it sounds! It is a short little story about how the twins surprise each other every birthday, and this year the stakes are so much higher.
This book is entertaining, educative, flawless, and fills you with fuzzy feelings. Reading the relationship between the siblings, made me wish I had one. Bidania does a wonderful job of building up the characters, each of them with a different yet charming personality, and also establishes wonderful chemistry between the family members; all without disrupting the pace of the story and with a little bit of mystery, this book demands to be read!
And I must take a moment to appreciate those gorgeous illustrations, which made this story come alive! With such warm and bright colors, it was visually very appealing to flip through the pages and see what happens next.
The story flows smoothly and I think, is a perfect book for children who are starting to step into the world of stories!
This book also has a small little guide for pronunciation and meaning of some difficult words, including a little information about the heritage of the Hmong people, which was very enlightening.
Although this part of a series, I assure you that it can be read like a stand-alone. I would definitely buy this book for my younger cousins and friends!
June 8, 2021
This was a cute enough story of a Hmong-American family getting ready for a birthday.
The ending was telegraphed, and perhaps it wasn't for the age group that this was written for, and perhaps it was, and that made the reader feel as though they had one over on Astrid. Either way, though it was brightly colored, and a quick story, there wasn't much suspense on what the present was, because the title of the book kind of gave it away.
So, yeah, a cute story, but that was about it.
Probably good for kids to see representation, though.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
The ending was telegraphed, and perhaps it wasn't for the age group that this was written for, and perhaps it was, and that made the reader feel as though they had one over on Astrid. Either way, though it was brightly colored, and a quick story, there wasn't much suspense on what the present was, because the title of the book kind of gave it away.
So, yeah, a cute story, but that was about it.
Probably good for kids to see representation, though.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
April 6, 2021
I personally identified with the book because I am a twin also! The bond between twins is something special and out of this world This was a feel good, cute and happy story of a surprise birthday gift from one twin to another. I really enjoyed this feel good read. This is a great book for my students. The illustrations are so bright and colorful. The one thing I will say is even though the book does a great job on presenting the reader with cultural information on Laos and Hmong people, for "Hmong Words" I was expecting to read those words through the story, however this didn't happen. Other than that, I enjoyed this.
June 7, 2023
Astrid and Apollo and the Puppy Surprise by V.T. Bidania is a story about Hmong American twins. It is their birthday and they are thinking of what gifts to give one another. Each year they try to surprise one another, and once again they succeed. Although they are twins, I love that she gave them each their own personalities and interests. The family relationships were also great with their parents helping them with their surprises. There is a bit of a mystery as they try to figure out what they will be getting. I love the multi-cultural aspect of this story, including the pronunciation guide at the end of the book and some of the cultural information shared. The illustrations are amazing and bring the story to life. I read this one to my granddaughter and she really enjoyed it, especially the gifts they gave one another. This is part of a series of 14 books, but can easily be read as a standalone story. I am going to find some of the others to read to her as well. I highly recommend this book to schools, teachers and public libraries. There are never enough books featuring children from different heritages and cultures.
June 20, 2021
Another great early reader to add to my growing classroom shelf! Twins Astrid and Apollo go on fun adventures while teaching readers about some of the aspects of the culture of Laos. (There are Hmong word translations at the beginning of each book.) The easy to follow plots and engaging storylines are great for this age group.
In the newest book, it is Astrid and Apollo's birthday. Their tradition is to buy one another gifts, but they have to keep it a surprise. Astrid overhears bits and pieces of Apollo's conversations with their parents. She thinks she has her gift all figured out, but is she right?
The Astrid and Apollo series is perfect for kids in grades 1 to 3. Highly recommend!
Thanks to Netgalley, the author, illustrator and Capstone for an early copy to review.
In the newest book, it is Astrid and Apollo's birthday. Their tradition is to buy one another gifts, but they have to keep it a surprise. Astrid overhears bits and pieces of Apollo's conversations with their parents. She thinks she has her gift all figured out, but is she right?
The Astrid and Apollo series is perfect for kids in grades 1 to 3. Highly recommend!
Thanks to Netgalley, the author, illustrator and Capstone for an early copy to review.
March 25, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for letting me read this book.
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Astrid and Apollo are twins. Their parents came from Laos as children. Both Astrid and Apollo love to get each other birthday presents and make them surprises. Throughout the book we hear about Astrid making her surprise for Apollo but, we never hear about Apollo’s surprise. I enjoyed this children’s book, it was a quick read and seemed like a very easy book for children who are beginning to read chapter books. Lastly I enjoyed that the author explained what some of the vocabulary, foods, and the history behind Laos for the reader to understand.
•
Astrid and Apollo are twins. Their parents came from Laos as children. Both Astrid and Apollo love to get each other birthday presents and make them surprises. Throughout the book we hear about Astrid making her surprise for Apollo but, we never hear about Apollo’s surprise. I enjoyed this children’s book, it was a quick read and seemed like a very easy book for children who are beginning to read chapter books. Lastly I enjoyed that the author explained what some of the vocabulary, foods, and the history behind Laos for the reader to understand.
August 6, 2021
...
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me this advanced copy of this book, and my legitimate thanks to the author for giving me the opportunity to read his book.
A book where we are told about two brothers who are very close who birth on the same day. To do so, each one creates or invents a gift that the other might like.
It’s the twins’ birthday! Each year, Astrid and Apollo get special presents for one another. This year, they want the gifts to be a surprise.
Astrid and Apollo were the cutest characters I read that day, I read it and they seemed super cute when looking for a gift or craft for their other brother.
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me this advanced copy of this book, and my legitimate thanks to the author for giving me the opportunity to read his book.
A book where we are told about two brothers who are very close who birth on the same day. To do so, each one creates or invents a gift that the other might like.
It’s the twins’ birthday! Each year, Astrid and Apollo get special presents for one another. This year, they want the gifts to be a surprise.
Astrid and Apollo were the cutest characters I read that day, I read it and they seemed super cute when looking for a gift or craft for their other brother.
4.0
August 16, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Capstone for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
On this latest adventure, we find twins Astrid and Apollo preparing birthday gifts for one another.
Through wanting to find the perfect gift for each other, V.T. Bidania once again weaves a beautiful tale of sibling bonding and family support.
The illustrations provided by Evelt Yanait are bright and colourful, which only add to the overtone and warmth of the story.
I enjoyed reading another adventure with the twins and hope to read more. I would recommend this book for early chapter book readers.
On this latest adventure, we find twins Astrid and Apollo preparing birthday gifts for one another.
Through wanting to find the perfect gift for each other, V.T. Bidania once again weaves a beautiful tale of sibling bonding and family support.
The illustrations provided by Evelt Yanait are bright and colourful, which only add to the overtone and warmth of the story.
I enjoyed reading another adventure with the twins and hope to read more. I would recommend this book for early chapter book readers.
June 25, 2021
I received an electronic ARC from Capstone through NetGalley.
Twins Apollo and Astrid are preparing surprise birthday gifts for each other. Readers see what Astrid is making and have to use context clues to guess what Apollo is getting his sister. The surprise works out well and both are delighted with their presents.
Simple to follow text for mid elementary level readers. Great to see a Hmong family showcased in this book series.
Twins Apollo and Astrid are preparing surprise birthday gifts for each other. Readers see what Astrid is making and have to use context clues to guess what Apollo is getting his sister. The surprise works out well and both are delighted with their presents.
Simple to follow text for mid elementary level readers. Great to see a Hmong family showcased in this book series.
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August 3, 2021Review copy: Digital ARC via publisher
This is another fun story with the siblings Astrid and Apollo. There are a few cases for giggles and of course the twins are super excited about their birthday and the gifts they are giving so it's an upbeat story. There's also a bit of mystery. I'm so happy to have this series available for all of my students.
This is another fun story with the siblings Astrid and Apollo. There are a few cases for giggles and of course the twins are super excited about their birthday and the gifts they are giving so it's an upbeat story. There's also a bit of mystery. I'm so happy to have this series available for all of my students.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews