I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a good message. Learning to slow down and not over schedule things. The illustrations were really great too.

Seraphina Does Everything! is such a great presentation of how busy-ness can keep a child away from enjoying the things they truly love the most and even miss out on the delicate phases of childhood--even if it's their decision to do it all. Smile - even chuckle - at beautiful brown Seraphina as she juggles French, dance, soccer, and little rest. Fun storytelling by Melissa Gratias and beautiful illustrations by Sue Cornelison. 4-star. #JozefBookandBrew @jozefsyndicate @NetGalley

This book highlights a problem that many children in this generation suffer from. Doing too much and not having time to relax and be a kid. This is as much a parental problem and a child problem. Seraphina is a young girl who is afraid of missing out on something. She joins so many clubs and takes so many lessons, that she has not time to enjoy with her friends or by herself. Not only that, but she is not being as successful as she wants to be at anything and her lessons are falling behind. She is feeling sad and needs to make some decisions. She realizes that she needs to pick a few things she really wants to do and then she will have time to spend with her friends. Seraphina narrates the story and her emotions come through in the text as well as the wonderful illustrations. This is an amazing story that should be in all family libraries as this is a story as much for parents as for children. My grandchildren enjoyed this story and my grandson immediately picked up that she had no time to do anything fun. He is not an overly scheduled child so did not really identify with the story, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

I like the idea behind this book an encouraging children to look at their life balances. I will admit even as an adult I don't have it right and I can definitely sympathise with Seraphina. The images were nice and the story was easy to follow - 4 stars

*thank you to Netgalley, National Center for Youth Issues and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

5 stars.

Wow. This was above my expectations. The moral of the story is not just for children of all ages but also a very important message for adults aswell. Seraphina is an overachiever. She tries to do everything because she fears missing out on something. But while she's trying to do everything, she finally realised that she's trying to do too much and that in fact she really is missing out on some rather important things such as time to play with friends. The chill out time as I call it. She realises that because she is trying to do so much, that she isn't able to do as well as she could if she had less things to try and achieve. The message is simple but important. That putting too much pressure on yourself to do so much, will wear you out and will make you miss out on what is really important.

This is such a beautiful book to just simply look at. The illustrations are gorgeous. Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

Great idea of a book! Not many people discuss the idea that kid's lives can be overscheduled which can cause stress/anxiety for children.

We adored this book.

I think the message of this book is one that is absolutely necessary for kids, teens, and adults alike. Who hasn't felt like Seraphina at one time or another? Who has felt FOMO- fear of missing out? Who has felt overwhelmed by all of the possibilities or too many options? Who has felt that they have to be everything to be something? Who has felt left out of relationships and family situations because they are busy being busy? Seraphina wants to do it all, but she realizes that she doesn't have to take every single opportunity that comes her way, and that she is the one who can make the CHOICES. She can choose how she wants to spend her time and energy. We each have to remember that we are in charge of ourselves, and that we can direct our focus. This book serves as a good reminder for that and an opportunity to start a conversation about these worries.

"I know that IAM everything.
I get to choose each door.
I'm filled with possibility!
And right now, I don't need more."

Seraphina Does Everything by Melissa Gratias is about a little girl that thinks she needs to try everything so she won't miss out on anything but eventually learns that choosing a few things to do well is a lot more fun than doing all the things at once and not having fun with it. This is a great book to read with your children to explain priorities but that it's also okay to try many things in order to find the ones that you want to stick with. I really enjoyed reading it. The illustrations are wonderful and I am glad that Seraphina is African American. As a future foster parent, I want to make sure that I have books that every foster child can see themselves in so I am excited to add this book to our home library.

This book is a wonderful reminder as to what is important in life. It is a valuable life lesson that should be taught early to every child.

Seraphina immerses herself in life: Monday it's soccer, Tuesday is karate class, Wednesday she attends Youth Group, Thursday she leads a French Club, Friday is her ballet class and on the weekends?... Soccer games, trips with the family and shows. Whew!!!!! She is one busy little girl and always wants to keep occupied just in case she misses out on something. But what is she really missing out on?

After much reflection and tears of exhaustion she come to realize that she's missing out on playing with her dog Rufus, attending birthday parties with her friends, eating lunch alone at school, and knocking a basketball around in her driveway, just to name a few.

Her dad recognizes the struggle she is having balancing her life style and reaches out to give her some very wise advice. He tells her that she can't possibly do everything, even though she would like to, and perhaps she should focus on only the things she loves to do. Seraphina needs time to be still, have fun, play and to dream and not be so driven to achieve. She accepts his counsel and starts letting go of her many activities. A great sense of peace and happiness overtakes her and a wonderful sense of freedom replaces her feelings of being consumed with constant busyness.

The illustrations are gorgeous ( I particularly love Seraphina's hair... so cool ). The text is written in both prose and rhyme and the message is positive, uplifting and inspiring. The book helps kids understand that life isn't about doing but being. Life is to be lived in the moment and joy is attainable. I highly recommend this book.

This book is adorable. The message is encouraging. The images are vivid and colorful. The book brightens my heart just looking at it and through it. The message is so encouraging and inspiring. It’s interestingly worded, keeps your attention, and moves pretty quickly (in a good way). I wish this were a book when I was younger because the encouraging message of this book speaks to me.

Such a great story with a message to kids (and parents!) that they don't have to do all of the activities out there to find happiness. Life is full of doors and it's perfectly fine to not open them all at once. I also really loved the Tips for educators and parents at the end to help support the children in their lives. The illustrations were colorful and engaging, and feature a diverse cast of characters. I would recommend for kids 4 and up, as well as parents with young children.

Seraphina Does Everything is a timely reminder that we need to slow down and spend time to relax in this hectic age where the fear of missing out is rife.

What child doesn’t want to try everything? They see a friend doing dancing and want to join in, or sport, gym, singing. There are so many extracurricular activities offered to children these days it’s enticing to want to do everything.

Seraphina is loving life rushing from one after school activity to the next. Weekends are spent driving to and playing sport. However the pace starts to take its toll and Seraphina can’t seem to perform well at anything. Her lessons are falling behind and her friends no longer invite her to parties.
She is doing it all but why is she feeling so blue?
Seraphina learns that she can still do the things she loves the most but she needs balance in her life and time to relax and enjoy her friends.

Dot listened to this story with eyes open wide because she is a girl that likes to try everything too. She decided that Seraphina was very tired because she doesn’t sleep because she might miss out on something in the night.

This beautifully illustrated book is written mainly in rhyming verse. The verse is happy and bouncy, narrated by Seraphina she is happy to be doing everything. When Seraphina feels down this part of the story is in a more subdued prose. Both narration styles suit the book perfectly.

I did get stuck a couple of times reading the story because you strike up a natural rhythm reading rhyming verse and then when it changes it takes a few lines to realise the rhythm has changed. Although on a second read (and this is a gorgeous book that will be read over and over) you know the changes in the pace and it becomes a natural progression.

Seraphina Does Everything will become a favourite story of children and parents alike and is a recommended read for parents who want to discuss the need for balance in the child’s life.

At the end of the book are tips for parents and educators on discussing the impotance of balance and how to create it in a child’s life.

Beautifully illustrated, here is a book for children who try to do too much (or parents who fill their children's lives with too many activities). The plot: Seraphina is a little girl whose days and nights are filled with activities, after class, weekends, late at night. She rushes from one thing to the next. She doesn't want to miss an opportunity. Before I realized where the story was going, I thought her activity level was nuts--enough to burn out any child and his or her parents. But aha! That is the point. Seraphina wasn't able to enjoy life or time with her friends until she gave up some of her activities and slowed down.

The story is told in rhyme--for the most part. The rhymes work. It's just a little confusing when the rhyming stops and starts again.

Question: If her dad thought it was too much (as he tells her in the end), why was he taking her to all her activities in the first place?

Adorable, art work is amazing and the style is unique and detailed! Perfect story for kids who want to do everything!

Seraphina Does Everything is a wonderful tale of overcommitting to too many interests. It will be a great tool for my busy students about managing interests and scheduling. The tips for educators and parents will be helpful when I refer this book to other educators and parents. Illustrations are beautiful and diverse. Thanks National Center for Youth Issues and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this title.

Not only is this a great book for children to read, but it is also great for adults with young children! The book focuses on multiple perspectives: (1) putting so much on your plate because you are scared that you will miss opportunities, (2) not having a social life because you are so overwhelmed with the activities you are doing, (3) doing things that you love instead of doing things to say you do them, (4) doing fewer things so that you do them well, (5) and most importantly, having a balanced life! Sometimes, parents have children doing too many activities and sometimes kids put too much on themselves without thinking of the consequences it can have on their body, mental health, and social life. The author also includes tips for educators and parents in helping balance a child's life.

The illustrations and poetic form were beautiful, and the message along with it- you are everything!

This book follows a young girl named Seraphina who has a busy schedule filled with school, athletics, and even french club. However, Seraphina will soon realize that she has too much on her plate and cannot seem to give her best in all these different activities which then causes her to feel overhwhelmed. Thankfully, her dad is able to comfort her by telling her that she still has so much life to live that she doesn't have to do everything at once. With that, Seraphina takes time for herself to enjoy the things she loves a little at a time.

This was such a great message and I think that both parents and children can benefit from this book.

Seraphina Does Everything! by Melissa Gratias. Illustrated by Sue Cornelison. National Center for Youth Issues. Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). Children’s Fiction, Parenting & Families. Publication date: 09 Apr 2019. 5 Stars.

Gorgeous vibrant colored artwork combine with text to present a valuable message about an overly active child. Great message. Highly recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing this ebook for review.

RATING- 4.5/5
I read this book to my 10-year-old cousin who has struggled with balancing her activities, bullies, and friends. She really enjoyed it and as did I. The story's theme is very true and is almost empowering. I recommend buying this for any child that is in your life.

Gratias' book is written well with cute illustrations. I can see how it would help many kids who often take on more than they can chew.

Thank you NetGalley and National Center for Youth Issues for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.

You can read my full review at: https://thehauntedwordsmith.wordpress.com/2019/04/14/book-review-seraphina-does-everything/