– Shhh, What Beautiful Things Are You Missing? – Publisher’s Overview Meet Ruby, a plucky young girl who uncovers the wild side of her city neighborhood with the help of a grown-up friend. When Ruby realizes there are amazing birds right in her neighborhood, her imagination takes flight. Birders have a name for the moment they get hooked—they call it their spark moment. This is the story of Ruby’s spark moment in her very ownRead More →
– Wear It With A Smile – Publishers Overview: “From head to toe, and in between, scientists get dressed for the work they do and the places they do it!” In Scientists Get Dressed, stunning and engaging “you are there” photos and fun-fact filled text let readers discover how scientists suit up, gown up, gear up, even dress up in costume to do their jobs. Young readers (and listeners) meet real scientists facing the challenges ofRead More →
– Over 15 Amazing Cardboard Creations – Authors: Fiona Hayes & Christiane Engel Publisher: QEB Publishing (October 15, 2019) Genre: Picture Book/Nonfiction Hardback: 48 pages Description (publisher) Nothing beats the joy a cardboard box can bring on a rainy day. Want to fly a plane? Get a cardboard box. Want to go to space? Cardboard box. Want to build a castle and hold a jousting tournament? That’s right – you need a cardboard box! Cardboard CreationsRead More →
Rabbit Is Frightened Of Many Things, But BEARS… Bears Are By Far At the Top Of His List! Author: Lydia Lukidis Illustrator: Tara J. Hannon Publisher: Blue Whale Press (July 2019) Pages: 32 Ages: 4 – 7 Synopsis: (publisher) “This adventure offers an effective brain exercise in graphic storytelling for young readers. . .” —Kirkus Reviews Rabbit is afraid of many things, but most of all he’s afraid of gigantic, monstery, BEARS! The very nervousRead More →
by Dr. Lee Alan Dugatkin & Dr. Lyudmila Trut Authors: Dugatkin & Trut Publisher: Persnickety Press (August 27, 2019) Genre: STEM, Nonfiction, Animals Pages: 32 Age Range: 3 – 7 Synopsis: (Publisher) The true story of a fox that became a woman’s best friend, from award-winning publisher, Persnickety Press. Based on and written by the award-winning author of HOW TO TAME A FOX AND BUILD A DOG and hailed by the NYTimes Book Review as “Sparkling…Read More →
How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald Eagle Authors: Deborah Lee Rose and Jane Veltkamp Publisher: Persnickety Press (August 2017) Genre: STEM, Nonfiction, Animals Hardback/Paperback: 48 pages Age Range: 5 – 13 Synopsis (Publisher) Beauty and the Beak is the multiple-award-winning story of an injured Bald Eagle, the team that rescued her, and the life-saving technology that gave her a brand new beak. Renowned children’s science writer Deborah Lee Rose and raptorRead More →
Gather The Kids To Form A PARTY Of Listeners Author: David Margrave Illustrator: Kim Wyly Clovercroft Publishing: (January 4, 2018) Pages: 30 Age Range: 4 – 8 Word Count: Approx. 229 Amazon Synopsis: There are picture books that teach; there are picture books about family; and there are picture books that have outstanding illustrations. When Fur and Feather Get Together is a picture book that does all three – embracing the enduring themes of family,Read More →
Author/Illustrator: Scott Magoon Publisher: Disney-Hyperion (June 4, 2019) Pages: 32 Age Range: 3 – 5 Word Count: approx 559 Synopsis From The Publisher: Linus and his eraser, Ernie, don’t always see eye to eye. But with the family art show drawing near, these two will have to sharpen their collaboration to make something neither one could do on their own! This ode to art by the illustrator of Spoon and Chopsticks points out the power of sharing the creative processRead More →
Author: Laura Gehl Illustrator: Alexandria Neonakis Publisher: Two Lions (September 2019) Age Range: 4 – 8 Pages: 32 Publishers Synopsis: Juniper Kai was born to be a spy. And while spies sometimes work alone, Juniper has always been able to count on her mom and dad to fill in as spy partners. Until now. Suddenly, Juniper’s parents are too busy and too tired to play with her. And when they start whispering behind Juniper’s backRead More →
But . . . What If? Praise For Older Books Occasionally I will be posting older books that you might have missed or forgotten about. All of these have found a special place in my heart and in many cases also on my bookshelf. If you’ve read or have thoughts about any of these books, I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you have some favorite older titles, feel free to share those inRead More →
– Anyone Smell A Rat? Er, I Mean . . . – Author/Illustrator: Pato Mena Translated by: Celine Siret Publisher: NubeOcho (September 17, 2019) Genre: Picture Book Pages: 48 pages My Thoughts: Since Moles live underground and can barely see, they have costume parties that are very different. Due to their terrific sense of smell, they come smelling, and not dressing like a different animal. (This is all explained before the story begins.) The firstRead More →
– Look At Those Sweet Eyes! – Details Author/Illustrator: Elizabeth Suneby / Laurel Molk Publisher: Kids Can Press (October 1, 2019) My Thoughts The cover on this book immediately made me remember an old song: How Much Is That Doggie In The Window. Hmm, I’m thinkin’ I may not add the date that song was popular, but I will print some lyrics. How much is that doggie in the window? (woof woof)The one with theRead More →
26 Family-Friendly Activities About: Stars, Planets, And Observing The World Around You Great for STEM Learners Author: Michelle Nichols Publisher: Quarry Books; Abridged Edition edition (October 2, 2018) Genre: Nonfiction Series: Book 2 of 8 in the Little Learning Labs Series Paperback: 80 pages / 100 color photos Age Range: 8 – 11 My Thoughts: From Quarto Knows Mini astronomers will learn about things such as the size and scale of planets using sandwich cookies and tennisRead More →
– Celebrate Being You – ABOUT THE BOOK Author: Jacqueline Woodson Illustrator: Rafael Lopez Publisher: Penguin Random House, Nancy Paulsen Books (August 2018) A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Featured in its own episode in the Netflix original show Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices! National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and two-time Pura Belpré Illustrator Award winner Rafael López have teamed up to create a poignant, yet heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scaredRead More →
– Could Those Tiny Footprints Belong To A Dinosaur? – Author/Illustrator: Alex Latimer Publisher: Peachtree Publishing Company (September 1, 2016) Genre: Picture Book Excerpt Hardcover: 32 page Approx. Word Count: 582 My Thoughts: One afternoon Joe and his sister Sally spot a strange set of footprints. After close examination, Joe is sure they are tracks from a small dinosaur. So what do children with imaginations do? Why of course follow the tracks. The footprints leadRead More →
– Everything You Need To Know, And Maybe More! – Praise For Older Books Author/Illustrator: Anne Vittur Kennedy Publisher: Candlewick (August 25, 2015) Genre: Picture Book Hardcover: 32 pages Approx Word Count: 447 Suitable For Ages: 3-7 My Thoughts: This is a book that will catch your attention the first time through and won’t let go. It’s unusual. It’s humorous. The illustrations . . . well, let me just tell you about it, in caseRead More →
– This Story Has A Sweet Message – Author Laura Gehl Illustrator: Paco SordoPublisher: Albert Whitman & Company (September 1, 2018) Genre: Picture Book YouTube Trailer Pages: 32 So Let Me Explain: If you’ve been following my blog you’ve seen several of Laura Gehl’s books reviewed. I began by posting some older picture books of hers that I loved: I Got A Chicken For My Birthday and My Pillow Keeps Moving. I did that as aRead More →
– Bzzzz…Time For Work – Praise For Older Books Author: Giovanna Zoboli Illustrator: Mariachiara di Giorgio Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 2017) Genre: Picture Book Hardcover: 32 Words: 0 My Thoughts: Typically a wordless story isn’t included in my favorite books. But I would say the fun illustrations and twist at the end of the story, are what caused me to rank this high. We see crocodile getting up to the noise of an alarm, brushingRead More →
Follow Your Dreams Author: Laura Gehl Illustrators: Louise Pigott and Alex Oxton Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company; (October 2019) Genre: Picture Book Hardcover: 32 pages My Thoughts: I felt so lucky to get to review this book by one of my favorite picture book authors, Laura Gehl. If you haven’t read My Pillow Keeps Moving or I Got A Chicken For My Birthday you will certainly want to pick up a copy. I’m going toRead More →
– Are You Ready For Some Giggles? – Author: Laura Gehl Illustrator: Christopher Weyant Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers (January 16, 2018) Genre: Picture Book Hardcover: 40 pages Word Count: Approx 167 You may have noticed that my last review was also a book by Laura Gehl. I Got A Chicken For My Birthday and My Pillow Keeps Moving are two of my favorite books by Gehl. I wanted to post those before reviewingRead More →