2020 has been challenging and emotional. And for our kids, it’s been frustrating and confusing. Life changed in ways it had never changed before. We had to stop doing a lot of the things we loved to do. There are so many new rules we have to follow. In I’m a Hero Too, we step […]
Review: Puffin Little Scientist: The Solar System
The Puffin Little book series makes facts and figures super fun and super accessible for kids. Little Scientist: The Solar System takes kids on a space adventure. It introduces kids to key space concepts, like orbits, gravity and atmospheres, and dives into everything you need to know about the planets in our solar system, including […]
The Campaign by Leila Sales, illustrated by Kim Balacuit
Published by Harry N. Abrams Summary: Maddie Polansky’s pretty sure seventh grade will suck, with art class offering the only bright spot on an otherwise dismal daily schedule. So when she hears that unopposed mayoral candidate Lucinda Burghart is planning to cut the school’s arts funding, she feels desperate enough to try to do something […]
Letters from Bear by Gauthier David, illustrated by Marie Caudry
Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers Summary: Bear is sad that his friend Bird has migrated south for the winter. He plans to write her a letter each day, but by day two, he’s decided to travel to be with her. Each letter describes a different adventure, with an illustration to go with it. […]
Review: We Love You, Magoo
Dogs are practically human, aren’t they? Magoo seems to think so. Magoo is a dog, and he’s a crazy, loveable hound. Unfortunately for Magoo, much as he’d like to do the things his humans do (like eating eggs for breakfast), there always seems to be a canine alternative. No chewing the toys for Magoo. He […]
🎃 Nine Old and New Favorite Halloween Picture Books
Halloween is coming, but there won’t be any trick or treating in most places around the country. This year, my young readers and I will be doing a zoom party. To get ready, we pulled out some of our old favorite Halloween stories, added some new ones into the mix, and came up with these […]
😷Five Picture Books About Animals and Other Creatures (and what we can learn from them)
Here are five of our favorite stories featuring anthropomorphized animals and other creatures that we have read this year. Don’t Worry, Little Crab written and illustrated by Chris Haughton Candlewick Press, 2020, 48 pages One day, Very Big Crab tells Little Crab it’s time to leave their tide pool and head to the ocean. […]
The Cat Man of Aleppo
Published by G. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers Summary: Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel, a.k.a. Alaa, lives in Aleppo, a Syrian city that has been devastated by war. He’s stayed in the city, driving an ambulance and helping people however he can. When he finds stray cats wandering around his neighborhood, he decides to buy them […]
The World’s Poorest President Speaks Out edited by Yoshimi Kusaba, illustrated by Gaku Nakagawa
Published by Enchanted Lion Books Summary: It’s 2012, and world leaders have gathered in Brazil for the Rio+20 Summit to discuss climate change and the environmental crisis. “One after another, they gave speeches, but no one says anything new.” Then José Mujica, president of Uruguay, steps to the podium. Described as “the world’s poorest president” […]
Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
Published by First Second Summary: Snapdragon believes a woman in her town is a witch, and when her dog goes missing, she’s afraid the witch has eaten him. An angry confrontation winds up being the beginning of an unusual friendship. The “witch”, Jacks, turns out to be a lonely old woman whose business is rescuing […]
The Whale Child by Keith Egawa and Chenoa Egawa
THE WHALE CHILD by Keith Egawa and Chenda Egawa North Atlantic Books Middle Grade Environmental An inspiring middle-grade chapter book that introduces young readers to the environmental challenges facing the planet through the eyes of Coast Salish characters and authors. “You have family on land as you do in the sea. . . […]
Lost Cities by Giles Laroche
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers Summary: Thirteen lost cities are profiled from all over the world. Each includes an illustration of the city, a second-person introduction (“If you were a young Roman living in Herculaneum…”), the location, who lived there, why the city was lost, how it was rediscovered in modern times, and […]
Review: My Best Friend, Sometimes
We all have best friends and like many friendships they have their ups and down depending on what is happening in our lives. The sheer joy of finding a person who thinks like us, to the anxiety of when the friendship falters for whatever reason. This is the story of two inseparable friends who love […]
Review: I Love My Fangs! by Kelly Leigh Miller
Is Halloween here already? It’s around the corner…maybe. Honestly, I love this holiday, but it’s hard not to. Candy. Dressing up. Candy. Jack o’ Lanterns. Candy. Yeah, I might have a sweet tooth. Or fang. Anyway, it was a treat to already start up that Fall spirit and dream of what costumes the kids will […]
Monster and Boy by Hannah Barnaby, illustrated by Anoosha Syed
Published by Henry Holt and Co. Summary: A monster who lives under a boy’s bed loves the boy. When he hears the boy’s mother tell him there’s no such thing as monsters, he decides to reveal himself. After Mom leaves, he comes out and introduces himself. He sees that the boy is about to scream, […]