Personal rating of 3 out of 5 stars
Illustrated by Kate Berube 3 stars A visually pleasing story that perfectly encapsulates the beauty of doing something you love. Every Friday, one of the students gets to share a talent with the entire school. Today, it’s John’s turn. He’s nervous all day, but as he starts performing, magic happens. The illustrations are wonderful. It…
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Translated by Alex Dudok de Wit 3 stars A standalone tale loosely based on the Tibetan folktale, “The Prince Who Turned into a Dog”. This book is all Miyazaki. Stunning settings, a strong woman with agency and determination, fascinating creatures, rich backgrounds, and intentional ambiguity. Slow-paced story that puts more emphasis on the visuals than…
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by Chris Mould 3 stars A delightfully spooky tale of a mysterious house, wretched villains, and something lurking in the night. A nice creepy equivalent for fans of Roald Dahl. The story was quick and engaging. It was easy to get swept up in the mysterious setting and odd events. I really enjoyed the artwork. The…
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by Alexandra Penfold Illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman 3 stars A sweet early reader featuring the characters from All Are Welcome. This rhyming book welcomes students back to school and shared lessons on conduct. These include trying new things, practicing kindness, helping others, and working together. Lovely, diverse illustrations. This Step 2 book includes basic vocabulary, short…
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by Lara Maiklem 3 stars A fascinating tour along the River Thames complete with stories from history, Maiklem’s personal life, and her adventures searching the foreshore. Follow Maiklem as she takes the reader all the way along the Thames, from the Tidal Head to the Estuary. Along the way, she recounts her discovery of long-lost…
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3 stars A hilarious, fast-paced adventure featuring friendship, a well-dressed villain, and a whole lot of unique cryptids. Penny and her mother are moving. But before they do, Penny wants to thank the mysterious creature who saved her from drowning. Together with her friends, she sets out to find the Bawk-ness Monster and discovers the…
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3 stars An adorable introduction to the world of mushrooms. Gravel shares her experiences going mushroom hunting with her family. She is very clear that she is not an expert and that the book is meant to share an interest in mushrooms. The book includes information on the parts of a mushroom, a few best…
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adapted by Naoko Amemiya 3 stars A lengthy picture book that covers the entirety of the film, Howl’s Moving Castle. I don’t normally like picture books that use screengrabs of movies, but the artwork from this movie is so well done, I really didn’t mind. I think you could take any Miyazaki film and easily…
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Featuring Dorian Alexander, Archie Bongiovanni, Sage Coffey, Shelby Criswell, Dylan Edwards, Julia Bernhard, JB Brager, Rosa Colon Guerra, Max Dlabick, Trinidad Escobar, Mady G, Alex Graudins, Binglin Hu, Shing Yin Khor, Kazimir Lee, Melanie Gillman, Levi Hastings, Robyn Jordan, Maia Kobabe, Matt Lubchansky, Mariah-Rose Marie, Jason Michaels, Sfe R. Monster, Breena Nunez, Elisabet Run, Ria…
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Illustrated by Rii Abrego 3 stars A sweet, gentle story. Grace lives on a space station with her mother, Evelyn. But she longs for exploration and adventure. So when she plans to accompany her mom, Kendra, on a trip to Titan, she can’t wait. But when Kendra gets caught up with work, Grace take matters…
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