Spicy Spicy Hot! by Lenny Wen

4 stars A beautiful story of love, family, and the connection between food and culture. Lintang is excited to meet her grandmother for the first time and try the sambal that everyone loves. But when Lintang gets a taste, she finds it’s too spicy. She wants to connect with her family and her Indonesian heritage,…

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Baker Makers by Kim Smith

5 stars A sweet story about battling perfectionism and showing it’s okay to not be good at something right away. I love the emphasis on being creative while still being realistic about your skills. It was great to see Naveen create something wonderful out of what he thought was a disaster. Loved the bright, colorful…

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Gladys the Magic Chicken by Adam Rubin

Illustrated by Adam Rex 4 stars Hilarious. Join Gladys on an unexpected adventure as she journeys over land and sea where she may or may not be granting wishes wherever she goes. A silly, fun adventure with plenty of jokes to engage the adults. The artwork is engaging and has great movement. The text is…

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Sharks: A Mighty Bite-y History by Miriam Forster

Illustrated by Gordy Wright 4 stars A fascinating read filled with interesting facts, gorgeous art, and a passion for science. I love that the book forces on the history of sharks. It was so cool to learn about the different extinction events and how shark-like animals have changed over time. This goes beyond your basic…

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Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes by Eva Chen (Juno Valentine #1)

Illustrated by Derek Desierto 3 stars While looking for her favorite shoes, Juno is transported into a magical consortium featuring the shoes of famous women. She tries on the shoes of Frida Kahlo, Sally Ride, Misty Copeland among others, until finally finding the perfect fit, taking inspiration from her magical journey. Loved the concept. Great…

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Sejal Sinha Battles Superstorms (Sejal Sinha #1) by Maya Prasad

Illustrated by Abira Das 4 stars A fun adventure that nicely blends magic and science. Sejal loves science. With the help of some cardboard box magic, she’s always ready for adventure. When a big storm threatens the Diwali celebration, Sejal teams up with her cousin, Mira, her little brother, Abu, and her sidekick, Professor Cheetah,…

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Big by Vashti Harrison

5 stars A touching and empowering picture book about the associations attached to words, the way our words affect others and ourselves, and the freedom of allowing yourself to take up space. Simple narration with a powerful message. The story shows the shift in childhood from when “big” is seen as a good thing (“What…

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The Grudge Keeper by Mara Rockliff

Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler 3.5 stars A really sweet story about forgiveness and friendship. No one in Bonnyripple ever kept a grudge except Cornelius, the Grudge Keeper, a sort of archivist of the townspeople’s complaints about one another. When a storm hits the town, the people see just how much space all their grudges take…

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Tasty: A History of Yummy Experiments by Victoria Grace Elliott

5 stars A fun adventure into the world of food. Join a team of sprites as they dive into various dishes and ingredients including cheese, pizza, pickles, soda, easy food, and gelatin. They explore written history around the globe to learn about how items were created and how they have changed over time. Along the…

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