4 stars A gorgeous book to immerse yourself in. Beautiful artwork, a captivating story, and wonderful lessons and messages. Reminiscent of Kay O’Neill‘s The Tea Dragon Society. Gentle fantasy with fantastic artwork. This book is so much more than pretty pictures and Xu accomplishes a lot with a relatively simple story. Sophie’s insecurity is easy to relate…
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3 stars I have loved seeing the recent flood of materials about Ada Lovelace and was excited to find a picture book among them. Hers is a fascinating story. The combination of creativity and original thinking with an interest in math and science makes for some truly remarkable accomplishments. I really enjoy learning more about…
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4 stars A fascinating non-fiction picture book about the life and work of Margaret Lowman, aka “Canopy Meg”. The book gives an overview of her childhood, education, scientific discoveries, and conservation work all while providing interesting facts about the rainforest and animals/plants that live there and quotes from Canopy Meg herself. The illustrations are beautiful,…
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3 stars A cute story that shows how friendship transcends personality type. Peter and Ernesto are two very different sloths. Ernesto is curious and wants to find adventure. Peter is more reserved, but also kind and brave when someone needs help. The two sloths go on their own journeys and learn a lot along the…
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5 stars An absolutely fantastic read. Right from the start, the story begins with a powerful basis. One that is sadly relatable for many in America. When presented with an assignment to “trace your roots” and draw the flag of her ancestral land, the narrator is unable to do so. She goes to her grandmother…
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4 stars An allegorical tale of Greta Thunberg’s activism and how she’s inspired others to stand up to demand change. The use of talking animals and literal giants helps make this engaging for young children while sticking to its message of environmentalism. Though the characters are small compared to the giants, when they come together…
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5 stars Was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I watched the Netflix adaptation when it first came out and found it interesting enough. Thus, I expected to feel similarly about the book. However, I was instantly pulled in and did not want to put this down. There are various changes made…
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4 stars An adorably sweet, heartwarming book based on a true story. Told from Peter Mercurio’s point of view talking directly to Kevin, the book tells the story of how Kevin became Peter and Danny’s son. The book focuses on the positive aspects of finding and creating family, including the support system of those around…
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4 stars A fantastic introduction to some of the basics of Indigenous history in America. Told in a creative format, Sorell uses the frame story of students putting together presentations for Indigenous Peoples’ Day Projects in order to touch on Native peoples’ encounters with the US government and white/European culture. Each topic is given a…
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2 stars First of all, Iredale knocked it out of the park with that artwork. Each page is gorgeous and I loved all the details woven into each spread. She really captured the magic of the settings, especially their natural elements. However, the book itself is a bit odd. I’m hesitant to call it a…
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