The Sunflower Sword by Mark Sperring, Illustrated by Miriam Latimer

4 stars An adorable story about imagination, kindness, and unexpected friendships. This sweet tale follows a little knight who longs to swoosh and whoosh a sword like the bigger knights. His mother bestows him with a sunflower instead and he learns there’s more to life than fighting dragons. I’ve got a soft spot for stories…

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Tidesong by Wendy Xu

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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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling (Audio)

4 stars While I enjoyed the simplicity of the original, the newer addition is even more fantastic and engaging. Really enjoyed the new introduction materials and additional beasts. Hailing from Wisconsin, I especially appreciated the Hodag being included (though I’m from southern Wisconsin so the Beast of Bray Road is my go-to cryptid). The fact…

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