Illustrated by Betty C. Tang 4 stars The first day of school has arrived, but with it comes Isla’s worries. With her Mami by her side, Isla practices mindfulness, visualization, and positive thinking to battle her anxiety and blow the worry balloon away. Beautiful illustrations. Nice visual representations of how Isla’s feelings influence how she…
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Translated by Zack Davisson 5 stars Another fantastic volume featuring Riko and Musubi. I love the humor in these books so much. Cat lovers will easily relate to this series. This volume of slice-of-life adventures sees Riko dealing with Musubi as he levels up, clears ideal surfaces for napping, tries new tasty treats, and gets…
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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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4 stars With the arrival of a new pony in Ponyville, mysterious things start happening. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are on it, investigating the strange events and how the new pony is connected to it all. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I absolutely love the show and this book delivers on…
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2.5 stars A cute manga with plenty of puns in both Japanese and English. Fun slice-of-life adventures featuring Polar Bear, Panda, and all their friends. I have not watched the anime of this, but honestly if you have some non-traditional entity running a café, there’s a good chance I’m going to want to read it….
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4 stars A heartwarming story of looking on the bright side. Pip has a tendency to see the negative in a situation. But Parker is always there to reframe it. When Parker makes a mistake, it’s Pip’s turn to show him the silver lining. Beautiful illustrations. Loved the soft color palette. A sweet reminder of…
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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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Illustrated by Boulet 2 stars A unique retelling of Beowulf in graphic novel format. I expected to like this more than I did. I love retellings, especially when they give women and girls more active roles. I’ll admit, I did judge this by the cover. I loved the art style and color and assumed it…
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5 stars One of the sweetest picture books I’ve ever read. When Milly discovers her Grandad’s Pride flag in the attic, she comes up with a plan to bring the Pride celebration to his small seaside town. The townspeople band together to create a celebration of love, diversity, and being yourself. A delightful read. Beautiful…
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