5 stars An absolutely adorable picture book from the creator of What’s Up, Beanie?: Acutely Relatable Comics. What a fun read. Perfect for reading aloud. Emi isn’t scared of monsters. In fact, she’s setting a trap to catch one. But when her beloved pup, Cookie, doesn’t follow the plan, her bravery is tested as she ventures…
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4 stars Loved this fresh spin on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Featuring a science-driven Crane, a reluctant Van Tassel, and their prank-loving classmate, Croc, the trio must band together to navigate the legend of their small town. Nice humor and adventure with a bit of mystery tied in. There’s also a sweet romantic element without…
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3 stars A cute rendition of Usagi Yojimbo complete with Miyamoto Usagi in chibi form along with Chibi Tomoe and Chibi Gen. The three friends meet a dogu and help save the dogu village from the evil Salamander King. Nice story of friendship and helping others. Also includes some interactive and educational materials at the…
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4 stars Another fun collection from Prelutsky, complete with wonderful illustrations from James Stevenson. Filled with silly tales told with Prelutsky’s characteristic wit, wordplay, and flowing style. I especially enjoyed the visual poems such as the spiral formation of “I Am Stuck Inside a Seashell”, the fading text of “Hello and Good-Bye”, the back and forth…
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3 stars Based on the novel by James Howe and Deborah Howe A fun graphic novel adaptation of the spooky classic. The book sticks closely to the original tale, complete with Chester, the wannabe vampire slayer, Harold, the trusty narrator with conflicting interests, and Bunnicula, the mysterious new addition to the family. As with the…
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3 stars A fun epistolary series for young readers. Told entirely through letters, notes, newspaper articles, and reports, this book is full of mischief, humor, and blossoming friendships. A writer who hasn’t written in 20 years, a ghost who wants to be published, a boy whose paranormal-researcher-parents distance themselves from his assertions that ghosts are…
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5 stars It feels slightly odd reviewing this audiobook as it isn’t quite a traditional audiobook. Prelutsky’s poems are set to music complete with a banjo, mandolin, saw, percussion, fiddle, slide trumpet, guitar, bass, keyboard, and kazoo. This makes the it feel more like a music CD than a book, but provides a wonderful listening…
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4 stars A hilarious collection of poems that taps into the whimsey, humor, imagination, and oddity of childhood. Great for those who enjoy Shel Silverstein or as an introduction to poetry. These poems are wonderful to read aloud and are paired with fun drawings from James Stevenson that really bring them to life. Throughout the silliness, there are also…
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4 stars Another winner from Brosgol! In this part-memoir graphic novel, Brosgol tackles her time at Russian summer camp, complete with mean tent-mates, horrific outhouses (aka the Hollywood), new friends, run-ins with wild animals, camp competitions, reluctantly getting caught up in drama, and the desire to belong. Brosgol doesn’t shy away from some of the…
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4 stars Ten authors pair up with Chad Sell to create interconnected stories from the world of the Cardboard Kingdom. Sell does the artwork throughout, giving it consistency while letting the characters and authors shine. Reality and fantasy converge as the neighborhood kids play their way through summer, making new connections and learning lessons along…
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