Old Clothes for Dinner?! by Nathalie Alonso

Illustrated by Natalia Rojas Castro 4 stars A humorous picture book that explores the unique names we give certain dishes. Magaly loves her abuela’s cooking, but when she learns they’ll be eatin ropa vieja for dinner, she starts hiding her “old clothes” so they don’t end up in the pot. Delightful humor. Bright, warm illustrations….

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Blue Horses by Mary Oliver

3 stars Another beautiful collection of poems. This one didn’t resonate with me quite as strongly as the other collections I’ve read from her, but it was still a wonderful read. A nice exploration of life, nature, and relationships. Goodreads

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From Garden to Pickle by Penelope S. Nelson

2 stars A simple look at how pickles are made for early readers. Simple narration paired with bright stock photos provides an overview of how pickles are made. Doesn’t provide much detail beyond pick, scrub, add brine, seal, and wait. Short, simple sentences between 1 to 7 words long. I did enjoy the infographic at…

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The Gingerbread Man: Buttons on the Loose by Laura Murray

Illustrated by Mike Lowery 3 stars A cute little early graphic novel. Join the Gingerbread Man as he searches for his missing buttons in this adorable rhyming tale. Cute artwork. Great rhythm and rhyme. Short and simple story with dynamic illustrations. A nice next step for those who enjoy the picture book series and a…

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Rarity’s Charity by G. M. Berrow

3 stars An early chapter book adaptation of My Little Pony: Rarity and the Curious Case of Charity. Rarity is excited for her new apprentice to arrive, but when Charity takes her idolization of Rarity too far, Rarity must figure out how to be the mentor Charity actually needs. While it’s the same story, the chapters…

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At Blackwater Pond: Mary Oliver Reads Mary Oliver

5 stars A wonderful collection of poems read by Mary Oliver herself pulled from throughout her writing career. A fantastic listen. Featuring birds, plants, and the natural world, Oliver reflects on beauty, virtue, death, and more. I loved listening to these poems and especially hearing Oliver tell them. She reads each poem with her own…

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Lauren McGill’s Pickle Museum by Jerdine Nolen

Illustrated by Debbie Tilley 3 stars An odd little adventure dedicated to pickles. Lauren McGill is obsessed with pickles. She loves everything about them. After an eventful field trip to a pickle factory, her classmates realize how great pickles are too. Now Lauren doesn’t feel special and isn’t sure she likes pickles anymore… until inspiration…

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Adventure Time: The Fionna and Cake Compendium Vol. 1

5 stars Fast-paced adventures featuring battles with the Ice Queen, an epic Card Wars tournament, and mini-quests. This volume compiles Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake #1-6 (Natasha Allegri, Betty Liang), Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake: Card Wars #1-6 (Jen Wang, Britt Wilson), and a variety of short comics (ND Stevenson, Lucy Knisley, Kate…

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