Book Review: The Story of Fred Rogers

The Story of Fred Rogers by Susan B. Katz

The Story of Fred Rogers: A Biography Book for New Readers
by Susan B. Katz (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

I loved Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood tv show as a kid, and it is lovely to read more about Mr. Roger’s life and how he started his tv show for kids. He was a wonderful Christian, and it’s incredible to see how his faith in God inspired him to help children and teach them that God loves them.

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Graphic Novel Review: Operatic

Operatic by Kyo Maclear

Operatic
by Kyo Maclear (Goodreads Author), Byron Eggenschwiler (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Charlie is a girl who is exploring what music truly means to her. As her class at school put together a list of their favorite songs, their music teacher introduces many styles and genres of music and encourages the students to listen and feel the emotions within the music. One boy, Luka, expresses himself through singing with courage and strong feeling, but the other students make fun of him to the extent that he doesn’t return to school. Can the class find a way to use music to repair what has been broken?

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Graphic Novel Review: Breath of the Giant

Breath of the Giant by Tom Aureille

Breath of the Giant
by Tom Aureille, Fabrice Sapolsky (Editor), Tarek Abdel Razek (Color Assist)

4 out of 5 stars

Two sisters embark on a long journey to the wild North, searching for giants. Legend says that if you can kill one of the giants and capture its strength in a magic stone, then you will be able to bring the dead back to life. The sisters will brave any danger and endure hardship in the frozen wastelands if it means they can bring their mother back from the dead. But they are not the only ones searching for the giants.

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Book Review: Different

Different by Heather Dominick-Kosmicki

Different: The Highly Sensitive Leadership Revolution
by Heather Dominick-Kosmicki

4 out of 5 stars

This book helps you to navigate the difficulties of being a highly sensitive person and embrace the strengths that come with high sensitivity. Instead of being stuck in limiting beliefs and anxiety, you can learn to act from a place of trust and courage.

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Four Picture Books from Candlewick Press

My First Pop-Up Endangered Animals by Owen Davey

My First Pop-Up Endangered Animals
by Owen Davey

5 out of 5 stars

We learn amazing facts about endangered animals in this colorful pop-up book. Each page features an animal that is in danger, and gives us a little bit of information about their habits. The blue whale is the largest mammal in the world! A tiger’s stripes are as special as a fingerprint. An okapi has a long tongue to grab leaves off tall trees. The kakapo parrot cannot fly. Galapagos penguins mate for life. The whale shark is the biggest fish in the sea!

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Graphic Novel Review: Bountiful Garden

Bountiful Garden by Ivy Noelle Weir

Bountiful Garden (Bountiful Garden, #1-5)
by Ivy Noelle Weir (Goodreads Author) (Writer), Kelly Williams (Artist), Giorgio Spalletta (Colorist ), Justin Birch (Letterist)

3 out of 5 stars

A group of teenagers have been trained to terraform a distant planet, but their spaceship stalls and they are awakened out of cryostasis ten years too early. They explore a nearby planet looking for supplies, and a mysterious presence begins to make itself known.

This graphic novel was a little too scary for me. There is some gore and blood that was gross.

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Book Review: Arborama

Arborama by Lisa Voisard

Arborama: The Marvelous World of Trees
by Lisa Voisard, Jeffrey K. Butt (Translator)

4 out of 5 stars

This book has everything you wanted to know about North American trees! From giant redwoods to the humble apple tree, you can learn about how trees are so important and beautiful. How deep do the roots go? How do different trees blossom and pollinate? How do their seeds grow into such mighty trunks?

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3 Picture Books from Albatross

Where Kids Go to School Around the World by Štěpánka Sekaninová

Where Kids Go to School Around the World (Kids Around the World)
by Štěpánka Sekaninová

3.5 out of 5 stars

In this book we learn about education all around the world. Children in different countries tell us about their school, their teachers, and what they learn each day. There is a floating school on a boat in Bangladesh, a school in a refugee camp, and English boarding school, and even a school in a hospital.
There are also religious schools for Buddhist monks and for Muslim girls.

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Three Book Reviews from Scallywag Press

Loud by Rose Robbins

Loud
by Rose Robbins

4 out of 5 stars

Abigail is having trouble behaving in class, so she gets sent to the “calming down room”. When she goes to music class, she doesn’t know how to play any of the instruments, so she has trouble behaving again. But instead of punishing her, the music teacher helps Abigail to find her true talent!

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Book Review: Unplug and Play

Unplug and Play by Anthony T. DeBenedet M.D.

Unplug and Play: The Ultimate Illustrated Guide to Roughhousing with Your Kids
by Anthony T. DeBenedet M.D., Lawrence J. Cohen Ph.D.

4 out of 5 stars

Children need a little roughhouse play and gentle wrestling to help them develop emotionally and mentally. Blowing off some steam can help them regulate their emotions and learn to express themselves in healthy ways. Roughhousing and silliness actually lights up parts of the brain that will make children smarter. They learn how to interact with people socially and manage their impulses.

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