Somewhere
by Robie H. Harris, Armando Mariño (Illustrator)
A little girl goes on an adventure all her own in the park, finding new places, and discovering little treasures of feathers and flowers. Her father is nearby to keep her safe, but she is exploring independently. When she misses her father, she returns to the park bench to show him all the treasures she has found. They decide to go on an adventure together to a new place they can discover side by side.
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Firsts and Lasts: The Changing Seasons
by Leda Schubert, Clover Robin (Illustrator)
Two sisters chronicle their activities through the seasons, listing all the firsts and lasts of each time of year. In Spring, it’s the last time for a snow day, but the first time for a picnic in the park. In Summer, they wear their flannel pajamas for the last time, and run barefoot for the first time. In Fall, it’s the last time to pick fresh vegetables, and the first time to eat hot soup. In Winter, they watch the geese fly south for the last time, and drink hot chocolate for the first time.
The lovely thing about this book is that you know all these first and last times will come around again next year!
The Sisters of Luna Island
by Stacy Hackney (Goodreads Author)
Marigold is the youngest of three sisters in the magical Lafleur family. They are aromages, brewing up charms using aromas. But all magic has a price, and sometimes their magic has severe consequences if they try to change fate. Ever since a terrible accident, Marigold and her sisters have given up aromagic, and their family seems to be falling apart. Marigold discovers that all their bad luck could be because of an ancient curse, and she is determined to find a way to break the curse and save her sisters!
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The Song of the Nightingale
by Tanya Landman, Laura Carlin (Illustrator)
At the beginning of the world, the animals had no colors. So the painter lines them all up and gives each animal its stripes, spots, and colors. The ladybugs, lions, elephants, flamingos, and crocodiles all get their distinctive colors. The zebras and tigers get their stripes. Even the whales get their deep blue color. With the last pot of paint, the painter gives a special coat of gold paint to the golden scarab beetle. But when the day is done and all the animals have gone, a shy nightingale approaches the painter. There is only one drop of golden paint left on the painter’s brush, and the painter drips it down the nightingale’s throat. Golden notes of music echo through the cool night air!
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Lover’s Vows
by Elizabeth Inchbald
This play follows the sad fortunes of Agatha, who is forced to beg on the street. Her son, Frederick, returns from the army, and she confesses to her son that he is illegitimate. He vows to find his true father, the Baron Wildenhaim. Agatha is taken ill, and some kindly cottagers welcome her into their home, while Frederick wanders the countryside begging. He meets some wealthy noblemen and begs money from them, not realizing that one of them is his own father, Baron Wildenhaim.
Meanwhile, Baron Wildenhaim’s daughter, Amelia, considers whether she will marry the wealthy Count or her lowly tutor.
Encyclopedia of Animals for Young Readers
by Tomáš Tůma
This book teaches you how to classify different animals as mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, or insects and other invertebrates. Each page has large cartoony illustrations of various types of animals, and small paragraphs with facts and information. This design is perfect for capturing the attention of a curious child!
I love the cartoony art style! It’s so cute and colorful. This book is really interesting, and it’s so cool to find out some new facts about rare species and also about common animals.
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Atlas of Extinct Animals
by Radek Malý, Pavel Dvorský, Jiří Grbavčic
Atlas of Endangered Animals
by Radek Malý, Pavel Dvorský, Pavla Dvorská
4 out of 5 stars
The Atlas of Extinct Animals lists information about particular species that have now tragically gone extinct, and the Atlas of Endangered Animals gives information about currently endangered species.
I really like the design of these books; on one side there is a full-page illustration of the animal, and on the other side a page of text detailing in what type of habitat the animal lived, its main characteristics, and what it ate, and finally how it went extinct or why it is currently endangered. There is even a little map, showing where the animal lived or lives.
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The Wizard in the Wood (The Dragon in the Library, #3)
by Louie Stowell
Kit, Josh, and Alita are privileged to witness the birth of a new baby dragon along with their new school library! But dark wizards are sneaking around the new library, and it is up to Kit to protect the baby dragon. Josh and Alita want to help too, but Kit is the one with the magical abilities. She tries to take on all the responsibility, but finds that it is too much for her to handle alone.
I loved this book from start to finish! The characters, the plot, the world-building, the magic; everything is wonderful! The writing style is absolutely hilarious! There are so many cute bits of dialogue and funny scenes that had me laughing.
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Atlas of Cats
by Helena Haraštová ,Jana Sedlackova, Giulia Lombardo (Illustrator)
This book gives information about all the different breeds of cats, how they first developed, what their temperaments are like, and how to tell them apart from other cat breeds. There are also cat stories told from the perspective of the cats in their own newspaper, “Meow News”.
This book is so adorable! I love the attractive design and the sweet artwork. Every page is so colorful, and all the kitties are so cute!
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A Dab of Dickens A Touch of Twain: Literary Lives from Shakespeare’s Old England to Frost’s New England
by Elliot Engel
This book gives short biographies of literature’s greatest authors and poets, including Chaucer, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Poe, the Brontes, the Brownings, Dickens, George Eliot, Emily Dickinson, Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Hardy, Doyle, D.H. Lawrence, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Frost.
These are actually classroom lectures that have been written out, and the writing style reflects that. It doesn’t feel like a normal biography or literary essay. The style is more conversational. I really hated that, because the author tries to be funny and clever and does not succeed. The dad jokes are numerous.
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