A ruthless gang of dognappers is on the loose, and their next target is…. That Dog! But That Dog will not be caught unawares. He is on their trail, following the clues to rescue the other dogs who have been dognapped. The dognapper’s assistant is not too bright, and he mistakenly kidnaps a snake, a rabbit, and a cat while searching for That Dog.

I love the silly story and the fun characters. That Dog is quite a clever dog, and I liked how we see him with a notebook full of clues. He carries around a magnifying glass and reads books like “Sherlock Bones and Dog Watson”. He reads the newspaper and does the crossword puzzle. A dog who reads is my kind of dog. Continue reading →

While a mother is folding the laundry, her child climbs into a big shirt, and she tries to fold the “shirt”. First she folds in the arms, and then folds the shirt in half by tucking in the child’s legs. But the “shirt” runs away! She tries to put it in a drawer, but it pops out again. She tries to hang it up in the closet, but the “shirt” is too heavy for the hanger.

This is such an adorable book! I love how imaginative the mother and child are as they pretend the child is a shirt. Their affectionate connection is evident on every page as they play and pretend together. It’s fun to see them transform a boring chore into a game.

Even though it’s such a simple story, I was giggling through every page, and almost cried when the “shirt” says “I love you, Mommy.” So sweet! So cute! Adorableness overload! Continue reading →

This whimsical story follows two friends, Max and Ely, as they try to stop the passage of time so that Ely won’t have to go to the hospital. If they can stop the moon from moving, then they can stop time. They build a rocket ship for Ely’s wheelchair and try to lasso the moon, but nothing can stop the moon and eventually Ely has to leave. Max has to deal with his feelings of grief and his anger at the moon, but eventually he realizes that his memories of his friend are more precious than anything.

I love how this book takes a difficult subject like childhood cancer and creates a sweet story of healing. Even though the subject is serious, there are some light-hearted moments of fun. I love how imaginative the children are as they plot how to stop the moon from moving and how to build their rocket ship. Continue reading →

Santa has retired, and the elves use Santa.com to handle delivering all the Christmas presents. Cyber Scrooge hacks the system and Christmas will be cancelled unless three determined elves can find Santa, the missing sleigh, and the reindeer.

This story is funny and entertaining. I like the mystery as the elves search for the sleigh and try to find Santa. There is also some great humor when they find the reindeer, but the reindeer have grown fat and are too out-of-shape to pull the sleigh.

I love the positive messages about preserving your heritage and not losing personal connections in a faceless technological corporation.

Florence’s class is making family tree projects, and Florence is worried that her tree will cover the whole wall in the classroom. Her family is big and blended and beautiful. She has three sets of parents and step-parents, along with several half-brothers and half-sisters. Florence isn’t sure if her class will quite understand the complexity of her family tree, but she learns to be proud of her unique family.

I loved this sweet book about family identity!

This counting story follows ten animals as they snuggle into a nice warm den to hibernate through the winter. The mouse falls asleep, and is soon joined by a snail, squirrel, hedgehog, mole, rabbit, and more, until they are all snoring together in a big heap.

The text introduces each animal, and then has a repetitive rhyme that counts up the animals and describes how the animal den is growing from a tiny heap to a massive heap of snoozing animals all snoring together. The repetition is perfectly designed for young children, who love repetition and can learn to count and read along.

This is such a snuggly book! The gentle story is perfect for bedtime. There is also a lot of silliness that makes the book fun. I was laughing at the cute animals and the charming ending. Continue reading →

Josh is a little squirrel looking for a family, but he misbehaves and pushes away anyone who tries to get close to him. He plays pranks and makes a nuisance of himself to prove that no one could ever really love him, until he meets an elephant couple who are patient and kind. They teach him about family and how to be there for each other no matter what.

I loved this sweet story! Josh is such a sad little character, but he is also cute and funny. I like how this book balances fun and silliness with the more serious subject material.

The illustrations are completely adorable, and I love all the various animal characters. The expressions on their faces really bring the story to life. I like the soft art style and the little details of the feathers and fur of the animals. Continue reading →

This book explores Latino food traditions and gives some wonderful information about different culinary traditions from Latin America and the Caribbean. There are pages for rice and beans, meats, corn maize, potatoes, salsa, chocolate, and more. Each page has the text in English and Spanish, designed for bilingual children or anyone who is learning a new language.

I love how this book celebrates Latino culture, the rich foods, and the beautiful traditions surrounding food festivals and sharing a meal with friends and family.

Continue reading →