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Graphic Novel Review: The Day of the Unicorn

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The World of Yaxin by Man Arenas

The World of Yaxin: Day of the Unicorn
by Man Arenas

3 out of 5 stars

This graphic novel doesn’t really have a story. It’s more like a collection of poetic lines with a loose story line of a lady unicorn, who gazes at the moon with her princess friend and little fauns. She meets a male unicorn and the artwork shows the male jumping over her while she rolls on her back on the ground. This is suggestive, but the text just says that “Love meets Life”. Then we understand that the lady unicorn is pregnant.

When the baby unicorn is born, the illustrations show the baby coming out of the mother in the process of birth. It’s quite graphic but beautiful. The text describes the pain and blood, and the artwork shows the placenta. But it doesn’t feel inappropriate or gross. It shows the miracle of birth in a special way.

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Picture Book Review: They’re Heroes Too

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They're Heroes Too by Pat Brisson

They’re Heroes Too: A Celebration of Community
by Pat Brisson, Anait Semirdzhyan (Illustrations)

5 out of 5 stars

The ordinary people we see every day – directing traffic, teaching in schools, serving food, helping the sick, and delivering mail – those people are heroes. Their contributions are so important that society could not survive without them. And when we take time to act with generosity and kindness, we are heroes too!

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Trilogy Review: Zombert Chronicles

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Rise of Zombert by Kara LaReau
Revenge of ZomBert by Kara LaReau
Return of ZomBert by Kara LaReau

Rise of Zombert, Return of ZomBert, Revenge of ZomBert

by Kara LaReau (Author), Ryan Andrews(Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars

Mellie finds a stray cat and names him Bert. Bert won’t eat regular cat food, and prefers to hunt for mice and frogs and squirrels. His strange behavior causes Mellie’s friends to speculate that Bert might be a zombie cat! But Bert’s unique abilities are the result of his past at the YummCo factory. Could the factory have experimented on animals and created a monster zombie cat? Mellie loves him anyway.

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Picture Book Review: Well Done, Mommy Penguin

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Well Done, Mommy Penguin by Chris Haughton

Well Done, Mommy Penguin
by Chris Haughton (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

Mommy Penguin goes fishing. The Baby Penguin and Daddy Penguin watch from the nest as she swims. She is the best swimmer and the best jumper. She catches a fish, and begins to climb up the snowy cliff back to the nest. But can she make it past the sleeping seals?

This is such a cute story! The Baby and Daddy are cheering for Mommy Penguin every step of the way. She is very determined and skilled. Like all moms she has hidden talents and inner strength!

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Picture Book Review: Frank and Bean Food Truck Fiasco

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Frank and Bean by Jamie Michalak

Frank and Bean: Food Truck Fiasco
by Jamie Michalak (Author), Bob Kolar (illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Bean gets a new donut truck to enter the food truck competition for the best food. He asks Frank to come along and help, but Frank has his own ideas about what makes the best food. They are both dismayed to see that Mad Dog has the most costumers at her cupcake food truck. Can they come up with a food that will win the competition?

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Book Review: The Infamous Ratsos Live in Concert

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The Infamous Ratsos Live! In Concert! by Kara LaReau

The Infamous Ratsos Live! In Concert!
by  Kara LaReau (Author), Matt Myers (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

The Ratso brothers, Louie and Ralphie, start up a charity concert with their friends to help raise money to repair the playground. But Chad Badgerton makes fun of them for their glittery costumes and silly dance moves. Ralphie is nervous about the concert. He loves the music they are singing, but is not sure if he wants to wear the costumes. Louie and the others help Ralphie to have the courage to like what he likes, and not worry about what other people think.

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Book Review: Loki A Bad God’s Guide to Taking the Blame

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Loki by Louie Stowell

Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Taking the Blame
by Louie Stowell

4 out of 5 stars

Loki has been banished from Asgard. Odin has given Loki the form of an 11-year-old human, and sent Thor, Heimdall, and Hyrrokkin (also in the form of humans) to keep an eye on him. Loki must learn to be good and keep a record of his good or bad deeds in a magical journal. In this second book of the series, Loki is trying to make some new friends, but he goes about it in all the wrong ways.

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Book Review: The Book of Night with Moon

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The Book of Night with Moon by Diane Duane

The Book of Night with Moon (Cats of Grand Central, #1)
by Diane Duane (Goodreads Author)

2 out of 5 stars

In this spin-off from the Young Wizards series, we follow a group of cat wizards in the same world, meeting some of the same characters from So You Want to Be a Wizard. This book includes spoilers for Book 4 of the Young Wizards series, High Wizardry.

This book has much more adult content than the Young Wizards series. There were a lot of mentions about cats being in heat and tomcats competing for sexual favor. The cats overhear mice in the walls having sex, and at one point the cats stop outside a window like disgusting proverbial peeping toms and watch humans having sex.
There is also a lot more graphic violence in this book than in the Young Wizards series. There were disembowelments, drownings, and guts and blood and cannibalism. All very descriptively described.

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Board Book Reviews: Sunny Days and Snow Days

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Sunny Days by Deborah Kerbel

Sunny Days
by Deborah Kerbel (Author), Miki Sato (Illustrations)

5 out of 5 stars

From dawn to the setting sun, children enjoy the beautiful sunshine! The sun helps a seed to grow. The sun puts freckles on our cheeks. The sun makes the ocean waves “flash and glimmer”. The evening sun makes the shadows stretch long. And finally, a beautiful pink sunset closes the day and it’s time for bed.

Snow Days by Deborah Kerbel

Snow Days
by Deborah Kerbel 

5 out of 5 stars

From the first snow of Winter to the last slushy melt of Spring, the different types of snow are perfect for children to play in! The children can make snow angels, skate on the ice, build snow forts and snowmen, and have a snowball fight. But some types of snow are not so fun, like sleet and hail. It’s difficult to shovel snow off the driveway. Even so, it certainly is lovely to see all the holiday lights sparkling on a blanket of snow.

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Picture Books from Tiger Tales

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Agent Llama: Double Trouble
by Angela Woolfe, Duncan Beedie (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Charlie is a fabulous spy. She is hot on the trail of evil drones that are shooting meatballs and pasta noodles at cities all over the world. People are drowning in tomato sauce, but Charlie will save the day! She surfs through dangerous waters. She climbs the cliffs of a volcano. Her teddy bear has a laser gun inside. She outwits the bad guys, and does it all with style.

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