Picture Book Review: Princess Jill Never Sits Still

Princess Jill Never Sits Still by Margarita Del Mazo
Princess Jill Never Sits Still
by Margarita Del Mazo

5 out of 5 stars

Princess Jill is so full of energy that she cannot sit still. She runs through the garden, jumps on the beds, plays with her food, bangs on pots and pans to make music, and climbs all over her royal throne without ever sitting in it. The wise men and witches and sorcerers give her potions and try making her wear iron boots, but nothing keeps the princess still for longer than a moment. When a neighboring kingdom bring their little prince to make friends with the princess, the king and queen don’t know what to do! But the foreign prince has a secret of his own that might just make them all friends.

This picture book is hilarious and full of fun! The poor king and queen have no idea what to do with their unmanageable princess, and the princess just grins and happily speeds along from scene to scene. This story is perfect for children who have a lot of energy and find it difficult to keep still! It sends a positive message that having a lot of energy is a good thing, but you need to focus that energy in good ways. Continue reading

Picture Book Review: Max and Xam

Max and Xam by Ariane Hofmann-Maniyar
Max and Xam
by Ariane Hofmann-Maniyar

5 out of 5 stars

Max and Xam are the best of friends, until one day their friendship is ruined by a big fight. Max decides to make some new friends out of rocks and tree limbs and some paint for their faces. Xam makes some new friends out of old tires and umbrellas and milk cartoons with buttons for eyes. But the made-up friends just aren’t the same as a real friend. You can’t have a tea party with a rock, or say good night to a broom. Max and Xam decide to repair their friendship, and find a way to reconcile.

This picture book is hilarious and sweet! The two characters are so imaginative in the way they create various “friends” out of materials around their house and garden, painting faces onto old bottles, rocks, boxes, and even cardboard toilet paper rolls. The text is just right for little readers with a simple story told in a few vivid words. Continue reading

Board Book Review: Little Fingers Ballet

Little Fingers Ballet by Ashley Marie Mireles
Little Fingers Ballet
by Ashley Marie Mireles, Olga Skomorokhova 

5 out of 5 stars

This board book features finger holes where the reader can make leg movements for the ballerinas in the illustrations. There are even little “finger tights” that you can wear like little ballet slippers to match the costumes of the dancers!

I can’t stop playing with this book! It’s so adorable!
The ballet scenes are taken from famous ballets and includes characters like Romeo and Juliet, the Snow Queen, Coppelia, and Cinderella. The text also includes ballet terminology like “plies, grande battements, grand jete, pirouettes, chasse steps”, and more that I didn’t understand but would be fun to learn about! Continue reading