children’s book

Picture Book Review: My Panda Sweater

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My Panda Sweater by Gillies Baum
My Panda Sweater
by Gillies Baum

5 out of 5 stars


A little girl wears her lucky panda sweater everywhere all the time, but when it gets too small, she donates it to a charity shop. She thinks carefully about the stories behind our clothing and why we might love a particular clothing item. Maybe a friend gave us that scarf, or maybe a famous relative wore that jersey. One day she sees another girl wearing her old lucky panda sweater, and the two become friends.

I loved this book! It’s so poignant and sweet. The writing style is really smooth and polished, but with a simplicity that requires only a few words to express a meaningful point. I love how this book explores the stories behind our clothing and why we attach so many feelings to our apparel. Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: From My Window

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From My Window by Otavio Junior
From My Window
by Otavio Junior

2 out of 5 stars

A boy looks out his window in his Brazilian neighborhood and describes what he sees; his neighbors, fireflies at night, a rainbow, the sunrise. He and his friends play a telephone game, fly kites, play soccer, sing funk music, and carry their books to school.

This book was okay. I liked the story and the rich Brazilian culture, but I did not like the art style. It’s too busy and the people look weird. Their anatomy is distorted in strange ways, and they have very awkward poses in each scene. Each scene has a background full of color and details that overwhelm the page. My eye couldn’t rest on any one thing. A lot of the background details look like they are copy and pasted onto the scene. Every bird looks the same as the other birds, just copy and pasted and zoomed to be larger or smaller. On EVERY page. Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: The More We Get Together

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The More We Get Together by Celeste Cortright
The More We Get Together
by Celeste Cortright,  Betania Zacarias (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars


This book gives new verses to the song “The More We Get Together” following themes of environmentalism. There is a verse about biking to save fuel, recycling, helping those less fortunate, getting involved in the community, keeping a garden, and having a community potluck.

I really liked that the verse about activism depicts children writing a letter to share their ideas with their leaders. The lyrics say, “Cause your voice is my voice, and my voice is your voice. The more we come together, the stronger we’ll be.” If we are all free to express our different ideas in healthy and legal ways, we will truly be stronger like the song says.

The illustrations depict a lot of diverse people from all ages and races, working together as a team to make the world a cleaner and better place. I love the positive messages in this book!
Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: Cuddle Close, Little Koala

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Cuddle Close, Little Koala by Danielle McLean
Cuddle Close, Little Koala
by Danielle McLean

5 out of 5 stars

Little Koala gets lost in the forest and searches for Mommy Koala at bedtime. All the other baby animals are snuggling in for a good night’s sleep with Mommy Wombat, Mommy Emu, and Mommy Platypus. When they try to soothe Little Koala with a hug or a lullaby, it just isn’t the same as a hug or lullaby from Mommy Koala.

This picture book is adorable! Cute Little Koala is so sweet, and she’s very polite to all the other animals mothers who try to sing to her or tell her a bedtime story. She says thank you, but thinks to herself that it isn’t the same as a lullaby or story from her own mother. The whole story is just lovely! Continue reading →

Board Book Review: Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star

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Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star by Sanja Rešček
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: And Other Favorite Bedtime Rhymes
by Sanja Rešček

5 out of 5 stars

This baby board book has over a dozen familiar bedtime rhymes, including “Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star”, “Jack Be Nimble”, “Wee Willie Winkie”, “Hush, Little Baby”, and “Diddle Diddle Dumpling.” There is one especially sweet poem that I had never heard before called “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear.” The teddy bear touches their nose, touches their toes, turns around, turns out the light, and says good night. It’s adorable!

The best thing about this book is the beautiful illustrations in soft pastel colors and a simple style. The drawings are so cute! I loved the designs of each little character snuggling in bed, sailing through the night sky, or being rocked to sleep by the moon. Continue reading →

Board Book Review: Snap, A Happy Book of Colors!

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Snap by Patricia Hegarty
Snap (My Little World)
by Patricia Hegarty, Fhiona Galloway  (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

A mischievous crab snaps at the other sea creatures and surprises them. Crab meets a pink jellyfish, a seahorse, a blue fish, a starfish, and a sea turtle. They are all startled by the snapping sound. But when a big shark comes in sight, little crab decides to hide.

I love the die-cut openings in this board book! As you turn each page, the crab’s pincers get smaller and smaller as the cut openings get smaller.

The artwork is very cute and colorful! Just right for little readers who are attracted to bright contrasting colors. The art style is cartoony and simple, with fun ocean floor backgrounds. Continue reading →

Board Book Review: Harris Finds His Feet

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Harris Finds His Feet by Catherine Rayner
Harris Finds His Feet
by Catherine Rayner

4 out of 5 stars


Harris is a young hare who is self-conscious about his very large feet. His grandfather helps him understand how useful large feet are for a hare. He learns to jump high, run fast, and even to dig holes in the ground.

I loved the sweet illustrations in this board book! The art is lovely in a watercolor and ink style, and done with earthy colors. Harris and his grandfather are so cute! You can really feel the energy in the illustrations when the hares run and jump.

This story has such a great message of acceptance and love!

Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: Mindful Games for Kids

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Mindful Games For Kids by Kristina Sargent
Mindful Games For Kids: 50 Fun Activities to Stay Present, Improve Concentration, and Understand Emotions
by Kristina Sargent

5 out of 5 stars


This book has easy and fun games and meditations for children that helps them to navigate tough emotions, calm their impatience, and learn to listen. The activities are grouped in categories for focusing on the breath, the senses, the body, and on gentle thoughts and calm emotions.

Each game has a cute illustration that demonstrates the imaginary things we are thinking of during the meditation. One meditation says to imagine that you are a mountain, standing tall as you raise your arms above your head, while you feel connected to the ground. And there is an illustration of children standing tall and strong like mountains. Continue reading →

Puzzle Book Review: Ocean Life!

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Ocean Life! by Jill Richardson
Ocean Life!: A Coloring and Activity Book for Kids
by Jill Richardson

4 out of 5 stars

This book has word searches, coloring pages, mazes, spot-the-difference puzzles, and dot-to-dot activities all with an ocean theme. Dozens of different ocean creatures are featured with some interesting facts about each kind of wildlife, including many endangered species.

Did you know that a stingray doesn’t have bones? Or that squid swim backwards? And the sunfish is the heaviest fish in the ocean? There are so many cool facts in this book! Continue reading →

Puzzle Book Review: Brain Candy

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Brain Candy! by Rockridge Press
Brain Candy!: A Challenging and Fun Maze Book for Kids
by Rockridge Press 

5 out of 5 stars

I had no idea this book would be so colorful and have so many different designs for the mazes! I am truly impressed with the variety of themes and artwork for each maze. Every page is so vibrant with all the colorful little details around the maze!

There is a maze designed like a huge man’s curly mustache! haha! There are mazes designed like robots, an airplane landing on the tarmac, a chicken crossing the road, geese flying through wind and clouds, a dog digging for a bone, a lost porpoise looking for its pod, a submarine diving for sunken treasure, and a maze that leads through the Empire State Building to the very top! Continue reading →