children’s books

Picture Book Review: Mother Earth’s Lullaby

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Mother Earth's Lullaby by Terry Pierce
Mother Earth’s Lullaby: A Song for Endangered Animals 
by Terry Pierce (Author), Carol Hyer (Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

This bedtime story shows various endangered animals and their babies/chicks/cubs settling down for the night, and snuggling in, ready for sleep. Each animal is shown in their native habitat and briefly described in rhyme.
The beautiful illustrations are delicate and cozy with soft colors and little details in the background. It’s the perfect book for reading before bed with little ones! Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: If DaVinci Painted a Dinosaur

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If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur by Amy Newbold
If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur 
by Amy Newbold (Author), Greg Newbold (Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


This hilarious book poses the question, What would it look like if various famous artists had painted dinosaurs? The results are dancing ballerina dinosaurs in the style of Degas, Dino Noodle Soup a la Andy Warhol, a Frida Kahlo dinosaur, dinos in Mary Cassatt’s garden, jazz band dinosaurs in Aaron Douglas’ style, and of course, the incomparable Dino Mona Lisa!

Throughout the story, a little hamster/gerbil artist appears on each page with a paintbrush, chalk, crayon, or scissors in hand… um… paw. He guides us through the various art styles, and discovers a new friend at the end of the book. His expressions are so cute, and he adds a little flair to the story!
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Picture Book Review: Monster, Monster, Who Are You?

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Monster, Monster, Who Are You? by Alexander Vanags
Monster, Monster, Who Are You? 
by Alexander Vanags, Nina Gvozdeva (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
This adorable book introduces a whole group of monsters, each with their own unique look and their own favorite hobby. On each page, we ask the monster, “Who are you?” and they respond in rhyme to tell us about their wings or their tail or fur, and something that they are doing. Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: Three Wild Pigs

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Three Wild Pigs by Lisa Anne Cullen
Three Wild Pigs: A Carolina Folktale 
by Lisa Anne Cullen (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

The three wild pigs are fishing in their boat off the Carolina coast, when a hurricane begins to blow in from the sea. They scramble back to shore and hunker down in their homes of dune-grass, thicket branches, and strong conch shells. The voice of a wolf is heard on the winds of the storm, as the wolf-winds try to blow down the homes of the pigs. Together, they survive the hurricane winds and the rising waves, despite the howling wolf-winds.

I liked the story of these three wild pigs! There is a lovely fluidity to the pacing, and there are lots of little details that make the narrative special.
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Picture Book Review: Poppy’s Pants

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Poppy's Pants by Melissa Conroy
Poppy’s Pants 
by Melissa Conroy

2 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Penelope calls her grandfather, Poppy, and when he gets a hole in the knee of his pants, she offers to sew it up for him. But sewing up a hole in the fabric proves to be more complicated than Penelope expected, especially since Poppy is color blind and doesn’t what type of thread Penelope should use! Continue reading →

Book Review: Acadia Files, Autumn Science

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The Acadia Files by Katie Coppens
The Acadia Files: Book Two, Autumn Science 
by Katie Coppens  (Author),Holly Hatam (Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Acadia is a little girl full of questions. Why are there different time zones? How do frogs breathe? Where does rain come from? Why do leaves change color? How does my body fight off germs? With the help of her scientist parents, Acadia and her friends are determined to go out in the world and find answers.

I loved this interesting book! Acadia is such a cute character, and she asks really detailed and important questions. I liked that Acadia’s mom is a central character, always ready with some guidance towards a solid scientific answer.
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Picture Book Review: Henry is Kind

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Henry is Kind by Linda Ryden
Henry is Kind: A Story of Mindfulness 
by Linda Ryden, Shearry Malone (Illustrations)

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


As part of their heartfulness meditation practice, Ms. Snowden’s elementary class starts doing a kindness project, and each child tells the class about the kind things they do through the week. But Henry can’t think of anything that he has done to be kind, until his classmates remind him of all the little things he has done to show them generosity, helpfulness, and kindness.

I loved the themes of loving-kindness, generosity, and mindfulness in this book! The first few pages show the class learning a meditation that they repeat and take into their hearts, fostering love and gentleness toward the people around them. Continue reading →

NonFiction Review: Solve This!

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Solve This! by Joan Marie Galat
Solve This!: Wild and Wacky Challenges for the Genius Engineer in You 
by Joan Marie Galat (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

This fun book gives problematic scenarios, and encourages the reader to find solutions by using engineering and science! The problem is set with a description of a place or difficulty, and then various people of different professions give their original solutions, and finally the engineers give a solution, and you can decide which one is best!

There are a wide variety of professional people from different areas giving imaginative solutions on each page; a marine biologist, a teacher, a librarian, an architect, a nurse, a plumber, and dozens more in addition to the actual engineers. Continue reading →

Graphic Novel Review: Cici’s Journal

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Cici's Journal by Joris Chamblain
Cici’s Journal: The Adventures of a Writer-In-Training 
by  Joris Chamblain, Aurélie Neyret (Illustrations)

5 out of 5 stars on GoodREads


Cici loves a good mystery! When she and her friends see an old man lugging paint cans through the forest, Cici will do anything to unravel the enigma of the painter. But when she ignores her friends, lies to her mother, and takes advantage of her writing mentor, Cici could lose everyone she loves if she doesn’t learn to curb her wild curiosity.
This edition includes volumes 1-2 of Cici’s story. Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: Beautiful, Wonderful, Strong Little Me!

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Beautiful, Wonderful, Strong Little Me by Hannah Carmona Dias
Beautiful, Wonderful, Strong Little Me 
by Hannah Carmona Dias

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Lilly is a confident little girl, who is not phased by her friends questions about her appearance. Is she Hispanic, Black, White, Indian, Brazilian, or Italian? Lilly is happy with her beautiful dark skin, and her curly hair, and fierce eyebrows. She kindly reminds her friends that what is important about her is found on the inside with her big heart and smart mind.
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