children’s books

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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Book Review: Freddy the Politician

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Freddy the Politician by Walter R. Brooks
Freddy the Politician 
by Walter R. Brooks, Kurt Wiese (Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Freddy the Pig and the other barnyard animals decide to start an Animal Republic and elect a president to oversee the farm while Mr. Bean is away on vacation. But the scheming rat Simon has a plan to upset the election, and a group of meddling woodpeckers threaten to take over the farm. It’s up to Freddy to come up with a plan to save the farm!

I love the old-fashioned charm of the Freddy books! It’s reminiscent of Winnie the Pooh in some ways. The animal characters are all interesting and funny. The writing style is simple and charming.
Freddy is a really hilarious character who can be silly at times, although he’s so much smarter than the other animals. He’s dignified and ridiculous at the same time!
The election plot really kept me guessing, and I was delighted with the story!

Picture Book Review: Tiger vs. Nightmare

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Tiger vs. Nightmare by Emily Tetri
Tiger vs. Nightmare 
by Emily Tetri

5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Little Tiger isn’t afraid of nightmares, because she has a friendly Monster under her bed who fights the nightmares and keeps them away. But what happens when a nightmare comes along too big and bad for Monster to fight off? These two friends must work together to keep the nightmares at bay, and discover their own true inner power.

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Picture Book Review: How to Trick the Tooth Fairy

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How to Trick the Tooth Fairy by Erin Danielle Russell
How to Trick the Tooth Fairy 
by Erin Danielle Russell,
Jennifer Hansen Rolli (Illustrations)

5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Kaylee is a prankster who tries to trick the Tooth Fairy, but the Tooth Fairy has a few magical tricks of her own, and the two begin a prank war with disastrous results. Can Kaylee and the Tooth Fairy put an end to their endless pranks, become friends, and clean up the mess they’ve made?

The cuteness! The adorableness! The hilarity! I fell in love with this darling book the second I saw the glittery cover art. The illustrations are utterly delightful on every page, with cute little details that bring the story to life. Continue reading →