Picture Book Review: Pablo

Pablo by Rascal

Pablo
by Rascal
5 out of 5 stars

Pablo is a shy little chick who is too big for his eggshell. He’s not quite ready to face the outside world, so he pecks one little hole in his shell to look around first. But one little hole leads to another little hole and another and another!

I loved this cute book! It’s so adorable how Pablo pecks little holes for his eyes, and then another for his ears, and his nose. As he discovers sight and sound and smells, the reader learns along with him about some of the different senses.

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Board Book Reviews: Daddy Loves You, and Mommy Loves You

Daddy Loves You by Danielle McLean

Daddy Loves You
by Danielle McLeanZoe Waring (Illustrations)
5 out of 5 stars

Daddy Lion loves the baby lion. Daddy Zebra loves baby zebra. Daddy Hippo loves baby hippo. All these daddies play with their babies, give them hugs and kisses, and read stories with them. Each family of animals has their bedtime routine of singing lullabies, taking a bath, and a snuggling into bed.

Mommy Loves You by Danielle McLean

Mommy Loves You
by Danielle McLeanZoe Waring (Illustrations)

Mommy Bear loves baby bear. Mommy Panda loves baby panda. Mommy Elephant loves baby elephant. All these mommies play with their babies, give them hugs, and snuggle them close. The animals families giggle together and sing together in the sweetest way!

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Picture Book Review: The Inventor in the Pink Pajamas

The Inventor in the Pink Pajamas by David Pridham

The Inventor in the Pink Pajamas (If Not You, Then Who? #1)
by David PridhamEmberli Pridham (Goodreads Author)
4 out of 5 stars

Brooke is ready for a big day at school. She has a huge presentation to make about one of her favorite inventors, and she spends the whole day learning about how ordinary things were invented. She even tries out inventing something herself while baking cookies in the kitchen. This book encourages the reader to be curious and explore and invent something amazing!

The story is fun and interesting, but very word-heavy with small print. Fifty pages makes for a long picture book. It almost reads more like a children’s chapter book, but there aren’t any chapters.

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Picture Book Review: Lee and Limbo

Lee and Limbo by Uzoma R. Ezekwudo

Lee and Limbo
by Uzoma R. EzekwudoZulfikar Rachmann
4 out of 5 stars

Limbo and Lee are two cats who are friends. When Lee moves away, Limbo thinks she will always be lonely. But a new family moves in with a new cat and a dog, and Limbo tries to make some new friends.

This is such a sweet story about the loneliness and grief of losing a friend who moves away. I love the hopeful message that it is important to open your heart to new friends.

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Picture Book Reviews: Sissies at the Sea, Sissies in the Mountains, Sissies Go to Mexico

Sissies at the Sea ( A Board Book Celebrating the Magic of Si... by Marisa Howard

Sissies at the Sea (Sissies Adventures 1)
by Marisa HowardAnyu Rouaux (Illustrator)
5 out of 5 stars

Two little sisters are ready for a fun day at the beach. They collect seashells, swim in the kiddie pool, splash in the water, and build a sandcastle. They dig in the sand with their Dad, and eat popsicles with their Mom.

This book is full of bright sunshine and happy smiles! I love the energy and playfulness of the sisters as they discover how many things there are to do at the beach.

Sissies in the Mountains ( A Board Book Celebrating the Magic... by Marisa Howard

Sissies in the Mountains (Sissies Adventures 2)
5 out of 5 stars

Two little sisters are travelling to the mountains. They hike through the trails with their Mom and Dad. They climb rocks at the park, pick wildflowers, and eat ice-cream.

I love the bright energy in this book! The sisters play sweetly together and are ready to find little adventures around every corner.

Sissies Go To Mexico ( A Board Book Celebrating the Magic of ... by Marisa Howard

Sissies Go To Mexico (Sissies Adventures 3)
5 out of 5 stars

Two little sisters travel to Mexico, where they are fascinated by a huge iguana and a colorful parrot. They try on sombreros, eat quesadillas, take a siesta, and dance to Mexican music.

I love the beautiful Mexican dresses that the girls wear to the fiesta! They remind me of traditional dresses I wore when I was a little girl living in Mexico. The sisters have such a playful energy, full of appreciation for the traditions and landscape of Mexico.

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Board Book Review: Busy Day

Busy Day by Lauren Crisp

Busy Day
by Lauren CrispThomas Elliott (Illustrations)
5 out of 5 stars

A lion and cub learn about different shapes and invite the reader to find similar shapes in the moving spinners. The sun is a circle, the house is a square, the moon is a crescent, and a kite is a diamond. An egg is an oval while the lions eat their snack. When it’s bath time, the bathtub is a rectangle.

Cuteness overload! I am so in love with this adorable book! The artwork is bright and enchanting with the cutest little lions playing and eating and washing and camping in a tent. I just love the charming illustrations!

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Board Book Review: My Book of Feelings

My Book of Feelings by Nicola Edwards

My Book of Feelings (My World)
by Nicola EdwardsThomas Elliot (Illustrator)
5 out of 5 stars

“Feelings are never right or wrong. What matters is how we behave!”
This book explores different emotions of happiness, worry, peace, sadness, anger, and surprise. It asks the reader to identify how they feel about different places and experiences, and then use the emoji spinner to say what they feel. How do you feel about the beach? How do you feel about a trip to the dentist? What do you feel when you think about a tiger or bear? What emotion do you have if there is thunder and lightning?

This is such a fun way to get children to identify their different emotions and learn to navigate those strong feelings. This would be such a good book to read with a toddler when they are upset, and it would help them to calm down and use words to express themselves.

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Board Book Review: Sleep, Cat, Sleep!

Sleep, Cat, Sleep! by Antje Damm

Sleep, Cat, Sleep!
by Antje Damm
5 out of 5 stars

“Hey! Shut the book. Don’t you see I want to sleep?”
A grumpy cat urges the reader to leave him alone so he can sleep, then invites the reader to take a cat nap with him. This book will have you yawning and stretching along with the sleepy cat until your eyes slowly blink closed in a peaceful slumber. But then the cat cries out, “Boo!”, apologizes for scaring you, and invites you to close this book and pick up another one.

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Picture Book Review: The Greatest Showpenguin

The Greatest Showpenguin by Lucy Freegard

The Greatest Showpenguin
by Lucy Freegard (Goodreads Author)
5 out of 5 stars

Poppy has been performing with her parents in the circus since she was a little penguin, but as she gets older she doesn’t really enjoy being in the spotlight. She wants to find a way to be involved in the circus magic without having to be in the center ring doing tricks. She would rather be backstage organizing the lighting and props. Even from the sidelines, Poppy becomes the greatest showpenguin with her amazing organizational skills.

I loved Poppy’s sweet story about finding your true passion and where you really fit in. This important message about belonging is smoothly woven into a fun plot that captures your heart.

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Picture Book Review: Alone!

Alone! by Barry Falls

Alone!
by Barry Falls
5 out of 5 stars

Billy McGill enjoys the solitude and the perfect quiet in his home. But a squeaking mouse disturbs the serenity of Billy’s seclusion, and Billy is determined to get that mouse out of the house! He gets a cat, then a dog, then a bear to scare it away, but the animals just stay in the house causing more and more commotion. In the midst of all that chaos, can Billy admit that he might be a little lonely and in need of companionship?

As an introvert, I enjoyed this book so much! It’s perfect for people who are independent and quiet, but might need some friends every once in a while to chase away loneliness.

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