picture books

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 →

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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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: Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls

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The Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls by Louise Meriwether
The Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls (Young Palmetto Books) 
by Louise Meriwether, Jonathan Green

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Robert Smalls is born as a slave, but the chaos of the American Civil War gives him a one-in-a-million chance to escape to freedom with his family. A moving true story of how one man had the ingenuity and determination that inspired others to join him in a desperate flight towards a free life.

I loved this story! Robert Smalls was so brave and smart. He persevered through many obstacles to protect his family and friends and help them escape together. I was captivated by his touching story! Continue reading →

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 →

Picture Book Review: Little Orange Honey Hood

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Little Orange Honey Hood by Lisa Anne Cullen
Little Orange Honey Hood: A Carolina Folktale 
by Lisa Anne Cullen

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


In this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, a little girl named Blossom sets out to take a peach pie to her grandmother up the river. She encounters a wily alligator, and uses all her intelligence to outsmart him.

I loved this funny retelling, with a decidedly Southern charm! I especially liked that Blossom does not rely on anyone else to save her and her grandmother, but instead she outsmarts the alligator herself.  Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: This is a Taco!

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This Is a Taco! by Andrew Cangelose
This Is a Taco! 
by Andrew Cangelose, Josh Shipley (Artist)

5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Taco is a squirrel who loves to eat tacos, and he agrees to be in this book to teach young children about squirrels, with the understanding that there will be tacos in the book! But Taco gets more than he bargained for when he is mistaken for a flying squirrel, forced to eat tree bark, and hunted by a ferocious hawk. Can Taco take back control of the narrative before it’s too late?

I love books that break down the fourth wall, especially picture books. As Taco becomes increasingly anxious about the chaotic turn the story is taking, he does a beautiful job of addressing the reader directly and including the audience in the book narrative. The writing is quite clever, and similar to another favorite picture book, The Monster at the End of this Book !

The illustrations are so lovely! Colorful and funny, each page has a charm all its own. Taco is so cute!! He’s cuddly and adorable, and I love his funny facial expressions.
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Picture Book Review: Narwhal and Jelly

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Peanut Butter and Jelly by Ben Clanton
Peanut Butter and Jelly (A Narwhal and Jelly Book #3) 
by Ben Clanton (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars


The cuteness!! The adorableness!! The sillyness! I can’t get enough of Narwhal and Jelly. They are so cute and lovable! Narwhal has some strange eating habits, so Jelly tries to help him broaden his culinary comfort zone with hilarious results.

Each little comic is so delightfully funny! I laughed my head off, and smiled and chuckled with glee. I love the simple yet striking illustrations, and the bright colors. I love the sweetly imaginative dialogue and storylines.

I can imagine reading this aloud to a child and having so much fun together! Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: Wild Zoo Train

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Wild Zoo Train by Carmela LaVigna Coyle
Wild Zoo Train 
by Carmela LaVigna Coyle (Goodreads Author), Steve Gray (Illustrations)

5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

The Wild Zoo Train is leaving the station, and the conductor calls out, “All Aboard”, while the children pile into the cars. One little girl is very concerned that their stops are not on the Zoo Map, but the conductor safely shepherds the children through the jungle, the desert, savanna, and
Antarctic, with a surprise destination at the end that is definitely NOT on any Zoo Maps.

When the children disembark at each place, the conductor tells them to look out for various indigenous animals, and the cartoon illustrations of the animals are colorful and they each have funny expressions on their little faces.
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Picture Book Review: My Hike in the Forest

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My Hike in the Forest by Neecy Twinem
My Hike in the Forest 
by Neecy Twinem

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

This children’s picture book takes the reader along for a hike in the woods, searching for animal tracks, noticing interesting plants and animals, and exploring through the streams and bushes and trees. Each two-page spread focuses on one animal or group of plants, with a story that follows the hiking trail, and little factoids about the animal/plant written in a border around the edges of the page.  Continue reading →