Picture Book Review: 101 Ways to Read a Book

101 Ways To Read A Book by Timothée de Fombelle

101 Ways To Read A Book
by Timothée de Fombelle, Benjamin Chaud (Illustrator), Karin Snelson (Translator), Angus Yuen-Killick (Translator)

4 out of 5 stars

Did you know that there are many ways to read a book? You might read in a window seat with the sun streaming in. You might read under the table, at the beach, in a blanket fort, on the train, or at the top of a ladder. You could read alone, or share your books with others. You might slouch, or walk, or snuggle in bed, or use your head as a bookmark. Maybe you are the type of reader who leans their chair back at a dangerous angle. Maybe you hog all the cushions.
But it surprisingly rare to see anyone actually sitting up in a chair to read!

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Board Books from Familius: Puzzle Train Dinosaurs, Ocean Train, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Puzzle Train Dinosaurs by Christopher Robbins

Puzzle Train Dinosaurs
by Christopher Robbins, Suzanna Covelli (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

This adorable puzzle goes through all the letters of the alphabet with beautiful illustrations of dinosaurs that begin with each letter. The puzzle creates one long train with the allosaurus conductor at the front driving the engine of the train.

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Book Series Review: Flip and Funny

Jokes That Go by Zach Matheson

Jokes That Go: A Joke Book for Funny Little Kids (Flip & Funny)
by Zach Matheson, Mark Kummer (Illustrations)

5 out of 5 stars

“What happened to the frog’s car? It was TOAD!”

Animal Jokes by Zach Matheson

Animal Jokes: A Joke Book for Funny Little Kids (Flip & Funny)
by Zach Matheson, Mark Kummer (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

“Where do elephants pack their clothes for vacation? In their TRUNKS!”
This book of jokes will have your kids rolling on the floor laughing, and retelling the corny jokes to their friends, thinking they are so hilariously clever! Each joke poses a question, and then the answer is flipped upside-down on the next page, along with an upside-down illustration that depicts the answer. Most of the jokes are a play on words that sound similar.

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Picture Book Series: 1, 2, 3, Baila Series

¡1, 2, 3 Merengue! by Delia Ruiz

¡1, 2, 3 Merengue!: English-Spanish Instruments & Sounds Book
by Delia Ruiz (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

As the band plays a merengue, the children dance from right to left and we learn about the different instruments and sounds in the band. The drums, guitar, saxophone, and accordion all have their own quality of sound.

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Picture Book Review: Sew Sister

Sew Sister by Elise Matich

Sew Sister: The Untold Story of Jean Wright and NASA’s Seamstresses
by Elise Matich

4 out of 5 stars

This true story of Jean Wright tells how she became a seamstress for NASA. As a child, she enjoyed sewing, and she was inspired by the space program. When she moved to Cape Canaveral as an adult, she saw a newspaper article about women sewing thick blankets to be used as shielding for space shuttles. She applied for the job, and began working as a seamstress for NASA.

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Picture Book Review: Olive

Olive by Jed Alexander

Olive (The Fairy-Tale Color Collection)
by Jed Alexander (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

This wordless picture book follows a little child who climbs up a huge tree, and upon reaching the top, befriends a giant in the clouds. The giant feeds the child and they dance together. The next day the child climbs back down the tree and goes home. They see a tiny mouse in the garden, and think how they must look like a giant to the mouse.

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Book Review: Sounds Good!

Sounds Good! by Ole Könnecke

Sounds Good!: Discover 50 Instruments
by Ole Könnecke, Hans Könnecke

3 out of 5 stars

This humorous book introduces the reader to 50 different instruments. We learn how they are played, who invented them, and what type of music they are commonly used for. Each page has a QR code that you can scan, which will take you to a Youtube soundtrack of the instrument being played. The soundtracks are original music composed by the co-author.

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Picture Book Review: Tibbles the Cat

Tibbles the Cat by Michal Šanda

Tibbles the Cat
by Michal Šanda, David Dolenský (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

In this true story, a lighthouse keeper brings his pet cat to a small island off the coast of New Zealand. One day the cat brings him a dead bird, and the lighthouse keeper is intrigued. He’s never seen a bird like it before. He sends it to a museum, and they declare that a new species of bird has been discovered. They name it the Stephens Island wren. It captures the attention of a great ornithologist who publishes about the bird, and they organize an expedition for a group of scientists to travel to Stephens Island and study the bird. By the time they get there, they cannot find a single wren. Tibbles the cat has hunted them to extinction.

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Picture Book Review: What Should I Wear?

What Should I Wear Now? by Jana Sedlackova

What Should I Wear Now? (Mixed-Up Fashion)
by Jana Sedlackova, Alexandra Majova (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

The characters in this book have gotten very confused about what to wear to their events. You can’t wear pajamas to school! You can’t wear an evening gown to play soccer! On each page, the character learn that their clothing is not the right thing for what they are doing, and then we learn the proper clothing and accessories for their event. You need a wedding dress and suit for your wedding, not swimwear. You need overalls for farm work, not a tennis outfit. You need hiking gear and boots to go on a hike, not a painter’s smock!

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