Oh, Olive! by Lian Cho
Want a funny, sweet story about being yourself? Or a book that reminds you of Olivia the Pig with paints and color? You need Oh, Olive! This book, by Lian Cho (author and illustrator) might be the one you want. The story itself is familiar, but the way the author has presented it is clever and new. The art is fresh and silly, but keeps things in perspective. Our Olive cannot paint a shape. Not a square like her father, nor a triangle like her […]
Simon Says Good Night by Orit Bergman
When I first saw the cover of Simon Says Good Night my first thought was that it was an awkward cover. My gut reaction was that it is a “cuter” version of a “Sambo” character (instead of the stereotypical dark character with exaggerated features, the skin was a light chocolate milk, with rosy cheeks giving it an Italian clown look). That alone actually made me want to read it, as I know I really should not judge a book by its cover. When I saw […]
Broadway Baby by Russell Miller
When I started Broadway Baby my first thought was well, this is cut…. Whoa! That’s a bit off-putting! The tone of the book is a 45-year-old man talking to us, but the character is wearing snazzy diapers and fabulous clothing. I got vibes of all the promos and images of Man From Oz (as I have not seen it) and realized there are several Broadway hits in the imagery. Russell Miller and Judith A. Proffer set out to honor the bright lights, and regardless of […]
The Train Home by Dan-Ah Kim
I grew up in a town (not a city), in a house (not an apartment), but I had a sister who bothered me, parents who did parent stuff, and my grandparents lived upstairs. Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings I never slept in, not because of the excitement, but because my grandmother’s kitchen was over my bedroom and I could hear her mashing, chopping, and walking about (thin walls and a grandmother who got into her work make for an interesting combination). But I can relate to […]
How to Write a Poem by Kwame Alexander and Deanna Nikaido
CBR15Passport own April is poetry month and if you want to know how to write a poem How to Write a Poem, book might help. Or not. But either way, this is a nice book. The entire book is one poem, yet it flows as a picture book prose format. There is a lot happening and that is shown by lots of good text by Kwame Alexander and Deanna Nikaido and buy some really busy and colorfully detailed images by Melissa Sweet. And though I […]
I Could Be a Million Things by Jessy Humann
If I could be anything I think I would be a wombat. After all they have cube poop and are bad a$$ (literally, they can injure predators with their butts). But that is not exactly what I Could Be a Million Things is about (I just wanted to mention how cool wombats are). This is more about the things around us, the importance of those things, and the inspiration we can get. It is about a world of possibilities. There is a bit of thoughtfulness, […]
