Roxy the Unisaurus Rex Presents: Oh NO! The Talent Show by Eva Chen
In the mix of my 130 emails (I know, so few for most, but for me, that is an unbelievable amount!) I have an email from a rep of the bookstore. They send out a list of new books coming from a website we use to order and/or look at titles on. And occasionally there is a snippet or two/a page or three, that gives you a hint of what is to happen. However, they also sometimes have links to download or in the case […]
Jo Jo Makoons: The Use-to-Be Best Friend by Dawn Quigley
One of the most controversial questions you can ask about characters of a book is, “Why is your character X?” (Fill in the blank: gay, black, Muslim, etc.). But it is an important question. Why does you character have to be X? OR: Why do they have brown hair or green eyes? Why are they tall or short? Why are they male, female, or non-binary? Why are they an alien, a dog, a robot or a farting penguin? What does that piece of information do […]
Becoming Brianna by Terri Libenson
Becoming Brianna is a fun story about becoming yourself and learning about your own beliefs, and what you want to do vs what you want to do for others. Terri Libenson has brought Brianna back for her own (mostly) solo story. The events of this book are taking place while the previous book is also happening. However, you are not seeing those events, they are just mentioned. And while it would be a good idea to read the previous books, this graphic novel is a […]
Chunky by Yehudi Mercado
This is a fun story. Chunky is a good look at one kid (Yehudi Mercado) and his struggles, but who always seems to be okay with the results. Hudi might not have won (at baseball, soccer, or football), but he did not lose. He just has a perfect record of not winning. And getting hit by the ball (except in swimming). The humor is sometimes borderline adult, but ages 8-9 (strong reader) to around 13-14 could get a kick out of it. Due to this […]
Your Name is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
The Gifts of Being Grand: For Grandparents Everywhere by Marianne Richmond
A short (all of two books) list of picture books follows this paragraph. Wait, is it a list if it is only two? Anyway, both books would be good for gifts to different people. The first one is a great gift for a child and the second, for grandparents. Your Name is a Song talks about how it can be difficult for a child who has a name that is difficult to pronounce. Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow shows how one mother shows her child how beautiful her […]
I'll Be the Water: A Story of a Grandparent's Love by Alec Aspinwall
Crying is Like the Rain: A Story of Mindfulness and Feelings by Heather Feinberg
Two interesting books, but not enough for me to find the word limit for each solo, therefor I am going to do “two books one review” for these little numbers. The connection I find with both titles is that they both have a somber theme and/or feeling to them. I’ll Be the Water: A Story of Loss, Greif, and a Grandparent’s Love is obviously about the loss of a beloved grandparent. However, it is also a hopeful story. We see all the wonderful things that […]
