What is it about the Fan Brothers' debut picture book that I respond so strongly to?
Is it the topiaries? When I was around four years old, we went to Disney World, and I distinctly remember standing in the parking lot with my parents, ...
This farm-to-table book takes alliteration (specifically, consonance) to its logical extreme, but in a fun and delightful way. I was surprised (and impressed!) to find that the story really "works," despite the extreme limitations that t...
It's clear from the artwork that this author-illustrator loves thrift stores--there's colorfulness and joyful detail that you just can't fake. I'm also a big fan of thrifting, and two things I really enjoyed about this tale of a girl and...
This picture book is graphic novel-style informational fiction, and I'm here for it. It sort of feels like what might happen if an Eyewitness book fell through a mystical portal into a comic book featuring talking animals. It's an intere...
Owl bet you you are going to love this adorable rhyming Halloween book! It's got everything your budding Halloween enthusiast will love: owls, trick-or-treating, owls, costumes, candy apples, owls, back matter with lots of Halloween info...
Like so many kids (and kids at heart), I love learning about wildlife. This book takes an interesting twist on the usual animal fact book by focusing on animal noises!
With a really fun structure that builds as it goes... "Can an aardv...
Rick is a real find...a Nature Find, in fact, atop a classroom shelf. He lives for the moment (a rock's memory is short in non-geologic terms) and has the glitter glue and gold foil star tat to prove it. Still, his carefree life begins t...
It's easy to forget how new everything can be/is to kiddos. In this excellent example of a "How To" book for kids, the reader learns how to choose, evaluate, share, read and understand a story--including (my favorite) a spread on read-al...
Sometimes a book comes along, and only a few pages in, you're already exclaiming, "This is exactly it!"
In "I Am Quiet," the narrator, Emile, is quiet...however, that doesn't mean Emile is shy! Alas, the grown-ups don't seem to see the ...
When you read an especially outstanding picture book, sometimes you don't want it to end. When a publisher feels that way (which is rare)--or, even better, if the sales numbers are fabulous (even rarer)--sometimes, SOMETIMES a picture bo...
When Lola's teacher asks the class to draw pictures of their birthplace, Lola (who was born but not raised on an island we deduce is The Dominican Republic) reaches out to family and neighbors for help in visualizing it, literally "drawi...
As a kid, at least once or twice, did you ever dream about running away? Kids with a vague but untested notion that the grass may be greener elsewhere will giggle along while stuffed penguin Peanut puts its escape plan into motion after ...
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