Artfully rendered and magnificently produced, this creation tale is by turns beautiful and clever. A story told with plenty of thought and consideration.
Review of the Day – Waa’aka’: The Bird Who Fell in Love with the Sun by Cindi M. Alvitre, ill. Carly Lake
November 19, 2020 by
Review of the Day – Mr. Invincible: Local Hero by Pascal Jousselin
November 12, 2020 by
Without a doubt, this is one of the most original books I’ve read for kids, teens, adults, you name it, in years. Incroyable? You don’t know the half of it.
Review of the Day: King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
November 6, 2020 by
I’m late to the party in celebrating this book, but now that I’m here, let’s dance until dawn! This is one book that kids and adults alike will read and never ever forget.
Review of the Day: Sugar in Milk by Thrity Umrigar, ill. Khoa Le
October 29, 2020 by
A book that manages that impossible task of combining child friendliness (a kid will want to reread it) with good writing (an ADULT will want to reread it – never a given), and beautiful art.
Review of the Day: The Talk, edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson
October 21, 2020 by
Pitch perfect in tone and content, this is supposedly the book that will help all parents talk to their kids. In truth? This also is the book that will help KIDS talk to their parents. It’s a two-way street and everybody’s driving.
Review of the Day: The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf
October 6, 2020 by
A book that shows in the most eloquent way possible how family trauma lives on, from generation to generation, taking shape, forming us one way or another. The elements that make a great novel for children aren’t difficult to understand. Hanna Alkaf has laid them out for you.
Review of the Day: A Thousand No’s by D.J. Corchin, ill. Dan Dougherty
October 1, 2020 by
If you think the process of creation is sometimes painful and collaborative and ultimately fun, this book is the first that I’ve ever seen to express that idea. You want to get to yes? Then you gotta slog through no.
Review of the Day: I Wish by Toon Tellegen, ill. Ingrid Godon, translated by David Colmer
September 17, 2020 by
I Wish isn’t going to sit quietly in a category. It’s the kind of book that would rather wander off and make up its own categories, expecting you to follow dutifully behind. And you will, because it is strange and wonderful and ultimately very very memorable. Can many other books out there say half as much?
Review of the Day: Planet Omar – Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian, ill. Nasaya Mafaridik
September 11, 2020 by
Let’s hand Omar to as many kinds as we can name. Because as far as I’m concerned, funny books that also prove to be smart and socially conscious (not to mention anti-racist) might help us get out of the mess this world is in.
Review of the Day: I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott, ill. Sydney Smith
August 27, 2020 by
Deft poetic language pairs with the resonant watercolors of Sydney Smith to create a book that is more than a memoir and more than conveying a message. This is pain, turned into art, and written for young children. Incomparable.
Review of the Day: Drawing on Walls by Matthew Burgess, ill. Josh Cochran
August 20, 2020 by
Drawing On Walls is the kind of book that you wish other writers of children’s nonfiction would read. A story that justifies its very existence by justifying the very existence of its subject.
Review of the Day: Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon
August 13, 2020 by
If you have kids looking for outright, down and out, horror horror (the ones who’ve watched Stranger Things but balk at the heft of a Stephen King novel) this little book is an answer to your prayers. Prayers / nightmares.
Review of the Day: All Because You Matter by Tami Charles, ill. Bryan Collier
August 6, 2020 by
There are plenty of inspiring picture books out there for kids. Few understand their purpose as perfectly as this book does.
Review of the Day: A Cat Story by Ursula Murray Husted
July 29, 2020 by
Gorgeously wrought and tenderly rendered, this feels like a labor of love that will snuggle itself deep into the hearts and minds of kids everywhere. Regardless of whether or not you even like cats, you will find much to admire and love (not necessarily in that order) in this gutsy little book.
Review of the Day: A Game of Fox and Squirrels by Jenn Reese
July 23, 2020 by
It’s a mystery. It’s a game. It’s filled with puzzles and riddles and clues. It’s funny, and it’s deadly serious. Parts are evocative and parts are heartfelt and parts are completely unforgettable. Having a rough day/week/month/year? Cuddle up to this. Challenging enough to intrigue you. Enticing enough to keep you.
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