May 30, 2023
In Book 4 of David Horn’s delightful Eudora Space Kid series, third-grader Eudora orchestrates a double date to help the captain of the ship ask out her school teacher.
In the cafeteria of the space ship AstroLiner Athena, Eudora spots Captain Jax looking despondent and joins him, hoping to cheer him up. The captain reveals […]
May 30, 2023
Two dogs enjoy their gifts from Santa in very different ways in the photo picture book Peaches and Jake Celebrate Christmas.
Jake, a ten-year-old dog, and Peaches, his six-year-old sister, are awakened Christmas morning by their “Mommy” and discover they’ve each been given a bone and a stuffed toy as gifts. But while Jake is […]
May 23, 2023
In Clare’s Tomato, a girl learns about the ins and outs of growing and harvesting her first tomato.
Clare, described by the narrator as approximately five years old, learns about chlorophyll and wonders whether humans could also create their own food. Her parents tell her about gardening for food, and her father gifts her a […]
May 16, 2023
A girl delivers hugs to those who need them in the picture book Do You Need a Hug.
The book begins with an illustration of a smiling girl, and the words of an unseen narrator observing her: “[..] she was so happy, different, and bright like the sun. I had to follow her!” A […]
May 16, 2023
A young rabbit learns to see the world in a new way in the picture book Grandma Told Me the World Is Alive.
Mimi, a little girl rabbit, wonders why the sun shines and why the sky is so high. No grownups answer her until she visits her Grandma, who tells her it’s “because the […]
May 2, 2023
In Caryn Rivadeneira’s middle grade book, when a boy named Fred is sick at home and misses an author’s visit to his school, he returns to find that the writer has mistakenly inscribed “To Frank” on his copy.
Classmate Luisa —who likes to call herself Princesa Maria Luisa Octavia— sits next to Fred and regularly […]
May 2, 2023
A village of animals discover their fears have been unfounded when they encounter a hungry lion who loves fruit.
Every day, a Hawaiian village of anthropomorphic animals—a tiger, zebra, giraffe, and others—venture up the nearby mountain to harvest fruit. The village chief, an elephant, warns them not to venture too high, as she fears what […]
April 25, 2023
In this picture book, a boy’s tongue grows as he speaks cruelly to others.
The book is narrated by a boy who doesn’t try to control his temper. When his father asks him to clean his room, he snaps back; when a girl with “spirited” hair approaches him, he calls it “silly and frilly”; when […]
April 4, 2023
Vibrant illustrations complement an upbeat story about a porcupine who wants to paint Easter eggs with her friends but has forgotten a key ingredient.
Penny Porcupine is all set to paint eggs for Easter when Willard Warthog and Tubby Turtle ask to join, and then point out she doesn’t have any eggs to paint. Penny […]
March 28, 2023
A cat experiences adventures while traveling around town in this simple children’s picture book.
Mr Cat (the author uses British English, which doesn’t require a period after the abbreviation of Mister) lives in England with Kate, a 12-year-old girl, and her parents. As the book opens, he wakes up one morning and strolls into town, […]