December 6, 2023
Written and illustrated by 10-year-old Arnav Ashok, Arni’s Adventures is a collection of comics that follows the titular Arni through a series of everyday and fantastical events.
Ashok’s book contains eight stories, each charmingly illustrated and featuring red-headed Arni. Whether Ashok is depicting a towering dinosaur or a group of popcorn-obsessed aliens, he displays a […]
November 28, 2023
When a boy from Planet Blue gets hit on the head with a baseball, he wakes up on Earth and teaches those around him to be more appreciative of God’s creation.
Harry, the book’s protagonist, lives in a place “far – far away” from Earth—a parallel universe where things are simpler, children listen to their […]
October 24, 2023
A boy faces his fear of bedtime in Heather Millard’s picture book Moonlight Monsters.
Alexander dreads bedtime and the monsters that arrive with it. One night four of them—Jangles, Mozzarella, Daisy, and Ritzi—appear as shadows on his wall. Ritzi feels bad for Alexander and tries to comfort him, telling him, “Think of something funny.” Alexander […]
October 17, 2023
A young autistic girl overcomes her fear of getting up on stage to sing in the children’s picture book Bold & Brave.
Lily is supposed to sing a solo in her school’s choir show. But she’s autistic, and the sights, sounds, and sensations of the world sometimes overwhelm her. Wearing her red polka dot shirt […]
October 17, 2023
A beautifully illustrated picture book about a party that creates our solar system, The Jubilarians starts slow but delivers a memorable payoff.
The smoothly rhyming story opens with mysterious invitations going out for a jubilee “at the top of the sky.” One by one, ten attendees are introduced—the first wearing pearls and a fiery dress, […]
October 10, 2023
This rhyming children’s book features “Neville the Froad – half-frog, half-toad”: a creature who works hard to fulfill his wish to soar like a bird.
Neville feels like he doesn’t fit in. Wishing he could fly, he lives in a tree to be more birdlike. Meanwhile, his fellow toads and frogs think he’s “a bore” […]
October 10, 2023
An 8-year-old Jewish girl living in Israel dreams of seeing snow – and hangs on every word of her father, who insists, “Of course it snows in Israel. But only in Jerusalem” – in this vibrant picture book featuring a chatty, charming heroine. Pnina introduces herself with crayon drawings of her house, family and hometown […]
October 3, 2023
Enchantingly told and marvelously illustrated, Lance Lee’s holiday-themed chapter book offers bountiful delights for readers of every age. A modern-day urban Wind in the Willows set in London, this story, subtitled “a fable for children and their parents,” is populated with mannered Beatrix Potter-like animals on a quest to discover the meaning and magic of […]
September 26, 2023
A children’s picture book story about a kind troll who helps a young boy out of a predicament, Oscar and the Noisy Children teaches readers to look out for others.
Oscar, a troll, sees five children playing in the woods; having never encountered human children before, he hides and observes them. The personalities of each […]
September 19, 2023
Sharon B. Carlos presents Summer’s Sidewalk Messages, a tender, inspiring children’s picture book.
Summer is a young schoolgirl who loves seeing her friends. When Covid-19 hits, her routine is altered: Soccer games and art classes are canceled; school is conducted online, and she’s cut off from hugging her grandmother. Neighbors wear masks, which Summer feels […]