Category: Picture Book Reviews

REVIEW: Big Bear Hug by Nicholas Oldland

REVIEW: Big Bear Hug by Nicholas Oldland

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary and Review

A hug-giving bear who especially loves hugging trees encounters a man who plans to cut down one of the oldest trees in the forest.

This was a lovely story! I adored the illustrations of all of the critters and all the things Bear hugs. It’s a super sweet story – until Bear meets the man with the ax. I love how Bear acknowledges his anger but makes a different choice about his behavior than the reader might expect. This was lovely!

I picked this book up from the library based solely on the cover art. I love it. Turns out this one story is going to be part of a multi-book release later this fall – I’ll be reviewing the whole collection soon.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang

REVIEW: We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Tundra Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

When three aliens crash land on Earth, they find a kind and helpful community of humans.

This was cute! And not quite what I was expecting. The aliens have answers for all of the questions, insisting they are humans and from Europe. And the community where they crash doesn’t seem to care too much. They kindly chip in to help, even when the folks they help are different and unusual.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ – Good+

REVIEW: Mothman Learns the ABCs by Michael Schang

REVIEW: Mothman Learns the ABCs by Michael Schang

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary and Review

My husband is friends with the illustrator for this book, Danner Seyffer-Sprague of ConjureDustDesigns, and I found this at his booth at a cryptid convention this summer. As we already love – and own – a good bit of his art, I had to pick up this darling picture book.

There are 26 layouts of Mothman doing activities like flying on an AIRPLANE, meeting a BEE, and looking at COMICS in the book – and they are darling.  The backmatter includes brief descriptions of Mothman and his cryptid friends featured in the book.

This would be a fun gift for your cryptid-loving – and art-loving – friends and family.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read

 

 

REVIEW: Stan Lee by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

REVIEW: Stan Lee by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

This is a kid-friendly biography of comics-creator Stan Lee. I adored the colorful artwork in this book! The story is kid-friendly with a focus on reading and storytelling, perseverance, and familiar characters from comics, television, and movies.

While Marvel and the MCU isn’t quite at the height it was several years ago, the staying power of the characters Stan Lee created make his story one that endures whether Marvel is churning out blockbusters multiple times a year or fans are returning to “old” favorites.

This would be great for collections of the Little People Big Dreams series as well as other picture book biography collections – and of course for all Marvel/Stan Lee fans.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great!

REVIEW: Quiet Violet Finds Her Voice by Gabrielle Nidus

REVIEW: Quiet Violet Finds Her Voice by Gabrielle Nidus

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Free Spirit Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

While Violet is quiet in general, the one place she’s not is in the kitchen. In the kitchen she’s skilled, competent, and confident.

When her class at school tries some cooking, Violet struggles to be heard. Her classmates forget she’s there, and her small voice gets lost in the chaos. But when her chance to make an impression on the star of her favorite cooking show is in jeopardy because of her peers’ mistakes, Violet finds her voice.

Review

This is a cute story about quiet voices – and quiet kids – being seen and valued. The story includes some backmatter to help readers learn to value quiet voices. I really liked that the approach is less about “fixing” or “changing,” and instead about accepting. This includes questions for kids as well as suggestions for adults.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

REVIEW: Have You Seen an Elephant? by Elina Ellis

REVIEW: Have You Seen an Elephant? by Elina Ellis

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

A young explorer who loves elephants heads out on an expedition to find one. But while she finds all sorts of other animals, she keeps missing the elephants. Along the way, she shares the elephant facts from her journal with the other animals (and the reader).

Review

Great elephant facts delivered in a fun way in this clever story! This was terrific, and I hope it’s only the beginning of Alex’s adventures. The artwork is fantastic, and I think kids will love it. This might work best as a lap book as kids are going to want to track all of the elephant sightings that Alex is missing.

The book includes instructions for young readers to make their own animal journals as well as information on the endangered species status of both the African and Asian elephants. I think this would work well for a classroom or library program where kids could also make an animal journal like Alex’s.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would re-read.

REVIEW: The Pumpernickel-Daffodil by Galia Bernstein

REVIEW: The Pumpernickel-Daffodil by Galia Bernstein

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

A dog with an impressive pedigree gets a human with whom to do dog shows. The human has a pretty impressive pedigree, too. But together they may make a path all their own.

Review

This was exactly as cute as I expected it to be. The illustrations are darling from start to finish.

I expected the main story – the puppy and the girl do their own thing which flies in the face of tradition. But I expected it to cause trouble in both families. Instead, this is a story of full acceptance. It’s very sweet!

Dog lovers should be sure to check this out. This would make a sweet read aloud, too.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

 

REVIEW: The Secret Society of Aunts and Uncles by Jake Gyllenhaal and Greta Caruso

REVIEW: The Secret Society of Aunts and Uncles by Jake Gyllenhaal and Greta Caruso

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Leo’s Uncle Mo is in town, and Leo’s mom has asked him to babysit. He’s not very fun. And he follows ALL the rules. And he’s even in town for a boring reason – a rubber band convention!

But Leo and Mo are magically whisked away to the Secret Society of Aunts and Uncles where Mo has the chance to learn to be a great uncle.

Review

The premise here is cute, although a bit harsh at times. Mo’s initial “failure” is that he has personal rules and plans to follow the rules Leo’s mom has set out. I’d hate to see a real aunt or uncle shamed for honoring a parent’s rules or expectations.

In the end, though, Mo discovers he doesn’t really KNOW Leo, and that *is* a big deal. And when he puts his new knowledge together with his own know how, the day is saved.

This has mixed reviews from me. I would be hesitant to gift this to someone or to read it to children because I don’t think the messaging is good all the way through, although it does have a couple of redeeming moments.

REVIEW: The Recess Genius by Janet Sumner Johnson

REVIEW: The Recess Genius by Janet Sumner Johnson

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Regina Grey is used to going unseen. School things are tricky. Her younger brother is a handful. Regina is happy to lose herself in her books.

But then she helps someone solve a problem at recess. And then someone else. And someone else. She’s really good at it – and everyone is noticing her.

But all of that noticing is getting in the way of Regina’s reading time. She has her own problem to fix!

Review

I have had this book on my wish list for months. It’s a fun story I think kids will enjoy.

Regina has an unusual gift – one that isn’t always celebrated in stories. Or in real life. I loved seeing her highlighted here. I also enjoyed her journey to discovering how good it feels to be seen and valued.

This would be a fun read aloud for a new school year!

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: Mothman's Merry Cryptid Christmas by Andrew Shaffer

REVIEW: Mothman’s Merry Cryptid Christmas by Andrew Shaffer

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and 8th Circle Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

When Rudolph needs Christmas off one year, Santa asks Mothman to help lead the sleigh team. But Mothman has a reputation for being unlucky, and he doesn’t want to end up ruining Christmas.

Review

This is a hoot! I liked this far more than I even expected to. Our family has been on the “cryptid” journey for a few years now, so when I had the chance to review this, I just had to see what it was about. The story is simple and fun! I loved the artwork. (I need this Mothman on a t-shirt!)

There are some fun facts here about cryptids in general and about Mothman in particular in the backmatter. As soon as I finished reading this I started a list of folks who need this for Christmas. Don’t miss out!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.