Category: Picture Book Reviews

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.

REVIEW: Quadzilla Finds His Footing by AJ Dillon

REVIEW: Quadzilla Finds His Footing by AJ Dillon

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Quadzilla likes hanging out with his monster friends. They are all good at something they play, but Quadzilla hasn’t found his “thing,” yet.

Review

The Green Bay Packers posted a video this summer where they asked various players what they did during the off season. Running Back AJ Dillon said he wrote a children’s book. Of course, I had to check it out.

This is a cute story with a nice message about trying again and perseverance. Quadzilla eventually finds his place/activity in football, of course. But he also keeps trying the things his friends like, too.

The message makes this a fun read, and I think kids will get a kick out of the monster characters.

Rating: ♥♥♥*

♥♥♥ = Good/Solid/Fine

THROW BACK: The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmett

THROW BACK: The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmett

Posted on by Jaymie

This review was originally posted on my Bring on the Books blog on March 8, 2013. This is another book that was a hoot to read aloud with students. 

Summary

On the same day, a farmer discovers a small pig in his wagon and a queen is holding her baby girl. In one rash move, the baby tumbles from the tower into the wagon and the piglet is bounced from the hay up into the princess’s crib. The farmer and his wife believe a fairy has turned their pig into a child as a gracious and benevolent act while the king and queen believe an angry fairy has turned their princess into a pig because she wasn’t invited to the christening. The girl grows up sweet and charming while the pig is just a pig. Eventually, the farmer and his wife realize what has happened. Sadly they head off to the castle to make things right….

Review

I won’t spoil the fun by telling the end. Instead I’ll only say this book was a delight to read from beginning to end. I found this one at the Scholastic Book Fair at our church and my first thought after reading this was, “Why wasn’t THIS book in my preview pack!” I thought it was far better than anything else Scholastic had included in their pre-packaged preview sets for advertising their spring fairs. I can’t wait to read this one to my students and rave about it to every teacher and parent who comes through our fair at the end of the month. This was a winner!

5 out of 5 stars

 

THROW BACK: The Really Really Really Big Dinosaur by Richard Byrne

THROW BACK: The Really Really Really Big Dinosaur by Richard Byrne

Posted on by Jaymie

This review was originally posted on my Bring on the Books blog on November 2, 2012. This did become a book I would read to my students frequently – and it was always a hit! This is the sort of book that kids want to read again when it’s done so they can check out the illustrations for all of the hints they missed the first time through. One of my favorite memories is a kid blurting out something he noticed in our first read through and having him Shhh (with a wink) so the other kids could discover it too.

Summary and Review

A little dinosaur is minding his own business, counting jellybeans, when a bigger dinosaur walks by. Being a friendly little guy, the small dinosaur offers the bigger dinosaur one. But the bigger dinosaur is a bit of a bully, and he decides he wants all of the jellybeans. But they don’t belong to the little dinosaur. He says they actually belong to his BIG friend. The two dinosaurs argue back and forth about who’s the biggest and best until the big dinosaur finally meets the little dino’s very BIG friend.

Fantastic!! So funny! I can imagine reading this to my students – they will love it!!

5 out of 5 stars