I rarely devote a whole post to just one children’s storybook (picture books, under 60 pages) unless it’s for an organized tour, but I do like to do round-ups to make sure everyone who’s interested in kid lit here can find what I’ve reviewed. The following is a selection of children’s picture books I’ve reviewed since the last round, both previously featured in tours and not.
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The Land Puffin
by Lori Doody
Publishing 31 May 2021
Nimbus Publishing
Page Count: 32
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Pete was an unusual parrot.
He wanted to be a puffin.
So he decided to leave town, and head for the coast.
When Pete the parrot looks back on his seafaring family history—including his grandmother, Polly Pirate, and his grandfather, Paul Privateer—he decides to leave his cozy city home in search of the rugged puffin life on the coast. The puffins are friendly and welcome Pete with fish—which he doesn’t like to eat—and a swim in the ocean—which he doesn’t like to do—and they seem to do little more than sit on the rocks all day and night—which doesn’t interest him. Worst of all, they don’t seem to have much to say. Can Pete really live like a puffin, or is he just too different?
A charming story from the critically acclaimed author-illustrator behind The Puffin Problem and Mallard, Mallard, Moose, featuring folk art–inspired illustrations, The Land Puffin is a good-humoured yarn with a subtle message about the importance of celebrating our differences.
My Rating: 5 Stars
Consider liking my review on Goodreads.
I was granted eARC access to The Land Puffin by Lori Doody in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.
The Land Puffin is the story of a parrot (Scarlet Macaw, by the look of it) name Pete who dreams of being a sea parrot, which is what the Atlantic Puffins are called. One day he decides to fly off to the coast, find a flock of puffins, and join them, but seabird life isn’t everything he hoped it would be.
The story is cute and has a good message about learning to embrace who you are rather than trying to live a fantasy, and it’s just plain cute. My only complaint about the story aspect is that Pete is shown in somebody’s house at the beginning before he leaves to find puffins, and the book ends with Pete happy to hang out in a lighthouse. Doesn’t his human family miss him? That’s certainly something that would really bother 5-year-old me.
The illustrations are bright and beautiful and very accurately represent St. John’s and our beautiful Avalon coast. I’ve seen other Lori Doody books for sale at places like Posie Row and they’re just so perfect! Adorable little stories with beautiful artwork that celebrates the unique beauty and culture of Newfoundland.
I’d like to say I’ll be recommending this everywhere, but honestly, it’ll already be in front of everyone I could recommend it to. This island loves to promote home grown talent! So instead I’ll say now that my daughter is 3 and more interested in books of this length, we’ll be investing in Lori Doody books for her very soon.
Wesley Raccoon
The Old Man in the Houseboat
by Michelle Porter
Published 5 November 2019
Tellwell Talent
Page Count: 23
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This story is about a shy little raccoon who overcomes his fear of meeting new people. Join Wesley Raccoon on his travels through the streets of Amsterdam to find out how The Old Man In The Houseboat becomes his new best friend.
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My Rating: 4 Stars
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I was granted complimentary access to Wesley Raccoon: The Old Man in the Houseboat as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with Goddess Fish Promotions. Thank you to all involved! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
This installment of Wesley Raccoon follows the curious little raccoon through the market streets of Amerstdam and out to the water where he makes friends with an old man who lives on a house boat. It’s a cute story about exploring the area and finding joy in friendship and the little things. The story is cute, a little more complex than a lot of picture books at this length, and should be appealing to kids in the kindergarten/primary grade age range.
This illustrations appear to be pen and watercolour and they’re quite cute. While clearly executed by someone with significant practise painting in the medium, the drawing style is more juvenile in a whimsical way. The more artistically inclined young readers in the target audience may be inspired to copy from this book, and the style is one they could achieve, which would be so validating to a bidding little artist!
My one complaint is that while whoever did the formatting for this book clearly did try to make the text contrast enough over the artwork, as many pages feature the text in a semi-transparent box, it doesn’t contrast enough. Anywhere a black letter overlaps with black lines or darker colours of the illustrations it becomes more difficult to separate the letter from what’s behind it.
Wesley Raccoon
Captain John’s Social
by Michelle Porter
Published 17 November 2020
Tellwell Talent
Page Count: 32
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This inspiring story of friendship captures the importance of spending time with friends throughout our life. Join Wesley Raccoon and The Old Man in the Houseboat on their adventures through Vondelpark, and learn how Captain John’s Social gathers a unique circle of true friends.
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My Rating: 3 Stars
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I was granted complimentary access to Wesley Raccoon: Captain John’s Social as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title through Goddess Fish Promotions. Thank you to all involved! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
A sequel to The Old Man in the Houseboat, Wesley Raccoon: Captain John’s Social follows Welsey and his friend, the old man from the houseboat, as they bike through Amsterdam, have a picnic in the park, and make lots of new friends in the park throughout the day.
Unlike the previous Welsey Raccoon book where Wesley encounters the problem of the market being closed (or at leas the stall he wanted to visit was) and thus goes exploring elsewhere which leads him to meet his new friend, this one doesn’t seem to have a plot. It’s just a chronological presentation of the events that took place on a pleasant afternoon out. This combined with the fact that some pages are just large blocks of text means my preschooler and myself got bored at parts, and it didn’t feel like as quick of a read as the previous book despite being almost the same page count.
As I said in my review for the previous book, I think the art style is great for the target age range. It’s colourful, whimsical, and juvenile enough that an artistically inclined kid who wants to copy the illustrations could practise and likely achieve it. The pictures are cute and have lots going on, which means they’ll hold interest, and that’s exactly what picturebook illustrations are supposed to do!
Zippy’s Special Gift
by Therese Van Ryne
Published 2 March 2021
Mascot Books
Page Count: 38
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Zippy the Zebra doesn’t like her stripes. She doesn’t want to stand out! Follow Zippy as she embarks upon a thrilling adventure with her animal friends that helps her realize everyone is perfect just the way they are. Profits from the sales of Zippy’s Special Gift will be donated to one of Zebra Technologies strategic charitable partners, Bernies Book Bank, a non-profit organization that changes the story for under-served children and helps them read their way to a better life! Learn more at www.berniesbookbank.org.
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My Rating: 4 Stars
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I was granted complimentary access to Zippy’s Special Gift as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title through iRead Book Tours. Thank you to all involved! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
Zippy’s Special Gift is the story of a young zebra named Zippy who doesn’t like her stripes because they make her stand out and look different from all her friends. Her mother tells her these are her special gift and sends her out to ask her friends what theirs are, and along the way she learns what makes each of her different animal friends unique. She also learns that most of her friends don’t always like what makes them unique, either, so it’s perfectly normal!
I love the fact that this book is teaching kids that being different isn’t a bad thing, we’re all different in our own ways, and the things that make us different make us special. I’m glad to see a book that acknowledges that we don’t always like what makes us different, and that’s okay. It’s a good message!
My criticism for this book is that despite being written by/in partnership with animal experts, this book doesn’t attempt any mini science lessons by throwing in a line about WHY each animal’s unique attribute is a “special gift” other than Zippy being happy that her stripes make her look like her mother. How about the fact that it’s confusing to watch stripes on the move so it keeps them safe from predators? That’s not too difficult a concept for the age group that would benefit most from this book.
The artwork is adorable and will definitely captivate kids from toddlerhood through to early primary grades. This is a great book to have at home, in a classroom, or in a daycare setting.
When the Sun Met the Moon
by Simran Mohinani
Published 2 March 2021
Mascot Books
Page Count: 38
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In this enchanting tale of the origins of the Sun and the Moon, the Sun flies across the universe on an adventure to look for someone whose light matches his own. When the Sun Met the Moon is a story filled with so much love, excitement, and equality that you won’t want to put down, and can be told for years to come. After centuries of brightening up the sky by himself, the poor Sun is exhausted, lonely, and in need of some help. So, he decides to search the galaxies for someone whose light is as strong and powerful as his to help him shine down on the people of Earth. When the Sun decides to take a holiday to go on this adventure, Earth is left with its first-ever nighttime where the sky goes dark and cold, leaving people afraid to come out of their homes. Will the Sun be able to find somebody whose light is equal to his? Find out in this gorgeous love story how the Sun met his perfect Moon.
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My Rating: 5 Stars
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I was granted complimentary access to When the Sun Met the Moon by Simran Mohinani as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title through iRead Book Tours. Thank you to all involved! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
When the Sun Met the Moon is a beautifully illustrated children’s storybook in rhyming verse that tells the story of how the sun needed a partner to help light the Earth’s sky at night and went out in search of a partner. It’s an adorable celestial love story, and a cute way for young children to imagine the relationship between sun and moon while they’re too young to comprehend astrophysics.
My three-year-old loved the pictures and the sound of the rhymes, so I think this is quite suitable for preschool-aged kids as a bedtime story.
Pride Puppy!
by Robin Stevenson
Publishing 11 May 2021
Orca Book Publishers
Page Count: 32
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A young child and their family are having a wonderful time together celebrating Pride Day–meeting up with Grandma, making new friends and eating ice cream. But then something terrible happens: their dog gets lost in the parade! Luckily, there are lots of people around to help reunite the pup with his family.
This rhyming alphabet book tells a lively story, with rich, colorful illustrations that will have readers poring over every detail as they spot items starting with each of the letters of the alphabet. An affirming and inclusive book that offers a joyful glimpse of a Pride parade and the vibrant community that celebrates this day each year.
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My Rating: 5 Stars
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I was granted eARC access to Pride Puppy! by Robin Stevenson, ills. Julie McLaughlin by the publisher Orca Book Publishers via NetGalley. Thank you so much! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
Pride Puppy! is a beautifully illustrated alphabet book that tells the story of catching a runaway dog at the Pride parade, and I absolutely loved it. This book is so much fun to look at, it normalizes the vast spectrum of human identities, and it presents some fun alternatives to the tired old “a is for apple” vocabulary lesson. It also features a list of more words for each letter at the end, and this is a scavenger hunt to go back and find those things in the pictures. This one isn’t going to get boring any time soon, even when the kids want it read multiple times a day for three weeks in a row.
Whether you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, if you’re raising your kids in a pride-positive way or teaching at a pride-positive school, this is a great book to snag for preschool to primary grades aged kids working on their early literacy skills.
What’s Inside a Flower?
And Other Questions about Science & Nature
by Rachel Ignotofsky
Published 2 February 2021
by Crown Books for Young Readers
Page Count: 48
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From the creator of the New York Times bestseller Women in Science, comes a new nonfiction picture book series ready to grow young scientists by nurturing their curiosity about the natural world–starting with what’s inside a flower.
Budding backyard scientists can start exploring their world with this stunning introduction to these flowery show-stoppers–from seeds to roots to blooms. Learning how flowers grow gives kids beautiful building blocks of science and inquiry.
In the launch of a new nonfiction picture book series, Rachel Ignotofsky’s distinctive art style and engaging, informative text clearly answers any questions a child (or adult) could have about flowers.
Reviews:
“The lush, geometric illustrations are the superstars of this adventure, drawing in readers from the front endpapers to the rear . . . A beautiful bloom for the nature shelf.” – Kirkus Reviews
“There’s an abundance of detail in this attractive first work in the “What’s Inside” series, but it’s never overwhelming . . . The pages overflow with life.” – Booklist
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK
B&N | iBooks | Kobo | TBD | Bookshop.org
My Rating: 5 Stars!
Consider “liking” my review on Goodreads. | Tour post
I was granted complimentary access to a review copy of What’s Inside a Flower as part of my participation in the introductory blog tour for this title with Rockstar Book Tours. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity (and solving the regional access issues for this Canadian!) My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
What’s Inside a Flower is a beautifully illustrated book about the science of flowering plants written in appropriate language for elementary school-aged kids and illustrated in the style of traditional botanical anatomy diagrams turned into more fleshed out illustrations.
As a science nerd, this 33 year old thoroughly enjoyed perusing these pages and gazing at the gorgeous cross-sectional diagrams. My 3-year-old enjoyed playing “eye spy” finding the different flowers and bugs throughout the book, but understandably didn’t get much from the science lesson element. She’s a little young! I suspect this book would be better presented to kids 6+ for optimal knowledge acquisition.
I would absolutely recommend this to pretty much any parent, caregiver or teacher out there and I’ll be telling my elementary school teacher mother & sister about it next time we chat!
A Plastic-Free World for You and Me
by Tracey Szynkaruk
Published 13 October 2020
Tellwell Talent
Page Count: 32
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Join Theo, a young boy who, with the help of his teacher and classmates, is working to reduce the need for plastic use in day-to-day life. From grocery stores to restaurants, read along to see how plastic use can be minimized to help make a plastic-free world for you and me!
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Bookshop.org | BD | Chapters | B&N
My Rating: 5 Stars
Consider liking my review on Goodreads. | Tour post
I was granted complimentary access to a review copy of A Plastic-Free World as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with Goddess Fish Promtions. Thank you to all involved for affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
A Plastic-Free World is the story of a boy named Theo and his quest to exterminate all single-use plastics used by his family, friends, and school. We start out in the grocery store where Theo and his mother are shopping and Theo asks about alternatives to every instance of single-use plastic he sees. From there Theo goes about his day with his father, goes to school the next day, etc. all while finding more ways to eliminate the use of wasteful plastics.
First of all, the illustrations in this book are very well done and I thought this book was a pleasure to look at as I read through it! Bravo!
I think this book shares a very important message in a digestible way that is written at an age-appropriate language level for young kids. I was a little apprehensive going into it that this book would come off preachy, but it didn’t. This book points out all the single-use plastics in our day-to-day lives and suggests alternatives, with an emphasis on how important it is, but at no point does the book judge anyone. I wish all of the solutions offered in this book were available to me where I live, but many (particularly businesses to purchase refills of consumer goods in reusable containers) simply aren’t here on this island. I am grateful that we have at least banned plastic bags from our stores, and my family and I have dutifully brought our own washable bags on every grocery trip for the past two years.
I only have a couple of small critiques of the solutions presented in this book. First, when Theo asks his mother not to use the small plastic bags in the produce section at the grocery store, she agrees she doesn’t need them because she can wash the veggies when they get home. Correct me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t we be washing our produce anyway? And don’t people generally bag produce in small bags to keep bulk quantity items together? I would have liked to see the washable mesh alternative produce bags suggested in place of the store’s plastic bags instead because this fills the practical need people have for such bags and doesn’t imply that the plastic bag users don’t need to wash their produce. My other critique is the suggestion to bring a reusable container to a restaurant for leftovers. Great idea in theory, but not all restaurants are going to allow the server to take a customer’s container from home to the kitchen to put food in it. That would likely present a contamination risk in the kitchen. If we’re talking leftovers not finished at a sit-down meal then the customer can do this for themself, but if this is a take-out order situation it may be refused.
Overall this is a great book with a very important message, and I would recommend it to all families and primary/elementary grade schools.
Journey To A New Earth
Penelope Panda and Kobi Koala Discover A New Earth
by Zeiny Sher
Illustrated by Zuzana Svobodova
Published 30 October 2020
Page Count: 30
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Penelope Panda and Kobi Koala Discover a New Earth is an exploration in preservation through connection. Penelope and Kobi are connected through life changing events, which helps them learn how to love and preserve the earth, and how to deeply connect with each other and others along the way.
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My Rating: 5 Stars
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I was granted complimentary review access to Journey to a New Earth as part of my participation in the blog tour for this title through iRead Book Tours. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
Journey to a New Earth is the story of Penelope Panda and Kobi Koala, two juvenile animals who meet after Kobi has been displaced from her home and family by Australia’s wildfires, and how they become good friends as they walk and talk. Along the way they meet a wise tree who encourages them to take care of this blessed new Earth and tells them that all the animals here are special and that they should love and care for one another.
This is a beautiful story about friendship, love, custodial responsibility for the environment, moving on from difficult times and loss, and possibly (if the adults involved in reading this book choose to interpret it that way) the afterlife. This can definitely be left as just a cute book with kind morals, or it could be used to ease fears about death in religious families. I don’t know for sure if that was the author’s intent, but that’s how it came across to me. The potential to use or ignore that metaphor is there.
The illustrations in this book are gorgeous, and I know my daughter is going to want to look at these pages over and over again just to fawn over the adorable animals! I think the book is laid out quite well, too, with just the right amount of text per page to hold the interest of kids age 2-3 and up, and with the text blocks appropriately placed on plain, light backgrounds for easy reading. You’d be surprised how many times I don’t get to say that and actually critique such things with kids books, so I was very glad to see such well planned page layouts in this one.
I would recommend this book to basically all parents, caregivers, and teachers, and I’ll be sure to mention it to my elementary school teacher mother and sister.
The Adventures of Forkman
What’s That Noise?
by Tiffany Caldwell and W.R. MacKenzie
Published 3 January 2021
by Mascot Books
Page Count: 38
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When poor manners are present, Forkman will be there to save the day! Join Kathryn and William as they learn how to load the dishwasher properly and avoid inappropriate distractions at the table with the help of all their utensil friends. This second book in the Adventures of Forkman series is a great introduction to mealtime etiquette for readers of all ages.
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My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Consider “liking” my review on Goodreads. | Tour post
I was granted a complimentary review copy of The Adventures of Forkman: What’s that Noise? as part of my participation in the February 2021 blog tour for this title through iRead Book Tours. Thank you to all involved in granting me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
In this installment of The Adventures of Forkman, a personified fork in a cape named Forkman teaches siblings Kathryn and William how to safely and efficiently load a dishwasher, then follows this lesson up with table manners and how to not be distracted at the table.
I’m currently working on potty training with my toddler, which requires encouraging her to stay on the thing for lengthy sessions, and this means I’ve actually done all my preliminary review reads of picture books with her lately, rather than after bedtime when I can concentrate in quiet. She’s three. She loved the illustrations in this book, but the story itself did not hold her interest. I figured it wouldn’t, this is definitely for older kids who are big enough to be assigned the dishwasher chore. (And perhaps husbands. Mine could benefit from Forkman’s walkthrough.)
It feels like a little bit of an odd choice to include two separate complete lesson stories in the same book and call them chapters 3 and 4. I understand that chapters 1 and 2 are in the previous book, and I presume future Forkman books will continue to have subsequent numbered pairs of chapters, but when you receive this as a PDF file you worry that you’ve missed something! I imagine some people will be similarly confused when they pick this up in print and wonder if only half the book was printed and bound.
I would recommend this book to anyone wishing to teach children ages (roughly) 6+ about table etiquette and dishwasher procedures.
Mommy’s Oven
by Brandi Pearce
Published 2 February 2021
by Mascot Books
Page Count: 30
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In this true story, young August learns about how he will get a new little brother. He learns of how his little brother will grow in someone else’s tummy, not his mommy’s. Will he look like Augie? Will he grow for too long? Will Augie get to take his little brother home once he is born? Join August on this new, exciting adventure of getting a new little brother in a very unique way. If you are looking for a way to help your children understand that families can be created in many different ways, this is a story to keep on your bookshelf!
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My Rating: 5 Stars
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I was granted complimentary eARC access to Mommy’s Oven by Brandi Pearce in conjunction with iRead Book Tours. Thank you to all involved in granting me this opportunity! This has not swayed my opinion: my thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
Mommy’s Oven is a quick illustrated storybook for kids that tells the story of how little Augie’s baby brother came into the world with the help of a surrogate. The story is sweet, with age-appropriate answers to all the questions a child might have about surrogacy while still telling a complete story that can be enjoyed again and again. I would recommend this for families needing to explain surrogacy to any child old enough to sit through a 30-page storybook, be it because they themself were conceived that way and they have questions or because their parents or other close adults are expecting a child by this method.
The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, too! This book was just as much a pleasure to look at as it was to read. My only question/comment about the illustration choices is a couple images from when Augie’s baby brother is born. Surrogate Julia gave birth and would understandably be in a hospital bed in a robe, but why is Augie’s mom in a hospital bed in a robe? Being in a different room I understand. Sitting somewhere comfortable while holding the baby I understand. Looking like the person who just gave birth? A child isn’t going to question that, so no points deducted, but the parents reading this book might.
Overall this is a beautiful book that answers very important questions for small kids about a very niche topic that really isn’t covered all that well in kid lit yet. This book definitely fills the need it set out to fill!
Mia and Nattie: One Great Team!
by Marlene M. Bell
Published 3 October 2020
Illustrated by Grace Sandford
Page Count: 32
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Nattie’s mouth was a little crooked. Her legs were a bit shorter than usual, and one horn was too straight, like a unicorn’s horn. But Mia thought Nattie was perfect. In a read-aloud picture book for children who love animals, award-winning writer and sheep breeder Marlene M. Bell presents Nattie the lamb’s true story. MIA AND NATTIE is a heartwarming book that teaches readers about problem-solving, teamwork, and love. On a visit to her grandma’s farm, eight-year-old Mia discovers a newborn, orphaned lamb outside in the cold and takes her to the laundry room, naming her Nattie. As she tries to nurse the lamb back to health, Mia discovers that Nattie is different from the other lambs and struggles to fit in with them like Mia does with other kids her age. When her grandmother says she will sell Nattie to a neighbor, Mia must come up with a plan to keep her friend around—one that will show the family just how special Nattie truly is.
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My Rating: 4 Stars
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I was graciously sent a review copy of Mia and Nattie: One Great Team! by Marlene M. Bell in exchange for an honest review through iRead Book Tours. Thank you Marlene and iRead! This has not swayed my opinion; my thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
Mia and Nattie is the story of a young girl named Mia and the tiny, orphaned lamb she finds and raises, Nattie. As Nattie grows, Mia’s grandmother insists that a small and not perfectly formed ewe doesn’t serve a purpose on their working farm and that Nattie should find a new home, but Mia is determined to prove Nattie’s worth and show her grandmother that although Nattie won’t be a mother and provide them with new little lambs, she can most certainly do valuable things for the farm. What are those things? Read to find out!
This story is absolutely adorable, and so are the illustrations that go with them. My favourite illustration is definitely baby Nattie surrounded by foliage doodles on page 4. My heart is melting!
This is a great little book that can be used to teach kids to accept differences, theirs or others, and to show them that everyone has value. Not everyone can do the same things in the same way, but everyone has something to offer and no one should be overlooked.
I loved the page at the back telling the story of the real miracle ewe that inspired the story, Natlie, complete with an adorable photo of the sheep peeking out from behind a tree.
I will definitely be recommending this book to my mother and sister, both primary school teachers, and I foresee reading this one to my daughter countless times in the near future!
PS. My daughter had already gone to bed when I prepared this review and the tour stop, but my cats were only too happy to help get a photo of the book!
Big and Little
by Yang Hang
Publishing 15 June 2021
Clavis
Page Count: 32
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Big Raccoon and Little Raccoon love each other very much. They come across a snail trying to climb a rock, wanting to ‘get to the other side.’ Little Raccoon wants to wait for it and Big Raccoon doesn’t. The disagreement over what happens next pulls both raccoons apart, only for them to come back together to a stronger friendship. A touching book about learning when to help friends and when to let them do things on their own. For friends big and little ages 4 and up.
A touching book about learning when to help friends and when to let them do things on their own. For friends big and little ages 4 and up.
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My Rating: 4 Stars
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I was granted complimentary eARC access to Big and Little by Yang Hang through the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Big and Little is the story of two friends, Big Raccon and Little Raccoon, and how they learn to be patient with each other while out on a picnic walk in the woods. It’s a cute, quick read that will surely charm kids everywhere! The illustrations are beautiful, too. I could look at these pages all day.
My one critique is the formatting choice to always put the names “Big Raccon” and “Little Raccoon” in curly, fancy fonts that differ from the rest of the text. Excessively fancy fonts can be very difficult for language learners (which the target audience of 4-9-year-olds absolutely are) and nearly impossible for individuals with certain learning disabilities such as dyslexia. Mixed fonts can also be extremely difficult on dyslexia. I hope those in a position to change this will see this comment and consider doing something about it before publication, but just in case if you’re a parent of a dyslexic reader I would encourage you to check for this in the book preview and decide whether or not it would be a problem for your young reader.
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