A House Full of Llamas: Funny Book for Children to Spark Imagination by Melissa Winn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. The illustrations were wonderful and the story itself was fun but not too silly. It was clear that the story was a dream and not just a weird thing that happened. Children would love to have this story read to them and the adult reading would not be bored.
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“Thank you so much for reading/reviewing my children’s books last year.
I’m running an ad in Publishers Weekly’s children’s book edition next month and trying to build more reviews (Amazon, Goodreads or social media posts) 🥰
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I went to the Politics and Prose Zoom meeting for the new books by Chelsea Clinton, Lisa Cline-Ransome, Andrea Davis Pinkney and Atia Abawi. Deborah D. Taylor was the moderator.
I had read the book by Chelsea Clinton, She Persisted, a while ago. It’s the wonderful children’s book that tells of 13 women who made history.
The new stories that are coming out are by these authors. The women they wrote about are Harriet Tubman, Claudette Colvin, and Sally Ride. Also, a book about women in sports is being published.
So far, the She Persisted series has been wonderful for children to read. I look forward to reading them all as they come out.
Being Thankful! by Arnie Lightning
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I picked this up in November, but just got around to actually finishing it, just in time for Christmas. It’s a series of cute stories for kids about being thankful. Not one of them was condescending as children’s books sometimes are. I recommend this book for preteen readers.
Hot Pot Night! by Vincent Chen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book had wonderful illustrations. There were very few words, but the point still came across. The book was about neighbors coming together to make and eat hot pot. Each of the neighbors brings something to the table to cook and share. It’s a story about being together and sharing the work and each other’s company. I was a little disappointed when the neighbors seem to have left and didn’t finish doing the dishes with cleanup.
The food and neighbors were drawn well and I loved the way that all the colors came together to make the story complete.
Goodnight Zoom by Andy Ankowski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a very timely and cute concept. This parody book would mostly go over a child’s head, but I suspect it was truly written for adults. I did enjoy the read. The drawings were nice, and went along with the original book.
THE TICKLE MONSTER (Bedtime Story Book for Kids): A Fun Rhyming Picture Book for Children by Arnie Lightning
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a great book to listen to at bedtime if you want your kid to stay up all night. I suppose that reading the book itself would be OK, but the audiobook has a creepy sounding monster giggling during the whole reading. Leave the monster out and it would probably be fine. I still suspect it might rile kids up, though.
Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I picked up this book for several reasons. First of all it was a choice for a children’s black history month book. Secondly, I wanted to read more about Ruby Bridges because a local school got Ruby Bridges day declared in our area and I wanted to know what it was all about.
I really enjoyed this book because it was told by Ruby Bridges herself. I felt it was written very honestly, especially when she tells about how it just kind of happening to her, since she was a small child. She had to do research because she either couldn’t remember things happening or she wasn’t told at the time.
It’s hard to believe this all happened so recently. It is also evident that we have a long way to go, still.
I do recommend the book, but to older children and adults. While it was easy to read, the part about the marshals was a little scary.
1000 books before kindergarten
The above linked article tells about a program that the library is putting on to encourage parents to read to their small children. 1000 books before kindergarten might sound impossible, but one book a day for 3 years puts you way over the top. Right now, no one can use the library, but many of these books are online. Make reading a part of the child’s daily routine. You won’t be sorry.
Langston’s Train Ride by Robert Burleigh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a poem written about writing poems on a train ride. It was musical and the illustrations are great. I originally picked up the book for Black History Month, but I hadn’t gotten around to reading it until now. I truly enjoyed it.
