Hot Pot Night! by Vincent Chen

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.

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Goodnight Zoom by Andy Ankowski

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.

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THE TICKLE MONSTER (Bedtime Story Book for Kids): A Fun Rhyming Picture Book for Children by Arnie Lightning

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.

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Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges

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.

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1000 books before Kindergarten

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.

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Mainstreaming with LeVar

I didn’t realize that all of the celebrities who are reading online needed permission from the publisher, although I should have figured it out. LeVar Burton, in the above linked article, was frustrated by this. Thankfully, several publishers and authors stepped up to give permission to the project, as long as it’s mentioned that he has permission. Bravo publishers and authors!

Little Golden Books

How many of these have you read? I think I have read about 26 of these. Some of them are from before my time, and I doubt I ever got to them. I may have to search for the full set one of these days. There are a lot of them, and I am sure that this isn’t a complete list. Some are even available on Kindle, but it wouldn’t be the same.