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PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: Ready to Soar by Cori Doerrfeld

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  READY TO SOAR written and illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld Dial Books for Young Readers, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-593-69672-9 Source: purchased Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary are provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK From the New York Times bestselling author of The Rabbit Listened , a story of learning to stay true to yourself, rather than what others want you to be. Riley made a paper airplane and couldn’t wait to let it soar. But just before the plane could take off—SQUAWK. An eagle swoops in and insists Riley’s plane could never fly. It’s much too small. So Riley makes it bigger! But just as this bigger paper airplane is ready to go, a parrot squawks that the plane is way too boring to fly. So Riley makes it fancier! Bird after bird offers advice, and Riley tries making the airplane faster longer, taller, and slimmer. When the plane crashes to the ground after all these changes, Riley finally meets a more supportive frie
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WILD & WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY: Home by Isabelle Simler, translated by Vineet Lal

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  HOME written & illustrated by Isabelle Simler, translated by Vineet Lal Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5620-3 Source: publisher for review (THANKS!) Ages 6 and up Picture book informational poetry All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A spectacular tour through the dwellings of twenty-seven different animals, from a hermit crab’s secondhand shell to a beaver’s lakeside dam to a comet moth’s silk cocoon. Acclaimed creator Isabelle Simler presents a poetic journey through amazing animal homes across the world. In Europe, alpine marmots stay safe in underground refuges. In southeast Asia, Sumatran orangutans doze off in treetop bedrooms. In Mexico and the southwestern US, elf owls nest in holes in saguaro cacti. On every continent but Antarctica, honeybees mold wax into palaces for their queens. No matter where you travel, some creature is making an extraordinary pla
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PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: A Few Beautiful Minutes : Experiencing a Solar Eclipse by Kate Allen Fox & Khoa Le

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  A FEW BEAUTIFUL MINUTES: Experiencing a Solar Eclipse written by Kate Allen Fox, illustrated by Khoa Le Little, Brown and Company, 2023 ISBN: 978-0-316-41692-4 Source: ARC from Little, Brown & Company Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A lyrical, exquisitely illustrated tribute to the solar eclipse. What happens during a solar eclipse? The sun vanishes. Light becomes dark. Day animals sleep, and night animals wake. The moon takes over the sky. People stop what they’re doing and together, they look up. The whole world changes for a few beautiful minutes. Celebrating the magic of this favorite wonder of the universe, A Few Beautiful Minutes encourages young readers to (safely) discover each stage of a solar eclipse—and to experience how this incredible phenomenon can connect us to one another. REVIEW This lovely combination of poetry, gorgeous art, and information presents young
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#MMGM: Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart

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  COYOTE LOST AND FOUND by Dan Gemeinhart Henry Holt & Co, 2024 ISBN:978-1250292773 Source: eARC from Netgalley Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK It's been almost a year since Coyote and her dad left the road behind and settled down in a small Oregon town. . . time spent grieving the loss of her mom and sisters and trying to fit in at school. But just as life is becoming a new version of normal, Coyote discovers a box containing her mom’s ashes. And she thinks she might finally be ready to say goodbye. So Coyote and her dad gear up for an epic cross-country road trip to scatter the ashes at her mom’s chosen resting place. The only problem? Coyote has no idea where that resting place is―and the secret’s hidden in a book that Coyote mistakenly sold last year, somewhere in the country. Now, it’s up to Coyote to track down the treasured book . . . without her dad ever finding
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WILD & WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY: The Noisy Puddle by Linda Booth Sweeney & Miki Sato

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  THE NOISY PUDDLE: A Vernal Pool Through the Seasons written by Linda Booth Sweeney, illustrated by Miki Sato Owlkids Books, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-77147-531-0 Source: purchased Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A lyrical dip into the noisy, magical world of a vernal pool. In this vibrant and poetic informational picture book, two curious siblings observe the hidden world of a vernal a special kind of puddle habitat that pops up in the spring, dries up by summer, reappears in the fall, and freezes over in the winter—only to come back again in the spring. Young naturalists and future water stewards will be encouraged to listen, watch, and wait to witness the seasonal changes of the ever-changing puddle and its inhabitants. As readers follow along with the rhythmic text, they will be fascinated to discover many familiar and not-so-familiar creatures that make up the surprising web of inte
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PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: Finding Grateful by Dianne White & Faith Pray

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FINDING GRATEFUL by Dianne White, illustrated by Faith Pray Chronicle Books, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-7972-1123-7 Source: publisher for review Ages 3-6 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK  A heartfelt picture book that celebrates embracing the moment and finding gratitude right here, right now. What does grateful look like? How does it feel? How do you find it? Even in the face of a challenge, you don’t need a You just need to pay attention to the little things—a smile, a hug, the smell of newly cut grass—that add up to a sense of presence and hope.   With evocative, lyrical prose, this warmly illustrated children's book is a reminder to pause, reflect, and take in the glimmers of positivity and connection that can be found amid even the most difficult circumstances. Both a timely meditation on finding gratitude in everyday moments and a timeless ode to the simple joy of truly being present, Find
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YA POETRY: Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renee Watson & with fine art by Ekua Holmes

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  BLACK GIRL YOU ARE ATLAS written by Renee Watson, fine art by Ekua Holmes Kokila, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-593-46170-9 Source: publisher for review Ages 14 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A thoughtful celebration of Black girlhood by award-winning author and poet Renée Watson. In this semi-autobiographical collection of poems, Renée Watson writes about her experience growing up as a young Black girl at the intersections of race, class, and gender. Using a variety of poetic forms, from haiku to free verse, Watson shares recollections of her childhood in Portland, tender odes to the Black women in her life, and urgent calls for Black girls to step into their power. Black Girl You Are Atlas encourages young readers to embrace their future with a strong sense of sisterhood and celebration. With full-color art by celebrated fine artist Ekua Holmes throughout, this collection offers guidance a
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