Today I am going to share some new picture books with you. These books are mostly aimed towards preschool and lower. Each is fun and have good lessons in them. I hope you will read my reviews and check them all out!!
Picture Book Round-Up
Today I am going to share some new picture books with you. These books are mostly aimed towards preschool and lower. Each is fun and have good lessons in them. I hope you will read my reviews and check them all out!!

Kyle's Little Sister -- Review of New Middle School Graphic Novel
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Do you have siblings? Where do you fall in the order? I am the youngest of three girls. I went through my elementary school being called my middle sister's name and then in middle school one of the art teachers kept calling out my oldest sister's name for an end of the quarter review and when he finally used our last name I realized he meant me. He had never taken the time to learn my first name and my oldest sister is truly an artist so he remembered her. (She earned a degree in art.) So I can completely relate to today's book. The book is Kyle's Little Sister by BonHyung Jeong. It is a graphic novel for middle school ages (age 8-12).

Baby & Sibling Fun -- Book Reviews
As we enter our summer I think about family. Summer to me is a time for family. It is when our family reunions happen or have happened and when I had more time to spend with my siblings. It is also when we took our family trips. Today I am going to share three books with you. The first is about a baby (gorilla) and the other two are about siblings and their relationships with a bit of a twist. First we will start with Who Woke the Baby? by Jane Clarke and illustrated by Charles Fuge.

The Girl With More Than One Heart -- a Middle Grades Novel about Dealing with Loss as Well as a Sibling on the Spectrum
Today I am sharing a book that is suggested for grades 3-7. It is touching and such a real life story. It deals with death, a sibling with autism and being a 13-year-old and all life brings with it. The book is The Girl with More Than One Heart by Laura Geringer Bass.

Saving Sunshine -- Middle Grade Graphic Novel Review with Turtle Craft Round-Up
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I feel like it has been a while since I shared a middle grade book. I am behind on my reading. Today however I am sharing a new (out today) middle grade graphic novel. This book delves into the differences of people and cultures as well as a bit about a loggerhead turtle. To go with this book, I am providing a round-up of over 30 turtle crafts, activities, and more. The book is Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi and illustrated by Shazleen Khan. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.

Sins of Our Mothers -- Mommy Time Review
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Today I get to share with you a dystopia adult novel. It will have your mind thinking about the roles and rights of women and men in our society. The book is Sins of Our Mothers by Nicole Souza.

Bella Santini in the Troll War -- Review & Giveaway
Disclosure: I am working with The Children's Book Review and Angela Legh to present this review. I will receive a small stipend for my review. I was sent a copy of the book in exchange for the review. All opinions are my own.
Today I get to share with you the second book in The Bella Santini Chronicles. Now I have not read the first book but am interested in it after reading the second one. The book I am reviewing is Bella Santini in the Troll War by Angela Legh. However, the giveaway is for both books in this series!

Quinceanera -- Exploring Hispanic Heritage
Since Hazel loves birthday parties, I thought reading some books about a quinceañera would be right up her alley. A quinceañera is a fiesta for a Latina girl who turns fifteen. The fifteenth year is traditionally when girls turn into women in Latin American cultures. The traditional celebration differs from country to country. Most include a special dress for the quinceañera and a dance with her father (often a waltz) followed by a meal, dancing and a cake. Often there is a mass before the fiesta to honor the girl. In some countries the quinceañera has a court of friends ranging from 7-14 of each gender. (Source)

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief -- Middle Grades Fantasy Novel Review
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Did you go through a unicorn phase? I remember loving unicorns in middle school. In fact one of my graphic arts projects in middle school was screen printing a unicorn on a mirror. I had the mirror for a very long time and may still. I'm not sure where it is though. I remember seeing it when my parents moved during college. Unicorns have become a big thing. They are always cute and sparkly. They apparently poop rainbows now. And every animal can become a type of unicorn. I see the marketing for a caticorn or llamacorn. Have you seen it? Let's face it today's kids are going crazy for anything unicorn. Today I get to share a new middle grade fantasy novel. It is described as a book for Percy Jackson fans, and I wholeheartedly agree. The book is about a world with unicorns, but unicorns are not what we think they are. The book is Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman. It is the first book in a series that will be extremely popular!! It has an 8- to 12-year-old reading level.

The Tiltersmith -- Fantasy Middle Grades Novel
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Today I am going to share a book that I should have shared with you awhile ago. Unfortunately, I am still trying to find balance between teaching and life and finding time to read. The book I am sharing today is The Tiltersmith by Amy Herrick. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.

The Baby Who Stayed Awake Forever -- Entertaining Picture Book
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
As a parent we all have had those nights. Those nights where the baby won't go to sleep no matter what we do. On one of those nights, Sandra Salsbury wrote the book I am sharing with you today. It is The Baby Who Stayed Awake Forever by Sandra Salsbury. The reading age is 3 to 7, but I am sure there are some young kids who will be amused by this book and some parents who will remember those nights.

Hide and Shh! -- a Multicultural Children's Book Day Review
Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I am so excited to be a Multicultural Children's Book Day reviewer this year!! I somehow missed signing up last year and it made me really sad. It was the only year I didn't participate in this amazing event. I am blaming going back to work full time. However this year I made sure to sign up as a reviewer!! Today I am going to share the first of the books I am reviewing and it is such a sweet book about inclusion. It is called Hide and Shh! A Not-So-Sneaky Sister Story about Inclusion by Christine Dendy and illustrated by Nathalia Takeyama. It is recommended for ages 5 to 7.

Teddy Bear Picnic Food
Well we hosted our Teddy Bear Picnic the other day. It was so much fun. The idea came to me when we went to one at a local museum, and I was not very impressed. It was too large, loud and chaotic for the kids to focus. Hazel enjoyed visiting the museum but really did not enjoy the picnic. So I told her we would have our own. We did. We e-mailed some invitations and two of her friends were able to come (three if you count the three-month-old sibling). I made teddy bear ears for all the kids and the moms. The tutorial for them can be found here. I have to admit that one of the other moms and I were the only ones who wore them the whole time. Hazel and I spent a lot of time preparing for it. We made some sugar cookies in bear shapes. We used a mix. Then left them for the kids to decorate. Hazel had a bit of fun with the frosting and decorations. She always overdoes it!
Chapter Books for Middle Grades (3-7)
Today I am going to share with you a bunch of relatively new chapter books for the middle grades. There is something for everyone in this bunch!! We will start with Brave Red, Smart Frog: A New Book of Old Tales by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Rohan Daniel Eason.

Picture Book Round-Up -- Picture Books for Everyone
Today I am going to clear off my picture book shelf and share with you eight books for younger kids! We will start with a book that is perfect for the new baby or mom. It is To the Moon and Back for You by Emilia Bechrakis Serhant and art by E.G. Keller. The suggested ages for this book is 4 to 8 but I am thinking that is for the child to read the book him or herself.

Black Authors -- #blacklivesmatter Series

Chapter Book Extravaganza -- Beginning Reader through Young Adult! Part 1
Ok, I have had this group of books growing on my shelves for awhile. It is time for me to clean house and get ready for the new year. I will admit I have not read all of these books (I have started most of them). Hazel has read some of them so I plan to let her share her opinion on the ones she has read. I hope you will check these out.

Books looking at the world in different ways
Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own.
Earth Day is Thursday. I have been sharing books each week to use as resources for it and today the books I share work for Earth Day but two of them work with a twist. All three books are picture books recommended for preschool and early elementary (ages 3-8). We will start with the book that is perfect for Earth Day. It is Once Upon Another Time by Charles Ghigna and Matt Forrest Esenwine and illustrated by Andrés F. Landazábal.

Summer Reading -- Fun Picture Books

Stories of Love for Young Kids #ValentinesDay
Wow, it is February tomorrow. That means love is in the air. Today I am going to share some books about love for younger kids. Two are board books and the rest are picture books. Most of these are about family love and friendship love. The first is a fun board book called Love You Always by Roger Priddy and is part of the Shiny Shapes series.
