Reviews
Dad and Daddy's Big Big Family
“Harper, who has brown skin and long dark brown hair, is off to a family reunion for the first time with their two fathers . . . . The story is sweet and soothing with warm, cartoon art . . . extended family is diverse in terms of race and ability . . . .… View →
Elephant's Music
“Even a noisemaker can find a place in the band . . . . An agreeable lesson in inclusion.”—Kirkus Reviews View →
Evelyn Hooker and the Fairy Project
“A true story of true allyship . . . this offers helpful materials for young researchers and audiences curious about LGBTQ+ history. . . . Offers interesting information on a lesser-known hero.”—Kirkus Reviews View →
A Feel Better Book for Little Poopers
“Help for kids whose No. 1 fear is going No. 2. . . . The text goes on to offer validation of children’s fears, tips for relaxing, and the reassurance that everyone poops (to borrow Taro Gomi’s title line from his popular 1977 picture book). . . . Sure to help kids with this bummer View →
A Feel Better Book for Little Sports
“Brochmann and Bowen’s rhyming, singsong stanzas first introduce the physical benefits of sports before moving to emotional aspects like empathy, sportsmanship, and losing with grace. . . . A comprehensive and successful child’s introduction to competitive sports.”—Kirkus View →
Giraffe Asks for Help
“Gary Giraffe learns to ask for help even when he feels the task is something he should be able to do alone . . . explains how important it is that children acquire the skill of asking for help and how parents can help accomplish this.”—Kirkus Reviews View →
Camilla, Cartographer
“Wood’s delightful illustrations and Dillemuth’s expertise in the matter engage readers in the woodland creatures’ adventures. In addition, Dillemuth, who holds a doctorate in geography, provides activities in the backmatter for parents and caregivers to help… View →
Carol Gilligan and the Search for Voice
“A charmingly illustrated biography that highlights psychologist Carol Gilligan’s life and achievements . . . . Cole highlights key figures and psychological concepts in the world of psychology, explaining them in digestible segments. Green’s soft and expressive artwork brings… View →
Doug's Dung
“A budding artist searches for his strength . . . . The large-eyed insects composed of simple shapes appear friendly while the earth-toned dung beetles cheerfully complement the brights of the garden—and thus Doug’s art as well. Encouraging and… View →
Fantastic You
“The narrative of this book is written like a pep talk one could imagine hearing from a person with fully realized emotional intelligence. . . . Many strategies for exhibiting self-love chosen by the child protagonists employing them are shown as valid, reinforcing that there is no View →
A Feel Better Book for Little Tears
“A useful picture book for encouraging social-emotional health. . .®eaders may also find value in its potential to foster empathy or to pre-emptively address sadness as one of many emotions we all experience. Validating and soothing.”—Kirkus Reviews View →
Find Your Fierce: How to Put Social Anxiety in Its Place
“A clinical psychologist offers teens practical tools they can use to deal with social anxiety. . . . Sperling explains how to manage thoughts, feelings, and behavior using the tools of cognitive behavior therapy: checking your thoughts, mindfulness, and relaxation. . . . The… View →
Frizzy Haired Zuzu
“The book’s beautiful, sometimes whimsical cartoon illustrations skillfully depict the unsuccessful endeavors to reduce Zuzu’s hair volume and capture her emotions in response. The tale offers an important message—that kids should love and accept themselves wholeheartedly . . .… View →
Seeing Sky-Blue Pink
“Like the author’s More Than a Name (BCCB 9/95), this is a gentle, unabashedly positive story of a nascent stepfather-stepdaughter relationship. The chapters are short and sweet, suitable for reading aloud or alone; though Sam is a little… View →
Goodbye, School
“Lippert’s languid prose and tender child’s-eye point of view evoke the emotions of a young person’s struggle with transitions, especially changing schools. . . . Perfect for children going through transitions and the adults who guide them.”—Kirkus… View →
Big Bold Beautiful Me
“Body positivity shines through a jaunty rhyming text . . . . Individual examples are then followed by the hearty refrain ‘When I look in the mirror/ what do I see?// Big and bold and beautiful me!’ Burgett’s images effectively use mirrors to depict the kids’ attitude… View →
Grow Happy
“Creating and caring for a garden serves as an apt metaphor for self-care in this sensitive story from the father-daughter team of Lasser and Foster-Lasser. . . . Crinkly, textured papers bring pleasing warmth to Lyles’s mixed-media collages, creating an atmosphere of… View →
It's Test Day, Tiger Turcotte
“Though never dismissing her protagonists worries, Flood takes a low-key approach to this common situation, neatly demonstrating that the adults don’t always have all the answers either, while making the point that people are more important than categories. Tiger himself… View →
Secret Holes
“Syliva is a spunky character. . . and her first-person narration flows in easy-to-read dialect with enough cultural references thrown in to evoke the seventies setting. Her ten-year-old voice reflects an apt egocentrism, and her retreat into theatrical illness whenever she is… View →
Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg
“Through the double pleasures of a rhymed riddle and a hidden-picture clue, children learn about half a dozen animals who begin life inside an egg shell. . . The full-bleed collages, crafted of painted and textured papers, can be enjoyed by individuals and small groups, and the… View →
Juneteenth
“Schroder’s plentiful illustrations have a static, dioramic look, but their rich colors will show to better effect in group use than many of the more tepid palette choices of easy chapter books. Like the good news itself, easy holiday books about Juneteenth have been late… View →
Rescue on the Outer Banks
“Newly independent readers with a penchant for true adventure will welcome these new entries [Rescue on the Outer Banks and The Daring Escape of Ellen Craft] in the On My Own History series.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s… View →