Reviewed by Erin Britton

A charmingly festive tale of creativity and friendship in the Far North

Accompanied by Erin O’Leary Brown’s delightful illustrations, JR Buchta’s North conveys the joy and possibility of spending special times with true friends.

According to this tale, “The North Wind, the North Star, and the Northern Lights have always been friends.” All three enjoy hanging out at the North Pole and having fun with the creatures that inhabit the frozen landscape, including reindeer, snowy owls, narwals, and polar bears. From light shows to carving shapes in the snow, there is plenty to entertain them.

However, “the Northern Lights wished aloud for some new friends,” and her companions agreed that it is always a good idea to make new friends. But how can they accomplish it? They think about the variety of creatures they would like to befriend—frogs, cats, cows, giraffes, and more—but none of them could cope with living at the North Pole.

“The North Star and the North Wind thought for a long time about how to make new friends as a surprise for the lonely Northern Lights.” While their plan initially has a few hiccups, they remain committed to finding some new pals for the beloved Northern Lights. After brainstorming what good friends are made of, do they finally know what it takes to succeed in their quest?

JR Buchta’s North is a funny and fun-filled picture book that brilliantly portrays the chaos and whimsy of the mythical chums’ attempts to make new friends. The message it conveys to young readers is important and heartwarming: keep old friends close but always be willing to welcome new pals into your circle.

The Far North setting and the emphasis on all the chilly, starry, and dazzling aspects of the environment—which are enchantingly captured by Erin O’Leary Brown in the illustrations that accompany each segment of text—really enhance the atmosphere of the story, highlighting its magical and cozy nature.

O’Leary Brown’s art is full of movement and color, serving to capture the attention of both older and younger readers. The use of watercolors adds a timeless quality to the images, which is very much in keeping with the tone and style of Buchta’s narrative.

The decision to feature the fabled North Wind, North Star, and Northern Lights as the central characters is innovative and intriguing, allowing for discussions about their traditional representations. O’Leary Brown’s images well capture their customary characteristics and Buchta’s dialogue brings their personalities to life.

The story should spark chats about what makes a good friend and what sorts of creatures it would be fun to befriend. Given its wintery feel and holiday-appropriate messaging—to say nothing of a particularly seasonal cameo—reading North would make a great addition to a family’s festive traditions.

Thank you for reading Erin Britton’s book review of North: A Magical Friendship Story by J.R. Buchta! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Erin Britton

A fun-filled learning lesson about trying, persevering, and supporting friends

Poppy’s Sweet Sibling Story, the seventh book in the Poppy the Toucan series, shares an important lesson through an exuberant chorus of song and dance.

Poppy the Toucan is strutting her stuff in the Mungo Bungo Jungle when she spies her friend Blue Sloppy Foot singing loudly and jumping about like a rockstar.

“His rhythms were strong and his wings did a flutter at the end of each beat. His foot moves were a bit sloppy… but that’s what made them so unique and cool.”

She also spots his younger sister, Suzie Blue Foot, nervously watching the fun from the sidelines. Poppy asks if Suzie would like to join in and is shocked to learn that Suzie is too scared to do so in case she is no good and people laugh at her.

“How do you know what you’re good at if you haven’t even tried?”

Determined to help Suzie overcome her fear and see if she enjoys singing and dancing, Poppy explains the folly of quitting and failing before even trying something new, and she tells the motivational story of the Can-Can basketball team:

“Remember our team the Can-Cans?
They weren’t always the Can-Cans.
They started out as the Cannots
because they were so bad at first!”

Just as the Can-Cans persevered and improved through patience and practice, Poppy suggests that she and Suzie join forces—with Poppy singing and Suzie dancing—to see how much fun they can have. “Now I warn you, I don’t have a great voice, but I promise to sing my heart out anyway and have a wonderful time.” And her plan works!

While the other jungle creatures do initially laugh at the duo’s musical efforts, they quickly decide to join in with them, “and soon enough everyone was hopping up and down and dancing to the rhythms.” And what’s more, Suzie’s newfound confidence and willingness to try fresh things lead to some very exciting opportunities.

Poppy’s Sweet Sibling Story offers a joyful celebration of the benefits of helping friends and working together to have fun and achieve unexpected milestones. While it is the seventh book starring Poppy the Toucan, Madelyn Simon’s canny characterization means that Poppy feels instantly familiar and a joy to be around.

In fact, with all her exuberance, bravery, and zest for life, Poppy is an inspirational role model for young readers. She instantly spots when a friend is in need of help and having her confidence built up, and she’s willing to risk embarrassment to ensure that Suzie doesn’t become stuck in a rut and miss out on the possibility of enjoyment and success.

The moral behind Poppy’s Sweet Sibling Story is clear—never avoid pursuing an interest due to fear and always be willing to help a friend in need—but the story wears its educational aspect lightly. Simon ensures that the story is fun and funny the whole way through. Poppy’s antics are definitely going to entertain youngsters and the people reading with them.

Michael Sherman’s vibrant illustrations enhance the story greatly, particularly when conveying the chaotic movement and compelling joy of Poppy and Suzie’s musical endeavors. It’s no wonder the other jungle animals feel the urge to join in! The color and detail bring the scenes to life and will certainly hold young readers’ attention.

Poppy’s Sweet Sibling Story presents a cheery and hilarious adventure for Poppy the Toucan and her friends, revealing how a spot of bravery can have major consequences and lead in surprising directions. Little readers will love the book’s zany exploits, and older readers will be glad it instills a sense of confidence and a boosted self-esteem.

Thank you for reading Erin Britton’s book review of Poppy’s Sweet Sibling Story by Madelyn Simon! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Toni Woodruff

A friendly, uplifting children’s book about working together and looking out for each other

Peter the Pelican is having a great day. The weather is nice. The flying is good. The friends are… Wait.

Has anybody seen Kevin the Crab? Sammy the Sea Bass is wondering. So is Willie the Whale. So is Magnolia the Mermaid, Sherri the Shrimp, Octavius the Octopus, and a whole lot of other alliterative sea creatures.

In the last book, Sherri the Shrimp was the hero. A tiny friend on a brave adventure to start believing in herself. This time, it takes the whole gang to travel the ocean and save Kevin from the (kinda) scary situation. Kevin is stuck in a net, far off at the shipwreck in Pirate’s Cove. Sherri’s muscles aren’t enough this time, but lucky for all of them, they come together.

This series, just two books long, is already looking like a great addition to bedtime storytelling. The characters are fleshed out and funny to say and remember, and they carry this uplifting tone that guide the narrative. The alliterative characters all look out for each other, creating a real sense of community and friendship. Magnolia and the Gang Save the Day is a meaningful story that teaches you to work together with your friends to accomplish huge feats. It’s not Magnolia’s story exactly—it’s everyone’s.

Octavius the Octopus steals the show more than anyone in this story. He’s long and strong and wiggly and able to squeeze into tight spaces. If your kid doesn’t already love octopuses, they’re about to start. Willie the Whale is another standout. The ocean is a big place, but large creatures like whales can move across it quick enough to save the day. He’s a pretty sturdy anchor for their rescue operation too.

The illustrations of Magnolia the Mermaid… are light and buoyant and, despite the apparent danger Kevin is in, never set too scary a tone. Where book one used a purposefully scratchy, messy look, this one fits more uniformly into the illustrations on your Disney+ home screen. Nemo lovers will have a lot more friends after finding this series.

The language is smooth and playful, always easy to read. It sounds fun and playful without rhyming, acting as a good in-between pick for your kid who’s just getting out of board books. It’s a story you’ve probably heard before in multiple variations, so it’s helpful that the language is fun and the characters are easy to remember for your own storytelling.

Magnolia the Mermaid and the Gang Save the Day give you more of what you loved in the first book in the series while teaching a new lesson: work together with your friends to make the dream work. This is a great, ocean-exploring read-aloud pick for both librarians and parents.

Thank you for reading Toni Woodruff’s book review of Magnolia and the Gang Save the Day by George J. Linsenmeyer, III! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Erin Britton

A heartfelt story about the need for empathy and understanding

Salty Tears, written by Jaime Testaiuti and illustrated by Nadia Ronquillo, is a meaningful story about recognizing the similarities among people rather than focusing solely on the differences.

Siblings Ari and Mo are looking forward to going on holiday with their parents. However, Ari is “feeling nervous because she would be sitting next to the new boy joining her class when they returned.” Despite the excitement, her nervousness seems to permeate the family’s trip, with both Ari and Mo being beset with concerns and fears about the new people they meet.

For example, when they decide to visit a museum, after having fun playing in a treehouse and making ice cream sundaes, Mo exclaims “Look at those scary people in sheets!” And Ari shares his fear: “You can only see their eyes!” Fortunately, their mother quells their fear by explaining that the women are wearing hijabs for religious and cultural reasons.

Yet later, when the family go to a pizzeria, Ari and Mo notice “a man next to them who looked very old but was as short as they were!” They wonder aloud what has caused the man to shrink and feel sad that he can barely reach the counter. This time, their mother explains that the man was born that way.

Ari and Mo have many such encounters during their holiday, including meeting a young girl with no legs, a boy who wears a medical device to monitor his diabetes, a woman with no hair, and a family wearing another kind of religious garb. Each time they question a person’s visible difference, their parents stress that the person is “just like us and cries salty tears.”

Salty Tears uses Ari and Mo’s experiences during their trip to educate young readers about the importance of acceptance and realizing that all people have differences and similarities. It would have been helpful if their parents had pointed out that it is rude to comment on a person’s appearance, but the message of the story is still thoughtful.

Ari and Mo have lived a rather sheltered life prior to their holiday—most young children will have met people with disabilities, differences, and religious affiliations before—but Jaime Testaiuti does a good job of explaining that their fears come from newness, not necessarily because they are scary. This is a useful lesson for youngsters in a story like this.

As their parents explain the likely reasons for their new friends’ visible differences, Ari and Mo gain a better understanding of the wide variety of people in the world, and Ari is able to apply this when she returns to school. Testaiuti highlights how everyone has fears and how it is important to learn and show kindness in order to overcome them.

Some of the explanations that the parents provide, particularly concerning chemotherapy and the treatment for diabetes, cause some pages of Salty Tears to feature a fair bit of text and more complex vocabulary than picture books generally do.

The accompanying illustrations help to ensure that youngsters’ attention does not wander, however, with Nadia Ronquillo’s bright and appealing art showing what Ari and Mo initially perceive and then how their perspective changes as they learn more about people. The vibrant pictures really capture the imagination and will likely prompt interesting discussions.

Salty Tears is a sincere and charmingly illustrated story about the dangers of pre-judgement and allowing fear to take hold before knowing the truth about a situation. As Ari and Mo learn more about the importance of diversity, equality, and inclusion, young readers will also learn the same valuable lessons.

Thank you for reading Erin Britton’s book review of Salty Tears by Jaime Testaiuti! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Jaylynn Korrell

A fun-filled and wacky graphic novel for imaginative and silly kids

The snoodles are back! The zoodles are back! The wackadoodle team of Steven Joseph and Andy Case are back with another funny, intergalactidoodle adventure.

Escape from Zoodletraz is the third book in the Snoodles in Space series, which follows members of the Noodleham community on Earth and the inhabitants of other worlds, like the aliens on planet Zoodle. Characters like Frimpy Frumpy Froodle and Whimpy Whiny Woodle have already saved the Earth once, but Zoodlemania isn’t done yet.

Croodle the Grand Roodle, another recurring character from the series, has been noticing the buzzing music scene down in Noodleham, and he’s decided to become a music star on Earth himself. But it turns out, it’s not so easy becoming as popular as mega-superstar Swifty Swoodle.

After Croodle is booed off stage, he comes up with a plan for revenge—which includes kidnapping notable animals on Earth and placing them in Zoodletraz, a high-security prison on an island. This is the story of the inhabitants of Noodleham trying to help those animals escape and to make sure Croodle never does something like this again.

Author Steven Joseph comes with another flurry of fun with this hilarious read-aloud adventure. This guy could throw a doodle into anything, it seems. His imagination, coupled with the perfectly fitting illustrations of Andy Case, make this a goofy wonder of a read. If you’ve got silly, creative kids at home who have graduated from picture books into the world of single-story graphic novels, Escape from Zoodletraz is here to bridge that gap for you. It’s filled with silly and zany vocabulary to make reading aloud a jumbly-wumbly bubble of fun for both you and them. Even when your children start being able to read themselves, they’ll have fun peeking at the little jokes sprinkled here and there, like on the spines of books or in the headlines of a news story.

Did you know that Frimpy Frumpy and Whimpy Whiny “helped remove griddle from the Earth’s oceans, even the wet ones?”

In addition to the silly fun to be had on the page, Escape from Zoodletraz comes with an album. And it rocks? With different singers and styles on nearly every song of the 10-song album, the one constant is that it’s a blast to dance to. The production quality really stands out—these are fully developed noodle-doodle pop hits. The end of the book features a game, a maze, and a coloring page too.

The thing that stands in the book’s way is just the sheer amount of information and characters coming at us from so many directions. It’s a lot to keep track of quickly. Luckily, the illustrations bring characters to life so they become clearer in our minds, but it could still require some flipping back and forth to remember how each character is related to the story. Occasionally, the noodle-doodle language takes precedent over the plot, so some pages are more dedicated to funny-sounding backstory than the escape itself.

This series is growing along with the reader—from picture books to juvenile graphic novels—without ever losing hold of its wacky sense of humor. Joseph and Case make for one hilarious team.

Thank you for reading Jaylynn Korrell’s book review of Escape from Zoodletraz by Steven Joseph! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Joelene Pynnonen

Science meets whimsy in this enchanting, adventurous children’s picture book.

Maddy loves science. Clouds, planets, stars. More than anything, she loves the moon. She knows all of its phases. How it waxes and wanes, rises with the night and falls with the day. The fingernail moon catches her imagination most of all. A mere sliver of a moon, hanging in the night-time sky, seeming close enough to ride on.

Maddy knows that it isn’t. She knows that it is thousands of miles away. Unreachable. Until one day, the fingernail moon appears outside her window, larger than life and close enough to touch. It has heard all the things Maddy has said about it, and it wants to meet the little girl who loves it so much. Even better, the fingernail moon wants to go on an adventure!

The FingerNail Moon is a picture book with in-depth, whimsical ideas that would suit children three and older with more developed attention spans. It’s a wonderful introduction for children into the magic of science. Curious kids will love to learn about the phases of the moon, the different types of clouds, and the planets in our solar system as they explore with Maddy. This is the perfect book to encourage aspiring little scientists to explore and question the world around them in a fun, engaging way.

As with all picture books, the writing only makes up a fraction of the whole. The illustrations are something that the tale hangs on. Luckily, in The FingerNail Moon they fit perfectly with the story. At the start, the writing holds its own space, but as the book progresses, the illustrations begin washing over the writing as though, like Maddy, the book itself cannot contain its enchantment with the Universe, stars, galaxies, and planets. The Universe is rendered in watercolor-like pastels, less stark and solid than the characters in the story. It’s a lovely way to show the deep contrast between the magic of the galaxy and the solidity of Maddy and her friends.

Rather than treating science as a clinical, abstract subject, this book leans into the irresistible charm of seeing the world through the eyes of someone with boundless curiosity and excitement. Making science an adventure rather than a chore. For the kids who have outgrown the Baby University series, this is a great book to move on to.

Thank you for reading Joelene Pynnonen’s book review of The FingerNail Moon by Darrell Spencer and Greg McKenzie! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Toni Woodruff

Move over, Brave Little Toaster! There’s a Roomba coming through.

Robbie is a Roomba. He’s got a great house and great people, and he feels appreciated for the cleaning he does. It doesn’t hurt that he absolutely loves doing it either.

But there’s a whole world out there. Not to clean—but to explore.

Robbie the Robot Vacuum and His Big Adventure follows Robbie as he ventures out of his front door. And what does he see there? A collection of kids’ favorite things: playgrounds, ducks, and even a great big excavator. It’s a story about adventure, seeing new things, and meeting new people, but it also makes sure that kids know that it’s easy to get distracted when you’re out there and that you’ve got to “pay more attention when doing things [you’ve] never tried.”

It’s a learning lesson, sure, but it never loses track of its sole purpose: showing kids through lovable characters and illustrations that there’s a world out there that can be truly wonderful. The lesson about paying attention is only one page, and yet it covers so much ground. It tells little people that adventures are great and you should take them (when your parents tell you that you can of course), but that you should always be aware of your surroundings.

The Brave Little Toaster was one of my favorite children’s stories when I was growing up, and so much of it was due to personification of the character. I mean, a toaster? A metal appliance brought to life? This time, it’s a robot vacuum! An acting, reacting, moving, regularly present object in so many kids’ living rooms. It may already be fun for them to talk or play with theirs at home, and this book gives him such a fun, brave personality that it could bring even more liveliness and creativity into their lives. If there’s a Roomba and a toddler in your house, this is an awesome book for you.

The rhymes are smooth and easy to read aloud, so it’s a good fit for your littlest ones. Some of the rhymes might be a little oversimplified, but that also adds to the simplicity with which parents can read it. The illustrations are vibrant and alive and match the tone of the book precisely. There are things to giggle at on the page, like the duck getting scared at the pond, and details for kids to pay attention to, like the color change in the sky at sunset.

And of course, Robbie must return home at the end of it. He can’t wait to get back to cleaning and helping out his appreciative family. This book would be a stellar addition to both libraries and your bookshelf at home, especially if you’ve got a Roomba zooming around your kids’ mountain of blocks at home.

Thank you for reading Toni Woodruff’s book review of Robbie the Robot Vacuum and His Big Adventure by Sara Biggs! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Toni Woodruff

Float on a wave of imagination in this vibrant children’s book.

Julian and Ethan are bouncy chipmunk brothers who are always ready for adventure. Lucky for them, Mama is taking them to the museum today.

Lively and excitable, this chipmunk duo hops on a trolley and bounds into the museum expecting one thing only to receive another. They visit portraits and statues, busts and still-life paintings, and they’ve got questions aplenty. And Mama’s got answers. It’s all educational—until it becomes more than that.

Julian and Ethan are excellent role models for how you’d want your kid to approach a day at the museum. They are curious, open-minded, and willing to let their imagination invigorate the trip. This is a book that educates—like about the lack of cameras for portraits back in the day—but also illustrates the magic of imagination.

And speaking of illustrations…The Chubby Bubbies Trip to the Museum is elevated by its vibrant images by Irene Silvino. The chipmunks surf on a colorful wave of imagination from the left side of each page to the right, invoking the image of a ride that will take you to magical places. Imagination is captured so enticingly in this book that many little readers will feel excited at the prospect of riding their own imaginations after reading it.

“The real magic comes when you let your imagination guide you.”

The story can feel a bit transparently educational and inspirational, rather than focused on storytelling, but the characters are bright enough and the illustrations are exciting enough to keep young readers returning to it. It also feels like a surprising choice to call them “chubby,” but not necessarily depict them that way in the illustrations.

When Julian and Ethan are fully swept away into their imaginations, they step into the paintings at the museum and start to rhyme as they do it. I loved this subtle change in the storytelling, where not only are the chipmunks exploring new territory, but they’re experimenting with language and making it fun. This could be a fun conversation to have with your little one—about noticing the sudden rhymes—and then launching into your own imagination-filled rhymes with them.

The Chubby Bubbies Trip to the Museum is a fun-filled trolley ride into imagination land. This could be a great companion book to pair with your own trip to the museum with the kiddos.

Thank you for reading Toni Woodruff’s book review of The Chubby Bubbies Trip to the Museum by AM Xavier! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Toni Woodruff

A warmhearted picture book about healing through grief together

How do you explain loss to a child? Especially big loss. The biggest. Little Bear and the Big Hole has lost his Papa Bear, and there’s a hole where Papa used to stand. A real, literal hole. He sits at the edge of the hole and cries, looking into it and hating it day after day.

Nobody seems to see it other than him either, until Squirrel comes along. She walks carefully past it, sits down beside him, and glares into it. It turns out—she’s seen it before too, back when her sister died. Little Bear and the Big Hole by Jennifer Seal is the story of how Squirrel shows up for Little Bear, how Little Bear learns to accept the hole and pour love into it in order for life—new life—to emerge.

Children experience deep, complicated sadness even when we don’t think they’re ready for it. Life comes at everyone, unfortunately, and the possibility of death will greet them in stories, movies, and life early on. So how can we show them that there is hope and love beyond this sadness and grief?

If you’re going to read a book to your child about grief, make it this one. This is a powerful story with bighearted characters and concepts that demonstrate how grief isn’t the end of the road. It does hit you with the death of Papa Bear right away, so be ready to tackle it on page one.

The whole concept of the big hole is done to perfection. There’s something missing inside, and it’s almost impossible to avoid it. And yet, we look the same on the outside; no one can even tell you’re dealing with something so big.

But at least we have each other. This book is an important reminder that, even when it feels like we’re alone, we can still lean on other people. Squirrel is a terrifically loving character who doesn’t ask anything of Little Bear. She just sits with him, plays with him, talks with him, and tells him that what he’s doing is okay. She doesn’t say it’s going to get better. She lets time heal the big hole.

They create art and write letters and sing songs to the hole, filling it with the love\nthat’s missing now that Papa Bear is gone. There are real lessons to be learned in this moving story. Death and grief are big topics that will have to be broached at some point. If you or your little one feel ready, it’s important to read the right books and stories about it. Like this one.

The illustrations are colorful, creative, and clean, and they provide context to a story that depends on a metaphor to understand it on the deepest level. Jennifer Seal and illustrator Mirjam Siim have conjured up a special kind of magic with Little Bear and the Big Hole.

Thank you for reading Toni Woodruff’s book review of Little Bear and the Big Hole by Jennifer Seal! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Jaylynn Korrell

A surprising story about friendship, an evil frog, and the last mosquito on earth

The Kingdom That Never Existed is a classic princess-on-a-mission story with an unusual twist. Supercharged with fun rhymes, this book follows two girls on a quest to save the last mosquito on Earth.

When we open this story, Julia is living her everyday whimsical life in a magical kingdom, but then her father gifts her a most precious gift—the last mosquito in the world—and everything changes. It is a gift that she doesn’t expect but gladly accepts. Not only does she cherish the mosquito, she’s also enticed by the promise her dad makes. He tells her that if she can keep this precious gift safe, he’ll know that he can trust her. And he’ll buy her anything she wants!

With a unicorn on the brain, the princess attempts to keep this little bug safe, but evil is lurking around the corner in the form of an evil mosquito-killing frog. Princess Julia and her best friend Jessi set off to save their stolen mosquito keep it safe.

Luckily, the girls are up to the challenge. These nobles aren’t just sitting around waiting on other people to solve their problems. No army is sent out to retrieve the princess’s lost pet. The two girls team up and start to investigate this mystery, climbing trees, fighting off bad guys, and doing their best.

Their friendship is a true highlight in this story, as it exemplifies the power of working together to accomplish a common goal. Jessi, who is a very smart monkey, is the best counterpart to Princess Julia. Her intellect is always moving them forward to their goal, and she continues to be a great friend.

Stonecastle’s storytelling keeps things light, even in the tensest situations. You’ll be reading this cutely rhyming book with a smile on your face, I’m sure of it. I never thought I’d feel so invested in the wellbeing of a mosquito and an evil frog.

The villain, Queen Warticia Frogpee, is as evil as they come and also quite fashionably dressed. She mimics the evil queen from Snow White in some ways, while still showcasing her own unique evil abilities. The parallels to the story will feel familiar to readers, but the fun illustrations keep things light and not too scary, unlike how the evil queen can feel in Snow White. Sometimes the rhyming takes us to some unexpected, kind of random places, but we always return back to the story in the end.

The Kingdom That Never Existed is a great book for young readers who appreciate the silliness of the world as much as the power of friendship.

Thank you for reading Jaylynn Korrell’s book review of The Kingdom That Never Existed by Alicia Stonecastle! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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