Charlie is excited about attending his new school, but when he gets there all his classmates are cats! Charlie finds it hard to make friends when he feels so different, but he tries his best to be friendly and is rewarded with a new friend.

This book is so adorable! Charlie is so spunky and sweet, and full of energy. I love how he approaches his problems with enthusiasm and hope. The first thing he does is look in the library for some answers about how to befriend cats, and he learns about cat culture. I love the positive messages of acceptance in this story!

The illustrations are so cute! I fell in love with the art style and the hilarious expressions on the characters’ faces. The colorful cartoon style is perfect for this story, and all the little details in the background make this story special. The art really shows the energy and action of each scene in a way that draws the reader into the story.

I can’t even handle how adorable this book is! I always felt different as a child growing up in a different culture, so of course, I fell in love with everything about this story!


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Turtle is born on a beach, and immediately dives into the ocean. She travels through the ocean landscape, making friends, and living a good life. One day she returns to the beach where she was born to lay her eggs. On her journey to and from the beach, she notices that the ocean is not the same as it used to be. Plastic bags and bottles float around, and plastic rings or bits of net trap the sea creatures. All the garbage is making the ocean toxic, but Turtle encounters some friendly humans who start cleaning things up.

This book took me on an emotional roller coaster ride of ups and downs as Turtle revels in the joy of her beautiful ocean and then is devastated by all the garbage and trash that is floating around. What a wonderful story!

I love that it has an important message about keeping the oceans clean, but it never feels too preachy. The story is light and fun, and there are resources and further information about ocean clean-up and recycling at the back of the book.

The illustrations are lovely with calming blues and greens. There are bright pops of color in the fish and coral, and the art style is soft and wavy. The gorgeous art work along with the compelling story makes this book particularly powerful and enjoyable!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Every day Elliot and Ruby walk to school together. Ruby is very imaginative and sees adventure everywhere, but Elliot is more practical and scoffs at Ruby's silly games. But gradually Elliot begins to get interested in Ruby's flights of fancy, and finally joins in her imagination adventures.

Ruby thinks that rain puddles are really magic portal puddles that will whisk you away to a pirate ship. She thinks that a rock could be the last remnant of a crashed alien spaceship. A newspaper is really a treasure map, and a broken branch is a witch's broom. Anything is possible when you use your imagination!

I LOVED this book so much! So cute and funny! Ruby is so spunky and sweet, and Elliot is adorable as he tries to hide his interest in Ruby's games. I was enchanted with all the many imaginative things that the children discover.

The illustrations are so cute! I fell in love with the art style and the hilarious expressions on the characters' faces. The colorful cartoon style is perfect for this story, and all the imagination adventures are beautifully illustrated too. The art really shows the energy and action of each scene in a way that draws the reader into the story.

I can't even handle how adorable this book is! I was always a very imaginative child, so of course, I fell in love with everything about this story!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Keith is a cat who wishes he was a pigeon. He tries to make friends with the pigeons, but they just fly away. The other cats make fun of him for trying to eat birdseed and coo like a pigeon. Will Keith ever be accepted just as he is?

The author says "This story is for anyone who feels that the way they are expected to be doesn't reflect who they truly are." It's a really thoughtful and insightful look at accepting your own identity and finding friends who accept you too.

I like the emotional journey that Keith goes through to discover his true self. Personally, I think pigeons are rats with wings, but apparently Keith likes them for some reason. I definitely liked his strong personality and how he thoroughly committed to being a pigeon. haha!

The illustrations are cute and imaginative. The color scheme is mostly blue and orange, and that gives a nice consistent feeling to all the art work. The best thing about the artwork is all the little extra funny details hidden in some of the pictures. In the background of one page, there is a pigeon pooping on a ladies head! Haha! Oh dear. I didn't care for that particular detail, but I'm sure children would find it hilarious!

This book is a silly and fun exploration of identity with a positive message told in a relatable way.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Milo and Monty are two dogs with very different personalities. Monty loves to play and be petted and hugged by people. Milo likes to find a quiet spot by himself, and hates being petted. Monty is laid-back and relaxed. Milo is anxious and worried. Can Milo's family learn to understand him and give him the space he needs?

I loved how the idea of different introvert and extrovert personalities is explored in this book, especially when a little boy comes to visit who is very quiet and retired like Milo. It was wonderful to see how the family learned to accept Milo just as he is and give him what he needs in different situations. Sometimes introverts need a safe and quiet space a little apart from others, but where you aren't excluded from the activity. I loved how the characters learn to respect and appreciate Milo's unique characteristics and needs.

The illustrations are really cute! I loved the colors and the way that different energy or quietness was portrayed from different characters. The expressions on their faces alerts the reader to the underlying mood of each character, giving the story depth. There is also some great diversity among the human characters that was nice to see.

This is a fun and thoughtful book, perfect for explaining introversion and extroversion to children, or to explain having respect for anyone who has special needs in social situations.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Mermaid is hiding, and we have to look for her behind the seaweed, in the coral, in the treasure chest, and all over the ocean! Along the way we meet the Seahorse, the Dolphin, a Fish, and an Octopus, until we finally find Mermaid at the end of the book.

The cuteness factor is through the roof in this board book!! I can't handle how adorable this is!

The design is really lovely and clever with die-cut openings and felt fabric flaps to look under. We have to search for Mermaid under the seaweed by lifting the seaweed green flap to reveal Octopus underneath! I love how this design gets young readers using tactile movements and coordination.

Another great thing about this book is how we are told particular characteristics of Mermaid's appearance, and we have to guess where she is hiding.
"Mermaid has purple hair. Could this be Mermaid hiding behind the seaweed?"
The illustration shows purple tentacles peeking from behind the seaweed, but it's only Octopus behind there. This is so wonderful for cognitive development to get children guessing and wondering and putting together the clues.

I love the illustrations in this book! Each page is so colorful and bright.
The felt flaps are sewn in tightly and each page is thick. The construction is very sturdy to withstand little hands.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

When Squirrel wakes up from his winter hibernation, he has a strong feeling that his hole in a tree is no longer "the right place". He asks all the forest animals what they think the "right place" is. The bird says a nest. The turtle just says "Inside" and goes into her shell. The mole says underground is the best place. Squirrel needs to find a way to bring all his forest friends together, because the "right place" is when they are all together.

I liked this cute book, and the journey that Squirrel takes to discover a place that feels comfortable for him and his friends. It's a really lovely story with a good message. I like the repetition as Squirrel asks various animals the same question. Repetition is so great for young readers!

The illustrations are sweet and I like the simple designs. The colors are calming and make me feel like I'm in a cool green forest. There are some nice details in the background that make the artwork really special.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

A little girl wears her lucky panda sweater everywhere all the time, but when it gets too small, she donates it to a charity shop. She thinks carefully about the stories behind our clothing and why we might love a particular clothing item. Maybe a friend gave us that scarf, or maybe a famous relative wore that jersey. One day she sees another girl wearing her old lucky panda sweater, and the two become friends.

I loved this book! It's so poignant and sweet. The writing style is really smooth and polished, but with a simplicity that requires only a few words to express a meaningful point. I love how this book explores the stories behind our clothing and why we attach so many feelings to our apparel.

The illustrations are adorable! I love the ink art style, and how some items are colored and others are left in black and white. It places emphasis on certain items like clothing, and draws the reader into the story. The happiness and thoughtfulness of the story really comes through in the artwork.

This book has a wonderful message about letting go of our possessions, so that someone else can benefit from them. This would be a great book to introduce to a child to teach them about decluttering, and let them choose some items to donate.

I love the positive messages and thoughtful mood of this book!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

A boy looks out his window in his Brazilian neighborhood and describes what he sees; his neighbors, fireflies at night, a rainbow, the sunrise. He and his friends play a telephone game, fly kites, play soccer, sing funk music, and carry their books to school.

This book was okay. I liked the story and the rich Brazilian culture, but I did not like the art style. It's too busy and the people look weird. Their anatomy is distorted in strange ways, and they have very awkward poses in each scene. Each scene has a background full of color and details that overwhelm the page. My eye couldn't rest on any one thing. A lot of the background details look like they are copy and pasted onto the scene. Every bird looks the same as the other birds, just copy and pasted and zoomed to be larger or smaller. On EVERY page.

The text is sweet and full of the richness of Brazilian life. I like how simply the narrator describes the neighborhood and the people. It's this appreciation for the little things that makes this book special. I just really disliked the art style.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This book gives new verses to the song "The More We Get Together" following themes of environmentalism. There is a verse about biking to save fuel, recycling, helping those less fortunate, getting involved in the community, keeping a garden, and having a community potluck.

I really liked that the verse about activism depicts children writing a letter to share their ideas with their leaders. The lyrics say, "Cause your voice is my voice, and my voice is your voice. The more we come together, the stronger we'll be." If we are all free to express our different ideas in healthy and legal ways, we will truly be stronger like the song says.

The illustrations depict a lot of diverse people from all ages and races, working together as a team to make the world a cleaner and better place. I love the positive messages in this book!

The book comes with an audio CD for singing along with the lyrics in the book. There is also an online link for watching a sing-along animated video that uses the same illustrations from the book. I wish they had included the video in the CD, but the CD is audio only.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.