I love seeing how the Borrowers survive in the wild, fighting off insects, gathering nuts and berries, and finding shelter in an old boot. The plot in this book has so many interesting little twists and turns, as the Clock family meet Spiller, a Borrower who lives in the fields and hedges.

They are such funny characters with grit and determination. Pod is resourceful and serious, but cracks a joke now and then. Homily is fearful, but has a reserve of inner fortitude that comes up in a crisis. Arrietty is adorable and sweet, plucky and adventurous and playful. Spiller is mysterious and taciturn. I just love them all!

The dialogue is fantastic! You can really imagine them all sitting round a candle fire, sipping rosehip tea from their acorn cups, having a heated conversation about how to make bread from wheat stalks or whether you couldn't grind up some corn instead. Their personalities shine through the dialogue, and propel the story forward.

I love this whole series! However, I could have done without the introduction story that tells how years and years later a human girl reads Arrietty's diary and how Old Tom tells her the story of the Borrowers. It broke up the pacing of the real story.

This book gives information about fifteen famous places around the world, beautifully illustrated with colorful drawings. The book includes the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge, the Colosseum, Easter Island, the Great Wall of China, and many more! Each landmark has a four-page spread with facts and history about the location, the people who built it, what to look for as a tourist, and how the structures are preserved.

I love the cartoony art style. The people in the illustrations look like cute little cartoons, but the landscapes and the architecture have a majestic quality that draws the reader in. It creates a feeling of awe at the incredible landmarks around the world and the accomplishments of previous cultures.

I like the design of this book and how the information is organized by subject into small manageable bits. I'm very impressed with the way the facts are presented. It makes this a delight to read!


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 information about animals around the world with unique qualities and abilities. There are sections for different types of animals like predators, expert builders, devoted parents, and animals with camouflage. There are animals that glow, animals that migrate, and animals that are small but deadly. There is even a special section for animals that become unlikely friends, like the suckerfish that hitch a ride on the back of a seaturtle and clean the turtle's shell.

I love the fuzzy cartoon art style. It has a light-hearted and fun quality to it, while also capturing the majesty of nature and the dignity of these beautiful animals. Each page is so colorful and the gorgeous landscapes that surround the animals really immerse the reader into the book.

I like the design of this book and how the information is organized by subject into small manageable bits. I'm very impressed with the way the facts are presented in an interesting and exciting way. It makes this a delight to read!

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.

Sarah wishes that she could go to her ballet dance recital instead of attending her cousin's wedding. When she hears the music at the wedding reception, she is swept into a dance with the bride and discovers that there is beauty in all types of music and dance, not just ballet.

This book teaches young readers about Jewish wedding traditions and the song Hava Nagila. The wedding guests dance the Hora, and the steps are outlined in the story. I love the rich culture and expressive traditions in this book!

Little Sarah is stubborn and insists on wearing her ballet dress to the wedding, but she is also open to learning new styles of dance. She learns to appreciate her Jewish heritage, and discovers that there is more to life than ballet. I like that she is a strong character, but willing to grow.

The illustrations are bright and colorful! I like the art style, but some character's faces looked oddly distorted, like their lips were too big for their face, or their arms are too long for their body. Most of the art is lovely though. I enjoyed the way the artwork captures the energy of the music and the movement of the dance!


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.

"Have you ever wondered how strong a spiderweb is, or what rain on other planets looks like?" This book is packed with crazy facts and wild information to satisfy even the most curious minds! There are factoids about history, science, animals, inventions, mermaid legends, outer space, food, and sports.

I love how colorful this book is! Each page is full of vibrant photos and bright text boxes with nuggets of wacky information. This book will definitely spark your curiosity and inspire you to search for more information on these crazy facts!

I love how the information is organized. It makes it interesting and easy to read.

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 tells the true story of how Fred Rogers first began to be interested in television production, and how he began broadcasting the show, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. The story is told in a simple way for children to understand, but it captures the heart of the show through Mr. Rogers personality. He exhibited such a strong kindness and compassion that it reached people personally even through the airwaves of television. I love that this book expresses the true heart of Mr. Rogers and demonstrates just how special and original his TV show really was.

One of the things that is mentioned in this book is that Fred Rogers was a minister, and his faith played a huge role in the type of person he was and how he formed his famous TV show for children. The sincerity and love in every episode are beautifully represented in this book.

The book actually mentions particular episodes that I remember watching as a child, like the crayon factory episode and the one with Jeff Erlanger, the boy in the wheelchair who sang "It's You I Like" with Mr. Rogers. I could actually hear him singing the song in my head as I was reading!

I was so glad to see that there is a whole page about Johnny Costa and his delightful music. The jazz trio that provided the music for each episode were truly incredible musicians, and they did amazing things with original music and arrangements. A lot of the music was written by Mr. Rogers himself, since he was also an accomplished musician and composer.

The illustrations are beautiful and charming! The pen and watercolor art style feels calming and serene, like a warm hug. I like that the people, including Fred Rogers, are all drawn in a cartoon style, but still familiar and recognizable. Their faces are expressive and kind, bringing the reader directly into the story.

This whole book is a fantastic tribute to a wonderful man and a meaningful children's TV show that will live in our cultural memory forever.


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.

Myrtle and Arthur are having adventures again! This time they are visiting a seaside hotel called Starcross located in the asteroid belt. There are mysterious disappearances and strange beings lurking around the hotel, and it's up to Myrtle and Arthur and their friends to save the empire!

I loved everything about this book! The plot, the characters, the hilarious writing, the world-building, the mystery, the adventure, and every single dramatic chapter all kept me reading for hours on end. This is one of those books where there isn't a good place to stop reading. You just have to keep going through the next chapter and the next.

I am amazed at how imaginative this fantasy world is. The aliens and their strange cultures are all so intricate and well-formed, right down to the diseases, commerce, and vegetation of each planet. I love that it is set in a steam-punk 1850s British Empire full of space travel that has expanded to Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. It's such an interesting solar system, and each planet has it's own history and people who live there. This second book further expands on the world-building by including time travel!

The writing style is very humorous with that sort of dry humor that I love. I was delighted at how some of the characters are doing their best to have good manners and polite modesty in the middle of their outlandish adventures. We may be about to be blown to smithereens by space pirates, but let us not forget proper courtesy and decorum. The whole book is hilarious!

The characters are really varied and interesting. They come from all sorts of backgrounds, and I loved the character development for so many of them. They change and grow and learn from one another.

I can't wait to read more books in this series!

This graphic novel centers on a bookish young man, Miro, who lives in a fishing village where his father works in a history museum. There are strange occurrences around the town, and the fishermen have secrets to hide. Miro's new friend, Zia, takes a photograph of a fisherman who has been attacked at sea, the local fishermen warn Miro and Zia to stay away and keep quiet about what they saw. But of course, they begin to investigate the weird phenomena around town.

I loved this book! The characters, the interesting plot, and the world-building are all excellent.

I liked that Miro is a bookworm, and spends his life diving into books but never having any real adventures. Each of the characters has their own vivid personality and backstory.

The world-building is really interesting as we gradually find out more about the history of the town, and all the mysteries that are lurking in the ocean deep. I liked the layers of history that were uncovered through the plot.

The plot is a little bit predictable, but I didn't care because I was just enjoying reading it. I was still interested in seeing how things played out and how the mysteries were solved, even if the outcome was a little obvious and predictable. It was fun just being along for the ride with some good story-telling.

The artwork is fantastic. I really loved the art style and the coloring. The panels tell the story clearly and show the energetic action. The coloring does a wonderful job of displaying the mood and enhancing the creepiness of the plot. Each character is unique and expressive. The art brings forward the suspense and emotion in the 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.

Little Bruce Wayne meets some strange tenants in an apartment building owned by Wayne Enterprises. The Joker, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Penguin, and all the classic villains are young people and children, and Commissioner Gordon is the supervisor of the apartments. The villains only want to have fun and play games with little Brucie! But Alfred insists that they should follow the rules and not make trouble.

I liked the comedy in this comic! The Joker is always getting up to crazy hijinks, and dragging Bruce along. They get up an insane game of pirates at a pool party, and that is the perfect backdrop for some truly hilarious adventures.

I like the pacing of the book, and there is plenty of action and silliness to keep your interest.

I think it is interesting that the villains are not evil; they are just outlandish and wild. There is some sweet character development, especially for Bruce. The plot does a good job of balancing a lot of different characters. They are all memorable and fun!

I love the colorful art style! It really draws the reader into the story. The colors are so bright and fun. I love the funny expressions on the characters’ faces and the costume changes that they do in the imaginary pirate game.

It’s a fun story and I enjoyed reading it (even as an adult)!

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.

Casey writes in his art journal to tell us the story of how monsters keep finding him! There's a vampire in the attic, and gremlins in the basement. Frankenstein keeps recharging his brain batteries and making the electric bill go up. A huge cephalopod lives in the kiddie pool in the backyard. When a new girl arrives at school, Casey finds out that she is interested in monsters too. And there is a new pink monster in town.

I love the colorful art style! It really draws the reader into the story. The colors are so bright and fun. I love the funny expressions on the characters’ faces. Some of the sketches are just pencil drawings, and some are filled-in with color. It really looks like someone's journal with text and illustrations thrown all over the page.

I like the pacing of the book, and there is plenty of action to keep your interest. I like the character development, and the monster mysteries that are around every corner. Everyone has something to hide, and that creates a lot of suspense.

The plot does a good job of balancing a lot of different characters. They are all memorable and fun! The comedic writing style is sarcastic and silly. I enjoyed reading it!


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.