Hercule Poirot is called in to investigate the theft of a secret formula for an atom bomb, but when he arrives at the country manor, he finds that the famous scientist who called him has been poisoned.

I liked the mystery and the characters, but this definitely reads like a novelization of a play. The writing does not have that Christie flavor. It almost feels like a fanfiction.

The actual plot is beautifully intricate and interesting. I loved the dynamic personalities of the characters. Poirot himself is absolute perfection, with his little gray cells and his kind heart.

Everything that was actually written by Christie is excellent, but the descriptions and basically anything that isn't dialogue feels like cardboard. It doesn't sing. It doesn't flow. It doesn't draw the reader into the scene.

I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if I had just read the play.

We search for Barnaby Bear everywhere. We look at the beach, in the forest, in the ocean, and even in outerspace. He could be sailing, or having tea, or flying in a plane. We finally find Barnaby fast asleep in bed at the end of the day.

This board book is so cute! Barnaby is such an adventurer, and I love all the wild and crazy things he "could" be doing. He might be sailing on the back of a whale, or in a rocket ship to the moon!

The illustrations are adorable! I love the bright colors, and pretty scenery in the background of each page. The cartoony art style is simple and attractive, just right for little readers.

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.

Mamá y bebé juegan juntos, leen, dibujan y cantan juntos. Van al parque a jugar a las escondidas, y el bebé ve a muchas otras mamás con otros niños. ¡Pero la propia mamá del bebé es la mejor mamá del mundo!

¡Este libro de cartón es tan adorable! Me encantan las ilustraciones sencillas y los personajes lindos. El arte es colorida muy brilliante, y atraerá la atención de los pequeños lectores. ¡Ver al bebé y mama jugando juntos es muy reconfortante y dulce!

Hay una mención de un niño que tiene dos mamás. Hay mamás de muchas razas y etnias includios en este libro.

Descargo de responsabilidad: Recibí una copia de este libro del editor a cambio de una revisión gratuita y honesta. Todas las opiniones expresadas aquí son mis propios pensamientos verdaderos y no están influenciadas por nadie.

Mommy and baby play together, read, draw, and sing together. They go to the park to play hide and seek, and baby sees a lot of other Mommies with other children. But baby's own Mommy is the best Mommy of them all!

This board book is so adorable! I love the simple illustrations and cute characters. The art work is bright and colorful, sure to attract the attention of little readers. Seeing the baby and Mommy playing together is so heart-warming and sweet!

There is one mention of a child having two mommies, that is included in this book. There are mommies of many races and ethnicities.

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.

Papá y bebé se divierten jugando y cantando juntos. Pueden jugar a los caballos, y pretenden ser monstruos. Papá puede levantar al bebé en alto hasta el cielo. Papá es alto y fuerte. Otros papás pueden ser bajos o altos, barbudos o calvos, pero este papá es el mejor para este bebé.

¡Este libro de cartón es tan adorable! Me encantan las ilustraciones sencillas y los personajes lindos. El arte es colorida muy brilliante, y atraerá la atención de los pequeños lectores. ¡Ver al bebé y papá jugando juntos es muy reconfortante y dulce!

Hay una ilustración que parece ser de niños con dos papás, que se incluye en este libro. Hay papás de muchas razas y etnias.

Descargo de responsabilidad: Recibí una copia de este libro del editor a cambio de una revisión gratuita y honesta. Todas las opiniones expresadas aquí son mis propios pensamientos verdaderos y no están influenciadas por nadie.

Daddy and baby have fun playing together, singing together, and playing horsey. Daddy can lift baby up high. Daddy is tall and strong. Other Dads might be short or tall, bearded or bald, but this Daddy is the best one for this baby.

This board book is so adorable! I love the simple illustrations and cute characters. The art work is bright and colorful, sure to attract the attention of little readers. Seeing the baby and Daddy playing together is so heart-warming and sweet!

There is one illustration that appears to be of children with two dads, that is included in this book. There are dads of many races and ethnicities.

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.

Mientras caminas por la calle al anochecer, las ventanas son como pequeños dibujos de la vida. Las luces brillan desde algunas ventanas y otras son oscuras. Algunas ventanas muestran un abrazo, un piano, una fiesta o alguien comiendo su cena. Cada uno tiene una historia que contar. Pero la mejor ventana de todas es tu propia ventana cuando llegas a tu hogar.

Este libro me hizo sentir tanta curiosidad acerca de cada pequeña ventana. La gente ordinaria que hacen cosas ordinarias se volvieron interesantes y asombrosos. El texto tiene un encanto que realmente te atrae y hace que las cosas básicas parezcan espléndidas.

¡El arte de este libro es tan hermoso! A medida que avanza el libro, el cielo se ilumina con una hermosa puesta de sol que se oscurece gradualmente en cada página hasta que sale la luna. El resplandor de las farolas y de cada ventana es deslumbrante. Hay tantos pequeños detalles dulces en el fondo de cada escena que hacen que este libro sea realmente especial.

Descargo de responsabilidad: Recibí una copia de este libro del editor a cambio de una revisión gratuita y honesta. Todas las opiniones expresadas aquí son mis propios pensamientos verdaderos y no están influenciadas por nadie.

As you walk along your street at twilight, the windows are like little pictures of life. The lights glow from some windows, and others are dark. Some windows show a hug, a piano, a party, or someone's dinner. Each one has a story to tell. But the best window of all is your own window when you come home.

This book made me so curious about each little window. The ordinary people doing ordinary things became interesting and full of wonder. The text has such a charm about it that it really draws you in, and makes basic things seem splendid.

The art in this book is so beautiful! As the book progresses, the sky is lit with a beautiful sunset that gradually darkens on each page until the moon comes out. The glow from the streetlamps and from each window is warm and dazzling. There are so many sweet little details in the background of each scene that make this book truly 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.

Zee and her fir tree grow up at the same time. When Zee is born, her seedling tree is in a greenhouse nursery. When Zee goes to kindergarten, her fir tree is planted outdoors. As Zee grows up, she measures her height and the height of her little tree. When there is a drought, Zee does everything she can to help her tree survive. She waters it and builds a shelter around it, and even camps outside in a tent to be near her tree in the night. With special love and care, Zee's tree recovers from the drought.

I loved that this book has the main story about Zee, and includes little side text on each page about Douglas fir trees and how they grow. I like that it doesn't slow down the pace of the main story, but also gives such good information about trees and tree farming.

Zee is such a sweet sunshiney character, and I love to see how she grows up and learns all about her parents' tree farm, and uses that knowledge to take care of her own special tree. It was really charming to follow her heart-warming story.

The illustrations are a complete delight! The colors are soft and refreshing. All the characters are so cute! I'm not even sure what kind of art style this is. It's some kind of pencil and mixed media art.

There are so many little details that make this book 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.

Tommy and his little sister Elspeth live in a poor apartment in London. When their mother dies of consumption, the children go to live in her old hometown in Scotland. Tommy is sent to a little school, where the teachers have high hopes of his academic skills, but he disappoints everyone by being more interested in playing and pretending rather than his studies.

Tommy and Elspeth befriend a prostitute's child, Grizel, who is sensitive, complicated, and prickly. She is by far the best character in the entire book. She puts on a brave face and acts crabby to ward off people's mean comments about her mother, but at heart she is sweet and good.

Tommy is unlikeable, self-centered, and arrogant. Then he will do one generous or kind thing that melts your heart. But in the next chapter, he is an arrogant jerk again. I liked that he is imaginative and has an artistic soul. I hated the way he has to be the center of attention at all times. He lives for nothing but to be admired and petted, and silly little Elspeth happily obliges by worshipping him no matter what he does.

Elspeth has no personality at all. She just tags along with Tommy, and sits around (She literally sits around. She takes no action in any scene.) giving her brother adoring looks. She thinks he is the hero of every story ever written. She idolizes him and it's pathetic.

The plot is slow. The writing style is chaotic. There are sentences that don't make any sense, until they are finally explained three pages later. Makes for a confusing story in places.

There are a lot of Scotch words, and not just commonly known ones like "kirk" or "ken". I was still able to guess what was meant in most of the dialogue, but it was difficult reading through so many unknown words, or having to stop and look them up.

And yet, there are some truly hilarious scenes that actually made me laugh out loud in public while I was reading. I was seriously guffawing loudly in a public place, garnering some curious looks, because this book made me laugh.

And yet, there are some truly horrendously boring scenes that almost made me DNF the book. And also some disgusting details about blood or things that were just completely unnecessary.

And yet, there were some truly remarkable insights into human nature that made me stop and think and ponder some deep philosophical ideas.

Some of it is brilliant. Some of it is boring. Some of it is incomprehensible.

A little animal realizes that they need to use the restroom, but they can't find a place to go! The little creature rushes around the forest jungle, trying to find a toilet, but other animals are always there first. He accidentally disturbs a mouse in their home, gets chased out of a cave full of bats, and has a run-in with an angry bear. He tries to sing a song to distract them from their discomfort, but it doesn't really help.

This is such a funny book! The whole story is silly and adorable, and of course relatable, especially for young children who are potty training. The illustrations are bright and I love the cartoony 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.

Kit doesn't like to read. She can't sit still. She would much rather be climbing trees or playing with matches or other dangerous things. Her friends, Alita and Josh, convince her to visit the library with them. Kit discovers magical properties within the books that propel her and her friends into a wizarding adventure.

I loved this book from start to finish! The characters, the plot, the world-building, the magic; everything is wonderful!

I liked that the plot is simple and straightforward, but has a few little surprises that keep the story fresh and exciting. The writing style is absolutely hilarious! There are so many cute bits of dialogue and funny scenes that had me laughing.

I loved Kit's character! She is bold and reckless and wild. She dares to say the things that other people only think. She has some excellent character development. I loved how she stumbles into awful mistakes, and feels so badly over it, but she is ready to dare anything to set things right again.

Alita and Josh are bookish and smart. I don't know why those three are friends, but their dynamic is so great. I would love an origin story of how three completely different kids ended up as friends.

I think Josh is probably my favorite character, because he is very meticulous and curious. He is always asking questions, and writing things down in long lists in his notebook. He believes that it is important to have a large vocabulary. What a brain! I adore him.

The black and white illustrations are lovely. Every few pages there are some cute illustrations that really draw the reader into the story and help you to visualize everything you are reading.

I can't quite put my finger on why this book is so charming. Every chapter is a delight! I finished the entire book in one day. I could not stop reading. It refreshed my mind. It gave me warm fuzzies in my heart. It made me happy in a deep-down joyful, silly, childish, carefree way.
This book made me believe in magic!

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 retelling of the Secret Garden in graphic novel form is lovely, but has some issues with story-telling. I liked it, but it also has some flaws.

I liked the beautiful art style! The art is whimsical and sweet with bright colors. However, I didn't like that there were so many tiny panels on each page. It felt too busy.

There is very little dialogue, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of the story. In the original novel, we get to see the gradual character development of Colin and Mary. But with so little dialogue to give the reader clues about what is happening on that internal journey for the characters, the characters seem to leap ahead with no indication of what made them change.

There were a couple of places where the dialogue didn't make sense, because the story doesn't follow the natural progression of the original story. I think some of the scenes might have gotten mixed. In one scene, Mary tells Colin that Dickon is Martha's brother, and then in the very next scene, she mentions Dickon, and Colin asks, "Who is that?"
Sloppy story-telling.

I wish that they had stuck closer to the original story.

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