El elefante tiene una nariz anormalmente larga, pero a nadie realmente le importa ... excepto al hipopótamo. El elefante usa su nariz larga para ayudar a los otros animales, pero Hippo sigue recordando a todos que la nariz de elefante "no es normal". Un día, el bebe hipopótamo va caminando hacia el lago, y los animales se apresuran a salvar a Baby Hippo de los cocodrilos del lago. ¿Hay alguna forma en que la nariz larga de elefante pueda ayudar? ¿Dejará Hippo alguna vez de burlarse de Elefante por su nariz larga?

¡Me encantó este dulce libro! Tiene mensajes tan positivos de aceptación y amor. Incluso si alguien es diferente o "anormal", merece nuestro respeto y amabilidad. Y nunca se sabe, es posible que algún día necesite su ayuda.

Me impresionaron especialmente los mensajes positivos de perdón de Elefante. Nunca intenta tomar represalias o vengarse de Hippo. Es una historia tan simple, ¡pero este libro tiene un mensaje poderoso!

Y además, ¡la historia es tremendamente divertida! Me encantó ver las diferentes formas en que Elefante ayuda a los otros animales. ¡Es realmente interesante e imaginativo!

¡Me encanta el lindo estilo artístico! Todos los personajes de animales son tan adorables. Las ilustraciones están dibujadas en este estilo de crayón difuso con colores brillantes. ¡Cada página es tan atractiva! Me encanta el paisaje de la sabana africana en el fondo de cada página.


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.

Leilong the dinosaur wants to come inside the library with the children to listen at story time, but the librarian says he is too big. Leilong tries to peek his head in through the window to listen, but he shakes the entire library like an earthquake. The librarian might be able to find a solution so that Leilong can enjoy the books with the children.

This is such a cute book! I thought Leilong was completely adorable. He is so goofy and clumsy, and he really is sorry when he accidentally bumps into something or knocks things down. His one wish is to find books about dinosaurs. He is completely meek and mild when the children are riding on his back. It's so cute!

I love the attractive illustrations in this book! The cartoony art style sweeps you away into this imaginative world where children ride dinosaurs through the streets.

I like that this book has positive messages that books should be available to everyone, no matter how big or small. Leilong has such a thirst for knowledge, and that is what fuels 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.

"There is nothing new under the sun."
The truth is that originality does not exist. Everything has been done before, and when we see something that is "new", it's actually just a remix of whatever came before.

This book explores how to use what came before to inspire and guide your creativity. The author gives advice on how to steal ideas from the masters of the past, and make it your own thing.

I was really inspired by this book! It doesn't just apply to art, but also to music, writing, or any creative endeavor. I loved the advice about how to hone your ideas, and keep yourself motivated. And it's not just about the spiritual, mental, and emotional inspiration. There are entire chapters with practical advice about how to actually get the work done and create something worthwhile.

There are also some wonderful quotes from famous artists, athletes, and musicians about how they are only standing on the shoulders of the people who came before them. These quotes really got me thinking in a new way about creativity and where it comes from.

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 has colorful activity pages for young children to review their knowledge of the alphabet, colors, shapes, numbers, and basic words. Once the book is complete, you get an award certificate. There is a cute alphabet poster included that you can put up on the wall to review throughout the school year. And there is a whole sheet of alphabet stickers too!

The sections are mostly the alphabet and numbers, colors and shapes. But some sections also have more reading comprehension, phonics, numbers, and science. There are answers in the back of the book to check your work. There is also a set of flashcards that you can cut out of the book for testing your knowledge.

This book has so many cool features! Every single page is full of brightly colored illustrations and information boxes. The activities are really interesting and fun!

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.

Maggie lives in an urban society that has outlawed the use of magic. When the fabric of the dimensions begins to collapse, and holes in reality start to appear, the government tries to use science to deal with the problem.
When Maggie meets her new stepfather for the first time, she knows he is involved in some kind of powerful magic, because he is surrounded by wisps of shadow that loom in the darkness. The shadows seem to move about on their own, wiggling and changing with every mood.

I loved the magical urban setting in this book! It's very modern, with cars and cellphones, but the history of the world includes magic, passed down by genetics through certain families. The world-building has such great depth, and it was so interesting learning all about the magic system.

Maggie is such a great main character! She is complex and emotional, and I loved seeing how she gradually discovers her own hidden powers. It was so interesting to see how she reacts when her stepfather is around, and the complexity of that new family dynamic when her mother marries this man Maggie barely knows. And I really liked the sibling dynamic between Maggie and her little brother. So cute and fun!

I loved the supporting characters! Maggie's best friends at high school and the new people she meets all have some good backstories and depth.

The plot is really exciting and I was riveted with every chapter! I finished this book in only a couple of days, because I couldn't put it down.
I was glad to see that this book isn't scary. The shadows are a bit ominous, but there is nothing actually frightening in this book.
The writing style really pulls you into the story, into Maggie's thoughts, and then you are swept along for the adventure. However there is a little bit of profanity. Not very much though, and nothing too bad. It didn't bother me very much.

2.5 stars
Eamon and his friends visit the abandoned home of their favorite author, Addington, who wrote stories about animals who celebrate Barley Day with a massive feast. Those stories inspired and comforted Eamon for years after he was abandoned by his father. But now, when Eamon and other fans of the author visit the setting for those stories, they find that the truth behind the book is stranger and far more frightening than they could ever imagine. Because there is another Barley Day tradition besides just the feast... the Barley Day hunt.

I really liked Eamon's character. He is a broken person, an orphan who finds it hard to connect with others. But he is trying to be emotionally healthy and have a good life. I was inspired by his growth and how he recognized his personal problems and tried to overcome them. I loved his jovial and teasing dynamic with his friends.

I thought the plot was really interesting! It was fascinating discovering the past history of the animals and people involved in Barley Day, and how it came to be such a violent commemoration each year. There was one big plot twist near the end that completely surprised me!

The past that is revealed is really dark with people or animals being tortured and abused in horrible ways. One pitiful animal has a problem with self-harm. It's just really sad! However, it's not too horribly "scary". It didn't give me nightmares. It just made me nauseated. Bleh.

When I asked the author if the book was scary, he told me that it is comparable to "Hunger Games". I would say that is accurate, but with a bit more graphic violence.

There is a lot of violence in this book. A lot of people die really horrible gruesome deaths, and there are entrails and blood and guts everywhere. Ugh. And there is a lot of nasty profanity in this book. Those two things made it a three-star book for me, instead of the four-star that it probably would have been. That's just my own personal thing.
If you don't mind profanity and violence, then you would enjoy this book much more than I did.

Trigger Warnings: Profanity, Violence, Torture, Genocide, Self-Harm, Parental Abandonment, Parental Abuse.

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.

Lucia invites the reader into her home, where she shows us the living room where she makes blanket forts, the kitchen where she helps her mother cook, the patio where she plays with her cousins, and her brother's room and her own room where they laugh together. Lucia describes her beautiful family and all the fun things they do together!

I love the way this book explores two different cultures and how they blend together in one big crazy family. Lucia has family in Puerto Rico and in Spain, and all her cousins and aunts and grandparents come to visit. The text is mostly in English with many words and phrases in Spanish.

Lucia is so cute! She is proud of her amazing family, and has such a playful and happy attitude. She brags that her mother can work miracles in the kitchen. She says that she always beats her father at card games. She watches movies with her aunts, and eats watermelon with her brothers. She pretends to shave a beard while her grandfather is shaving. Every page is an adorable childhood memory!

This book is definitely written for readers who are bilingual in Spanish and English. There are no translations for the words that are in Spanish, so be prepared to look them up if you don't know Spanish.

I loved the colorful illustrations! The art style is cute, and every page is full of interesting little details in the background of the scenes. There is always some family member at the back eating a slice of watermelon, playing with the dog, reading a book, or napping on the couch. So cute!

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.

Lori's new neighbor, Amelia, is hiding her identity from her crazed art fans, and searching for historical documents about the fate of a witch who lived in their village in the 17th century. Lori will have to go snooping through the church graveyard and into her neighbor's old stone cottages to find the clues. But is there another clue, an affair of the heart, that Lori is missing?

I loved this book so much! This is definitely one of the best books in the series! I especially loved the history that is unfolded in this plot, and we get to learn more about the little village of Finch. I really enjoyed the puzzle aspects of the story!

The plot has many little details that made it fun and engaging. I still think it's hilarious that Aunt Dimity is a ghost who talks to Lori through a journal. I still love Lori's delightfully stubborn character, and her relationships with everyone in her little town. I love seeing Lori meet new people in every book, making friends and enemies, and being her own wild self.

The writing is good, clear, and funny! The characters are adorable and complex.
This book in particular has some really sweet emotional scenes that deal with grief and suicide, and we get to see these characters comforting and encouraging each other in a really meaningful way. It's not all fluff all the time with Aunt Dimity. But there are also some really hilarious scenes. There's an excellent balance of serious subjects with more light-hearted scenes.

I love it all!

Danny Chung is dismayed when his Chinese grandmother moves into the family's small apartment, and he has to share his bedroom with her! She only speaks a specific dialect of Chinese that Danny can't understand, and she is always embarrassing Danny in front of his friends. Danny has a huge math project that he is supposed to be working on, but Danny hates math. His parents insist that he has to spend time with his grandmother while they are at work. Danny's only refuge is in his drawings and sketches. Making comic sketches is the only thing Danny really cares about. Could there be a way to use his drawings to communicate with his grandmother?

This was such a sweet and heart-warming story! It was wonderful to see Danny's character development. He gradually begins to understand, appreciate, and love his grandmother. Danny is such a complex and loveable character. He certainly has his flaws, but he is also willing to admit when he is wrong and do his best to make things right. He has such a good heart!

I loved the plot, and all the little details that make Danny's family so special. They are such a close-knit family. It was so interesting to see the family dynamic between them all, and how they have certain expectations of each other. At the beginning of the book, it is a broken family, each person sort of lonely, misunderstanding one another, but they learn to be more accepting, they learn to listen, and their home becomes a happier place.

It was also interesting to learn about some aspects of the Chinese culture. Danny is navigating very different traditions and values from China and England, not to mention the age gap between himself and his grandmother. It's a wonderful mixture of various customs all blended together with friendship and love.

I was completely impressed with the grandmother, Nai-Nai. She is fierce and intelligent and kind. She comes to a new country where she doesn't speak the language, and she dives right in with courage and a smile, making friends and learning to navigate her way around. What a trouper!

The writing is really excellent! I immediately felt an emotional connection to the characters, and I was entertained in every chapter. I was laughing at the funny scenes, and crying at the emotional moments. It's a complete delight!

There are many boyish references to farts and poop and vomit. Nothing excessively grotesque, but just the sort of childish humor I would expect from a 6th grade boy. Exactly the right approach for the target audience, but not my cup of tea.

I was appalled at one reference to Danny trying to take violin lessons. Danny describes his lessons as "torture" and says that he "played badly on purpose." I am a music teacher, and I find this horribly offensive. And I worry that children reading this will come away with a bad impression of music lessons. I understand that the book is trying to subvert Chinese stereotypes and show that not all Chinese children are geniuses at music and math, but still... that doesn't mean you have to bad-mouth music lessons. By the end of the book, Danny realizes that math isn't so bad, and he begins to actually enjoy math a little bit. No such luck for his violin lessons. Children reading this book will just assume that violin is horrible, or too hard, or no fun. Thanks for discouraging the next generation of musicians!

There is a greengrocer in this book who is homosexual, and Danny and his grandmother watch a TV show about cross-dressing men.

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.

Hercule Poirot and his friend, Captain Hastings, have been called to a small village in France, where a millionaire is in fear for his life. But when Poirot arrives, the man has already been murdered. The body was discovered nearby on a golf course, and a myriad of conflicting clues surround the murder.

I loved this mystery! All the clues and red herrings kept me guessing and wondering, and it was amazing to see the methodical way in which Poirot sifts through the evidence to find the truth.

When I read the final reveal of who the murderer was, I literally yelled out, "WHAT?!?!" I was completely surprised and amazed, but once I read the explanation, I realized that it made perfect sense. I love being surprised at the end of a Christie novel!

The writing is, of course, completely genius and engaging. Every chapter kept pulling me into the story. The setting and the mood of the book really paint the scene for you. There are so many complex characters in this book, some British, some French. It was interesting to see people from these different cultures interacting, and the way that they have little prejudices and expectations depending on their own perspective. I loved exploring the nuances of each character's personality!

I adore Poirot and Hastings. They are such a great team, and I love their merry friendship. The dialogue between them is priceless! I really love the mysteries that are told from Hastings point of view. He's such a great narrator and sidekick for Poirot. Hastings is such an adorable dork!

Poirot really is one of my favorite detectives! He definitely shines in this book, and I love the way that he is so meticulous. He is wonderfully shrewd. His strong temperament pulls the story forward, but it is his kindness to his friends that makes my heart so happy when I read a Poirot book.