This book is a long day with a tortoise and his daddy. As they use the signs in nature to figure out, who is the daddy of the different things that they see. This book has been done before, but this version is particularly lovely. The best part of this version is the illustrations. I would hang any of them as art on my walls. I want to see more work in this style by this illustrator. I would buy this book for the artwork alone. 

 

This book is massively long. It has great information and is more of a non-fiction book. But the author spends so long talking about different parts or giving multiple examples that it drags. This isn’t meant to be a story time type of book, but to read from beginning to end in one sitting is a bit much. 

 

I took a collage quilting class and made a project with my mom. It was fun. But part of it felt very wasteful. What I like about this book is the emphasis on scraps as well as other things to help blend everything together. I do like how she talks about color technique, and pathing. But one of the things that annoys me is that there is the right way to do this type of applique. It gives you rules to follow, etc. and I thought the idea was to be freestyle. Freestyle means little to few rules. Overall, I like her designs, and I think the book works well especially if you’ve never collaged before. 

 

This book is fine. A young child watches their grandmother write letters, but thinks it’s boring. Then grandma and the child go on a wild adventure, and he has reasons to write his own letters. I like the idea behind this book, but the fact that he’s writing letters to aliens doesn’t really help with a lesson on why letters are important. I like this book, but it could’ve been better. 

 

This story is nice but also sad. A little boy and an alligator named Gus grow up together because they share a birthday. This book follows them through all their lives all the way to a retirement home when life gets hard for the friends to visit. Stories a tad bit long but it is lovely. It’s just sad. 

 

This book is about two children who are going to see their dad. Their father is in the military. It’s been days, weeks, months, maybe years. This is about the excitement of the time to run out and greet your relative you haven’t seen in a while. I remember these times. We may not have done it in a hanger on the base, almost always an airport, but not always. But this rings completely true. The Navy brat me knows it. The illustrations are unusual. They are an old-fashioned style that might not speak to modern kids. I think the artist needs more practice.  The arms, especially on women, are funny, and a lot of time so is the coloring. Overall, the book is fine and I’m happy that something like this exists. But at the same time this was made for niche audience. 

 

This is a Happy Yak book which almost always guarantees it’s going to be good. This is a friendly sing song story about two friends swinging in the trees. It’s well done. The illustrations are simple but go with the poem well. This would work as a full picture book or as a board book. This is something that kids would want to read over and over again. 

 

Typical Little People Big World. This one covers an artist, and it only hits the big glorious points. The book has two different parts, but they both repeat each other. I wish they had included real artwork or more interesting tidbits than just the boring overview. 

 

This is a typical Little People Big World’s biography. It gives just enough information to go oh you’ve read the headlines but not enough to really get someone interested in the person or in the sport. I wish the book really went into why he chose peanuts and what that means if it was such a big deal. The illustrations are also typical of the series and this book is just ho hum. 

 

This book is all about what you would pack in your suitcase if you were an immigrant. It’s about the things one leaves behind and what one brings to say hi New World this is me. This is lovingly done. It’s not really about immigration; it’s more about introducing yourself to a new people in new society and what does that well. And while this book is lovely, it rhymes, it has cadence, it does what it does well. I wish the author had gone further.