I love the Bruce Books.  Ryan Higgins knows just how to tell a story to get kids laughing and this is no exception.  Bruce’s cousin Kevin stops by and the friends think he is Bruce’s doppelganger, or dimple pooper.  And they have a LOT of fun. But sometimes there is such a thing as too much fun.  And the friends find it.  I love this book, and this series, plus it’s spin offs.  I can never get to much Higgins. 

 

I wish I liked this book.  I have been waiting to read it for a while. It’s a graphic novel for the picture book age and I think it tries too many things.  It’s a celebration and people are competing or performing, but they get scared they are just not good enough.  Dewdrop helps them remember to be who they are, and if they like what they are doing that is all that matters.  I think this was overly long, and would have been better in picture book format rather than Graphic novel format. 

 

A child and their parent/grandparent have an adventurous day in fall.  They walk through the trees, talk about the animals, and finally pick pumpkins.  This was a typical book. Not bad byt nothing special. 

 

This book is all about not liking to get kisses.  There are other ways to show love and effecting, and Rissy, just wants other’s to know that.  This story is very well done, and the illustrations nicely match.  I love the info bits in the end matter that emphasizes not to make a child hug and kiss because just like adults they have body anonymity too.  The only thing that keeps this from being a 5 star read is that while the book tries to rhyme, many are harsh and cadence flows, then stops, then changes.  Makes it hard to read aloud to a large group of kids. 

 

Halloween is about having fun and the spirit of the season. It is not about the perfect costume.  But try telling that to Sunflower seed.  They is in a rotten mood.  Their friends are not doing a group costume and he is afraid his costume will be lame.  With a help of a friendly pumpkin seed, they will find their season spirit and not miss out on all the Halloween fun. 

 

What a perfectly little fun Christmas story that I will be adding to my collection. Little bear and Mama bear keep trying to tell each other what they love more than Christmas, but they keep getting interrupted!.  The story is completely predictable, but it’s the road to the end and the lovely illustrations that make it fully worth the read, and eligible for an every holiday reread. 

 

Do you think you cold mistake a penguin for your child.  Maybe if you were a vampire?  That is exactly what happens when the Dracula family visits the zoo.  The youngest member of the family and a penguin trade places, and none really notices.  This book was interesting.  A very moden take on Curious George.  Overall I did like it, but I don’t find it truly memorable. 

 

Freda is blueberry picking with grandma.  When they can no longer eat any more, they preserve the others in jars as jam for later.  Freda gets the idea that she can preserve anything, and have it always and forever.  But one day while eating her grandma’s jam, she realizes that something is missing.  That something is grandma, because if you put something up to remember it, you don’t have a chance to make new memories with it.  This story was lovely and even has a blueberry jam recipe at the end. 

 

This board book is part of the “I am” series but rather being a biography it takes a concept from a historical figure and spins it in a why children can understand.  This book is “kind” by title, but is really about finding your voice to help spread that kindness.  It was lovely and short and just worked. 

 

This is a true story of a little girl named Linda who found her home in the library, while here sleeping home was constantly changing.  This story was lovely and simple.  The illustrations match.  It was a nice read but not one of my favorites personally.