This is a picture book about the 60’s scoop. During the 60’s scoop Native American children were scooped into residential schools. Not all kids who went into a residential schools came home.  Some were given to new families, and many died. The story starts out with night skies and constellations and a little boy who can’t sleep. The little shoe aspect seems to come from nowhere and fade into nowhere again after it’s mentioned. I love the illustrations they are beautiful, but I wish this focused more on the stories of the little shoes then focusing on the boy wondering learning about them. This book seems to want to be two different stories wrapped up in one pretty box. However, all it is, is a pretty box. It’s convoluted and it’s hard to get the point of the story because there are too many ideas floating at once. 

 I am a big fan of the Narwhal and jelly books and very excited they are doing picture books. This book fits right in. It is a call and action book that tells you to shake or move or help. But at the same time, it says not to do some of those things. Then you add the art styles of Ben Clayton, and how Jelly talks to Narwhal, and it makes the story move perfectly. It all works together to make a highly enjoyable picture book that kids are going to love for a long time to come. 

 I love the art in this book. I love the cover, and I love all the interior illustrations. However, this story is incredibly long. It does rhyme and it has a familiar cadence pattern. However, the cadence pattern needs sanding. It is not smooth, so one constantly tripping over the rhymes, and it makes this book seem even longer than it is. The idea behind it is adorable and the execution is almost there but at the same time it feels like the author had so many ideas and did not know when to say stop. 

 I question how much help Kelly Clarkson had on this book. One it does not sound like Kelly Clarkson. Except for the lullaby. The lullaby sounds like Kelly Clarkson. This book has a decent cadence and rhymes well, but it does not sound like Kelly Clarkson. I especially say this because of how big they’ve written Grammy award winning artist on the cover and how her biography lists all of her accolades in the music business. It almost feels like the publishers trying to convince us that Kelly wrote this 100% on her own. I don’t think so. It does not sound like Kelly Clarkson. I love Kelly. I love to listen to her sing, and while this book is fine I’m not sure it would is something that would be published or be on the shelves if it didn’t have Kelly Clarkson‘s name attached to it. 

Please know I read the full version of this book and not just the level 2 reader

 Silly Street is just like dirt on my shirt. It’s a collection of children’s poems. However, this collection has a theme. It’s of walking down the silly street. It’s a different shop you’ll meet. Different things to do in kids to hang out with too. This book is more successful because there’s a coherent theme where dirt on my shirt fell very cobbled together. I’m still not sure that I could tell the difference between Jeff Foxworthy and somebody else writing these children’s poems but in general, they are very good. Just don’t hear Jeff Foxworthy. 

 In this, we have a child who is trying to get a science experiment done. But her experiment keeps getting wrecked by their dog. While our kid knows they are the best scientist their neighbor has been the one winning all the awards. And the neighbor is the one saying you can’t be a scientist. But our main character is out to prove them wrong. And the dog is always there to help and sometimes hinder the project along. This book was fun. I could see science teachers reading it to their students, but I’m not sure if it’s one that would be a go to every week story time. 

 This would be so much fun at story time. For me this would probably go on rotation. The cadence is masterful the rhymes all work. Add the illustrations in this book are close to perfect. It’s funny it’s entertaining. It has heat and not only will kids, but I and other adults will love it too. 

 This is a getting ready for bedtime book. Scooby Doo is ready for bed, but he must contendwith things like a bump in the night first. Sometimes they’re his own tail and sometimes there is Shaggy raiding the fridge. One of my favorite parts is that this is written by Michael Dahl and in the end when Scoob is ready for a bedtime story, he reads bedtime for Batman, which is one of my favorite Michael Dahl books. So altogether this is an A+ ready for bed story read. 

 This book is a reverse of things that go bump in the night. This time you have a creature of the night trying to go to bed who hears things, and his mom has to explain what they are. This is a nice change of pace. This book is handled beautifully by the illustrations that are both at once creepy, but heartfelt that kids will love. It’s like Halloween every day and I am here for it. 

 These books are all about the illustrations. And it’s the illustrations that make them so wonderful. There are many of these pictures I would hang on my wall. Each page shows one word and something the Sasquatch and the the lumberjack are doing together. And while the words are simple, it’s the illustrations that bring everything to life. Seriously art for my walls is needed immediately.