This book is a wonderful way to talk to kids about someone who is homeless. The author is an authentic voice who has had to share the story with her kids. The many with the scraggly beard are not someone to be afraid of, but a person. It doesn't try to give explanations to homelesness, and isn’t preachy, it's just here that there is a person who is like us, with a slight difference. The main protagonists are white and the one with the scraggly beard is up to interpretation.
#LitsyAtoZ
#BBRC

Nana loves her grandchild. She is one of those overly active grandmas that need to go to every show, every practice, etc. She sometimes gets way too involved, but when she gets hurt, only her grandchild will be able to help keep her home and healing. Honestly, I thought this book was boring. The illustrations are nice, but also a little boring. Someone will love it, just not me.

This is hard for me. AKR died in 2017 and yet here we have a new book. It may have been complete before her death, but I'm not sure it was edited to her usual standards. There are some harsh rhymes which are not usually found in her books. The story is nice and the illustrations are wonderful. Unfortunately this is not a book I think will be around for decades like Duck Rabbit or Little Pea, but it was an enjoyable read.

This is for kids that like Big Nate, Spongebob, etc. It’s comedy sketches in graphic novel format. I think it would make a better show than a graphic novel but I know kids who will be addicted to this book.

Our protagonist Issac is a boy of color who needs to learn how to properly get the attention of adults in the room for help or for an emergency. The message in this book is important even if i don’t agree with all the guidelines. Then again there are parts of the book that don’t either, like raise your hand. That works at a school or a restaurant, but not many other places. The art is typical for Boys Town Press. Nothing too exciting, but they function more on the message, and it’s there.
#BBRC

This is the second edition of this book. The original came out in 2012. Not having read it, I do not know what the changes were, but there are some clues in the book that the original could have been marginalizing to certain people. Overall this book is interesting. The brown crayon is trying to find his talents and what makes his special. Sometimes the book rhymes, sometimes it does not. Yes, that bothers me. It’s not a bad book, but not a favorite either.

Ben Clayton of Narwhal and Jelly fame says this book will fly off shelves. If it’s because it’s about birds, then yes it might. We have a crow who is Arlo and a yellow bird pips. They learn from each other, but Arlo has a bit of an ego. This book is presented in graphic novel form for those just getting away from easy readers. The story has footnotes about things like global warming, and crow facts. It was a fun read, but not as fun as Ben Clayton’s books.

I loved the great Gatsby when I read it in highschool. I appreciate all versions of the movie. But I think that is where my appreciation wanes. This adaptation is beautifully illustrated but I feel like some of the story is lost. It does not have the richness of language that the book did, and the graphics take away the dazzle and give it a soft loving feeling instead of a bright excitement. Overall it’s not badly done, it’s just no for me.

This was just so cute. The author is working on her new book, but she doesn’t know what to draw. So she asks her pencil for help. This book is both a look at what goes into creating a graphic story, and also the imaginary characters who help people every day. I loved that the author threw in a real picture of her and her dog drawing in the middle of the story. This is so very clever and very well done. A five star read!

I like the idea behind this book, but I don’t think the story is successful. A group of animal friends go for a day at the beach but find plastic in the ocean. They share a book and learn how all this plastic is causing other animals harm. They don’t want to eat or swim in plastic soup but want to fly a kite. The kite is broken so they turn their plastic bags into kites. The story is cute, and includes instructions on how to decorate your own canvas bags at the end, but I wish that had been part of the story instead. To end with flying plastic bag kites don't really teach kids how to use less plastic. So for this reader the lesson is lost.