This book isn’t bad. It is the newest in the Dada series. It rhymes well and flows on a nice cadence. The illustrations are lovely and at this point in time expected. I think the worst part of this book is it does not feel like Jimmy Fallon. This feels like it was written by committee and not  a comedian. There’s no telltale signs that this is Jimmy Fallon. 

 

Out of the three books in this series, so far this is the best. There is a little more thought and a little bit more work. There is a rhyming pattern. There is a cadence and it’s like a modern head, shoulders, knees, and toes. The illustrations work well and for the first time in the series, not doing all the heavy lifting, but rather complementing the words on the page. 

 

Once again, the illustrator does all the heavy lifting in this book. It’s well known that many kids first word is mama or mom or mommy and that often when trying to get kids to say more things they just repetitively call for Mom. This book plays on that as animals are trying to teach their children new words and all they say is mama. This is very expected after having read Dada and while it is fine it is still nothing new. 

 

I am amazingly surprised. I was expecting not to like this book because I do not like the front cover. The front cover seems old and dated and like something I would see in my childhood 20 years ago. However, the pages on the inside are beautifully illustrated and they work with the story and its rhymes well.   It has a cadence and sometimes the cadence is a little sharp but altogether it works. The story is memorable and cute. This would be a fun read for children’s storytime, especially if you could have a snowball fight (either a real one or one with fake fluffy yarn balls). 

 

Illinois reads 2024 is lovely. It’s about a kid that gets a new bicycle and how it can take them everywhere in the world. But when it’s necessary, it can also bring them home. I like the illustrations. They seem old-fashioned, but it seems to fit the bill and works in this book perfectly. I also like the idea behind a bike. Kids are not as excited about bicycles as they were when I was younger, and I love to see that excitement in a book for modern kids. 

 

I am used to Lucy Kinsley writing graphic novels, but her take on a picture book is quite cute. Everything rhymes and works well together. The message is spot on. And the illustrations are interesting. Babies are sure to love it. 

 

This book matches the first book. The illustrations are great, and the story is too long and too wordy. However, when reading this book, I don’t hear or feel Channing Tatum, the author. It feels like it was put out by a habitual children’s writer that writes lesson story after lesson story for school publication. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s also not unique. And does make this stand out as just another celebrity picture book. 

 

I hear Channing Tatum in my head when I read this book. That’s a good thing. When there are the points of Dad talking it sounds like you’re used to hearing him  sound in movies. That makes this book that much more charming. It’s about being who you are no matter what anybody else says. The illustrations are lively. They go with the book. My main complaint is it is long. This could have been shortened to tell the same story. It’s long and wordy, but it’s well written, and I think my niece would love it. 

 

This book was slow. I started in October and didn’t finish it till the end of November. Three girls are sent by their parents to a summer camp that no one want to go to. This summer camp is someplace their parents went when they were young and just decided you’re going. There wasn’t much online about this summer camp so all the girls are a “little what am I getting into”. Their parents have told them to make the most of it, make new friends, and have a good time. The girls are all arriving a day later than the rest of the camp. This camp is in Maine and the only way to get there is by a 2+ hour boat ride. The boat arrives at the dock, the girls get up, the boat leaves, and the girls head towards the lake house. At the top of the trail, they find the lake house is nothing but a burnt out shell of a building. While searching for others, they find one dead body riddled with bullet holes. The fight for survival begins. Our main character Claire is extremely anxious and is always thinking of the worst possible thing that can happen. One of the girls is a Latina Barbie with more knowledge than anybody ever suspects, and our last girl is strong, but with a soft side that isn’t always seen. This book is a character study that focuses heavily on these girls for the first half of the book. It’s the characters that makes this such a slow read. There’s lots of them tramping back in for through the forest, trying to find water, trying to find food. 

 

It’s the second half of this book that really gets the story moving. More characters show up but leaving you wondering why are they here and are they help or are they hindrance. That’s when other weird things start happening and you realize there may be more going on in there appears. To this reader, the end of the book was very familiar. This book very much feels like a YAa retelling of Meddling Kids. I did like this book but I didn’t love it and I’m not sure how much staying power it will have on a school shelf. But the author is prolific and writes in multiple genres for multiple ages so it will be interesting to see what they do next. 

Neon Gods is an erotic retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth. This version is very engaging and engrossing, so much so I didn’t want it to end. Then not wanting it to end is why it took me a year to listen to the audiobook. I have already started book 2, and I am completely loving it. This book is worth what everybody says about it if you like erotica. If you don’t, this may be a little much, but the mythological world that the author has created has a great staying power. There is at least six books in the series and I plan on listening to every single one of them.