Little people big dreams did a pretty good job. They made sure to mention that her and her teammate spoke up about something bad that happened and that she did have to quit her second Olympics early for mental health reasons. I do think they did a very competent and lovely biography. As always there is more information in the back, but it was quite lacking. This would’ve been a perfect opportunity to have something in there for kids about “Good touch bad touch” because that’s what it was about. I think saying that the team spoke up, but not saying why they spoke up will make kids incredibly curious.  Overall, this isn’t a bad addition to the collection. 

 

This is a DNF at 4%. The story starts off with the father, leaving the children, the mom spaced out, lost in her own little world, and then chapter 2 has the mom telling the kids is going to be a new daddy. I’m just not in a mood for something that seems so depressing. Add to that the art style looks like something that came from a semi talented high school student before they’ve had a lot of practice. Maybe this book is amazing like the cover says it is but I have no desire to find out. 

 

While this is a fiction story, it is based on real life events. Many Jews had their art taken from them in the holocaust, and that included their music and their ability to play it. An organization called Violins for Hope uses old violins from the Holocaust, refurbishes them, and put them to use in a special orchestra that helps people remember why the holocaust was such a bad thing. This story was educational and entertaining. It did a great job of fulfilling both roles. 

 

This picture book is a true story of people who dedicated their lives to removing land mines in Cambodia. First learning how to do it with metal detectors, and then learning how giant African rats do the job with the trained handler. This book is a little sad.  It’s an inactive war that they’re still cleaning up almost 50 years later. I’m glad books like this exist to show the effects of bad military strategy, I just wish they didn’t have to exist. 

 

Cute early chapter book. A little heavy on the paw and fur jokes but not to bad. 

 

This is an early graphic novel. I can see first and second graders really getting into these books and wanting more. The stories are simple and shows feelings and events kids at that age would be feeling themselves. 

 

The cadence to this book is really entertaining. It keeps the beat and the story moving forward. Add the story with the illustration and this is a book that will be a hit story time or at bedtime. 

 

This book is typical of stashing books. I disagree with the author on certain things, but overall the book as an educational sources is fine. A personal bug of mine is every time publishers show a sewing machine, they have a Bernina (one of the most expensive machines on the market). To me, this type of book about how to use up your scraps maybe not always the beginners but not for the people who already know how to do it, so why are you showing a machine that is one usually owned by people that have been sewing for a while. It’s a small complaint but something I truly believe in. 

 

This was so fun. Kids are going to love this book. Bubbles the dragon has a unique bum and it will take his friends a little bit to figure that that’s only part of Bubbles. This book has a nice rhyming pattern and cadence. The cadence is a little scratchy in places and not as smooth as it could be but altogether it works well. I do feel at times it seems a “self-published” with how words are drawn in bubbles, but don’t let that fool anyone. This was simply wonderful, and kids would want to read it again and again and again. 

 

In this book Olive has feelings. There’s an omniscient narrator, telling the reader what’s going on and olive interrupts them to say you don’t have it exactly right. In theory this book works, but I found it to be long. I feel the book entirely squiggly. I think this concept was way better illustrated by the movie inside out. This book is OK but it’s been done better other places.