This book is DNF. It talks about how a wizard made a new person from clay and then 31 years later found more clay and made another little tiny person that turns out to be Kafka. It’s a combination of what the way this story is written and the illustrations just put this reader to sleep and makes them not want to turn the pages. There is nothing redeeming in the first 20% of this book to make me want to finish. 

 

I know these are very popular online. This isn’t so much a graphic novel as a collection of one or two page panels. I wouldn’t call it a comedy. It’s more like self reflection of an anxiety victim. It was interesting and had its cute points , but overall, not something I would check out or ever read again. 

 

In this book, our main character’s anxiety is expressed as a llama that shows up and disappears, shows up and then gets bigger, bigger, and bigger, and they have to learn how to calm the llama. The art is really fun and kids would like seeing it. The story rhymes well and does a good job at getting its point across. The biggest complaint about this book it’s a tad long and there are stands where she loses the cadence. It’s this loss of cadence that draws the story out. Places where the lines are shorter or don’t hit the same beats as others that stop the tongue making the story longer. 

 

This is a typical Boys Town Press book. It is way too long. By a lot. It has to give at least three different examples on the lesson the book is trying to teach and then way to remember it. The idea behind this book is that you’re not paying attention. You’re missing the reason that somebody may do something because you haven’t stopped to think about it. Good lesson to learn but this book is so overblown and heavy-handed. Most kids will get bored before they make it to the end. 

 

This is a wonderful story. It’s about a granddaughter and her grandpa. Grandpa has dementia and doesn’t always remember things, but grandma reminds her granddaughter that all it takes is the scent or the taste to make everything come flooding back. This book is very sweet, very tender and very loving. It has a message and a lesson but doesn’t forget it’s a story. 

 

I have to talk about this book as two separate entities. Let’s start with the story. The story is a simple one, but it’s not well done. The start of the book feels like it’s the middle of the story and there seems to be so much extra wording with no explanation. It’s like half of what the reader needs to know is missing. The story is not very successful. However, the illustrations are another matter. The illustrations are interesting. I feel this illustrator could really have a career in picture books with more experience. There are parts to the illustrations where they don’t feel done or not 100% complete but it’s almost perfect and I would like to see more.  However, the illustration for the cover is the worst illustration.  I would change this out. The type set used is not very readable as it always looks fuzzy. The illustrator has direction and could be the next big thing, but the writers need lots and lots more practice. 

 

I do like the Yellow Wellie books. Just know these are not bedtime story books. These are for second through maybe fourth grade. They are still picture books but this book has to do with math skills. Our main girl has a problem learning so the wellies and the rest of the house come to the rescue. I think the direction of these books are great and I do like the story. However, be careful of the color. Some pages were hard to read like brown words on green background. 

 

This book is exactly what one expects from the title. Harper becomes a big sister to her new little brother Wyatt. Her and her dads are very excited for this new adventure. Things are harder than Harper expected. Wyatt is not able to play and both dad and daddy are not always available to do what Harper wants to do. Things are changing and it’s stressful. But as a family, they can get through things together. This book is well done, the illustrations are nice, it has a lesson and it teaches it well. Overall, this is a great book for any collection. 

 

This is another fantastic book by Jane Yolen. This children’s author can do almost no wrong. Her new book is based on a quote by Margaret Weiss Brown, the lady who wrote Good Night Moon. This book is simple and quiet, but in the best way. It uses that quietness, that simpleness, and the fantastic illustrations to tell the story  and make a point. This book is almost timeless. 100 years from now a kid could pick it up and still see something of their selves within the pages. 

 

I picked this on a whim hoping they might have a recipe for freezer slaw close to what my grandmother made. There was so much more. This wasn’t just simple canning. Everything is explained quite well with pictures and definitions. They’ve made it easy to start if you’re a newbie, but with enough creativity for those who are bored of the same old same old.