This is typical of the series. We have a crossing over of Iris’ childhood and get what made her famous. Iris Apatow is famous for her fashion. For the way that she didn’t stick to norms or tradition and wore what she wanted. She was always herself and was better for it. As usual, the back of this book tells more of the real life of Iris and includes real life pictures. I really wish these pictures would have been in color. Since they were taken between 2005, in 2019 they probably were in color. And since the page had spots of pink, there were no reasons for these not to be in color. This book was all right and a pretty good beginning, but there have been better books in the series. 

 

This book should be in every library. It’s a very simple but heartwarming look at a child knowing they are not who they are made to look like. In this case, Nisha knows she’s a girl and it’s now up to the rest of the world to know as well. The way this book uses a monster to show Nisha‘s feelings, and how that monster grows when people take actions both purposely and accidentally to mis-gender her is a metaphor that works for the anxiety that is really felt. The story is simply wonderful and the help for parents in the back are phenomenal. The illustrations are adorable and attention grabbing. This should be a standard book in every school and public library. 

 

Wow. This book is about a real girl who lived with her family through the depression. They lived because the president started the New Deal and made sure that all families were fed. She was grateful for these programs and wanted to show her appreciation but was unsure what one little poor girl could do. But this girl with a carpenter. She worked at the feet of her father, and that, with practice, she could do something great. She built the president a clock. A wooden clock whose time is right only two times a day, but she labored, and she used what others might consider junk, the crates in which their food arrived, to build this clock. All to say thank you. This book was a fantastic look at the history of the US and how small things can last forever. The author does a fantastic job and so does the illustrator. At the very end of the book there are pictures of the real Clock, as well as scans of the real letter that was sent with the clock. This is one of those little, tiny bits of history that one is happier in life, knowing existed and that it happened. 

 

This is a fun series of books and I love to see that they’re branching out into different religions. While I don’t understand everything in this book, I like that it is written not to teach people about Hanukkah, but rather for those who already celebrate Hanukkah. It’s a great addition to this series, and one that will be loved for years to come. 

 

This book was fun, and I think kids will get a kick out of it. While not necessarily geared towards kids this book is all about using various techniques and falling in love with paper to change, merge, collage, and create new items that you can share with others. I thought the instructions were well done with a positive look that there are no mistakes there’s just art. 

 

This is a book about a little girl Abi meeting a robot and their trip to get the lost robot back home. The story itself and the ideas behind it are fine. However, this book is too wordy and too long. It’s suffering from what is commonly called show not tell. This book is a lot of the author telling you what people are thinking and feeling and there is very little movement. I do highly like the illustrations. I think their attention-grabbing and kids would like them. But there is a problem. The author freely admits on the last page of the book that the images are AI produced. This is a big problem in the book world right now as AI normally starts with using somebody else’s IP or intellectual property and builds off of that. So, a full book whose entire set of illustrations are AI can create a copyright issue and be a downturn in the eyes of readers who  follow the book marketplace. I really wanted to like this book but it’s a miss. 

 

This book is amazing but also very hard to describe. It’s about a young boy who lives inside his own head. And how living inside his own head affects his outside world. And he’s trying to get the two lives to merge. Personally, I really hate the teacher in the book. However, while I can’t excuse the teacher, we are seeing it from the boys eyes, and we know that things may not be as they appear. This is not a book for story time or book to sit pleasantly and read, what it is, is a book that will touch kids who experience the same things. It will help them know, and realize that they are not alone, and that there is nothing bad or wrong with them. This book is amazing and should be in every library. 

 

This biography of Andy Warhol is a nice starting location. It doesn’t get into the craziness of his life, but it gives a nice solid ground to look into more things about the artist. There’s a note in a page about him being confined to bed for a leg weakness, but they never mention why, which I think would’ve been interesting. And once again, I think the pictures in the end should be full color. 

 

This is a nice biography about a man who always asked “Why”.  Why do ants not get lost?  Can bees see in color? Can a cockroach learn?  It is by asking questions and studying the animals that scientific knowledge is gained.  Charles Henry Turner was a man of his time, whose constant questioning led to many scientific discoveries. 

 

Suzanne Slade presents another fantastic picture book about a historical figure. This time the author turns their pen to Gwendloyn Brooks, the Poet Lauret from Illinois, and the first Black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize.  The book is a great tale.  I do think it ends in an awkward place, but it gives the reader an idea of who Gwendolyn was and might make them interested in learning more.