This is lovely and looks at a concept that can be hard to teach children. What is enough? The examples the author and illustrator use to for this concept is fantastic. The book reminds one to look past new, bright, more, better, and that enough is plenty. The most heartstring pulling illustration in the book is the kids at the school book fair pooling their money together to buy a $16.99 bear book. This book was lovely and a great lesson that will be used in libraries and classrooms for years to come. 

 

This book was truly unique. Bash is a basketball like game on a futuristic earth. This game is of major importance to the world and has many levels. What makes it different from basketball as we know it now, is the ability of the environment to change, which changes the play of the game. It can go from a standard court, to an artic court, to a desert court, in the flash of a light. Rudy is a star player, but a novice. He has dreams of making it to the elite pro league, but mom has other plans. She is not a fan of Bash, as it took her husband away and left her child fatherless. This is also the story of world domination. People from space, supreme commander type people, are looking for Atlas, Ruby’s father. Apparently, he is some kind of God, and must be destroyed. This story meshes well together and even those who don’t like sports will find something to love and keep them entertained. 

 

This book is wonderful. A little girl is excited to be her aunts flower girl. That is until she learns she has to wear a dress. She would rather give up the honor than wear a dress. It’s just not her. Luckily, she has an understanding family, who find the perfect suit for their flower girl on the big day. 

 

This is a beginner reader graphic novel, and it works. The story is simple, and a tad cute, the characters are believable and the story easy to follow. Just beware, kids may want to make their own blue lemonade at the end. 

 

I LOVE THIS BOOK! This is a look at the hard work of Easter Bunnies. They have to make those chocolate eggs, but Steve has not made an egg all season. He decides to abandon the recipe and do things his own way. The results are hilarious and so much fun! This book is not religious in nature but keeps the spirit of egg hunts and the Easter bunny alive. The book rhymes and runs in near perfect cadence. It is part tongue twister, and all laughs. 

 

This book is about a little girl who finds an old, smelly, lost dog whom she names Diego. They take him to the shelter to find a loving home. But as an old dog, he is not the first choice for any family. Eventually mom gives in and lets the little girl keep her old friendly dog. This story is lovely, but nothing special. It’s been done before and done better. The illustrations are nice and help tell the story well, but the formatting screams “self-published”. While that is not a bad thing, it is something that will hinder this story from finding a bigger audience. 

 

Little People Big Dreams does it again with Pasteur. Louis was a scientist who made great discoveries while trying to keep wine from spoiling. These discoveries lead to new treatments to make things safer for humans, and eventually led him to create the first vaccines. His original vaccine for chicken cholera may have been a mistake, but sometimes small mistakes make life better for all. 

 

One thing that Little People Big Dreams does well is introduce children to people they may not learn about otherwise. Lewis Hamilton is one of those people. In the US, NASCAR is the racing norm. Not as many people follow Grand Prix, so the names are not as known or hyped. This was a great beginning look at a different version of a sport as well as a modern person who is making strides in all areas of life. 

 

This is a fun little non-fiction book. It is what one would expect from a title like this for this age, but also a bit different. The book looks at concepts not always seen in this level of book. It jumps out of the gate talking about Fractals, where, how and, why they are found in nature. Then it talks about smells and what makes them at the chemical level. This was nicely done and very informative. 

 

This is a lovely picture book history of Clara Luper.  This is a bit longer and meant more for kids in school rather than bedtime reading.  It is interesting and entertaining and a great way to learn of a figure in American history.