5 stars   This is a gorgeous book! I am always hesitant about buying Harry Potter books outside of the ones J.K.Rowling actually wrote. When I was a kid, I collected everything HP, but as an adult, I’ve become more picky (probably because I have to spend my own money now). There are just too…

2 stars Before reading this book, I didn’t really know anything about Diego. I had never watched the show and just knew that he was Dora’s cousin. This is a very informative guidebook about Diego and the animals he rescues. It goes through what Diego does, the tools he uses, and the people/animals who help…

3 stars I have read this book with various kids and they all enjoyed it. In this one, Little x feels worthless so he runs away and the other letter set off to bring him back. A cute story. I wasn’t a huge fan of the CGI-looking illustrations, but the story itself was good. The…

4 stars I love this fun twist on an alphabet book. In this one, the letters go whenever they feel like it instead of alphabetical order. Beautiful chaos ensues, full of subtle messages about trying new things and doing things in a different way (as well as asking nicely for what you want). Fun illustrations…

3 stars Like many of the books in the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series, this one is fun but weird. The story follows a girl picking out shoes to wear for the day. The shoes try to convince her to choose them, then try to talk her out of her decision when they do…

4 stars Another adorable book featuring Piggie and Gerald. In this one, the two friends learn to make the best out of bad situations and prove that they really are great friends. Fun illustrations, hilarious dialogue. This is a great book. As with the other Elephant and Piggie books, this one is best enjoyed when…

3 stars A cute book that reminds us that we can all be a little over-dramatic sometimes. As with the other Elephant and Piggie books, this was has fun and engaging pictures. The formatting of the text is also very engaging, making reading fun. This is a great book to read aloud with a child,…

4 stars I actually ended up liking this book more than the original novel. I have never been a huge fan of the Oz series. I’ve always had kind of a weird relationship with them; I’m intrigued by the ideas and characters, but I just don’t like them (and I can’t stand Dorothy). But I…

As a contributor to this anthology, I don’t think it’s fair for me to include a star rating, but I’d like to express some of my thoughts and reactions to the book. The theme of this anthology is fear and phobias and it is filled with a diverse amount of fear-related stories. The fear of…