3 stars A weird gothic tale of inheritance, revenge, and greed with a mix of mystery and romance. Zeb arrives at his relative’s manor only to discover he’s been tricked into a strange competition against his estranged (married) brother, Bram, and deviant cousin, Hawley, to woo his cousin, Jessamine, in order to inherit the property….
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by Joanna McClintick Illustrated by Keisha Morris 4 stars A lovely story of food, reminiscing, and bringing people together. A child wonders how their chosen family’s Friendsgiving tradition got started, asking different members of the family. They all think they had a part in starting the tradition, but by the end they recognize that the…
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Created by Matt Dinniman Adapted by Teuagah Illustrated by Laurel Pursuit Studios 2 stars I’ll start by saying I have not read any of the Dungeon Crawler Carl novels. I was excited for the graphic novel to get the gist of the books to see if I wanted to give them a try. Unfortunately, this…
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Illustrated by Frenci Sanna 5 stars A wonderful exploration of pollination. A simple journey from plants to insects to birds and back again that shows how different plants are pollinated and the important role insects and animals play in growing good. Absolutely gorgeous illustrations. I actually picked this book up because I really enjoy Sanna’s…
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Illustrated by Yaroslava Apollonova 5 stars An absolutely brilliant book that normalizes different types of learning and promotes understanding and accommodations based on individuals’ learning needs. Such a wonderful book. I loved the soothing tone and the representation of different ways to learn. Great focus on voicing your needs and finding ways to learn and…
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3 stars An interesting combination of memoir, self-help, call to action, and handbook for creating change in the world. Lee shares memories from her life and inspires readers to create change in their daily lives through kindness, understanding, and leading by example. Lee explores her experiences with racism, her work to make Juneteenth a federal…
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Illustrated by Tracy Nishimura Bishop 5 stars Absolutely adorable. This was such a sweet story. The book shows different ways people greet each other, both vocal and nonverbal. This includes smiles, nods, sign language, hugs, waves, handshakes, and AAC. The writing is rhythmic and simple, which makes it easy for young readers to understand. I…
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Illustrated by Julia Kuo 4 stars Inspired by American folklore and the origin of the Bing cherry, Kuo and Blackburne create an original tall tale that tells a larger-than-life version of the story of Ah Bing. The book wonderfully encapsulates Asian-American identity and the blending of cultures. Includes themes of ingenuity, perseverance, community, discrimination, and…
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Illustrated by Mercè López 4 stars Ritu loves the sun, but her grandmother keeps telling her to come into the shade before her skin gets too dark. This confuses Ritu. Isn’t her skin beautiful? Ritu finally finds a way to tell her grandmother how she feels and show that brown skin is beautiful. Lyrical and…
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5 stars An adorably sweet, cozy little adventure. The Skeleton has a wonderful life tending her garden, drinking tea, and enjoying her alone time. Then one day, a black cat shows up and asks to be friends. The Skeleton isn’t so sure, but the Cat is quite convincing. Join them on their day-to-day adventures as…
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