That Blue Sky Feeling, Vol. 2 by Okura

Illustrated by Coma Hashii Translated by Jocelyne Allen 4 stars Noshiro and Sanada’s friendship continues to grow, but their relationships with others complicate things. In this volume, Ayumi reveals her own feelings and we meet Makoto who develops a huge crush on Noshiro. Now Noshiro and Sanada must reflect on what they want for themselves…

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Felicity by Mary Oliver

4 stars I have been enjoying slowly making my way through Oliver’s collections. While I absolutely adore her nature poetry, I was pleasantly surprised by this collection’s themes of love and relationships. Wonderfully crafted, these short poems leave the reader with a wonderful sense of calm. A sweet collection celebrating the joys of love and…

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Monster Cats Vol. 1 by Pandania

Translated by Minna Lin 4 stars I really enjoyed the first volume and the second one did not disappoint. Adorable, humorous slice-of-life moments between mysterious monster cats and the humans in their lives. See what’s happening with some of the cats from the first volume, and meet new monster cats including a gnome, a banshee,…

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Love without Bounds: An IntersectionAllies Book about Families

by Drs. Chelsea Johnson, LaToya Council, and Carolyn Choi Illustrated by Ashley Seil Smith 4 stars A wonderful exploration of some of the different ways people can be part of a family told through rhyming narration. Each page spread introduces readers to a new family who represents different concepts. The book shows different types of…

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Monster Hands by Karen Kane and Jonaz McMillan

Illustrated by Dion MBD 4 stars An adorable story of bravery, friendship, and helping others. Milo thinks there is a monster under his bed. He asks his best friend across the street for help. Luckily, Mel knows just what to do. Together, Milo and Mel use shadows to scare the monster away. Nicely written. A…

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Valenslime by Joy Keller

Illustrated by Ashley Belote 4 stars Another adorable story featuring Victoria Franken, her dog Igor, and her best slime friend Goop. It’s Valentine’s Day and Victoria realizes she has a lot of friends but Goop only has her. She does what she does best, experiments(!), to make a new friend for Goop. A great book…

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My Little Pony: Kenbucky Roller Derby

by Casey Gilly and Amy Chase Illustrated by Natalie Haines and Kate Sherron 4 stars A fun standalone adventure featuring ponified roller derby and the Make Your Mark cast. Sunny dreams of joining a roller derby team, but after being rejected by the Sandy Shore Slammers, a team that is mean, unhelpful, and overly competitive,…

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Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip, Vol. 3 by Tove Jansson

4 stars Delightful as always. Join the Moomin family in this volume where adventure takes the lead as they adapt to life in the jungle, encounter visitors from Mars, become lighthouse keepers, and more. Wonderfully odd stories and charming artwork filled with humor. The third collection of comics includes “Moomin Falls in Love”, “Moominvalley Turns…

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White Pine: Poems and Prose Poems by Mary Oliver

4 stars Another stunning collection from Oliver. I especially love her musings and observations of nature. The way she describes birds is absolutely perfect. Themes of this collection include nature, love, death, and aging. A few of my favorite poems here are “Porcupine”, “In a Dark Wood: Wood Thrushes”, “Stories”, and “I Looked Up”. A…

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