Rise of the Jumbies (The Jumbies #2) by Tracey Baptiste

3 stars A good follow up to the first book. This one starts off right where the last one ended. I was glad to see new characters and situations in this one. It is a completely new adventure while continuing elements and themes found in the previous book. While there are some explanations of what…

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The Jumbies (The Jumbies #1) by Tracey Baptiste

4 stars An interesting read filled with magic, adventure, and elements of Haitian folklore. As Baptiste points out in her Author’s note, in comparison to European fairy tales, there are not a lot of Haitian folklore and jumbie fairy tales in mainstream literature. It’s great to see this series start to fill that gap. The…

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The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes

Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton 5 stars An absolutely stunning book about the first day of kindergarten. I really liked the emphasis on confidence and enjoying the experience. Understandably many children’s books on this topic focus on the more negative aspects of fear, worry, and anxiety. This was a fresh perspective of tackling the day as…

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