What Do We Know About the Winchester House? by Emma Carlson Berne

Illustrated by Ted Hammond 3.5 stars An interesting look at the Winchester Mystery House and Sarah Winchester more specifically. I’ll admit, before reading this I’d only heard the supernatural versions of the story. I appreciate that Berne took a fact-based approach and highlighted some of the reasons for the unique architecture. The book covers quite…

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Fungus is Among Us! by Joy Keller

Illustrated by Erica Salcedo 5 stars A hilarious and educational book. Follow the main character as she tries to escape the fungi in her life only to discover that it is everywhere. Told in rhythmic, rhyming text, the book goes through various types of fungi, from mushrooms to lichen to mold to yeast. Also discusses…

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Living with… ADHD by Nancy Dickmann

with consultant Marjorie Hogan, MD 2 stars I didn’t like this one as much as some of the other book in the series. This book covers “common” symptoms of ADHD, how it’s diagnosed, and how it’s managed. The content is simplified for a young audience. The information is fine, but it focuses exclusively on ADHD…

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Living With… Asthma by Nancy Dickmann

with consultant Marjorie Hogan, MD 3 stars An interesting non-fiction picture book about asthma. The book covers what causes asthma, testing for asthma, how it relates to allergies, and how they are treated. The content is simplified for a young audience. The book is formatted with short breakout sections with interesting information, charts, bolded terms…

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Living With… Allergies by Nancy Dickmann

with consultant Marjorie Hogan, MD 3 stars An interesting non-fiction picture book about allergies. The book covers what causes allergies, common allergens, various symptoms, and how they are treated. The content is simplified for a young audience. It goes through various concepts such as allergens in an easy to understand way. The book is formatted…

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If Sharks Disappeared by Lily Williams

4 stars In this nonfiction picture book, Williams discusses the role of sharks in the oceans and what could possibly happen if sharks went extinct. Wonderful to see sharks presented beyond a scary element. The text is simple, breaking down a complex system into something more easily digestible for a young audience. There are more…

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Total Garbage: A Messy Dive Into Trash, Waste, and Our World

by Rebecca Donnelly Illustrated by John Hendrix 5 stars This is a fascinating read. In modern society, it’s easy to throw something away and forget about it, never questioning where it ends up. In this book, readers follow the history of garbage and how the relationship between humans and their trash has changed over time….

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