Zahra’s Blessing: A Ramadan Story by Shirin Shamsi

Illustrated by Manal Mirza 4 stars A sweet story of kindness, generosity, helping others, and family. As her family celebrates Ramadan, Zahra prays for a sister and to find her missing teddy bear. Little does she know there are surprises in store for her under the Ramadan moon. An adorable story. Nicely told with a…

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Shady Baby by Gabrielle Union-Wade and Dwyane Wade Jr.

Illustrated by Tara Nicole Whitaker 3 stars Join Shady Baby on her busy day, teaching others about sharing and taking turns, while leading by example with just the right amount of sass. Rhythm and rhyme combine to create engaging, rolling text. Adorable illustrations. They’re bright, colorful, and perfectly capture the shade. Nice themes of leadership,…

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Dragon Dreams by Roni Schotter

Illustrated by Khoa Le 3 stars A visually-stunning story promoting peace and kindness, especially between feuding siblings. Using second person narration, the story follows two sisters who, after a day of fighting, share a dream of dragons. The artwork is absolutely stunning. I really enjoyed seeing all the different dragons. Definitely a good fit for…

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Beanie the Bansheenie by Eoin Colfer

Illustrated by Steve McCarthy 5 stars The sweetest book about banshees that I have ever read. Bansheenies (baby banshees) typically bond with the first person they see, allowing them to learn when that person will die. Through happenstance, Beanie’s story is not quite so straightforward. Instead of simply telling her human, Rose, when her death…

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Serendipity by Stephen Cosgrove

Illustrated by Robin James 5 stars Pure magic! After spending years on an iceberg, a mysterious egg hatches and a curious sea creature is born. Not knowing who or what she is, she journeys to the Island of Capri for answers. Along the way, she meets new friends, helps others, and learns about the troubles…

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Sea of Constellations by Melissa Cristina Márquez

Illustrated by Rocio Arreola Mendoza 3 stars A The Rainbow Fish-style adventure with stronger themes and a most satisfying ending, in my opinion. When the ocean goes dark one day, Maren and Remy seek the guidance of Huixtocihuatl, the Aztec goddess of salt and salt water. Along the way, they meet various creatures that are troubled…

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Someone Just Like You by Helen Docherty

Illustrated by David Roberts 3.5 stars Bright, colorful illustrations and a story that encourages empathy, kindness, and acceptance. The illustrations are wonderfully diverse, featuring characters with different skin colors, gender expressions, body types, disabilities, hair styles, and nationalities. I love how the pages mirror each other, showing the similarities among individuals, their likes and dislikes….

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Twistwood Tales by A. C. MacDonald

5 stars So weird and I love it! Welcome to the Twistwood Forest where there’s always something creeping through the trees. Is it a Smolem, a human-eating lollipop, a pair of robber duckies, or a friendly Imagician? Dive in to find out. I’ve read a few of these comics online, but it was great to…

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Care Bears: Unlock the Magic by Matthew Erman & Nadia Shammas

Illustrated by Agnes Garbowska 3 stars A cute spin-off of the 2019 show. I actually didn’t know about the show before reading this and have since watched a few episodes. The graphic novel seems pretty true to the characters and setting. The artwork is super cute. Really fun visuals. On the wordy side, but the…

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Mermaid and Pirate by Tracey Baptiste

Illustrated by Leisl Adams 3 stars A sweet picture book that shows that you can be friends even if you don’t speak the same language. The mermaid and the pirate both love storms. But when the pirate’s ship starts sinking, the mermaid rushes in to help. It doesn’t work out how either of them expect….

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