Illustrated by James Mayhew 5 stars A richly illustrated fairy tale of the love shared between a merman and a human. While marketed as an “update to The Little Mermaid story”, that doesn’t feel quite right. A merperson falls in love with a human and his father thinks humans are too dangerous. That’s where the…
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Illustrated by Emily Holden 5 stars A sweet story about love, happiness, belonging, and connection with a fascinating cast of characters. Ruby the barista at the local coffee shop may seem a little strange. That’s because she’s actually a super-genius humanoid created in a lab to solve problems. After escaping the lab, she tries her…
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Illustrated by Karen Bunting 4 stars Such a sweet story. Harper is excited about being a big sister, but from the moment baby Wyatt arrives, everything is different. Wyatt can’t do the fun things Harper enjoys and Dad and Daddy are always too tired or busy with Wyatt. Maybe being a big sister isn’t all…
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Illustrated by Karen Bunting 3 stars A sweet picture book following Harper’s first family reunion. There she connects with family members she already knows and meets those she hadn’t met before. She learns about different types of families and how people can look different and even have different last names but still be family. The…
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Illustrated by Jieting Chen 5 stars A stunning fictionalized depiction of the story of Yuan, Duke Ling of Wei, and Mi Zi Xia. This gorgeous story showcases their love in China in 500 B.C.E. Yuan is told he must strive to be perfect in his rule. But since nothing is perfect, how can he possible…
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Illustrated by Cornelia Li 5 stars A gorgeous retelling of the story of Chang’e and how she became the moon goddess. The story focuses on Chang’e’s courage, kindness, and love of the Earth, and her relationship with her husband, Hou Yi. Well-told. The book wonderfully presents the tale’s action, romance, and lessons of kindness, selflessness,…
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Illustrated by Diane and Leo Dillon 5 stars A fantastic collection of poetry. Covering topics such as music, death, play, siblings, and history, the poems are paired with expressive illustrations. A perfect balance of joy and relatable issues that are relevant to young readers. I started listing some of my favorites, but honestly each poem…
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Illustrated by Joy Hwang Ruiz 4 stars A sweet picture book following a family through their day and showcasing how they show their love. From a trip to the farm and car singalongs to bath time and watching a storm, baby loves spending time with their two mothers and feeling their love. Lovely, soft, calming…
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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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4 stars Gorgeous and haunting. A powerful collection of poems that spin vivid stories and lush imagery. LaPointe pulls from fairy tales, the natural world, the punk scene, and the Lushootseed language. The collection centers around pain, loss, trauma, heritage, resilience, and healing. A fascinating collection that is beautiful, heartbreaking, and fierce. Goodreads
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