Illustrated by Tracy Nishimura Bishop 5 stars Absolutely adorable. This was such a sweet story. The book shows different ways people greet each other, both vocal and nonverbal. This includes smiles, nods, sign language, hugs, waves, handshakes, and AAC. The writing is rhythmic and simple, which makes it easy for young readers to understand. I…
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Illustrated by Julia Kuo 4 stars Inspired by American folklore and the origin of the Bing cherry, Kuo and Blackburne create an original tall tale that tells a larger-than-life version of the story of Ah Bing. The book wonderfully encapsulates Asian-American identity and the blending of cultures. Includes themes of ingenuity, perseverance, community, discrimination, and…
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Illustrated by Mercè López 4 stars Ritu loves the sun, but her grandmother keeps telling her to come into the shade before her skin gets too dark. This confuses Ritu. Isn’t her skin beautiful? Ritu finally finds a way to tell her grandmother how she feels and show that brown skin is beautiful. Lyrical and…
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5 stars An adorably sweet, cozy little adventure. The Skeleton has a wonderful life tending her garden, drinking tea, and enjoying her alone time. Then one day, a black cat shows up and asks to be friends. The Skeleton isn’t so sure, but the Cat is quite convincing. Join them on their day-to-day adventures as…
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Illustrated by Eda Kaban 4 stars A fun picture book adaptation of The Guncle. The original novel is still on my TBR but this sweet picture book made me want to get around to reading it soon. After the death of their mother, Maisie and Grant spend the summer with their Uncle Patrick. He does…
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Illustrated by Frenci Sanna 4 stars A sweet story about being yourself. Pete likes many different things, wearing different clothes, and playing with different children. This confuses some people who try to put labels of “boy” or “girl” on Pete, but with parental support, Pete shows the confidence to just be Pete. Nice focus on…
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4 stars An engaging, rhyming story about a tired farmer and the hunt for her favorite pajamas. The farmer has plenty to do around the farm. She milks the cow, waters the garden, and puts all the animals to bed. But when she can’t find her favorite pair of pajamas, she just can’t seem to…
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Illustrated by Leeza Hernandez 5 stars A fun read that blends cats, vehicles, and humor. Follow a crew of colorful cats as they build the perfect cat lounge complete with nap nooks, scratching posts, perches, and hidey-holes. But uh-oh, looks like some rats are trying to help. Instead, they cause a big mess. Can the…
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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 Tara Anand 5 stars Fantastically written. Shreya loves painting. She feels special when her art teacher praises her work. Mr. Rao even asks Shreya to come to the art room for him to paint her. But then something happens. Shreya feels different. She doesn’t want to be praised anymore. She doesn’t want to…
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