4 stars Pure chaos in the best of ways. Follow a band of adventurers as they set out to recover the stolen Mystical Crystals of Life. They travel through cold mountains, spooky forests, and dark dungeons, and find that not everything is quite as it seems. Fantasy, adventure, humor, and some fun twists. The illustrations…
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Illustrated by Melissa Castrillon 4 stars Sweet, poetic text with magnificent, fantastical artwork. The narration is lovely. The narrator speaks of love, gratitude, sharing, hope, knowledge, and equality, showing the importance of each. A beautiful representation of incorporating each into one’s daily life and worldview. I really love Castrillon’s art style. The illustrations follow the…
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Illustrated by Derek Desierto 3 stars While looking for her favorite shoes, Juno is transported into a magical consortium featuring the shoes of famous women. She tries on the shoes of Frida Kahlo, Sally Ride, Misty Copeland among others, until finally finding the perfect fit, taking inspiration from her magical journey. Loved the concept. Great…
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5 stars A touching and empowering picture book about the associations attached to words, the way our words affect others and ourselves, and the freedom of allowing yourself to take up space. Simple narration with a powerful message. The story shows the shift in childhood from when “big” is seen as a good thing (“What…
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Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler 3.5 stars A really sweet story about forgiveness and friendship. No one in Bonnyripple ever kept a grudge except Cornelius, the Grudge Keeper, a sort of archivist of the townspeople’s complaints about one another. When a storm hits the town, the people see just how much space all their grudges take…
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Illustrated by Bérengère Delaporte Translated by Karen Li 3.5 stars Told from the perspective of a child, this book is a touching story of grief, loss, and recovery. Everyone is excited about the new baby. They all prepare for the upcoming arrival. But when his parents come home from the hospital without his new sibling,…
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3 stars A fun, interactive book that sends your hands dancing. The book becomes the dance floor and you are the star. Turn the page and follow the actions to explore movement, creativity, and art. Great for learning and practicing verbs such as twirl, bounce, weave, freeze, and fall, adjectives like light, wild, big, small,…
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Illustrated by Lorian Tu 3 stars A sweet book with straightforward text and wonderful illustrations centered around body neutrality. A wonderful exploration of what bodies can do and how people use their bodies everyday. Bodies are described in terms of how they look and feel, their different needs, and what they do in neutral terms….
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Illustrated by Airin O’Callaghan 5 stars Perfection! I love this book so much. Beautiful illustrations. Catchy rhymes. All around positivity and great messages about body acceptance, differences, and celebrating all the ways bodies exist. The text flows nicely with a great rhythm and a catchy rhyme scheme. A joy to read and it really sings…
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Illustrated by Gemma Capdevila 3 stars Soft and lush. Magical and dreamy. Poetic and lovely. Follow the main character through a cyclical rotation of dreaming she is a princess, a horse, a mountain, and the sea, to name a few. The delightful repetition of the text is soothing and smooth while the illustrations are utterly…
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