Illustrated by Ariane Moreira 5 stars A delightfully sweet story of magic, problem-solving, and helping others. Welcome to Shellville! Join Blue as they deliver orders for their mother’s bakery and help people all over town. From missing guinea pigs to big messes to keeping a loved one’s memory alive, Blue practices their magic and comes…
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by Yuta Takahashi Translated by Cat Anderson 5 stars Cozy, reflective, and soothing. The Chibineko Kitchen provides a unique opportunity. There you can receive a special kagezen, a remembrance meal, which may come with the chance to talk to a deceased loved one again. Told through a collection of interconnected stories, follow those seeking connection…
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Illustrated by Sienna Youngsun Kim 5 stars An adorable story about a family coming together for a Thanksgiving meal. A young girl helps her mother shop for Thanksgiving. They have one list for the Korean market and one for the local market. It isn’t until they are all together enjoying the meal that the girl…
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by Shifa Saltagi Safadi Illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel 5 stars Amina and her family have just moved to Indian from Syria. A lot of thing are different, but Amina has the perfect formula for making friends in America. Her plan gets off to a rocky start, so Amina has to switch gears and try something…
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4 stars A nice start for learning about food waste and ways to reduce other waste in your home. A helpful little guide. Nicely written. There are a lot of basic tips in here (reusable bags, shop seasonally) which work well for beginners as well as tips for using things like watermelon rinds and strawberry…
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Illustrated by DeAndra Hodge 3 stars As a young girl enjoys the Juneteenth block party, she wonders what the first Juneteenth celebration was like. She talks to family and friends about their Juneteenth memories as they all share in the joy of the celebration. A nice look at some of the foods and activities associated…
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Illustrated by Mari Costa 3 stars This book really delivers on the magic, the chaos, and the bunnies. Join a young witch, Abby, as she prepares to spend fall break with her friends Silas, a pumpkinhead; Hannah, a ghost-like entity from another dimension; and Gita, a wolf-girl. She’s looking forward to having fun and practicing…
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by Emily Morrow 3 stars A nice intro on living in more natural, mindful ways. A good place to start to learn about different irritants and chemicals we experience in our daily lives and some alternatives to them. It takes a very individual health focused approach to being crunchy. I do like Morrow’s mentality of…
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Illustrated by Natalia Rojas Castro 4 stars A humorous picture book that explores the unique names we give certain dishes. Magaly loves her abuela’s cooking, but when she learns they’ll be eatin ropa vieja for dinner, she starts hiding her “old clothes” so they don’t end up in the pot. Delightful humor. Bright, warm illustrations….
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5 stars An adorably cozy fantasy story. After an important pastry order is placed, bakery apprentice Juniper sets out with Hadley the bard to collect special mushrooms for the recipe. On their journey, they stumble upon a mystery. Something is eating all the farmers’ crops… something big. Looking for inspiration for their songs, Hadley convinces…
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