4 stars Another stunning collection from Oliver. I especially love her musings and observations of nature. The way she describes birds is absolutely perfect. Themes of this collection include nature, love, death, and aging. A few of my favorite poems here are “Porcupine”, “In a Dark Wood: Wood Thrushes”, “Stories”, and “I Looked Up”. A…
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Illustrated by Priscilla Burris 5 stars Lucy lives a normal life. She hangs out with her best friends, Heidi and Bruce, goes to school, and puts up with rude classmates. But something strange is going on. Every time Lucy hiccups, odd things start happening. Are her hiccups the cause or is it all just a…
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by Dana K. White 3 stars A helpful little guide with easy-to-implement strategies. A nice process to try if the Marie Kondo way isn’t right for you. Nicely written. Some of the advice does get repetitive after a while. Includes helpful tips for those who get overwhelmed easily and have a hard time starting a…
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Illustrated by Marta Altés 4 stars Another delightful story featuring Oona Bramblegoop and her sideways magic. Just when Oona the Underwear Fairy thinks she’s got it all figured out, she finds herself in a trap set by a human boy named Marco. Things get out of hand and Marco ends up following Oona to Fairy…
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Illustrated by Lena Podesta 4 stars Join the loveable worry monster as he works through his worries about the upcoming class field trip. With the help of his teacher, the worry monster learns seven Mindful Monster Moves. These include simple strategies such as stretching, taking deep breaths, and focusing on your senses. A cute story…
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3 stars A cute comic-style picture book about a unicorn that longs to be a special agent. The artwork was really cute. I loved the color palette. The story itself was fine. Unicorn is a real jerk for most of the book, but kind of learns a lesson at the end. There is some nice…
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5 stars An utterly stunning story of art, beauty, and permanence. The narrator is not happy about facing the cold weather, uncomfortable winter clothes, crowds, and an unfamiliar setting to attend the winter festival. She doesn’t see the point of making ice sculptures that are just going to melt. To make matters worse, on her…
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Illustrated by Bob Ostrom 4 stars Join Ms. Frizzle’s class as they try to uncover what happened to Keesha’s prized cucumber over vacation. To go on a big adventure, the class will have to get small and come face-to-face with the Mike Robe Gang. An engaging way to learn about microbes and the effects they…
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Translated by Amanda Haley 3 stars A humorous behind-the-scenes look at working in the manga department of a Japanese bookstore. Filled with relatable customer-service woes, Honda pulls from real-life experiences and shares a variety of interactions and issues such as out-of-stock items, staff recommendations, customer service training, and seriously awkward customer requests. The artwork is…
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3 stars Detective Beans is the best in the business. Or he likes to think so at least. One day, Beans sets out to solve the mystery of who’s leaving him encouraging notes only to discover… his detective hat is missing. Before he can solve the note-giver mystery, he must track down his hat and…
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