Over the Garden Wall: Hollow Town by Celia Lowenthal

Illustrated by Jorge Monlongo 4 stars Delightfully spooky. After a series of unfortunate raft troubles, Wirt, Greg, Beatrice, and everyone’s favorite frog seek refuge in a quiet town filled with polite inhabitants. However, the longer they stay, the more sinister the town seems. Can they unlock its dark secrets, and if they do, will they…

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Old Clothes for Dinner?! by Nathalie Alonso

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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Blue Horses by Mary Oliver

3 stars Another beautiful collection of poems. This one didn’t resonate with me quite as strongly as the other collections I’ve read from her, but it was still a wonderful read. A nice exploration of life, nature, and relationships. Goodreads

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From Garden to Pickle by Penelope S. Nelson

2 stars A simple look at how pickles are made for early readers. Simple narration paired with bright stock photos provides an overview of how pickles are made. Doesn’t provide much detail beyond pick, scrub, add brine, seal, and wait. Short, simple sentences between 1 to 7 words long. I did enjoy the infographic at…

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The Gingerbread Man: Buttons on the Loose by Laura Murray

Illustrated by Mike Lowery 3 stars A cute little early graphic novel. Join the Gingerbread Man as he searches for his missing buttons in this adorable rhyming tale. Cute artwork. Great rhythm and rhyme. Short and simple story with dynamic illustrations. A nice next step for those who enjoy the picture book series and a…

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Rarity’s Charity by G. M. Berrow

3 stars An early chapter book adaptation of My Little Pony: Rarity and the Curious Case of Charity. Rarity is excited for her new apprentice to arrive, but when Charity takes her idolization of Rarity too far, Rarity must figure out how to be the mentor Charity actually needs. While it’s the same story, the chapters…

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At Blackwater Pond: Mary Oliver Reads Mary Oliver

5 stars A wonderful collection of poems read by Mary Oliver herself pulled from throughout her writing career. A fantastic listen. Featuring birds, plants, and the natural world, Oliver reflects on beauty, virtue, death, and more. I loved listening to these poems and especially hearing Oliver tell them. She reads each poem with her own…

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