Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book to share an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Jill Rosen to bring you this post.
Ode to a Pug is back!! This time he is off to the veterinarian and has all sorts of fears and adventures. Get ready for a humorous story of everyone's favorite pug! The book is Ode to a Pug: Not the Vet! by Jill Rosen and illustrated by Stephanie Rohr. There is a giveaway after my review.
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Dalisse Siqueiros to bring you this post.
All kids can feel big emotions but imagine what it is like for a child or person with autism. I teach many students with autism, and it has honestly been eye-opening to talk with some of them and get a peek inside their brains. They are truly wired differently. It is not worse or better but different. And as much as people fear having children with autism, if we didn't have autistic people, we would be living in a very different world without a lot of the things we depend on every day. Today we are sharing book from a series meant to help autistic kids and their parents deal with living in a world for people who think differently. The book is Autism: My Invisible Backpack: Discovering Emotions, Masking and the Joy of Being Seen by Dalisse Sequeiros and Luis Barros. After my review there is a giveaway!
Have you ever noticed some books are just about stories and some are about teaching a lesson? We have needs and wants for both types. Today I am sharing a book with a story that has kids doing a lesson in it. The book is the first in a series. It is Adventures with Allie and Friends: Chef Cherie's Cafe by Melanie Moore and illustrated by Juan Diaz. There is a giveaway after my review!
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Samuel Warren Joseph and Phil Proctor to bring you this post.
Do you have a reader who loves fantasy and mystery? I have a wonderful book trilogy for you. It is The Magic Maze Trilogy by Samuel Warren Joseph and Phil Proctor. The book is full of mystery and adventure in a magical realm with two siblings just trying find their way home. There is a giveaway after my review!
My pile of picture books is growing fast (almost like my chapter books). Today I am sharing a roundup of books that have come out recently (including this week). Some teach lessons and some are just fun and there is definitely something for everyone here! We will start with Gray Squirrel Loses It! by Cassandra Federman. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
What are your feelings about math? I feel like so many people do not like math and they have a stigma around it. In fact, our society tends to portray high school math as something that is torturous and not used. However, mindset plays a HUGE role in this success. If you tell your children, watch television shows that tell your children, etc. that math is hard and bad, then they will not have success in math. Mathematicians and especially math teachers are fighting this battle and today's book actually shares how parents can help in the Author's Note. Start them young with math. Today's book is I Love You 100: A Counting Book Full of Love by Danica McKellar and illustrated by Josée Masse. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8 and I would say it would be great to read to even younger children!
Something I find missing in many people today is connections. People need connections with one another as well as nature. We also need to stop and just be. Today I am sharing two picture books that emphasize these messages. The first is My First Book of Zen: Simple Wisdom for Children by Tracy Gallup. It is recommended for ages 5 to 9.
Happy Halloween! Did you know that over 1 million people have already visited Salem, Massachusetts in October 2025? And they are expecting over 80,000 to visit today. Salem is known as the Witch City and even Salem High School's mascot is the witches. Now I live pretty close to Salem. People from around here know there is no parking in Salem for the month of October (and actually for most of September as well as into November) because of all of the tourists that flock to the Witch City. Salem has embraced its witch history and has become a huge tourist site for it. However, the witch trials and happenings in Salem were quite different. Today we are sharing a wonderful book about the Salem witch trials, and it is told in first person. The book is Did You Hear What Happened in Salem? The Witch Trials of 1692 by Katie Kennedy and illustrated by Nick Thornborrow. It is recommended for ages 8 and up.
On Sunday I shared a post about Banned Books Week and reviewed a couple of banned books. I was a couple of weeks late for Banned Books Week. Did you know that graphic novels are often banned books? Many schools don't want their kids reading them as they don't think of them as real books. Can you imagine? For some readers, the illustrations of graphic novels are what help them get into the book. Personally, I feel that if a child enjoys reading a book, it is a good thing. The more we force kids to read certain books or types of books, the less the child wants to read. I know this was definitely true for Hazel. She dreaded summer reading assignments. She hated being forced to read certain books. Even books she may have chosen on her own, when forced to read them she did not enjoy them. So I say let the kids read graphic novels and banned books. Let them read books about the topics that interest them as well as ones that relate to their lives like the book I am sharing today. It is a middle grade graphic novel all about turning twelve and the changes that come with this new age. The book is Turning Twelve by Kathryn Ormsbee and illustrated by Molly Brooks. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.
Halloween is on Friday!! That means Christmas is getting closer and closer. I know I have seen the memes that say October 31 at midnight the Christmas music begins to play. Well, I'm going a little earlier to bring you a fun new picture book with sing-along lyrics that will have little ones rocking! The book is Santa's 18-Wheel Steel-and-Chrome Sleigh by J. Brandon Boron and illustrated by Shaun Ivie. There is a giveaway at the end of this post!!
I read banned books. In fact, I even review banned books (often before they are banned). Banning books seems to be an epidemic lately. Books are banned or challenged (before banning) by people who are trying to protect children. They feel these books are inappropriate for children. Perhaps for their own children, but they don't want their own children's friends reading them either because kids talk. In early October every year there is a Banned Books Week. This year it was October 5-11. (Next year it is October 4-10, 2026.) It is a week to make aware some of the books that are being challenged and possibly banned around the world. You may be surprised by some of the books on the list. There are many I read in school when I was young, or my friends did in other classes I didn't take. There are books like Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and George Orwell's 1984. There are other classics like Animal House, Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Number the Stars, Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, ... the list goes on and on and includes The Holy Bible. Books tend to get challenged if they share cultural identity like A Place Inside of Me or Fry Bread or sexual or gender identity like Spin with Me or It's Okay to be a Unicorn or sexual encounters like Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Speak is our first book for review today. It is recommended for ages 12 to 18 or young adult. The other book we will be reviewing is a picture book!
Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Rashad Mirzayev to bring you this post.
Kids have many experiences that can make them feel scared or lonely. It takes time and experience to learn how to deal with these moments. Today I am sharing a book that helps teach these lessons in a fun and creative way. The book is Mimi and Ary by Rashad Mirzayev. There is a giveaway at the end of this post.
It is hard to believe that Halloween is next week! It is the perfect time for a spooky book and today I am sharing one. It is a middle grade book that has creepy dolls, magic, ghosts, and witches. It takes place in Mexico. The book is Lost on Doll Island by Cassandra Ramos-Gomez. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.
What is your favorite music? Do you play it for your kids? Do you play other types of music for them? Today we are sharing some amazing books--four board books with sound and one picture book about music and a person with dementia and its importance. We will start with the picture book which is Searching for Mr. Johnson's Song by Ariel Vanece and illustrated by Jade Orlando. It is recommended for ages 5 to 8 but I would say it could be enjoyed by older kids as well especially if they have someone close to them experience some type of dementia.
Life is hard when your family moves all the time. It is hard to make friends and to really get to know someone. Today I get to share a new middle grade novel that is about a sixth grader whose family finally settled down after years of moving. Sixth grade brings all sorts of new things--new teachers, new subjects, the same bullies and so much more. The book is Georgia Watson and the 99 Percent Campaign by Sara F. Shacter. It is recommended for 9- to 12-year-olds.
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Sarah Scheerger to bring you this post.
Have you ever had a moment where you are trying to help but your "help" is making things worse? Perhaps you are just trying to make things better but the "help" is not wanted? Today we are sharing a book about this situation. It is called Dude. Be Nice by Sarah Scheerger with Brent and Jamie Camalich and illustrated by Alex MacNaughton. There is a giveaway at the end of the post.
Do you know much about Kwanzaa? By this point in time we have all heard of Kwanzaa, but many don't totally know what it is. It was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga. He was searching for ways to bring Black people together after riots in Los Angeles. (Source) I don't remember hearing about Kwanzaa until the 1990s. I always feel like it is a new holiday. Even with my diversity training and work, I really didn't know too much about Kwanzaa. I have learned more by reading books and reviewing them as well as by sharing crafts and activities here. Today I get to share a wonderful and informative new book about the holiday. It is Once Upon a Kwanzaa by Nyasha Williams and Sidney Rose McCall and illustrated by Sawyer Cloud. Along with my review there is a roundup of crafts and activities to celebrate Kwanzaa and a giveaway.
Where do your kids go when they are dealing with a BIG emotion? Where did you go when you were young? What did you do? I remember going to my room crying and wanting to be alone but not wanting to be alone. Today we are sharing a book about a young girl dealing with a big emotion and using creativity to overcome it. The book is Nunu and the Sea by Isabella Kung. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8 and is being released tomorrow!
Hispanic Heritage Month ends this week, but I have one more book to share with you. It is a book based on a historical event from the 1930s and how one community fought segregation in schools. The book is A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez by María Dolores Águila. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.
Dragons and space travel and life on Mars! Talk about some exciting themes! Today I get to share a relatively new series--the first book was released in paperback last month and the second book was released this week! It is a middle grade fantasy sci-fi novel series! But older kids will enjoy this series as well. The series is written by Scott Reintgen. The first book is The Last Dragon on Mars. The series is recommended for ages 10 and up.
