A Loud Winter’s Nap by Katy Hudson

December 21, 2022 By Leave a Comment


A Loud Winter’s Nap by Katy Hudson
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Every year Tortoise sleeps through winter. He assumes he isn’t missing much. However, his friends are determined to prove otherwise! Will Tortoise sleep through another winter, or will his friends convince him to stay awake and experience the frosty fun of winter? Best-selling author Katy Hudson’s charming picture book, now in a board book format, will convince even the biggest winter grouch that winter can be magical if you have friends by your side.

Hibernation isn’t supposed to be this difficult.

Tortoise was such a patient little guy. No matter how many times he was woken up or prevented from falling asleep, he calmly explained his needs yet again to the friends who were being noisy. That can be a tricky thing for people of all ages to master, so it was nice to see such a good example of how to do it here.

While many of the interruptions were creative and adorable, I found myself wishing that this picture book would have included a discussion about the importance of respecting other people’s boundaries even if you don’t necessarily understand them. Tortoise made it clear that he needed to sleep through the winter and didn’t want to be disturbed, but his friends refused to listen to him. It’s one thing when this occasionally happens between friends or relatives who feel guilty and learn from their mistakes. Deliberate and repetitive refusals to respect boundaries are quite another. This was something I’d read to the little ones in my life after discussing what healthy relationships look like and why it’s wrong to try to push past people’s limits. If not for that caveat, I would have loved to go for a higher rating as the plot itself was a great deal of fun to read.

I did enjoy all of the sound effects included in this story. They made the dialogue come alive in my imagination and were a great deal of fun to say out loud. It was also interesting to see how including words like tap or thud added a layer of humor to something that was otherwise pretty serious.

A Loud Winter’s Nap was a humorous look at winter life in the forest.

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Little Yellow Bus by Erin Guendelsberger

December 13, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Little Yellow Bus by Erin Guendelsberger
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Ride along in this heartwarming picture book about bravery and facing your fears, a wonderful Christmas gift!

The Little Yellow Bus had prepared for this day for a long time and how great it would be to pick up children and drive them to their school building―all by himself! Yellow wanted to feel excited, but instead, he was filled with first day worries. With a little help and encouragement from Mom and Dad, Little Yellow takes a deep breath, starts his engine, and decides that it’s time to prove to himself that he can be brave.

Little Yellow Bus is the heartwarming reminder that sometimes even the days when we are scared and anxious can become the most wonderful adventure, if we only believe in ourselves. Filled with beautiful full-color illustrations and an inspiring message for kids, this timeless story about courage is one you will want to come back to again and again.

Worrying doesn’t solve anything, but that doesn’t make it any easier to stop doing.

Even though the word anxiety was never used, this was such a detailed and accurate description of that condition. I found myself nodding along as Yellow described all of his symptoms and explained to the readers why he was so afraid to begin driving children to school. His fears were all realistic ones which made his predicament even more relatable.

I did find myself wishing that Yellow’s parents had been more supportive of him when he shared his fears with them. They were quick to tell him that everything was going to be okay without listening to the unspoken messages he was trying to share with them. This is still something I’d read to the little ones in my life, but I’d do so after talking to them about how anxiety can warp the way you think and how I’d always be there for them to help them tangle out legitimate concerns from ones that might be a little overblown.

With that being said, this was still a heartwarming look at a common mental health problem. I appreciated its good intentions and enjoyed the fact that Yellow’s first day as a school bus was nothing like what he worried it might be. The message in it is a timeless one that works for all age groups.

Little Yellow Bus was a thought-provoking read.

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Little Mole Finds Hope by Glenys Nellist

December 6, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Little Mole Finds Hope by Glenys Nellist
Publisher: Beaming Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When Little Mole is feeling sad in his dark, underground home, his mother shows him how to look for hope. He finds that signs of spring are everywhere, from the daffodil bulbs under the soil to the tiny buds on the branches above. Hope can be found–even in the darkest places.

In Little Mole Finds Hope, best-selling children’s author Glenys Nellist and illustrator Sally Garland tell an endearing story sure to lift the spirits of people emerging from the cold of winter or a challenging season of life and inspire them to look for signs that spring will come again.

A little kindness can go a long way.

Little Mole was such a sweet and relatable main character. Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that showed how sad he was on that chilly winter afternoon and how far away spring felt to him. Not only was this a good representation of the difficult days everyone goes through at times, it would also be a great jumping off point to describe specific illnesses like seasonal or non-seasonal depression to kids who might be experiencing them or know someone who is. I appreciated the versatility here as it meant that a wider range of people could find something to connect to as Little Mole learned his lesson.

The multiple layers of meaning in this tale made it one of those rare picture books that I’d be just as eager to recommend to older kids and adults as I would to the preschoolers and early elementary students it was originally written for. I love it when writers speak to so many different audiences at once while still remaining true to their characters and plot. This isn’t easy to pull off, but it has convinced me to keep an eye out for everything else Ms. Nellis has already written or will write in the future.

I was also impressed by Little Mole’s warm relationship with his mother. She affirmed his sadness while also encouraging him to take a second look at the assumptions he was making about the world around him. Scary thoughts don’t always tell the truth, after all, and there is something to be said for challenging them when there’s evidence that contradicts them. Her love and compassion for him made me wish for a sequel all about her. I adored her!

Little Mole Finds Hope was perfect.

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Deep, Deep, Down: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench by Lydia Lukidis

December 5, 2022 By 1 Comment


Deep, Deep, Down: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench by Lydia Lukidis
Publisher: Capstone
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

Deep, deep down, at the very bottom of the ocean, lies a secret world. Through lyrical narration, this spare-text STEM picture book takes readers on a journey to a place very few humans have ever been–the Mariana Trench. The imagined voyage debunks scary myths about this mysterious place with surprising and beautiful truths about life at Earth’s deepest point. Deep, Deep Down shows a vibrant world far below, and teaches readers how interconnected our lives are to every place on the planet.

Let some of the mysteries of the ocean be revealed!

Surviving in such an extreme environment isn’t easy. I was intrigued by the many different adaptations the fish and other animals in the Mariana Trench had evolved in order to withstand things like limited food supplies and heavy underwater pressure. These were some of the most educational and descriptive lines of the tale. I could easily imagine exactly what the author was talking about, and it made me want to dive even deeper into this subject.

One of the things I enjoyed the most about this picture book was the deep respect it held for nature and other living beings. Whether it was describing specific creatures who live in the Mariana Trench or discussing how dark and freezing cold it is there, the narrator always spoke gently of the topics at hand and gave them the attention they deserved. There was no need to sensationalize what’s down there because the truth was more than incredible enough on its own.

What happens on the surface or in shallower waters trickles down to life at the bottom of the ocean. I should leave the specifics of that up to other readers to discover for themselves, but I can say that I learned a few new things about how connected we all are on this fragile planet. It’s amazing to think that one decision or event can echo so far through the food chain, yet that is exactly what happens every single day.

Deep, Deep, Down: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench was a lyrical read that I’d heartily recommend to kids and adults alike.

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Obsidian by Rebecca Henry

November 22, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Obsidian by Rebecca Henry
Publisher: Finch Books
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, LGBTQ, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Sometimes the truth has to be revealed in order to recieve love.

Ninth grade is everything Zinnia didn’ t want it to be at St. Hopes. Her life back in the city feels empty and Liv’ s groupies of popular girls are suffocating Zinnia with their daily taunts. As Halloween approaches, Zinnia craves the comfort and security of Ambrosia Hill and desperately wishes to be back with her aunts but especially Billie, the girl with the green eyes, who Zinnia can’t get out of her mind. Right when Zinnia thinks she won’ t be able to wait until the summer to see Billie, her mom shocks her with a spontaneous announcement. They are leaving for Ambrosia Hill to visit the aunts. But can Zinnia surrender her truth to accept love?

Everyone needs a place that makes them feel like they belong there.

Some of the most memorable scenes were the ones that explored the many different options that were available to a witch. Not only did young witches decide whether they wanted to be on the side of good or of evil, the powers they had could vary quite a bit from one individual to the next. This meant that it wasn’t easy to predict in advance what someone in this group was like even in small ways like whether it would be safe to walk through their garden. I was fascinated by the diversity here and gobbled up every last description. It made me think of all of the Halloween stories I’ve read and watched about witches and wonder what a film based on this world might be like!

My review of Amethyst mentioned wanting to see more character development for Zinnia and the people closest to her. While it still happened much more slowly than I would have preferred to see, I was pleased to take note of the subtle but important ways in which all of the main characters had evolved since I’d first met them. I hope that any possible sequels in the works will speed up this progress as this was the only thing holding me back from giving a full five-star rating.

Once again, I was thrilled with the world building in this series. The first instalment did an excellent job of showing how magic worked in this universe and what it meant to be a witch. It was wonderful to see all of that hard work not only acknowledged in the sequel but used as a foundation to explore these topics in even greater detail here. I highly recommend beginning with book one in order to fully appreciate just how much effort the author put into this. She couldn’t have done a better job at it.

Obsidian was a satisfying read.

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First Steps, First Snow by Harriet Hodgson

November 18, 2022 By Leave a Comment


First Steps, First Snow by Harriet Hodgson
Publisher: BQB Publishing
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Animals and nature add wonder to daily life. First Steps, First Snow connects young readers to nature, nocturnal animals, and fosters mindfulness.

Whether it’s changing seasons, changing scenes, or observing wildlife, nature adds wonder to our lives. First Steps, First Snow (based on a true story) describes a magical walk in the woods on a winter night.

The poem guides readers on the walk and encourages the observation of nature. Watercolor illustrations show nocturnal animals that live in forests.

At the end, the two children and the animals are all snug and sound asleep—a perfect bedtime story for readers of all ages.

Anything can happen after a snowstorm.

The quiet, peaceful storyline fit the theme perfectly. There’s nothing like being the first person to walk through the snow after a snowstorm. It’s something that almost everyone who lives in a climate that is cold enough for snow to fall will have personal experience with. The details might change a little depending on whether someone is in a forest, a backyard, or walking just down a street, but the relaxing nature of it remains the same everywhere. It made me yearn for winter.

One of the biggest strengths of this picture book was how open-ended it was. The characters never revealed their names or how they knew each other, so those details could easily be added in or changed according to reader preference. I love finding tales that allow for that sort of creativity and audience participation. Not everything needs to be figured out by the author ahead of time in cases like this one.

I smiled as I read the ending. It left room for a sequel if one is ever written, but it also wrapped up the current plot satisfactorily while once again leaving lots of space for readers of all ages to fill in the gaps if they wished to. The way it was written also made sense for anyone who prefers not to participate in stories in this way. Either way, it was the end of a happy day out in the woods which was exactly what it needed to be.

First Steps, First Snow was a heartwarming read.

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Atticus Everheart, Fifth Grade Tutor, and Monster Hunter? by C.L. Colyer

November 14, 2022 By 16 Comments


Atticus Everheart, Fifth Grade Tutor, and Monster Hunter? by C.L. Colyer
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Nothing frightens Atticus Everheart more than monsters, thanks to his older brothers, who often threaten to feed him to the beastly creatures. Fearing that’s what they will do if he doesn’t replace the book he accidentally ruined, he takes a job tutoring a boy in his neighborhood. Although nervous about the job, Atticus soon discovers there’s a lot more in store for him than teaching. Never in a trillion years would he have imagined he’d be hiding from monsters, working with ghosts, or searching for werewolves and witches. He’s not brave, and he has no plans to change. Until he’s forced to.

Tutoring isn’t always as easy as it looks.

Ms. Colyer has a smooth writing style that makes her work a joy to read. She knew exactly when to explain things in a way that would make sense to her target audience as well as when to leave other details a little vague for the amusement of older readers or later chapters when all would be revealed. I appreciated her sense of timing and her willingness to allow some of her readers to be a little confused for a while in order to build tension for future scenes. This was my second time reading one of her books, and I hope to have many more adventures with her characters in the future.

In a review of a previous work of hers, I had mentioned wishing the author had spent more time on world building. It was delightful to see exactly that happen this time around. The plot didn’t require the characters to dig too deeply into why half-vampires existed in their universe, to share but one example, but it did give me exactly enough information about what sorts of supernatural creatures existed here and how ordinary humans reacted to the idea of them. Would I have liked to know even more? Yes, but it wasn’t strictly necessary for the storyline, and I walked away pretty content with what I did know. Sometimes it’s better to leave an audience wanting more, after all.

Kids don’t always interpret our world the same way grownups do, and that’s one of the reasons why I enjoy middle grade fiction so much. There’s something magical about seeing a character attempt to figure out an unusual and rare social convention or discover the meaning of a complex word for the first time. I had plenty of opportunities to do just that in this tale, and I relished every miscommunication and misunderstanding Atticus faced as he attempted to earn the money he needed to replace his brother’s book. Those moments were as funny as they were necessary for everything else that was about to happen to him.

Speaking of that, I was also impressed with how focused the writing was on its target audience. While adults can enjoy it, too, it truly was written for middle grade readers from the first scene to the last one. This isn’t something I see nearly as much as I’d like to in this genre, and it was refreshing to read a story that knew exactly who its audience was and never wavered from speaking to them in ways they’d best understand.

Atticus Everheart, Fifth Grade Tutor, and Monster Hunter? was a spooky and delightful read.

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A Feel Better Book for Little Worriers by Holly Brochmann and Leah Bowen

November 9, 2022 By Leave a Comment


A Feel Better Book for Little Worriers by Holly Brochmann and Leah Bowen
Publisher: Magination Press
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Worries can feel like a BIG problem to a LITTLE kid!

A Feel Better Book for Little Worriers assures kids that having some worries is normal — everyone has them, even adults!

The rhyming narration helps little kids to identify a worry and where it might come from, as well as provides them with helpful tools to reduce and cope with worries.

Includes a Note to Parents and Caregivers that expands on the cognitive-behavioral science behind the strategies and tools presented in the book, with more information on how you can help your little worrier to stay calm.

Not every thought should be listened to.

There was so much empathy in this story. That was exactly what I was hoping to find as it can be embarrassing for some kids (as well as some adults!) to talk about their mental health struggles if they don’t know how others will react to their concerns. Knowing that people will be kind and understanding about it is an important first step for many who are deciding whether they feel comfortable mentioning the scary thoughts that roll around in their heads.

I did find myself wishing that more time had been spent exploring what it feels like to be anxious. The symptoms the narrator mentioned were good ones, but there were a few others like headaches, stomachaches, and trouble settling down for bedtime that I thought were also important to include. Not every kid will experience them of course, but they’re common and troublesome enough that I think it’s a good idea for little worriers to know why they feel that way.

My favorite portions of this picture book were the ones that shared simple and effective ways to cope with worries. They were all easy things to remember that can help people of all ages who have anxiety. Honestly, I wish this book had existed when I was a kid because of how well it explained why some folks worry too much and what they can do to help themselves feel better.

A Feel Better Book for Little Worriers was a wonderfully reassuring read.

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A Wee Boo by Jessica Boyd

November 4, 2022 By Leave a Comment


A Wee Boo by Jessica Boyd
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

This heartwarming ghost story will make readers laugh out loud and sympathize with a ghost who is too cute to be scary.

Wee Boo is a ghost who wants nothing more than to earn her haunting license like all the other accredited ghosts. The problem? She’s far too cute to scare anyone! She’s given one last chance, with extraordinarily low standards: Boo doesn’t need to make anyone scream or gasp or shudder, she just needs one “whoa” to earn her place as a certified ghost. But she’s running out of chances and her final haunting is not going well―that is until she meets a baby. When Boo makes the baby laugh, she realizes something: although she’s terrible as a scary ghost, she might just make an outstanding imaginary friend. And a baby laughing in a crib at an invisible friend might just be enough to spook someone after all―the baby’s parents.

Even ghosts have to follow the rules.

Boo was utterly adorable. I loved her gentle personality and her belief that everyone she met was a future friend. She was such a kind spirit that being scary enough to finally earn her haunting license was the hardest thing she’d ever tried to do. I smiled as I read about her dilemma and wondered what else she’d try to fix it.

I loved the subtle messages this tale shared about the assumptions we make about how we should behave based on other people’s or other ghost’s in this case, expectations of us. Getting along with others is a good goal, but there are other things to consider, too. I can’t say much more about this part of the storyline without giving away spoilers, but I thought it was blended into the narrative nicely and had an important point to make for readers of all ages.

The plot twists were delightful for Halloween and beyond. They were straightforward enough for young children to follow but also included some extra layers of meaning to appeal to older readers. I always enjoy finding picture books that work well for both preschoolers and their siblings, parents, or caretakers who are reading it aloud again to the small ghost-lover in their lives. It takes talent to pull that off, so I’ll be keeping an eye out for what Ms. Boyd might release next.

A Wee Boo was the perfect ghost story for readers of all ages.

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Jingle Bells by Nick Butterworth

November 3, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Jingle Bells by Nick Butterworth
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Join some very enterprising mice in this funny, festive story from best-selling creator of Percy the Park Keeper, Nick Butterworth. Fastened with ribbon and jingly bell, this book makes a wonderful Christmas gift!

Christmas time, a happy time – or so it should be. But for two small mice, Lottie and Jack, Christmas Eve is overshadowed by one big problem… That Cat. How can they stop him from spoiling everything? Their friend, the wise rat, Ton Chee, has an idea involving a little golden bell … but will it work?

Not every Christmas is a perfect one.

What a peaceful farm to set this story on. I felt as though I received exactly the right amount of information about the farmhouse, barn, outbuildings, and yard. The most important portions of the plot involved what the characters were doing in these places, of course, but it was nice to have such a sturdy backdrop for all of their adventures. Things like this can be easily overlooked, yet they make such a big difference in how readers connect to a story. Good job on all of this, Mr. Butterworth!

I would have liked to see more attention paid to the bullying in this story. Angus the cat was consistently unkind to Lottie and Jack in previous obvious ways. I was surprised by how much Angus was able to get away with and found myself wishing for stronger consequences for these actions. The solution that was eventually shared was a good start, but it would have been nice to see it taken far enough for the cat to realize they were wrong and try to do something to make up for it. As much as I enjoyed the rest of the storyline, I’d want to have a conversation about more efficient ways to handle bullying afterwards if I were to read it to preschoolers.

With that being said, I did appreciate Lottie and Jack’s creativity in this area of their lives. There is definitely something to be said for seeking advice from wise folks and trying to fix a problem after listening to someone else’s ideas about it. I also enjoyed seeing how this issue tied into the magic of the Christmas season, but that’s something other readers should learn more about themselves.

Jingle Bells made me wish Christmas would arrive sooner.

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