The Christmassy Cactus by Beth Ferry

November 3, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Christmassy Cactus by Beth Ferry
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Holiday, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Tiny Cactus loves Christmas!

But she doesn’t love that her little girl seems to be spending more time with the giant sparkly tree in the living room than with her. Maybe if she were decorated like the Christmas tree, her little girl would notice her again.

And so Tiny Cactus makes a wish—to be special, to be noticed, to be a part of the magic of Christmas. With the support of her friend and some Christmas magic, Tiny Cactus learns that wishes can come true if you believe hard enough.

It’s not really Christmas until everyone is included.

Jealousy comes in many forms, but it generally isn’t talked about in books about this holiday in my experience. I liked the fact that the author acknowledged how celebrations can accidentally leave some people – or cacti – out of the fun and what someone should do if they feel like they’re being left behind. This was a thoughtful exploration of how to deal with a difficult emotion and how to think the best of others even if their actions sting a little.

I was surprised by the fact that no one in this story thought to decorate Tiny Cactus, especially given how much she was loved by her little girl. When I was a child, I put small, light decorations on my family’s house plants at Christmas time. It would have been nice to know why these characters didn’t think of that solution as it was a pretty simple fix for the conflict.

One of the other things I liked about this tale was how realistic it is. Other than the fact that the cactus could talk, everything else was firmly rooted in what could really happen that would make the holiday season more memorable for everyone involved without requiring the intervention of anyone wearing a red suit and passing by in a magical sleigh. This is an uncommon choice for this genre, but it worked really well for the subject matter.

The Christmassy Cactus was heartwarming.

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How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett

October 31, 2023 By Leave a Comment


How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett
Publisher: Candlewick
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Holiday, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When Santa arrives at a child’s house on Christmas Eve, does he go down the chimney feetfirst or headfirst? What if he gets stuck? What if there’s no chimney? Maybe he slides under the door, as thin as a piece of paper? Or is it possible he pours himself through the faucet? What happens once he’s inside? Whether it’s shape-shifting or impromptu laundry use, Mac Barnett’s iconic talent for earnest deadpan humor and Jon Klassen’s irresistibly funny art honor the timeless question with answers both ridiculous and plausible, mounting in hilarity as the night continues. Channeling a child’s fanciful explanations (and begging for further speculation), this latest collaboration by a New York Times best-selling team will find a secure spot among family holiday traditions.

A little magic is all Santa needs.

The creativity of this tale made me chuckle. I laughed out loud at an early scene showing the reindeer gently lowering Santa into a chimney head first, and the answers to this riddle only grew wilder from there. They reminded me of the way small children think about the world and how they can sometimes expect large things like a person to magically fit into small spaces with a little effort. It was delightful that the authors were able to tap into this portion of childhood and really dig deeply into the wacky side of how Christmas Eve visits from a magical elf might work.

As amused as I was by the premise, I would have liked to see a bit more character and plot development. Almost all of the pages were dedicated to coming up with all sorts of ways that Santa may enter homes even if there’s no chimney to climb down. I kept expecting the narrator to eventually share a solution that seemed more likely than the rest, and I was a little disappointed when that never happened.

With that being said, I did appreciate how the author wrote this to appeal to all sorts of children. Whether a little one wholeheartedly believes in Santa, is skeptical about the idea but still hopes it is true, or doesn’t believe at all, there were scenes in here to amuse a wide variety of audiences. I should note that this could easily prompt kids to discuss their differing beliefs about Santa if this is read in a mixed group of opinions, but I think that can be a good thing for everyone involved if handled well. Differences should be celebrated, not ignored!

How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? was a cute and cheeky read.

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The Dis’Aster Family’s Halloween by Helen C. Johannes

October 10, 2023 By 1 Comment


The Dis’Aster Family’s Halloween by Helen C. Johannes
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Holiday, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Meet the Dis’Aster Family!

The kids are creative. The parents are outnumbered. And the pets, well, they’re unusual.

When the kids decide to enter a Halloween costume contest, what could possibly go wrong?

Come along for the ride. Can Halloween survive?

Spooky season is coming, and some folks are more ready for it than others are.

It’s always nice to see large, happy families in children’s stories. I don’t come across this sort of family very often these days, and I was intrigued by how all of the siblings might get along. Luckily, I soon discovered plenty of examples of the ways they played together and hints about what they thought about having lots of brothers and sisters. It was heartwarming to get to know the Dis’Asters and see how they tackled all sorts of things that are more complicated when you have more relatives to think about.

I would have liked to see more plot development. The first half or so of this picture book was spent introducing the many members of the Dis’Aster family and sharing their hobbies. As helpful as it was to know who everyone was, this also meant that there wasn’t as much time to show how they spent their Halloween as I was expecting. Given how important that holiday was to them, I was surprised by the smaller amount of space that ended up being saved for it.

This read like something a child would come up with if he or she were telling it. Tapping into the imaginative ways kids think can be difficult for adults, so I tip my cap to Ms. Johannes for pulling it off so well. Creativity was infused into scenes that many adult readers might assume would turn out a different way instead. I smiled every time the characters once again did something I wasn’t expecting them to do.

The Dis’Aster Family’s Halloween was an exciting ride.

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The Skull by Jon Klassen

October 5, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Skull by Jon Klassen
Publisher: Candlewick
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Holiday, Paranormal, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Jon Klassen’s signature wry humor takes a turn for the ghostly in this thrilling retelling of a traditional Tyrolean folktale. In a big abandoned house, on a barren hill, lives a skull. A brave girl named Otilla has escaped from terrible danger and run away, and when she finds herself lost in the dark forest, the lonely house beckons. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something too, something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both? Steeped in shadows and threaded with subtle wit—with rich, monochromatic artwork and an illuminating author’s note—The Skull is as empowering as it is mysterious and foreboding.

Would you spend the night in a haunted house?

Otilla was a brave girl who I quickly grew to like. She was kind and sweet even when she was afraid. That’s not always an easy thing to accomplish, so it made me more curious to learn about where she came from and why she was running away from something that frightened her in the first scene. The more I learned about her, the more I wanted to know.

Some of the scenes in this picture book were pretty intense, especially since this was rated for ages 4 and older. I would be hesitant to read this with younger kids without first figuring out how much horror they can handle. Certainly some of them would love it, but I also felt that the talking skull’s biggest fear in life was much darker than what is typically written for preschoolers and elementary-aged readers.

Otilla’s friendship with the skull was sweet. Both of them had pasts they didn’t want to talk about and seemed to find difficult. It was rewarding to watch them figure out they had this in common and decide they were going to protect each other. Few things are better than having a friend who behaves so loyally!

I would have loved to see more character and plot development. The eerie setting had a nice Halloween vibe, but there weren’t a lot of explanations about who the skull was when it was alive and still had the rest of its body or how they were connected to the grand old mansion that was now slowly falling apart. As an adult, I was able to make certain assumptions about what the author might have meant based on subtle context clues, but I don’t think a lot of kids would necessarily pick up on enough of them to make sense of everything without help.

With that being said, I did enjoy the scenes that explained what the skull could and couldn’t do. For example, it could taste tea, but it could not keep tea inside of its mouth because it didn’t have a body or a stomach to digest it. There were multiple examples like this, and each one made me smile as I added more details to my mental file of what this character’s abilities and limitations were.

The Skull was a spooky Halloween read.

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How to Hug a Cactus by Emily S. Smith

October 4, 2023 By Leave a Comment


How to Hug a Cactus by Emily S. Smith
Publisher: Larrikin House
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

How do you hug a cactus? I’d really like to know. You see, I love my cactus, and my hugs will help it grow. A young girl explores the possibilities of hugging her most favourite plant, a cactus. With a little help from her family members and a gardening guru, she tries a number of solutions to help solve her prickly problem, all with varying degrees of success. How to Hug a Cactus is a story that will ‘stick’ with many readers.

Cacti need love, too!

Trying to figure out how the world works is an important part of childhood. If people and animals like hugs, why wouldn’t a cactus as well? I loved the main character’s explanations of why she wanted to hug her cactus so badly and how she planned to do so without getting poked by its stiff spikes. This sounded like exactly the sort of stage of life that kids often go through more than once as they grow up, and I loved the quirkiness of it all.

The protagonist was surrounded by supportive family members who had many different suggestions of ways to wrap the cactus up so that she could hug it without getting hurt. It was heartwarming for them to take this new interest of hers so seriously and to keep giving her ideas when the previous ones didn’t work. This is exactly how all families should behave, and I wanted to hug all of them for being so encouraging.

Reading the final scene convinced me that this was a five-star story for sure. While I loved the beginning and middle, too, the twist at the end fit into this world so well that I chuckled and wished for a sequel. It wrapped up the main conflict while leaving a lot of room for readers to wonder about how the main character was going to solve her new dilemma. If the author ever decides to write it, I’d sure like to find out what happens next.

How to Hug a Cactus was utterly adorable.

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Witch & Wombat by Ashley Belote

September 20, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Witch & Wombat by Ashley Belote
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Holiday, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Every witch will want a wombat after reading this humorous picture book perfect for little readers who want a new pet!

Wilma, a young witch, cannot wait to get her very first cat! But when the pet store is fresh out of kittens, Wilma brings home. . . a wombat?! What a CAT-astrophe! A wombat is nothing like a cat, but maybe if Wilma puts cat ears on the little critter, no one will notice. . . . (Spoiler alert: they do.)

This bright and fun picture book teaches young witches that our differences can be our strengths when we have an open mind!

Witches know exactly what they need…right?

This tale had a playful sense of humor that worked well for the surprises that sometimes come up during the spookiest time of year. I chuckled as I peered closer at certain funny illustrations and read other lines a second time for the sheer joy of it. Wilma was delightful, and her silly attempts to make her new pet act more like a cat couldn’t have been better. Halloween and humor aren’t mixed together very often, so it was heartwarming to see them included in the same storyline here.

I found myself wishing that the storekeeper had explained to Wilma why he thought a wombat was an acceptable substitute for the cat she had ordered. Did he make a mistake with the order form from his supplier? Were wombats a common pet to order from his store? Why didn’t he ask her in advance what she thought of this solution? The logic there never made sense to me, and it detracted from an otherwise enjoyable story.

With that being said, I did appreciate the messages about making the best of things, respecting differences, having a good sense of humor, and being flexible about your plans. These are lessons that many adults often need to learn just as much as kids do, so this is something that can appeal to readers of all ages. Life may not always turn out the way we like, but the plot twists in it might end up being even better than what we originally hoped for!

Witch & Wombat was a cute Halloween read.

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Badger’s Perfect Garden by Marsha Diane Arnold

September 13, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Badger’s Perfect Garden by Marsha Diane Arnold
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

It’s springtime and Badger is ready to plant the perfect garden. He has spent months gathering and sorting seeds. It’s been a lot of work but it’s worth it. His friends Red Squirrel, Dormouse, and Weasel come to help. They weed. They rake. And finally they plant. Afterward, everyone celebrates, and Badger can already imagine the perfect rows of flowers and vegetables. But then a rainstorm comes and washes away the beautiful seeds. Badger’s perfect garden is ruined. Or is it? Author Marsha Diane Arnold’s gentle story will encourage young readers to think beyond plans and expectations and imagine the wonderful possibilities that may occur when life and nature have other ideas.

Life is full of surprises.

I loved this picture book’s messages about being open to change and making the best of hard situations. Planning ahead and working hard are important, but they can’t guarantee that anything will turn out the way you hope it will. Sometimes all a badger, or a person, can do is go along with a sudden turn of events and see what happens next. That sort of flexibility is important for everyone, and I enjoyed the author’s take on one way to do it.

It would have been helpful to have a better flow to the storyline. The message of it was clear, but there wasn’t a lot of time to develop the characters or give the plot a chance to flourish. It had good bones, but there was so much more the author could have done with this piece. I would have happily chosen a higher rating if she’d added a few more layers to the writing to give the characters and plot some more depth.

Badger’s relationships with his friends were another highlight for me. They all cared about each other quite a bit, and it was heartwarming to see how they supported and encouraged Badger after his garden was washed away in a heavy thunderstorm. That’s exactly the sort of friend everyone should have when they’re struggling! Not every problem has an easy solution, but sticking with someone who is having a hard time can make that experience a better one for them.

Badger’s Perfect Garden made me smile.

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The Red Tin Box by Matthew Burgess

August 30, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Red Tin Box by Matthew Burgess
Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), LGBTQ, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Like modern-day Miss Rumphius and her promise to make the world a more beautiful place, this luminous story brings the scope of a lifetime into focus for a young reader and fills it with the magic of gifts given and received.

This moving and radiant story of the relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter, and the joy and promise passed down between them, begins one quiet dawn . . .
On the morning of her eighth birthday,
Maude buries a secret
at the foot of a flowering dogwood—
and inside it,
a tiny toy elephant,
a marble like a tiger’s eye,
a bird’s nest with purple string woven through the twigs,
and more.

A special box.
A gift, waiting for the right moment to be opened again.

At once lyrical and profound, this enchantingly illustrated book is a joyful celebration of intergenerational relationships and of the secret treasures of childhood. Young readers and adults will delight in the memories and magic tucked away in the red tin box.

REASSURING AND MAGICAL: In these unpredictable times, gentle stories have the power to reassure little ones that the most important things in life are still right in our hands. This beautiful book celebrates the enduring themes of family love, connection, and the power of memory with poignancy and care.

CELEBRATES INTERGENERATIONAL SHARING: The warmth between a grandmother and her granddaughter that this luminous picture book depicts serves as a beautiful model of the little moments that form fond memories and build lasting intergenerational relationships.

EVERYONE HAS A TREASURE: The collection of special objects in this story give a grandmother’s memories and connection to her granddaughter a physicality that even the youngest readers can use their own senses to understand, reinforcing the deeper meaning and mystery each one contains.

A MEANINGFUL GIFT: With gorgeous, color-drenched illustrations and lyrical text that illuminates a message of enduring love, this picture book makes a wonderful gift for any occasion, from birthdays to holidays, and every day of the year.

Perfect for:
Anyone seeking storytime books that celebrate family connection
Fans of beautiful and heartfelt picture books like The Giving Tree, One Morning in Maine, and Last Stop on Market Street
Gift book for new grandmothers, as part of a wishing well basket for baby shower, a birthday gift to a grandchild, or a classroom resource for diverse kids’ books
Any occasion that calls for distinctive books that will become treasured keepsakes

Childhood doesn’t last forever, but what if you could preserve a piece of it?

The relationship between Maude and her granddaughter was sweet and beautiful. I loved getting a taste of the sorts of quiet adventures they went on together, especially once the storyline explained what they hoped to accomplish on this trip. It’s always nice to have more stories about loving and involved grandparents, especially when they remember what it’s like to be a kid as clearly and fondly as this one did.

I was disappointed by how little time was spent explaining the contents of the red tin box. After all of the scenes that hyped up what Maude might have buried so many years before and why they were so meaningful to her, it felt odd to skim over these details so quickly in the last few scenes. If more attention had been paid to this, I would have happily gone for a much higher rating.

It was interesting to see how much the landscape stayed the same between when Maude buried her box and when she went back again to dig it up. There are a few places I know that are like that, and visiting them can feel like stepping back in the past in a soothing and wholesome way. This isn’t a feeling or a setting that’s easy to capture in a picture book, so I tip my cap to the author for pulling it off.

The Red Tin Box was a peaceful tale.

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Dozer’s Run – A True Story of a Dog and His Race by Debbie Levy and Rosana Panza

August 28, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Dozer’s Run – A True Story of a Dog and His Race by Debbie Levy and Rosana Panza
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Dozer the Goldendoodle has a wonderful life! He and his best friend, Chica, belong to a loving family. They have warm beds to sleep in, enough food to eat, and plenty of room in their yard to play and investigate. What more could a good dog want? As it turns out, Dozer wants an adventure. And when a runner runs past his yard, followed by another, and another, and another, Dozer decides to follow and see what is happening. In May 2011, unbeknownst to his owner, Dozer slipped out of his yard in Highland, Maryland, enticed by the sight of people running past. The runners were participating in the Maryland Half Marathon, a race benefitting the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center. Dozer joined the 2,000 runners in the race, inspiring everyone along the 13-mile race course. By the time his adventure was over and he was reunited with his family, Dozer’s “Run” encouraged thousands of pledges in support of the Greenebaum Cancer Center. This true story of a playful dog that actually runs a half marathon entertains as well as inspires.

There’s more than one way to win a marathon.

I loved the gentle humor of this picture book. Some of the funniest scenes were the ones that tried to explain Dozer’s explanation of what those mysterious humans were doing when he found so many of them running past his yard. Surely they must have been chasing something amazing, right? I grinned as he made the sudden decision to join them in their race to see if his assumption was correct.

It would have been helpful to have a better explanation of how this dog escaped from his yard, especially since Chica, the other dog in their family, stayed put. Did he find a hole in a fence or slip out of his leash, for example? If this question had been answered, I would have gone for a full five star rating.

There’s a chapter of this tale that nobody except Dozer will ever know the true details of that involves where he went and what he did after the marathon ended and he was relatively far away from home. The authors did a wonderful job of sharing what the humans were able to figure out about how he spent that night while still keeping everything factual. That must have been a tricky balance to maintain, so I’m glad they pulled it off so nicely.

Dozer’s Run – A True Story of a Dog and His Race was a thrilling adventure.

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Pete the Cat and the Itsy Bitsy Spider by James Dean

August 24, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Pete the Cat and the Itsy Bitsy Spider by James Dean
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: Childrens (0-5 yrs), Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Pete the Cat’s cool adaptation of the classic children’s song “Itsy Bitsy Spider” will have have young readers laughing and singing along.

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout. Down came the rain….

As the itsy bitsy spider struggles, Pete and his friends know just what to do to help out!

Fans of James Dean’s #1 New York Times bestselling Pete the Cat will love rocking out with Pete.

I loved this book!

It’s so cute. The itsy bitsy spider story is fun and now it’s been told with Pete the Cat. Children can sing along with the story and it’s repetitive, so it’s easy for younger readers. It’s also got a good message that you should never give up. Keep trying. I loved that. The art is so colorful and bright, too, sure to draw in younger readers.

If you’re looking for a fun book for a rainy afternoon, this one is sure to please.

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