Today is the BIG DAY!! It is Read Your World Day! To celebrate we get to share our last Read Your World review for 2026! The book is Raven's Gift: A Feathered Flight of Faith by Claire Annette Noland and illustrated by Desiree Cordon. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8 and is a Christmas book. But before I tell you about this fun book, let's tell you about Read Your World Day!
I love books that share what life is like in different cultures. Today I get to share one that allows us to learn about the Nomad life in Somalia. The book is Suuban's First Day: A First Day of Herding Story by Shugri Salh and illustrated by Àlàbá Ònájìn. It is recommended for ages 3 to 6.
Can you believe it? Read Your World Day is almost here!! The celebration is this Thursday!! Have you signed up for the virtual party yet? Today we are sharing a diverse young adult book as part of the special day! The book is the first in a series of two books. The book is Standard Models: Ordinary Gods: a Comedy About a K-Pop Group and Their Fans by Diana Huang. It is recommended for ages 12 to 18.
How is life different in New York City and Alexandria, Egypt? There are different languages, customs, foods and so much more. Today's book shares how one boy's life is different in both countries where he lives when visiting his grandparents. This review is for Read Your World Day! The book is Zamzam by Karen Leggett Abouraya and illustrated by Susan L. Roth. It is recommended for ages 5 to 9.
Can you believe Valentine's Day is only a month away? It seems time to start spreading some love and I think our society needs it. Today we are sharing three new picture books that share about family love. One was even released this week! We will start with that one which is Apapacho Love by Cynthia Harmony and illustrated by Erika Meza. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Lunar New Year is in February this year. In Chinese astrology 2026 will be the year of the fire horse. Many countries celebrate the lunar new year, but we often hear about the Chinese culture. Today we are sharing three new picture books that share a bit of Chinese culture celebrating different holidays: Lunar New Year and Ghost Festival Month. Lunar New Year begins February 17 and ends March 3 with the Lantern Festival. Our first book is about a young girl traveling with her mother back to her mother's childhood home for the lunar new year. It is We Always Had Wings by Jess X. Snow. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
It is January and that means #ReadYourWorld Day is coming!! This year I am one of the book reviewers once again. I believe I may have missed one year but have been reviewing books for almost every one of the fourteen years! Today we are sharing our first book for the 2026 day. It is Lorena and the Magic Mocha Mirror by Valerie Williams-Sanchez. It is recommended for ages 6 to 8 and the second edition is Dyslexia-friendly! Before we get to our review, we will share a bit about Read Your World.
Have you ever noticed that the majority of picture books about hair are about Black people? Have you ever wondered why? My guess is the discrimination that happens to Black people around their hair. According to the CROWN (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural hair) Coalition's 2023 Workplace Research Study, over 20% of Black women, aged 25-34, have been sent home from work over their hair. And according to the 2021 Dove and CROWN Study for Girls, 45% of all Black girls say they have experienced hair discrimination. When you think about commercials for hair products what race do you see? Hair products are different for different races because hair between races is very different.
I will admit that the title of today's book intrigued me. After all anyone who has been following Crafty Moms Share knows I have a thing for birds. This book is not really a book about rather connections for a young bird lover with social anxiety. The book is The Language of Birds by Jon-Erik Lappano and illustrated by Zach Manbeck. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
For those who celebrate, did you enjoy your Thanksgiving? We had a nice time with my family. Yesterday was Black Friday which is of course the kickoff to holiday shopping. Did you get any deals? Today I thought I would share some gift ideas for kids. I love gifting books especially ones they can use to create or keep themselves busy. Today I have three great books for you and all three have a Japanese spin to them. We will start with the first one that is truly one that is meant for creating. It is Hokusai Dot-to-Dot Puzzle Book from Tuttle Publishing. I would say this is for upper elementary and older. My middle school and high school students love this book!
I have shared three roundups of new Christmas picture books as well as reviews of some other ones this month. Today I am sharing at another December holiday--Hanukkah and winter books for you to check out. We will start with the Hanukkah book. It is Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Hanukkah Party! by Leslie Kimmelman and illustrated by Tom Brannon. It is recommended for ages 3 to 7.
Last week we shared some fun Christmas books. Today we are adding to our collection of new holiday picture books with our third roundup. Some of these books will be familiar and others are new! We will start with one of the ones that will sound familiar. It is The War Is Over! by Brad Booker, Dave Mullins and Sean Ono Lennon and illustrated by Max Narciso. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
It is hard to believe it is holiday season. Christmas is right around the corner so that means that it is time to share some of the new holiday books!! Today's grouping are books for younger kids. The first is a board book. It is Crocodile Christmas by J.D. Forester and illustrated by Reshu Lakra. It is recommended for ages 0 to 3.
It has been a while since I have shared a fairy tale book. Our Fairy Tales in Different Cultures is one of our most popular series and has our popular posts. Today I am sharing a modern version of Little Red Riding Hood with much humor and definitely some twists. The book is Little Red and Big, Bad Fred by Ashley Belote. It is recommended for ages 3 to 7 and Little Red is a Black boy.
Before we were married Steve and I took a trip to Phoenix, Arizona. We stayed at a wonderful resort, Wild Horse Pass, that at the time was run by a Native American tribe. We went in February, and they had fire pits with storytelling around the fire some nights. As you can imagine I loved it! We also visited the Heard Museum and I believe we went to the Phoenix Indian School. It was Steve's first time hearing about the Indian Boarding Schools and the horrible piece of history that white men did to our Tribal Nation residents. I was surprised he hadn't heard of it, but I guess my love of Native American cultures is the reason I knew. Beginning in the 1800s and into the 1900s the United States and Canadian governments were horrible to Native Americans. The children were forced into boarding or residential schools where they tried to get the tribal culture out of them. Or the children were adopted by white families and basically kidnapped from their homes for this to happen. Again, the reason was to colonialize the children and get the native out of them. Today I get to share a wonderful new picture book that shares Na'kusset's story of childhood and dealing with the loss of culture and family. The book is I Am My Name by Na'kusset and Judith Henderson and illustrated by Onedove. It is recommended for ages 6 to 9.
Here is a review a long time coming. I am still working on my pile of chapter books from this summer. This one actually finishes the books I shared back in June but the pile has grown with some new ones. I'll share them at the end of this post in case any will interest you or a reader in your life for the holidays. Today I am sharing a fun fantasy middle grade novel that is full of magic and adventure. The book is Vanya and the Wild Hunt by Sangu Mandanna. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.
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!
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.
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!
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.
