Van Gogh's Dog -- Creative & Fun Picture Book

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Who is your favorite painter? Or what is your favorite type of art? In elementary school I had an amazing art teacher who took the fifth grade to New York City to go the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts. First, you had to pass a test though. The test was on the Impressionists. I have loved Impressionist art ever since. Monet is my favorite and then probably van Gogh or Degas. Have you ever wondered what inspired them to paint their masterpieces? Today we are sharing a new picture book that is fictional but shares a thought about what may have inspired some of van Gogh's famous paintings. It is called Van Gogh's Dog by Georgia Larson and illustrated by Grace Helmer. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8. 

Earth Day Book Extravaganza for Ages 2 to 12

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in order to provide honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

Happy Earth Day 2026! There are many ways to celebrate Earth Day! One is learning about the Earth and the life on it. Another is doing something to help our world. Today we are going to share a roundup of books from board books to a middle grade book on topics including animals, plants, gardens, and being eco-friendly. We will start with the two board books from the same series. They are You Are a Garter Snake! and You Are a Robin! by Laurie Ann Thompson and illustrated by Jay Fleck. They are part of the Meet Your World Series. The series is recommended for ages 2 to 5.

Hope Rode: The Promise of the Packhorse Librarians -- a Picture Book Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own. This post is sponsored by Lauren H. Kerstein.

Did you know that National Library Week is officially April 19 to April 26 this year? Have you ever thought about the importance of the library? It serves so many purposes for different people from a place to be able to read books for free to a place to use the internet for free as well as a place with heat or air conditioning in different weather. I know some people argue that we do not need the public libraries now that we have digital books and more, but I disagree. I think libraries serve more purposes than ever before. It can be a children's program that helps the new parents or new to the town kids meet others. It can be where the unemployed go to look for new jobs and possibly even get help with their resume. There are many services libraries serve and today we are going to look at a book that shares a very different library service in a different time. The book is Hope Rode: The Promise of the Packhorse Librarians by Lauren H. Kerstein and illustrated by Becca Stadtlander. After my review is a giveaway!!

Books to Gift This Spring & Beyond!

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these products in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Spring brings many gift giving times. There are the holidays--Mother's Day and Father's Day, graduations, weddings, new babies and more. Today we are sharing some fun books for gifts for these occasions (Father's Day ideas will come later). We will start with ideas for Mother's Day. The first book is a board book. It is World's Best Mom by Lynn Giunta. The recommended ages are 0 to 3.

Japanese Haiku for Cat Lovers

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

April is here and that means National Poetry Month is here! Today we are sharing a new poetry book with you all about cats!! It is a book full of haiku about cats. If you don't know what a haiku is, it is a Japanese poem. The book for today is Japanese Haiku for Cat Lovers complied and illustrated by Manda and translated and introduced by William Scott Wilson. This is a perfect book for cat lovers as well as poetry lovers!

Mom-Themed Picture Books with a Flower Craft Roundup

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

April showers bring May flowers. May flowers are perfect for Mom for Mother's Day! Today we are sharing two newly released mom-themed picture books and one of them is about flowers, so we are including a flower craft roundup! Each book is a wonderful reminder of how important mom is to kids. The first book is When We Were Snails by Nan Cao. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Inbetweens -- Tween Graphic Novel Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Ever wonder what it is like to be a twin? What happens when you and your twin follow your shared dream and it isn't what either of you expected? Today we are sharing a new tween graphic novel that explores this. The book is Inbetweens by Faith Erin Hicks. It is recommended for ages 10 to 14.

Rescue Clickity Clack -- Book Review & Giveaway with Crab Craft Roundup

 

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Debra Pehrson Haun. The review and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal views.

As spring approaches, thoughts of summer adventures do as well. That always brings me to thoughts of the beach. When Hazel was younger, I loved finding books about the beach and ocean creatures around this time of year to get us thinking about our summer plans. Today I get to share a fun picture book about a crab, and it is interactive!! The book is Rescue Clickity Clack by Debra Pehrson Haun. At the end of this post is a crab craft roundup to go with the book and a giveaway!!

Paint by Sticker: Architecture -- a Relaxing Friday Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Did you have a sticker book when you were a child? Or a sticker collection? I loved stickers when I was young. Hazel did too. I find my students still love stickers even as high school students. A while ago I noticed Paint by Sticker books. I saw them first for children. I thought they were interesting but didn't give them much thought. I saw them come out with more complex ones for adults. This was during the big rise of adult coloring. I had so many coloring books I didn't spend the money on the sticker books. However, I jumped at the opportunity to review one for today. It was released this week. It is Paint by Sticker (Official): Architecture by Workman Publishing. This is not one of the kids versions but one for adults or young adults.

Mama Won't Mind -- Picture Book Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

What is special to a mother on her birthday? If a gift from a child is not what she expected, does she mind? Today we are sharing a sweet book about the special bond between mother and child. The book is Mama Won't Mind by Kathleen Bahr and illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki. It is recommended for ages 3 to 7.

What Can You Make with a Cardboard Box? -- Cardboard Creations Crafty Sunday

What can you create from a cardboard box or two? This is what we asked our students for the last two weeks in February. Our school stops academics for two weeks and offers mini courses. One mini course is always for the theater department to prepare for the METG drama festival. For the non-theater kids, we change the course offerings each year, and they pick two classes--one for each week. This year I was offering Cardboard Creations with the physics/chemistry/math teacher. The first week is four days because of Presidents' Day and the second week was supposed to be five days, but we had a blizzard so it turned out to be only three days. 

New Picture Books About Growing Up

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in order to provided honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

A lot can happen as you get older. Especially in the younger years. Today we are sharing two new picture books released this week about some of those moments of becoming a big kid and standing out. The first book is Bartleby by Matt Phelan. It is recommended for ages 3 to 6. 

New Board Books with Special Features

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in order to provide honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

Board books are often thought of just for babies and toddlers. However, board books are also the books that have lift flaps, pop-up art, and more fun features that can be ruined pretty quickly by a young child, so they are better for older kids who understand how to be gentle. Today we are sharing two new board books with special features. One is recommended for ages 0 to 3 and the other is for ages 6+. We will start with the one for 0 to 3. It is Clickety Clack: Clack-Clack, Little Crab! by Amy Blay.

The Incredible Adventures of Casper the Cat Who Got Lost in Africa: The Ostriches -- Book Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital 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 Jennifer Ussi to bring you this post.

I love stories that are fun to read and teach about different places and animals. They are even better when they have life lessons in them as well.  Today we get to share the sixth book in The Incredible Adventures of Casper the Cat Who Got Lost in Africa: The Ostriches by Jennifer Ussi and illustrated by Lekshmi Bose. We shared our review of the first book in this fun series previously. This post has an amazing giveaway at the end of it!

New Picture Books About Courage, Imagination & Changing One's Ways

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

There have been so many amazing picture books released lately. Today we are sharing two new ones that focus on imagination and stepping out of one's comfort zone. The first book is Maya's World by Andrea Pippins. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Houdini's Library

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Name a magician. Most people tend to name Harry Houdini, even today. He is that well known. Over the years Hazel and I have explored Harry Houdini, but I don't know that much about his life. Today we are sharing a wonderful new picture book biography on him and his love of books. The book is Houdini's Library by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Mar Delmar. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8, but I would say it is on the older side of that maybe 6 to 10. 

Celebrate Nowruz A Persian New Year Holiday to Honor Spring

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

The Lunar New Year begins this week! 2026 will be the year of the horse. We have done quite a bit with the lunar new year in the past. Today we are looking at a Persian New Year Holiday that honors spring. It is Nowruz. This year it will be March 20, 2026. It begins at the precise time spring begins every year. To learn about it we are sharing a newly released book called Celebrate Nowruz! A Persian New Year Holiday to Honor Spring by Zohreh Ghahremani and illustrated by Susie Ghahremani. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Two Picture Books by Jacqueline Woodson About Family & Love

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in order to provide honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

Family is important. Family is love. For most family is safety. Today we are sharing two beautiful picture books by Jacqueline Woodson about family with very different messages. The first book is Our Gracie Aunt by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Monica Mikai. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Picture Books with Animals Sharing Friendship, Community & More

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

There were many books released this week. Today we are sharing four of them about animals, community, friendship and more. They are all picture books, and each has a lesson in it. We will start with one about a hummingbird's annual migration. It is Hummingbird's Big Trip by G. Brian Karas. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Bread Is Love -- New Picture Book Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When I was in middle and high school, I loved baking bread. I made it almost every week. I tried to share this love with Hazel when she was growing up. When we did the parent child class at a Waldorf School, we were making bread there or at least kneading and shaping bread every class. Today we get to share a beautiful new book about a mom who shares her love of baking bread with her kids each week. The book is Bread Is Love by Pooja Makhijani and illustrated by Lavanya Naidu. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.