Do you have a little one who loves board books and interactive books? Today we are sharing four new ones! Three of which are being released today!! One of them is about a Netflix movie that came out this summer, Swapped. We will start with that one. It is Ollie's Big Adventure by Maggie Testa. It is recommended for ages 2 to 5.
We are in the dog days of summer, but back to school is quickly approaching. That means the change of seasons. Have you ever noticed each season has its own special wonders? Today we are sharing a beautiful picture book sharing some of the curiosities of each season and more. The book is Wonder: A Song of the Seasons by Julia Key and illustrated by Helen Cann. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
I always love books that teach something. Today we are sharing two new board books that teach lessons about shapes, colors, and more in fun ways! The first book is We See Triangles by Andrea Pippins. It is recommended for ages 0 to 3. I however would consider using it with my high school geometry students!
June 14th is Flag Day in the United States. It is a day to remember the adoption of the red, white, and blue flag on June 14, 1777 by the Second Continental Congress. I liked to celebrate Flag Day with Hazel by reading books about the flag and doing flag crafts. Today we are going to share two picture books themed around the flag. One relates the flag to our country with colors and words. The book is Blue Sky White Stars by Sarvinder Naberhaus and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Boston is one of the host cities for the World Cup this year. We have been hearing about it for months. It is a perfect time to introduce young ones to soccer, and we are sharing a book that is perfect for that! Plus, another board book that is about counting and has airplanes! Starting with the soccer book, it is Hello, World! Soccer by Jill McDonald. It is recommended for ages 0 to 3. It is part of the Hello, World! series.
In our society we are taught that white means good. White is beautiful. White is pure. The good guy wears the white hat or rides the white horse. Brides wear white historically to show purity. Black is seen as the bad guy's hat or the color to wear when mourning. These messages are slowing leaving our society, but they still exist and send messages to our kids. I shared my heartbreaking story several years ago of witnessing a young Black girl say the white Barbie was prettier than the same Black Barbie. Same dress and everything but the skin color and hair color were different. It broke my heart. It is because of stories like this that I feel it is important to have books like I am sharing today. The two picture books for today are celebrating how amazing Black children are. The first one is Black Girl, Bloom Bright by Mahogany L. Browne and illustrated by Sawyer Cloud. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
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.
Spring time seems to mean gatherings with family and friends. There is Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduations, showers and weddings. Today we are sharing three new picture books about special ties with family and friends. The first book is about friendship. It is Sheep & Goat Climb the World by A. C. Paolini and illustrated by Monica Arnaldo. It is recommended for ages 3 to 7.
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 Barbara A. Berger.
Yes. No. Maybe. Three words that have so much meaning and power. They are the options on an evite. They are the answers to so many questions. "Did you do it?" "Do you have it?" "Do you agree?" "Do you understand?" Today we are going to share a book that tells us how those three little words can change everything. The book is Yes! No. Maybe? Three Little Words That Change Everything by Barbara A. Berger, PCC and illustrated by Brent Pettit. At the end of this post is a 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!!
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.
Last week I was on spring break and Steve and I headed to Kissimmee, Florida. We stayed at our timeshare there and had a wonderful time. It was our first vacation without Hazel. She is on spring break this week. Instead of heading to Disney or Universal, we decided to check out Wild Florida. I was interested in the Drive-Thru Safari with a Giraffe Feeding Platform, and Steve was interested in the airboats. I noticed they had an animal encounter experience of painting with a giraffe. I was in. We scheduled the drive-thru safari, painting with a giraffe and an hour airboat for Wednesday. It was amazing!! So, my craft for this week is painting with a giraffe.
It has been a very long time since I have done a Relaxing Friday Review! I remember when I did them regularly. However, I have not been getting many adult coloring books to review recently, and I guess the adult coloring trend died down a bit. If you go back to my first Relaxing Friday Review, you will see some ways coloring as an adult can help with your thinking skills. There are advantages to it and I am happy to start doing it again. Today we are sharing a newly released coloring book. It is Pop Manga Paint and Ink Coloring Book by Camilla d'Ericco.
Board books are great for different ages. Babies can't harm them too much and as kids get older, they can handle the flaps and such. Today we are sharing a roundup of board books. They range in recommended ages from 0 to 7. A couple are being rereleased and the others are new this month. The first book is 123s of Kindness at Bedtime by Patricia Hegarty and illustrated by Summer Macon. It is part of the Books of Kindness Collection and is recommended for ages 0 to 3.
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.
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.
Being back at school this week has been trying. I have been exhausted most nights and haven't been able to share books and more much with you. Today I am going to share a newly released book that is perfect for the winter and animal lovers! It is Arctic Adventure: A Tundra Tale by Jyoti Rajan Gopal and illustrated Alexandra Cook. It is recommended for ages 3 to 6. After the review there is a roundup of arctic animal crafts to go with the book.
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.
