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Aisha's Colors teach joy

Aisha's Colors teach joy @candlewickpress

Aisha’s Colors, by Nabila Adani, (Sept. 2024, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536235401 Ages 3-7 A young girl living in Jakarta wishes her family would go on a vacation somewhere different, somewhere exciting, like her friends do. Her family takes the same trip every year: they drive to her Grandma’s village in the countryside. As her family sets out on their trip, Aisha thinks of the colors…

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It's hard to share our favorites: Mauntie and Me

It's hard to share our favorites: Mauntie and Me @candlewickpress

Mauntie and Me, by Rajani LaRocca/Illustrated by Nadia Alam, (Nov. 2024, Candlewick Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536229417 Ages 3-7 It can be really difficult to share our favorite family members: in Mauntie and Me, Priya is the youngest of her cousins and feels left behind when the family gathers on weekends. But it’s okay, because she has her mom’s youngest sister, who she calls Mauntie: short for…

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Pavlo Gets the Grumps - we all know it, don't we?

Pavlo Gets the Grumps - we all know it, don't we? @candlewickpress

Pavlo Gets the Grumps, by Natalia Shaloshvili, (Sept. 2024, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536235548 Ages 3-7 Pavlo is not in a great mood today. Mama has all sorts of great ideas, but Pavlo doesn’t want to do any of them: “The swings are too swingy, the sandbox is too sandy, and… the slide is too SLIDEY!” Pavlo adamantly refuses to admit it: he’s got the Grumps, and Mama gets him out the…

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Meet Marc Brown's newest friend, Hop

Arthur fans, get ready! Marc Brown has a new group of friends for readers to meet, and they’ll be coming to Max in April. Hop Helps Out, by Marc Brown, (Feb. 2025, Orchard Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781339035680 Ages 2-6 Hop is a frog who lives in Fair Village with his friends. One day, he and his friend Benny meet a troll named Helga, who’s crying by a bridge. She wants to explore and see the…

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Christmas? Hanukkah? We have books for that!

In today’s “books for holiday storytimes”… Gingerbread Dreidels, by Jane Breskin Zalben/Illustrated by Thai Phuong, (Aug. 2024, Charlesbridge), $17.99, ISBN: 9781623543655 Ages 4-7 Christmas and Hanukkah fall on the same day this year! Siblings Sophie and Max are confused: they normally celebrate both holidays, but let’s get to the big question: will this mean they get half the presents? This…

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STOP THE PRESSES! NEW MOUSE GUARD INCOMING!

STOP THE PRESSES! NEW MOUSE GUARD INCOMING! @boom_studios

Holy cow, was this a great announcement to read. Mouse Guard is an Eisner and Harvey Award-winning graphic novel and comic book series; it’s a fantasy setting similar to Brian Jacques’s Redwall books. The Mouse Guard was formed to protect mice against predators. It’s a great series; my son (now in his mid-20s) was a tremendous fan when he was a kid, which naturally got me reading it. We were both…

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Whazzat? You want MORE book suggestions? Happy Holidays, I got you.

Whazzat? You want MORE book suggestions? Happy Holidays, I got you. @blue_slip_media @schifferpublishing @sasquatchbooks

You need kids’ books? I have recommendations! For the kid who loves cars and trucks and things that go: Big Bertha: How a Massive Tunnel Boring Machine Dug a Highway under Seattle, by Amanda Abler/Illustrated by Katy Wu, (Sept. 2024, Little Bigfoot), $18.99, ISBN: 9781632173065 Ages 7-10 Have an emerging middle grader who loves reading about heavy machinery and vehicles? Big Bertha is the book…

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Holiday Shopping Suggestions!

Holiday Shopping Suggestions! @kanemillerbooks @kingstonimperialbooks @harperkids @finnpartners

I’m back with more holiday book shopping ideas! Let’s see what we have today: For the young entrepreneur: Ryder K The Mini Boss: The Littlest Hands, Yet the Biggest Dreams, by Cheyenne Davis, Margaret Bowdre, & Ryder K Wharton/Illustrated by Niles Britwum, (Nov. 2024, Kingston Imperial), $16.99, ISBN: 9781954220782 Ages 5-9 Many will recognize 7-year-old entrepreneur and her mother, Cheyenne…

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Books for your Christmas storytime

Books for your Christmas storytime @blue_slip_media @kanemillerbooks @randomhousekids @candlewickpress

It’s that time: the Christmas storytime! Here are a few good ones to consider.   Socks: A Christmas Kid’s Lament, by JD McPherson/Illustrated by Anika Orrock, (Sept. 2024, Walker Books), $15.99, ISBN: 9781536237023 Ages 3-7 Singer-songwriter McPherson’s picture book debut is about a Christmas present kids dread: SOCKS. A young boy creeps down to his Christmas tree early one Christmas morning,…

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Indie spotlight!

I haven’t done this in a bit, so let’s shine the indie spotlight on a few books! I’ve been catching up on Mount TBR, and I’ve got a few that may have missed your notice in the last year. Let’s meet some new-to-us, folks, shall we? Play for Me, Peter, by Carol Selick/Illustrated by Blueberry Illustrations, (July 2023, Carol Selick), $11.99, ISBN: 979-8218190521 Singer, songwriter, and novelist…

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Holiday Shopping Suggestions!

Over the next few days, I’ll be working on a few holiday shopping ideas. To paraphrase one of the pillars of Library Science, there’s a book for every reader, right? If you need some books for some littles over the next couple of days, I got you. For the kid who loves being outdoors: On a Mushroom Day, by Chris Baker & Alexandra Finkeldey, (July 2024, Tundra Books), $18.99, ISBN:…

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Being a Jane Austen Murder Mystery Spin-Off: In Want of a Suspect b

In Want of a Suspect (A Lizzie & Darcy Mystery), by Tirzah Price, (Nov. 2024, HarperCollins), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063278028 Ages 12+ The Jane Austen Murder Mysteries brought some of the author’s favorite characters to cozy mystery life, but author Tirzah Price gives us more in a new spin-off starring Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy! In Want of a Suspect features Lizzie, working as a…

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Check out The Creative Company's READ AND PLAY HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY!

Hi all! I haven’t done a big holiday giveaway in a while, so we’re due, don’cha think? The kind and lovely folks over at The Creative Company have goodies for you: read on! There’s a little something for everyone! The Creative Company is known for its high-quality, visually stunning books that inspire and educate young readers. To celebrate the holiday season, The Creative Company is giving away…

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The Murder Next Door examines trauma

The Murder Next Door: A Graphic Memoir, by Hugh D’Andrade, (Feb. 2025, Street Noise Books), $20.99, ISBN: 9781951491352 Ages 14+ In 1978, Hugh discovered his friends crying outside their home in his neighborhood. They had come home from school and discovered their mother lying on the floor, murdered. Forty years later, he’s an adult with a successful career and social life, but he’s also haunted…

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A Plausible Dystopia? You Must Take Part in Revolution

You Must Take Part in Revolution, by Melissa Chan & Badiucao, (March 2025, Street Noise Books), $23.99, ISBN: 9781951491291 Ages 16+ Set in 2035 during a war between the U.S. and China, with Taiwan divided between the two, You Must Take Part in Revolution is a stark dystopian graphic novel created by a nactivist artist and an international journalist, both exiled from China for their stances. In…

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The Backyard Detectives are on the case!

The Backyard Detectives are on the case! @daisyhillpublishing

Mystery on the Sidewalk (Backyard Detectives, Inc. #1), by Ann Biedenharn, (Nov. 2024, Daisy Hill Publishing), $26.15, ISBN: 979-8-9897014-0-7 Ages 5-7 Alec is a young Backyard Detective with a secret partner: a British mouse named Flint, and the two kick off a fun new series when they attempt to solve the mystery of the purple goo that shows up on his grandmother’s sidewalk one morning. Through…

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Simply Magical: The Boy and the Elephant

Simply Magical: The Boy and the Elephant @randomhousekids @blue_slip_media @freyablackwood

The Boy and the Elephant, by Freya Blackwood, (Aug. 2024, Random House Studio), $19.99, ISBN: 6780183707661 Ages 4-8 Kate Greenaway Medalist Blackwood weaves a wordless fantasy that will leave readers breathless. A child lives in a building in a bustling city and appears lost in the shuffle. He drifts through a daily routine of getting dressed, shuffling through crowds to go to school, sitting…