FEBRUARY

In honor of Black History month, I'm highlighting several picture books I read this month. The Doll Test: Choosing Equality by Carole Boston Weatherford is a must read. It highlights the harm segregation brings to everyone involved. Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo is just a delightful book that highlights the difficult experience of fitting into a new school when you don't know English, the comfort of familiar foods packed in your lunchbox, and the bridge they can create to make new friends. And please find a copy of To See an Owl by Matthew Cordell. It's a delightful read. Almost Underwear by Jonathan Roth is a great non-fiction read about a bolt of cloth that should have been made into underwear but was used to cover the wings of the Wright Flyer instead. And went on to have even greater adventures! Who knew being a cloth rectangle could be so exciting?! I was lucky to receive a digital ARC of Louis Sachar's first novel for adults. The Magician of Tiger Castle was a great read! Look for it in August.

   

   

   

   

    

  

  

 

 

     

 

  

 

 WELCOME 2025!

Happy Year of the Snake! I learned a LOT about lion dancers this month and they are fascinating. Check out The Chinese New Year Helper or We Are Lion Dancers if you want to learn more about the traditions for Lunar New Year. Planning ahead, Stopping by Jungle on a Snowy Evening would be an excellent choice for poetry month in April. Bibsy Cross is a fun new beginning chapter book series! Though be forewarned - Bibsy is quite the handful!  A Sleepless Night and John the Skeleton were both Batchelder award winners (books originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States). A Sleepless Night is very funny and John the Skeleton is a poignant story about a retired classroom skeleton and the family that adopts him. I found them both on Hoopla if you have access to that platform. Never judge a book by its cover - but The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong has a beautiful cover AND it is a great fantasy story! If you are in the mood for a tear-jerker of a memoir, read the late Caleb Carr's story of his beloved cat, Masha, in My Beloved Monster.