This book had me laughing and laughing because it was so relatable.
How many times have I been driving and thought I will make it through that traffic light only to almost make it before it turns red? As a petite person, I also completely relate with Abby (the main character) feeling like she’s almost tall enough… I’m almost tall enough to grab an item off the top shelf in the grocery store when standing on my tippy toes!
The humor isn’t the only thing I loved about this book. I also loved how the author shifts perspectives – is almost always a bad thing? Or can it sometimes be a good thing? I can see how this book could be used to spark interesting conversations with kids about how they feel about the “almosts.”
And let’s talk about that title – I was instantly curious to know what the book was about just from reading A Bad Case of the Almosts. The main character is adorable, and this story puts me in a positive mindset.
The "almosts" are ruining Abby's life! She's almost tall enough. She's almost a star student. She's almost first in line... and on and on it goes. So why even bother entering the science competition? The almosts will ruin it anyway. But what if Abby is wrong? Maybe the almosts can actually be a good thing...?
Feeling disappointment is a part of life, and Janet Sumner Johnson tackles that feeling with force in this inspirational picture book. In her signature child-friendly text, Johnson highlights the importance of seeing positives in every situation and using a growth mindset to live your best…
I was instantly attracted to this book because of its cover—the title Wild Blue is very intriguing and the bike’s shadow that becomes a horse is so clever.
I loved all the illustrations—they perfectly captured how Kayla (the main character) sees bikes to be horses. The author’s word choices, showing us how Kayla is a cowgirl and a budding horseback rider made me smile. I also loved Wild Blue’s character and Kayla’s determination to tame her.
Plus, I love horses, biking, and the great outdoors, so this book is a great fit for me!
In a charming take on a milestone moment, a young girl summons a cowpoke's courage to tame her intimidating new bicycle.
Kayla loves riding her pink pony, a three-wheeled bike, up and down the street, day after day. But then Daddy announces that it's time for a big-kid bike, one with just two wheels. At the store, Kayla selects her mount, but when she tries to ride it, she is thrown-again and again. Can she tame this intimidating set of wheels? Or is the new blue bike just too wild? Tender and relatable, Wild Blue captures the emotions of moving…
Sometimes I wish I could share certain places that I loved in my childhood with my kids, but those places have changed—the skating rink in the mall has closed, the firetruck I loved to climb in one of the town’s playgrounds has been replaced with a modern playset, the pond I used to love walking around is now surrounded by apartment complexes.
This story kind of captures this—a young boy goes to visit his mother’s hometown but it’s no longer exactly as she’s described it to him. One of the things I really appreciated about this book though is how the author manages to show that sometimes those places still provide joy, despite being different. It encouraged me to take the kids to some places I know have changed, and guess what?
The kids loved it, even if it is not exactly the way it was. Lastly, the book’s illustrations helped me feel like I was getting a virtual visit to Korea, and getting to see other countries is always a plus!
When a young boy and his mother travel overseas to her childhood home in Korea, the town is not as he imagined. Will he be able to see it the way Mommy does?
This gentle, contemplative picture book about family origins invites us to ponder the meaning of home. A young boy loves listening to his mother describe the place where she grew up, a world of tall mountains and friends splashing together in the river. Mommy’s stories have let the boy visit her homeland in his thoughts and dreams, and now he’s old enough to travel with her to…
A cautious little boy and a thrill-seeking giraffe hit the ski slopes in this hilarious learn-to-ski story. The giraffe wants to learn to ski—but not on the bunny hill. She wants to go down the big scary slope! Enjoy this riotous journey as the narrator tries to reign their giraffe in—and learns something about courage along the way.
