For MCBC this year, I received an advanced copy of Avocado Magic, written and illustrated by Taltal Levi (NorthSouth Books, 2024).  This is a lovely story with beautiful illustrations. A young girl named Ellie is impatient to grow up, until her father shows her the magic of avocados. He helps her plant a seed and care for and nurture the tree as it slowly grows over the years. Ellie takes the potted tree with her when she moves out and starts her own family, passing on the magic of the avocado to her son. There are even instructions at the end for how to grow your own avoc ..read more

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Once again, I am honored to participate in Multicultural Children's Book Day. This year I received two book to review!  The Adventures of Keva: The Power of the Trees by Ebony Zayzay, illustrated by Upit Dyoni (2021). Keva loves exploring nature with her parents, especially learning about the power of trees and how essential they are to our planet. When her favorite "mother" tree, Iya, is chopped down, she experiences the magic of the tree and the importance of conservation. I loved the bright, graphic style of the illustrations. Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess by Deedee Cummings, illu ..read more

Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Garth Williams (1957).  While of course I'm a fan of both the author and illustrator, I hadn't read this book until recently. I found it online and thought it sounded lovely so decided to buy it. I'm glad I did. It's a simple story of a little girl who is too young to understand time, so each month her mother helps her look forward to the holidays and seasons. The text and illustrations are wonderfully evocative of early childhood.  ..read more

Love is Powerful by Heather Dean Brewer, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (Candlewick Press, 2020). Happy Multicultural Children's Book Day! I was very fortunate this year to receive a free copy of this wonderful book to review. It's lovely story about the Women's March in 2017. Here is the blurb: "Mari and Mama are making a sign, a message for the world. But Mari wonders how something so little will been seen by the whole world. And how can someone as small as Mari be heard over the hundreds of thousands of people gathered to march? But Mama isn't worried, because their sign is a message of love ..read more

 12 Days of Christmas by Lara Hawthorne (Quarto Publishing, 2020).  What a beautiful book illustrating the traditional carol. I love looking at all the colorful, whimsical details. In the back there is a brief history of the carol, as well as a spread with all the gifts from the book for kids to find in the picture. This is a wonderful new addition to the Christmas picture book canon.  ..read more

Cerca/Close and Lejos/Far by Juan Felipe Herrera, illustrated by Blanca Gómez (Candlewick Press, 2019). Happy Multicultural Children's Book Day! This year, I have the pleasure of reviewing two books. These companion board books are in both Spanish and English. The text is comprised of simple statements teaching kids the concepts of close and far, illustrated by scenes of friends, a little girl and boy, at their homes. They are very quiet and sweet books. Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own ..read more

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal (Roaring Book Press, 2019).  This is a wonderful book about the history and tradition of fry bread. Fry bread is also used as a metaphor for the Native American people in this lyrical story.  I loved that Native people of all colors, ages, and sizes are portrayed to show their true diversity, which often gets neglected in stereotypical representations in media. There is an author's note at the end, which includes a recipe and extended historical information. I highly recommend this beautiful ..read more

Cats and Carols by Lesley Anne Ivory (1995, Little, Brown and Company). I recently discovered the wonderful art of Lesley Anne Ivory, a British artist who has illustrated over 40 children's books, all about cats. I love her warm, detailed paintings, often starring her own kitties or friend's cats.  This book has various Christmas carol lyrics with an illustration for each. It's a beautiful book for your collection. As you can see below, my own sweet Mia enjoyed it, too.  Find more Christmas children's book ideas on my Pinterest board here ..read more

Maggie May and Lizzie Loo by Maggie Cordish and Lizzie Schaul, illustrated by Christiane Beauregard (Mascot Books, 2019).  This is a beautifully illustrated, rhyming picture book written by two real-life sisters. Maggie May is going to the park, but isn't too happy when her mother makes her bring along her little sister Lizzie Loo. She doesn't want her "too small to play" sister getting in the way of her fun time with the big girls. But when they get to the park, the big girls think Lizzie Loo is pretty cool because she's great at cartwheels, climbing the jungle gym, and catching balls. Maggi ..read more