This is my monthly roundup of books that I added to my shelves in April 2024. Some of the books came directly from authors or publishers, others were a purchase or a gift. You’ll find books from all kinds of genres including adult and children’s books. I’ll even share a few things from our family’s life in the last month as well. Family and Life Update In April we went to Pella to worship with Patrick and Bekah at their church, celebrate Patrick’s birthday, and see the gorgeous tulips. Due to warm weather in March and April, the tulips were blooming a bit ahead of schedule. The tulips were ..read more

YOU’LL ALWAYS BE MY CHICKADEE By: Kate Hosford Illustrated by: Sarah Gonzales Published: April 30, 2024 Publisher: Chronicle Kids Fiction This lyrical story celebrates nature as well as the love between a parent and child. The rhythm of the story makes it perfect for reading before naptime or bedtime. Kids always love hearing how much they are loved and cared for and this book does that while also celebrating all the beauty of nature. From vegetables growing in the garden to the trees in the forest to a butterfly coming out of a cocoon to the stars in the nighttime sky, your child will know t ..read more

A SUNDAY WITH EVERYTHING ON IT By: Kyle Scheele Illustrated by: Andy J. Pizza Published: April 16, 2024 Publisher: Chronicle Kids Fiction Imagination, science, and ice cream combine in this adventurous story about a mom who promises her son an ice cream sundae. When your mom is a scientist, sometimes you have to wait for an experiment to finish or a bright idea to be investigated. But, when a mom promises her son a sundae, you can be sure he won’t forget. He tries not to be too impatient while waiting for the promised ice cream trip. In between his mom’s scientific explanations, he drops a f ..read more

THE LAW OF BIRTHDAYS A Story About Choice By: Brenna Jeanneret Illustrated by: Marina Kondra Published: May 1, 2023 Publisher: Cardinal Rule Press Fiction When our kids were little we had family birthday parties. We served a themed cake, sometimes made and decorated by me and other times purchased, and ice cream. One year, our son Bennett asked if he could have something different than cake for his party. I was shocked because apparently, I didn’t realize that he didn’t like cake all that much. I had never asked him. After that birthday, we served brownies or cookies, and one year, we had an ..read more

I’m heading out on another trip with my mom. We will be visiting family and doing all kinds of fun things in Minnesota. I’ll return with all the bookish posts you love on May 1. The post Out of Office Until May 1 appeared first on Sincerely Stacie ..read more

FINDING GRATEFUL By: Dianne White Illustrated by: Faith Pray Published: April 16, 2024 Publisher: Chronicle Kids Fiction Teaching kids the idea of gratitude can be tough especially when our day starts off on the wrong foot. Even as adults, we need reminders to find the good in our days. This book can help all of us notice the little and big things in our days and find the joy in them. A mom and daughter have car trouble and head off on foot to get help. Of course, it would be easy to be frustrated but the mom encourages her daughter to find grateful. From a flower peeking up through the conc ..read more

April is National Poetry Month. The Academy of American Poets created this celebration in 1996 to increase awareness and appreciation for poetry. Poetry (both reading and writing poems) can be tough for kids. Kids think a poem has to rhyme or have some bigger meaning, but I’m here today to prove kids wrong and show that poems can be fun. They may just find themselves writing a poem too. POETRY COMICS By: Grant Snider Published: March 26, 2024 Publisher: Chronicle Kids Fiction Grant Snider has quickly become a children’s author whose books I really enjoy. I was thrilled to see he had another ..read more

The HELLO series of books by Hannah Rogge are shaped board books that include a cardboard pop-out animal attached to strings. The series includes HELLO HONEYBEES, HELLO HUMMINGBIRD, and HELLO CLOWNFISH, available today. HELLO HUMMINGBIRDS Read and Play in the Tree! By: Hannah Rogge Illustrated by: Emily Dove Published: May 2, 2023 Publisher: Chronicle Kids Fiction Hummingbird season is here in Iowa and I’m ready for it. I set my feeder out this week with the hope that a few hummingbirds will find it and stick around for the summer. In this interactive board book, kids will pop out the hummin ..read more

I SAW A BEAUTIFUL WOODPECKER The Diary of a Young Boy at the Outbreak of World War II By: Michał Skibiński Illustrated by: Ala Bankroft Translated by: Eliza Marciniak Published: October 5, 2021 Publisher: Prestel Junior Non-Fiction A school requirement led an 8-year-old Polish boy to keep a journal. He wrote just one sentence a day during the summer of 1939 as his family spent the summer holiday near Warsaw, Poland. His journal entries begin on July 15, 1939, and end on September 15, 1939. Some of the journal entries are beautifully illustrated including the days he found a caterpillar in th ..read more

SAVING DELICIA A Story about Small Seeds and Big Dreams By: Laura Gehl Illustrated by: Patricia Metola Published: April 9, 2024 Publisher: Flyaway Books Fiction Gehl and Metola first teamed up on the children’s book APPLE AND MAGNOLIA, a beautiful story of friendship between a young girl and the trees in her backyard. The fictional tree in this story, the delicia tree, bears the most juicy fruit and the best shade in the summer. However, it is threatened by blight, a disease that attacks plants. Kari is determined to save her delicia tree and begins a special project to do just that. Kari an ..read more