kathyellendavis's reviews
74 reviews

Daniel and the Nutcracker by Angela C. Santomero, Jason Fruchter

adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.5

Daniel and O try things a little bit at a time in this book! Daniel is excited to go see The Nutcracker but when Prince Wednesday can't perform the lead role, Daniel steps in and learns the moves quickly then tries his best. We love this one to show that trying your best is a success and it's a super SUPER basic intro to The Nutcracker with all your favorite Daniel Tiger friends.

Cozy Christmas: A Touch-And-Feel Book by Sago Mini

inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

5.0

One of our favorite Christmas books. The friends go around and are so kind to the animals they meet who need help. And the touchy parts of the book are really awesome. We especially love the fire. A nice gentle story about helping others during Christmas time with fun tactile elements.

I Spy Little Christmas: A Book of Picture Riddles by Walter Wick, Jean Marzollo

informative lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

4.5

Rosemary (four year old) has loved this book for a few years. It's got all the fun of the I SPY books but the things are all MUCH easier to find. Rhyming text, fun illustrations, and bonus stuff to find in the back. A quick little read that leaves my toddler feeling satisfied. These types of books are so great for them not only to try and find things visually, but for them to practice mastery. This is why kids love these so much; they love the satisfaction of being able to find the things again and again.

Twins by Shannon Wright, Varian Johnson

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A pitch perfect graphic novel for middle schoolers! Fran and Maureen are so relatable and your heart goes out to them as they try to navigate being twins but also their own people. I loved the supportive parents and older brother too; they help the girls navigate some tough times not by giving them the answers but by listening and sometimes guiding them to them. I also loved seeing that the parents made mistakes: they tried to protect the girls by not telling them certain things, and when they called one of the twins the “talker” and one the “thinker” at a young age, it made the other one think they were no good at that. I think it’s really important to see that parents mess up too, and how they handle it. Not many graphic novels star black main characters or families, so it was awesome to see this one. The supporting cast is plenty diverse too, including the teachers at school. I really appreciated that they put an example of racism in the book (at the mall) and how the kids asked for help to handle it. Though the book focuses mostly on the girls at home and at school, trying to figure out their identities as sisters and individuals, they are still moving through the world as Black girls, and unfortunately incidents like the mall incident happen. I hope that part makes all readers reflect on how we can help change our society for the better. Middle school is such a time of turmoil for so many kids (me included) and it’s difficult to truly be yourself while trying to fit in. Readers will relate to that theme of the book and hopefully takeaway that it’s normal to be scared, to want to change, to not know. The illustrations are amazing and engaging too; I absolutely loved them.