Month: June 2025

All of Us: A First Conversation about Disability by Dr. Megan Pamela Ruth Madison – Book Review

| Tasha

All of Us: A First Conversation about Disability by Dr. Megan Pamela Ruth Madison and Jessica Ralli, illustrated by Jonathan Eden (9780593891483)

Part of the First Conversations series, this nonfiction picture book tackles speaking to young children about disabilities with a straight-forward approach. The book begins by explaining that everyone looks different from one another and that it is not what we can physically do that makes us matter. The book moves on to respecting how people describe themselves. It talks about access and ableism, defining both clearly and offering deeper explanations about disability justice and its importance. 

It is powerful to find a picture book that offers information that is so informative and impactful. This book goes beyond the superficial nods at disability and truly looks at the damage of ableism and offers resources on what people can do to change access. There is no talking down to children here, just a frank, clear approach to the subject that centers each person with a disability as their own expert and voice. 

Get this one into your library collections. Appropriate for ages 3-7.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Penguin Workshop.

Wake Your Friday Brain Cells – June 27 Edition

| Tasha

CHILDREN’S LIT

Enter an Archive of 10,000+ Historical Children’s Books, All Digitized & Free to Read Online – Open Culture

‘One kid at a time’: How children’s books on male friendship could combat toxic masculinity – The Guardian

YA LIT

14 YA & MG Books & Graphic Novels with Disability Representation – SLJ

Magical Meals: 7 YA Fantasy Reads for Foodies – Book Riot

Susan Beth Pfeffer, 77, Dies; Wrote Complex Stories for Young Adults – New York Times

‘We Were Liars’ Author on Bringing That Twist to Life in the Prime Video Series – The Hollywood Reporter

The YA Fantasy Book Adaptation Race Is Taking An Awesome New Direction With This 14-Year-Old Series – Screen Rant

Good Golden Sun by Brendan Wenzel – Book Review

| Tasha

Good Golden Sun by Brendan Wenzel (9780316512633)

The sun comes up on a dark world. One flower is waiting to absorb the sunlight, opening as the sun rises. A bee visits the flower, carrying the light of the sun from the flower to its hive. A bear eats the glowing honey from the hive and is in turn feasted on by mosquitos that are then eaten by a bird and the cycle of sharing solar energy goes on. Eventually wolves poop on the ground and the plants absorb the energy. A cow eats the grass, a human milks the cow and night falls as a cat enjoys the milk.

Poetic lines invite young readers to explore the way energy moves through a food cycle and how we are all interconnected with one another. The illustrations are particularly compelling with the glow of energy moving across the various creatures and the page.

A beautiful shining read. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

2025 Best Children’s Books of the Year

| Tasha

The Children’s Book Committee of Bank Street College of Education has announced their collection of the best children’s books published in 2024. The collection includes over 600 titles that represent literary quality and potential emotional impact of the books. The entire list is available for free download here.

Beetle & the Chimera Carnival by Aliza Layne – Book Review

| Tasha

Beetle & the Chimera Carnival by Aliza Layne (9781665907484)

This sequel to Beetle and the Hollowbones captures the same spirit as the first. In this new story, Beetle and Kat are looking forward to attending the Chimera Carnival together, an event that happens every ten years. The event draws dragons from across the world to the space. But when Kat and Beetle discover an injured dragon who is crying for their egg to be rescued, they are drawn into a dark mystery that hides behind the celebration. Meanwhile, Beetle’s magic starts to manifest physically in new ways and Kat has to deal with her parents and their expectations for her and her magic. As the threat grows, Kat and Beetle have to figure out who to trust and how to battle a force that could wipe out everyone they love.

Layne does such an amazing job of creating a graphic novel that is both an adventure through a magical realm and also an exploration of the two main characters and their love. This second book explores the world more fully, including Beetle’s goblin magic and a new underground realm. It also has the characters coming out to loved ones and developing their connection to be even closer. The art is filled with purples, oranges and greens, bringing the world, the carnival and the characters to life with color and action.

A dynamic and loving second book in a great graphic novel series. Appropriate for ages 12+.

Reviewed from copy provided by Atheneum.

2025 Locus Award Winners

| Tasha

The winners of the 2025 Locus Awards have been announced. They are the best in science fiction and fantasy and each category has ten finalists that were announced in May. Here is the winner and finalists for the Best Young Adult Novel:

YOUNG ADULT NOVEL WINNER

Moonstorm by Yoon Ha Lee

FINALISTS

Blood Justice by Terry J. Benton-Walker

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

Fall of the Iron Gods by Olivia Chadha

The Feast Makers by H. A. Clarke

The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko

Rest in Peaches by Alex Brown

Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger

Sleep Like Death by Kalynn Bayron

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson – Book Review

| Tasha

Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat (9780593616673)

At first the book is a basic primer on mammals, reptiles and birds. But when it turns to the subject of fish, it all becomes much more personal! A wide variety of fish are shown, but also called rebels and outlaws! You can’t see what they are up to underwater, plus they break all natural laws. What is happening in their “schools” anyway? So many questions and so much concerning behavior. By the end of this book, you may be questioning your pet fish too.

Completely silly, full of misinformation mixed with facts, this book is a glorious giggle to add to any story time. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

2025 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winners

| Tasha

The 2025 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winners have been announced. The awards celebrate excellence in children’s and YA literature. Winners and honor books are selected in each category. You can learn more about the awards here. The winners and honor books are below.

PICTURE BOOK AWARD WINNER

I Know How to Draw an Owl by Hilary Horder Hippely; illustrated by Matt James

FICTION AWARD WINNER

Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay

NONFICTION AWARD WINNER

Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown by Candace Fleming

PICTURE BOOK HONOR BOOKS

My Daddy Is a Cowboy by Stephanie Seales; illustrated by C. G. Esperanza

Nose to Nose by Thyra Heder

FICTION HONOR BOOKS

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

Oasis by Guojing

NONFICTION HONOR BOOKS

Up, Up, Ever Up!: Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains by Anita Yasuda; illustrated by Yuko Shimizu

Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back by Ruth Chan

George & Lenny Are Always Together by Jon Agee – Book Review

| Tasha

George & Lenny Are Always Together by Jon Agee (9780593857731)

George and Lenny are best friends and spend all of their time together. Then Lenny starts to think about what it might be like to be alone. George thinks it will be lonely and sad, but Lenny starts to think that it might be fun to be alone. Lenny finds a perfect place to be alone, since it only fits one. George offers to come along, but Lenny is sure he can be alone. Lenny does have fun alone. He plays music, reads a book, builds with blocks and much more. But soon he realizes that he misses George. Don’t worry, George too has found a perfect place to be alone, right near by.

Agee is a master of picture books and finding just the right pacing and tone. He uses humor that will have children giggling without laughing at the characters and their feelings and worries. George is a great foil for Lenny as the two navigate allowing some space in their friendship to be on their own, while still managing to be there for one another.

Funny and full of heart. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Penguin Random House.