Category: Book Reviews

Review: Sunny-Side Up By Davis & Woodcock

Sometimes days just don’t go as we want them to. It’s a hard thing for grown-ups and kids alike to respond well to having to be flexible or creative with our plans. Enter this book, because there is a book for everything, and this new one is fantastically fun! Sunny-Side Up by Jacky Davis, illustrated by Fiona Woodcock, 2021, is a simple and beautiful story about plans, emotions, creativity, and turning a gloomy day sunny-side up. Have a look.

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Review: Black Heroes By Norwood & Magloire Williams

I am so excited to finally grab a copy of this new book for our shelves! Full of fantastic snapshots of 51 inspiring figures in Black history – this book is an excellent read, resource, and jumping-off point for further exploration. Take a look at Black Heroes by Arlisha Norwood, PhD, and illustrations by Anastasia Magloire Williams, 2020.

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Review: Outside, Inside By LeUyen Pham

I have a new favorite book. A bold statement to make, but it is in fact, a new favorite. It speaks to the moment currently at hand, this horrid year and more that we as a collective humanity are dealing with and learning from the pandemic. But it will also serve as a reminder and a memory and a memento when this situation is over. This book encapsulates so much of the arc of what we are experiencing and what we all hope to see on the other side incredibly soon. I also hope that it becomes a classic of some sort, a reminder for every generation after this of something that was so big and so awful and so hard that only some of us made it through and are forever changed as a result. This is a stunning book, a this-very-moment book, and a hope-filled book. Please go get this book, for yourself and for everyone you love. We all need it, now and after. Take a look at Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham, 2021.

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Review: Eyes That Kiss in the Corners By Ho & Ho

“Some people have eyes like sapphire lagoons
with lashes like lace trim on ballgowns,
sweeping their cheeks as they twirl.
Big eyes, long lashes.

Not me.”

And with that beautifully poetic opening, one of the most powerful, self-affirming books I’ve ever seen draws you into the world of one little girl as she describes her own eyes and the heritage that she is connected to with them. Be delighted by Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Dung Ho, 2021.

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Review: Something Happened In Our Town By Celano, Collins, Hazzard, & Zivoin

If there ever was a book that I wish didn’t have to exist, this is one of them. But I’m so grateful that it does. This book is written for 4-8 years old and is an excellent guide to discussing racial injustice with children. The story follows two families, one Black and one White, as they process and discuss the news of a Black man shot by police.

Important note: I have struggled for months with how to write this incredibly necessary post. As a White woman, I approach the discussion of racial justice very cautiously – fully aware that I am not an expert, I am going to make many mistakes talking about it, and I am in a perpetual state of unlearning racial bias that comes with being raised an American. I prefer to listen and learn. Even in starting this post I spent a lot of time agonizing over whether I am supposed to capitalize “White.” (I would have normally said no, but the authors of this picture book and this article gave me some help in a complicated topic. I will proceed with capitalization to follow the authors’ lead in this book.) I am going to be careful with my words, but I am also approaching this as I do any picture book: looking for excellence & beauty, and sharing wonderful books. As a White woman who loves picture books, as a mother navigating important conversations about awful events, and as a human being trying to learn and break historical patterns—this book is a must.

Come learn with me through Something Happened in Our Town by Marianne Celano, PhD, ABPP, Marietta Collins, PhD, & Ann Hazzard, PhD, ABPP; illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin, 2018.

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