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A family from Sierra Leone moves to Atlanta and all is well.....until the little "big" brother learns his older brother will soon be living with them. Written by Aminata Jalloh.

Ninja Baby Written by David Zeltser Illustrated by Diane Goode .                  .          .Chronicle Books   11/01/2015 .                        . 978-1-4521-3542-7 .                        . 32 …

When a Dragon Moves In Again Written by Jodi Moore Illustrated by Howard McWilliam Flashlight Press        9/01/2015 978-1-936261-35-2 32 pages        Age 4—8 “If you build a perfect castle, a dragon will move in, followed by. . . a baby?! Preparations are in fll swing o welcome a new family …

An aphorism by Will Rogers has been rattling around on my train of thought recently: ‘Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.’ One author who has not only found her right track but is chugging along it at an impressive pace is, Kathryn Apel. […]

Title: Wolfie The Bunny Written by: Ame Dyckman Illustrated by: Zachariah OHora Published by: Hatchette Book Group Inc, 2015 Themes/Topics: wolves, bunnies, sibling rivalry Suitable for ages: 4-8 Opening: The bunny family came home to find a                 … Continue reading →

This is a book young people will probably want to read more than once, both for the themes in the story and for the author’s storytelling. It will appeal to middle grade readers who like sports – especially basketball – and coming of age stories.

Aaron Blabey is an actor-turned children’s author and illustrator, having great success with award-winning books including Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley, The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon, and Pig the Pug, which is becoming one of Australia’s best selling picture books. Fortunate to have Sunday Chutney as the chosen book to be read in schools […]

Reading Ana Dellaira’s Love Letters to the Dead will bring about a serious book hangover: her novel will linger with you for days. Dellaira tackles serious and all-too-real issues and anxieties with grace, humility and heart-breaking accuracy.

This is a charming book in so many ways, and definitely fun for a family to enjoy together. It will appeal to readers ages 5 to 8, who like stories about Spanish culture, stories about sisters, and surprising revelations about parents.

Reading level: 3-6

Add this book to your collection: Chloe, Instead

Video courtesy of ChronicleBooks: Molly always dreamed of having a sister who is just like her. But she got Chloe, instead. These two sisters are nothing alike: Molly loves to color with crayons. Chloe prefers the taste of wax. Molly loves to read. Chloe prefers to nibble a book’s spine. Molly is frustrated! But then she realizes that maybe sisters aren’t the ones next to you on the piano bench, they’re the ones dancing to the music you play! This humorous, perceptive snapshot of sibling love is perfect for those who may need a bit of convincing what fun little siblings can be!

©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

Here's a riddle for you today:
What can pass before the sun without making a shadow? ... [Answer: The wind!]

Autumn brings with it plenty of blustery days! Yesterday afternoon, the wind entranced my kids as it blew the leaves around on the street and in our yard. They ran along racing with the wind, trying to catch the blowing leaves. It's an exhilarating and exciting experience playing outside on a windy day...so long as the wind isn't so strong it blows you away like in Flora's Very Windy Day!


Flora's Very Windy Day by Jeanne Birdsall, illustrated by Matt Phelan; Clarion Books / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (August 2010); ISBN 9780618986767; 32 pages
Book Source: Copy from public library

Flora gets upset with her little brother Crispin after he spills her paints. After the incident, their weary mom sends both of them outside. Flora worries about blowing away on the very windy fall day so she wears her super heavy red boots as a precaution, but Crispin goes out unprepared. Still unhappy with her brother, Flora taunts the wind and Crispin gets swept up into the sky by a strong blast. Without hesitation, Flora kicks off her boots and takes off after her brother. The two sail in the sky carried by the wind, and Flora receives several tempting offers from various creatures and entities to take her pesky brother off her hands once and for all.

This story is dreamily imaginative, and I simply adore the whimsical illustrations by Phelan. (The drawings remind me a little of those by another one of my favorite illustrators, Tricia Tusa). There are so many wonderful images of the red, and orange and yellow leaves swirling around, making it a magical and exceptional book to read during autumn. Phelan's drawings of the swirling winds and blowing leaves make me wish that I could take flight on a windy fall day! The illustrations truly stretch the reader's imagination. In one charming picture, Flora even brushes some rainbow bits off of Crispin's coat.

At first glance, this book looks perfect for my kids. After all, it's about the relationship between a big sister and a little brother. But, after reading it myself, I decided not to read it to my toddler son. The little brother's fate in the book lies entirely in his big sister's hands. While the ages of the children are unclear from the text, the illustrations depict them as young siblings. Honestly, I don't think it is appropriate that the mom seemingly placed her tiny tot outside under the care of an older yet still very childish sibling. I feel sorry for little Crispin and also for Flora who unfairly is expected to take on the huge responsibility of caring for her young brother. That issue aside, my daughter and I still had fun imagining what it would be like to blow away on a windy day. Besides prompting the obvious sibling relationship discussions, the book also works well for talking about story sequences. In their travels in the sky the two siblings meet the following in order: a dragonfly, sparrow, rainbow, c

"It goes without saying that brothers and sisters often share things with each other, like knock knees, turned-up noses, freckles, the measles, and - if they are kind and generous - toys and bags of sweets; but apart from sharing the same father and mother, Athene and Zachary Enright, aged twelve and six respectively, didn't share anything at all." p.7

So we begin. Athene has a deep rooted hatred for her brother. There's no particular reason for it, but it is there. He says black, she says white. He wants to go on a camping vacation, Athene begs to go to a farm. Athene, as usual, gets her way.

She is bratty enough to convince her parents that they should share a room with Zach, and she should have a room all to herself. Once there, however, she realizes that being alone in a room in a strange space is a bit disconcerting. Athene decides that she will go find Crumbs the farm cat to keep her company, and she heads outside. Upon looking for the cat, Athene notices a kid walking around. She assumes that it is Zach and goes to catch him and tell him what an idiot he is. The thing is, the "person" she catches up to is not Zach at all. Instead, it was the oddest little man that Athene had ever seen. "His skin was striped and speckled, his eyes shone like pearl buttons and his broad, bat-like ears were inclined to flap and twitch." (p. 24)

Athene has happened upon a Humble Gloam. The Gloam are nocturnal creatures who live in seclusion in the country-side. They call humans the "Glare" and they do not interact with them at all. Athene makes sure that she gets befriended by this Gloam named Humdudgeon. It is the most exciting thing that has happened to her. That is until little brother Zach comes along and finds her with the Gloam.

But Athene hatches a plan. There is a group of Gloam called the Low Gloam who live underground and keep anyone who enters their realm bound there with magic. The entrance to the Low Gloam is not too far away. Athene tricks Zach into seeking shelter in the fallen tree entrance. He quickly disappears. Maybe forever.

Athene is quite surprised to be taken by a guilty conscience about Zach. Will her Humble Gloam friends help her find her brother? Will the Low Gloam keep her underground?

Anna Dale has written a magical little story that fans of light fantasy should take to. Athene is quite despicable at first, and the Gloam are quirky and interesting. It's a fun adventure tinged with magic that younger tweens will enjoy.

Sibling rivalry is initiated when a boy's family adopts a brother for him in this fanciful and imaginative story. I love the opening line, "The day Mom and Dad went to pick up my new brother, I built a raft." Our hero sets sail for Bongodongo and then other ports as he tries to distance himself from this new brother he obviously resents.

Tim Wynne-Jones doesn't disappoint as the younger brother hangs about trying to establish a friendship with his new older brother. The Boat in the Tree was one of the books entered for the Cybils awards this year and is still one of my favorites. Although the story is quite good, what really makes the book sing are the illustrations by John Shelley.

As the boy dreams of ships that will carry him away from the new brother, Shelley skillfully captures the breadth of the ship-crazy boy's imagination complete with a pirate's island and smoking volcano. He also details the day-to-day world the boys actually live in. When a storm sends a boat into a tree and Simon helps his older brother bring it down , it is enough to bridge the gap between the boys and between the real and the imagined.

There is so much detail in the illustrations that young children ages 3-6 will be entertained for hours. I recommend this book.

I’m not really into Christmas. I used to hate it, though the last few years I’ve started to learn to love aspects of it. When you can make it your own celebration, it gets better. And what better way than to celebrate books and reading, as well?

There are some neat book lover Christmas ornaments out there.

This wonderful ornament is originally from Hallmark, made in 2003, and is now available at HookedOnOrnaments.com. It’s called “Adventures of a Book Lover.” I love it! I want one! Since it’s not being produced any more, you may also be able to get one on eBay.

The OLAStore has one of my favorite Christmas ornaments–a brass ornament that says “Read”. Lovely.

Milestone Books have a ton of book-related ornaments. Among my favorites are their “I love books” girl ornament, their C.S. Lewis quote “You can’t get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”,“Read” patchwork ornament. They also have some cool librarian ornaments on the bottom of page 8, and some cool “read to your children” and “eat sleep read” ones on page 9. You can browse all their ornaments starting from page 1.

Signals has a really neat and different book ornament–one with quote from Louisa May Alcott that says “She is too fond of books, and it has addled her brain.” It looks playful to me.

Hallmark has done a lot of book-related ornaments over the years–both general book ornaments, and ornaments based on children’s books. You can purchase many of them through HookedOnOrnaments.com or eBay. There are some general book-related ornaments (if you don’t mind them being too cutsey), including a super-cute “Reader to the Core” ornament; a 2001 “Gouda Reading” ornament, and some wonderful ornaments based on children’s books, including: a Dr. Seuss Cat In the Hat stamp ornament and a Cat In the Hat figurine ornament; a 2002 Winnie the Pooh #5 inside a book ornament; a great Dr. Seuss Grinch ornament “What a Grinchy Trick, Dr. Seuss”; a Madeline ornament; and many, many more, including Harry Potter, Curious George, The Wizard of Oz, and Pat the Bunny, and many more Dr. Seuss books including Green Eggs and Ham; One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish; and more. Carlton also did one of Clifford the Red Dog. Okay, maybe I’m just a Christmas newbie, but I had NO idea that there were some great Christmas ornaments based on Children’s books–and some of my favorite ones, at that. That makes me feel a whole lot better about having a Christmas tree.

Girl-ish Things @ Cafe Press has a neat “I read at the Table” Christmas ornament. They also have a “Books Rock” ornament.

CafePets @ CafePress has a nifty Bookworm ornament. It comes in an oval or a circle. It reminds me of Jen Robinson’s great book blog.

The Hunger Site used to sell these book ornaments. ThinkQuest gives you detailed instructions on how to make a mini book (so you could make the ornaments yourself), and SantaMouse has some tips on how to make the ornaments yourself.

If you have a writer in the family, this ornament might appeal to you. It has a quote from James Michener that says “I love the swirl & swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.” The angel or fairy has a typewriter, and is handcrafted by artist Laini Taylor. $12.95 US

Here’s another do-it-yourself book /ornament for those of you who want to create your own–Mini Star Booklet Ornament from Martie’s Creative Universe.

I’m sure there are more out there. Anyone have a favorite one?