Picture Book Wednesday: books about health and loving yourself

 

A few picture books about health and loving yourself

Some people's brain is wired differently, especially if you have ADHD. It makes some everyday tasks seem boring and unexciting. But Squeaky McGee has some tips that might help. 

The illustrations are great and there's an author's note at the back of the book with more tips and a note for parents. 

A book celebrating all that bodies can do and showcasing different bodies.

I love how everyone in this book is different - great diversity.

Eltie is a dog with a very important job. He's a service dog for a girl named Molly who is blind. He has trained for his job and knows just what to do - especially at school.

This is a great introduction to dogs who work. There's a page with braille text. Some of the illustrations have texture too. There's a guide at the back of the book about service dogs. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Characters I Wish were Real

 This week's topic is book characters I wish were real

Jo March

Princess Mia

Emily of New Moon

Elizabeth and Jane Bennet

Anne of Green Gables

Claudia Kishi

Betsy and Star

Aelin 

The four friends from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Any of these on your list too? I'd like to think I'd be friends with all of them. 

Middle Grade Review: Dance Team Drama

* Start of a new graphic novel series *

Jenny's freaking out because the money she and her dance team raised for new uniforms has gone missing. Her brother paid for the uniforms and she owes him the money. She's looked everywhere. In order to make the payments; she'll need to find a job.

Luckily for her, she has a superpower. She can understand the language of babies. Jenny gets a job babysitting where she stumbles onto a baby detective agency. Rosie is in charge, and she's ready to close her first case.

When Rosie hears about the missing money, she knows she can close the case. Will Jenny and Rosie figure out who took the money?

My Thoughts: 8th grader Jenny's dance team seems to be the hit of the school. Jenny's nemesis is the head cheerleader. While the two teams don't compete, they are both keeping score of each other's achievements. There's lots of drama from losing the money to thinking the worst of people to the football team moment. I really enjoyed the baby-sitting moments. They were funny and clever. I love how they were both sophisticated and also very simple: ice cream and swings. The cast of characters are great. I loved the art. The ending sets up the next book in the series, which I'm very much looking forward to reading. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A must have graphic novel for your school and public library collections.

What's on my Hold List

 

At the moment, there are 20 items on hold for me.

A royal historical coxy series that I adore.

Here for the holiday romances - saw this on instagram 

A children's book - part of a series which has charming illustrations 

I loved the original book when it came out - it was my favorite book I read that year. So excited for more. Saw this in a review journal

A holiday mystery - set in Macy's

Any of these on your TBR list too?

Picture Book Review: The Pool is Cool

 

A boy LOVES going to the pool, but he can't understand why his Dad never joins him. The reason: he's scared of the water and never learned to swim. They take swim lessons together.

My Thoughts: Oh my heart! I loved this book. I love how the Dad tells his son the truth - about being scared and never learning how to swim. There's something very powerful in that. I love that they take swim lessons together. I love that they tackle their fears together (The son fears the diving board). The art is great. This is a perfect book to share.

Fall Romance: A Fall to Remember

 

Miranda went on vacation for the first time in a long time. Two things happened. 1) She literally ran into a man at the airport and ruined his shirt and 2) She took such terrible pictures that her family put together a tiktok and she went viral. Now she's semi-famous and companies want to work with her.

Miranda, her son, and her niece all work together at their upscale market. They all decide which company to work with - a travel company. They want to cover the fall festival in town. They send a team of two: Shelby and Jim. Shelby has a promotion dangling in front of her and family that desperately could use the bonus money. Jim is the man Miranda ran into at the airport.

They both have very different ideas on how to curate the social media posts for this project. Shelby wants everything perfect and shiny. Jim wants Miranda to just be herself - an everyday person. They have some moments of clashing.

The more time Miranda and Jim spend together, the more they begin to catch feelings. Could there be something between them?

My Thoughts: This is a fantastic fall romance that reads like Fall Hallmark Channel movie. I loved the romance between Miranda and Jim. There were some funny moments between Miranda's natural self and trying to capture her on video. I felt badly for Shelby and her situation. The fall festival sounds amazing and the Green Grocer seems like the perfect place for lunch and some specialty foods. I didn't want this book to end. Goodreads says this is the first in a new series; I really hope that is true!

Cover Thoughts: Gorgeous

Why I Read This Book: The cover drew me in plus I love the author's cozy mystery bakery series.

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your public library's romance collection.

Christmas Book Review: Falling Like Snow

* Bramble Falls book 2 * 

The Fall Festival was so popular that the mayor is looking to capitalize on it with a Snow Festival.  Sloane was hoping to travel to New York City with her cousin for the school break, but when her mom asks for her help creating a Snow Festival, she can't say no.

Now she's trying to get into the season; it hits different since her father died. Luckily her best friend Asher knows how to help. Everyone's always asking if Sloane has feelings for Asher. But just because they're best friends doesn't mean she has feelings for him.

In fact, when another boy starts paying attention to her; it changes everything. Maybe Sloan can recapture some of the Christmas joy that's been missing the past two years.

My Thoughts: This book was magical. I read it on a plane, and it just gave me the warm fuzzies. I didn't want this book to end, but I'm super happy there's a third book on the way. I love this small town and it's festivals. I would be excited to attend events from this festival. I love how the town pitched in to help. I loved Sloane and Asher. They had some really cute moments together. I did enjoy the friends to lovers moments as they finally found their way to each other. 

Cover Thoughts: Adorable

Source: Sent for Review

Library Recommendations: A must have romance trilogy for your school and public library.

Book 3: 

Is that cover impressive?

Out in June!