Picture Book Wednesday: Bruce and the Legend of Soggy Hollow

Bruce is always grumpy, but he Really doesn't like Halloween! But his year, the mice have an idea. They want to act out the Legend of Soggy Hollow and Bruce has a starring role. 

My Thoughts: I Love this series - Bruce is grumpy and adorable. The mice are mischievous. They're always trying to get Bruce involved. They make the book so funny. I love the moose. And there is a little creepiness to the story. A fantastic addition to the series

 

Blog-o-versary

 

Today's a special day.

Thanks for sticking around all these years! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Reading Goals

 This week's topic is reading goals STILL to complete before the end of the year.

Here are my goals for the year:

1. According to my Goodreads Challenge (which I failed last year) - I'm hoping to read 250 books - between Children's, Middle Grade, YA, Adult, and graphic novels.

Currently I'm at 179, so I have a few more books to read. Fingers Crossed!

2. I'd like to also read 500 picture books, board books, and I Can Read Books

Currently, I'm at 456, but I have a bunch at home, I need to read. This should be easily accomplished. 

3. I'd like to blog 325 posts and not all reviews...

Currently at 263 for the year, so that's do-able too. I try to blog about once a day or at least 6 times a week. AND I have a big anniversary too. 

I could make more book lists and other posts. I will have to think about that.

4. More Bookstagram posts (at least once per month)

So far, so good! 

5. More TikTok BookTok posts (at least once per month)

So far, so good! 

I'm not doing too bad! But I need to get reading...

Graphic Novel Review: Four Eyes

Sixth grade isn't easy - especially if you have to wear glasses. To make matters worse, Rex hasn't grown. His best friend wants to branch out and have other friends - but those other friends are bullying Rex. 

Things aren't easy at home either. His parents are divorced and his father has a new life. His father doesn't seem interested in Rex. He does pay child support, but he's annoyed that Rex needs glasses. And even further annoyed when they break at school. 

Rex is learning to stand up for himself against his friend, against bullies, and against his father. 

My Thoughts: This graphic novel has ALL the drama: bullies, friendship issues, family dynamics, and finding yourself. It's not easy being different. Rex takes the high road many times, but my heart felt for him. 

Cover Thoughts: Great

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your school and public library.

 

Board Books: New to the Library

Sometimes I try to create themes with my lists, this isn't one of those times. These are just fun new additions to the library.

Rob the penguin isn't happy that he's not colorful. He tries all the colors before realizing that he's great just the way that he is. A wonderful message for everyone. Great for vocabulary building with animals and colors. Plus, it's a touch a feel book, with different textures. 

* this makes a great baby shower gift! 

 

Sharing your love of sports with these board books. These rhyming board books are mini biographies but also teach lessons about working hard and being determined. 

You are one but you're also part of a team. You're better together. A cute counting book with lovely illustrations and lots of hair styles, which you can also count.

Family time from morning until night - lots of diverse families and lots of activities. Of course, I love the moment they read all together. There's a mirror at the end of the book to share that the reader's family is also amazing! So much love and so many great messages in this one! 

* this makes a great baby shower gift! 

A sweet book between a parent and a child and unconditional love. This book has charming illustrations with flaps and sliders. 

Lots of fun on the farm with different textures and questions to answer. It's not a story book, but there's a lot to discuss here - especially with the bright illustrations and pictures. 

The firefighters roll through the town - performing their jobs. A fun adaptation with lots of noise. This one is sure to be a crowd pleaser! Perfect for storytimes. 

If you're need to feeling calm, read this book over a cup of hot chocolate. The warmth of the colors only adds to the aesthetic of the book. A great book to start talking about emotions, breathing, and mental health.

Another mental health book - feel your feelings and slow down. Examine them. Acknowledge them. And let them go! There's a note for parents/caretakers at the end of the book. 

BookTok: Taylor Swift Sports Recommendations

I've been a giant Swiftie since Tim McGraw. 

And I'm a sports person - more basketball than football, but I do love a good sports romance.

So here are a couple recommendations: 

@yabooknerdlibrarian #stitch with @ESPN Taylor is in her Sports Era - if youre craving more content, try these great YA Sporty Romances! #sportsera #sportromance #sportromancebooks #yabooks #yabooktok #booktok #taylorswift #swifties #taylorandtravis #swifttok ♬ original sound - Jennifer @YA Book Nerd 📚📚📚

5 Things: Room to Dream

I'm such a fan of this series. I fell a little bit behind, but I'm catching up! There's so much to love about Mia and her saga, but these 5 things are my favorite!

If you haven't read this series, I highly recommend it. 

 

BookTok: Anne of Green Gables

 

@yabooknerdlibrarian Anne of Green Gables - modern adaptation! A great read. One of the few movies I like better than the original books. Read this! #anne #anneofgreengables #greengables #booktok #graphicnovel ♬ original sound - Jennifer @YA Book Nerd 📚📚📚

Picture Book Wednesday Hispanic Heritage Books

A couple books sent for review for Hispanic Heritage Month

Every Saturday Carina visits her Tia Mimi. Together they cook empanadas. But this week, Tia Mimi is helping out at the food center. She leaves a note for Carina to get all the ingredients and they will make empanadas together. 

Careful - this book just might make you hungry! It's all about community, family, food, and helping others. 

Martina likes quiet and her aunts are anything but quiet. She wishes to escape them - and finds herself in another world. There she finds a friend - just like her.

The author's note shares that this book is based on a Caribbean folktale "La Cucaracha Martina." Everyone needs a break sometimes and everyone needs someone to laugh at their stories too. Martina finds the best of both worlds. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Secondary Characters

 This week's topic is secondary characters. To be honest, many of the secondary characters get their own books in romance, which is wonderful.

 However, I have a major group of characters that I would LOVE to have their own book. 

I know I'm not alone when I say, I need to book about Manon and the Thirteen. 

BookTok: Knock Out

* Book 3 in the Hell's Belles series *

If you don't know this about me, I'm a HUGE fan of Sarah's and I will read anything she writes.

I loved this book!

 

@yabooknerdlibrarian Hell’s Belles series - one of my favorites for the friendship, the romance, the banter, the network of women, and the explosions!!!! #hellsbelles #tommygoboom #sarahmaclean #romance #booktok ♬ original sound - Jennifer @YA Book Nerd 📚📚📚

TBR Check In: Summer

We shared our Fall TBR lists this week, so it's time to see how I did with summer reading...

Spoiler Alert, not well.

Summer is the busiest time of the year for me with work. 

What I Read off My List:

I have four currently checked out from the library and a few more on hold. 

I did read several other books - but sometimes it's hard getting them first at the library over the summer.

Fall Books for Kids

Happy first day of Fall everyone!

It's my favorite time of year, now until the end of the year.

I love the cool weather, the apple baked goods, and the leaves crunching on morning walks with the dogs

Here are some cute Fall Books for Littles:

Board Books:

An adorable book about autumn with soft gorgeous illustrations.

Same author and illustrator as the previous book - this one talks about fall moving into winter.

The two fall flavors battle it out for who is the best until a leaf steps in. A cute story about loving apples and pumpkins. Great message here wrapped in a fun book.

If you like puns, this is an adorable story to share!  Full of fall favorites and charming illustrations. 

Picture Books:

Amazing photographs that describe a fall name - similar to April Pulley Sayre

Fall is here and Hedgehog is looking for all his friends; some are leaving, some are hibernating, and some are staying around. A cute way to learn about animals in different seasons.

This family loves football - through the seasons, the wins, and the losses. They stick together no matter what.  A fun look at how a family celebrates life and grows between football seasons.

Picture Book Review: Big

One little girl grew up happy- until something changed. She was shamed for her body. It finally became too much for her. She took back her confidence and found herself again outside of the opinions of others. 

WOW! This is an impressive and important book. I love the message of looking at yourself and finding self-worth through your own eyes. The illustrations are amazing (Vashti Harrison is one of my favorite illustrators. 

Library Recommendation: A must have book for your school or public library's collection. 

Review: Abby in Neverland

 

* Special Edition Number 3 in the Whatever After series * 

Jonah is having a sleepover and Abby is having a rough night. But then a boy appears in her window looking for his shadow. She declines, but moments later she sees her brother and his friends flying through the air. Abby has no choice but to follow them. 

Abby doesn't love Neverland like Jonah and his friends. She's the oldest and all the responsibility falls on her. She's worried about Maryrose and her health. She's worries about getting back home without their mother noticing. And she's annoyed at Tink's behavior. 

But what she doesn't realize is - there's a reason she's in Neverland. Peter was told to bring her. That can only mean one thing, her nemesis is here...

My Thoughts: I really liked this book - even though I'm not a huge fan of the Peter Pan story. I love the idea of flying and of course I loved Abby's happy reason to flying, I adored the Taylor Swift references. I liked the moments between Maryrose and Tink. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Cover Thoughts: Fantastic

Source: My Library

Library Recommendations: A must have series for your school or public library collection

Picture Book Wednesday: Outdoor Books

It's not quite fall, so here are a few outdoor picture books - perfect for never year's summer reading theme. 

All about skunks - complete with warning signs when a skunk is about to spray you and lots of nature facts.

How the famous garden park in New York City came to be - from empty tracks to the bustling garden and entertainment area it is today. I loved the ideas that people had for the tracks. A fascinating read - complete with ideas on how to further help the environment. 

A great science book about how trees grow so tall! 

The story of how one tree planted in the middle of the city changed the entire block. A beautiful book which takes the reader through the seasons and how the neighborhood and the tree changes. I love the diversity in this book. The illustrations are adorable and easy to pour over.

Tim wants to hang out with his Dad, but his Dad has to work. Tim finds his father's old nature journals in the attic, which inspires their time together the next day. 

A list of so many activities to do together outside - ranging from games to exploring. There are great pictures and adorably bright illustrations. This is a beautiful book that's sure to spark fun and creativity. 

* Not a picture book

Top Ten Tuesday: Fall TBR List

 

This week's topic is fall books we're looking forward to reading. So books coming out September, October, and November. I'm not sharing most holiday romances because I made this list in July. 

Kids and Middle Grade:

YA:

Graphic Novels:

Adult:

Any of these are your list too?