Michelle's Reviews

Retired Captain Swashby lives quietly by the sea with his trusty boat El Recluso for company. That is, until a bright-eyed girl and her granny arrive with a bucketful of beach fun. Swashby knows in his bones that “the sea provide[s] exactly the right thing at exactly the right time” and that’s just how this tale unfolds, one “fiddled-with” gift after another. Sink into the velvety, ocean-colored pastels but don’t be lulled into thinking you already know this story!

What in the world could be worse than worms? Worrying about worms! When is the worry worthwhile? Any time it’s wrapped up in a new addition to the Elephant & Piggie canon. Fans of Mo Willems’s original early reader series will get a big kick out of Tiger and his wormy escapades along with the delightful wordplay from Elephant & Piggie themselves in the opening and closing pages.

Amateur detectives King (a big friendly dog) and Kayla (his girl) are back, serving up clue after clue as they get to the root of a recent neighborhood mystery. Kayla and her friend Jillian make keen observations, carry out experiments, and analyze data, but they’re always a paw-step behind our intrepid narrator King and his dog buddies. For fans of Nate the Great and Cam Jansen, this early chapter book gives a delightful taste of both kid and dog reasoning.

From the author of Wolf Hollow and Beyond the Bright Sea comes a fresh take on an old story: one family’s struggle to survive during the Great Depression. Through young Ellie’s eyes, we see both the hardship and the great freedoms that her family’s move to Echo Mountain presents. Ellie’s resilience, cleverness, and profound honesty keep us rooting for her from beginning to end. This novel made me believe that I was running up and down the mountain alongside her.

Inspired by the very first Earth Day celebration, this wordless story follows a paper bag from its stately origins as a forest-dwelling tree through two generations of sack lunch–carrying kids and finally back to the rich soil to nurture a seedling. With intricate pen-and-ink illustrations that completely fill the page, you can find plenty of crisscrossing storylines (e.g., the general store’s “free puppy”, HART-FELT branding, guitars lurking in corners)—sharp eyes will be rewarded with discoveries of their own!

This new picture book from award-winning author Grace Lin treats us to a sweet bedtime ritual between mother and child. Like A Big Mooncake for Little Star, this story spans many nights of seemingly small actions that build to transform the newly independent boy as well as the bigger world outside his window. With pajamas that melt into the white-washed backgrounds, mom and son share knowing looks that reassure anyone on the verge of taking their next big step. - Michelle

“You never know what treasures we’ll find,” says the mom of eight children as they embark on a magical, but also an actual, Depression-era year turning a house into a home. Based on the life of the author’s grandma, Marvel, this picture book recounts the family’s inspiring journey through lovely green-infused watercolors, inconspicuously labeled with general-store items on one page and wildflowers on the next. A generous story of love, with endpapers for those like me who crave more details. - Michelle

Like a typical 12-year-old, Cog (short for “cognitive development”) is a learning machine. However, he’s also an actual machine who takes his job of gaining knowledge by making mistakes quite seriously. In this futuristic version of The Incredible Journey, readers get to experience an epic road trip through the eyes of Cog and his motley robot crew. While fans of The Wild Robot will certainly eat this up, all of us will relish its timely message about the dangers of uniMIND. - Michelle

Barnett has fashioned a secret door that transports us to a world where Margaret Wise Brown chases dogs, drinks tea, and writes. This book shows us that truth in storytelling is important, especially with children. Awash in pastels, Jacoby’s long-striding Margaret keeps her chin up and her eyes open, and you’ll want to do the same while reading this book. - Michelle

This Duck and That Duck are trying to make sense of their Big Puddle and the ever-changing world around them. And we can’t help but root for them as they learn to swim (“‘How do you know?’ That Duck asked. ‘It just feels like swimming,’ This Duck answered.”) and dip and dunk, and then to run and hop and fly. Once the restless itching sets in, they know it’s time to fly South, wherever that is. By paying attention to others that are “Like us, only not us,” these two duck friends do so much more than just waddle in a line. A kindhearted ode to figuring things out. Ages 3–7. - Michelle