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WILD & WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY: Where Do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night? by Steven J. Simmons & Clifford R. Simmons & Ruth E. Harper

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  WHERE DO OCEAN CREATURES SLEEP AT NIGHT? written by Steven J. Simmons and Clifford R. Simmons illustrated by Ruth E. Harper Charlesbridge, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-62354-297-9 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Ocean animals sleep, just like you! This informative, rhyming picture book dives deep to look at where and how ocean animals sleep in the sea. Many ocean animals are active during the day, but where and how do they sleep at night? From sharks to dolphins and sea turtles to octopuses, plus parrotfish and whales and more, discover what these ocean creatures do when it’s time to go to sleep and the day is through. Where Do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night? is newest addition to a three-book series, which includes Where Do Creatures Sleep at Night? and Where Do Big Creatures Sleep at Night? ABOUT THE AUTHORS & ILLUSTRATOR Steven  J. Simmon s has

PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: The Storyteller by Lindsay Bonilla & Noar Lee Naggan

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  THE STORYTELLER written by Lindsay Bonilla, illustrated by Noar Lee Naggan Nancy Paulsen Books, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-593-10958-8 Source: publisher/Blue Slip Media Ages 6 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover and summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com & Blue Slip Media. ABOUT THE BOOK Featuring an evocative text and luminous paintings, this stunning book celebrates the power of stories—how they connect us, inspire us, and keep memories alive. Griffin’s grandmother spins the most marvelous stories, from breathtaking fairy tales to fascinating family lore. These stories fuel his imagination and fill their days with magic. So when he sees her once-bright spark begin to fade, Griffin is scared to think of the future. Fortunately, though, he has her stories to guide him—and to remind him that he is braver than he could ever imagine. ABOUT THE AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR Lindsay Bonilla is a professional storyteller and author whose previous picture books in

EARLY READER: The Cozy Home by Ame Dyckman & Mark Teague

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   THE COZY HOME Bat, Cat & Rat #1 written by Ame Dyckman & illustrated by Mark Teague Beach Lane Books, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-6659-3042-0 Source: purchased Ages 6-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Join Bat, Cat, and Rat on their three-and-a-half sweet and silly roommate adventures in this hilarious picture book, the first of a series, from New York Times bestsellers Ame Dyckman and Mark Teague. What happens when three friends—a bat, a cat, and a rat—move in together? In “Sharing,” Bat, Cat, and Rat find a cozy home to share. But will choosing rooms put their sharing skills to the test? In “Joking,” Rat sets off a series of pranks and shenanigans with his rubber spider that have the trio screaming in surprise and laughing in delight. In “Reading,” Cat catches Bat and Rat reading over her shoulder—or so she thinks, until it turns out they haven’t learned to read yet. Can Cat teach her f

PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: Nell Plants a Tree by Anne Wynter & Daniel Miyares

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NELL PLANTS A TREE by Anne Wynter & Daniel Miyares Balzer + Bray, 2023 ISBN: 978-0-06-286577-9 Source: purchased Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK This gorgeous picture book shows how one little girl’s careful tending of a pecan tree creates the living center of a loving, intergenerational Black family. For Earth Day and every day! Perfect for fans of Matt de la Peña and Oge Mora. Before her grandchildren climbed the towering tree, explored its secret nests,                       raced to its sturdy trunk,                                   read in its cool shade,                       or made pies with its pecans... Nell buried a seed. And just as Nell’s tree grows and thrives with her love and care, so do generations of her close-knit family. Inspired by the pecan trees of the creators' own childhoods, Anne Wynter’s lyrical picture book, brought to life with breathtaking illus

WILD & WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY: Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough by Hayley Rocco & John Rocco

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WILD PLACES: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough written by Hayley Rocco, illustrated by John Rocco G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-593-61809-7 Source: Penguin Random House for Review (Thanks!) Ages 6 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK An inspiring and accessible picture book biography of the beloved naturalist, broadcaster, and documentarian David Attenborough—stunningly illustrated by a Caldecott Honoree. As a boy, David loved exploring the wild places near his home in England, collecting fossils, rocks, and newts. When he grew older, he got a job in television, where he had an idea for a new kind of He would travel to wild places all over the world to film animals in their natural habitats. Over the span of seven decades, David's innovative documentaries have been treasured by millions of people. But as time went on, he noticed the wild places he loved were shrin

#MMGM: Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio

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  ISABEL IN BLOOM by Mae Respicio Wendy Lamb Books, 2024 ISBN: 9780593302729  Source: Netgalley ARC Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A Filipina-American girl discovers a connection between her two homes through a culinary garden in this middle grade novel that celebrates nourishment and growth—both in our lives and in nature. Twelve-year-old Isabel is the new kid in her San Francisco middle school. It’s the first time in many years that she’ll be living with her mother again. Mama's job in the US allowed Isabel and her grandparents to live more comfortably in the Philippines, but now Isabel doesn't really know her own mother anymore. Making new friends in a new city, a new country, is hard, but joining the gardening and cooking club at school means Isabel will begin to find her way, and maybe she too, will begin to bloom. In this beautifully rendered novel-in-verse, Mae Respi

#MMGM: Unstuck by Barbara Dee w/ AUTHOR INTERVIEW

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UNSTUCK by Barbara Dee Aladdin, 2024 ISBN: 9781534489882 Source: eARC from publisher for review Ages 10-14 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover, author photo, & book summary provided by the publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK From critically acclaimed author Barbara Dee comes a middle grade novel about a girl whose struggles with writer’s block set off unexpected twists and turns, both on and off the page. Lyla is thrilled when her seventh-grade English language arts class begins a daily creative writing project. For the past year, she’s been writing a brilliant fantasy novel in her head, and here’s her chance to get it on paper! The plot to Lyla’s novel is super complicated, with battle scenes and witches and a mysterious one-toed-beast, but at its core, it’s about an overlooked girl who has to rescue her beautiful, highly accomplished older sister. But writing a fantasy novel turns out to be harder than simply imagining one, and pretty soon Lyla finds herself stuck, experie