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Popular Books
book cover Goodnight moon
by: Margaret wise Brown
ISBN: 9780060275044

book cover That's Not My Dinosaur
by: Fiona Watt
ISBN: 9780746041918

book cover You’re my little Cookie Monster

book cover 101 Bible Stories for Toddlers
by: Carolyn Larsen
ISBN: 9781869209278

book cover That's Not My Donkey
by: Fiona Watt
ISBN: 9781409523048
Book Reviews
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Lucky Stars Mr. Wolf's Class #3
by Aron Nels Steinke
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I'll have to chat with younger readers when I can, missing the appeal on this one. (And the whole mouths being in the wrong place drove me nuts to the point of interrupting the flow of the story.)

Rescue And Jessica
by Jessica Kensky
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Torn on this one. It's very sweet, but despite being based on her life, I feel like it really shouldn't be in non-fiction. Even in kid's books I'm not big on non-fiction books putting specific thoughts in people's heads unless those people have written or spoken along those lines. So I'm suuuuper not big on non-fiction books showing animals thinking like people. I'm also iffy on how she turned herself into a tween/teen and glossed entirely over her injuries. It's lovely to have a thoughtful and positive portrayal, and first hand, view, I just wish it had emphasized more on the training and working together and less on an imaginary dog's POV and a quasi-fictional view on her. Two separate books-maybe a more real non-fiction and then a picture book might have been more appropriate here?

Out Of This World The Surreal Art Of Leonora Carrington
by Michelle Markel
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It drives me nuts when artist biographies don't show any works by the artist. I feel like the biography aspect of this was well written, but just again, the art and lack thereof. The illustrations were lovely and held true to the surrealist aspect, but still. And stylistically they owe more to Peter Max than Leonora Carrington...

Through The Window Views Of Marc Chagall's Life And Art
by Barb Rosenstock
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Attractive enough, but so vague as to be nearly useless. More a stilted but dreamy picture book than anything actually informative. (And as much as I like the idea of nods to the artists style, seriously, can we have some actual examples of his art, more than two small photos in the end material?! I'm really not digging this narrative nonfiction trend where bios of artists don't actually include much of the artists work.)

The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern
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Vivid imagery of a fantastical time and place with colorful characters. A magical circus at turn of the century Europe / Northeastern US. Conjures the feeling of "The Prestige" and Tim Burton films, with two main characters caught in the crosshairs of an epic Game. I enjoyed living in the circus, with all its wondrous tents and entertainers, but fell out of love once the danger and death started to kick in. Couldn't feel strongly about the two main characters falling in love and what happened to them, but I greatly enjoyed the setting and imagery of the book.

Tough Mothers
by Jason Porath
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Another great introduction to a batch of badass women. Not a be all and end all, but an amazing starting place with a highly readable pace. Also greatly appreciate the broader approach to the use of mother and matriarch. (I feel like the casual style would do better in teen with the first book, but I think the use of mother in the title is why the few libraries that have it put it in adult...)

Edison Beaker Creature Seeker
by Frank Cammuso
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This one fits a little oddly. It seems like the plot and writing are a little young for the length. I'm wondering if it'd be good for reluctant readers. All the underwear jokes do make it seem like a good choice for captain underpants fans or the younger end of Hilo fans!

Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death (Agatha Raisin, #7)
by Mc Beaton Agatha Raisin Mysteries
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I'd recommend MC Beaton's books for Lillian Jackson Braun fans, someone looking for a cozy mystery with a bit of bite on a rainy day, or those fond of British Mysteries. (Also for fans of the show Midsomer Murders.) It's a murder mystery, but hardly bloody. The murder is almost lost in the setting-small town pettiness, gossip, and pubs!

Frida Kahlo And Her Animalitos
by Monica Brown
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It's wonderfully illustrated, but not much of a biography. I'm not keen on biographies that make statements about the subject's interior life, or on books about artists that never show examples of the artists work. (Or in general, on books that compare women to animals, even though I get it's meant to be a positive bridge.)

Unicorn Quest
by Kamilla Benko
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I had a lot of trouble getting into this one. Both busy and long. Interesting though confusing magic system. Nice to see different types of friend and family relationships. Seems like often the main siblings are brother and sister, so two quite different sisters was a good dynamic.
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