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Popular Books
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You’re my little Cookie Monster
ISBN: 9781838915896

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Night night my little cuddle bug
by: Natalie Marshall

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The going to bed book
by: Sandra Boynton
ISBN: 9780316592253

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Llama llama red pajama
by: Anna Dewdney
ISBN: ?????????????

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Goodnight moon
by: Margaret Wise Brown
ISBN: ?????????????
Book Reviews
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Rad Girls Can Stories Of Bold, Brave, And Brilliant Young Women
by Kate Schatz
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Good read, short but lots of information. A nice mix of more and less well known ladies. I like their summaries of other women they wanted to include in the back, and that they do have a research and resources page, though I really wish it had a bibliography. (And better art, I really don't like the art style.)

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.

Seashells More Than A Home
by Melissa Stewart
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Just finished the Seashells more than a Home book. I kind of wish she defined mollusk at the beginning of the book since she uses the word throughout, but it's a beautiful book. It gives solid and easy to understand examples, the main font is clearly differentiated from the notes, but both are large and legible. It's also always fun to get to learn new things from a picture book. I have an abalone shell, but never knew what the holes were for! Or why cockle shells are so fragile looking. And there's a partial bibliography both for the author and the illustrator, huzzah!

The Okay Witch
by Emma Steinkellner
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I thought it was awfully cute. The pace is a little off, sometimes slow and sometimes galloping, but overall it's charming with a nice message of being yourself with a dash of reclaiming and acknowledging the brokenness of the past. The mayor's heel turn from basically one panel to the next was sudden, I mean, closure is good, but still could have used a bit more there. (I also kind of wish there'd be some kind of acknowledgement of the role of patriarchy in the prosecution of witches beyond the obvious of it being male descendants, but yeah...)

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?

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...)

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.)

The Nameless City
by Faith Erin Hicks
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I guess it's a case of not bad but not much there? More of an opener than a complete story? Namesless city is a much cooler title than the city everyone calls something different... I do like the nod to names and how they work in terms of control. The visuals are great, as someone who always has issues with perspective no matter how much I sketch out vanishing points and angles, serious respect. That's a lot of tiles and bricks and shadowing to have on point. And the pacing of the racing scenes really does ramp up nicely. (I'm always iffy on the nabbing Eastern settings and clothing styles and naming conventions without plot tie in. Not sure where the line is on what's okay and what's not. Especially in a graphic novel that seems to be leading to questioning conquest and colonialism?)

Girls With Sharp Sticks
by Suzanne Young
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Depressingly timely. I liked the way the author illustrated different ways in which older men tend to manipulate young women. It added a degree of nuance and extra claustrophobia to the environment. I get that it was trying for a slow build of tightness and fear, but think its length detracted from the acceleration a little.

The Cooking Gene A Journey Through African American Culinary
by Michael Twitty
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A complex and complicated history of African-American culinary history, as well as American and world history in general in light of the long history and legacy of slaves brought from Africa to the Americas. Worth reading slowly and thoughtfully. Provocative.
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