Children's Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Tip’s Magical Journey by Barbara Mishkin, Illustrated by Jason Shiver

Tip's Magical Journey by Barbara Mishkin

Tip’s Magical Journey: The Ride of Discovery and Inspiration by Barbara Mishkin is an inspiring children’s book that promotes empathy, kindness, and celebrates the beauty of diversity. Inspired by the author’s own experience, this modern tale is both moving and funny, telling an important lesson through a child’s travels around a city.

Tip is a young boy of 8 ½ years and he has a secret hobby – he loves riding the train and exploring the city. Thanks to Tip’s curiosity, open-mindedness, and candor, he sees the complex world around him as an exciting opportunity to meet new people, with […]

Marina Dora Martino2024-01-04T16:40:23+02:00October 19th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Children's Book Reviews|

Marco, Pablo, and Olivia: Bella The Alpaca by Ana Cortes

Marco, Pablo and Olivia: Bella The Alpaca by Ana Cortes

Recounting a nostalgic adventure with a magical creature looking for a home, author Ana Cortes spins another heartwarming tale in Marco, Pablo, and Olivia: Bella The Alpaca. The three siblings once again face their fears and learn valuable lessons in confidence, forgiveness, and friendship as they work together to find their way home.

Just a week into their new lives on the coast of Ecuador, the siblings at the heart of this colorful series think back to a fond memory of their previous home when they tried to adopt a magical alpaca they had discovered in their yard. Their […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-01-10T17:13:03+02:00January 10th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Children's Book Reviews|

Review: The Chocolate Clouds by Marc Remus

The Chocolate Clouds by Marc Remus

Author Marc Remus sends readers on a surprising and symbolic ride through the magical land of Foodtopia in his delectable children’s book, The Chocolate Clouds.

Henry’s family rose to wealth and prominence by securing the chocolate clouds and harvesting their bounty, ensuring plenty of food for Choco-Locoville and Sugarland. However, when the clouds suddenly disappear from his family’s property, Henry’s “normal” life melts away, so this health-conscious adventurer and his beloved cat embark on a grand quest to find them.

Daring to cross the Monster Mountains in search of his family’s most prized possessions, Henry learns the proper history […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-05-31T08:13:45+02:00May 30th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Children's Book Reviews, Middle Grade Fiction Book Reviews|

Abby the Crabby Tabby Discovers Gratitude by Andrea Lane, Illustrated by Heather Bousquet

Abby the Crabby Tabby Discovers Gratitude An absolutely adorable children’s book about a cranky gray kitty and her kindhearted sister, Andrea Lane’s Abby the Crabby Tabby Discovers Gratitude illuminates the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and being thankful for what you have.

Abby thinks her life is pretty tough: her toys are outdated, her bed is too tiny and bumpy, and her owner doesn’t always serve her food when she wants to eat – so why is her sister, Olivia Kathy, so carefree and cheerful? When Abby decides to leave her home for the great outdoors, she discovers that the wider world is much harsher […]

Michelle Hogmire2022-05-03T04:28:04+02:00May 2nd, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Children's Book Reviews|

Review: Snowlands: A Blood Moon by Morr Meroz, Illustrated by Collin Fogel

Snowlands by Morr Meroz

Author Morr Meroz and illustrator Collin Fogel have summoned a beautifully stunning world with their immersive graphic novel Snowlands: A Blood Moon.

Feba the snow-white wolf cub is forced to flee her pack to avoid a curse – or a death sentence – launching her on the journey of a lifetime, as she crosses paths with many other creatures wandering in the wild, some who are keen to join her adventure, and others who aren’t so sure. Gathering allies and making friends along the way, like Batu the monosyllabic wildcat, Usha the grief-stricken leopard seeking the Seeress, a pacifistic […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-01-03T09:55:37+02:00January 1st, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Children's Book Reviews, Comics & Graphic Novels Reviews, Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Story of You by Gerald Schaefer

The Story of You by Gerald Schaefer

In The Story of You, a brightly illustrated book for thoughtful children, author Gerald Schaefer finds straightforward yet colorful ways to help overcome many of life’s negative moments.

Schaefer opens his story with a welcome to our world of flowers, hummingbirds, and other natural phenomena, which help to build the notion of the connectedness of all life. He states that trees and flowers, for example, “appreciate” being looked at; our gaze perks them up in various ways, and makes us feel good, too. Inside each of us is another self, an “invisible you,” Schaefer reveals; though it can’t be […]

SPR2021-12-07T03:49:22+02:00November 17th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Children's Book Reviews|

Review: What’s Wrong With a Pet Dinosaur? by Tony Philips

What's Wrong With a Pet Dinosaur? by Tony Philips

A whimsical, heartfelt, and laugh-out-loud collection of poetry and drawings, What’s Wrong With a Pet Dinosaur? by Tony Philips is a carefree but carefully crafted bundle of fun. Bouncing between surreal slices of fiction and narrative poems about more relatable experiences, the poet takes readers through a wild maze of imagination and the wonders of growing up.

The titular poem is a short and silly one, encapsulating the wry, tongue-in-cheek humor that many of these quippy poems lean into. “What Comes After Z” is longer, and written with more humor, along with some sage wisdom from the mouth of babes. […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-11-24T11:02:15+02:00October 11th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Children's Book Reviews, Poetry Book Reviews|

Twilight Tales by Atticus Ryder

Twilight Tales by Atticus Ryder A delightful collection of stories that push past the boundaries of imagination, Twilight Tales by Atticus Ryder is aptly described in its subtitle as “Magic meets Science.” There is no end to the creativity on display in these charming, and occasionally challenging stories, with important underlying themes that can be critical in the formative years – loyalty, friendship, self-esteem, confidence, and honesty, among many others.

Young readers will be entranced by memory thieves and dragon saviors, professional pranksters and talking toads with wisdom to share. Between the space pirates, Zogs, and hungry lizards, this collection is unpredictable, to say the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-07-02T07:22:34+02:00July 2nd, 2021|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Children's Book Reviews, Middle Grade Fiction Book Reviews|