Children’s Book Reviews

From the creative depths of author Steve Michael Reedy comes Tales from Bombast’s Bookshelf, an insightful collection of fantastical children’s stories. These six tales are overflowing with moral lessons and immersive symbolism, not only providing wonderful narratives, but also a foundation of common sense, wisdom, and compassion.

Fairy tales have long been a part of children’s literature, and these refreshing stories are a wonderful new addition to that tradition. With amusing fictional characters, magical woodland realms, and memorable turning points, Reedy imbues every page with a sense of innocent wonder, but also a fair amount of realistic struggle. Like […]

A young mushroom heroine is the protagonist of Lamellia: The Wizard in the Forest, a whimsical and meaningful children’s book by Gloria D. Gonsalves. Family revelations, magical/musical defenses, and a heartwarming resolution round out this parable, which is accessible for a wide age range.

Tiara is the strong-willed protagonist of this beautifully illustrated children’s book. The princess of Lamellia, Tiara embarks on a quest to find a missing friend and discover the secret of her own past. Tiara was born a human, but was taken in by King Polipoli and Queen Nobilia after being orphaned in the forest […]

The Last Surviving Dinosaur: The TyrantoCrankaTsuris is an imaginative picture book written by Steven Joseph, with vivid illustrations by Andy Case.

As a young boy, the father in the story grew up in his tight-knit Bronx neighborhood listening to his large group of relatives ranging from his Aunt Zaydie and Aunt Ruthie, his second cousin Dottie, and his Uncle Mottie and Uncle Shmukie out-do one another by “kvetching” about their “tsuris,” Yiddish for complaining about their problems. One had green fungus growing between her toes, another had a foot bitten by an alligator and was turning into a reptile, one […]

Who Can Fix It? is a delightful problem-solving picture book for young readers, written and illustrated by Leslie Ann MacKeen.

On his way to his mother’s house for Sunday dinner, Jeremiah T. Fitz’s car comes to a complete stop and then quits running altogether. Jeremiah wonders aloud who can fix his car and despite visits by the likes of Kara Kangaroo, Elmo Elephant, Gloria Gorilla, Petunia Peacock, Barnabus Bear and several others, all of whom offer Jeremiah encouragement and unique ideas to fix his car, no one is able to find a solution.

It’s not until the last animal comes […]