Children’s Book Reviews

Finding Amelia by Lynsey Howell is a charming story for young children about Sara and her dog Zulu who excitedly visit an air show. Given the opportunity to fly in a bi-plane, Sara takes control of the plane and straight into a time portal cloud, where she’s soon joined by Amelia Earhart in the cockpit. There we learn about Amelia Earhart’s achievements, inspiring a love of flying for boys and girls alike.

A trained pilot herself, Howell injects Finding Amelia with a love of aviation, and a special reverence for Amelia Earhart. This passion comes through in the illustrations by […]

Dynomike: Back To School by Frankie B. Rabbit is a sweet and spirited book about a little green dinosaur’s first day of school. He’s nervous like kids and can be – especially about what to wear – trying on things over and over again. It’s a sweet book with a good message about appearances and judgment.  Dynomike is a cool little dinosaur with a great name who really seems like he could be the spearhead of a long series of books for kids.

The strongest element of the book is that it doesn’t stress its lessons too hard – its […]

Instilling wisdom and progressive thought at an early age is incredibly important, and this sort of profound message can come in may forms – from the most fundamental visual message to deep, meaningful advice. Within the pages of Light at Play: Foundations for positive self-image and self-esteem, Rachelle Thimote touches on the basic themes that drive creativity, mental development, alternative thought, happiness, kindness and cognitive flexibility in children.

While it is clear what she is trying to accomplish, it seems that the ideas are presented a bit too simply. While the length of the book is restricted by the […]

In Doggy Drama by Andra Gillum, a fluffy white dog named Riley, adorably rendered by illustrator Andy Case, puts on a brave face while confronting an escalation of changes in her household.

In first-person narration, Riley recalls happy times as the focal point for all of his “parents’” attention, followed by the chaotic aftermath of family additions: first one child, then another, then a new puppy. While each addition is disruptive, Riley learns to take it all in stride and celebrate the positive. The babies drop scraps of food from their high chairs and the new puppy is a great […]

The Jellyfish Monster by Bryan Kwasnik, with illustrations by Jackie Hahn, is a sweet good-natured children’s book about Billy, who’s playing at the shoreline and comes upon a jellyfish creatures with arms and legs who he dubs the Jellyfish Monster. The Jellyfish Monster takes Billy on a journey through the undersea world, where sea life acts a lot like humans, and Billy gets to participate in things like a shark race, and getting swallowed by a whale.

The illustrations are professionally-done and full of detail, though they could have done with a splash of color to make them as lively […]

Nothando’s Journey is an exquisite children’s book about Nothando, who lives in Swaziland in Southern Africa. Nothando is getting ready for the Reed Festival, a right of passage of dancing and celebration in front of the King and Queen, and she’s worried about the performance and new responsibility. As she travels through the hills with her brother, she learns contentment and courage from all the wild animals, which prepares her to perform in the festival. Nothando’s Journey is a culturally-rich and artistically-mesmerizing story that kids will most certainly want to return to again and again.

While Nothando’s story is an […]