The picture book Dark Cloud by Anna Lazowski and illustrated by Penny Neville-Lee (Kids Can Press, May 2023) introduces children to the concept of dark emotions (sadness and depression) with the symbol of a dark cloud. With tinted grayscale illustrations representing sad moments and bright colors showing moments of happiness and understanding, Dark Cloud provides a

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How to Talk So Kills Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish (originally published in 1980) is a classic parenting book for resolving conflicts between parents and children. The authors encourage parents to give children a scaffold with which to approach the world about them. Although it is a

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Way back in August and September, Jenny from Reading the End suggested I read Sophie Blackall’s illustrated book based on the personal “missed connections” posts found on Craig’s List. I love her illustration style, as I mentioned when I reviewed her picture book. Missed Connections captures the personal ads just perfectly with Ms Blackall’s style.

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Sam’s Pet Temper by Sangeeta Bhadra and Marion Arbona (Kids Can Press; September 1, 2014) is a picture book for kids who lose their tempers and need some help learning to control it. In this amusing picture book, Sam tends to lose his temper, first on the playground, and later elsewhere. His temper becomes a “pet”

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How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad? by Jane Yolen  and Mark Teague (Blue Sky Press, 2013) is another winner from the “dinosaurs” series.   My toddler (age 2) loves pretending to be mad. I don’t know why. But she watched an episode from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood about counting to four when you are mad; now

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Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story by Salina Yoon (Walker and Company, 2012) is a sweet story about a friendship between a penguin and a pinecone. In the story, Penguin befriends a pinecone (an anthropomorphic pinecone that returns feelings of affection). Although the two friends live far apart, Penguin knits scarves for his pinecone friend

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I had mixed feelings when I first read Meena by Sine van Mol and illustrated by Carianne Wijffels (Eerdman’s, 2011, originally published 210 in Belgium) because it so frankly depicts neighborhood bullying; my son, being four, seems far from that issue and I made sure to keep it away from him. Obviously, this is a book for older children to

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Whenever I read a novel with stunning writing, I am always reminded why I seek novels with great writing to begin with. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway (first published 1940) is one such novel. It is deceptively simple in its plot, dialog, and sentence structure. I felt I was there. For Whom

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Today I’ll share about a “growing up” book that I really enjoy. Little Gorilla by Ruth Bornstein shows a little gorilla and all the family and jungle animals that love him. Then, he begins to grow, and soon he is big. It ends with the simple sentence, “And everyone still loved him.” I began inserting

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