In Taco Falls Apart by Brenda S. Miles and Monika Filipina (Magination Press, August 2023) young readers are introduced to a friendly taco who grapples with overwhelming expectations and eventually experiences a breakdown. This cleverly crafted picture book employs the “Think-Feel-Do” method to teach children how to manage overwhelming situations. With the support of Nacho

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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 Rude! by Alex J. Packer (Free Spirit Publishing, updated edition May 2014) is a hilarious and down-to-earth guide for teenagers about, as the subtitle says “good manner, proper behavior, and not grossing people out.” Each chapter covers a category of social etiquette, including what to say, how to act, what to wear, how to

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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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My daughter has developed a love for reading. It’s not surprising, given the number of books by which she is surrounded. What I’m finding somewhat amusing and annoying is that right now she has a very definite preference for what books we read together: she wants the ones she has read before, and if I

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Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton (Candlewick, 2012) is a book I can’t quite bring myself to like, and yet my son loves it! Part of my dislike relates to the computer-rendered modern images: the bright orange and red illustrations remind me of computer drawings I attempted years ago and the typeface is also rather

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The Unruly Queen by E.S. Redmond (Candlewick, 2012) is about a spoiled and unpleasant child, who will not listen to her nannies. When her 53rd nanny crowns her queen of Petulant Peak, Minerva is not quite so sure she wants to be queen there and goes about proving to her nanny that she does behave!

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The Monsters’ Monster by Patrick McDonnell  (Little Brown, 2012) is another book with adorable creatures who want to be monsters. Grouch, Grump, and Gloom ‘n’ Doom can’t decide who is the scariest monster, so they decide to make their own scary monster. But when their Frankenstein-like experiment succeeds, they find their monster is just as adorable

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One of the first books to catch my son’s attention was The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by the ever-wonderful Mo Willems (Hyperion, 2012). My son has always loved Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, and this spin-off takes the same spoiled, cranky, impolite pigeon and teaches him a lesson in manners. First, an adorable large-eyed duckling asks

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The book Olive and Snowflake by Tammie Lyon (Marvell Cavendish, 2011) shows a girl and her dog who have some issues: Olive is clumsy and messy, and her dog likewise causes messes and gets them both in trouble! When Olive’s parents give an ultimatum (obedience school or the dog must go!), Olive wonders if she

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King Hugo’s Huge Ego by Chris Van Dusen (Candlewick, 2011) is a funny story about a very short king that thinks too highly of himself. When he is rude to a young woman who happens to have magical powers, she makes certain he’ll reap his just rewards. His head swells to humourous consequences, and in

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