Chris Van Allsburg said it better than we ever could … “Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.” Plus, it’s a “seasonal” quote that perfectly illustrates the concepts behind this week’s featured picture books. Have You Seen My Sock? is all about that sock that inexplicably goes missing. In Invisible Things …
Nonfiction Tuesday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 12.19.2023
Welcome to Nonfiction Tuesday. Hope you brought a bookmark (or two or three). This week’s selections will captivate readers across a full spectrum of subjects and emotion. We are going to deep, dark places both physical (the Mariana Trench) and intangible (victim trauma). We’ll observe creatures most beautiful (birds) and humans at their ugliest (racism, sexism). Spend time lingering over …
Middle-Grade Monday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 12.18.2023
This week’s featured books have windows, mirrors, and sliding doors. Tweens will both connect with and learn from Anna, Mia, and the people in their lives. Through them they will learn more about cultural heritage, belief systems, belonging, and themselves, too. And, as you’ll see from our reviewers’ comments, we adults can learn a thing or two, as well. Summaries …
SpecFic Saturday | #CYBILS2023 Reviews 12.16.2023
Is it too corny to say this week’s SpecFic Saturday selections are out of this world? Probably not if you ask our reviewers! Whether it was Alysa Wishingrad’s Between Monsters and Marvels or Sacha Lamb’s When Angels Left the Old Country, the words “wonderful,” “delightful,” and “rich” repeated shemselves within reviews and across them. Read on. See for yourself. Summary …
See Me Read! | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 12.14.2023
Remember when we said that we’d alternate between book reviews and book lists on Thursdays? Well, scratch that! Our Easy Reader/Early Chapter Book panel is cranking out reviews, and we don’t want you to miss a single one. Today’s picks are inspiring stories of friendship, teamwork, and making a difference in the lives of others – and not just human! …
Wee Ones Wednesday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 12.13.2023
The closest we could come to creating a “theme” for this week’s featured board book and fiction picture book is to say they are about love. These books are for readers who ❤️ big machines. ❤️ building and construction ❤️ family and culture ❤️ spending quality time together. Bottom line: there is a lot of love in these “little” books. …
Nonfiction Tuesday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 12.12.2023
Happy National Gingerbread House Day and Gingerbread Decorating Day! Before you head over to the icing table, we hope you’ll check out this week’s featured nonfiction selections. Meet Mahani, an acclaimed concert pianist who learned to play on Rapa Nui (Easter Island’s) only piano. Then head to the Pacific Northwest to learn about the endangered Southern Resident orcas. And last, …
Middle-Grade Monday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 12.11.2023
Happy Monday readers!! This week’s middle-grade selections offer readers a front row seat to history and will engage them in ways likely to surprise them! In Maybe an Artist, Liz Montague presents her journey to becoming a cartoonist in the New Yorker. She shares the question she asked herself as a young girl. Not surprisingly (to adults) they are many …
SpecFic Saturday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 12.9.2023
Family magic. Family secrets.Curses. Ghosts.Mystery. History. Racism. Social Justice. Although these are not time-travel novels, Speculation and Blood Debts take readers through time and bring them face-to-face with historical and present-day racism, as well as cultural appropriation. As you’ll see in their reviews, our judges found the audiobook versions of the books a wonderful way to read these books. Summaries and book covers …
Poetry Friday | #CYBILS2023 Book Reviews 12.8.2023
Roses are red, violets are blue, we hope December is being good to you! Welcome to the first #PoetryFriday of December! This week’s featured books will entice readers of all ages. The Museum on the Moon entwines history through verse that will awe curious minds and bring back memories for those of use who watched the Apollo missions on television. …