The long, long line

by Tomoko Ohmura

Age range: 2 to 6 years old

Fifty animals are lining up in a single long line to take a ride on the whale. Everybody knows how long and slow lines are... The moles falls asleep, the flying squirrel can't be still, armadillo and porcupine have to endure skunk's smell, the lion gets hungry, what makes the zebra really worried, some play word chain.

And finally is their turn! The adventure is so amazing that everybody wants to get back in the line!

The plot is very simple, but kids love to see all the different animals in the line. After reading this book to them once, they actually would rather to "read" it to themselves.

Squirrel me timbers!

by Louise Piggot

Age range: 3 to 6 years old

Sammy is a squirrel and considers himself a pirate. He "sails" the forest looking for pirate affairs. And one day it finally happens, Sammy finds a treasure map! The X marks the spot where hundreds of nuts are. Sammy is ready to go! A trip full of dangers and adventures is waiting for him ahead, but Sammy triumphantly goes through them all having always in mind the hundreds of nuts in the spot marked with the X. 

What at disappointment when he finally reaches the spot and not even one nut is there! Sammy is so mad he kicks a tree as hard as he can. Thousand of nuts fall from the trees! Trees that grew from the hundreds of nuts some pirates buried in the spot marked with an X!

Sammy is incredible funny and lovely, the story is hilarious, the rhymed text is really enjoyable, and the illustrations are perfect for the tale. 5 Stars for this great book!

Expected publication date: January 1st, 2016!

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ribbit!

by Rodrigo Folgueira

illustrated by Poly Bernatene

Age range: 3 to 6 years old

"Ribbit!"

This sound shouldn't be surprising in a frog's pond... unless it comes from a pig...

Nobody understands what's going on. The frogs are confused. The rest of the animals think it's hilarious. Is the pig making fun of the frogs? Why would a pig want to be a frog?

But the pig only wants to make new friends, even if that means to ribbit in the pond like a frog or tweet on a branch like a bird.

We really enjoyed this story, that is funny and thoughtful at the same time.The pig looks cute and ridiculous in the pond. But this doesn't prevent you to feel he is doing his best effort to connect with the frogs. And when the only thing the frogs do is get suspicious, he just moves forward to the birds. He is stubborn and optimistic in equal parts. He is such a great character!

The illustrations are awesome and add so much to the story.

Are you sleeping little one?

by Hans-Christian Schmidt and Cynthia Vance
illustrations by Andrea Nemet

Age range: up to 5 years old

One by one each baby animal goes to sleep. You can pry how and where each of them sleeps. The baby giraffe stands still; baby fish sleeps swimming with its eyes open; the little bat hangs upside down; the flamingo balance on one leg. The text is rhymed and very sweet. The illustrations are cute and transmit a sense of calm. A perfect bedtime story.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sam's Top Secret Journal: Memorial Day

Sam's Top Secret Journal #3

by Dr. Sean Adelman

Age range: 10 to 12 years old

Sam is in ninth grade and has Down Syndrome. Writing and drawing in her journal helps her think and make sense of what looks messy at the beginning.

In this third book in the series Sam's family is having a short vacation during the Memorial Day long weekend in a rented house near a retired military base. There they gather with other relatives, including Madison, Sam's teenage cousin whose father was injured while serving in Afghanistan and is still being treated in a hospital. It's a difficult time for Madison and she is not coping really well. It's really hard to get along with her. At some point Sam sees Madison doing something really bad, and she struggles about the best way of handle the situation to make things right without hurting anybody's feelings.

Sam is a sweet girl, and the story is focused in her strength and skills, and not in her differences. I think the approach is fantastic. Any kid of her age can relate with her.

I suggest you take a minute to stop by at Sam's top secret journal and Raise expectations facebook pages.

I received this copy from the author via Bostick Communications in exchange for an honest review.

My family tree and me

by Dušan Petričić

Age Range: 5 years old and up

My family tree and me introduces the idea of genealogy in a very innovative way. A little boy explains how his mother and father's families converge in him. It is creatively built in a mirrored way. You should read it in two ways. When you read it starting form the front cover you meet sequentially the father's side of the family, starting from the great-great-grandparents. Then you start the book from the back cover to meet now the mother's side. Both sides will meet in the boy, and in a beautiful double page illustration of the whole family. Everybody is there, including also aunts, uncles, cousins and pets. Even a meddling neighbor!

The book is funny, the message is delivered in a clear graphic way, and the illustrations are really nice.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I dream of an elephant

by Ami Rubinger

Age range: up to 4 years old

I dream of an elephant is written in a smart rhymed way. In each page the reader dreams of an elephant of different color, and the last word of the paragraph, that is always the color, is missing. Since the text seems singed it easily induces the kids to shout the last word. It's a very interactive book, and this is definitively the best thing about it. Elephants of eleven different colors are portrayed. The pictures are very simple and, of course, very colorful. Excellent choice for toddlers.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.