4 ⭐I sure do enjoy these books. Book 2 in the Olympus series is not as spicy as book one but there‘s still enough spice to make any spice reader happy. This time we follow Psyche and Eros through a wedding and into marriage that is literally life and death. I love both the characters and the world that Robert has created. I didn‘t hold and savor this book like I did the first one because I needed to get to the happily ever after.

4 ⭐ This audiobook was lots of fun. This book is a cozy romance with a little spice. Really little spice. The archduke runs away from home because he‘s been held captive, and things aren‘t going well. His uncle has been running his country so he decides to seek the help of the queen in the neighboring kingdom and hopefully maybe take back his rule. However, when he‘s mistaken for a dark wizard, he thinks what a better place to hide then with

3.5 ⭐A kid turned me onto this book with his Letter about Literature. When you start a letter with “My mom ‘s dead, but not by a serial killer”, you know something interesting is going on. This kid was talking about the book 14 Ways to Die in which our main character decides to participate in a social media show. She has one purpose: to find her mother ‘s killer. Her mother was the first victim of a serial killer that has not been

Loc'd her Story

5 ⭐
This is Zara‘s story about her locs. Our society needs more of this. Traditional hairstyles should be loved and not considered weird or inappropriate or against dress code. Locks are a normal thing in life and they should be normalized in children‘s books. This book was lovely.

3 ⭐ This is a board book lesson that food doesn‘t come from a grocery store but actually grows from the ground. It looks particularly at asparagus, tomatoes, strawberries, and corn. This book is pretty typical, but I do like the illustration. It‘s paper collage and it works really well for the subject.

2 ⭐ The ending of this book makes it worth it. However, the first half is so long and drawn out. The author could have shortened this quite a bit. Especially because the ending and the beginning, do not match . It feels like two different books. There is a good story in here somewhere. I just don‘t think the author has found it yet.

2 ⭐ Won the cover is horrible. Two the illustrations are nice. This book feels like it wants to ape Shel Silverstein. There are mostly very long, rhyming poems. Except because the cadence and the rhyming is not silky smooth they feel twice as long as they are. It also while the stories are aiming to be fun and entertaining, they feel depressive and sad. . This author does not do a bad job, but I do think they need more practice.

2 ⭐ Why does this book move so slowly? This book was a DNF. Each page is flooded with words. And unfortunately, the story isn‘t entertaining enough to keep me flipping pages.

Loc'd His Story by Stephanie Yates

This is the story of Jaden and his locks. How they make him feel, how he lives his life, and how others think of him. I love this book. And I love the artwork. In a time when we see young men having to cut their locs to play sports or by other archaic rules for men‘s hair, especially black men‘s hair I‘m excited to see a story that not only praises but normalizes locs. I thought this story was lovely.

2 ⭐ This feels like two books smashed into one. Most of the first half is an introduction to different animal characters on their way to school. There is a distinct format and pacing to the first half of the book. Even the artwork is distinct. The pages are mainly white. The character is a sketch and color. However, the last pages are full color. In end all the critters are in the classroom adding and mixing together. Everything about this f

2 ⭐ Little fly wants to go to space. They aren‘t the best student, but they always try and one day accidentally get their wish. This book was nice. It wasn‘t spectacular. It feels amateurish. Like a story a student would write as they are honing their craft. There is a reader for this book. It just doesn‘t happen to be me.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐5 ⭐
Five stars. This author reimagined Humpty Dumpty in such a creative way. We meet Humpty, friends Jack and Jill, Little Miss Moffett, etc. And he has a great fall, but he doesn‘t crack. The way the author integrates the other nursery rhyme characters and changes up the story works so well. Plus the illustrations are sublime. They are a perfect match to this fun fall book.

2.5 ⭐ I‘m a little surprised because normally I love this author‘s books. This is about Angie and everything they can do in their various types of shoes. The story tries to rhyme and it tries to have a cadence. Notice the word tries. I don‘t know if it‘s the word choices or the various type sets that make this hard to read. I like the idea and lesson n this book and the artwork, but overall this would not be a book I would put in my library.

4 ⭐ t‘s great to see books about women inventors. Most women‘s inventions especially 100 years ago were often credited to men. In this, we had a woman who was tired of spending hours at the sink and tired of her dishes, chipping, and scratching. Through trials and tribulation, she came up with a machine, patented it, and made sure that hotels. schools, etc. could have a faster way to do dishwashing.

4 ⭐ This is a fun grade school book. It teaches the basics of how algorithms and computers work. It uses the idea of explaining it to a parent to make it fun. This book does a fantastic job of teaching the beginning of coding and how to think like a computer. The illustrations are bright and colorful and go well with the book. Spiro is known for her science books for kids of all ages and this is another great book in a great series.

4 ⭐ It should surprise no one that Dolly Parton can write an amazing children‘s book. This book is about a dog wanting to make music and finding their way in Nashville. But some other dogs are bullies and it‘s up to Billy to help save the dayIt was written by Dolly and you can tell. She is amazing and so is everything she puts her hands on.

#Celebrityauthor

3 ⭐ This book is well done. It‘s a nice read. The sad part is I think it‘s mostly autobiographical. Tori Spelling was raised by one of the richest men in media and had everything she could want but nothing she did want. I have unfortunately watched things happen in her life due to media that while this book is lovely it makes me incredibly sad for her.

4 ⭐ The Corduroy books were in good hands with Viola Davis. You can tell a little difference between the original creator and Viola Davis, but she gets to the heart of this beloved character. Altogether the book works the illustrations are fantastic and it‘s all very nostalgic. The story is a little long for my taste, but it mixes in with the Corduroy of old.

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4.5 ⭐ My own little Desi and I had lots of fun with this. Between reading and talking about the characters and blowing the bad thoughts away this book just works. And even better for a celebrity picture book this sounds like Eva Mendez and sounds like a book kids would want to read more than once.

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4 ⭐ This was a lovely book. It gets my three-year-old nieces‘ approval. The story is a little bit long, but a good storyteller could find the right places to shorten it as they‘re reading it. The message is great. The illustrations are fun and altogether this just works. And it even sounds like Perez Hilton.

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4 ⭐ This is a simple biography of Rube Goldberg for kids and adults alike. Goldberg was known mostly for his cartoons and fantastic machines used to do the simplest things. Goldberg went from being a person to being a verb and now kids and college students alike in compete to build Goldberg machines. This is both in honor of his memory, but also to kick a brain into high gear. This book is illustrated by someone

4 ⭐ This book is adorable. Growing families can be hard especially when growing families isn‘t new kids but new grandparents due to new relationships. In this book, our main character gets a new puppy. She already has a Grandma and a Noni and does not like the idea of someone coming in and taking their place. But with time and a little help, they learned that love is love, and family is family, no matter where it comes from. This book is adorable.

3 ⭐ This book was fun. It‘s a game of animals playing hide and seek and how old they blend into their environment. There‘s nothing not to like about this book. The story works the artwork great. Altogether it is a book kids will enjoy.

3 ⭐ This Illinois raised 2025 is a fine book. It is more poetry than book and the author is a poet. It talks about how when you put love out into the world, it is shared among others and touches everything you say and do and how that is a good thing. The book is OK it‘s not something I would frequently read but it‘s not bad. The illustrations are lovely in a traditional way.

4 ⭐ I love the message of this book. About being a warrior and defending your rights. I love how the children get involved. The illustrations go well and help bring the points of the story come across quite well. The only downfall for me is how everything goes back to God. And I understand with who this author is, so that that makes perfect sense. I do wish there was a version of this book or a book like this that got the same points

4 ⭐ A lovely book about a girl who loves to dance. Her mother grants her wish and tales her to dance school. There she feels out of step and wilted. But a special pair of shoes will help her re-find confidence in herself. She had the ability the entire time she just had to be reminded to be herself and do what she loves. This is a sweet book. The illustrations are lovely. The illustrator is Diane Good. I‘m not sure if that‘s the fancy Nancy

3 ⭐ This is a typical picture book. It is Illinois reads 2025. The illustrations are standard fair but the story rhymes nicely and moves quickly. While, this is a fun book. I do not think it will be a 20 years on the shelf book.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐5 ⭐
This picture book is about standing up for others and wanting to change the world. How when you can‘t use your voice find other ways to do it until you can find your voice. This book is well written the illustrations are amazing and this is an altogether five star read. I will be picking up other books by Stacy Abrams .

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3 ⭐ This is a book that has not aged well. Wendy lives in Boxville and everybody must wear their labeled box every day. Wendy‘s issue is that she can‘t pick a box. She doesn‘t want to be just one thing she wants to be different things at different times. One day she decides just not to wear her box. It does get her in trouble in town, but eventually, her family is like hey maybe that‘s an OK idea. I think what makes this weird is the end

3.5 ⭐ The best thing I can say about this book is it sounds exactly like one would expect something coming from a Duggar family member to sound. I read this book and know one of the daughters wrote it, but I can hear their mother in my head. Between the lyrical pace, the soft voice. There‘s a way where they give the title of a concept like love, do a mini four line poem that rhymes and has a cadence, then a rhyming statement

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐5 ⭐
I read this book and I hear Spike Lee in my head. This is a very good thing for a celebrity author. So often celebrity authors sound like they‘ve been ghost written. This does not sound that way. Between the repetitiveness and the change up of the “please baby please” line the other thing that is done well is the simple concepts. The illustrator does a masterful job illustrating the words that show different points in a very

3 ⭐This book is too long. Massively too long. However, this is more of a second grader book than a storytime book, so the length is understandable. In this our main character, Tony really wants a Pictureface Lizzy, which is a type of smart device. All her friends have one and she really really wants them too. She feels constantly left out. Her parents finally get her a Pictureface Lizzy, and while she does have fun with it,

3.5 ⭐ Jayme Lee Curtis is at it again. It‘s hard to be five celebrates being five years old. Both the things that you can no longer do as well as the things that you get to do now. This is a lovely book just like all her others. This is probably my least favorite of all her books I‘ve read so far. The illustrations are always just as perfect as the books are.

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4 ⭐ Jayme Lee Curtis is a master at asking a child‘s question. The thoughts and imagination of our narrator take them up high and down low in perfect drawing. It also has spot on cadence and amazing illustrations. If there was a GOAT of a celebrity author, it is Jayme Lee Curtis. And fun bit if you ever read one of her books check out her bio. She has done so much that I love how she chooses to write her bio in her kids books.

#CelebrityAuthoir

4.5 ⭐This book is beautiful. This is a book for a non-biological child. Reiterating that while they may not have been birthed but they were wanted, waited for, and anxious to be met in the world. The illustrations are lovely they go right with the story, and this is sure to be one kids will read and parents will read to their children for years if not generations to come.

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4.5 ⭐ This book is lovely. It‘s simple but it‘s well done. It has a definitive pat pattern. It rhymes well and it doesn‘t try to be more than it is. The illustrations by Suzie Mason are wonderful and altogether, this is a pleasant work of art that sure to be on Library shelves for you to come.

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3 ⭐ This book is fine. The illustrations are soft and dreamlike and while the story does rhyme and does have a cadence, that cadence is soft in areas. The story‘s about how everyone‘s different and that is perfectly OK because everyone is who they were made to be. I like the message in this book and overall it works well. But to me it‘s only so so.

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3 ⭐This book is full of nursery rhymes and poems that are very punny. Each word has something that is a pun that may go over kids heads without some explanation. The book was fun, but by the end it you were happy to see the last page.

2.5 ⭐ I freely admit this is a DNF at 50%. I just can‘t take it anymore. Fantastic frog and amazing Ted Lad are experiments who have been given super strength and the ability to fly but share a brain between the two of them. I don‘t like how the book is constantly using putdowns like dumb and stupid. And while I get that this is for kids, it feels like a grown-up talking down to kids instead of actually getting down on kids levels. It‘s also

4 ⭐I love these books. They‘re sweet. They‘re funny. They‘re understandable and almost always have a lesson. But the nice thing is the lesson isn‘t browbeating the reader. It puts it in a way that kids will get and kids will want to ape. I get excited every time I see there‘s a new one so Ben Clayton, please keep them coming.

2.5 To be honest I like Seth Meyers bio on the cover better than I like the book. This book is fine. It‘s about a bear that doesn‘t want to admit they are scared while their rabbit friend is adventurous. Bear eventually overcomes their fright when a friend needs help. I wish the story might have gotten into everything that bear did to go on an adventure while not going on an adventure was an adventure.

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4 ⭐ This book had a nice cadence; it‘s a nice idea and a great story. The kids are trying to get the parents to eat more fruits and vegetables. This goes exactly as one would expect, but it‘s nice for the kids to be begging the parents to eat something new. The illustrations are fun and go with the book. This book is written by the author of Go the F*** to sleep and Camila Alvarez, who is the wife of Matthew McConaughey.

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4 ⭐ This book was fun. It rhymes well, but the cadence is all over the place. It wants to be in a pattern, but it‘s not very good at keeping that pattern. However, the kids are going to love the story and will laugh at mom and dad or the storyteller as they trip over the lines. The illustrations are bright and fun, and a perfect match to the story. My one complaint is the letter at the beginning of the book. That should be moved to the end.

4 ⭐ This dinosaur version of Rapunzel is very fun. In this case, Rapunzel is locked in the tower, so she sings. She makes a friend who climbs up the tower to come and play music with her. But the evil witch does not like this and cuts off Pterapunzel‘s hair. And that‘s what it takes for Rapunzel to learn that she can fly and save herself. I love a modern fairytale where the princess saves herself and doesn‘t need to rely on the prince.

5 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ This book starts with a child asking their parent to tell them about the night they were born. it goes through the child being born and picked up and how special it was because the child is adopted. This helps normalize adoption. It‘s not a scary thing, it‘s what it is, and it‘s its own special view of how you came into the world. There are fabulous illustrations, and this is a forever classic by Jayme Lee Curtis.

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4 ⭐ First thing, as a Gen X are I feel the submarine should be yellow. However, this was a fun book. It sounds like Paul McCartney. A reader can picture him standing up there telling this story to his grandchildren. And that‘s what makes this picture book successful. The illustrations definitely help it along as they match perfectly to the tone and the ideas put in a person‘s head by the story.

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3 ⭐This is a picture book about the 60‘s scoop. During the 60‘s scoop Native American children were scooped into residential schools. Not all kids who went into a residential schools came home. Some were given to new families, and many died. The story starts out with night skies and constellations and a little boy who can‘t sleep. The little shoe aspect seems to come from nowhere and fade into nowhere again after it‘s mentioned.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐5 ⭐
I am a big fan of the Narwhal and jelly books and very excited they are doing picture books. It is a call and action book that tells you to shake or move or help. But at the same time, it says not to do some of those things. It all works together to make a highly enjoyable picture book that kids are going to love for a long time to come.

4 ⭐ I love the art in this book. I love the cover, and I love all the interior illustrations. However, this story is incredibly long. It does rhyme and it has a familiar cadence pattern. However, the cadence pattern needs sanding.one constantly tripping over the rhymes. The idea behind it is adorable and the execution is almost there but at the same time it feels like the author had so many ideas and did not know when to say stop.

3 ⭐ Once again I find it hard to believe this was Kelly Clarkson. The song, the little ditty, absolutely. But the rest I think had help. It rhymes there‘s a cadence. The story is OK. I don‘t think it‘s anything special. I do wonder though why they changed illustrators. Illustrations are nice but now this new illustrator must try and match the artwork of the first book and that seems really odd. It makes me wonder what happened.