- Mikayla Wobrak
- Oct 4, 2021
- 1 min read
Updated: Jan 7, 2022
Title: Cat's First Baby
Author: Natalie Nelson
Publisher: Quirk Books
Audience: Children (2-5 years)
Genre: Board Book Fiction
Pages: 28
Expected Publication: March 1, 2022
My Rating: 5 stars ✰✰✰✰✰
There are plenty of books out there about introducing a child to a new pet, but what about the adjustment that happens when a pet was there first? CAT'S FIRST BABY is a sweet little board book for situations just like that. Cat isn't sure what kind of creature mom and dad just brought into her home, but she knows that it isn't a cat! She's curious about this wiggly new being, and after awhile, she sees that they actually have quite a bit in common — both of them like to play, enjoy naps, and even take baths. The illustrations in the book are just beautiful, and the layout is simple, colorful, and easy to read. This book includes some slightly elevated language like "spectacular" and "apologize" which is good to help build up a child's vocabulary with words they might not hear otherwise. I would certainly purchase a copy of this book for my library's collection and would encourage other librarians to do the same. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy of CAT'S FIRST BABY!
View this review on Goodreads here.
- Mikayla Wobrak
- Sep 30, 2021
- 1 min read
Updated: Jan 7, 2022
Title: The Bad Mood!
Author: Moritz Petz
Illustrator: Amelie Jackowski
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Audience: Children (ages 4-8, pre-k - 3)
Genre: Picture Book Fiction
Pages: 32
Published: this edition November 16, 2021, originally 2004
My Rating: 4 stars ✰✰✰✰
I received an e-book copy of this book through NetGalley for review. This book tells the story of Badger, who’s having a bad day and about to make it everyone else’s problem. But when everyone else starts to treat him badly too, he sees that he shouldn’t have taken out his anger on his friends. I thought this was a wonderful little parable which teaches a valuable lesson in treating people the way you would like to be treated. I would definitely consider using this text during a storytime focused on emotional regulation, anger, or social-emotional learning.
This review was originally published at Goodreads.com.
- Mikayla Wobrak
- Sep 30, 2021
- 1 min read
Updated: Jan 7, 2022
Title: Ms. Goshsquash
Author: Lola Coleman
Illustrator: Alexandra Ruso
Publisher: DartFrog Books
Audience: Children
Genre: Picture Book Fiction
Pages: 30
Published: September 27, 2021
My Rating: 3 stars ✰✰✰
I received an ebook copy of MS. GOSHSQUASH for review through NetGalley. Ms. Goshsquash tells the tale of an old woman who knows how to make children behave. She shows three naughty children how their actions have affected others by transporting them into a mirror. Finally, the children change their behavior once they see their nastiness reflected back at them and realize they don’t like how it looks or feels. My favorite thing about this book was the beautiful watercolor illustrations, they were very well done. However, at times I personally thought that the rhyme scheme felt a bit stilted, and the message, while not bad, was conveyed in a very heavy-handed way. I also wished that the yak would have come back around in the end for a bit of closure; it seemed like there wasn’t any narrative reason for it to be there.