Book Review // BUSY SPRING by Alex Morss & Sean Taylor

Title: Busy Spring: Nature Wakes Up

Authors: Alex Morss, Sean Taylor

Illustrator: Cinyee Chiu

Publisher: Words & Pictures

Audience: Children (ages 3-6, pre-k - 1st grade)

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 32

Published: March 16, 2021

My Rating: 5 stars ✰✰✰✰✰

BUSY SPRING by Sean Taylor and Alex Morss tells the story of two young girls who join their father out in the garden for a day of exploration as the seasons change from winter to spring. As a children's librarian, I have read many, many books about the changing seasons, so it can be difficult to find a unique angle to talk about it from. However, I think the authors did an incredible job with this book, as did the illustrator. I was honestly amazed by just how informative this book was and how much detail was included—from observations about life cycles and food chains, to the ideas of composting and transformation, this book addresses so many unique aspects of the season in depth. Additionally, the book includes a few pages of non-fiction resources on plants, animals, and nature's symbioses. Finally, it includes some resources and potential action steps for how young readers can help the environment. This book would definitely be a little text-heavy for use in storytime programming, but I would certainly purchase this text for my library's collection and it is a sweet, interesting, and informative book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy of this text for review!

See this review on Goodreads here.

Book Review // THE NOT-SO-FRIENDLY FRIEND by Christina Furnival & Katie Dwyer

Title: The Not-So-Friendly Friend: How to Set Boundaries for Healthy Friendships

Author: Christina Furnival

Illustrator: Katie Dwyer

Publisher: PESI Publishing & Media

Audience: Children

Genre: Picture Book Nonfiction

Pages: 46

Originally Published: November 14, 2021

My Rating: 5 stars ✰✰✰✰✰

I received an advanced ebook copy of this book from NetGalley for review. Setting boundaries with people who make you feel bad is a necessary, but extremely difficult, skill to learn, but this book approaches the topic in a very accessible and clear way. This book tells the story of a kind, friendly little girl who realizes that no matter how nice you are to people, it doesn’t mean they will always treat you with the same respect and kindness. When the little girl comes up against a bully who repeatedly tries to put her down despite all her efforts to be their friend, she realizes that she needs to set boundaries for her relationship with that child. The author, a licensed clinical mental health counselor, masterfully illustrates how this can be done, simply and effectively. I honestly wish that I had read a story like this when I was younger, the line “‘cause someone who loves you won’t make you feel small” really summed it up so succinctly. On top of the important message, the illustrations in the book are just gorgeous, I love the combination of watercolor washes with delicate ink detailing. “The Not-So-Friendly Friend” is a must-read for parents on starting the conversation with your little ones about setting boundaries. It also features a section at the end for parents & professionals, with important information about the benefits of setting boundaries for a child’s self-worth and self-respect, as well as suggestions for how to start a conversation with your child. This book is an important addition to any library’s children’s collection.

This review was originally posted on Goodreads.com.

08.2019 Podcast & Book Recommendation // My Favorite Murder

Since its original release in 2016, the true-crime podcast My Favorite Murder has amassed a cult following. Every week, comedians Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff treat their listeners (lovingly dubbed "murderinos") to a delightful concoction of light-hearted personal banter; frank life advice delivered in snappy, bite-sized quips (like, "pepper spray first, apologize later"); as well as the nominal reason for the podcast—swapping morbid tales of murder. The two women have always been honest about their own checkered pasts on the show, but recently they published a dual memoir titled Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide. While the book features decidedly less murder than the podcast, what it does provide is a poignant look into Karen and Georgia's personal lives, the reasons behind their true crime fascination, and the life events that have lead them to where they are today.

Staff recommendation published in Crafton Public Library's monthly newsletter.