Reviews written by MG Buehrlen

I specifically requested this book for review because I wanted to up my doodle skills. I think I've been stuck in the same doodle rut since high school, marking the same tired design in the margins of my notebooks for years. It was time for some pizzazz. ...

If I had this book as a kid, I would've gotten lost in it, day in, day out. Oh, who am I kidding? Readers are going to get lost in this book no matter what their age. This hardcover book is printed in large format which...

What I loved: It's been a long time since I felt like a book was written just for me. How did April Genevieve Tulcholke know all the ways to stir my inner gothic hipster? How did she know I used to dress in my grandmother's clothes and pretend I...

What I Loved: McEntire is back with her feisty, witty, and at times wildly inappropriate characters. This time, there's a new girl in town, Hallie, and she's not the type to sit at home quietly and behave herself. In fact, she's even harder to handle than...

I was so excited to read BETTER NATE THAN EVER because I'm a huge fan of musical theater. As a kid, I'd gone through the wringer during auditions numerous times, so I knew I'd be able to relate to the protagonist, Nate. I thought I was in for a light-hearted...

I will forever and always recommend golden books to anyone looking for picture books. The illustrations are timeless, the stories a mixture of classics and folktales. This spring-themed collection includes Home for a Bunny, Where Do Giggles Come From?, The Little Red Hen, Two Little Gardeners,...

Highly recommended for children who love learning about dinosaurs. This pop-up pocket guide includes colorful illustrations, definitions of dinosaur-tastic terms, and plenty of facts and interesting trivia. While the information is brief, amounting to about 2 or 3 sentences about each dinosaur, the guide is comprehensive...

This pop-up reference book all about insects would be great for the insect fan in your life. I'm not so big on creepy-crawlies, so the illustrations gave me the willies. I guess that proves how accurate the drawings are! What I loved: The layout of this...

What I loved: Peruse any picture book aisle at any bookstore and you'll see no shortage of biblical passages paired with colorful illustrations, making the bible accessible for young ones. But where most of these picture books leave off, Psalm 23 adds a valuable element I haven't seen before....

What I loved: Having never been to Rome, there is very little I know about the city outside what I learned in school and saw in films. This adorable little pop-up guide book shows you where each great attraction is located in the city and what each one is...

For fans of Caroline Jayne Church's lovable baby books, this cloth version is a winner. There are only a few pages, but little ones will enjoy handling the book themselves, seeing themselves in the mirror on the front, and gazing at the cute baby faces while learning where to locate...

What I liked: For those who know how the song goes, this sweet little board book might be a nice addition to your nursery or daycare library. The light and airy watercolor illustrations pair well with the shiny gold foil on the front and back cover. The story...

Illustrator Christine Roussey's scribbly, accessible style welcomes even the smallest child to doodle within these pages. My Beastly Book of Tangled Tinsel has the potential to keep a child busy for hours while they engage in a myriad of naughty and nice activities. The nicer options...

What I loved: This is a great primer for newer, younger Bieber fans. Brooks and Hodgin take us through Justin's brief history, then catch the reader up on where Justin is now. The writing is conversational and age-appropriate. The large print and simple sentences will snag an early reader's...

What I loved: You can't go wrong when you pair photos of everyone's favorite boy band with lots of quiz questions, lots of trivia, and two mad libs stories to boot! I don't know much about One Direction, but after reading this book, I pretty much aced the quizzes....