Reviews written by Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer

When a man is having a house built, he is unhappy with the small size and has the builders keep adding rooms until there are 100 of them! Since he lives alone, and doesn't live in a kingly fashion, this is a lot of space. Of course, nature abhors a...

This very simple picture book is the third in a series, following Uh-Oh! Rabbit and Yippee! Rabbit. Using black silhouette images with pink highlights, Ham shows us a rabbit going about its day, getting into a variety of trouble involving the rabbit being ON different objects, and then falling...

Children want to have dogs, but they don't know how much work they can be. This helpful book takes a realistic look at all of the different chores and problems that a pet can create, but offers constructive information. A little boy wants a...

A father lion and his cub go through their day, thinking about all of the wonderful things that the little lion will accomplish. They spend their day on the savannah, think about all of the possibilities, interacting with other animals, swimming, and frolicking together. The father encourages his child to...

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central Magnolia is ten, and spends most of her days at the Bing Qi Ling Bubbles Laundromat that her parents run. Her only friend has moved away, and she has little interest in making new ones, even though it...

This sturdy board book is a great way to start young readers on identifying animals, with a fun twist. Each two page spread starts with a clue, includes a "Peekaboo!" and then identifies the subject. A bird is covered by wings, a rabbit by ears, an octopus by tentacles,...

This board book puts a new spin on the traditonal "Wheels on the Bus" song by involving a wide variety of mothers who are on the bus with their young charges. These mothers have gentle reminders to hold their hands, sit down, and say thank you, and even have snacks...

There is apparently a shortage of veterinarians in many parts of the US, and as a lover of dogs, I was glad to see this book, which could be used to encourage middle grade readers to pursue the profession! Starting with what a vet is, and the sorts of tools...

Mei Ying Lin lives in a small college town with her professor mother and is friends with Kirra, who is on her soccer team, and who calls her "Spark", a name bestowed by Kirra's grandmother, Coach Gran. When Mei Ying's grandmother visits from Taiwan, the two bond even though they...

**Spoilers, which are somewhat necessary to understand the whole story.** Hank is used to taking care of his three year old sister, Bridget (Boo) when their mother Geri is out working or socializing, but when she doesn't come home for a week, things get...

Naomi would rather spend the summer as she usually does, with her father and twin younger brothers, thinking of activities to do around town. Instead, she is going away to camp in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey because her father is moving out of the house. She has an...

Bailee lives in Fall Hollow, where Abbie Snook went missing in the woods back in 1982. Ever since, sixth graders have played an elaborate game that involves going into the woods to ring a bell. This is said to protect the town from evil and keep the spirit of Abigail...

Ivy has one goal: to get through high schools as quickly as possible so she can go to a good college and become a supreme court justice like Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Ginsberg was motivational to Ivy's mother, who has recently passed away. Feeling that her own school won't help her...

Ryanna's mother, a young actress, dies when she was three, and so it's always been just her and her screenwriter father. Recently, he has remarried, and Ryanna doesn't mind her new stepmother, Ginger, at all, especially since she is also her pediatrician! The family is all set...

This was illustrated in an amusing way, and the colors were very pleasant. Dead End Springs at Halloween is a very enticing place, and the horrors are all fairly benign. There's a well developed backstory with Iris and Halloway that comes to a satisfactory conclusion, and by the end all...