Reviews written by Olivia Farr, Staff Reviewer

DINOSAURS TO CHICKENS: HOW EVOLUTION WORKS is an engaging nonfiction book that presents the basics about evolution for middle grade readers. This colorful book presents some of the reasons of evolutions as well as how animals are classified before going into specific animals and how they evolved. ...

THE GIFT OF WORDS is a lovely holiday picture book. Jerome is looking for the perfect words to capture the holidays, but he is unable to find the right ones. He soon has an idea and creates a tree for people to add their favorite positive words. Together, they create...

MR. SEARCH AND MRS. FIND is an engaging search-and-find picture book. The book features 2 characters that children must find among subsequent busy images. An answer key at the back is particularly helpful. What I loved: This is a challenging search-and-find task, and the answer...

WHEN WINTER COMES is a sweet picture book celebrating winter and snow. The book follows a young girl as she enjoys the winter season, catching snowflakes, building snowmen, and more. What I loved: This is a cute celebration of winter and snow. The story is...

SEVEN DEADLY THORNS is an engaging YA fantasy with romance and academia vibes. Viola is a student at their country's most prestigious university, where she must always hide her very nature. She is a miega, a witch, the punishment for her existence being death. When Roze, the prince and her...

THE POLAR BEAR AND THE BALLERINA is a beautiful story of inclusion and friendship. The book is told entirely through images with a girl posing in front of a polar bear exhibit at the zoo. After she leaves and drops her red scarf, the bear climbs out, wears the scarf...

FORESTS is a beautifully illustrated picture book that teaches children about some basic facts and problems facing forests. The book begins with an introduction to forests before teaching about wildfires and logging but also about monarch butterflies, bamboo forests, kelp forests, and more. It finishes with a call to action,...

THE HEART OF WINTER is a heartwarming story of friendship and found family. Chip is a little robin who gets blown in a gust of wind and snow on Christmas Eve. Lost and afraid, he is found by Lula the fox who helps to get him warm and play with...

LITTLE REINDEER, WHERE ARE YOU? is an adorable board book with lift-the-flap and mirror elements. The book includes a Christmas-themed figure that children are asked where they are. They then ask the baby where they are and lift-the-flap to reveal a mirror. What I loved:...

HOW TO FIND A YETI is an adorable picture book with a dash of humor. A boy is sure that yeti lives behind his house and decides to search for it with the help of his dog Milo. However, they do not see the yeti - even as the reader...

WELCOME TO THE NIGHTTIME TRAIN is a sweet bedtime book read. The book collects animals as they head for bed, making stops in Pajamaville and Toothbrush Town as they get ready for sleep. A final stop for a bedtime story is made before heading home and to bed. ...

THE WIZARD'S GUIDE TO MAGICAL EXPERIMENTS is an incredibly cool science experiment collection with a touch of magic. The book walks children through various scientific concepts as they give them experiments to try at home (that feel magical!). What I loved: This is such a...

HANK MEETS FRANK is a silly picture book about expectations and mischief. Frank is visiting Hank, and though everyone believes that Frank is cute and can do no wrong, everyone asks Hank to be on his best behavior. When pranks start happening, it seems that Hank is getting blamed for...

SNOW KID is a sweet picture book story about growing up and finding your way. Twig was brought together with snowflakes, a carrot, sticks, and a hat. When their hat blows away, Twig sets out to find it. However, Twig is not sure if they are still Twig without their...

MAKE TRACKS: GREAT OUTDOORS is a fun, interactive board book. This book features four tracks for summertime outdoor activities - a pony, bike, canoe, and hiking. Each page spread features a labeled image of the key parts/supplies with a facing page of a track that a cardboard coin can move...