Reviews written by Sara Perrera, Staff Reviewer

Hopefully the Scarecrow is a heartwarming story about a scarecrow and his friendship with a young girl. Every season, the young girl puts out the scarecrow in the garden. The scarecrow looks forward to his visits with the young girl especially when she reads her books out loud. During the...

Do You Know? is a series of nonfiction books that cover all aspects of a given subject in great detail. This particular book is about music and contains information about everything from musical instruments to jobs in music. What I Liked: Each page contains...

The first day of school often brings out the nervous jitters in children, and Robin the Hippo is no exception. We are first introduced to Robin at home, where she is loud and playful. When the first day of school rolls around, we see a very different Robin. She is...

We have all experienced a time when hunger hits hard and we want to eat everything imaginable. I Am Hungry is a book that really feeds on that idea (pun intended). A squirrel is famished and comes up with some pretty crazy ideas of...

Cat is a 14-year-old girl with a major crush on her best friend. There is just one problem: her very popular, very homophobic group of best friends doesn't know she is lesbian. This makes for an interesting storyline as she dates one of her guy friends and confirms she does...

I Will Swim Next Time is about a young child who is afraid to swim and whose mother reassures them that they will know when they are ready to try. The ocean is big and scary Eventually, they do try to swim and love it. ...

Sometimes I Am Furious is a brightly illustrated picture book that depicts a young girl and how she learns to deal with her big emotions. It's easy to get angry when people take your toys or you don't get your way, but the little girl's grandma teaches her...

Sophia N. Lee writes outstanding books showcasing Filipino culture. In Lolo's Sari Sari Store, a young girl reflects back on the time she spent in her grandfather's store. It was more than a place that sold goods to customers. Lolo forged relationships with each person that came to his...

I Am a Tornado is a terrific social-emotional learning book. The story is told while a tornado is formed and picks up a cow in its cyclone. Cow tries to understand why Tornando is upset. As the story unfolds, Tornado describes how angry he feels when he destroys things. In...

Make the Fireflies Dance is the perfect young adult rom-com. The book is filled with blind dates, family drama, and friend drama, as well as boy drama. Quincy Walker is a high school senior with an interest in filmmaking. As part of her final project...

From Here to There: A First Book of Maps is a wonderful introduction to different types of maps and how they can be used. Anna receives a letter from her friend Zane inviting her to a play date at his apartment. He includes...

The World's Best Class Plant is an engaging picture book that made me want to become a plant lady. Arlo is jealous of the other classes that have cool animals as their class pet, while his class just has a plant. Arlo's teacher whose name changes depending on Arlo's mood...

I can't say that I often cry at children's picture books, but Holding On had me tearing up at the end. It's a beautifully written story about a girl and her grandmother whom she calls Lola. You can see how they spend their summers together. They sing all of Lola's...

Friends Like These is a true coming-of-age story. Beth is a small-town girl who comes to Manhattan for a journalism internship. At the internship, she meets Edie who is polar opposite her in every way. Edie and Beth's friendship is a mess and it's through these obstacles that Beth...

Squirrel is a thoughtful friend. The evidence of this is abundant when she wants to make blueberry cookies for her friend Bear's birthday and gets delayed by friends that need her help. As Squirrel was willing to help her other friends, she must now go at night to pick the...