Reviews written by Cherokee Crum, Blog Manager and Staff Reviewer

Rooted in Palestinian heritage, Hilwa's Gifts is a lovely story about family traditions and the bond between a grandson, his grandfather, and their favorite olive tree. Anait Semirdzhyan’s digital artwork does a masterful job establishing the scene and progressing to the harvest. The beauty and...

From beginning to end, readers get to see Miss Prim undergo this amazing transformation in this delightful and whimsical story. Miss Prim is known around the neighborhood by such descriptors as practical, stern, no-nonsense and even scary. She spends her days looking for problems...

Spider-Man Swings Through is a fun comic like book, perfect for Marvel fans of all ages. The text is a decent size, with smaller sentences that would keep beginner readers' attention. However, there isn't much to the plot, mainly Spider-Man swinging through with funny...

Fantastic Four: My Mighty Marvel First Book is the perfect way for super hero fans to introduce the first super hero family to young children. This large board book features easy to read and understand text, great for little hands and those beginner readers....

Rocks' Journey is a short, nature based educational book perfect for toddlers! Using rhymes, Walker takes us on a journey of the changes mountains, boulders, sand, and other forms of rock. This is a rudimentary introduction to the rock cycle with easy to...

River's Journey is a short, nature based educational book perfect for toddlers! We are first introduced to soggy lands, possibly caused by the rain and melting snow. It created streams and run downhill merging into each other to become a river. The educational...

Vampire Jam Sandwich has become a favorite around here! Casey Lyall, in very few words, is able to weave a compelling, and silly, story about a "Vampire" named Terrence. With its spooky story told over a campfire vibe, the legend of the Vampire Jam...

True Gretch is a behind the scenes look at Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, who has had the honor of serving this great state for two terms, and yes, I did vote for her. Being born and raised in Michigan, I've seen a lot of...

I Love Salmon and Lampreys is a lovely & thoughtfully written autobiographical story that gives a brief introduction to the cultural and environmental impact of lamprey and salmon, specifically in the Klamath river. The narrative is both touching and informative, offering readers a meaningful introduction...

Your Forest was our favorite out of the Your Places set. Slowly we are introduced to different parts of the forest, including a ghost, and told where they go. Once again, we've got this calming intimacy with the "characters" thanks to the narration. The...

Your Island is written with a basic and calming tone, perfect for a nighttime routine. Readers are brought directly into the story. Beginning with a sun, the book introduces each part and explains where it goes, creating once again that comforting intimacy. ...

How Do Seeds Grow Into Gardens? takes you step by step through instructions for planting a garden, and explains how seeds grow. I love the illustrations. Like the others in the series, they are bold and colorful, show casing the humorous characters and what they...

How Do Fires Protect Nature? is a nice educational resource that points out the positive of fires. Wildfires have been come more prevalent, with many each year, and most getting larger. The cause serious destruction.. but they also assist natures balance. Fires help...

From gardens to grocery stores all around the world, readers are taken on an informative food tour! Our Big Table teaches readers about where their food comes from, how different types of produce grow, what kind of variants there are, and what recipes they appear...

What Plant Is This follow a jay hawk in search of something to eat as the winter months approach in a fun life-the-flap style. We move through the book as the jay hawk flies through the forest and surrounding areas, including fields and meadows,...