Reviews written by Rachel Feeck, Staff Reviewer

Quirky and earnest BubbleCat is planning a party for Nana. He's starting to feel overwhelmed by his friends' great ideas, but maybe there's a way to have the perfect party afterall. BubbleCat is definitely very relatable as he learns the importance of sticking up...

A cute and cozy sibling story, in which creatures of unspecified type Alphonse and Natalie go to grandma's for the night while parents attend the theater. The siblings have lots of fun planned, including a fanciful show of their own, but when they start to have different ideas about how...

Banagrams for Kids is a word-puzzle activity book with a range of difficulty spread across 18 puzzle types. Although for kids, this is not a how-to-read book. Banana levels 1-3 are geared toward an older elementary audience, and some of the level fours even had me scratching my head. ...

Count me with the Sophie fans. This book was my first time reading this comic and I was instantly in love with little pup Sophie, the nefarious cats, and the rest of their colorful household. Although this is the second book, it can be read...

Join Snoopy and the Peanuts gang in a celebration of love. This small book is a perfect first reader for little one just graduating from board books, with a small size and durable interior pages. Pictures include Snoopy and friends doing their classic activities,...

And so the Runestone Saga concludes with conflicted allies, deception, unhappy gods, and a spooky army of the dead. The story picks up right where it left off, and Eiric’s captivity and Liv (Heidin) and Reginn’s organizing military forces on the island. Everyone who...

Star-crossed lovers, close quarters games of cat and mouse, celebrating in defiance of the end of the world. Rebel Witch closes the duology with all the witchy magic and repressed feelings we came to love, plus an extra helping of political maneuvering, that culminates in a rebellious last stand straight...

Experience the journey of luthier Gaspar Borchardt, as he dreams of making the finest violin. This ambition takes him to forests around the world to find the perfect, ancient trees, where he has to decide if his work is worth the cost to the forest. In the end, he is...

A totally unique guide to flowers, where beautiful buds come to life as little monsters with traits and faces to make them memorable. As someone who has a hard time remembering facts over fiction, I love this book's approach to learning. Plain old peonies and...

A lovingly comedic take on the Christmas nativity, as told through the eyes of the sheep in the fields nearby. The cast includes sheep of all shapes and sizes, including one with a tooth retainer, and together they amble through the Christmas story, from...

The perfect read for Lunar New Year, starring siblings Lily and Noah as they enjoy the festivities and learn all about lion dancers. Beyond the fun family story, I enjoyed learning about the lion dance, how the costume fits together, at what sorts of...

An old folktale comes to life with pastoral artwork and a story that captures a child's quiet joys, free spirit, and connection with nature. When his family falls on hard times, young Kevin stays at the local monastery, where he is busy learning, doing chores, and running outside with the...

Emma Dodd delivers another heartwarming tale illustrated in her adorable signature style. There's rhyming verse to accompany the full page pictures of a parent and child dolphin exploring the seas together. This short book actually carries a pretty nuanced message. If you choose to...

A beautiful storybook about a little girl, her grandmother, and the family life and culture they share. Both enjoy quiet times together, tai chi in the park, making dumplings, and the girl never expects any of that to change. But when grandma gets sick, she realizes that not every day...

Bursting with the love and joy of music, After the Wallpaper Music tells the story of Flora, mostly violinist, sometimes fiddler, as she navigates tricky situations with new and old friends while preparing for the upcoming Battle of the Bands. Although Flora loves her string quartet, the music she sees...