​What’s better than sprinkles? Read this book and you’ll find out:

This adorable picture book about friendship has so much to love. Linda Skeers narrates from the point of view of one child who defines friendship in kid-relatable ways such as, “A friend lets you be the knight when you play knights and dragons. Even though you were the knight last time. And the time before that.” But this is more than a concept book all about what makes a friend. It conveys a story about how sometimes friends do something to cause a rift in a friendship, how that feels, and how they can repair the friendship. Heather Fox’s bright, cheerful illustrations are the perfect match for a story with sprinkles, unicorns, knights, dragons, glitter, birthday cakes, and party hats. Bonus: She includes one of my favorite elements in a picture books – a surprise cover under the dust jacket. I loved this one from cover to cover!
 
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​Did you know that ladybugs have traveled in space? Neither did I, until I read a picture book inspired by the true story about how some Chilean high school girls convinced NASA to send ladybugs in space.

This book parallels two stories – one of a chinita (ladybug) who dreams of going to space, and the other of a chica (girl) who dreams of becoming a scientist. Both dreams seem impossible. Who ever heard of a ladybug space explorer? And no one in Natalia’s family had ever attended a university. But both characters make their dreams a reality with perseverance, experimentation, hard work, and a positive mindset. Although the story is fictionalized, the author’s note explains how these two dreams really did come true. On July 23, 1999, four chinitas, named John, Paul, Ringo, and George, traveled to space on the space shuttle Columbia after a class of Chilean girls convinced NASA that their ladybug experiment was worthy of space travel. Manuela Montoya’s bright, cheerful illustrations elevate Melissa Trempe and Dr. Natalia Ojeda fascinating tale that will inspire young readers and keep them turning the pages to the end where they will find supplemental back matter complete with authors note, glossary, and additional resources. This book is full of STEM, girl power, ladybugs and an all-around great read!
 
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Lots of wildlife creatures visit our yard: Birds, bunnies, foxes, squirrels, racoons, an occasional coyote or skunk, and lots and lots of deer. In honor of this month’s holiday, and as a tribute to a dear author friend who recently passed away suddenly, I highly recommend her newest book:

As a picture book writer and someone who always liked math, this is one of those stories I read and thought, “Why didn’t I think of that?” But only Katey Howes could pull off taking this brilliant idea, write a story about math concepts like prime numbers and remainders, combine it with themes of friendship, cooperation, and inclusion, add relatable back matter, and then do it in perfect rhyme! Combine that with Marie Hermansson’s sweet illustrations that capture the dreamy quality of a dewy woodland morning and the heartfelt expressions of the thirteen reindeer students, and you have a perfect picture book! Brilliant!
 
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