Children’s Books

REVIEWS | A Cat Family Christmas & Daisy Woodworm Changes the World

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Title: Cat Family Christmas: An Advent Lift-the-Flap Book (with Over 140 Flaps)
Genre: Children’s, Picture Books, Holiday
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Format: E-Book
Pages: 24 pages
Source: NetGalley

Description

Count down the twelve days til Christmas in this delightful advent book. With a nod to nostalgic Victorian advent calendars, open up tiny but sturdy flap ‘doors’ on each one of the 24 pages to reveal little details and surprises.

Peer inside the cupboard doors and different-sized tins in the busy Cat Family kitchen to find the missing ingredients for the cake. Open all the front doors on the street when the Cat Family go carol singing.

This is a whimsical Christmas book that gives the Victorian advent calendar tradition a contemporary twist for advent calendar door–hungry hands. Every page is rich with Liberty print–style patterns and William Morris–inspired friezes.

The Cat Family is full of character and personality, and the picture painted of the holiday season in this charming picture book will fill you and your family with Christmas cheer!

(Goodreads)

Review

Get this one before the 12 days of Christmas start!

This lift-the-flap advent book features beautifully illustrated pages of a cat family during Christmas as they prepare and celebrate the holiday season. The placement of the various flaps was done cleverly and will be so much fun for readers to explore as they progress through the story.

Not only are the activities engaging, but the story itself is as well, as it counts down the 12 days of Christmas. As you flip through the book, note the different animal families, which include rabbits, badgers, and foxes (among others!). It is lovely to see the various families as they board the sleeper train! Even the houses display snowmen outside (e.g., snow-cats and snow-ducks!)

This book is so much fun to read with your little ones as you approach Christmas day. The last page ends on Christmas Eve.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

This Book in Three Words

Cozy, Festive, Cats!

Values/Themes

  • Family
  • Holiday Traditions
  • Togetherness

Favourite Part

I loved to see all of the animal families boarding the train!

Feelings

  • Lighthearted
  • Relaxing
  • Fun

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 5 Stars

Title: Daisy Woodworm Changes the World
Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Format: E-Book
Pages: 288 pages
Source: NetGalley

Description

Thirteen-year-old Daisy Woodward loves insects, running track, and hanging out with her older brother, Sorrel, who has Down syndrome and adores men’s fashion. When her social studies teacher assigns each student an oral report and project to change the world for the better, Daisy fears the class bully–who calls her Woodworm–will make fun of her lisp. Still, she decides to help Sorrel fulfill his dream of becoming a YouTube fashion celebrity despite their parents’ refusal to allow him on social media.

With the help of her best friend, Poppy, and Miguel–the most popular boy in school and her former enemy–Daisy launches Sorrel’s publicity campaign. But catastrophe strikes when her parents discover him online along with hateful comments from a cyberbully. If Daisy has any hope of changing the world, she’ll have to regain her family’s trust and face her fears of public speaking to find her own unique and powerful voice.

Daisy Woodworm Changes the World includes an author’s note and additional resources.

(Goodreads)

Review

When prompted with the question, “How can one save the world?” Daisy immediately thinks of Sorrel, her brother who has Down Syndrome, and how she could best support his ambition to become a fashion icon and youtube star.

Daisy and Sorrel are faced with many obstacles, and with the representation of Down Syndrome, another strength of this book is how Daisy, with the help of her friends, family, and teacher, can make the world a better place. I liked that this story showed how important it is to reframe goals and ask for aid when needed. I loved Sorrel and the strong bond between the two siblings. Regarding the pacing, the last half of the book flowed very nicely. I also wanted to know more about Daisy, but this may be something to look forward to in the future. This book is well-suited for a middle-grade audience/classroom. Daisy wants to study insects so cool facts about insects are provided.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

This Book in Three Words

Uplifting, Inspiring, Realistic

Values/Themes

  • Goal setting
  • Self-Esteem
  • Friendship
  • Family
  • Economic disparities

Favourite Part

Several friendships blossom throughout the book.

Feelings

  • Emotional
  • Hopeful
  • Uplifting

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 3.75 Stars

QOTD: What is the last book you’ve read? Let us know!

REVIEW | Cat’s Don’t Like Christmas! by Andy Wortlock and Nahum Ziersch (Illustrator)

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The Storygraph | Goodreads
Title: Cat’s Don’t Like Christmas!
Genre: Children’s, Picture Books
Publisher: Splash Books
Format: E-Book
Pages: 35 pages
Source: NetGalley

Description

It’s Christmas time! It’s here again!

But first I need to say…

I think you’re making too much fuss

about this holiday!

Our adorable little cat is back this Christmas and he thinks there might be a little too much fuss this holiday season. Cats aren’t great with change and there’s plenty this time of year, in such a short period of time! For little and big readers, this is the funny, festive, companion to the award winning, Cats Don’t Like That! by Andy Wortlock and Nahum Ziersch.

Enjoy this special holiday treat and get your festive paws on a copy today!

(Goodreads)

Review

This feline-tastic book is an adorable and hilarious picture book detailing all of the annoyances cats face during a busy family Christmas. Each page features a clever rhyme and is beautifully illustrative of the narration, full of wit and charm!

As a mega cat lover, I feel like there is also an important tale to tell here: with compassion and empathy, we can enjoy Christmas while not pestering our pets too much, if only our family and guests let them have adequate quiet time in addition to love, and affection.

Make sure to read until the end because every page features a hidden mouse! Enjoy finding these together with your little ones (or, in my case, my cat Olivia who was eager to spot them!).

Highly recommended! Purrfect for kids and adults, too!

Thank you to NetGalley for this review copy. All opinions are my own.

This Book in Three Words

Witty, Charming, Cute

Values/Themes

  • Cats during Christmas time
  • Awareness of feline friends during the holidays
  • Scavenger Hunt

Favourite Part

Clearly, our favourite part was the mouse scavenger hunt!

Feelings

  • Funny
  • Lighthearted
  • Adorable

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 5 Stars

QOTD: What is your favourite Christmas-time picture book? This is a new favourite for us!

Review | Baker and Taylor and the Mystery of the Library Cats

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Title: Baker and Taylor and the Mystery of the Library Cats
Genre: Children’s, Animals, Picture Books
Publisher: Paw Prints Publishing
Format: E-book
Pages: 32
Source: NetGalley

Synopsis (from NetGalley):
This is the first title in a newly independent reader series that combines fun storylines featuring two bookish cats, with factoids throughout to create an immersive reading experience for bibliophiles, cat-lovers, and learners of regional history and culture alike.

Meet Baker and Taylor, two cat buddies (opposite in every way) who are about to leave the comfort of their cozy public library reading nook to embark on one epic literary road trip!

After spending most of their time reading in the library, Baker and Taylor are encouraged by their friend Flora to get out and see the world. Their first stop? New York City. There, Flora tells them, they’ll meet another pair of cat besties eager to share their library—the 42nd Street branch of the New York Public Library —with them.

Review

Purrfect book for library and cat lovers, alike!

This was a fun and short picture book starring Baker and Taylor as they try to uncover a mystery: what are the famous library cats of New York City’s public library? And how do they find them?

As the two cats seek out these felines they use the transit system and traverse the streets of NYC. Being a studious and literary cat, Baker has brought along his guidebook and together he and his friend, Taylor, make sense of their surroundings while learning tons of facts about NYC! I thought this was such a fun way to incorporate an educational component into this picture book and it’s so much fun when they finally find out exactly what the NYC library cats are.

The illustrations are so charming and display beautiful detail of the cats and their surroundings. The text is easy to read and the dialogue and narration component is written well. It includes information on how diverse NYC is, it’s population size, and information about the wide range of languages spoken in the city. And, at the end, there are info pages of the New York Public Library and other landmarks in NYC.

Absolutely wonderful book that fosters a love of the two cats, the discovery of new sights and locations when travelling, and of libraries! An absolute joy to read. My cat Olivia and I read this together – this is highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Paw Prints Publishing for this advanced review copy. This was voluntarily read; all opinions are my own.

Themes

  • Exploration
  • Education
  • Mystery

Feelings

  • Informative
  • Adventurous
  • Fun!

Rating

Numerical Rating: 5 stars!

QOTD: What is the last children’s
book you’ve enjoyed? Let us know!

REVIEW | Shoo!

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Title: Shoo!
Genre: Children’s Fiction, Animals, Picture Books
Publisher: Punshkin Press, Punshkin Children’s Books
Format: E-book
Pages: 32
Source: NetGalley

Synopsis (from Amazon):
A raucous debut picture book about an invasion of pesky animals.

Mrs Golightly doesn’t like animals – and now a whole zoo has moved next door! No matter how hard she tries to shoo them away, she finds animals everywhere: a kangaroo on the loo, a giraffe in her bath, and even ants in her pants.

What can she do to get rid of these stinky, bothersome creatures?

Bursting with colour, delightful rhyme and outrageous humour, Shoo! is acclaimed children’s author Susie Bower’s first picture book.


Review

This eARC was a cute picture book about Mrs. Golightly, a character who does not like the company of animals; however, a zoo opens up next door. What is she to do?!

The illustrations were adorable and filled with cute creatures that each display so much personality. I enjoyed the rhymes within, their structure and placement, and the themes of tolerance, acceptance, and embracing/adapting to change.

Some text was hard to read (e.g., black font on a grey/dark blue/dark green background). While I liked the themes, I think the story itself was alright. The illustrations had a simple colour palette of neutral and dark greens, greys, blues, and reds which were melancholy.

I enjoyed that you do see personal growth with Mrs. Golightly as she adapts to the neighbouring zoo and root for her and the zoo’s inhabitants to befriend, or at the very least, coexist with each other. And to be flexible while adapting to these changes, which can be a challenging thing to do!

Thank you to NetGalley for a review copy. All opinions are my own.

Themes

  • Tolerance
  • Facing changes

Feelings

  • Funny
  • Lighthearted
  • Reflective

Rating

Numerical Rating: 3.5 stars

QOTD: What is the last children’s
book you’ve enjoyed? Let us know!

REVIEW | Anne of Green Gables, Manga classics

Book cover of Anne of Green Gables Manga Classics. Text: Book Review, Anne of Green Gables, Graphic Novel, www.sarasreadignook.ca
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Storygraph | Goodreads
Title: Anne of Green Gables
Author: Stacy King (Adaptor), Crystal S. Chan (Contributor), Daria Rhodes (Lettering), Kuma Chan (Illustrator), L.M. Montgomery (Original Author)
Genre: Manga, Classics, Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, Ya/Middle Grade
Publisher: Manga Classics Inc., Manga Classics
Format: E-book & Hardcover Physical Copy
Pages: 319
Source: NetGalley and Local Library

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert were planning to adopt an orphaned boy to help out around their farm, Green Gables – instead, they got Anne Shirley. A plucky redheaded girl with a vibrant imagination, Anne turns first Green Gables and then the rest of Prince Edward Island on its ear. 

Manga Classics® is proud to be the only authorized manga adaption of Anne of Green Gables by the Heirs of L.M. Montgomery. This volume presents a faithful recreation of this classic kids novel, from the Lake of Shining Waters to the Dryad’s Bubble!

Foreword by Kate McDonald Butler – granddaughter of the original author! 

Review

The setting of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables is stunning. There is the beauty of the nearby ocean, with beaches filled with reddened sand. And the smell of the lush greenery and delicate flowers that are abundant during the warm months. This is quite a famous classic and I was so thrilled to see that there was a manga copy available since this provides a new arena for this story to be told, in an addition to all other adaptations (e.g., film, audio theatre, graphic novels, etc.)

Prince Edward Island. Source

Now, let’s discuss the manga itself. The manga is quite true to the book, which is the first of many books about Anne Shirley. The original book itself was written in 1908 and covers Anne’s life from the age of 11-16 in which you see a lot of personal growth and development of her character with time. The manga does a great job of illustrating Anne, her adoptive family, and other characters, as well as the home in which Anne lives. I was very impressed with the care that was taken to ensure the setting and scenery appeared accurate. Some characters have differences in appearance and I think those distinctions were translated quite well using manga artwork!

Anne has a very distinctive voice and doesn’t quite talk or act like anyone I’ve read about in any other book – and I think this was very well captured by the manga, which appears to be quite similarly and well adapted from the original dialogue. In fact, all of the characters – their dialogue and actions feel quite authentic!

I also appreciate the ancillary information at the end of the book which includes Crystal C. Chan’s thoughts and process on adapting the book: setting the focus, processing the details, Easter eggs, notes on incorporating feminism into the manga, and the ways in which manga is a strong medium for presenting the book.

In my opinion, this is the most entertaining, fun, and creative adaptation I have read of Anne of Green Gables that also manages to stay quite true to the original book. It was a total joy to read and I’m so happy it is in illustrated form since I think it has the potential to create an impact on young readers and fans of manga, alike!

Feelings

  • Hopeful
  • Humorous
  • Hopeful

Themes

  • Friendship
  • Home
  • Coming of Age
  • Imagination vs. Expectation

Rating

Numerical rating: 4.75 stars

QOTD: have you read the
original Anne of Green Gables? Let us know!