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I Talk Like a River

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  Title: I Talk Like a River Author: Jordan Scott (Author); Sydney Smith (Illustrator)   Publisher: Neal Porter Books   Format: Book   Publication Date: September 1, 2020   Grade Level: PreK through 3rd Grade   Category: Disabilities/Differences     A boy with a stutter has what his dad calls "a bad speech day." He wakes up, gets ready for the day, and goes to school without a word. But when a teacher calls on him in class, he's forced to speak in front of all his classmates, and his words get stuck at the back of his mouth. He feels dejected after school, so his dad takes him to their favorite place, the river, and tells him that even the river stutters.      I chose this book because my brother and sister had speech impediments as children, which makes the subject personal for me. I also noticed the book has won quite a few awards, including the Schneider Family Book Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, which piqued...
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What You Need to Be Warm

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  Title: What You Need to Be Warm Author: Neil Gaiman (Author); Yuliya Gwilym et al. (Illustrators)   Publisher: Quill Tree Books   Format: Book   Publication Date: October 31, 2023   Grade Level: PreK through 3rd Grade   Category:  Poetry   Neil Gaiman wrote this poem after asking his followers on social media to share their memories of being warm. He crafted this poem from their answers, ending with the powerful message to migrants everywhere: "You have the right to be here." This book is a challenging yet gentle introduction to the refugee crisis that will be appropriate for a younger audience. I chose this book for review because I've been a long-time fan of Neil Gaiman, but I've never read any of his poems before, let alone a children's poem. I thought this was a great one to start with! Illustrations. Over ten artists from around the world illustrated What You Need to Be Warm . This gives each page a different artistic style, but every il...
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100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli

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Title: 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli Author: David LaRochelle (Author),  Lian Cho (Illustrator)   Publisher: Dial Books Format: Book   Publication Date: April 4, 2023   Grade Level: PreK through 2nd Grade   Category: Texas 2x2 One hundred might dragons all named Broccoli live atop a mountain by a lake. But when dragons start leaving in tens, threes, twos, and ones, how many are left on the mountain? 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli is a creative, captivating, and beautifully illustrated counting book, or perhaps a math book? Perhaps both! And the humor and illustrative details keep the learning concepts fun. I chose this book for review when looking through the Texas 2x2 List, and the cover caught my attention. My 2-year-old nephew loves dragons, and I would definitely buy this book for him. He'd love it! Illustrations. I think the illustrations are what really make this book. Each dragon is distinct, the...
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Butt or Face?

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  Title: Butt or Face Author: Kari Lavelle   Publisher: Sourcebooks Explore   Format: Book   Publication Date: July 11, 2023   Grade Level: PreK through 3rd Grade   Category: Informational   Butt or Face is a hilarious nonfiction  guessing-game book that invites readers to answer the question: "Is it a butt or a face?" The book presents a close-up image of an animal (anterior or posterior) on the front of a page and asks the titular question. The answer, and many fun facts about the animal, is revealed when readers turn the page. I found this book when looking through Texas 2x2 List, and the title grabbed my attention. Who wouldn't want to read a book with such a silly, derriere-themed premise? Mood. The book is funny and filled with body humor. This books does not fall into the pitfall some informational books do of talking down to kids. Rather, it presents its information in a fun way that readers will find engaging. Kids will find the butt...
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El Chupacabras

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  Title: El Chupacabras Author: Adam Rubin (Author);  Crash McCreery (Illustrator)   Publisher: Dial Books   Format: Book   Publication Date: March 27, 2018   Grade Level: PreK through 3rd Grade   Category: Texas Bluebonnet Award Carla lives happily on a goat farm with her father, Hector. But when one of her father's beloved goats disappears, only to show up flattened as a pancake, chaos ensues. Only one creature could have done such a thing . . . the goatsucker El Chupacabra! How are Carla and Hector going to protect the goat herd, especially when things aren't always what they seem.      When I was looking up Bluebonnet Award books, I was immediately drawn to El Chupacabras . I've always loved cryptids, and the depiction of El Chupacabra as a diminutive gentleman in Rubin's book is funny and fresh. Every sentence is told in half English, half Spanish, followed by a repetead sentence the other way around. What a great...
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My Papi Has a Motorcycle

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Title: My Papi Has a Motorcycle Author: Isabel Quintero (author); Zeke Peña (illustrator)   Publisher:  Kokila   Format: Book   Publication Date: May 14, 2019   Grade Level: PreK through 3rd Grade   Category: Pura Belpre   Daisy loves to race around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle. As they zoom down the streets, she sees the town and people she knows so well and a community that is changing day by day. But there are some things she knows will never change.      I was drawn to My Papi Has a Motorcycle by the cute, vibrant artwork. And the cover depicting a girl and her dad gave me high hopes that this would be a sweet story about a girl and her dad. It was that, but it also had deeper themes of community and living with change. Plot. The book does not have much of a storyline beyond Daisy and her papi riding around their neighborhood on his motorcycle. Reader's get to experience this little community through Dais...
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Big

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Title: Big Author: Vashti Harrison   Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers   Format: Book   Publication Date: May 2, 2023   Grade Level: PreK through 3rd Grade   Category: Coretta Scott King    Big is an emotional exploration of one child's experience being deemed "too big" by a judgmental world. A word that use to fill her with pride suddenly becomes something barbed and shameful. The soft, beautiful illustrations are what caught my attention and made me want to give this book a read, and the thoughtful portrayal of a child finding self-love is what inspired me to give this book a review.  Plot. Big is a story that is primarily emotion-driven. The events depicted are usually non-specific and more often than not seem to be metaphorical representations of a plethora of actions and words that the protagonist experiences from those around her. The thrust of the storyline lies in how the attitudes of others affect how the protagonist fe...
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