My kids love Sleepy Sheepy! Since reading the books, they refer to it all the time, and if anyone seems a little tired, they’ll ask if you’re a “Sleepy Sheepy” — in need of some rest. Yet, in this book, Sleepy Sheepy is actually finding it hard to get to sleep, since he’s sleeping over at his grandparents’ house. Anyone whose tried to coax an anxious child to sleep in an unfamiliar place can relate to this story! The cute illustrations show the lamb is a little nervous at the grandparents house, so they decide to read some books and bake some cookies, and soon, Sleepy Sheep is fast asleep. This would be an excellent book to read on just such an occasion!

This is a lovely book, for four to eight-year-olds, featuring cute young rabbits who talk about the different kinds of clouds there are. The watercolor illustrations are as lovely as they are accurately portrayed in watercolors. They help convey the peaceful beauty of clouds drifting by in the blue sky. Each cloud type varies realistically, yet are all dreamy in their own way. The storyline is more action-packed, as one rabbit child sees different things in each cloud, while the other rabbit (who wears big glasses) names and describes each one. Watch out for thunderstorms, though! There are brief explanations of each term on each page, which helps the long Latin terms understandable. There are other fun facts and explanations, like the water cycle, at the end of the book. It’s a remarkably well-written and illustrated book that would be an asset to any library — home, school, or public — and a real find for children of all ages, including lovers of both fiction, nonfiction, and (of course) clouds!

I remember a writing instructor once taught me that writing for children required love because, in children’s writing, love should be felt in each word. Here, Hilary Duff brings us another instant classic where love is felt in every carefully chosen word. This is a remarkably well-conceived and thoughtful book, where the narrator encourages her young son to be open and listen to the world and life around him so that he can become kind AND patient, strong AND sensitive, moral AND brave. The lovely and detailed illustrations blend well with this poetic and loving book that is most welcome in our family and, I think, in yours, too. As Duff reminds the little sweet boy in these pages that if he can find a balance to his feelings, and be both caring and mighty, “The future is yours to build.”

This colorful biography of the famous documentarian Attenborough is a beautiful testament to his ideals, work, and messages. Alongside, beautiful and realistic watercolor style illustrations, the book explains how he found fossils as a child, leading him to become a naturalist, and then, wanting to share what he learned, as a television documentarian. The book reveals what and why he fell the way he did, explaining his messages (and warnings) to all of us, including direct quotes from Attenborough himself. This is a fitting tribute to his life’s work that children or all ages will learn from and enjoy.

True story: I once had a roommate who thought any kind of germs could cause any kind of sickness. That’s not true, and now, post-COVID, many people have misconceptions about microbes of any kind, including the beneficial ones. However, the book is already titled as being about “germs” so the talking microbe has some editing suggestions for this already-printed book. I don’t have any editing suggestions, though, since this is a wildly entertaining way to learn about the differences and various kinds of helpful microbes and dangerous pathogens. The fun and funny illustrations and hand-written text are fun and engaging throughout, including a zooming in conceit that is fun, adding a surprising interactivity to this delightful, informative, and ultimately reassuring book.

This fun and funny pirate story tells of pie-rats who take to the open seas, in a rhyming book that is truly delicious! After facing stormy seas, they finally reach a dessert-ed island — or was it actually deserted after all? Oh no! What if all the desserts are gone? This is such an enjoyable book that mirrors the exuberance so many of us feel when thinking about the desserts ahead. I love the colorful, perfect illustrations of the pie-rats and the dessert-based landscapes they encounter. What a delight! Almost better than dessert!