Don’t Want to Be Your Monster by Deke Moulton

February 20, 2024

What truly stands out is the inclusiveness of the book as a host of under-represented communities find a place in the story. Moulton truly provides a rich tapestry of gender, sexuality, race, religion and culture without tokenizing or stereotyping these characters. Deeper questions about familial bonds, the historical Othering of marginalized groups, and the difficulty of ‘doing the right thing’ are also addressed, making it a more rewarding and layered experience. … More Don’t Want to Be Your Monster by Deke Moulton

Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson

February 15, 2024

Ferguson is certainly not dishing up a thin crusted one topping type of story here. Instead, she feeds us a deep dish, multi-layered experience, writing books that are fresh, yet resonate. Winner of the Governor General’s Award for her debut novel, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, Ferguson should also win an award for inducing food cravings in readers. … More Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson

How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett, illus. Jon Klassen

February 6, 2024

Barnett’s narrative explores this simple premise with several such creative possibilities that are silly, clever, and brilliantly funny all at once. The story unfolds as the readers follow Santa down the chimney, and into the house as he leaves presents under the tree and gobbles up a plate of cookies, possibly with his special night vision abilities. … More How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett, illus. Jon Klassen

The Little Books of the Little Brontës by Sara O’Leary and Briony May Smith

February 1, 2024

As I opened the first page, the first thing to strike me was the illustrations. They are so beautiful and delightful to admire. It took me longer than I expected to finish reading the book because I was so transfixed by them. The illustrations provide a lovely aesthetic that enhances the story and setting of the book, breathing life and character into the Brontë children. … More The Little Books of the Little Brontës by Sara O’Leary and Briony May Smith