THE WALL AND THE WILD Written by Christina Dendy Illustrated by Katie Rewse (Lantana Publishing; $17.99, Ages 4-8)          Welcome to Day Four of The Wall and the Wild Blog Tour! Scroll up or down for the full tour graphic.     The Wall and the Wild, the debut picture book from Christina Dendy with vibrant art by Katie Rewse is in its own lovely way, a call of the wild. Lured in by the cover illustration, I was beckoned on by the gratifying marriage of language and illustrations. As the story opens, readers see a treetop…

  FADE INTO THE BRIGHT Written by Jessica Koosed Etting + Alyssa Embree Schwartz (Delacorte Press; $17.99,  Ages 12 and up)          “Would knowing how you were going to die change the way you choose to live?” That question drove coauthors Jessica Koosed Etting and Alyssa Embree Schwartz to write their YA, Fade into the Bright. From the opening pages, eighteen-year-old Abby’s voice pulled me in: “Obviously, it happened right before Christmas. Because don’t all extremely shitty things happen right around the holidays?” This refers to the news Abby and her older sister Brooke receive from their…

  GOOD NIGHT, OPPY! Written by James McGowan Illustrated by Graham Carter (Boyds Mills Press; $17.99, Ages 4-8)         Good Reads With Ronna is thrilled to be the third stop on the Good Night, Oppy! Blog Tour. I didn't hesitate to join in when I heard that James McGowan's debut picture book was about the Mars rover, Opportunity. I live less than a mile or so from NASA's JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab) where the rovers are created, maintained, and communicated with so I was eager to learn more about Oppy. She was first launched in 2003 when…

BURT THE BEETLE DOESN'T BITE! Written and illustrated by Ashley Spires (Kids Can Press; $12.99, Ages 5-8)         Sticky Burt is a bug who hugs!   Burt the Beetle Doesn't Bite! is the first in a new series by Ashley Spires, the author and illustrator of The Most Magnificent Thing and the Binky adventure series. Meet Burt, he’s a ten-lined June (or watermelon) beetle. Burt has feathered antennae, a large body, a sticky abdomen, and can flail his legs when he falls on his back (but needs assistance flipping over). He notices that other insects have special…

  AN INTERVIEW WITH COLLEEN PAEFF AUTHOR OF THE GREAT STINK: HOW JOSEPH BAZALGETTE SOLVED LONDON’S POOP POLLUTION PROBLEM (Margaret K. McElderry Books; $17.99, Ages 4 to 8)     e SHORT SUMMARY The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem combines history and engineering to tell the true story of how one amazing engineer cleaned the stinking River Thames and stopped a deadly cholera epidemic by building London's first modern sewer system. Illustrations by Nancy Carpenter provide humor, historical details, and plenty of STEM-related discussion starters, while the book's back matter delves into "Poop Pollution Today"…

10 BACK-TO-SCHOOL BOOKS ∼A ROUNDUP FOR 2021∼         Back-to school this year is not only the start of a new school year, for many it's also a return to in-person learning in over a year. For others, it's really the first time ever to attend daycare, preschool, or elementary school. This selection of ten assorted books highlights all the things that returning to school means for kids.     MEET YOUR SCHOOL!: An All About Me Book Written by Cindy Jin Illustrated by Melissa Crowton (Little Simon; $7.99, Ages 1-5) Cindy Jin’s upbeat 12-page school-shaped board book,…

  AN INTERVIEW WITH RAJANI LAROCCA AUTHOR OF WHERE THREE OCEANS MEET (Abrams Books for Young Readers; $17.99, Ages 4 to 8) MY LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK ABOUT KAMALA HARRIS (Little Golden Books; $5.99, Ages 2 to 5) THE SECRET CODE INSIDE YOU: ALL ABOUT YOUR DNA (Little Bee Books; $17.99, Ages 4 to 8)     SHORT SUMMARY: Where Three Oceans Meet, written by Rajani LaRocca and illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan A child, mother, and grandmother travel all the way to the end of the earth in this picture book that celebrates multigenerational love—perfect for fans of Drawn Together and…

      AN INTERVIEW WITH ABI CUSHMAN AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR OF ANIMALS GO VROOM! (Viking Children’s Books; $17.99, Ages 2 to 5)         SHORT SUMMARY: Animals Go Vroom! Written and illustrated by Abi Cushman With a nod to Richard Scarry, this inventive picture book surprises readers with every turn of the page! Hiss! Screech! Roar! It’s a noisy day in Bumperville! But are the sounds what you think they are? That Honk! must surely be a goose. But turn the page and it’s the taxi that a goose is driving! Using cleverly placed die-cuts, this inventive book hints…