I AM TODAY Written by Matt Forrest Esenwine Illustrated by Patricia Pessoa (POW! Kids Books; $17.99; Ages 4-8)         Matt Forrest Esenwine and Patricia Pessoa inspire the “next generation” to become the “today generation” in I Am Today, an evocative story of a young girl standing up for what she believes in. From POW! Kids Books: “While playing on the beach in her coastal town, a young girl comes across a sea turtle ensnared by a wire. Her town is home to a factory that has provided jobs for many of her neighbors, including her mother,…

WELCOME TO DAY TWO OF THE STBA BLOG TOUR!     FEATURING INTERVIEWS WITH AUTHOR NANCY CHURNIN & ILLUSTRATOR BETHANY STANCLIFFE   DISCUSSING THEIR HONOR-WINNING PICTURE BOOK DEAR MR. DICKENS       ★Starred Review - School Library Journal 2021 National Jewish Book Award Winner - Children's Picture Book 2022 Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor for Picture Books Chicago Public Library Best Informational Books for Younger Readers 2021 The Best Jewish Children's Books of 2021, Tablet Magazine BOOK SUMMARY In Eliza Davis’s day, Charles Dickens was the most celebrated living writer in England. But some of his books reflected a prejudice that was…

BRILLIANT BEA Written by Shaina Rudolph and Mary Vukadinovich Illustrated by Fiona Lee (Magination Press/APA; $16.99, Ages 4-8)     Note: dyslexia-friendly EasyReading font used in this book.     Brilliant Bea written by Shaina Rudolph and Mary Vukadinovich with illustrations by Fiona Lee is an important read and truly an eye-opener for anyone not familiar with dyslexia. I once attended a workshop where participants were given various tasks to perform as seen through the lens of someone with this learning difference. By the end, I was frustrated, mentally exhausted, and had a splitting headache. I had new admiration and respect for…

LETTERS TO LIVE BY: AN ALPHABET BOOK WITH INTENTION Written by Lisa Frenkel Riddiough Illustrated by Åsa Gilland  (RUNNING PRESS KIDS; $17.99; AGES 4-8)     Learning the alphabet is a must for kids so naturally alphabet books are popular. However not all alphabet picture books teach the importance of setting intentions while beginning a new day, week, or even year until Letters to Live By. This book features beautiful art by graphic designer Åsa Gilland and encouraging words by Lisa Frenkel Riddiough. The reader sees a capital ‘A’ drawn on a brick wall beside a tiger and crawling snakes.…

    BRAVE WITH BEAUTY: A STORY OF AFGHANISTAN Written by Maxine Rose Schur Illustrated by Patricia Grush-Dewitt, Robin Dewitt, and Golsa Yaghoobi (Yali Books; Hardcover, paperback, and eBook, Ages 7-9)         Good Reads With Ronna is thrilled to be back again for the 9th year of Multicultural Children's Book Day (tomorrow, Friday 1/28/22) sharing another noteworthy diverse book to introduce young readers to cultures and people from around the world and throughout history. (Don't miss the important MCBD details below this review.) More a storybook than a picture book, Brave with Beauty written by Maxine Rose Schur…

  NIGHT BECOMES DAY: CHANGES IN NATURE Written by Cynthia Argentine (Millbrook Press; $29.32, Ages 4-9)         Cynthia Argentine's picture book, Night Becomes Day: Changes in Nature is such a great idea for a children's book. Through lovely, lyrical prose coupled with stunning photography, this nonfiction book takes readers on a kind of before and after look at nature's wonders which youngsters might take for granted or do not have time to notice during a day at the beach, a walk in the woods, on a wilderness adventure or a national park visit. Children will learn that…

HOW BEAUTIFUL Written by Antonella Capetti Illustrated by Melissa Castrillón (Greystone Kids; $17.95; Ages 4-8)         ★Starred Review - Booklist   Life is simple for the little caterpillar who appreciates sleeping, eating, and crawling around until an unknown thing calls him beautiful setting him off on an adventure in the forest to answer the question, “what does beautiful mean?” How Beautiful is written by Italian school teacher and picture book author Antonella Capetti and illustrated by bestselling picture book illustrator Melissa Castrillón. Castrillón’s stunning illustrations capture the serenity and peacefulness the caterpillar feels while resting in the…

    LIKE OTHER GIRLS Written by Britta Lundin (Disney-Hyperion; $17.99, Ages 14-18)     I don’t like sports books. At all. But I read the first few pages of Britta Lundin’s Like Other Girls and was hooked. We meet Mara as her angry outburst gets her kicked off the basketball team. Mara’s world has a lot of imperfections, but those flaws make it real. The cast of characters has strong voices and distinct personalities. While the story is about a girl on the high school football team, this coming-of-age story is about so much more. We see the challenges…