Millie the Monster

 I read Millie the Monster by Una O'Sullivan, illustrated by Alexandra Rusu

I received a free ARC through NetGalley

4 stars

This is a cute picture book full of simple but colorful illustrations. It starts with a letter from Millie at the beginning. It's a cute start with a nice rhyme to get the kids introduced to the story. From there, each spread has a 6-line verse. It flows nicely, with none of the rhymes seeming forced. 

I really liked this story. It was very uplifting about being happy with who you are. My only criticism is that I wish Millie didn't actually grow at the end. I understand why she did, and I'm glad that she didn't grow until she was happy with herself, but it could have been great to give to children with physical disabilities or dwarfism to teach them that it's okay to be different. Still, it's a great story for small kids who wish they could be grown up. The rhyming text makes it great for a read aloud in a story time or classroom.

Calling All Cars (3.1.16)

I read Calling All Cars by Sue Fliess
I received a free ARC through NetGalley
5 stars



This is simply a vibrant rhyming book about cars. It sells itself. The rhymes aren't forced, they just flow. I can completely see myself reading this in a story time for anywhere from babies to preschoolers. It's definitely a win.

Snap!

I read Snap! by Hazel Hutchins, illustrated by Dusan Petricic
I received a free ARC through NetGalley
4 stars



Nothing is better than a fresh box of crayons, but what happens once those crayons start snapping? And crushing? And disappearing? Magic, that's what happens!

I don't know how they did it, but this author/illustrator team made a very simple book that beautifully portrays the life of a box of crayons. This story shows creativity in the regular coloring way, but in also dealing with unexpected snaps and breaks. Of course we get to learn about colors mixing together, and that helps when those silly crayons start disappearing. Eventually we are left with the most basic, most important colors and a last bit of magic.

I do love this book and almost everything about it. I felt the ending could have possibly gone somewhere a little more magical. The illustrations are great, but they might not be as appealing to little kids, the target age group. Overall, this book is still worth sharing.

Mr. Postmouse's Rounds (8.1.15)

I read Mr. Postmouse's Rounds by Marianne Dubuc (author and illustrator)
I received a free ARC through NetGalley
5 stars



Starting with Mr. Bear and ending with a special delivery, Mr. Postmouse has a lot of deliveries to make.Thankfully he doesn't have to go to Mr. Snake's today. All along the way, he visits all of his neighbors, bringing them all their mail. He has an important job, and he does it well.

I really enjoyed this story. I chose it because the illustrations on the cover looked like my style. I wasn't disappointed when I started exploring the inside. Not only are the illustrations lovely, they also tell a story within themselves. Each page needs time to explore so that you can find everything going on. For example, the snake's house spans multiple pages, and you can see that he swallowed a car in the middle! The wolf's house has some stored sheep that are being saved by 3 little pigs. It really is just a magical exploration. Add to it the discussion you can have with your child about how delivering mail works, and it just completed the whole package. Win!

Stanley at School (8.1.15)

I read Stanley at School by Linda Bailey (author) and Bill Slavin (illustrator)
I received a free ARC through NetGalley
4 Stars



Stanley the dog lives on the same block as the school. He sees the kids go in every day, and he sees them come back out every afternoon. With a few friends, they decide to make their way in. They aren't disappointed! The dogs have fun exploring the building,finding food, and finding the kids. And then they get found! Will the "top dog" of the school make their lives miserable?

The illustrations are cute but could have been slightly cuter. They are a bit dark and make the writing harder to see. The didn't take away from the story, but they didn't help add to it either. The story itself was fun. I liked that it was told from the dogs' views, and the people were just extra characters. The climax of being caught turned very sweet. Overall, it's a cute dog story.

The Big Penguin Party (11.1.15)

I read The Big Penguin Party by Christian Jeremies (author) and Fabian Jeremies (illustrator)
I received a free digital ARC from Sourcebooks Jabberwocky through NetGalley
5 stars



A fun addition to seek and find type books. The illustrations are fun.The story that goes along with it gives it a special difference than so many traditional searching books. It was somewhat difficult to do this on my computer, but I'm sure it would be so  much fun in book form.

Max the Brave (9.8.15)

I read Max the Brave by Ed Vere
I received a free ARC through NetGalley
5 Stars



Max is a brave, fearless kitten that wants to chase Mouse. The only problem is that Max doesn't know what a mouse is. Going in search of a mouse, he encounters many different animals to guide him on the way. Finally he finds Mouse, or does he?

I have read a few picture books with similar concepts. An animal is expected to chase/eat/fear/whatever a certain other animal. The problem is, the main character has never seen this other animal. Of course this is used in a way to teach tolerance, to show that it's still to be afraid of something you've never even seen, for example.

This picture book takes a common concept and makes a unique, adorable book. The writing style is simple and fun, and that matches the illustrations. While it was mostly predictable, children will love it. It was a fun read even for myself, a grown adult. I could see myself reading it aloud in a story time. The ending made me giggle. It was, plan and simple, an adorable win.