The Lollipop Monster's Christmas

I read The Lollipop Monster's Christmas by Eric T Krackow
I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley
4 stars



When most people think of monsters, they think of scary things. Mixing monsters and Christmas might not sound natural. In this story, it is sweet. All of the monsters come together at Christmas to spend time together, share treats, and keep the holiday spirit. When a monster is discovered alone in the woods, the other monsters come together to make a new friend and teach him the spirit of Christmas.

For such a long picture book, this was pretty fast moving. The story is sweet. It is all about having a happy, thoughtful mood at Christmas and sharing time with friends. If you are looking for a fun, crazy story, this is not it. If you are looking for a story to teach kids that Christmas is about welcoming everyone and spending time together, then this is a good one. The illustrations aren't what I normally would go for in a picture book, but I did like them. The colors were perfect for Christmas.

999 Frogs and a Little Brother (3.1.15)

I read 999 Frogs and a Little Brother by Ken Kimura
I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley
4 Stas



The tadpoles are turning into frogs and hopping away, except the last one born. He is still a tadpole, and he is all alone. Along comes a special new friend that thinks they are brothers. After a fun day together, Little Brother moves on, and Big Brother grows into a frog. When an emergency comes up, their friendship comes back into play, and everyone is involved.

This was a sweet book about forming bonds, growing up, and always having each other's backs. I really like the other 999 books, and this one is similar, but it isn't my favorite. 999 Frogs Wake Up was the cutest. This one is a nice story with a nice lesson, but nothing special enough to make it story time worthy.

Harriet Can Carry It

I read Harriet Can Carry It by Kirk Jay Mueller
I received a free ARC from Star Bright Books through NetGalley
5 stars



Harriet's job is to carry stuff. One day, she decided to take a day to go to the beach with her little Joey. On the way, a pushy friend invites herself, and lets everyone else come along too. The problem is, they all have items they need Harriet to carry. Soon, her day off is more like a work day. When she gets fed up with it all, what will happen?

I like this one! The rhyming text helps the book flow. With some repetition, this makes it an even better read aloud. Kids will be excited to see what animal comes next and how much Harriet is able to carry. It is an introduction to a good lesson on helping others, but not trying to do too much. Sometimes we just need a break, and that is okay. The illustrations are cute and go along with the story. This story won me over!

Tika the Glass Jar

I read Tika the Glass Jar by Tricia Chinn Campbell
I received a free ARC from Blissful Thinking Publishing through NetGalley
3 Stars



Tika is a glass baby food jar. She is nervous and excited to go on her adventure to a new house. She knows that, once she finishes that adventure, she will be recycled and ready for a new adventure. If she is lucky, she will end up a medicine bottle. At her new home, she has a quick adventure and runs into a somewhat gloomy ketchup bottle. Where will their recycling adventure lead them?

This story is cute, but unfortunately, I don't see an audience for it. It isn't educational, so it doesn't have much of a place in a classroom talking about recycling. It is way too fictional for that option. Very small children, possibly preschool age, might enjoy it as an introduction to a recycling lesson.

The illustrations are colorful and okay. They aren't super exciting or catchy, but they aren't bad either. That seems to be the whole theme of the book to me. It is cute, but not super cute. It is just an okay story with no necessary value. It definitely could have been worse, but it also could have been better.