Kathie’s Blog
Swashby And The Sea by Beth Ferry (illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal)
Last Updated
2021/06/22
This picture book came out last year, but it’s such a delightful story that’s perfect for summertime reading. Captain Swashby likes his quiet, peaceful life, and his new neighbors are…
Coop Knows The Scoop by Taryn Souders
Last Updated
2021/06/22
In this excellent middle-grade mystery, the town of Windy Bottom is thrown into a tizzy when a skeleton is discovered under the town’s playground. Rumours abound, but when Coop’s grandpa…
Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey by Erin Entrada Kelly
Last Updated
2021/06/17
This is one of the sweetest chapter books I’ve read this year. Marisol has a tree in her backyard named Peppina, but they’re not really friends. Marisol desperately wants to…
X-Ray Me by Felicitas Horstschafer (illustrated by Johannes Vogt)
Last Updated
2021/06/17
This book may be in a board book format, but I love how it shows what you find under your skin and muscles. It’s basic enough that young readers will…
The Oboe Goes Boom Boom by Colleen AF Venacle (illustrated by Lian Cho)
Last Updated
2021/06/17
Here’s a very cool book that not only teaches readers about instruments and how they make their sounds, but how important it is for them to play together. This would…
The Thieving Collectors of Fine Children’s Books by Adam Perry
Last Updated
2021/06/14
I heard a lot of buzz about this book on social media, so I finally picked up a copy from McNally Robinson. Wow. It hooked me from the very first…
Trouble With Tattle-Tails by Jonathan Auxier (illustrated by Olga Demidova)
Last Updated
2021/06/14
TROUBLE WITH TATTLE-TAILS is the second chapter book in The Fabled Stables by one of my favorite authors, Jonathan Auxier (known for his middle-grade books like The Night Gardener, Peter…
Prank Lab by Wade David Fairclough, Chris Ferrie, and Byrne Laginestra
Last Updated
2021/06/14
Here’s a way to combine science with playing practical jokes. There are 25 cool experiments in this book that you can do to prank someone. There are four main sections:…
Watercress by Andrea Wang (illustrated by Jason Chin)
Last Updated
2021/06/14
This touching picture book tells the story of a young girl and her family who stop by a ditch at the side of the road to pick watercress. The water…
Taking Up Space by Alyson Gerber
Last Updated
2021/06/02
This is the third middle grade novel by the author I’ve had the pleasure of reading (she also wrote BRACED and FOCUSED) and though all of her stories are based…