Seven Picture Books by Various Authors

Peaceful Night Poetry by Píaras Ó Cíonnaoíth

Peaceful, calming poems relax the mind and comfort the soul. These are all ingredients needed to help one sleep. In this book the author has taken familiar thing to a child; teddy bears, fairies, animals and more. The poetry is soothing. It carries themes of friendship, dreams, being happy. The poems were thoughtful, and like the author said, ‘for ages 3-103’.  The illustrations are simple yet beautiful. I definitely recommend this book.  

99 Bitcoins and an Elephant by Vincent Chen
A young girl with special glasses that allow her to interact with games and worlds she creates accidently breaks them. Her mom takes her to get her glasses repaired. When they are returned there is a bitcoin wallet that pops up. The repairman had used a hard drive from an old discarded pair of glasses to repair them. The little girl uses the bitcoins to show kindness to others.

Elphie Meets the End of the World by Hagit R. Oron & Or Oron Misgav
Elphie is playing hide and seek with his best friend. His best friend’s brother comes in and tells them he heard on the news that the world was ending. Elphie runs home to hide. His parents decide to throw and “End of the World Party”. Elphie learns it was fake news, but more importantly Elphie learns that there is nothing to fear when the family sticks together. It also teaches children to live each day to the fullest. With all that is going on in our world today this is a book to read to children to reassure them that they are safe.

I'm Just Like You by Sharon Cramer

Two orphaned cougar cubs go out one day and meet a stranger who claims to be just like them. He doesn't look like them. But the three of them have fun playing together all day. At the end of the day, they learn that you can have friends who look different from you.

Adventures of the Little Tiger and His Friends by Renate Logina

Little Tiger has always played by himself. As he grows older he wants friends to play with. Everything turns out disastrous. One day he sees an anteater. A boulder has fallen on his tail. Little tiger removes the boulder then plays with it. Unfortunately, it ruins the fun and gets broken. The anteater helps Little Tiger to find friends.

Babaroo the Alien Learns About Bullies by Kate Melton

Babaroo the alien leaves the gray planet and visits Earth. He meets a fox and skunk who make fun of him and his looks. Babaroo feels bad about himself until a snail tells him how to handle bullies. The first rule is to never believe what they say. The snail introduces him to some of his friends. They welcome him. He has fun playing. When Babaroo returns to his planet he knows how to handle bullies.

A Friendship Story: Heart & mind by Nishi Singhal

This is a story that teaches the role the heart and mind plays in our lives.  The lesson these two teach is that you need both to be balanced. You need heart to help you learn to focus on all kinds of things. You need mind to show you how to do it. It illustrates this through two friends, "heart" and "mind". When mind tries to do things apart from heart he finds he has accomplished little.

A Bevy of Books by Michael Gordon

I am starting this week off with a group of picture books by one of my favorite picture book authors Michael Gordon.  Every day this week I will review picture books. I have acquired so many of them to review and put them on the back burner to read middle grade and young adult books. I usually collect picture books on my Kindle to read with my grandchildren. Due to Covid-19 I could not see my grandchildren this year. So I decided to read them for my own pleasure. I want to share the wonderful picture books I read with those parents who may not know what to pick for their children.

When I Get Upset

Another wonderful book to help young kids recognize and deal with their emotions. Younger kids often don’t know how to explain their emotions and therefore can’t deal with them. In schools and pre-schools they are seen as being rude, obnoxious or bratty. Maybe they need to sit with that child and read them one of Michael’s books to help them out. 

You Are Kind                                                                           

Josh’s mom tells him they can’t go to the park to play because she has a lot of errands. On the way he asks what kindness is and if it is something you be or do. His mom demonstrates throughout the day what kindness is in all it forms. One of the most important lessons was when mom told him that he has to be kind to himself and learn to forgive himself when he falls short of the person he is trying to be. Parents need these messages as much as the children. As adults I believe we often forget some of these lessons. 

When I Am Worried 
Everyone worries. For children they often wake up feeling strange. It may be about something they know will happen that day. In the case of this story Josh had to get a shot. The fear of the unknown is what causes those worries to grow. This books shows Josh sharing those feeling with his parents so they can help him understand them.

The Way I Am by Michael Gordon
This is one of my favorite books by this author. I teach middle school and think every middle school student AND teacher should read this book. It seems that by the time kids reach middle school they forget who they are. They try to do what others do to fit in. Josh learns this lesson on the very first day of school. He bows to peer pressure and doesn’t enjoy himself. That is because he isn’t staying true to who he is. This book has a lesson that everyone of every age should learn.

Listening to My Feelings by Michael Gordon
Josh gets upset when his sister plays with one of his toys. He can’t control his feelings so he hits and shoves his sister. His mom explain to him why it isn’t right to do what he did. Then she and his dad explain some things he can try to help him when he feels like he is going to explode.

I Am Mindful by Michael Gordon
Understanding your feelings is the first step to dealing with them. For children they know they feel funny but don’t always know why or how to help themselves. This book shows several different feelings and how to deal with them. Although many of his books are similar I know that while one may not reach a child another might.

Today I Am Brave by Michael Gordon
Bravery comes in all forms. In this book we see James being brave in many ways. He accidently breaks a plate and tells his mom and apologizes. He stands and speaks in class even when he is scared. He stops kids from being mean to a new kid, he keeps trying at something he’s not very good at. He asks questions in class when he doesn’t understand. He learns that being brave isn’t easy, but it is the right thing to do.

When I Feel Frustrated by Michael Gordon
I believe children feel most frustrated at a young age when they see other kids do things they can’t yet do. In this book Josh can’t win a race against his older sister. His dad says that being a winner isn’t always about winning. Being a winner is about the trying. He tells him that one day he will be older and stronger and that things will even out and he will win. He learns that sometimes fear holds us back and sometimes we need to focus and push on if we are going to succeed. I love these books that teach such life affirming lessons.

When I Am Angry by Michael Gordon
This book depicts Josh when he is angry. The tantrums he throws when he is angry reminded me of my children when they were young and my grandchildren now. The problem is that a lot of times parents get angry at their children’s anger and this just escalates the situation. This book show the parents remaining calm and talking with Josh. It also show practical ways they can help him deal with his anger. These are books that every new parent should be given when their first child is born. It will be there for them to help guide them when their children start expressing their feelings.

The Dead Girl Under the Bleachers by Donna M. Zadunajsky

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions I expressed here are my own.

I sat and read this book in one sitting. The opening chapter hooks you. It starts from the perspective of a girl who is being attacked. The books is written from three unique perspectives. You have Scarlet, the queen bee of her school, Rachel who hangs with Scarlet, and Laura, Rachel's one time best friend. Although the author put the name of the character with the chapter number the reader quickly learns the voice of each character.

Scarlet is a snarky rich girl who loves taking people down. She has a boyfriend named Kyle who is just as mean. They are the type who plans whose life they will ruin.

Rachel comes from a loving family. She follows Scarlet because she likes her, the popularity, and because she doesn't want to be on the receiving end of Scarlet's meanness.

Laura is a nobody. She and Rachel were at one time best friends. She tries to stay hidden at school. She wants to stay off of Scarlet's radar. Scarlet has decided that she will be her next target. Laura has learned to trust no one. After the death of father and brother in an accident, she learns she can't even trust her own mother. Things change after Scarlet and Rachel go to Laura's house to study. Things get worse at home. Rachel and Laura reconnect their friendship and this makes Scarlet mad. But things aren't always what they seem.  This book is full of secrets and lies. Can you really justify murder?  I would definitely read more by this author.