Roald Dahl,s Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

This book of rhymes spoofs fairytales. It is both funny and amusing but it’s not for young children. Dahl puts a very dark and hilarious twist on well-known childhood stories. Parents beware there is a lot of inappropriate language and outcomes. The Prince in Cinderella calls one of the “Ugly Sisters” a “dirty slut” and then proceeds to chop off her head. In the Three Little Pigs, Red Riding Hood has a pistol and shoots the wolf in the head. She then makes a coat out of his fur. This kind of behavior will be hard for parents to explain to elementary school children.

The illustrations are spot on and complement the text perfectly. I laughed out loud at each of the fairytales. I would recommend the book for at least middle school students and older. For adults with a dark sense of humor get this book from the library.

Published In: 2002
Publisher: Knopf
Age Level: 10-14 years
AR Level: 4.4
Pages: 43
Stars: 5

Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

Family reunions are events that make some of the best childhood memories. The book centers on a boy who anguishes over what he is going to share at the reunion with the family. The author details all the activities of the day. A great book about family and how important these people are in a young boys’ life. A wonderful addition to a home library.

Published In: 2019
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Age Level: 4-8 years
AR Level: 3.5
Pages: 32
Stars: 5
Award: 2020 Caldecott Honor

Knight Owl by Christopher Denise 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

Cute story about an owl that wants to become a knight. He enrolls in knight school to learn how to be “brave and clever”. Once he graduates, he is assigned to protect the castle on the Knight Night Watch where he encounters an intruder. Will the owl be able to keep the castle and other knights safe?

Great illustrations with a suspenseful story with just enough scary pictures to keep a preschooler enthralled but not give them nightmares. The book length is perfect for that 1 more book before bedtime. A wonderful addition to the home library.

Published In: 2022
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co.
Age Level: 3-6 years
AR Level: 2.6
Pages: 40
Stars: 5
Award: 2023 Caldecott Honor

Hello, Universe by Drin Entrada Kelly 🟌🟌🟌🟌

Four middle school children’s lives intersect when one of them, a bully plays a prank. The book takes place all in one day. The four kids are unique and very different. One is a deaf girl who loves nature. Another is a self-proclaimed psychic. Third is a boy who is the bully. Finally, a shy boy who is on the receiving end of the prank and gets trapped in a well. As a heroic rescue is performed to rescue him a friendship develops.

I am the mother of 3 boys and all of them loved playing sports as children. As adults they have become caring husbands and fathers. I am continually disappointed when authors make the bully character a boy and a child that likes sports. Overall, the book is engaging but please stop stereotyping sport-loving boys as bullies.

Published In: 2017
Publisher: Greenwillow
Age Level: 9-11 years
AR Level: 4.7
Pages: 313
Stars: 4
Awards: 2018 Newberry Medal

Very Good Hats by Emma Straub 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

This book is so much fun. Hats are very silly but turn hats into a book and it’s a homerun. My 5-year-old granddaughter loved the illustrations, and the bright colors are exactly what she likes in a book. Who would have thought there were so many different types of hats. Hats for people, animals, hats for specific jobs and even hats for objects. This book is perfect for the preschoolers in your life.

Published In: 2023
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books
Age Level: 2-5 years
AR Level: N/A
Pages: 32
Stars: 5