Tag: book review

22 Feb

Kindness Makes Us Strong

by Maddy

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Written and illustrated by Sophie Beer Like it! This deceptively simple book contains so many layers of teaching kindness that makes it an amazing resource...

21 Feb

Ages 6-8

My Papi Has A Motorcycle

by Maddy

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Written by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Pena Like it! Strap in for the most heart-warming motorcycle ride of your life! Through the protagonist Daisy’s...

18 Feb

Ages 3-5

There are No Bears in this Bakery

by Maddy

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Written and illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach Just fine! This adorable story shows a cat keeping watch over a city neighborhood at night. Through fun onomatopoeia...

10 Feb

Ages 6-8

Last Stop on Market Street

by Maddy

1 Comment

Written by Matt de la Pena, illustrated by Christian Robinson Like it! This book follows a little boy CJ as he rides the bus with...

07 Feb

Ages 3-5

Lubna and Pebble

by Maddy

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Written by Wendy Meddour, illustrated by Daniel Egneus Just fine! This powerful story shows without explicit detail a young girl named Luna fleeing her home...

03 Feb

Ages 6-8

This Book is Gray

by Maddy

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Written and illustrated by Lindsay Ward Disliked it! This book is unique in its storytelling because it’s almost like a comic strip in picture book...

02 Feb

Ages 6-8

Isaac and His Amazing Asperger Superpowers!

by Maddy

1 Comment

Written and illustrated by Melanie Walsh Like it! This book goes through a really accurate and easy-to-understand explanation of many of the results of asperger’s...

01 Feb

Ages 3-5

Grumpy Monkey

by Maddy

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Written by Suzanne Lang, illustrated by Max Lang Like it! This book does a fabulous job at labeling a common emotion (like grumpy) and identifying...

31 Jan

Ages 6-8

I Love My Hair!

by Maddy

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Written by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley, illustrated by E. B. Lewis Like it! This is a beautiful, imaginative book filled with rich imagery and metaphors. It...

29 Jan

Ages 6-8

Mango, Abuela, and Me

by Maddy

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Written by Meg Medina and illustrated by Angela Domingue Like it! This sweet story shows a snapshot of the life of a little girl named...

Find books you want to read with your child by browsing by age, take a look at the themes list to find a topic that aligns with your values, or browse the list of all books I’ve reviewed. Each book has a rating and brief description to help you decide if you want to buy it, check it out from the library, or leave it on the shelf! Be sure to check out my Rating System Explained page to understand why each book has its particular rating.
Once you have a book you like, check out the During the Reading section on that book’s review. These sections are full of suggestions for things you can do and talk about with your child. What’s important to understand is that those suggestions are not intended to be used as an exactly prescribed procedure! Instead, I hope that you utilize them as they fit best with your family. You can take some or all suggestions exactly as I’ve written, modify ideas to better fit your child, or choose not to use them altogether.
Subscribe and I’ll send you an email with the books I’ve reviewed that week. That will make it easy for you to quickly browse and see if anything catches your eye for some fresh reading! After all, nobody wants to get stuck reading the same bedtime story every. single. night.

My name is Maddy! I am a Seattle native, popcorn lover, and I have a passion for developmental psychology. I graduated from Brigham Young University with my bachelor’s degree in human development, where I studied and researched the way in which all the influences in people’s lives shape them cognitively, socially, emotionally, and physically.

During my last semester, I also had a baby! As my husband and I were preparing for new parenthood, we knew reading high quality books with our daughter would be a hugely important influence in her development, but we were overwhelmed by how many choices of books there were. That’s why I decided to create a place where parents could come to find which picture books will be most beneficial for their child and align with their personal parenting goals.