Tag: children's lit

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...

15 Feb

Ages 6-8

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin

by Maddy

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Written by Julia Finley Mosca, illustrated by Daniel Rieley Like it! This book is a really accurate depiction of Autism Spectrum Disorder and shows Temple...

13 Feb

Ages 3-5

Dr. Seuss’s Horse Museum

by Maddy

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Written based on the manuscripts of Dr. Seuss, illustrated by Andrew Joyner Like it! 21 years after Dr. Seuss’s death, his wife, Audrey, was cleaning...

12 Feb

Ages 6-8

The Name Jar

by Maddy

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Written and illustrated by Yangsook Choi Like it! Read along with Unhei, a young Korean girl who has just moved to the United States with...

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.