My 5yo is a big fan of animals, so we picked up Night Creatures: Animals That Swoop, Crawl, and Creep while You Sleep by Rebecca E. Hirsch to read together. Though this is a very short book, it details the sorts of animals, and the sights and sounds you might see camping in your backyard. I thought it had a peaceful vibe and I thought the illustrations were detailed and lovely—really capturing the night’s essence. My only nitpick would be that there isn’t a whole lot of narrative content in this short picture book (except for the informational details at the end), so it might be more suited to the 2-4yo crowd. Of the 6 NetGalley picture books we read today, this one ranked #4/6 for me, but I would still recommend this book to young children learning about the wildlife in their own backyard.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ½ 

In the end, my 5yo said he didn’t really like it because he doesn’t like night creatures except bats (uhh… okay. 🤨) So take that however you will, but he ranked this #6/6 NetGalley picture books we picked out today. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the free ARC! 

Five-year-old rating:

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Meow is Not a Cat by Tara Kelly is a about a little kid that doesn’t quite fit in, and is totally rocking it. My 5yo and I picked this one for its cute premise, and we really enjoyed the beginning. I loved the vivid, almost comic book like illustrations, and I especially loved the cat’s dry commentary on Meow’s antics. The cat’s expressions are just fantastic. However, the end didn’t totally work for me. I actually had to go back because I thought I had somehow missed a page or two.

Basically Meow ends up stealing bananas from a bunch of monkeys, the monkeys & other kids get angry, and then Meow sadly wonders if they should be like everyone else… then we immediately hit the last page where Meow is just like NOPE! And everyone is happy all the sudden. (I actually just went and read it again to make sure this is accurate.) I still feel like I’m missing something, so I ranked this one #6 out of the 6 NetGalley picture books we read today.

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the free ARC!

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My 5yo says he liked it, especially the dancing at the end, and he ranked it #3 of the 6 NetGalley picture books we read today.

Five-year-old rating:

🙂

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I picked up What’s Her Name? by Tomac Scott because my sons have unusual names so I thought it might have a good message. The story follows a girl who starts a new school, and the other kids make fun of her for her unusual name. Her mother tells her the meaning behind her name, and the girl works harder to make friends. But, then at the end, a fashion agency tells her she has a unique name, puts her in a commercial, and then everyone likes her…. Yeah, that ending didn’t work for me, and I felt like it garbled the message of appreciating everyone’s diversity… rather than liking them for their newfound fame.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Although my 5yo said he liked the book a whole lot, it was his “fourth favorite” of the four new books we read today. Thanks to Indigo River Publishing and NetGalley for the free ARC!

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Millie the Monster by Una O’Sullivan is a cute little story about a monster that is very small. I picked up this one, because when my 3yo was younger he was tiny due to a struggle with food allergies. I thought this might have a good message that all sizes are equally wonderful. So, I thought it was a little strange when Millie grows to be as big as everyone else in the end. Although the illustrations were adorable, I wasn’t a huge fan of the all caps font.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ½

But my 5yo said he liked it “a whole lot” and this was his 3rd favorite out of the 4 new books we read today. Thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the free ARC!

😍

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Smile and Say Hi by Mary Jo Hazard is a cute book about overcoming your fears. Dragons teach the shy Mike how to “Smile and Say Hi” in order to go on new adventures. I picked this book up because this is something I’m constantly trying to teach my 3yo and 5yo. I loved the rhyming cadence and the colorful pictures, but I did the think the connection between the “Smile and Say Hi” mantra and winning the dragon race was a little thin.

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My five-year-old said he liked it “a whole lot” though, and of the four new books I read him today, this was his favorite, so I would totally recommend this to any kids from the ages of 3-6. Thanks to Mascot Books and NetGalley for the ARC! Five-year-old rating:

😍

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One of the things I love about taking review requests is reading books you wouldn’t ordinarily pick up. Lunch with the Alien by Greg Roensch was definitely one of those for me. This book is described as a “a collection of quirky, bite-size tales” and that is a very accurate description. The stories are flash-fiction sized and run the gamut of genres from sci-fi to sports to heists to historical fiction to the jealousies of water bottles in the refrigerator.

The writing is snappy and clear, and I definitely enjoyed some of the stories like “It’s the Water” and “Transformation”, while others seemed to read more like vignettes without the satisfying conclusion of a story I was looking for. And while the stories didn’t have any connection to each other in the way of genre or plotline, I did like that I really had no idea what was coming next, and I found it a quick, interesting read. I’d recommend to fans of flash fiction who are looking for something out of the ordinary in a variety of genres.

Thanks so much to the author for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. 

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ½

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A Difficult Thing: The Importance of Making Mistakes is a tiny story of pictures has a good message and beautiful artwork. I picked it up because admitting mistakes is definitely a message I want to impart my 5yo and 3yo. The story shows one child working hard to help another sad child fix his broken wagon so they can play happily together again. I wouldn’t say it so much shows “The Importance of Admitting Mistakes” since it doesn’t show the fixer/helper child breaking the wagon to begin with – the wagon just starts off broken.

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But my 5yo said he liked it “a whole lot”, and it was his second favorite of the four new books we read today. I would totally recommend this to any kids from the ages of 2-4. Thanks to Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley for the free ARC!

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Thanks for reading!