My Good Morning. Kim Crockett-Corson, Jelena Brezovec, ill.. 2017. 32 pages. Clavis Books. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] For any parent who has a spirited child who has their own style and timeline of doing things (especially on those rushed mornings), this book will be heartwarming and reassuring. It follows a little girl who pops up one morning ready to go! She recounts all of the things she does to get ready for the day, such as washing up, getting dressed, eating breakfast, and getting to her classroom. All pretty mundane things, but she turns them into an adventure, with her parents hanging on for the ride.
Shanti Saves Her Money. Lisa Bullard, Christine Schneider, ill. 2013. 24 pages. Millbrook Press. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] It can be hard to articulate concepts around money to children. However, Shanti Saves Her Money is a cute, easy-to-understand exploration of saving & spending. It explores family spending, taking into account research on cost. I also appreciate how it factors in simple math, such as having to figure out the total cost for amusement park tickets for the entire family. The concept of saving is made simple, with Shanti’s jars. This is a realistic way to show kids how to spend, versus how to put things away long-term, like in a bank. The visit to the bank was a novel idea – how many kids really understand what the bank is and how they can use it?
Move It, Miss Macintosh! Peggy Robbins Janousky. 2016. 32 pages. Annick Press. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] I wish I’d had this book when I was sending my baby off to kindergarten. It’s a cute story about a teacher who’s nervous for her first day of kindergarten, but it’s clearly a tool to ease the jitters of youngsters heading off to school. Miss Macintosh is a ball of nerves and decides she’s not going to school on the first day. That is, until nearly every one from the school shows up to get her on her way. There’s Principal Bellwether who reminds her that other teachers shared her fears. And there’s Mrs. Sketcher, the art teacher, who tries and fails to pick out the perfect first day outfit.
Tailored for Trouble. Mimi Jean Pamfiloff. 2016. 368 pages. Ballantine Books. [Source; ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] Bennett Wade is a man you love to hate. At least, you would if you could bring yourself to fully dislike him. Like Rhet Butler, he’s a man used to getting what he wants when he wants it. He’s definitely a control freak without a filter who runs roughshod over those around him. Unfortunately, there’s something oddly endearing about him. Like how much he dotes over and indulges his mother, or how generous he was to his assistant Candy. Taylor Reed, however, has the fortitude to dislike Wade. His rudeness (and her temper) cost her a job, and now he has the nerve to seek out her executive coaching. All she wants is to move on with her life, start her company, and share her insights with CEOs who lack the skills they need to really shine in their roles. When Bennett says he needs her help, Taylor’s approach is to accept, and destroy him while she’s at it.
To Have and To Hold. Lauren Layne. 2016. 385 pages. Pocket Books. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] This book has all the makings of a great story – an overprotective brother who doesn’t trust the naiveté of his sister or, more aptly, her new fiancé, a wedding planner with a failed almost-marriage, and the bright, twinkling lights of New York City. I was completely intrigued by the story and couldn’t put it down, but found myself wanting more from its characters. If I could give this 3.5 stars, I would; To Have and to Hold is a good book, but it doesn’t stand up as well to Lauren Layne’s other works. Brooke Baldwin was one of LA’s premier wedding planners, until she found out her fiancé was a con man. The most important wedding of her career was a spectacle for all the wrong reasons: instead of her walking down the altar to start a life with him, the FBI dragged him down the altar to a jail cell. She ran to New York City to get away from the spotlight and quietly rebuild her career. When she’s picked up as a planner for Wedding Belle’s, one of the city’s…