Maybe Baby. Andrea Smith. 2014. 500 pages. Meatball Taster Publishing. [Source: personal copy.] I wanted to like this book, but it fell short in a lot of ways for me. The premise was intriguing for me – Tylar has a strained relationship with a mom who was more interested in her own romantic life than the well-being of her child; her father was never in the picture. Now, she’s on her own and pursuing her dreams in equine scie...
Ladybugs Have Lots of Spots. Sheryl and Simon Shapiro. 2013. 24 pages. Annick Press. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] This is a cute and fun read for younger readers that focuses on shapes. It’s good to read to your child, but is also a fantastic start for emerging readers to try on their own. The rhyming scheme also helps with sounding out words they may not be familiar with....
Big Cat, Small Cat. Ami Rubinger. 2009. 28 pages. Abbeville Kids. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] This is a cute picture book about … cats. It’s filled with contrasting descriptions (big/small; fair/dark, sick/well) of illustrated cats. Although we’re not huge cat fans in my household, we did enjoy the book. The illustrations are extremely colorful, and the details are fun/quirky....
Yummy Addictions. Belle Davis. 2015. 145 pages. BD Books. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] I had so much fun reading Yummy Addictions! I’m not sure if it was more because of the main characters’ playful, sensual rapport, or the decadence of the Parisienne vacation the main character is one. Either way, it makes an unfortunately short book more fun to enjoy. Vale is a fun and relatable character. She’...
Fire in the Firefly. Scott Gardiner. 2016. 313 pages. TAP books. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] I have mixed feelings about this book. It’s a satire, which is generally a departure from what I read. So while I enjoyed the story itself, the approach missed the mark for me. Julius Roebuck is a very self-assured man, and prides himself in his ability to read and understand women. The entire book follows him as he tries...
