Hot and Bothered. Kate Meader. 2014. 401 pages. Forever. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] Hot and Bothered was such an enjoyable read. I found myself completely absorbed in the story, and feeling incredibly invested in what happened to all of the characters — that’s a feat! Jules and Tad are hopelessly in love with each other, but refuse to admit it. Instead, they’re best friends whose lives are so intertw...

My Dog, My Cat. Ashlee Fletcher. 2011. 42 pages. Tanglewood. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] My Dog, My Cat is a child’s reflection of the differences between his/her two pets. The differences include physical attributes, playtime habits and food preferences. Toward the end of the book, the child also reflects on the dog and cat’s similarities. This is a nice way to introduce the concepts of comparing and con...

A Tale of Two Mommies. Vanita Oelschlager, Mike Blanc, ill. 2013. 40 pages. Vanita Books. [ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] A Tale of Two Mommies is a look at a little boy who answers his friends questions about his “non-traditional” family structure. It’s a cute look at same-sex headed households from the view of children. The questions and responses are innocent and I found them useful when talking to my own chil...

We Are the Goldens. Dana Reinhardt. 2014. Wendy Lamb Books. 208 Pages. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] Unsettled. That’s the immediate feeling I had when I finished We Are the Goldens. This is a book that subtly sucks the reader into the emotional turmoil the narrator experiences but doesn’t give the neatly packaged happy ending that one is wont to have. Here, that’s not a bad thing – the entire book is an explorat...

Life is a Bowl Full of Cherries. Vanita Oelschlager. 2011. 4o pages. Vanita Books. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] How exactly do you explain common idioms to a kindergartner? I never really put a lot of thought into that question, but Life is a Bowl Full of Cherries is definitely a go-to for any parent or teacher who struggles to explain the nuances of not-so-literal language to a little one. This book takes extremely com...