MADreads for Kids

Book reviews for children by library staff and guest contributors

Bedtime Bunnies

Cover of Good night! Good night!
A review of Good night! Good night! by Carin Berger

Bunnies at bedtime saying goodnight may conjure up thoughts of ANOTHER classic bedtime story.  However....these bunnies aren't quite ready for "goodnight" just yet..  Mama Bunny gives the usual goodnight stories, songs, hugs and kisses but still her three little bunnies have other ideas in mind!  They want goodnight dances!  What?  Dances??  And jumping beans and monkeys and tickles.  Finally, Mama Bunny has enough and tucks those rambunctious bunny babies into bed.  With sweet, exuberant collage illustrations and lyrical text this title will be a favorite at bedtime and beyond.

Posted by on Feb 23, 2018

All the honors

Cover of Crown: An Ode to the Fresh
A review of Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes

Earning multiple awards including a Newbery Honor, a Caldecott Honor (for illustration), and Coretta Scott King Honors for writing and for illustration, Crown celebrates one black boy’s experience in the barber’s chair, and how that fresh cut can elevate both self-esteem and self-confidence. James’ realistic illustrations are dazzling, with bold painterly strokes of color, that capture subtle nuances of feeling, character and setting.

Posted by Karen L on Feb 15, 2018

Go, gummy, go!

Cover of The Not-So-Secret Society:
A review of The Not-So-Secret Society: Tale of the Gummy by Matthew Daley

Books that involve gangs of problem solving kids, hijinks and hilarity are perennially popular at my house. I checked this new book out because it looked like it fit that bill, and boy did it ever. Wherever this series goes I will follow. Madison, Dylan, Emma, Aidan and Ava are twelve years old, classmates, and members of the Not-So-Secret Society.  

Posted by Molly W on Feb 6, 2018

Monsters need to eat, too

Cover of Brave Chef Brianna
A review of Brave Chef Brianna by Jillian Crab

A famous chef and restaurateur in failing health decides to pit his children against one another in order for one of them to achieve the rights to his successful empire.  All of the children (12 boys!) and one daughter, Brianna Jakobsson, must start a new restaurant.  The child with the most successful restaurant wins the inheritance.  Each restaurant must be in a different town and all of the children must open their restaurant without any assistance from their father.  Brianna is at a major disadvantage because she is the youngest in the family and has only recently graduated from culinar

Posted by Molly W on Jan 12, 2018

1, 2, 3...Build!

Cover of Billions of Bricks
A review of Billions of Bricks by Kurt Cyrus

Billed as a counting book, Cyrus brings much more to this artful picture book.  We count bricks by ones, fives, tens and twenties.  Readers also learn how bricks and mortar are made, and are treated to the math, science, design and artistry involved in bricklaying.  The rhyming text invites repeated read-alouds. And the photo-realistic illustrations are worth multiple visits as well, with a racially diverse cast of characters that range in age from children to grandparents, all sporting hardhats and coveralls and fully involved in the building.

Posted by Karen L on Oct 20, 2017

I miss Chi's Sweet Home

Cover of FukuFuku
A review of FukuFuku by Kanata Konami

Going back over time, I calculate that I've read and written about at least six different cat comics or children's graphic novel series on MADreads.  This does not include a childhood spent reading Garfield.  This does not include my recent (personal) purchasing and reading of the new "Grumpy Cat/Garfield" comic series.  Who knew that Grumpy Cat and Garfield knew each other?!?!?  It's an amazing world!!  I guess what I'm trying to say is that there's a wealth of this kind of material out there and I celebrate it.  All of it.

Posted by Molly W on Oct 19, 2017

Fearsome! Ferocious! Fake?

Cover of Alan's Big, Scary Teeth
A review of Alan's Big, Scary Teeth by Peter Jarvis

Alan the Alligator LOVES being scary. He and his big, scary teeth make all the animals in the jungle run for cover. Snap, Snap, SNAP! But Alan has a secret... his big scary snappers... are FAKE! What will Alan do when his secret is revealed? How will he ever overcome his embarrassment and dismay that he is no longer scary? A hilarious read aloud for preschool and school agers alike, this book gets better and better on every read.

Posted by Rebecca M on Oct 3, 2017

Pages

Subscribe to MADreads