My Thoughts
Shailey is in immediate need of a bedtime story reader! She fired her previous one as he was failing to do his duties well (and if you must know, it was dad!)

And now, she is all set to interview anyone and everyone who wants the job. It is certainly an exciting few days of interviewing for Shailey as the applicants range from the gingerbread man to various fairy tale princesses to Captain Hook. She keeps making updates to the requirements based on each applicant, until she was not sure she could ever find another bedtime-story-reader at all ever again!

And then, the story takes the sweetest turn……

The illustrations are colorful and cute. And I totally enjoyed the resumes of some of the applicants included at the end of the book (I saw myself in some of them!)

In Conclusion
I love that this book subtly lets adults know we need to take time away from the busyness that life tends to bring, and spend focused time with our loved ones; and shows children that they can work towards finding solutions for themselves when problems arise.

So yes, read it with your little loved ones for it is indeed a sweet sweet read about the love of reading and books and family!

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the digital review copy of the featured book. These thoughts are my honest opinions of the book.

Help Wanted, Must Love Books is an adorable story about a little girl's search for the perfect bedtime storyteller to replace her busy dad. This story has a great message to parents about the importance of quality reading time. The illustrations are gorgeous. Kids will be tickled as they recognize some of the applicants. I would love to feature this title during my school's next reading night. Thanks Capstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this title.

This book was absolutely precious. I loved the personality of the main character and the sweet relationship between her and her father. I am already thinking of friends who I will be giving this book to as a baby shower gift. I also loved the connection to fairy tale characters we all know and quickly recognize.

It’s a cute story that brings some fairytale characters into the story. If the characters are new to your child, it’s a good and simple introduction to them. Some parts of the book may require some explanations to really young readers. More to the story is that this book can be a tool to start a conversation about problem-solving. It also encourages caregivers to read to their children.

Help Wanted, Must Love Books, written by Janet Sumner Johnson and illustrated by Courtney Dawson, is a picturebook currently scheduled for release on March 2 2020. Shailey loves bedtime, especially reading with her dad. But her dad starts a new job, and it gets in the way of their bedtime routine. So Shailey takes action! She fires her dad, posts a Help Wanted sign, and starts interviews immediately. She is thrilled when her favorite characters from fairytales line up to apply. But Sleeping Beauty can't stay awake, the Gingerbread Man steals her book, and Snow White brings along her whole team. Shailey is running out of options. Is bedtime ruined forever?

Help Wanted, Must Love Books is a story that many parents and children can relate to. Routine band job changes for an adult in the house can throw everything else out of whack- like how her father's new job affected Shailey's bedtime reading. I love how she interviewed characters from some of her bedtime stories to become her new reader, and how some of the auditions went terribly wrong. I thought the story and its execution was very imaginative and well done. The illustrations were wonderful, and added some great detail to the story on each page. I love the imagination the character has, and the way her father works hard to find a solution for the problem. Not every solution in real life will be this easy, but showing that it can happen might give young readers the hope and determination to find solutions for their own bedtime or family disappointments. The addition of resumes from the characters at the end of the book was a fun touch.

Help Wanted, Must Love Books is an adorable picture book with plenty of references to storytimer favorites and lovely artwork. This might become a new bedtime favorite for some young readers.

This book was pure happiness to read. It's a great concept: a young book lover who's fed up when her reading buddy, her father, is suddenly too busy to enjoy bedtime stories with her. But she does not despair--she puts out a "Help Wanted" sign with an ever-changing job description, in search of the ideal bedtime storyteller. Her room is suddenly full of applicants night after night, all of which happen to be characters from her favorite bedtime stories. While that may sound like a dream come true to a young book lover, she soon learns that these applicants possess less-than-desirable qualities.

The story paints bedtime and reading in a positive, magical light, which I can see being helpful to parents with children who may not be the biggest fans of bedtime. The art is heartwarming, happy, bright, and will give you a chuckle. The subtle nods at each fairy tale character's origin stories (Sleeping Beauty "could spin tales that kept her on pins and needles..." but falls asleep mid-story) made me want to go back and reread the story again.

A beautiful, delightful bedtime story, "Help Wanted, Must Love Books" is a lesson for both kids and adults about what really matters--setting aside the daily distractions of our busy lives and reading together.

This book is the story of a little girl, Shapley, that loves bedtime storytime with her dad. Until one day, he is no longer available for storytime and the little girl must look for other solutions. This engaging story includes fairy tale characters that young readers will engage with and cause some issues for Shapley. She is forced to rethink her plan and adjust until one day. Children will love this book and want to here this story over and over.

Shailey loves reading bedtime stories with her father but since he started his new job he’s been too busy. Shailey’s solution? Fire her father and advertise for a new bedtime storyteller.

A host of fairytale characters apply for the job but none of them are quite right. Shailey begins to wonder if she’ll ever be able to find a suitable replacement for her father.

Some of my fondest childhood memories include trips to my local library to find new treasures. I always love books about books! I appreciated the inclusion of fairytale characters as it was a reminder that books are always there for you, even when you feel like you’re alone.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Capstone Editions for the opportunity to read this book.

What a great way to connect kids with reading and teach that the best app is your lap! Kids will be delighted to identify the applicants in this book. Fun illustrations and relatable text make this a keeper!

This is a cute story, and I think my 3-year-old would like it if we had it in book format. I have to work late sometimes so I'm sure she'd empathize. I found it a little out of left field that the applicants for story reading were fairy tale characters, because it just kind of happened abruptly without any lead-in, but that might be one of those things an adult overthinks that wouldn't bother a kid.

Do librarians love books about books? Absolutely. A little girl who loves bedtime stories read by her father has to find a new reader. Shailey's father got a new job and is now stuck to his computer. So she fires him as her bedtime storyteller. Shailey makes a flyer so she can interview for a new storyteller. All of the applicants are familiar characters children will recognize. This sweet father and daughter story will make you want to snuggle up with a book and a person you love. Children ages 5-9 will enjoy this story.

Help Wanted, Must Love Books is a sweet little bedtime story for avid readers, er, listeners of tall tales. While not particularly unique, this story endearing and made better by bright, fun illustrations. The main character, Shailey, and her father are depicted with dark skin; the myriad fairytale characters are diverse in color, though not in shape or ability. It's good fun, with a few Easter-eggs for adult readers.

I loved this book!! It has fairy tale characters showing up and a fabulous relationship between dad and child. The illustrations were great! I’ll be adding a copy to our reading collection here at home.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Capstone for providing a copy.

What a cute story! I loved the idea of this, and the integration of all the various fairy tale characters was brilliant! I know that kids will love reading and listening to this story as they recall all the fairy tales that the characters are from! This is such a heartwarming story of a girl and her dad, and I highly recommend this for any parent or teacher!

Aww its such a cute book.Reading books is the best I can do .Definitely applying for this job among my favorite characters.

I loved this story! I loved the blend of realism with the world of fairy tales. The fact that this is a story about bedtime stories is pure bonus. And to top it all, I love how the story ends. A good reminder for all of us busy grownups!

**Note: I received a free copy of this title from the people at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Help Wanted: Must Love Books by Janet Sumner Johnson, 32 pages. PICTURE BOOK
Capstone Editions, 2020. $18.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Bedtime is the best time for Shailey because her dad is the best story reader. When he gets a new job, though, he becomes too busy for bedtime stories. Who will answer Shailey’s call for a new story reader? The Gingerbread Man? Cinderella? Robin Hood?
My favorite part of Shailey’s story is the implied fairy tale characters who apply, but they aren’t always mentioned explicitly by name and I worry that the young audience of the story would not understand the references. Also, the vocabulary seems to be higher than the intended audience. While the story is cute, I am doubtful that the subject matches the reading level of those who will read and understand it.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

I really enjoyed Help Wanted, Must Love Books and plan to add this to my #ClassroomBookADay library! Shailey loves bedtime and bedtime stories. She has a nightly ritual with her dad, sitting on the rocking chair and reading. That is until her dad got a new job and is too tired to stay away for bedtime. Shailey creates a "Want Ad" for applicants to interview. She doesn't have many requirements that must be met in the beginning, but as the candidates show up, she revises the ad, from "must be human" to "Must have solid hygiene" in such clever ways. Finally the perfect candidate (dressed as a Robin Hood type) comes to read her a story. His voice, his smell, is all familiar and he looks an awful lot like her dad. Such a cute story of a father-daughter bond and a love of reading!

Shailey and her dad love spending time together reading before her bedtime. But when her dad gets a new job, he is no longer able to give her the same amount of time and attention as before. Shailey fires him and immediately begins searching for his replacement. The applicants arrive from all over her bookshelves, but none of them seem to exemplify the ideal candidate- Snow White shows up to the interview with the Seven Dwarves, Captain Hook lacks proper hygiene, and Cinderella gets soot all over Shailey's favorite books! But when the last applicant shows up, Shailey has a good feeling about this one.

Themes: family relationships, remaining present with your children through story time and reading together.

I loved the portrayal of Shailey finding solace and looking for help within her books. This will be an enjoyable book for parents to read with their children not only because of its simple humor, but the illustrations are complementary for the sweetness of the story.

This is one of the cutest children's books I have read in a long time. It tackles an issue that all children and parents face today: parents who are busy and distracted at bedtime. This precious little girl fires her dad from reading duty and goes about interviewing new candidates. I loved that the candidates were beloved fairytale characters.

This story shows a lovely resolution to the conflict faced between parent and child. My daughter and I will be reading this over and over!


The publisher provided an ARC through Netgalley. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts