Ruby and Graham
by Lucy Barnard

Two squirrels in Acorn Wood seem happy enough. Ruby has a lot of fun and is popular, which appeals to studious Graham, so he joins the messy party group.

Ruby would like some serious skills, but has a care-free reputation. When she sees how the woods are suffering without Graham's efforts, she asks him for help. Changing is easier than they thought!

This is a brightly colored picture book with a lot of adorable woodland creatures. The story is a familiar theme, but handled well and written so it's constructive for everyone.

3/5 Stars
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The Wall
by Catalina Echeverri & Jessie James

Tom spent a little time near the plants and scenery of Colombia; the beauty inspired him to be an explorer. Then he listened to grown-ups who spoke only of fear, possible danger, and protecting the village from rumored monsters. So they built a wall, and Tom gave up his dream, but he was not happy.

Then Tom got a message from over the wall--in writing! He did what any self-respecting curious person would do.

This book, of course, is about letting fears and rumors escalate--without investigation--until they rob you of the joys in life. The adults failed to "do their homework," and perpetuated lies.

We've seen this sort of thing in societies all over the world, and it continues because people either don't have access to correct information (education), are forced to act against their interests, or are lazy enough to believe misinformation.

Fortunately for everyone in this beautifully illustrated book, Tom climbed the wall!

The ending was better than I expected, and I appreciate the spirit of cooperation and the acceptance of unfamiliar people!

4/5 Stars
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Seal Child

This story of a little dark-haired girl is from her point of view (first-person), so we don't know her name. A big storm that interrupts idilic island life, and the girl finds a lost seal pup.

She then does something odd and unexpected; she gets into a boat an goes out to sea. This has to be the WORST IDEA EVER for a child following a storm. Why abandon all of the other people where she can still be sure to find some help? Where is her family? At sea, she could die before she reaches land with fresh water (not salt water) and edible food. As I said; horrible plan, bad idea.

Spoiler Alert!
Contrary to all logic and common sense, the girl gets out of the boat to "teach the seal to swim." Fortunately, the boat doesn't drift too far away. They don't die of thirst or starvation.
Soon after, the seal's mom comes along. Amazing! Then the girl finds an island, and a family sails up to the random island with furniture (and food & water, we assume).

If a story is to be complete fantasy--as this one hopefully is--there should be some indication at the beginning. A twirl of a wand, or a sparkling fairy. Something. Because this is bizarre behavior!

Suggesting to children that the answer to any problem they may ever have is to jump in a boat and push off from shore, should be criminal. Children can die that way.

Aside from that, the watercolors are lovely, and if the story could be fixed, I would love to reconsider my review!

I can only guess that the author is not thinking about the ramifications--because so many thousands of children have proximity to boats--and/or has no concept of boats, islands, emergencies, or children.

1/5 Stars
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The Best Mom

A little girl compares her mom to the mothers of her friends, and there are several things she admires about them. Things she wishes were different about her mom. But would it really be a good idea to trade her mom for another one?

We see many examples showing how her mom doesn't have the same interests, abilities, or skills as the other moms. But as great as other moms can be, the best thing about your mom is that she loves you! (I won't spoil the end of this story.)

The illustrations showing how the girl's mom doesn't measure up, are funny. She just has other talents her daughter isn't aware of yet. It happens sometimes when moms forget to share.

This is a cheerful and sweet book, good to remind kids that mom loves them.

4/5 Stars

Sampler Total = 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the free preview of this ebook sampler for review!

Ruby and Graham - This book emphasizes the idea that everbody is good at something, and that we should embrace those skills and things that make us uniqe. The characters in the book find out that when one of their friends tries to be just like another friend instead of himself, things become very complicated. An over all pretty good book.

The Wall - A beautifully written and illustrated story about a child who is open hearted and minded but the grown ups around him want to keep out anything that is different. They call these things "monsters", but in reality they are just people who have a different culture than the boy. This is a great story for discussion with younger children about things that are happening in today's world.

Seal Child - This is an endearing story of a girl and a baby seal that survive a storm. The set out together to escape the storm and to look for their lost loved ones. It is a heart warming story of faith, hope, and perseverence.