Review: Days With Frog and Toad Is a Universal Classic About Love

Days With Frog and Toad is an understated and humorous collection of stories about love that’s perfect for all ages. My kid lit read today is a deep cut — the deceivingly simple Days With Frog and Toad. The book is notorious for its subtext of Frog and Toad being a same-sex couple. Arnold Lobel, the … Read more

Review: Merci Suárez Changes Gears Is a Winsome Story About Intergenerational Immigrant Family Love

Meg Medina’s Merci Suárez Changes Gears explores family and school drama with warmth and nuance.  I recently picked up Meg Medina’s lovely Merci Suárez Changes Gears on sale for $7. This whim of a purchase turned out to be a great decision because I thoroughly enjoyed the book and devoured all 355 pages of it … Read more

Review: One Crazy Summer Layers Revolution With Emotional Nuance

One Crazy Summer is a salient read that illuminates revolutionary ideas and emotional nuance through a child’s perspective.  Rita Williams-Garcia’s One Crazy Summer initially drew me in because its setting is Oakland, a city that’s near and dear to my heart. For a whirlwind of a year in college, I covered art and worked at a … Read more

Review: Zoe in Wonderland Beautifully Finds Roots in Reality

Zoe in Wonderland

Review: Zoe in Wonderland is a down-to-earth story that grounds itself in reality.  Since this is a plant and book blog, I gave myself a tremendous pat on the back when I discovered Brenda Woods’ Zoe in Wonderland, a middle grade chapter book about a plant lover! While the title suggests a Lewis Carroll fantasy of … Read more