The book takes place in China , there was a boy named Ping who loved flowers, and an Emperor who also loved flowers. The Emperor was getting older and needed someone to take his place.  So to pick a successor he gave everyone a job , who can grow the prettiest flowers will succeed him.  So all year Ping planted and watered and replanted and watered and he got nothing no flower.  At the end of the year, all the children took their beautiful flowers to show the Emperor with hopes they could be the new Emperor.  

This is a tale of honesty and how it is rewarded. 

Mrs. Worm decides she wants to remember her worm family at this stage and has Mr. Muskrat , the photographer, take their picture but before they do the oldest daughter Emma, tells her friends about her excitement getting her picture taken and but then soon realizes they dont have teeth to smile with like her friend Ellie, and they dont have poufy hair like her friend Abigail, and she cant show off beautiful colors like Olivia.  So they decide to get fake teeth, fake hair and clothes , What happens when they go for their picture is what really counts in this book about being yourself.

Chipmunk lives on a Rock , where chipmunk loves to chirp and sing all day long and wants her friend rock to join in , although a good listener rock is not able to sing along.  So off chipmunk goes to find a friend to help her sing along.  She encounters pinecone, log but are good listeners but neithe can join her in song.  Chipmunk's quest takes on twists and turns while she tries to find a friend who can sign along with her.

Two friends both see something in a tree one sees a turtle and one sees a squirrel .  After going back and forth finally the squirrel jumps out but then a turtle who was hidden falls out of the tree.  So they were both right.  Its all about what everyone sees is different. 

Animal friends Owl, Badger, Mandrill, Turtle and Anteater.  They all try to do something they can do together one by one they try something each one of them likes to do. But, one by one it doesnt work out cause not everyone is good at the same things.  They finally come to an agreement on one thing they can all do together and it's TERRIFIC.

This book was a good choice for children to show them we all have at least one thing in common.

A Thanksgiving treat, After a delicious Thanksgiving dinner was served and eaten Mouse appears out of his hiding place, This is a funny look at our own holiday and being thankful for the little things we have.  Mouse tried to get food one by one back to his tiny hole and didnt see CAT crawling towards him.  After a swoosh of the cats paw, Mouse looses everything he was carrying ,  He then spots one tiny teeny pea on the floor.  He took the pea back to his tiny hole and was thankful for his feast.

This book recounts the story of how 1 shot changed the country forever in Spring 1865, it does tell you about the war, but its mostly the last 3 days of Lincoln's life.

The Civil War ends in Spring 1865 and so many terrible battles and lives lost.

President Lincoln have Robert E Lee's very generous terms of surrender to help heal the nation of all the hatred the north and south had for each other.

One man and his accomplices reaching into the highest ranks of government are not happy about losing the war. In the middle of all the celebrating in Washington over winning the war John Wilkes Booth, a real ladies man, and well known actor of the time murders Lincoln in the Ford's Theatre.

The first part of the book Total War, tells of Robert E Lee's plans and thoughts.  The second part of the book is the ideas of death talks about John Wilkes Booth life before the assination.  The 3 part of the book The Long Good Friday talks about the 3 days before the assination for both Lincoln and Booth. 

There are 3 other men involved, they tried to kill Ulysses Grant that night as well but failed because he left early to go home from Washington and Vice President Andrew Johnson.  All three of these men were killed for their part. 

This childrens book is about playful creativity with beautiful illustrations from Ellie Sandall.

This book will get all kids up and dancing along the bunnies many sizes and colors with a surprise visit from the Fox! Even Fox can join in with run, jump dance and play and all can be together every day,

Fun book to read to your little ones and have them dance along.

Mouse and Elliot are friends, mouse has a very large family15 brothers, 19 sisters, 25 aunts, 27 uncles, and 147 cousins. 

Mouse likes to count them up a lot. Elliot has no family, while mouse leaves for a big family reunion , Elliot is feeling lonely and takes a walk in the city, seeing everyone out with family members.  This makes Elliot very sad.  The book is taking place in winter time and so as its getting cold out Elliot goes to see a movie by himself, the theatre was big and dark and empty. Elliot missed mouse and wished he had all of those cousins even just one.  

What happens next tells you how strong friendship can be and you don't have to have the same blood line to be family.

The book starts out with Eve Knox being attacked and murdered a few days before Christmas when she is 16 years old.

There it skips to 25 years later, and a new clue is found in her case and now with DNA they are opening the case up to see if they can find the killer.

Eve's best friend Maggie is a police detective and put in charge of this case since the new chief thinks it will be an easy case and she is 9 months pregnant.

Maggie and Eve's sister found the body. Ths takes place in a small town names Grotto in Iowa.

Maggie's father was the police chief when Eve was killed and worked on this case until his retirement due to dimentia.

The book skips from the past to the present throughout the book.  

When in the past its days before Eve's death leading up to the killing, it shows that Eve is in a violent relationship with her boyfriend Nick who abuses her, and was the main suspect for most of his life in the town.  Then there is Cam Harper the husband of the family both girls babysat for and we find out Maggie had an affair with him and that he preys on young girls and Maggie got pregnant by him and then lost the baby.  Maggie keeps the affair a secret and never telling anyone. But Eve knew and threaten to tell so then Maggie and her had a big fight and Maggie actually thinks she is the one who killed her but has hidden it for 25 years.

The book makes you think along the way that Maggie, Sean, (Maggie's husband) Cam, and Nick all could of killed Eve.

In the end, the evidence comes back that is it actually Cam Harper the neighbor that killed her because she was going to tell and ruin his life that he had affairs with many 16 year olds over the years and he was not going to go to jal for rape , so he killed her. 

The book ends with Maggie having the baby and finally able to live her life with guilt of her killing her best friend.

The book takes place during World War II .

I liked this book because it told the side of Italy during the war and you don't often hear that side , it's usually France , Germany, Britain.

This story is about 3 friends, Elisabetta , Marco, Sandro and begins in 1937, Elisabetta cares for her alcoholic father, Sandro lives a good life with his father who is a lawyer and mother who is a doctor and a very loving family.

Marco's family runs the neighborhood bar and restaurant.

Sandro and Marco are best friends but both love Elisabetta, who has feelings for both of them.

This book shows Benito Mussolini rise in power, how he was loved and devoted to by the people of the older generation and not so much by the younger generation.  When Mussolini aligns himself with Hitler, the people start to see he is not what they thought he was.  Hitler makes Mussolini deport the jews to Auschwitz.  People are upset but if they say or do anything they would be arrested themselves. 

Sandro's family is forced to  leave and Marco, who with his father is working with the underground to undermine Mussolini, tries to stop Sandro's family from being deported but in doing so Marco's father is shot dead.  Marco and Elisabetta have a plan to get Sandro out of where he is being held before he is shipped to Auschwitz.  Elisabetta knowing that she loves Sandro and wants to marry him and is pregnant with his child helps with the plan.  During the escape the Nazi army are about to shoot Marco and Sandro steps in front and is killed.

Mussolini finally surrenders to the allies and Marco asked Elisabetta to marry him and he will raise the baby as his own.

They do tell their son when he is old enough to understand, but assures him that he is Marco's son in his heart. 

Marley is a dog in this series of books based on Marley the dog, Marley and the Kittens is the 4th in the series.

In this book Marley joins her human family on a trip to the country where he finds two abandoned kittens.  The kittens come home with the family, where Marley unintentionally makes a mess in the house while imitating their gentle behavior.

It is a funny book and shows the difference between cats and dogs, a great book for any child.

Illustrated by Richard Cowdrey and they were amazing.

A unique look at Nazi Germany from the view of the U.S. Ambassador to Germany, William Dodd and his young daughter, Martha. A young partier, she had fun socializing with the young and in some cases, dangerous men of the time. Her father was in an awkward position, trying to recoup the money guaranteed from Germany by the Treaty of Versailles and trying not to offend the new Nazi government. An inside look at the new Nazi government many felt would just be temporary and the shock of the terror it brought to everyone.

Eveylyn Hugo is from the Golden Age of Hollywood and she finally decides to tell her true life story.

She specifically asks for this young reporter Monique Grant to be the one to do the interview.

The book takes place in two time periods now and the golden age of hollywood. The reporter has her issues and how interviewing the strong Evelyn helps her to see what her life can really be like and not to settle. The story shows Evelyn struggle to get to Hollywood and out of her dingy little neighborhood and abusive father.  She will do whatever it takes to rise in status and she does.

The title is funny in that she had 7 big love affairs but in fact the only real love affair she was not able to marry as she was bisexual and in love with another big star named Celia.  It shows the length in what old hollywood had to do to hide the men and woman who were gay or bisexual during that time, as it was not accepted back then.

Jam is a teenage girl who lives in Lucille, a post-revolutionary town where social justice driven "angels" have defeated the "monsters" of our time and created a town where girls like Jam can live freely as themselves in safety and prosperity. Jam, who is autistic, did not speak as a baby, and the adults in Lucille accepted her as she is and taught her sign language. When she said at three-year-old that she was a girl, not a boy, the adults in Lucille accepted her as she is and, when she approached puberty, gave her free choice over which kind of puberty she wanted to go through. Life in Lucille is good, although all of the adults are cagey about how they got there. They don't talk about the things the "monsters" used to do, or what the "angels," many of whom are still alive, had to do to win the civil war. One day, a terrifying monster named Pet emerges from one of Jam's mother's paintings, and, communicating telepathically, tells Jam that it is hunting a "real monster" living in Lucille.The adults insist Pet must be wrong, that there are no more monsters in Lucille; but Pet tells Jam the monster lives in the home of her best friend, Remembrance; so Jam reluctantly, secretly, teams up with Pet to hunt down the monster, whoever it is.
Pet is not a dystopia novel. It is a novel about the trauma that lingers even when something resembling utopia has been achieved. Pet is about what happens when trauma is allowed to fester, and goes unaddressed. It's a novel about healing. It shows us a better world, and reminds us that nothing can truly be perfect either. I am a grown adult and I cried when I read this book. Personally, my new favorite book. Read Pet.

Jam is a teenage girl who lives in Lucille, a post-revolutionary town where social justice driven "angels" have defeated the "monsters" of our time and created a town where girls like Jam can live freely as themselves in safety and prosperity. Jam, who is autistic, did not speak as a baby, and the adults in Lucille accepted her as she is and taught her sign language. When she said at three-year-old that she was a girl, not a boy, the adults in Lucille accepted her as she is and, when she approached puberty, gave her free choice over which kind of puberty she wanted to go through. Life in Lucille is good, although all of the adults are cagey about how they got there. They don't talk about the things the "monsters" used to do, or what the "angels," many of whom are still alive, had to do to win the civil war. One day, a terrifying monster named Pet emerges from one of Jam's mother's paintings, and, communicating telepathically, tells Jam that it is hunting a "real monster" living in Lucille.The adults insist Pet must be wrong, that there are no more monsters in Lucille; but Pet tells Jam the monster lives in the home of her best friend, Remembrance; so Jam reluctantly, secretly, teams up with Pet to hunt down the monster, whoever it is.
Pet is not a dystopia novel. It is a novel about the trauma that lingers even when something resembling utopia has been achieved. Pet is about what happens when trauma is allowed to fester, and goes unaddressed. It's a novel about healing. It shows us a better world, and reminds us that nothing can truly be perfect either. I am a grown adult and I cried when I read this book. Personally, my new favorite book. Read Pet.

Jam is a teenage girl who lives in Lucille, a post-revolutionary town where social justice driven "angels" have defeated the "monsters" of our time and created a town where girls like Jam can live freely as themselves in safety and prosperity. Jam, who is autistic, did not speak as a baby, and the adults in Lucille accepted her as she is and taught her sign language. When she said at three-year-old that she was a girl, not a boy, the adults in Lucille accepted her as she is and, when she approached puberty, gave her free choice over which kind of puberty she wanted to go through. Life in Lucille is good, although all of the adults are cagey about how they got there. They don't talk about the things the "monsters" used to do, or what the "angels," many of whom are still alive, had to do to win the civil war. One day, a terrifying monster named Pet emerges from one of Jam's mother's paintings, and, communicating telepathically, tells Jam that it is hunting a "real monster" living in Lucille.The adults insist Pet must be wrong, that there are no more monsters in Lucille; but Pet tells Jam the monster lives in the home of her best friend, Remembrance; so Jam reluctantly, secretly, teams up with Pet to hunt down the monster, whoever it is.
Pet is not a dystopia novel. It is a novel about the trauma that lingers even when something resembling utopia has been achieved. Pet is about what happens when trauma is allowed to fester, and goes unaddressed. It's a novel about healing. It shows us a better world, and reminds us that nothing can truly be perfect either. I am a grown adult and I cried when I read this book. Personally, my new favorite book. Read Pet.

Ava and Jules both work at LitenVärld, a Swedish furniture store akin to IKEA, and they just had a very messy break-up. Ava's plans to avoid Jules at work are thwarted when a wormhole opens up to another LitenVärld in a parallel universe and swallows up Ursula Nouri, the kindly grandmother of a customer. Apparently, wormholes open up in LitenVärld all the time, due to their "unique showroom layouts." Store associates are required to enter the wormholes to retrieve lost customers, chosen by reverse seniority. They get a Pasta and Friends gift card if they accept the mission, and fired if they don't. After watching a cheesy training video from the 80s, Ava and Jules are sent out into the wormhole to find Ursula Nouri, equipped with their Pasta and Friends gift cards and a tracking device called a FINNA that will point them to Ursula Nouri's whereabouts, or if not her, a "suitable replacement" so that customers won't learn the truth. LitenVärld's insurance won't cover "acts of god." Along the way, Ava and Jules work through the conflicts that lead to their break-up and try to patch things up enough to be friends again.

Full of skin-crawling creepy imagery, touching personal moments, flawed yet lovable and relatable characters, hillarious writing, and a bit of biting commentary on the retail industry; FINNA is a short and sweet novella you'll find yourself recommending to all of your friends. If you like Ursula K. LeGuin's short stories, you will love FINNA. If you've ever had a messy queer break-up where you still care about each other but can't seem to stop hurting each other: you will find FINNA painfully relatable and perhaps incredibly cathartic and healing.

Ava and Jules both work at LitenVärld, a Swedish furniture store akin to IKEA, and they just had a very messy break-up. Ava's plans to avoid Jules at work are thwarted when a wormhole opens up to another LitenVärld in a parallel universe and swallows up Ursula Nouri, the kindly grandmother of a customer. Apparently, wormholes open up in LitenVärld all the time, due to their "unique showroom layouts." Store associates are required to enter the wormholes to retrieve lost customers, chosen by reverse seniority. They get a Pasta and Friends gift card if they accept the mission, and fired if they don't. After watching a cheesy training video from the 80s, Ava and Jules are sent out into the wormhole to find Ursula Nouri, equipped with their Pasta and Friends gift cards and a tracking device called a FINNA that will point them to Ursula Nouri's whereabouts, or if not her, a "suitable replacement" so that customers won't learn the truth. LitenVärld's insurance won't cover "acts of god." Along the way, Ava and Jules work through the conflicts that lead to their break-up and try to patch things up enough to be friends again.

Full of skin-crawling creepy imagery, touching personal moments, flawed yet lovable and relatable characters, hillarious writing, and a bit of biting commentary on the retail industry; FINNA is a short and sweet novella you'll find yourself recommending to all of your friends. If you like Ursula K. LeGuin's short stories, you will love FINNA. If you've ever had a messy queer break-up where you still care about each other but can't seem to stop hurting each other: you will find FINNA painfully relatable and perhaps incredibly cathartic and healing.

This was a beautifully-written novel in verse. I loved seeing both Tam and Kate's points of view. It was funny, realistic, sad, and uplifting all at once. I have a feeling this book will be one of those "books at the right time" for a lot of kids struggling to understand who they are and what they feel. As it says in the end, there is no such thing as normal and love is love is love is love.