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All the wrong questions
A review of Who Could That Be at This Hour by Lemony Snicket

 Lemony Snicket’s snark + the clipped speech of hard-boiled detective novels = the tone of the first installment in a new Snicket series called, All the Wrong Questions. It tells the story of Lemony’s own education as a private eye as he tries to get the scoop about an odd statue called the Bombinating Beast, which may or may not be valuable and which may or may not have been stolen from his client. Of course, the plot is secondary to the unique voice with which Mr. Snicket tells his ...read more

Reviewed by Carissa - Alicia Ashman on April 12, 2013 | 0 comments

It’s about pickles, not pranks. Yep. Really.
A review of PICKLE by Kimberly Baker

 The first thing you need to realize about pickle making is that it is serious business. Pickling has a long and illustrious history in the food preservation industry. Pssst! Are all of the grown-ups gone? They are? Great. Then we can let you in on a secret. The League of Pickle Makers is really a cover for the newest club at Fountain Point Middle School—the P.T.A. (Pranks and Trick Association). The club was started by me, Ben Ruiz, and we only do pranks that are funny or fun and not mean. If ...read more

Reviewed by Carissa - Alicia Ashman on March 29, 2013 | 0 comments

Beware: this book will make you crave PIE!
A review of Pie by Sarah Weeks

 Alice’s beloved Aunt Polly made amazing pies. She loved to bake them so much that she opened up a pie shop and gave the pies away for free! Everyone in town had a favorite flavor of Polly’s pies, and as word of them spread, people traveled from all over to taste her renowned baking. Sadly, Aunt Polly dies unexpectedly and perplexes everyone by leaving her secret pie crust recipe to her cat, Lardo. Her will also bequeaths Lardo himself (a rather grumpy cat) to her favorite niece, Alice. How do ...read more

Reviewed by Carissa - Alicia Ashman on January 25, 2013 | 0 comments

A love story in board books
A review of Not a Baby Anymore by Jorge Uzon

 New parents take a million photos of their baby, but many end up buried on a computer hard drive (the modern day equivalent to the shoebox under the bed). Author Jorge Uzón not only created an adorable series of four board books about his son’s first year of life, he also managed to get them published to share with the world! Attractive photographs fill each page, accompanied by simple text discussing the everyday life of his baby from birth to first birthday. Since the books are full of ...read more

Reviewed by Carissa - Alicia Ashman on October 5, 2012 | 0 comments

Hello friends! May I join you?
A review of Let's Play House by Emma Quay

 I know I’ve discovered a new favorite book whenever I find myself wishing I could crawl inside the story and live there. That doesn’t happen very often with board books, and even less often with a multi-book series, so I was thrilled to discover the “Hello, Friends” books, written by Emma Quay and illustrated by Anna Walker. Three friends, a panda, an owl and a sheep, play together in these four delightful tales about imagination, bravery, sharing and bedtime. Although those topics have been ...read more

Reviewed by Carissa - Alicia Ashman on August 10, 2012 | 0 comments
Book cover

A subtle celebration of diverse families
A review of Pond Babies by Cathryn Falwell

 Pond Babies initially caught my eye with its cover illustration of a mother and child who have different skin tones. After recently joining the adoption community, I have become more aware of the lack of books that celebrate families that don’t look alike. As I read this book, I was excited to note that the author has also chosen to highlight mother/baby animal pairs that don’t look exactly alike (frogs, loons, deer, etc.). I realize that the analogy doesn’t extend fully (the animal ...read more

Reviewed by Carissa - Alicia Ashman on July 27, 2012 | 3 comments
Planting Seeds

Who knew compost could make such a catchy song subject?
A review of Planting Seeds by Maria Sangiolo

 My toddler had been obsessed with one song in the car (Fast Monkey, from Marvelous Day! by Stevesongs—if you dare listen to it with your kids—it is fun!) and every time we got in the car he would demand that song. I’ve tried sneaking in other CD’s but nothing has held his interest until I discovered Planting Seeds by Maria Sangiolo. Not only has he picked a few favorite tracks to ask for over and over (hooray, ...read more

Reviewed by Carissa - Alicia Ashman on July 6, 2012 | 0 comments

Truthiness
A review of The Boy Who Cried Ninja by Alex Latimer

 Tim has amazing adventures. Unfortunately, no one ever believes him. Especially because his stories usually end with some sort of mischief like the last piece of cake gone missing or a broken TV antenna. So, Tim decides to lie and just tell everyone that he, himself, is the perpetrator of these terrible offenses. Unfortunately, then he is punished for his behavior.  How can he convince everyone that he is neither misbehaving or lying? You’ll love the ending to this fantastical picture book ...read more

Reviewed by Carissa - Alicia Ashman on June 1, 2012 | 0 comments

Do you believe in wishes?
A review of Penny Dreadful by Laurel Snyder

 Penelope Grey’s family is very wealthy. They live in a mansion, and she can have pretty much anything she wants… but she’s bored. Books are about the only thing she doesn’t find boring, but they’re still just words on the page. One day, Penelope makes a wish at the family wishing well and everything changes. The rest of the story tumbles energetically through unusual new jobs for her parents, a move to a place called the Whippoorwillows which is populated by a number of very quirky characters, ...read more

Reviewed by Carissa - Alicia Ashman on May 11, 2012 | 0 comments

Downton Abbey for the kiddos (but sillier)
A review of Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger

 In the vast estate of the Smugwick Manor, there are many employees and only a handful of the Luggertucks who own the mansion. Unfortunately, the Luggertucks are an unpleasant bunch who make the lives of their many employees rather miserable. Until one day, when (for reasons unknown) M’Lady Luggertuck asks her maid not to tighten her corset quite so tightly. The repercussions of this startling request form the basis of this story that borders (almost constantly) on the ridiculous. Pirates and ...read more

Reviewed by Carissa - Alicia Ashman on April 27, 2012 | 0 comments

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