kathyellendavis's reviews
73 reviews

We love Winston; this is his second adventure, and he's on a quest to find someone he only has vague memories of, but knows it's important. He meets up with old friends along the way, and makes new ones. There's a chapter for each day of December, ending on Christmas. The illustrations are gorgeous as well, draw you right in. A beautiful story that you'll want to re-read every year!

Everyone needs to read this book; let's get the men to read it first because many women have already heard stories like this. And the writing is so brutally honest and beautiful. It's heartbreaking and important and hearing Chanel rediscover her powerful voice will inspire everyone to figure out how to use their voice in ways that heal. Thank you Chanel for writing this important book.

I really loved this book. I read a lot of personal growth and I really love books that acknowledge privilege, the state of the world we live in, and the fact that some advice won't work for everyone. Amber does a great job of structuring the book around certain topics and sharing stories in each chapter to discuss the topic, the ending with a recap and ideas for moving forward at the end of each chapter. She advocates for real self care, which. Is taking care of your physical, spiritual, and emotional health so you can be the best version of you for yourself and others. I have avoided personal growth books by authors who have presented at MLM conferences or acted as consultants for them, since multilevel marketing companies often result in people losing money and being preyed on. Never fear, she addresses this in here and gently calls out to people in an MLM company to remove themselves from the predatory nature of those companies. This book reads like you're talking to that one friend who is reflective and self aware and wants to share with you what they learned and what's to see what you're thinking about too. She's not meant to have all the answers, just like none of us do. I love her constant reminders that we are worthy and people that don't see that are not our people. This is a great book to get us thinking about how we can indeed take the best care of ourselves.

An excellent account of the work John Lewis did after the civil rights bills were passed. There were many things I learned from this book; I think it's important for everyone to read. We're all taught the laws were passed and everything was okay from then on and that's not true at all. You can see how John struggles to fight against the forces that still want to keep Black people down, and how he has to fight within his own organization for the type of distance he believes in. I'm saddened that he passed away shortly before this book came out; I believe it was meant for be the start of a trilogy. I hope the other two books get made, because we need the rest of the story too. The beauty and detail in the illustrations are unmatched. Read the March Trilogy first, then pick this one up.

This is a sweet little chapter book about two friends, one big, one little. One who is excited to explore, one who is not. Their adventures on the sea bring them to a few interesting islands. I loved their friendship and bravery; they also have a great way of solving physical and emotional/friendship problems. Can't wait to read the rest of the series! I adored the art as well; it's a highly illustrated book with full color illustrations. The characters are super cute and the worlds created on the islands draw you right in.

Another one in this series to love! This time there are friendship troubles as Effie feels like she's losing one of her friends to a new girl in town. She gets to meet lots of other witches, and discovers a corner of the city where lots of accidents happen. She works with her aunts to resolve the problem, as well as a new witch in town. The friendship troubles were relatable and some really well; I know some adults would even benefit from the conflict resolution modeled in the book. I like that we learn more about her aunts and the witch community too! Now on to the next ones!

What a fun read! Effie is a character everyone can relate to , and her aunts are so weird and lovable and uniquely themselves. Effie discovers she's magic and life changes in a big way. I loved learning about her powers and seeing them in action alongside the powers of her aunts. This is going to be a great series. I loved the friendships in the book too and the theme of being true to yourself.

Haru, a little blueberry bird, and Yama, a piglet, are best buds who are sick of being bullied at school. Two gentle souls who want to see the world. Yama finds a dark artifact that corrupts him a bit...and they embark on a quest to destroy it. The art is darling and dear, and the story is weird and feels like the start of something epic. Can't wait to read the next books in the series! 

This is a silly, punny, goofy adventure about a sentient paper clip trying to take out all life. Great action scenes complete with sound effects on the page. My eight year old read it and said it was nice and short (though it's pretty long so must have just felt short) and funny and she wanted me to read it too! So we read it together in one sitting! 

Another great Teddy read, this one featuring more of his family, the friends we have grown to love, more monsters, the hamsters, and a rad comic book store owner. Awesome illustrations throughout, Teddy coming into his bravery, some really weird and spooky stuff, cousin and friend dynamics, and more. It's weird and mysterious and gross and cool and I think so many readers would love it!