Posted in Fantasy, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

2025 is all about the dragons: A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

A Language of Dragons, by S.F. Williamson, (Jan 2025, HarperCollins), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063353848

Ages 13+

Dragons have always been popular, but 2025 is shaping up to be THE year for Dragon Lit. We all know about Onyx Storm hitting shelves later this month, but do you know about A Language of Dragons? Pull up a chair, let’s talk. Set in an alternate London in 1923, dragons are in the world but it’s an uneasy existence with humans. A rigid class system is in place that moves people up and down among classes like chess pieces. Viv Featherswallow isn’t concerned with any of this, though. She’s got a level of privilege as a member of the Second Class, and has her life sorted: she’s going to get a summer internship studying dragon languages and attain a comfortable job as a dragon translator. She may have done some awful things to keep her comfortable spot, but she did what she has to do. Until the night her parents are arrested for being part of a rebellion. Viv’s world is turned upside down; desperate, she leaves her sister with family friends, focused on one task that will destroy evidence against her parents. All she has to do is free one dragon. By midnight, she’s sparked a civil war. Viv is brought to Bletchley Park as a codebreaker – translate the dragons’ hidden language, and she and her family will go free. But it’s never that simple, and the more Viv discovers about the hidden language, the more she learns about the Peace Agreement between Britannia and the dragons, and the corruption that goes all the way to the top: the Prime Minister. Will Viv give the Prime Minister the information she needs, putting all of dragonkind at risk, or will she risk her family’s safety? A Language of Dragons has it all: a conflicted heroine, a romance, and a richly layered story with very high stakes. Unputdownable for fantasy fans and dragon aficionados.

A Language of Dragons has a starred review from School Library Journal.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Kids will love The Most Boring Book Ever

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Most Boring Book Ever, by Brandon Sanderson/Illustrated by Kazu Kibuishi, (Sept. 2024, Roaring Brook Press), $19.99, ISBN: 9781250843661

Ages 4-8

“A boy sat in a chair”: so begins the boring story of a boy, a chair, and thoughts of laundry and math homework. Or is it? Sanderson pairs with Amulet creator Kibuishi to wink at readers as they take them through an incredible steampunk journey with sky pirates and dragons, soaring through clouds and crashing through clotheslines. Sanderson’s story never veers from the straightforward “boring” storytelling, allowing Kibuishi’s illustrations to run wild. It’s exciting, fun, and will have readers giggling through this not-boring-at-all adventure. The boy, light-skinned and red-haired, dressed in a blue shirt, suspenders, and brown pants, never leaves his chair (mostly) as he careens through the sky dodging airships and explosions. A red, scaly dragon emerges from the clouds and creates further excitement as the boy falls through the sky, quickly doing math to calculate his landing. The Most Boring Book Ever will for sure be a repeat readaloud. Download free activity sheets to share!

Posted in Toddler Reads

Christmas Board Books for stocking stuffers!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

You know I love a good board book and holiday board books are just the cutest! Enjoy the season’s readings!

Winter Light, by Aaron Becker, (Sept. 2024, Candlewick Studio), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536236460

Ages Birth-3

Aaron Becker’s board books are works of art. Winter Light is the companion to We Are Light and describes the waning of light outdoors, heralding the arrival of “winter light”: “Glowing embers, cozy hearths, flames to warm the night”. Becker’s die cuts form the illusion of snowflakes and fire’s embers, with sheer tiles of color to hold against the light to delight readers. It’s a quiet, gentle read filled with the warmth of the winter season. An essential for your board book shelves.

 

Where’s the Reindeer?, by Ingela P Arrhenius, (Sept. 2024, Candlewick Press), $9.99, ISBN: 9781536237719

Ages Birth-3

Arrhenius creates such fun sensory books for little hands! Where’s the Reindeer? is a fun guessing game where readers have to find a caroler, a snowy owl, an ice skater, and a reindeer, all hidden behind shaped felt cutouts. The final spread contains a mirror, where children can see themselves. Christmas icons like Santa and his sleigh, elves, Christmas trees, and reindeer have friendly, expressive faces that kids will love. Where’s the Reindeer? is a book kids will reach for all year ’round.

 

Peekaboo Santa, by Camilla Reid/Illustrated by Ingela P Arrhenius, (Sept. 2024, Candlewick Press), $9.99, ISBN: 9781536237634

Ages Birth-3

Peekaboo Santa is another fun exploratory read that lets readers manipulate pushes, pulls, and turns to reveal Christmas friends. “Peekaboo Christmas” has a push that reveals a hidden star at the top of the book; “Peekaboo Elf” has a pull that reveals an elf. The final spread, “Peekaboo You”, lets readers pull to reveal a mirror. Arrhenius’s illustration is made for young readers, with expressive eyes and bright colors. An absolute delight for board book shelves.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

You’re Not Invited! A new garden adventure

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

You’re Not Invited! (An Ooey Gooeys Adventure), by Sylvia Rouss & David Titcher/Illustrations by Rick Penn Kraus, (Jan. 2025, Brandyland Publishers), $15.95, ISBN: 978-1962416672

Ages 3-7

There’s going to be a party in the garden, but Queen Bea doesn’t want any “ooey gooeys” at her party, leaving Shelly Snail, Willy Worm, and Speedy Centipede on the other side of the velvet rope. Things change, though, when a Bigfoot charges through their area wielding a giant monster, and the Ooeys are there to save Bea and the other garden denizens. They watch the seeming destruction of their home together, but realize that the human – you didn’t really think he was a Bigfoot, did you? – is actually creating a paradise: he’s planting beautiful flowers for them to enjoy! Rescheduling their party to enjoy the new digs, Bea invites the Ooey Gooeys to be part of the fun as the guests of honor. You’re Not Invited! is an upbeat story of friendship and acceptance; of a bully who realizes her mistake, and a maligned group that’s courageous and generous enough to forgive. Colorful illustrations show the garden bugs in close-up, cartoon detail; the Bigfoot is actually a human, and the monster is a lawn mower. Plenty of fun for readers, with positive messages about being a friend. I look forward to more life lessons with the Ooey Gooeys!

Visit Sylvia Rouss’s website for more about her books, including her awesome Sammy Spider series!

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Aisha’s Colors teach joy

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Aisha’s Colors, by Nabila Adani, (Sept. 2024, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536235401

Ages 3-7

A young girl living in Jakarta wishes her family would go on a vacation somewhere different, somewhere exciting, like her friends do. Her family takes the same trip every year: they drive to her Grandma’s village in the countryside. As her family sets out on their trip, Aisha thinks of the colors her friends have seen: the white snow her friend Jennie sees; the blue water and sky glimpsed by her frien Dimas. But as the trip progresses, Aisha discovers beautiful colors, too: the white of her favorite treat, for instance. As she sees the most beautiful sight of all – her grandmother – Aisha reflects on the colors her friends have seen, compares them with the colors she sees, and decides that “I’m going to stop worrying about what other people’s vacations are like”. Adani brings home the joy of seeing family, the beauty of what we have around us, and the importance of celebrating and appreciating what we have without worrying about what others have or do. Mixed media illustrations are bright and cheerful, depicting warm family relationships. Mom and Grandma wear hijabs and colorful tunics; Aisha is in overalls and a t-shirt. A cheerful story that readers will enjoy again and again.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

It’s hard to share our favorites: Mauntie and Me

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Mauntie and Me, by Rajani LaRocca/Illustrated by Nadia Alam, (Nov. 2024, Candlewick Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536229417

Ages 3-7

It can be really difficult to share our favorite family members: in Mauntie and Me, Priya is the youngest of her cousins and feels left behind when the family gathers on weekends. But it’s okay, because she has her mom’s youngest sister, who she calls Mauntie: short for My Auntie. Together, Priya and Mauntie play games, share riddles, and have the best time together, but a new cousin, Aditi, arrives on the scene. Only a year older than Priya, Aditi also loves spending time with Mauntie, which doesn’t sit right with Priya. When Priya gets upset, Mauntie gives her an important riddle to consider: “What grows when you share it?” As Priya mulls over the riddle, she also finds herself missing Aditi. The answer dawns on her – love – and she realizes that Mauntie doesn’t halve her attention or her love when Aditi’s around; she doubles it. LaRocca captures the emotion and stress of sharing a loved one’s time and brings Priya on a journey to understanding. She creates a gentle and loving story about familial relationships and the friendships we form within them. Alam’s digital and pencil illustrations captures warm and loving family relationships. The opening spread where Priya and Mauntie greet one another across a crowd of family speaks volumes.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Pavlo Gets the Grumps – we all know it, don’t we?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Pavlo Gets the Grumps, by Natalia Shaloshvili, (Sept. 2024, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536235548

Ages 3-7

Pavlo is not in a great mood today. Mama has all sorts of great ideas, but Pavlo doesn’t want to do any of them: “The swings are too swingy, the sandbox is too sandy, and… the slide is too SLIDEY!” Pavlo adamantly refuses to admit it: he’s got the Grumps, and Mama gets him out the door anyway, where he discovers the best cure for the Grumps: a hug from a friend. Preschoolers (and their grownups!) will easily identify with Pavlo; we all know when the Grumps strike. Shaloshvili expertly captures a child’s grumpy day in her narration, and her mixed media illustrations make for an adorably cranky kitten and a patient parent. Moody darker colors make up the backgrounds until Pavlo gets a hug from his friend Mila; the greens of the park become lighter and the outside becomes brighter as Pavlo’s mood lightens. A great story to cheer the Grumps away.

Pavlo Gets the Grumps has a starred review from Booklist.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Meet Marc Brown’s newest friend, Hop

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Arthur fans, get ready! Marc Brown has a new group of friends for readers to meet, and they’ll be coming to Max in April.

Hop Helps Out, by Marc Brown, (Feb. 2025, Orchard Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781339035680

Ages 2-6

Hop is a frog who lives in Fair Village with his friends. One day, he and his friend Benny meet a troll named Helga, who’s crying by a bridge. She wants to explore and see the world, but she’s scared. Not to worry: Hop and Benny take Helga by the hand and bring her exploring, introducing her to their friends and enjoying fun things like making ice cream and playing dress-up. Geared toward younger children, the narrative focuses on short, easy-to-read sentences. Marc Brown’s signature style is familiar to any Arthur fan, and the emphasis on friendship and being able to support one another is perfect for a younger age group learning social skills. Brown also creates characters that “are reflective of our communities and friends and inclusive of children who had been underrepresented in the media”, featuring characters with some sort of disability: Hop wears one sneaker that looks like a platform; a depiction of anisomelia (one leg is shorter than the other). Helga is coded as having agoraphobia.

According to Scholastic’s press release, RespectAbility, an advocacy nonprofit organization fighting stigma and advancing opportunity for people with disabilities, was brought on to consult on the series.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Christmas? Hanukkah? We have books for that!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

In today’s “books for holiday storytimes”…

Gingerbread Dreidels, by Jane Breskin Zalben/Illustrated by Thai Phuong, (Aug. 2024, Charlesbridge), $17.99, ISBN: 9781623543655

Ages 4-7

Christmas and Hanukkah fall on the same day this year! Siblings Sophie and Max are confused: they normally celebrate both holidays, but let’s get to the big question: will this mean they get half the presents? This sweet holiday story is all about family, traditions, and yes, the kids get presents. Sophie and Max bake up a mess in the kitchen with their parents until both sets of grandparents arrive and take over: latkes and applesauce! Sweet potato pudding and turkey! It’s a holiday feast to remember, followed by the stories of both Hanukkah and Christmas, singing holiday songs, a few spins of the dreidel, and then it’s time for gifts. A warm story of family, tradition, and blending faiths, Zalben includes a history of the dreidel and a tasty gingerbread dreidel recipe in addition to an author’s note. Grandma Gold, an Ethiopian Jew as clarified in Zalben’s author note, is depicted as brown-skinned; Papa, her son, is darker-skinned. Cheerful illustrations and warm storytelling will have kids asking for this every holiday.

 

 

 

Luna Loves Christmas, by Joseph Coelho/Illustrated by Fiona Lumbers, (Dec. 2023, Kane Miller), $15.99, ISBN: 978168464641

Ages 4-8

A new Luna story is always a fun time! This time, it’s Christmas. Luna gets to decorate and celebrate at Mom’s, and then at Dad’s, but this year, she and Mom are doing something different: they are volunteering! Luna’s a little cold when she and Mom start out, but as she delivers food, plays with a friend, and joins in with a group of carolers, the warmth she feels inside at doing good deeds warms her up and she doesn’t notice the cold. After volunteering with Mom, it’s off to Dad’s, where the two make cookies and hang stockings. On Christmas Day, they eat dinner at town hall with other families – and where Mom is serving dinner! – including both sets of grandparents. When Santa arrives at the end of the day, it’s the best way to end an exciting Christmas. A sweet story about giving and community, Luna Loves Christmas also supports children of divorce by illustrating life between two households. Her parents seem to have a healthy relationship and co-parent their child in a respectful manner. Illustrations are soft and cheerful. Luna is bi-racial and portratyed with light brown skin and curly hair; her father is dark-skinned. There is diversity in all the families depicted in the story. Originally published in the UK in 2023, there are fun details in the illustrations that hint at British holiday traditions, like the wearing of paper crowns. An insert “Christmas Story” lets readers enjoy a story that Luna and a new friend share. A sweet additional holiday purchase.

Posted in Animal Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Teen, Tween Reads, Young Adult/New Adult

STOP THE PRESSES! NEW MOUSE GUARD INCOMING!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Holy cow, was this a great announcement to read. Mouse Guard is an Eisner and Harvey Award-winning graphic novel and comic book series; it’s a fantasy setting similar to Brian Jacques’s Redwall books. The Mouse Guard was formed to protect mice against predators. It’s a great series; my son (now in his mid-20s) was a tremendous fan when he was a kid, which naturally got me reading it. We were both hooked!

Anyway, the great news from BOOM! Studios: in honor of Mouse Guard’s 20th anniversary, we are getting a NEW Mouse Guard adventure! Here’s the scoop from BOOM!:

LOS ANGELES, CA (December 19, 2024) – There are few series as lauded and beloved as David Petersen’s Eisner Award-winning and New York Times bestselling Mouse Guard. Now, in celebration of the 20th anniversaries of both Mouse Guard and BOOM! Studios, David Petersen, along with Eisner-nominated artist Gabriel Rodríguez (Locke & Key), bring a brand new chapter to life in this sprawling saga with MOUSE GUARD: DAWN OF THE BLACK AXE.

The origins of the legendary Black Axe are revealed in this prequel story set in the earliest point in the Mouse Guard history. Adventure with the ancient weapon’s first mouse wielder and champion, Bardrick, as he sets off on an epic quest of good versus evil!

“Getting to write this Mouse Guard lore of the forging of the Black Axe and it being handed to Bardrick (first of eleven wielders) while getting to do so with the brilliant Gabriel Rodríguez drawing Dawn of the Black Axe has been a thrill,” said Mouse Guard creator David Petersen. “He’s going above and beyond with his inked pages and storytelling while I’m just trying to keep up coloring them and still do them justice. Gabe was top of my list when we started pitching names for this spin off project, and I postponed it for a long time until his schedule opened up––I didn’t want to do this first one with anyone else.

“I’ll continue to work on the next volume in the main Mouse Guard series: The Weasel War of 1149, but I also hope this is first of many more Mouse Guard books like this one, where I get to explore the other past wielders of the Black Axe with exciting and extremely talented collaborators like Gabe.”

“I’ve been a fan of David Petersen’s work since the first time I saw a volume of his astonishing Mouse Guard books. We became friends as soon as we met,” said Eisner-nominated artist Gabriel Rodríguez. “Almost a decade ago we started daydreaming about working together on the story of the first wielder of the mythical Black Axe. That dream finally came true, and I’m humbled, grateful and excited to share it with the faithful legion of Mouse Guard readers.”

MOUSE GUARD: DAWN OF THE BLACK AXE #1 features main cover art by series artist Gabriel Rodríguez, and variant covers by Mouse Guard creator David Petersen, and celebrated artist Goñi Montes (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers).

MOUSE GUARD: DAWN OF THE BLACK AXE is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ award-winning Archaia imprint, home to inspiring graphic novels such as Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Ryan North, and Albert Monteys; The Sacrifice of Darkness by Roxane Gay, Tracy Lynne-Oliver, and Rebecca Kirby; Big Black: Stand at Attica by Frank “Big Black” Smith, Jared Reinmuth, and Améziane; The Killer by Matz and Luc Jacamon; We Served the People by Emei Burell; New World by David Jesus Vignolli; Eighty Days by A.C. Esguerra; Better Angels: A Kate Warne Adventure by Jeff Jensen and George Schall; The Short While by Jeremy Sorese; About Betty’s Boob by Vero Cazot and Julie Rocheleau; Flavor Girls by Loïc Locatelli-Kournwsky; I’m Still Alive by Roberto Saviano and Asaf Hanuka; and licensed series including Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes; Lev Grossman’s The Magicians; and Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, The Storyteller, and Labyrinth.

MOUSE GUARD: DAWN OF THE BLACK AXE #1 will be available in comic shops March 19, 2025. It is available for pre-order at your local comic shop. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including Kindle, iBooks, and Google Play.

For continuing news on MOUSE GUARD: DAWN OF THE BLACK AXE and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on X.

About David Petersen:

David Petersen is the creator of the New York Times Bestselling and critically acclaimed Graphic Novel series Mouse Guard.  He was the 2007 Russ Manning Award recipient for Most Promising Newcomer and has since gone on to win three Eisner Awards and two Harvey’s for his continued work on the Mouse Guard series. David has done covers for Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Jim Henson’s Storyteller, Star Wars, TMNT, and Usagi Yojimbo as well as recent work for Magic the Gathering: Bloomburrow.

David and his wife Julia live in Michigan.

About Gabriel Rodríguez:

Gabriel Rodríguez is a Chilean comic book artist and writer. He’s the author of Sword of Ages and co-creator Locke & Key, Onyx, and the Eisner Award-winning Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland at IDW. He’s also drawn titles such as Adventures of Superman for DC Comics, Locke & Key/Sandman: Heaven and Hell for IDW/DC, Le Gouffre Des Resurrections for Les Humanoïdes Associés, and illustrated for Marvel, BOOM! Studios, Skybound, Oni Press, Heroic Signatures and Clover Press. He has also contributed illustrations for novels by Stephen King and Joe Hill. He lives and works in Santiago, Chile. You can find Gabriel on Instagram at @gr_comics.