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I really enjoyed reading this book about a kid who struggles to go to sleep, until he realizes that it is not easy for his counting sheep either to fall asleep. From there, he will need to adopt a new perspective and be the one helping a sheet to feel calm and relax enough to go to bed. The illustrations were very colorful and pleasant to look at, with many adorable details that kept me enchanted.

The boy is counting the sheep, starting at #1. At one point, he is about to count sheep #68, but on the previous images, there are already sheep #991 or #103, which doesn't make any sense to me. In the same way, I don't understand why sheep #69 appeared in the end, as the little boy didn't call it out... This illogical aspect removed some of the fun I had reading this book, which is why I only gave it 3 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Kids Can Press for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-01

This is one of my favorite books of the year and one I will cherish for a long time. The themes are such a treasure: queer grandparents, disability, aging, solidarity with neighbors, cultivating one's unique skills and hobbits, and the simple love of grandparents for their grandkid. What a tremendously inspiring and beautiful story! If there were a picture book I would buy as a gift to friends and families in February, it would be this one. Let me also add that the story and the illustrations were well crafted, with lots of place for humor and laughter.

There is only one thing I didn't like about this book, it is the color of Pops' face when he is back from the hospital. This ghostly blue was very unsettling –and frankly quite scary–, and I think I would have enjoyed a little more aliveness on his face at that time.

Thank you NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-03

It's great to have books that inspire kids to go to the museum, and prepare them to what it is, so that it is less scary for them. I was even more pleasant when I thought it was with people of colors! Finally! But then, I felt a little bit taken aback by the very-low quality of the illustrations and by the overall message of the book. Anna is bored, very very bored at the museum. She starts doing everything her mom told her not to do: climbing, touching, screaming... Her mom spends lots of time on her phone and is often far away from her, which doesn't help much... In the end, a kind museum guard allows her to explore a mysterious workshop, and there she has the biggest revelation! There's a painted grumpy girl, and she looks just like her! She then realized the magic of art, and how the inside world reflects the outside world. The ending is full of magic feelings, which makes it ends nicely and smoothly.

I still feel doubtful about the overall message of the book. I feel like for the kids reading this book, they will be able to relate to what they are not supposed to do, but then, they might not have access to the same kind of magical revelation, or see themselves in the art pieces, which will make it harder for them to live Anna's magical revelation. I wish this book could have spent more time exploring some dialogues between the mom and the daughter, to look at the art together, to explain the links between the “inside and the outside worlds”... This kind of book is needed, but I feel like this could have been done in a better way.

Thank you NetGalley and Annick Press Ltd for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-01

Riley is a young boy who doesn't know exactly what he want to do when he grows up, so he decides to ask his brother for help. His brother starts listing a few different jobs, from doctor to jazz musician, always repeating to Riley that he can be anything.

I liked the original plot idea, but I didn't like its execution. There were several sentences that sounded wrong, wether too bossy or invalidating Riley's feelings. When Riley mentioned that he might not want to be pilot as he might be afraid of high, his brother completely invalidated his feelings by saying: “Stop worrying!”. He also summarized being a cook as “being a winner”. I wish there could have been more questions asked to Riley to help him understand what he likes, instead, of having to listen to the list of what exclusively male family members are doing. What about female role models???

There were some rare positive reinforcement, especially when talking about music and cuisine, but overall, I didn't like the message that were delivered. I would not recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and The Ella Riley Group for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-04

This is a sweet book about Simon's Birthday, the ups and downs of his special day, and all the ways he has fun with his friends. I really liked the rhythms of the sentences and the very colorful illustrations :)

Thank you NetGalley and Editions Chouette for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2019-12-03

What an adventure! This book is about the family Van Go who decides to travel the world with their three kids, and to try every single mode of transportation you can think of. Each page portrays one part of their journey, and most often the different ways to navigate to or inside of a city. When they ride on a tramway in Istanbul, the parents introduce tramways from different countries. Same with taxis, firetrucks, boats and so many more.

I liked that the books also talked about the different fears that a kid can experience while traveling, for example when Freddie was nervous going underground in Paris.

Whatever the age of your kid, I think they will find something to like about this book: the city sights, the local animals, the street food, the geographical locations, the flags, the distances between cities, or even the length of an airplane flight.

Thank you NetGalley and QEB Publishing for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-02

This is a great book for kids who are interested in cars and different modes of transportation, and who also love playing ‘find and seek'. I feel like this book is for older children, as it was not that easy, even for an adult, to find the appropriate shape among dozens. It was a lot of fun though :). The colors and illustrations are adorable and make you want to play on every single page.

Thank you NetGalley and Schiffer Publishing Ltd for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-02

A nice way to learn how to draw cute things like food, monuments, clothes, animals and objects from everyday life. At the end of the book, there are even 6 pages of find and seek activities! I feel like the step-by-step doodling were well explained, and that there were various level of difficulty, which made the book more accessible. There is only one page that I didn't like: the Canadian page where the hockey stick looks mean and the puck very sad.

I also noticed that many times, they copied an image on top of the page but didn't recolored it or made it transparent to match the background color. I could see the colored rectangle frame that was part of the original image. Might be an ARC issue only.

Thank you NetGalley and Race Point Publishing for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-04

This book was so hard to finish, it was just so bad. The first page starts pretty well, seeing a drop of water fall slowly with an umbrella, with this text: “If I were a raindrop, where would I fall? Would it be on a daffodil, a cat or a wall?”.

I was expecting to learn about the cycle of water, or how useful water is for people on Earth. But instead, it was a very scattered narration of a raindrop falling here and there, as explained: “From Heaven to Earth just as God planned. Nothing to do with the desires of man”, The book seems to be about enjoying this ‘gift', and that was pretty much it.

The book also portrays “the whole human race” as a bunch of young white persons only, and very weird depiction of a kid waiting for a drop to jump down his mouth, with this text: “Taste my sweetness, swallow my life and know that my trip was a pure delight”. In the end, it's a very creepy and weird book to read.

Thank you NetGalley and DUNN Publishing for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-01

This is the sweet story of a little chick who gives all the animals a kiss before goodnight. I immediately loved the first pages: seeing this chick give kisses and goodnight lullabies was adorable.

But then, I became very annoyed by the bossy/demanding tone of the their voice: “stop playing”, “stop talking”, “why are you still doing xyz, it's time to sleep”... I don't feel like this is proper way to take care of your animal friends, nor a proper way to teach respectful communication to your kids.

Another negative aspect is that the book is very, very long. Like 20 pages too long. It is supposed to be a bed story for younger kids, but I do not think that they will be able to stay focused that long. The end of the book is very sweet tho, with the reunification of the chick with their parent.

A final negative aspect is that the illustrations are low-quality, and don't always do a good job at representing animals: the deer looks like a brown pig with no neck, the horse has only two lateral legs, the owl falls asleep when the sun is high up in the sky...

In the end, the book was a good idea at first, but it was so poorly executed that I can only give it a two stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-02

Brian Wildsmith is great at creating stunning colorful illustrations, but not as much as writing stories. This one was long, improbable, and I only felt sorry for the bear all along. Let's leave the bear alone and happy.

Thank you NetGalley and Star Bright Books for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-12-06

The concept of this book is great, a dad helps his kid clean up his room, but the final execution is not working. The text and the illustrations don't match, which means that when they talk about putting the cubes down below the books, the dad and the kid are actually on the ground taking care of the train. Then, when they talk about bringing the teddy bears inside of the house, the teddy bears are already inside. The balls have been moved to the basket with no mention of it. In the end, the kid is supposed to help his parents set up the table by putting his spoon down, but there is no actual gesture of it in the illustration.

It is really unfortunate that the connection between text and illustrations was so unsuccessful, as it could have been a good book.. It is not usable for kids as it is.

Thank you NetGalley and Star Bright Books for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-12-06

This is a wonderful book about Nina and her enormous love for watermelon. The illustrations are colorful, dynamic and full of adorable details. The narration is to the point and kept my interest high, as I was excited to turn the pages and see what would happen. I particularly enjoyed the educational model from the parents, which is the reason why I'm giving it 5 stars. When Nina insists to get something in particular, both parents listen carefully, then make a decision and stick to it. When something happens during night time, they allow Nina to feel safe and reassured, and then explain that they will talk about it the next morning. That was rare and that was great. Overall, it is a great story about learning to eat a little bit of everything, and not too much of one meal, because it simply feels better.

Thank you NetGalley and Editions Chouette for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-10-30

I'm confused. Who is looking after this kid? Is it the women with the bun from the first page? Or the woman with a pony tail on the next page? How come no one is chasing after him to prevent him from entering a creepy looking building? I am fine with a boy exploring a new universe and making a new friend, but in a secure environment, as the boy was no more than 6 years old. The illustrations are full of details, but many of them are unsettling to me: the doll on the chair, the tail of the reptile in the cabinet, the dead fox serving as a scarf... This is simply not my kind of book.

Thank you NetGalley and Annick Press Ltd for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-12-05

This is a great book about the daily life of Carolyn, a girl in a wheelchair. Days after days, she introduces us to all the things that she can do at school and at home. Sometimes, she can't do what her friends are doing, like playing on the trampoline or racing, but thanks to her friends, there is always something fun to do instead, like playing with the babies or being the referee. At the end of the book, there is a list of common questions that kids might ask about someone in a wheelchair. The answers are clear and accessible to children.

My only negative point is about page 20, with the very confusing introduction of new friends: “Jasmine's aunt walks with Jasmine's little cousin, Tina. Tina is about the same age as Carolyn's brother.” I didn't understand the necessity of this long explanation, as those characters are never mentioned again.

The illustrations are pleasant, and I wish the cover could have been as good as the illustrations inside. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and the American Psychological Association for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-12-06

“Why is the flower flying away?” asked Inda. “So that it can grow again -just like the rest of us”, said the whale. “Some quicker, some slower, but all of us grow.”

This is the sweet story of Inda, who lives alone in a treehouse, and her new friend the flying whale. One day, they go on adventure together and explore what it is to be normal, what it is that we all have in common, what is feels like to feel lonely. I loved the way feelings and silences are presented, and how the illustrations convey a comfy and slightly surrealistic atmosphere. I loved their use of the white space, and the watercolor technique. I would recommend it :)

“Why are you so sad, my little friend?” He asked. “I'm right here. Sometimes, it's nice to share a silence. Sometimes, you can even loose sight of each other. But you're still close together-always!” Ida's loneliness flew far away.

Thank you NetGalley and North South Books Inc for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-10-30

A re-edition of a classic from 1984, this book is about a cow named Daisy who grows tired of her farm and wants to see the world. The colors of the illustrations were absolutely stunning, but I didn't like all that Daisy had to go through to please the producer/farmer and film movies. The writing didn't age well.

Thank you NetGalley and Star Bright Books for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-12-06

A great book to empower girls to choose the career they want, and to realize that their choices are infinite. The characters look strong, confident and in control of their skills. The text explaining each job is simple and clear. The illustrations are lovely, colorful and most importantly, represents many women of color! This is a necessary book and a great buy for any children, boys and girls alike, to reduce gender stereotypes.

Thank you NetGalley and Walter Foster Jr for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-04

This was a sweet story of a girl who drops the legendary-famous bannocks of her grandmother, only to be helped by every single animal in the forest. It is a story of solidarity, giving a second chance, and of the pleasure to cook together. This is a bilingual book in English and Cree dialogue, with a family recipe of the bannock.

My only concern: the font when she whispers is too small to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Portage & Main Press for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-12-06

I loved the illustrations so much I could frame them and put them on my wall. The quality was that high. The illustrator has an extremely good sense of space and lighting, and we can feel that they love playing with it. Good news: I also loved the narration. It is the story of a dog, Gina, who lives in Siberia and who will have to adapt to a major change in their life, as their family moves to New York City.

From there, unfolds a story of feeling sad, feeling scared, feeling angry, feeling homesick, but little by little, making some friends, adapting to the city, and enjoying the new life as it is. This book was a great story for kids, and I loved that it was told through the eyes of a dog and based on a true story.

Thank you NetGalley and Animal Media Group for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-02

A richly illustrated book filled with activities that will occupy your bird-loving kids all year long!

Thank you NetGalley and Roost Books for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-12-06

Argyle the Fox lives in a windy place and finds it hard to play outside. One after the other, his friend advice him not to play games, to which Argyle answer more or less politely. His mom advises him to think more creatively to find a game suited to a windy day. I was excited to learn what he would come up with, as I thought it would have some relation with the cover illustration. Instead, I found the ending flat and too common, but it has a nice feeling of friendship and shared activity.

Thank you NetGalley and Tanglewood Publishing for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-12-06

I strongly recommend this picture book about Simone de Beauvoir's life. It's accessible, well written, well illustrated and it makes you want to turn the pages to learn more about her. I feel like this short biography gives just the right amount of information for kids to understand her life and her personality, but also enough of her childhood and life's important moments to understand why she dedicated so much of her time to women's equality. I don't see anything that I disliked about this book. Well done!

Thank you NetGalley and Francis Lincoln Children's Books for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-05

I didn't like the storyline. I didn't like the unrealistic idea that a duck could fall asleep in the middle of a lake and not realize that it is snowing and that soon he is stuck in the ice, unable to move. This strange plot is supposed to be the starter of a deep story about empathy, friendship and working together, but even on those values it doesn't work. One after the other, the animals greet duck with their compassionless phrase: “How in the world did you manage to get into that situation?”.

I particularly disliked that rabbit tries to crack the ice to free duck, which is a terrible idea to teach kids. It is tempered with moose who realizes that he is too heavy to crack the ice, but still, it then happens again with other animals.

The illustrations are minimalist and with pleasant colors, but I feel that they didn't always follow the story correctly. For example, when the duck finally set free, we saw a duck flying in the sky, looking at the ice down below. I first thought it was his friend coming back, before realizing that it was duck himself. There were no transition between “some tiny cracks in the ice” to “being free”, in the way it was illustrated.

Overall, I want to avoid stories about animals staying in the middle of an iced lake while trying to break the ice. It is not a story I would want to read to kids, even if it involves friendship.

Thank you NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-02

This is a very innovative search and find book for children, but the colors were too intense for my eyes and made it impossible to look at, especially for the pages red, yellow and gold.

Thank you NetGalley and QEB Publishing for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-04