Why? A Conversation About Race
Taye Diggs (author) , Shane W. Evans (illustrator)

Kiddo has gotten in to these "talking" books that read the story to her with sound cues for when to turn the page. While I love reading with her, these books give her a chance to practice her reading independence. She picked out this book on her own and has "read" it a lot. It's led to us having some interesting conversations about skin color on our walks to school. It's books like that this which remind me of the power of reading.

Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Book Biography
Wendy Loggia  (author), Elisa Chavarri  (illustrator)

Our kiddo is a big Taylor Swift fan. For Christmas, she got an Eras Tour costume, play microphone, and this book. If you know Golden Books, this is a classic rendition. There are lovely, colorful drawings to accompany a simply told story.

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes
Mark Pett (author and illustrator), Gary Rubinstein (author)

I picked up this book from the library because our kiddo is on a "perfect" streak. As an oldest child, elder millennial daughter, she inherited it from me. But, I don't want her to get anxiety over it. This book is a good introduction to learn that mistakes are okay. We can laugh at ourselves and learn when things go wrong. I liked the use of humor in this one. 

The Treasure Seekers
Thea Stilton

The kiddo is now allowed to check out one book a week from her school library. For the past three weeks, she's come home with longer chapter books from the Thea Stilton series. While I don't love the mixed use of fonts in the text, the stories are great. I love that kiddo is getting used to us reading a few chapters a night to her. There are just enough illustrations to keep her interested in what's happening.

Grande Jete and Me: A Christmas Holiday Book for Kids
Allegra Kent (Author), Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrator)

The holidays may be over, but our kiddo is still loving this book. It's about a granddaughter going to see the Nutcracker ballet with her former prima ballerina grandmother. The story is utterly charming. The illustrator for this book also illustrates the Fancy Nancy series. Her pictures are beautiful. We've read this several times and I'm still finding new delightful details.

I Love My Tutu
Fracis Gilbert (author), Eren Unten (illustrator)

Kiddo is making strides in the basics of learning how to read. (Thank you, kindergarten!) She loves this book because the repetitive nature means she can pick out a lot of the simple words. This helps her "read" along. The story is cute and silly talking about a little girl who wants to wear her tutu everywhere. It helps that our kiddo also loves tutus.

Afro Unicorn: A Magical Parade
April Showers (author), Anthony Conley (illustrator)

Kiddo is in a unicorn phase. (I often have to draw horses that she then turns in to unicorns.) A book about fancy unicorns wearing crowns and helping their friends? Yup - this is right up her alley. I love how each unicorn has a different look in this story. It makes things fun.

Santa's Toy Shop
Al Dempster (Author),  Random House Disney (Illustrator)

At Christmas, we bust all of our holiday themed books out of the closet. Kiddo has been enjoying this old school golden book. It's a traditional Christmas story about Santa finally getting to take a break and play with the toys. The illustrations are classic Disney and very cute.

I Love Being Me
Mechal Renee Roe (Author)

This is a girl power book where the featured kiddos all talk about what they love about themselves. It covers everything from their bodies to their skills to their interests. It's a great message. My  kiddo was proud that she was able to read the words on one page all by herself.

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
Verna Aardema (author), Beatriz Vidal (illustrator)

The kiddo has her own bookcase and bin of library books. Both are packed to the gills at the moment. Sometimes, it's hard to determine which book she wants to read because she does not name them by title. This can make finding her bedtime book a challenge. For instance, the other day, she kept asking me for the book "where he stands on one leg." I literally had to leaf book by book until I found Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain. Once I found it, it felt like a "duh" moment. I was surprised the kiddo had remembered this specific book because we had not read it together in at least a year. This copy was mine growing up, and I love the nostalgia of reading it. It's a beautiful story with a nice cadence when read aloud.

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea
Ben Clanton

For a school project, our kiddo had to decorate a pumpkin like a character from a book. She went with Jellyfish from the Narwhal and Jellyfish series. We have a few of these books, but she loves this title the most. There is one story about an imagination book. She loves interacting with it and when the angry robot shows up.

Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year
Andrea Beaty (Author),  David Roberts (Illustrator)

The kiddo pulled this book from the library a few weeks ago. Her version is the "talking" book that reads to story out loud. It's great narration with a "ding" for when to turn the page. She loves to follow along. On top of that, she's picked it as the bedtime story we read to her before bed. I love how the story focuses on the importance and impact of teachers. I think this is even more applicable since our kiddo just started kindergarten. The narrative and illustrations are a little quirky and entirely heartwarming.