Harold Loves His Woolly Hat by Vern Kousky (Picture Book Review)

Harold Loves His Woolly Hat

by Vern Kousky

Published by Schwartz & Wade Books

on December 11, 2018

Length: 40 pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:

In this sweet picture book that celebrates selflessness and the joy of helping others, a little bear named Harold loses his beloved woolly hat--only to discover that others need it more. 

What makes a bear special? For Harold, it is his beloved striped woolly hat. He wears it when he sleeps, when he goes to school, and even when he takes his monthly bath. But when a crow whisks the hat off his head and high up into a nest, Harold doesn't feel so special anymore. He tries everything to get it back--offering the crow blueberries, worms, and even shiny objects--but alas, the crow will not budge. Turns out that the hat has a new special purpose: keeping three baby crows warm. This heartwarming picture book features an irresistible bear and gently reinforces the notion that it doesn't matter what you have, it's who you are that matters. 

My Thoughts:

This was such a touching little story!
Harold loves his woolly hat and thinks that it makes him special and sets him apart from the other bears. He always wears his hat, even during his monthly bath, but when a crow swoops down and steals it away, Harold must do whatever he can to get it back. Harold tries to trade for his hat, but nothing he offers will sway the old crow. Of course, Harold perseveres only to find that things are not quite as he originally perceived and his warm woolly hat was needed by others. 

I love that this story progresses from Harold being quite upset about his hat to learning self-awareness and compassion. Not only does he understand why his hat is needed by others, but he then goes out of his way to help further, proving that he really is a special bear. My daughter thought it was super sweet that he wanted to help towards the end.

2019 PopSugar Reading Challenge

I have never participated in this challenge before but I like the idea of loose prompts that I can choose books for so I thought I'd give it a whirl this year. 

I thought it would help to give myself a few choices for each criteria to hopefully help me cross them off the list throughout the year! I'm also being a stickler and mostly choosing from my 2019 TBR so some prompts may be left empty. 

A book becoming a movie in 2019

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

A book that makes me nostalgic

Where the Red Ferns Grow

A book written by a musician
Bird Box by Josh Malerman

A book you think should be turned into a movie

Chomp by Carl Hiaasen

A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads

1984 by George Orwell

A book with a plant in the title or on the cover

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

A reread of a favorite book

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

A book about a hobby

Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages by Gaston Dorren (My most recently acquired hobby is learning languages!)

A book you meant to read in 2018

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

A book with POP, SUGAR, or CHALLENGE in the title

A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

A book inspired by myth/legend/folklore

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Circe by Madeline Miller

Aru Shaw and the End of Time by Roshani Chokski

A book published posthumously

Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking

A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie

A Christmas Carol (in Outlander S3)

A retelling of a classic

A book with a question in the title

Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

A book set on college or university campus

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

A book about someone with a superpower

A book told from multiple POVs
Wilder Girls by Rory Power

A book set in space

A book by two female authors

A book with SALTY, SWEET, BITTER, or SPICY in the title

A book set in Scandinavia

Beartown by Frederik Bachman 

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

A book that takes place in a single day

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

A debut novel

A book that's published in 2019

Internment by Samira Ahmed

A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature

Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Kenny and the Dragon by Tony Diterlizzi

The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge

A book recommended by a celebrity you admire

A book with LOVE in the title

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

A book featuring an amateur detective

A book about family

A book author from Asia, Africa, or South America

A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in title

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

A book that includes a wedding

?

A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter

The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden

Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

A ghost story

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins 
Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab

A book with a two-word title

Jeremy Poldark by Winston Graham
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
On Writing by Stephen King
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

A novel based on a true story
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

A book revolving around a puzzle or game

Your favorite prompt from a past PopSugar Reading Challenge

?

I'm adding the advanced options as well but I don't think I'll be able to read any of these without buying or borrowing. 

A "cli-fi" (climate fiction) book

Dry by Neal Shusterman 

A "choose your own adventure" book

An "own voices" book

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokski

Read a book during the season it's set in

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Beartown by Fredrick Bachman

A LitRPG book

A book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters 
(I'll have to look through my tbr pile)

Two books that share the same title #1 & #2

A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom

A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent

I'll be editing this throughout the year to cross off what I've read!
I'm also not against recommendations for the empty categories!

Dragons Love Tacos 2 by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri (Picture Book Review)

Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel

Series: Dragons Love Tacos #2

Written by Adam Rubin

Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

Published by Dial Books

on May 2, 2017

Length: 48 pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:

The hilarious sequel to the smokin' hot New York Times bestseller, perfect for story time.

New alert! It has just been discovered that there are NO MORE TACOS left anywhere in the world. This is a huge problem because, as you know, dragons love tacos. If only there was a way for the dragons to travel back in time before tacos went extinct. Then they could grab lots of tacos and bring them back! It's the perfect plan, as long as there's no spicy salsa. You remember what happened last time...

The award-winning creators of Robo-Sauce and Secret Pizza Party return with a gut-bustingly hilarious companion to the bestselling phenomenon Dragons Love Tacos. 

My Thoughts:

We return to the world of taco-loving dragons in this fun sequel to Dragons Love Tacos. The problem? There are no tacos! Oh, the tragedy! But not to worry! We can always travel back in time to when taco supplies were not depleted! Then we can save the tacos and plant taco trees! 
Sound good?

There's plenty of fun to be had with all these taco obsessed dragons wandering about. Join our dragon friends in the search for all the tacos and take a trip through time while you're at it. This sequel is just plain silly at times but still a hoot to read! 

Be sure to check out my review for the first book in the series: 

Looking for more storybooks about dragons?
Check out my reviews by clicking on a book below! 

   

Happy reading!

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmiel (Picture Book Review)

Dragons Love Tacos

Written by Adam Rubin

Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

Published by Dial Books

on June 14, 2012

Length: 40 pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Literary Awards:

NAIBA Book of the Year for Picture Book (2013)

Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award for Grades K-3 (2015)

California Young Readers Medal Nominee for Primary (2016)

Synopsis:

This scrumptious New York Times bestseller has a whole lot of kick!

Dragons love tacos. They love chicken tacos, beef tacos, great big tacos, and teeny tiny tacos. So if you want to lure a bunch of dragons to your party, you should definitely serve tacos. Buckets and buckets of tacos. Unfortunately, where there are tacos, there is also salsa. And if a dragon accidentally eats spicy salsa... oh, boy. You're in red-hot trouble. 

The award-winning team behind Those Darn Squirrels! has created an unforgettable, laugh-until-salsa-comes-out-of-your-nose tale of new friends and the perfect snack.

My Thoughts:

It's only coincidence that we read this storybook on our impromptu taco night. I do think it added to the experience though! 

Dragons Love Tacos is all about dragons that love tacos. What kinds of tacos. What size tacos. How many tacos...
They also really like parties. Especially if they're taco parties. But dragons apparently have one weakness and that is spicy salsa! Do not give a dragon spicy salsa or you will regret it!

We loved the odd dragon illustrations and the odder speckled backgrounds and all the wonderful little tacos, of course! They are fun and humorous!
My one complaint is that the prose didn't really seem to flow and I didn't love reading it out loud.
But who couldn't love a book about dragons? Or tacos? 

Looking for more storybooks about dragons?
Check out my reviews by clicking on a book below! 

   

Happy reading!

Little Leaders: Visionary Women Around the World by Vashti Harrison (Picture Book Review)

Little Leaders: Visionary Women Around the World

by Vashti Harrison

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

on November 6, 2018

Genre: Non-fiction, History, Feminism

Length: 96 pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:

From the author of Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History comes the highly anticipated follow-up, a beautifully illustrated collectible detailing the lives of women creators around the world. 

Featuring the true stories of 35 women creators, ranging from writers to inventors, artists to scientists, Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World inspires as it educates. Readers will meet trailblazing women like Mary Blair, an American modernist painter who had a major influence on how color was used in early animated films, actor/inventor Hedy Lamarr, environmental activist Wangari Maathai, architect Zaha Hadid, filmmaker Maya Deren, and physicist Chien-Shiung Wu. Some names are known, some are not, but all of the women had a lasting effect on the fields they worked in. 

The charming, information-filled full-color spreads show the Dreamers as both accessible and aspirational so readers know they, too, can grow up to do something amazing.

My Thoughts:

This was a wonderful and thoroughly enjoyable educational read! This children's nonfiction picture book focuses on sharing 50 visionary women who excelled in their careers. Some are well known, some not so much, but each has explored, discovered, or created something that has changed the history of the world. 

There are up to 50 women featured in this book, each with plenty of information about their lives, careers, and how they persevered and overcame. 

Each woman is beautifully illustrated with little hints of what their lives revolved around, whether it be an artist with her palette and brushes or an inventor standing proudly with their creation. Each illustration shows bits of these women's culture, career, or environment in either their clothing or background and it's quite spectacular how much is covered on each page. 

I especially enjoyed that there are resources for further reading, watching, and listening at the back of the book. They invite you to see the work of the creators, hear the music, read the books, or watch the movies. There are lots of websites listed for further research and even a glossary to help out with those difficult concepts and creations; anything from aesthetics to atoms to radioactivity to surrealism. 

Both adults and children alike are sure to learn something from or be inspired by this wonderful collection of incredible women! 

Here are some similar titles to check out! 

Happy reading! 

Dino by Diego Vaisberg (Picture Book Review)

Dino

by Diego Vaisberg

Published by Templar

on November 6, 2018

Length: 40 pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:

A large egg appears in the backyard. Is it a giant canary? A large lizard? A huge turtle? It's not any of those things... It's a DINOSAUR!

Follow a day filled with mayhem and excitement in the life of Dino as he causes havoc in the house, makes new friends, and learns right from wrong (the goldfish is not food!). Having an enormous dinosaur in the house can definitely be tricky, but Dino loves his people and they love him. A gloriously fun romp through the trials of owning a pet told with a deft humorous touch and an iconic visual style by debut creator Diego Vaisberg. 

My Thoughts:

We have a little dino lover in the house so this picture book has been read a few times over and is loved each time. 

The art is very fun with it's slightly offset image alignment and it's bold red and blue tones. The use of only two colors really makes every image and page stand out which I think really helps the story overall.  We also loved all the onomatopoeia that was tossed in. Of course, dinosaurs are going to make lots of noise! 

This is the perfect storybook for any little dino lover. It takes us through the day of a dinosaur pet owner, up and downs and all, and gives us a glimpse of what exactly owning such an enormous pet would entail. Dinosaurs eat a lot, they grow a lot, and boy are they loud! Could you imagine having more than one? Yikes! 

Looking for more dinosaur picture books?

Click on the covers below to see my reviews! 

   

Happy Reading!

Be Quiet! by Ryan T. Higgins (Picture Book Review)

Be Quiet! 

by Ryan T. Higgins

Series: Bruce #3

Published by Disney-Hyperion

Published on April 4, 2017

Length: 40 pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Literary Awards:

Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Picture Books (2017)

Synopsis:

All Rupert the mouse wants is to star in a beautiful, wordless picture book. One that's visually stimulating! With scenic pictures! And style! He has plenty of ideas about what makes a great book, but his friends just WON'T. STOP. TALKING.

Children and adults alike will chuckle at this comedic take on bookmaking from acclaimed author-illustrator Ryan T. Higgins. 

My Thoughts:

This is such an entertaining and visually stimulating read! My toddler loved it. She wanted me to read it again right away and asked me to read it every night for weeks. No exaggeration. I may have been annoyed with it at some point but coming back to it after a short break, I will admit it's pretty great. 

This is the third book in the Mother Bruce series but Bruce only has a small cameo within the book. Still, it has a similar style and humor to it. The illustrations are bright and bold with lots of texture and depth. 

Higgins has a very unconventional storytelling style and I'm enjoying it quite a bit! This is a wordless book that isn't wordless at all! I love that this book starts on the cover and continues around the titles, author, publisher, etc. The thought-bubble dialogue makes it easy to act out each character and give them different accents or tones. I think this is also a big reason why we love it so much! 

More from this author:

Mother Bruce

2019 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Beat the Backlist is a year-long challenge hosted by Novel Knight.


The Rules

The book can be in any format but must have been published before 2019. Re-reads count. You don't even have to own the books (but personally I'll only be counting books from my shelves to help me get through them)! You must also both start and finish the books throughout 2019. 

Official hashtags:
#beatthebacklist  #beatthebacklist2019

Want to learn more or join in?
You can sign up here. 


My Goals

I joined in on this challenge last year and read over 40 books from my shelves even though I didn't quite keep up with blogging. 

I'm giving myself a goal of another 40 books from my shelves and have made a quick list of 55 books that I would like to get to this year on ListChallenges (if you would like to see the book covers AND mark off the books you've already read from my list!)

You can check out my ListChallenges list HERE.

Reading Progress

January
Chomp by Carl Hiassen
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

February
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
March
Pet Sematary by Stephen King

April
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawles
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

MayWild by Cheryl Strayed
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Flush by Carl Hiassen

JuneThe Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo
Hoot by Carl Hiassen
Nim's Island by Wendy Orr

JulyPeter Pan by J.M. Barrie

AugustBeauty and the Beast by Kathleen Rizzi
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
On Writing by Stephen King

September
Pippi Goes On Board by Astrid Lindgren
The Never Girls: In A Blink by Kiki Thorpe
The Never Girls: The Space Between by Kiki Thorpe

Are you participating in the Beat the Backlist challenge? Planning on reading more books from your shelves this year?

2019 ABC Challenge

Another new year. Another new list!
I do this as a personal lazy goal just to track what I'm reading.

Predetermined
Just a few choices for each letter going by my 2019 TBR list
(So I can cross things off, of course)

* = currently reading

A
And Then There Were None, All the Bright Places,  Aru Shah and the End of Time, Age of War, And the Mountains Echoed, All the Light We Cannot See, Alias Grace, Artemis Fowl

B
Brief Answers to the Big Questions, Bird Box, The Bell Jar, Becoming

C
The Crucible, Chomp, Circe, The Clockmaker's Daughter

D
Drums of Autumn, Dealing with Dragons, Dry, Doctor Sleep

E
Emma in the Night

F
Fever 1793, Flush, The Final Empire, Florida

G
The Goldfinch, Ghosted

H
Hoot, Hidden Figures, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I
I Capture the Castle, The Incendiaries, The Invisible Man

J
Jeremy Poldark

K
Kenny & the Dragon, The Knife of Never Letting Go, Kingdom of Ash

L
The Little White Horse

M
Muse of Nightmares, Mr. Dickens and His Carol

N
Nightbooks, The Nightingale, Nineteen Eighty-Four

O
Oliver Twist, Orphan Train, On Writing, Once A King

P
The Passage, Pet Sematary, The Phantom of the Opera, The Polar Bear Explorer's Club

Q

R
A Room of One's Own, Ronia the Robber's Daughter, The Raven Boys 

S
Suitors and Sabotage, Skykeeper, The Silent Fountain, The Song of Achilles, She Persisted Around the World, The Sun is Also A Star, The Secret History, The Snow Child, Spinning Silver

T
Tree of Ages, A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Tale of Despereaux, To The Lighthouse, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, This Savage Song, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Tower of Dawn, The Thief of Always

U

V
The Virgin Suicides, Vicious, Vengeful

W
The Woman in White, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Worst Witch, Women in Science, Wild, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, The Woman in the Window, Where'd You Go Bernadette?

X

Y

Z



Books I Actually Read

(CR) = Currently Reading
(NF) = Not Finished

A
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (NF)
Animal Farm by George Orwell
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel by Michael Moreci

B
Babel by Gaston Dorren
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Beauty and the Beast by Kathleen Rizzi

C
Chomp by Carl Hiaasen

D
Dry by Neal Shusterman
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (CR)
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire (CR)

E
Elevation by Stephen King
Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire 

F
Flush by Carl Hiaasen

G
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Ghost Collector by Allison Mills

H
Home After Dark by David Small
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes
Hoot by Carl Hiassen
History's Weirdest Deaths by James Proud
Hocus Pocus & the All-New Sequel by A.W. Jantha

I
Internment by Samira Ahmed
IT by Stephen King (NF)
In A Blink by Kiki Thorpe

J
Jeremy Poldark by Winston Graham

K

L
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
M
Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls' Rights by Malala Yousafzai
Mera: Tidebreaker by Danielle Paige
Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee
The Mist by Stephen King

N
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Nim's Island by Wendy Orr

O
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
On Writing by Stephen King

P
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
Pippi Goes On Board by Astrid Lindgren

Q

R
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
The Raven's Tale by Cat Winters

S
The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon
The Steel Prince by VE Schwab
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson
Stranger Things: The Other Side by Jody Houser
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
She Explores by Gail Straub
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
The Space Between by Kiki Thorpe

T
Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Teeth in the Mist by Dawn Kurtagich (CR)

U

V

W
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Wild: From Lost to Found on the PCT by Cheryl Strayed
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Wilder Girls by Rory Power

X

Y
Your Brain Needs A Hug by Rae Earl (CR) Z

Thanks for checking in on my reading progress! 

2019 New Year, New TBR!!

Happy New Year!!!

Is anyone just relieved that it's a new year? I feel like we can all start over, new, from scratch, and get out of those funky winter blues that are keeping me (and perhaps a few of you) from reading.

So, it's time for a new TBR! 

I know, I know. TBRs. Some people like them, some people don't, and some people like to make them even though they are mood readers and have no real intention of following them. I fall into the latter category. I love lists and I love making TBRs but I probably won't follow it.
But no matter! Who doesn't like seeing others' lists to get ideas or recommendations for their own? 

I personally love being able to make a list that I can 'check off' throughout the year but sometimes I just don't have time to write them all out on paper or even here on the blog so I use listchallenges.com a lot! No, this isn't sponsored. I just enjoy making visual lists! 

Click here or on the image below to see my list and be sure to 'check off' the ones you've already read! 

Disclaimer: I'm posting this wayyy late. Oops!

Or skip the list!
I'm not listing them all here but I plan on continuing to read outside of my comfort zones, read more of my own books, read more non-fiction, and read more books with settings around the world!
You can see what I AM reading over on my Bookstagram!

Do you make a new TBR list each year? Perhaps each month instead? Maybe not at all?