Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress is a picture book written by Christine Baldacchino and illustrated Isabelle Malenfant. The theme of the book is acceptance and friendship. In the book, Morris Micklewhite is a boy who enjoys going to school and doing fun activities such as drawing and singing, but he really loves dressing up in a tangerine dress. However, Morris’ classmates say that dresses are only for girls and constantly taunt and exclude him from everything they’re doing. One day after being teased at school, he stays home and dreams a dream of space, and inspired by that dream, he comes back to school and builds his own spaceship. He has lots of fun and even gets some of his classmates to play with him, and in the end, they accept Morris for who he is, even if he’s wearing a dress. The message in general is to accept people for who they are and respect their opinions and choices. Just because Morris liked the dress didn’t make him any less or more than his classmates. Society may tell us that girls are supposed to wear dresses and boys aren’t and stereotype many things, but in the end it really doesn’t matter. I personally really enjoyed this book, it had a strong message and definitely made me think a little more than the other picture books I’ve read. I enjoyed the illustrations and how the author conveyed the message/theme in a special story. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and would definitely recommend it to any of my younger friends.

The other day I was at dance class when I noticed that my teacher had curled her hair and it was different than usual. I thought that it looked really pretty and genuinely liked it, so I told her that her hair looked really nice. I chose this act of kindness because I know that a random compliment can make your day better, especially if you mean it and if they’ve had a bad day. When I told her, she looked taken aback, but thanked me, and was in a much better mood for the rest of the class, it made me feel great and appreciated. That day I not only made her day better, but my day better too. I also realized that she seemed much more confident and content. Your words do affect others and are more powerful than you think, and you make their day much better just by saying something kind.

The other day I was at London Drugs and there was a lady who was circling the store looking confused. I asked her if she was okay and if she needed any help, and she was in fact looking for a specific hair product. However, she couldn’t read English, so we looked for the right product together together. We found it in the end, and she was extremely grateful. I think it made her day much better and it also made me happy that I got to help her. It surprisingly made me feel really happy and great about myself. I was having a pretty average day but seeing her smile made my day ten times better. When you are kind to someone else, it not only makes them feel better but also yourself.

Two is a picture book written and illustrated by Kathryn Otoshi. The main theme of the book is friendship and courage. In the book, One and Two are best friends and always stick together, until Three comes along. Two finds herself spending less time with One when Three is with One, and Two gets jealous! The other even numbers quickly comfort two, and make cruel statements about the odd numbers. The odd numbers disagree, and it turns into an all out fight! However, Two quickly steps up and tells everyone that there is no need to fight and that you everyone can play with whoever they want. Three apologizes to Two, and at the end of the day, One and Two are still friends, and all is well. The message of the book is that it’s okay for you to have more than one friend, that you can always meet with new people, and it is possible for everyone to get along. I really enjoyed the book. The illustrations were very pretty and creative. Overall, this book was really clever and funny, I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

One is a picture book written and illustrated by Kathryn Otoshi. The main theme of this book is about friendship.  In the book, there are different colors, and Blue is constantly getting taunted bullied by Red, by saying, “Red is hot, Blue is not!”. The other colors comfort Blue, but never stand up to Red, until One comes along. One teaches all the colors to stand up to Red, so all the colors become numbers! Red feels left out and lonely, so Blue invites Red to join them, they all got along well, and Red also becomes a number- number 7! The message is that it’s okay stand up to people, and that it is possible for everyone to get along. I really liked the artwork and the fact that the author also drew it. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and would rate it 9.5/10. I wouldn’t mind reading it again and might even consider getting this book for some younger kids.

Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla is a picture book written by K.A. Applegate and illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Ivan is a gorilla who was living with his family in a tropical forest in Africa, when poachers captured Ivan and another gorilla, and brought them to Tacoma, Washington. The other gorilla died, so he lived with a human family for a couple years, but when he grew too large for him to handle, he moved to a mall, where his new home was a 14×14 foot cage. He lived in the cage for 27 years when people started to notice Ivan’s loneliness, and started to protest about sending him to a better home. Scientists brought him out of his cage and trained him to be used to a jungle environment, and put him in a zoo with other gorillas where he could live in better conditions. He lived until the age of 50. The main idea of this true story was animal cruelty, and this story would definitely give hope to others. It proves that together, we can fight and stop animal cruelty together, like people did with Ivan. I would rate the book 9/10 and recommend it for elementary aged students. The book made me feel sad at times, but I really enjoyed this book! I really liked the cute illustrations and how the author told the story in a creative kid-friendly language. Overall, I would definitely recommend it to younger kids and wouldn’t mind reading it again.

What Do You Do With An Idea is a picture book written by Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Moe Besom. The book is about a boy, who has a big idea, and the idea wants attention. The child likes spending time with the idea, but is told and criticized that the idea is too wild or crazy. He almost leaves the idea, until he realizes- ideas can be large and wacky, everything that you see around us is all made up of ideas, and that it’s okay to have them. Ideas are what make up all things in the world- good and bad, and if you pursue your idea, it could possibly change the world. The moral of the story is to always think about your ideas, and try to pursue them, even if other people tell you not to. If you think it’s a great idea, you might as well remember and hold on to it! Your idea might even have a big impact on our universe and change the world. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I know so many younger kids have dreams, but may think they’re impossible to accomplish. This book will definitely inspire them and give the confidence to hold onto their ideas. Overall, I think that many children should definitely read this book, and I would recommend it to younger kids.

Chopsticks is a picture book written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Scott Magoon. In the book, chopsticks are best friends, they’re inseparable, until one day, one of the chopsticks snap! The other one faithfully waits for them to recover, but they need to learn how to work and function apart. They find out they can do things independently too, and sometimes being individual is a good thing. The moral of the story is that it’s okay to be away from your friends, and that it’s good to have a balance between being independent and being together. I think that this book was so creative, and that the illustrations were beautiful. The book was also hilarious, there were so many puns in there that made me laugh. I would totally read this book again and would definitely recommend this to my younger friends.

Spoon is a picture book written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Scott Magoon and targeted to all ages. It’s about spoon, who can’t stop comparing himself to the other utensils, and assumes fork, knife, and chopsticks have it better than him. Little does he know that he has many other features and things to be grateful for, and he’s not the only who’s envious! The moral is to try not to compare yourself to others, and to always be grateful for what you have. You have much more than you think, and you’re not the only one who’s going through hard times. The moral is definitely very important, being extremely self-critical is a big issue today, especially with media. I, myself, am guilty of constantly comparing myself- whether it’s grades, appearance, or things that I can’t control. It’s a common problem, but this book is a great reminder that we all need to hear. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I hope younger kids will view themselves in a different way instead of being self-critical after reading this.

Alfred Nobel: The Man Behind the Peace Prize is a book written by Kathy-Jo Wargin and illustrated by Zachery Pullen, which is a picture book/memoir about the life of Alfred Nobel. It tells the story of Alfred Nobel, who was both passionate literature and science. He was the man who invented dynamite, and originally intended and hoped it would help the world become a better, more peaceful place. When he eventually found out that others assumed he developed it for destruction, he became upset and agitated. When he passed away, his friends and family read the will that he left behind. They discovered that he left his estate to create a foundation to recognize inventors and peace leaders, and invest money in awards that is now known as the Nobel Prizes. I think that this book had beautiful and detailed illustrations, and the story was well-written and gave you a comprehensive overview of what Alfred Nobel’s life was like. It was amazing to see how well-written this book was. There wasn’t a extremely specific moral of this story, but I think that we can all follow Alfred Nobel’s example of taking action in the world. I also think another good moral is that you shouldn’t criticize someone or assume, as you might not know their entire story, or the places they’ve been. Overall, this book was extremely creative and elaborate book, that will inspire many young readers to follow Alfred Noble’s great example.