In addition to being an author, I am a book reviewer and share my favorite titles for children 0-12 on my Instagram page @picturebookrecommendations. Please feel free to reach out if you are looking for a book on a specific topic for a kiddo in your life!
Please see my current review policy here.
🌳🚲🐕 Wow, this book is a perfect illustration of perspective.
THE PATH shows people of all ages enjoying an outdoor space and each character`s unique viewpoints as they get in one another`s way. A shared moment brings them together, though, and helps shift their assumptions about one another.
A fantastic conversation opener around community and perspective!
📚 THE PATH
✍️ @pamela_paul_
🎨 @qinillustrations
@penguinkids
#ThePath #PamelaPaul #QinLeng #PictureBookRecommendations #PictureBooks #KidsBooks #ChildrensBooks #KidLit #Bookstagram #ReadAloud #BooksAboutCommunity #NatureBooksForKids #CommunityBooks #PictureBookArt #PictureBookLove
🎨❤️ It can be hard to be the younger sibling, particularly when you and your sibling love the same thing but they appear to be better at it.
This sweet, humorous and relatable new book shows a young girl who loves to draw but constantly feels outshined by her older and artistically talented sister.
I love that the book embraces the younger sibling`s emotions while also showing that just because someone appears talented doesn`t mean that they don`t have their own struggles too. It gently encourages readers to embrace what makes them happy and shows that there is enough light for everyone to shine.
📚 SISTER SCRIBBLES
✍️🎨 @lennywen
@penguinkids
#SisterScribbles #LennyWen #PictureBookRecommendations #PictureBooks #KidsBooks #ChildrensBooks #KidLit #Bookstagram #ReadAloud #SiblingBooks #SiblingRivalry #BooksAboutArt #CreativeKids #BooksAboutConfidence #PictureBookLove
Thrilled to share that @abi.cushman and my book The Quiet Ocean is a Golden Poppy finalist for 2026! Thank you @caliba_20 for this honor! 🌊🥳
#goldenpoppy
🍂🐶 Okay, this one is adorable. It revolves around a puppy who panics when the leaves just keep falling…and falling…and FALLING?!
This is the sweetest story of a young puppy`s search for answers about why the trees are losing all their leaves. 😂❤️
I love that Parker doesn`t just accept the answers to his question that don`t make sense, he keeps searching until he finds the just right friend to help him understand.
An adorably humorous search for answers and a perfect book to welcome fall!
📚 THE LAST LEAF
✍️🎨 @alipyeillo
@penguinkids
#TheLastLeaf #AliPye #PictureBookRecommendations #PictureBooks #KidsBooks #ChildrensBooks #KidLit #Bookstagram #ReadAloud #FallBooks #AutumnBooks #BooksAboutChange #BooksAboutAnxiety #SELBooks #SocialEmotionalLearning #PictureBookLove
Forty is off to a pretty amazing start. ❤️🌍
For my 40th birthday, we went to South Africa and somehow, it was even more incredible than I imagined.
We explored Cape Town, wandered through art galleries, tasted our way through the Winelands, stood at the edge of the Cape, and ate some pretty amazing meals along the way.
Then we headed into the African bush, where for four unforgettable days we woke before sunrise, piled into a safari vehicle and watched the world come alive around us. Lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, buffalo…and so many moments that left all four of us completely speechless.
From there, it was on to Victoria Falls—walking alongside elephants, standing in the spray of the Falls, cruising the Zambezi at sunset, spending an incredible day in Chobe, exploring on horseback and squeezing every last bit of adventure out of our time in Africa.
So many places I had dreamed of seeing. So many moments I never could have imagined.
But the very best part was getting to experience all of it together. ❤️
And a HUGE shoutout to my incredible husband, who spent countless hours planning every single detail of this trip and somehow turned my dream vacation into a reality. From where we stayed and ate to every tour, safari, transfer and adventure in between—he put together an itinerary that was absolutely perfect. In another life, he 100% should have been a travel planner. 😂❤️ Thank you for giving me the most unforgettable way to celebrate 40 and for giving all of us an adventure we will never forget.
And because apparently my kids have another career waiting for them too 😂🎥, they took hours and hours of our videos and turned them into this reel of some of their favorite memories.
Africa, you were everything. We already miss you. 🌍❤️
#Africa #AfricaTravel #SouthAfrica #CapeTown #safari
✨🐉 I LOVE that this book encourages perspective and self-love. It shows that what some may see as an inability to fit inside the box, with self-acceptance and celebration, can actually be our greatest strength.
This empowering new picture book features a young boy who is growing up with ADHD and is constantly criticized and made to feel bad for being different. Through the pages of this magical story, we see him come to understand that he has more control than he thinks he does and that his ADHD is also part of what makes him so creative and able to see the world in a unique light.
The book helps the narrator understand which shiny objects to ignore and which to pay attention to and which are worth taking the time to explore.
This one is a beautiful reminder to celebrate what makes each of us different and to work with the core of who someone is rather than against it. ✨
📚 THE NEXT SHINY OBJECT
✍️🎨 @hudson.talbott
@penguinkids
#TheNextShinyObject #HudsonTalbott #PictureBookRecommendations #PictureBooks #KidsBooks #ChildrensBooks #KidLit #Bookstagram #ReadAloud #ADHDBooks #Neurodiversity #NeurodivergentKids #BooksAboutADHD #SELBooks #PictureBookLove
😊😡😢😴 Need help navigating all the feelings?
I love that this new book walks kids through a day FULL of feelings.
From sad to mad to glad and beyond, a young boy experiences all the feelings in one single day. I love how this book perfectly illustrates each emotion for the young reader and in doing so gives them the language and understanding to begin to recognize and vocalize their own emotions. It also normalizes feelings and lets littles know that they are normal and okay!
A wonderful addition to preschool and early elementary shelves—and such an easy jumping-off point for asking, “What feelings did YOU have today?” ❤️
📚 SAD, MAD, GLAD: A DAY FULL OF FEELINGS
✍️ @johnmicklos
🎨 @lilistrations
@penguinkids
#SadMadGlad #JohnMicklosJr #LilibethJimenez #TiaKim #PictureBookRecommendations #PictureBooks #KidsBooks #ChildrensBooks #KidLit #Bookstagram #ReadAloud #SELBooks #SocialEmotionalLearning #BooksAboutFeelings #EmotionsForKids #PictureBookLove
✨ This stunning and thought-provoking book is one I will be turning back to again and again. It asks the question: where do possibilities live?
This incredible book shows the reader that possibilities are everywhere and it is up to us to open the doors, ask the questions and invite the wonder that will change us and the world around us.
It is empowering and sure to spark creativity, thoughtful discussions and wonder. This would be a fantastic way for a parent to gain access to their littles minds or for teachers to start off the school years with imagination and encouragement.
📚 WHERE DO POSSIBILITIES LIVE?
✍️ @livethegoodstuff
🎨 juanpabloneirazuniga
@compendiumliveinspired
#WhereDoPossibilitiesLive #KobiYamada #JuanPabloNeiraZuniga #PictureBookRecommendations #PictureBooks #KidsBooks #ChildrensBooks #KidLit #Bookstagram #ReadAloud #BooksAboutImagination #CreativityForKids #PictureBookArt #PictureBookLove
🐷🚛 There is nothing that Miles Bacon and his big rig can`t haul!
We see him driving all over town helping friend after friend and when he himself gets stuck, those friends in turn are there for him too.
A fun read-aloud sure to capture the attention and hearts of young truck lovers everywhere and remind them that everyone needs help every now and again.
📚 BIG RIG PIG
✍️ @clairetatters
🎨 @robsayart
@penguinkids
#BigRigPig #ClaireTattersfield #RobSayeghJr #PictureBookRecommendations #PictureBooks #KidsBooks #ChildrensBooks #KidLit #Bookstagram #ReadAloud #TruckBooks #BooksAboutFriendship #ThingsThatGo #PictureBookLove
🎃🥞 When I read "But most of all, he loves the kindness of Halloween," I had to stop and agree - Halloween really does bring out the best in people. Neighborhoods opening their doors, people gathering and enjoying one another`s company, and kids getting to express themselves however they like.
I have to agree with the Grandpa in this warm book, Halloween really is a wonderful holiday! I love that this sweet book highlights the best of it with themes of family, food, and culture.
The story revolves around a young girl whose lao ye decides to celebrate Halloween by throwing a neighborhood party and serving some of his favorite family dishes. ❤️
A lovely celebration for fall and Halloween, I really enjoyed this sweet reminder of the things that make our families unique and the traditions that bring people of all backgrounds together. 🧡
"When we share something special to us, we create community."
📚 THE GREAT PUMPKIN PANCAKE PARTY
✍️ @celestepewter
🎨 @kellywu_art
@mackidsbooks
#TheGreatPumpkinPancakeParty #CelestePewter #KellyWu #PictureBookRecommendations #PictureBooks #KidsBooks #ChildrensBooks #KidLit #Bookstagram #HalloweenBooks #FallBooks #BooksAboutFood #FamilyTraditions #ReadAloud #PictureBookLove
🤖 How do you feel about AI? Do you use it?
With lots of playful humor, this new book introduces young readers to AI through a hilarious evil AI robot that arrives with plans to destroy humans and take over the world.
The young girl teaches the young robot about the incredible benefits of AI but also the downfalls and parts of life that AI can`t replace. It warns of the cost of AI and opens the doorway to conversations about when best to utilize this new and ever-growing part of our society.
This is a hilarious and timely read about AI sure to spark important conversations. I particularly appreciate that it makes the topic approachable for kids, not at all scary and weighs both the pros and the cons. 🤖🔌😬
📚 HOW TO TRAIN YOUR EVIL ROBOT
✍️ @JMCwrites
🎨 @hellatoons
@sourcebookskids
Perfect for curious kids, STEM lovers, and anyone raising a human in the age of AI. 🤖❤️
#HowToTrainYourEvilRobot #JoyMcCullough #EduardoMedeiros #PictureBookRecommendations #PictureBooks #KidsBooks #ChildrensBooks #KidLit #STEMBooks #STEMForKids #ArtificialIntelligence #AIForKids #Bookstagram #ReadAloud #PictureBookLove
🕳️ One day, Billy finds a hole. A talking hole.
And maybe—just maybe—Billy should NOT be listening to it. 😳😂
BILLY AND THE HOLE is a hilarious story of a young boy who stumbles upon a hole. When the hole compliments Billy, he is delighted, but then the hole starts making more and more complicated demands such as a fourteen-layer pineapple guava cake with a banana buttercream and a hot fudge sundae on the side!
The requests get bigger…and stranger…and increasingly harder to ignore. 🕳️👀
When the hole requests Billy`s toy robot, Billy begins to think things have gone too far. Then the hole starts to threaten Billy into giving him what he wants.
I love this absurdly funny and deliciously creepy and clever book. It is entertaining while also teaching a subtle lesson about friendship, what it means to have a friend, and trusting yourself enough to know when to say no. It is sure to open important conversations around boundaries, manipulation, and recognizing when a friendship doesn’t feel quite right.
📚 BILLY AND THE HOLE
✍️🎨 @jessica.goecke
@penguinkids
#BillyAndTheHole #JessicaGoecke #PictureBookRecommendations #PictureBooks #KidsBooks #ChildrensBooks #KidLit #Bookstagram #ReadAloud #NewPictureBooks #BooksForKids #PictureBookLove