What Are You Doing, Benny? by Cary Fagan

What Are You Doing, Benny? by Cary Fagan follows a young fox who just wants to join in whatever his older brother Benny is doing, but Benny always says ‘no’. I felt so bad for the little fox when he said Benny made the best sandwiches, and could Benny make him one too, and Benny said no. Later, Benny offered to let his little brother watch as he did cool things like paint and shoot hoops, but the little fox said that wasn’t fun and continued playing in his own. Later, Benny brought him a sandwich. At the end, the brothers ended up doing something together. This was a cute story with gorgeous watercolour artwork. The perfect book for kids with siblings! To be honest, it reminded me of my own childhood. I was the oldest, and an introvert, so I reallllly didn’t want siblings around. I read this with my cubs and we all enjoyed it.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House/Tundra for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

Wish by Chris Saunders

Wish by Chris Saunders is a charming, whimsical tale about Rabbit, who has been chosen by not one, but three wishes. He asks several if his friends what they might wish for. In the end, he still isn’t sure what he wants so he makes three wishes not for himself, but for all beings, inspired by the wishes of his friends. Later, they each share the gifts of the wishes with Rabbit. A great resource for teaching young readers the value of lovingkindness, and generosity. I read this with my cubs and we all enjoyed it. Highly recommended addition to any young reader’s library, and would make a great storytime read.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

Yara’s Tawari Tree by Yossi Lapid

Yara’s Tawari Tree by Yossi Lapid is an adorable story about a young girl named Yara who lives in a lush rainforest. She finds a baby plant that’s not thriving. With the help of her mum, she moves the plant to a better location, and it grows into a beautiful tree. Later, when Yara gets suck, she needs a medicine that comes from the specific tree. Written in charming rhyme, and accompanied by gorgeous watercolour artwork, this story teaches young readers the value of working with nature, and the healing it can provide. My cubs and I read this together and we all enjoyed it. Highly recommended addition to any young reader’s library, and would make a great classroom/storytime read.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and the author for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

The Story of AND by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso

The Story of AND by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso is about a young girl who likes to count (or has OCD… could go either way). The adults in her life are rather rude about it, telling her to stop wasting time. But then one day, she read a story aloud, a story about the value of ‘and’ to bring things together. Line AND Circle made a balloon. Triangle AND Rectangle made a seesaw. Whereas before Line and Rectangle had insulted the other shapes, they saw together they could be something more. The story goes through several more pairings, showing how each could grow, and illustrating the value of cohesion over division. The artwork was a little unusual. Not bad, mind, just not typical of our usual reads. I read this with my cubs and we all enjoyed it.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Flyaway Books for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.