Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Susan Verde ILLUSTRATOR: Peter H. Reynolds GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: September 27, 2022 RATING: 5 sparkly stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 In a Nutshell: A beautiful picture book with a very important message for little ones. Awesome content, awesome illustrations. Much recommended! I was just exploring some picture books at my library when my glance fell on this adorable cover. Though not a big fan of self-help/inspirational books, I don’t mind picture books using inspiration and affirmations to help children. And this turned out to be one of the very best! In a world that encourages uniformity and conformity, here’s a book that advocates individuality, that tells you to be yourself, loudly and proudly. At the same time, it also stresses on the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people who accept you as you are. The book is written in first person, so it is very easy for little readers to put themselves in the shoes of the narrator. The content is wr...

AUTHOR: Susan Verde ILLUSTRATOR: Peter H. Reynolds GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: September 13, 2016 RATING: 5 unhesitant stars! In a Nutshell: A touching picture book about the water scarcity issue affecting so many children around the world but especially in Africa and Asia. Excellent writing, message, and illustrations. Informative back matter. A must-read. Plot Preview: “Princess Gie Gie”, our young lead character, knows she rules over the wide African sky and the vast land. But the one thing that doesn’t listen to this princess is water. No matter how much she tries commanding water to come closer to her home, it doesn’t. So she is forced to wake up early every morning and walk many miles along with her mother to carry a pot of water back home. Sadly, this water lasts just a day, so the cycle has to repeat every day. Gie Gie dreams of the time when water will finally listen to her and be more accessible from home, but can such a dream come true? This story is...

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Cori Doerrfeld GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: February 20, 2018 RATING: 5 stars! In a Nutshell: A lovely picture book about the power of listening and being there. Great concept and outstanding execution. Many wonderful animals. Practical. Much recommended. Plot Preview: Little Taylor had built a wonderful structure using his toy bricks when something terrible makes the entire thing collapse. As expected, Taylor is upset about his efforts going to waste. Many animals come to him one by one offering him advice on what he should do next. But Taylor’s lack of response drives them all away. And then, the rabbit arrives. And sits next to Taylor. And listens. Which works perfectly for Taylor. Often, we find that in times of trouble, there is a lot of unwarranted advice. We are either at the receiving end of endless instructions on what we ought to do, or we ourselves make the mistake of instructing others on their response. But we forget that o...

AUTHOR: Pope Francis and Paul A. Reynolds ILLUSTRATOR: Peter H. Reynolds GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: January 20, 2026 RATING: 5 colourful-rainbow stars! 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈 In a Nutshell: A beautiful picture book containing a beautiful message and beautiful illustrations. Based on a message by the GOAT Pope Francis, but secular enough to be relevant to all. Much, much recommended! I am not usually one to pick inspirational books. But just a single glance at the key author’s name on the cover page ensured that I scrambled to get a copy of this picture book. Beloved Pope Francis 🥰, whom I have respected, admired and loved ever since he showed Catholics a new path towards inclusivity and acceptance, spoke about a metaphorical personal treasure chest to a group of youth in 2015. On his passing, the authors, twin brothers Peter and Paul Reynolds ( Love their apostolic names! ), decided to pen this picture book inspired by that message so as to make it reach and influence mo...

AUTHOR: Lisa Papp SERIES: Madeline Finn, #3 GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: September 1, 2020 RATING: 5 howls-of-happiness stars! In a Nutshell: The third picture book in the Madeline Finn series, and just as beautiful and impactful. I’ve run out of adjectives to praise this series, so just go for it. Plot Preview: Star has a test, and Madeline is doing everything she can to prepare him for it. On the big day, Madeline and Star are off to Walker Oaks, a retirement community, where Star will be tested on his potential as a therapy dog. The tests have a smooth start, and Madeline’s mom is confident that Star did well. But Madeline herself can't help but think about an elderly man in a wheelchair who never smiled or looked their way. Can Star do better with him? Can she help in any way? The story comes to us in Madeline’s first-person perspective. By now, I expect the sun and the moon and the *Star* from this book series, and it delivers every time! Yet again, the...

AUTHOR: Jean-Baptiste Aubin GENRE: Maths PUBLICATION DATE: February 3, 2026 RATING: 5 stars! In a Nutshell: Exactly as the title states. A big book of everything pi. Fascinating and hilarious. Not at all dry. Totally enjoyed this book. If only math textbooks were like this! If someone had told me in my school years that I would relish a book about that infernal concept called pi π, I would have laughed right in their face! Not that I didn’t enjoy maths, but so many geometrical formulae involved the use of pi that it became a bugbear. I wish such a book had existed in my childhood. Pi is known to be one of the most enigmatic concepts in mathematics, even when humans (with the aid of computers) have unfurled its decimals to much more than practically necessary. This book seeks to shatter the dread surrounding this concept without sounding like a school textbook, and it is VERY successful in this endeavour. The uniqueness of the approach is that the content is almost conversational despit...

AUTHOR: Lisa Papp SERIES: Madeline Finn, #2 GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: March 1, 2019 RATING: Ten loud-yelps-of-joy stars! In a Nutshell: OMG, this picture book, y’all! I loved it so much! Amazing in every way – story, graphics, emotions, and message. The first picture book ever to make me cry. Much, much recommended! Second in the Madeline Finn series, but works as a standalone. Plot Preview: Ever since Madeline’s life changed after meeting Bonnie the library dog, she has been begging her mother for a puppy of her own. Mum has finally said “Yes!” Thrilled, Madeline and her mother go to the library to select one of Bonnie’s puppies as a pet. Instead, one of Bonnie’s puppies ends up choosing Madeline, and she happily names him Star. When Mrs. Dimple, the librarian and Bonnie’s owner, tells Madeline about animal shelters as being the other place where pets come from, Madeline and her mom visit the shelter. There, the little girl is distressed to see the lonely a...

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: SERIES: Madeline Finn, #1 GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: October 1, 2016 RATING: 5 stars! In a Nutshell: A gorgeous picture book about a little girl who struggles with reading and finds some unexpected help. Amazing story, amazing illustrations, amazing motivational lesson, and one cute surprise at the end that made me go “Whoa!” Much recommended! Can’t wait to try the rest of the series. Plot Preview: Madeline Fin is a little girl who doesn’t like to read, especially to read out loud. Her teacher and her mother both encourage her to keep trying, but Madeline is frustrated at her lack of progress. She yearns for a star sticker but how can she get it if she doesn’t want to read anymore? One Saturday, her mother takes her to the library, where the librarian, who knows that Madeline hates reading, asks her, “Do you want to read to a dog?” Hesitantly, Madeline goes to beautiful white dog named Bonnie and tries to read to her. Do you think Bo...

COMPILER: Kim Normanton GENRE: Children's Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: September 11, 2025 RATING: 5 super-great stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 In a Nutshell: Believe the title! This is a collection of “Super Great Kids’ Stories”, taken from folktales and fables around the world. Great stories and morals. Excellent narrative technique, making it apt for readalouds. Thoroughly entertaining. Much, much recommended! Not being a podcast person (all my listening time is devoted to audiobooks and music), I was totally clueless about the award-winning podcast ‘Super Great Kids’ Stories’ . Reading this book assures me that the podcast must be award-winning for a valid reason. What a brilliant collection and presentation! The book begins with a beautiful intro by the podcast hosts who have curated this collection. They offer a background to their podcast as well as explain the structure of the book. The main content comprises thirty “traditional tales” taken from around the world. The stories are grouped in...

AUTHOR: Hannah Shaw PHOTOGRAPHS: Andrew Marttila GENRE: Travel, Cats PUBLICATION DATE: October 15, 2024 RATING: 5 cattilicious stars! 😻😻😻😻😻 In a Nutshell: A meowellous collection of cats from around the world. Excellent photographs and even more outstanding anecdotes of cats and their people. Loved everything about this book. Pawsitively purrfect for ailurophiles! I had not heard of this book until I read ‘Cat Got Your Tongue?’ by this author and saw ‘Cats of the World’ mentioned in her bio. The title immediately caught my eye, and as my library had this in stock, I sprang to get it just as quickly as a cat might jump at a dangling feather toy. What a delight it has been! Hannah Shaw, popularly known as ‘Kitten Lady’ , is a kitten rescuer and feline educator. Her husband Andrew Marttila is a professional animal photographer specialising in cats. They write cat-themed books and also run a kitten welfare non-profit. The two of them travelled to thirty countries across the continen...

AUTHOR: R.J. Palacio SERIES: Wonder GENRE: Graphic Novel PUBLICATION DATE: October 1, 2019 RATING: 5 stars. In a Nutshell: A graphic novel connected to the outstanding ‘Wonder’ world. Impeccable plot, illustrations, and message. Much recommended. Can be read as a standalone. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” - George Santayana. I am sure most avid readers have heard of RJ Palacio’s fabulous book, ‘Wonder’. ( And if you have heard of it but haven’t read it, dismissing it as children’s/middle-grade fiction, rectify your mistake right away and get to the book! ) Auggie’s three classmates – Charlotte, Christopher, and Julian – got their own spinoff novel in ‘Auggie & Me’. In Julian’s arc, we saw a glimpse of his Grandmère, who touched upon an incident from her younger years. This graphic novel takes a detailed look at that memory. By some strange quirk of fate, this graphic novel first arrived in my life a few years ago as an audiobook. I had absolutely ...

AUTHOR: Iléana Surducan GENRE: Graphic Novel. PUBLICATION DATE: June 17, 2025 RATING: 5 stars! In a Nutshell: A graphic novel highlighting the issue of burnouts and the importance of breaks. Brilliant story written in fairy-tale style. Some of the most visually stimulating illustrations I have ever seen. Contains an excellent message for kiddos as well as adults. Much recommended to everyone! Plot Preview: Young Nina lives in a dusty old town where, haunted by the six angry wolves of the week, everyone faces endless drudgery. The seventh day brings no respite because there is NO seventh day. Legend has it that an evil witch stole Sunday for her own personal use. One day, Nina, fed up of the never-ending chores, declares that enough is enough. She sets off on a quest to go to the witch and get Sunday back. This book was first published in Romanian in 2021 under the title ‘Duminica pierdută’. This English translation is to be published in June 2025. This story takes inspiration from...

PUBLISHER: Collins Kids ILLUSTRATOR: Julia Murray GENRE: Language PUBLICATION DATE: August 15, 2024 RATING: 5 stars. In a Nutshell: A splendid compilation of a hundred idioms and their origins. Loved the light-hearted approach to something so educational. Much recommended to students and adult word nerds. (à la moi!) Of all the things that can be challenging in a language, idioms are somewhere right at the top. Idioms are never literal, so guessing their meanings is often a tiresome task, not just for learners but also native speakers. More importantly, idioms cannot be translated into or from other languages. ( This is something a few authors need to learn! It is annoying to see BIPOC authors butcher their native-language idioms by translating them word-to-word into English. ) As such, the best way to learn idioms is to have a resource to provide you with a wide list of common idioms and their meanings in an interesting presentation that makes learning appealing. This book fits tha...

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Fred Blunt GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: July 9, 2024 RATING: 5 booming woofs! ( Or should that be ‘5 snarky meows’? ) In a Nutshell: Such an adorable picture book! Funny and sweet! Perfect for all little pet lovers. Had the title just been “All You Need to Know About Dogs”, this would have been yet another truthful report confirming how dogs are so awesome. What makes a difference is the author. Not Fred Blunt - he’s only the second credited author (and illustrator.) The main author is A. Cat. *wink wink* And as we all know, cats are masters of sarcastic looks and condescending remarks. Needless to say, when “A. Cat” writes a book about dogs, the result is hilarious. Our feline author-cum-narrator declares that dogs are stupid. He voices his opinion in a style typical of cats: bored, fed up, and crotchety. Every page aims to highlight how dogs make life difficult. And of course, there is praise for cats. Just when you begin to think tha...

AUTHOR: LambCat GENRE: Learn to Draw Tutorial Book. PUBLICATION DATE: July 9, 2024 RATING: 5 sparkly stars as bright as Prince Jamie! In a Nutshell: The title doesn’t do this justice. It is so much more than a typical “Learn to Draw” book. Much recommended to aspiring comic artists and CPC fans. (This is a biased review because I adore the CPC series.) I used to be fond of drawing in my younger days, but have long given up on the hobby due to time constraints. However, I didn’t grab this title to reignite my passion for artwork. Rather, I pounced upon it because I am a newly-minted super fan of the ‘Cursed Princess Club’ graphic novel series, which I read earlier this year on Webtoon and consider one of the best graphic novels, ever! I thought it would take me about 10 minutes to breeze through this book. After all, how much time does it take to look at instructions on drawing? I was so wrong! In reality, it took me over an hour to complete, because the content was fascinating, and ...

AUTHOR: Constance Lombardo ILLUSTRATOR: Micah Player SERIES: Itty Bitty Betty Blob, #1 GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: June 4, 2024 RATING: 5 stars! In a Nutshell: Oh, so adorable!!! Loved everything about this picture book! Much recommended to every little reader. Plot Preview: Itty Bitty Betty Blob is trying her best to be the perfect monster, but unlike the other residents of Ghoulington, she just doesn’t fit in. She loves colours, she loves pretty things, and, horror of horrors, she loves to smile for photographs. Even when she tries her best to be ugly and grumpy like all good little monsters should be, she ends up looking cute. With the dreaded Picture Day coming up soon at school, Betty knows that she needs to practise her grimaces and get her monster act together. Will she be able to *grrrr* her way to a memorable school photo? Many times, you can just look at a book and feel in your gut that it is going to be a fabulous one. (Yeah, totally judging the b...

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: LambCat SERIES: Cursed Princess Club #3 GENRE: Webcomic, Graphic Novel. RATING: 5 stars! In a Nutshell: By far, among the best graphic novels I have read. An astounding combination of plot, characters, social issues, and art. This review is for the ENTIRE fourth season and not specifically for this graphic novel. NOTE: I'm reading this book on the WEBTOON app, but as Goodreads doesn't have that option, I'll be updating my progress against the graphic novel entries. The first two graphic novels corresponded with the first two seasons of the webcomic. However, from the third book onwards, the paths diverge. This unreleased fourth volume of the graphic novel series is based on episodes 78 to 93 of the webcomic, which means season three (which ends with episode 106) is still going on the physical books. My review, however, is for the entire fourth and final season, so it will go far beyond the content of this graphic novel. The plot continues from ...