Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Andrés J. Colmenares GENRE: Children's Graphic Novel PUBLICATION DATE: September 1, 2026 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A graphical story collection featuring some familiar cosmic entities in not-so-familiar roles. Nice stories with excellent messages. Recommended for children. Andrés J. Colmenares is a Colombian illustrator popular for Wawawiwa comics featuring adorable anthropomorphised animals and natural objects. His comics are always suffused with warmth and heart, perfect to read on days we need to escape online hatred and poison. This book isn't a comic strip collection like his other works but a collection of three stories featuring the titular Earth and Moonie in the lead. Unlike what you would expect, Earth and Moonie are siblings in this interpretation, and the Sun is their Mom. 😄 The three stories are titled ‘I don’t like being small’, ‘I don’t like being bored’, and ‘I don’t like being sick’, which pretty much tells us their main theme. While all three ta...

AUTHOR: Angela McAllister ILLUSTRATOR: Zanna Goldhawk GENRE: Children's Story Collection PUBLICATION DATE: October 6, 2026 RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A collection of folktales connected to either the sky or a sky/space-related object. Lovely stories from across the world presented with marvellous illustrations. This author never fails to deliver memorable books for children. Definitely recommended. I have been a fan of Angela McAllister’s folktale collections ever since I read ‘A Bedtime Full of Stories’ in 2021. Her collections are always mesmerising and always have the same features: fascinating stories curated from folktales and myths from across the world, theme-based sections, and excellent full-colour illustrations that stay true to the tone of the story. This book is no exception. This time, the stories are, as the tagline indicates, taken from the ‘Skies, stars and beyond.’ The collection has six sections, each based on sky/space-related feature: ‘The Sun’, ‘The Moon...

AUTHOR: Stef Wade ILLUSTRATOR: Erin Taylor GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: August 1, 2026 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A lovely picture book about accepting yourself and acknowledging your worth. Simple story with many essential messages delivered effectively. Cute illustrations too. Recommended. Plot Preview: Doug Fir is sad that his life doesn’t change. All the others in the forest, whether animals or trees, change their looks or their behaviour according to the season. But Doug is always the same old green. The other evergreens are happy to stay the same but Doug is eager for a change in his routine. His friend Robin suggests he take advice from Queenie the Queen Palm, an evergreen palm in Florida. Using Robin as their messenger, Doug and Queenie begin exchanging letters, and Queenie helps Doug realise something quite important. This picture book uses a fairly straightforward plot to make its main point. But the beauty of the story is that it delivers mult...

AUTHOR: Dolly Parton GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: January 1, 1994 RATING: 4.5 stars. I read this book in honour of one of the most generous humans who ever lived: Dolly Parton. I was never much into country music, so I don’t know many of her songs, but ever since I heard of her Imagination Library Project, I became a fan of her style of philanthropy. This book was adapted from a song she wrote by the same name, so it effectively combines two of her greatest contributions to the world: music and books. The story tells us of a girl who loves the coat of many colours her mama sewed for her using rags. Though the other kids tease her in school for wearing a coat made of rags, the girl herself is never negative and doesn’t allow words to upset her because she stays strong in her belief that she is rich despite not having money. The name also alludes to Joseph’s multi-coloured coat from the Bible. This beautiful book is simple and yet impactful. It shows kids how we a...

AUTHOR: Lina Chopra Haldar ILLUSTRATOR: Teresa Martínez GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: August 11, 2026 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A picture book in epistolary form, addressing how a boy starts looking at Math as a friend. Cute concept and implementation. Practical. The humorous approach helps. Recommended. Plot Preview: Nikhil is an Indian-American boy who hates math. His interests lie in other subjects such as art and reading. So his teacher gives him a simple assignment: treat Math as a friend and write letters to the subject to address his feelings. Initially sceptical, Nikhil is later surprised to learn how Math is a ubiquitous part of life, both at his current age and in his future. Over the course of the school year, his letters to math help him address his fear of Math and find more joy in the subject. The concept of this picture book is simple, but considering how many children are actually scared of Math, the book is practical and helpful. I didn’t e...

AUTHOR: Neil Sharpson ILLUSTRATOR: Dan Santat GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: April 8, 2025 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A hilarious picture book that comes with a strong warning: DON’T TRUST FISH! Comic and absurd all the way. Very clever too, though this might be appreciated more by adults. Not a book for those who want messages or morals but for those who want to laugh out loud. Much recommended. This is the debut picture book of Irish playwright and blogger Neil Sharpson. He seems to have made great use of his experience with theatre to amp up the drama in this humorous book. There’s no plot as such. The book has a bland start akin to a nature guide: offering information on how to recognise animals. It was so matter-of-fact that I wondered what its connection was with the title. And then came the fish and the vehement warnings! 😂 With several well-reasoned arguments, the narrator aims to convince us that we should NOT trust fish. I don’t want to get into...

AUTHOR: Vashti Harrison GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: May 2, 2023 RATING: 4.5 stars In a Nutshell: An amazing picture book about the impact of words and the importance of self-acceptance. Amazing story, outstanding message, fabulous illustrations. Simple words but extraordinary impact. Much recommended. Plot Preview: A little girl was always praised for being big, but as she grows older, she realises ‘big’ isn't always a compliment. Having the bigger built affects many things in her life, and the constant comments from others about her bigness affects her mental health. But one day, after many tears, she understands how she can tackle the hurt. I absolutely loved this book! From the cover art, I could guess that it was a story about a plus-sized little girl, but I sure didn’t expect the topic to be handled so beautifully. Her journey from confidence to reluctance to dismay to action is penned so well! My favourite part of the story is that she never considers...

AUTHOR: Jared Chapman GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: September 5, 2023 RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A picture book explaining the food cycle in the wild to kids. Clever and funny, though obviously farfetched in its premise and a bit flawed in some aspects. Will work better with adult discussion. Recommended. Plot Preview: Little Lorelei loves seals and all facts about them, but her favourite fact is that seals and penguins are BFFs. She loves imagining the wonderful things the besties might do together. But while making a presentation on this topic in class, a new exchange student, who happens to be a penguin, declares, “Seals are jerks!” Lorelei obviously gets angry at her favourite animals being called jerks, but Penguin refuses to budge from his stance. He says that seals eat penguins, but Lorelei knows he is lying. To check the truth, they fly all the way to Antarctica so that Lorelei can prove Penguin wrong. But the confrontation doesn’t go as Lorelei e...

AUTHOR: Audrey Perrott ILLUSTRATOR: Ross Burach GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: April 16, 2024 RATING: 3.75 stars. A funny picture book about true friendship and acceptance. Milton the bull cannot help but bawl. Whether he is happy or sad or frustrated or angry, tears stream out from his eyes and he goes “Moo Hoo Hoo”, because of which all the other animals call him Moo Hoo. Milton tries changing but nothing works. Until a sheep named Wanda enters his life and teaches him the valuable lesson: it is okay to be yourself. This is a silly yet sweet story. Given the exaggerated crying, it is obviously not one to be read from the head. There’s no depth to the story, but it offers plenty of entertainment. I wasn’t happy with one particular decision taken by Milton, but thankfully, he came to his senses soon enough. What I liked better than the plot are the myriad puns scattered in the text as well as the illustrations! Some puns might be a bit too difficult for young rea...

AUTHOR: Kallie George ILLUSTRATOR: Geneviève Godbout GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: May 12, 2020 RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A picture book about the Anne most readers know. Might work better for adults than kids. This is a story about a little girl with a big imagination, who wonders what she would do if she weren’t Anne, i.e. Anne with an E. As a picture book, it shows little readers a young girl who soars as high as she can in her imaginary world, but comes to the eventual conclusion that some things are better in reality. But to adult readers, it shows Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables. Those familiar with L.M.M. Montgomery’s classic will catch many Easter eggs in this version, such as the reference to Cordelia or the comparison between green hair and red hair or even the oft-repeated phrase ‘Anne with an E’. I appreciate how this story stays true to the original characterisation of Anne. At the same time, I am confused about its intent behind usin...

AUTHOR: Jo Ellen Bogart ILLUSTRATOR: Maja Kastelic GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: October 5, 2021 RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A wordless picture book about a little boy and a gargoyle. Cute story, but leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Amazing illustrations. Recommended, but mainly for adult-child buddy reading. Plot Preview : Anthony lives with his parents in a house full of photos. One day, a “rock” in Anthony’s room cracks open, to reveal a strange but friendly creature inside. When Anthony asks his mother about the rock, she shows him the photo album of their trip of Paris. Anthony realises that his new friend resembles the gargoyles at the Notre-Dame Cathedral. He shows the photos to the little gargoyle as well. And when they get a chance to go to Paris to visit his ailing grandma, Anthony makes sure that they find the gargoyle who resembles the baby gargoyle the most. I am not usually fond of wordless picture books, but the presence of the word ‘ga...

AUTHOR: Lari Don ILLUSTRATOR: Elise Carmichael GENRE: Folktale Collection PUBLICATION DATE: June 16, 2026 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A collection of ten magical Celtic stories . Simply awesome tales! Only the illustrations didn't work too well for me. A great book for children (and adults) who love fairy tales. This book contains magical stories from the Celtic isles. There is a wonderful map of the isles right at the start. I have long known the word “Celtic” but only when I saw this map did I realise how the Celtic Isles are places. The introductory note offers a little insight into Celtic geography and its significance. The collection has ten stories, which is a bit disappointing to be honest. Each story was so delightful in its tone and content that I couldn’t help long for more. The stories come from varied Celtic Isles: : Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and Brittany. Each location contributes one-two stories. The text retains the original Celtic s...

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: Robert E. Barry GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: January 1, 1963 RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A comically sweet Christmas picture book. Lovely story, lovely characters, lovely illustrations. A classic for a reason. Definitely recommended. Plot Preview: Mr. Willowby is quite excited that his Christmas tree delivery has finally arrived. Unfortunately, the tree is just a tad too tall for his parlour. He gets his butler to cut off the top so that it fits just right. The butler knows just the right person who would be happy to decorate the tree top in their room, so he passes it to his friend, the maid. She is very excited but the top is just a tad too tall for her room. So she snips off a bit from the top, discards it, and decorates the rest. The broken piece is found by…. Read the book to find out! I didn’t intend to read a Christmas book beyond the festive season, but c’est la vie. 😁 We all know that Christmas trees are *trimmed* with plenty of wonderful...

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Peter H. Reynolds SERIES: Creatrilogy GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: August 28, 2012 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A beautiful picture book about thinking beyond the box. Cute story and gorgeous illustrations. Recommended! Plot Preview: A little girl named Marisol loves to share her art with the world. So when the opportunity comes to paint a mural for the school library, she is an enthusiastic volunteer. She has chosen the paint the sky for the mural, but she soon realises that the colour box has no blue paint. How can she colour the sky without blue? This is a lovely story that is delightful to the mind and the heart. Mirasol is a wonderful lead in so many ways. I love how the book establishes her personality first by showing how she shares her art with others. And later, when she learns about the missing blue paint, we also learn how calm she is in the face of uncertainty. She doesn’t cry or throw a tantrum or yell or accuse. She ...

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Peter H. Reynolds SERIES: Creatrilogy GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: September 15, 2003 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A cute little picture book about taking the first step. Lovely story, morals, and illustrations. Recommended! Plot Preview: Vashti believes she can't draw, but a teacher puts a blank page in front of her and says, ‘Just make a mark and see where it takes you.’ The resultant dot from the jab Vashti makes on the paper begins Vashti’s journey of exploring and perfect art through dots. I initially thought Vashti would be annoying, but she develops really well as the story progresses. I loved her imagination, enthusiasm, and determination. And as someone who adores polka dots, I also loved her artwork. As with all great picture books, the moral is simple yet practical and essential. The story is successful in making the point without going over the top. The ending enhances the effect. The illustrations are perfect for ...

AUTHOR: Russell Kane ILLUSTRATOR: Erica Salcedo GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: May 5, 2026 RATING: 2.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A picture book about a cat whose cosy life is upturned with the arrival of a new pet. Great comic potential with a cute dog and a nefarious cat. Too many scatological inclusions for my taste. More focus on the problem than on the solution, which is a major negative. This plot doesn’t capitalise fully on its potential, but it might work better for kids. Plot Preview: Terry is a Burmese cat who lives the purrfect life with his three human servants: Minna and her parents. Terry loves being worshipped (his words, not mine), and as the other cat in the house is asleep almost the whole time, Terry gets his way with his humans. Everything changes when they bring home a chihuahua pup named Brian, who is Terry’s opposite in every way. He immediately captivates everyone with his laser-love heart eyes. But Terry is immune to the pup’s devious attempt...

AUTHOR: Patricia Forde ILLUSTRATOR: Sarah Warburton GENRE: Children's Epistolary Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: June 4, 2026 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A cute epistolary picture book with a lot of humour and life lessons. Gorgeous illustrations as well. A bit too reminiscent of Roald Dahl’s “The BFG”, but a fun read nonetheless. Recommended. Plot Preview: When young Sophie is sitting in her tree house and writing invitations for her birthday party, one of the invites flies out on a gust of wind and lands a long way away in the hands of a giant. Imagine Sophie’s horror when the giant happily accepts her invite. What if he turns up and eats all her guests? So she writes a polite letter back, trying to dissuade him from attending her *boring* party. But Harry the Hairy Giant is sure he will enjoy himself. How does Sophie get out of this accidental mess? There are three reasons why I picked up this book, and all of these are present on the cover: 1. The adorable artwork. Who...

AUTHOR: Rocío Bonilla SERIES: Babymoni GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: April 21, 2026 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A lovely picture book containing a story-within-a-story and raising some pertinent questions. Adorable characters and illustrations in two styles. Might be a bit tricky plot for younger kids to comprehend independently, but it can be an excellent resource for discussions. Definitely recommended. Plot Preview: Minimoni’s class is putting up a year-end school play on the story of “St. George and the Dragon”. However, as Minimoni and her friends read the story, they realise that it contains several problematic elements. Is there any point in enacting these old stories that don’t fit into modern values? This story was originally published in Catalan/Spanish under the title “Quina animalada d’història, Minimoni?” in 2025. This English translation was published in 2026. This is the second book I’ve read featuring Minimoni, and it ended up much better t...

AUTHOR: Dawn McMillan ILLUSTRATOR: Ross Kinnaird GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: September 1, 2012 RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: A children’s picture book with some questionable inclusions. My low rating isn't because this talks about butts, but because I found it poorly written. Plot Preview: Written in first person, the young narrator is sad at having discovered a crack in his butt. He wonders where and when he might have broken it. (He’s fairly certain a fart caused it to split.) He then mulls over various butt options he could try as a replacement, going from the arty to the outrageous. But will these options work on a broken bottom? It is a truth universally acknowledged that kids like good butt stories. And this one seemed to have the makings of one. But I don’t get its appeal. Honestly, the title got me cracking up. I was hoping for a cheeky story about how the boy discovers that all butts are cracked. However, while the story started off excellently, ...