a blog all about thrifting
Days With Frog and Toad is an understated and humorous collection of stories about love that’s perfect for all ages. My kid lit read today is a deep cut — the deceivingly simple Days With Frog and Toad. The book is notorious for its subtext of Frog and Toad being a same-sex couple. Arnold Lobel, the … Read more
I’ve been picking up more adult-oriented books lately (lots of romances by Jasmine Guillory and a few thrillers by Megan Miranda), but I’m still reading kid lit! I went on a lovely afternoon excursion yesterday, checking out local mom and pop shops and picking up some books from the library. (I also had the best … Read more
Kelly Yang’s Front Desk illuminates issues of poverty and immigration with a heartwarming story and fiercely self-aware protagonist at its core. Hello, kid lit book hive! I’m back with a review of Kelly Yang’s Front Desk. Yang’s middle-grade novel is extremely my speed — that is, a slice-of-life story that so lovingly invests in its details and characters. The … Read more
Meg Medina’s Merci Suárez Changes Gears explores family and school drama with warmth and nuance. I recently picked up Meg Medina’s lovely Merci Suárez Changes Gears on sale for $7. This whim of a purchase turned out to be a great decision because I thoroughly enjoyed the book and devoured all 355 pages of it … Read more
One Crazy Summer is a salient read that illuminates revolutionary ideas and emotional nuance through a child’s perspective. Rita Williams-Garcia’s One Crazy Summer initially drew me in because its setting is Oakland, a city that’s near and dear to my heart. For a whirlwind of a year in college, I covered art and worked at a … Read more
Jacqueline Woodson’s Harbor Me explores systemic American violence with a gentle force. Of all of the kid lit I’ve been reading lately, Harbor Me has been one of the most intense reads. I considered myself a Woodson fan since picking up Red at the Bone, a story geared towards adults, but one that shares salient themes … Read more
Review: Hope remains an unbreakable force in Tae Keller’s The Science of Breakable Things. Tae Keller’s The Science of Breakable Things might be the longest kid lit pick I’ve read in a while, but the length was definitely worth it considering how the book moved me. And it didn’t sway me in a cloyingly sentimental way. I … Read more
Review: Zoe in Wonderland is a down-to-earth story that grounds itself in reality. Since this is a plant and book blog, I gave myself a tremendous pat on the back when I discovered Brenda Woods’ Zoe in Wonderland, a middle grade chapter book about a plant lover! While the title suggests a Lewis Carroll fantasy of … Read more
Meet Yasmin is a punchy and bold addition to kid lit that deserves a space on your bookshelf. Saadia Faruqi’s Meet Yasmin is a delightful concoction of childhood joy, a marriage of evocative prose with bold, beautiful colors. It’s really a collection of early reader chapter books: Yasmin the Explorer, Yasmin the Painter, Yasmin the Builder, and Yasmin the Fashionista. If … Read more
Hello, fronds! Stacey Nguyen here. I’m a 25-year-old writer who loves children’s books and indoor plants in equal measures. Right now, I’m hanging out in California’s Central Valley, where I’m writing away about pop culture, lifestyle, and entertainment while also furiously documenting my love for plants and kid lit on my Instagram page @theplantbbs. I’m … Read more
