Millie Fleur Saves the Night, by Christy Mandin
From the publisher, Scholastic Press:
available July 1, 2025
Garden Glen was afraid of
the dark.
Each night when the sun went
down, all the lights in town turned on. The houses shone like the noon sun.
Every house except for MIllie Fleur La Fae's, of course.
Millie Fleur knows there are
enchanting things that can only be glimpsed in the dark. But ever since she
moved to Garden Glen, her nighttime friends are nowhere to be found.
Determined to welcome the dark back to town, Millie Fleur bakes delicious moon pies and plants a sweet-smelling moon garden. But before the nighttime creatures will return, Millie Fleur must convince the townspeople to be brave and turn out the lights.
I don’t think I can say
enough about Millie Fleur. Loved the first book, Millie Fleur's Poison Garden,
and loved this one, too.
She’s brave, inspiring,
smart and hopeful – she’s a teacher in her community.
The illustrations are
beautiful, creative, and amusing.
It reminds me a bit of the
animated film, Monsters, Inc. where we can see how easy it is to be afraid of
the dark, but getting to know the monsters and that they aren’t that scary,
allows us to be more knowledgeable and less afraid. I wish I could buy all
those plants – from both books.
Learning more about night
creatures made me feel a bit badly about my solar yard lights, even though I love
them so. I hope they’re not too bright for the night bugs and animals.
We can all learn a thing or
two from Millie and you don’t even know she’s doing it. So fun! And, I heard
there’s a book three on the way!
Little Big Man by Varian
Johnson, Reggie Brown (illustrator)
From the publisher, Scholastic Press:
available May 6, 2025
Elijah can't wait to take
his brand-new kite for its first flight! But Daddy comes home with some bad
news... he has to work this weekend. After all, a new baby means extra work for
everyone. Can Elijah step up and be a little big man at home while Daddy's
gone?
Beloved children's book
author, Varian Johnson, stresses the importance of stepping up and helping
out... and making sure to have time to play at the end of the day
This beautiful book shows a strong role model in both father and son, and a family story.
Elijah learns what growing
up and being responsible means. Elijah is allowed to figure out what that means
to him and how it manifests in his work. Elijah also sees how to have fun and
the importance of that and having family time.
The father’s storyline and
Elijah’s storyline parallel each other. They work hard and then they can play
hard. Thoughtful and empowering and thoroughly adorable, if a book could be a
hug, I think this might be it.
