Sometimes, it’s nice to go into your local library and just randomly choose books from the picture book section. I did that last week and I’ve been reading the books on and off ever since.

Lily actually sat down and listened to most of them, which was unusual, but nice. Honestly, you guys, it’s hard not having a kid-under-six in the house anymore. Both Lily and Vivi are novel readers now. Novel readers! How do I have an almost-eleven year old and almost-nine year old? Weren’t they just babies? Weren’t they just toddlers?

How are they this old?!

Ahem.

Lily LOVES Roald Dahl, Louis Sacher and Judy Blume. Vivi also loves Judy Blume, Shannon Hale’s Squirrel Girl, and anything high fantasy. So…they’ve got great taste, but they’re kinda past picture books.

But not mama! Mama still loves picture books deeply. So, without further ado, here’s a quick under-five-sentence review of each of the books I checked out of the library.

Meena’s Mindful Moment by Tina Athaide, illustrated by Asa Gilland – Meena reminds me of Vivi. She’s active and fun and busy — although not always at the right moments. Thankfully, she has a patient grandpa (Dada) who helps her learn to be more mindful and peaceful.

I’m A Shark! by Bob Shea – As you (might) know, I’m a pretty big Bob Shea fan. My favourite of his books is Chez Bob, but this one is pretty funny as well. Basically, Shark is afraid of nothing…but spiders. Which, if you think about it for a minute, is kind of silly.

Olivia Wrapped In Vines by Maude Nepveu-Villeneuve, illustrated by Sandra Dumais – Olivia is a girl who is dealing with anxiety. Using vines as a metaphor to represent anxiety is really clever — and very apt. Solange, the teacher, is amazing and shows how a gentle, calm person can really help someone who is struggling.

Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem by Mac Barnett, Illustrated by Adam Rex – So, you know how sometimes you think a book is going to be one way, and it turns out to be another way? Yeah, that was this book for me. I felt like I sort of didn’t get it — it was a strange mish-mash of facts (like what baleen is made of/the size of a blue whale) and completely unrealistic situations (it drove me nuts that the blue whale spent most of the book living outside of the ocean). The art was phenomenal. The story was…just not my cup of tea.

We Are (Not) Friends by Anna Kang, Illustrated by Christopher Weyant – A super-simple story of three friends trying to get along. Friendship trios never seem to work out very well, because you always have two that go off together and one that…well, ends up alone. In this case, the furry critters worked it out after a few missteps. This would be a sweet read for a preschool class.

It’s always good to see what’s being published these days. I’ll head back to the library next week for another round of books!