I have not been too good with doing mini reviews, and most times when I say mini, I end up saying more than the number of words in those picture books themselves, but this time, I hope to keep them mini(er) as I have tons of catching up to do on books (way over)due for review

So here it is, my first edition of mini reviews: picture books edition, for 2020.

The Mini Reviews: Picture Books

Hurry Home, Harriet

Harriet is having a bad day – it is her birthday! What? You ask? How is it a bad day then? Well, all her friends have forgotten her birthday so she has to have a lonesome celebration with herself. On her way home, she meets her friends as they hurry elsewhere and greets them, but not one remembers to wish her. Until the very end when….. but I don’t want to ruin the surprise!!!

A book with cute and colorful illustrations with details that kids will enjoy pointing out. It might also inspire them to try drawing some of the more simpler illustrations in the book. The book also includes discussion questions and fun activities around birthdays and celebrating them.

Conclusion: A cute addition for young readers

A Million Dots

Combining minimalist design concepts with math, this clever and stunningly executed book helps introduce mind-boggling numbers and concepts in an easy to understand format for its young readers.

It shows how we can go from one to over a million within a few (40) pages. As the numbers get doubled from page to page and get larger, the number of dots in the accompanying illustrations increase as well. Another effect of that – the dots become smaller and get closer to each other, and more space is needed to display all of them. (Note: in the eARC, I was able to note that the last illustrations were longer than the others, but the printed copy includes gatefolds that pull out to up to four feet in length!)

This STEM read for young ones is an ideal and unique platform for discussions of math and art (pointillism, for example), and one I know I am gifting the hardback copy to myself soon!

Conclusion: A mathemagical must-have for your library!

The Kingdom of Nothing

This book is worth having in any library simply for its powerful, yet obvious message, that material possessions are nothing compared to the intangibles and to all the natural beauty that is around us for everyone to enjoy, to be truly happy! That is something indeed!

The illustrations are simple, yes, but fitting for this book’s message, and are totally adorable! And while we all know that the best things in life are those intangibles, the book brings this across in a way that will keep you smiling all along and leave you with that warm feeling in your heart.

Side note: I did wonder where they lived and slept and… based on what I read, but well, those are possible discussions in addition to the more important ones when you read this with the little ones..

Conclusion: Yes, get it for yourself and for those you love!

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley for the digital review copies of ‘The Kingdom of Nothing’ and ‘Hurry Home, Harriet’ and to Edelweiss for the digital review copy of ‘A Million Dots’ . These thoughts are my honest opinions of the book.

And then, the end of this post..

So dear reader, what are recent picture books you have read (and enjoyed)? Do let me know so I can check those out (don’t worry about my Mt.Everest TBR)!

And now, .. Yes, the End of this Post

Here are my previous posts for the month:

• Life is a Circus
• How Impressions Transcend Time
• My Lit List: 3 Free Reading Websites for Kids
• The Rocking Horse Winner
• Sunday Scribblings #20: In the Year 2020, We Will
• 2020 Reading Challenges – Join the Fun!
• Resolution – a firm decision to do or not to do something
• A Resolution To Keep the Resolutions We Make
• On the First Day of the Decade, My …