I love it when children’s material pulls a sardonic tone. I understand that we must stay as positive as possible in the classroom, but I enjoy it when a book can be more realistic. As I walked past this, I did a double-take. The title seemed so clearly negative to me, but I immediately empathized. I have caught myself saying I hate everything, but I don’t have anyone standing there correcting me like our ghost friend. The use of color throughout the entire thing helps bring home emotion. I feel like this would do numbers in a classroom management type deal, or just help a lil kiddo manage some misplaced negativity.

Change Sings did not grab my attention in the most positive light. The cover reminds me of Martin's Big Words, and I dreaded seeing that book in my classroom growing up. It was so boring. I picked this book up not knowing that the author, Amanda Gorman, is an incredibly famous poet. I read through the first time and thought to myself, ‘boy, those were some rhymes.’ A second read, I can understand Gorman used poetry in the appropriate manner, but I was in the wrong headspace to appreciate it. I figure the title says it all: a children’s anthem. It reads very much like song lyrics. I can see a music teacher using this in a lesson.

What kind of name is Barnaby anyway? I glanced at the title and turned back around because I was thinking there were too many syllables in the title for it to be appropriate as a children’s book. The cover reminded me of the poster for a scary movie released last year called Imaginary. Same dark background, big title font, and stuffed animal placed dead center. This book is also very thick, so I was interested but quickly grew bored. The story was not interesting. I wonder if the concept of a classroom pet is too niche. This book would be clever to read the day a pet is presented for the class and draws on how easy it could be to forget about an ‘old’ pet versus a shiny new one. Much like how Toy Story goes, I believe, a caregiver could also bring it out when a child grows bored with a new toy despite having begged for it for ages.

Dungeons and Dragons has rekindled a love for tabletop gaming and folklore in me that I have not felt since I was a very small child. In D&D, I regularly bring up fictional creatures like dragons or mermaids. So, the cover for this book drew my eyes like no other. My ex-boyfriend’s name is also Devin, so I felt a shiver down my spine. Obviously, when reading this book to children, I would do my best not to let those adult feelings shine through in the reading. I will be thankful that his name brought me to this great book. Much like Gustavo and our ghost friend in I Hate Everything, the baby dragon in this story was also seen as an odd one out for behaving in a non-conformist manner. I believe that everyone is beautiful and unique in their own way. I would read this book to anyone who believes they aren’t.