Skip to main content

Super Book: . . . and Nick




. . . and Nick
By Emily Gore
Illustrated by Leonid Gore
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015. Picture Book.

Nick is a mouse with three brothers: Rick, Mick, and Vick. Each one is confident in what he wears, eats, and wants to be when he grows up. Nick, on the other hand, isn’t quite sure. One day the brothers go out to the meadow to pick flowers for their mom, each one finding the perfect flower—except Nick, who finds only a sprout but takes it home anyway because he likes it. It isn’t until the next day when the sprout has bloomed into a beautiful flower that everyone else sees the potential of the sprout like Nick did.

Written by a father-daughter team, this picture book shows that even though a child might not know where he or she fits in the world, in time, just like the flower he or she will find the right time to bloom. The cheerful textured illustrations add to the optimistic feel of the storyline.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...

Books That Take You There: Hawaii

As summer turns to fall, I always wish for more warm days before the cold comes. So if you, like me,  want to ship yourself to a tropical paradise, try out one of these books that will take you straight to Hawaii, even if it's only in your imagination. Aloha Everything Written by Kaylin Melia George Illustrated by Mae Waite Brooklyn, NY: Red Comet Press, 2024. Picture Book. This book, which won the 2025 APALA Award for Best Picture Book, tells the story of a Hawaiian girl who gains connection to her culture through hula. She learns about her ancestors, native folklore, and the true meaning of aloha. This book, which is written in verse, is lengthy and is probably better for elementary-aged kids rather than toddlers, but kids will be drawn in by the excellent story and the gorgeous, bright illustrations. Punky Aloha By Shar Tuiasoa New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2022. Picture Book. Punky's grandmother needs butter to make her fresh, baked from scratch b...

Dragon Run

Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...