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A woman with pink hair hugs the children's book Plenty of Hugs outside

Plenty of Hugs! A quick review

Ready for some happy endorphins? Read Plenty Of Hugs!

Plenty of Hugs! A quick review Read More »

A woman with pink hair holds the children's book Let's Get Boba outside in front of a tree

Let’s Get Boba!

Let’s Get Boba! We can start with this wonderful picture book until we get the real thing.

Let’s Get Boba! Read More »

Three children sit in brown fall leaves under tree with text, "I'll be there for you: picture books about friendship"

I’ll Be There For You – Picture Books About Friends

In honor of the Friends reunion, here are some of our favorite books about friendship for preschool readers.

I’ll Be There For You – Picture Books About Friends Read More »

A woman holds the kids book Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix outside with a sun flare

Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix

The man, the myth, the noodle legend: Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix is a handwritten love note from Los Angeles disguised as a kids book.

Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix Read More »

Picture of digital children's book The Adventures of Prince and Theodore shown on a silver laptop

The Adventures of Prince and Theodore – A children’s book about the magic of family

The Adventures of Prince and Theodore is a magical children’s book about family that will have you feeling the feels.

The Adventures of Prince and Theodore – A children’s book about the magic of family Read More »

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Anna at Culver City Kiddo with stickers

Hi! I’m Anna, mom to a preschooler and a rescue dog. We read loads of picture books. Learn more here.

Recent Posts

  • Picture books for starting Kindergarten
  • Picture books for helping kids through the Ukraine conflict
  • Quick review: Our Table by Peter H. Reynolds
  • Quick Review: The Night Santa Got Lost: How NORAD Saved Christmas

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Friends, I am mad right now. And feeling helpless. Friends, I am mad right now. And feeling helpless. Are you? I can’t change the Supreme Court today. It feels like there’s so much I can’t do. But what I CAN do is read powerful books with my kid to help instill important values. Like asking questions and listening to the answers. Using our voice, and helping speak for people who have lost their voices. And working super-duper hard. We’re going to need all of these skills if we’re going to change the outrageous rulings that have been coming down from SCOTUS. So tonight, read The World Needs More Purple People by Kristen Bell and Benjamin Hart. Help build a smarter, kinder, more inclusive generation. . . . #TheWorldNeedsMorePurplePeople #KristenBell #BenjaminHart #PurplePeople #SCOTUS #DoSomething #KidsBooks #PictureBooks #ReadToYourKids #ReadingMatters #BooksForKids #ChildrensBooks #KidsBookshelf #BooksBooksBooks #Bookstgram
My words get stuck too, but not for the reason you My words get stuck too, but not for the reason you might think. Wanda’s words get stuck because she’s is tremendously shy. And it’s ok! She has people around her who are loving and supportive and understand who she is. But one day her friend is in trouble, and Wanda’s voice comes out full of power to help. I love this book for a lot of reasons. But mostly, right now I love it because we figuratively need to use our voice with everything happening in the world. Our kids included. And Wanda demonstrates how, yes it’s scary, yes it’s uncomfortable, yes we feel like we can’t, and yet somehow when it matters you can find a way. The illustrations by @paulabowles_illustrator are so captivating! The story, written by Lucy Rowland, is set in this absolute gem of a rhyme that makes it a blast to read out loud. My words get stuck sometimes because I have a neurological response to gluten that causes my muscles to freeze, including in my jaw. The words are literally stuck. Of you have a kiddo experiencing something similar, they’re not alone! There’s a link in my bio to this book and others that are helping our family understand what’s happening in the Ukraine. I hope they help you too! . . . #PictureBooks #WandasWordsGotStuck #LucyRowland #PaulaBowles #KidsBookstagram #ReadToYourKids #childrensBooks #KidsBooks #ReadingIsFun #BooksForKids
A list of picture books our family is reading to h A list of picture books our family is reading to help understand what’s happening in the Ukraine and what we can each do to help (even as a preschooler). #LinkInBio, I hope they’re helpful for your family too. #StandWithUkraine #PictureBooks #BooksForKids #ChildrensBooks #ReadersOfInstagram #Bookstagram
Looking for a gentle bedtime read? How To Be A Lio Looking for a gentle bedtime read? How To Be A Lion by Ed Vere is a favorite of all our family members, even Katie! This sweet book introduces a lion and a duck who are besties. When the fiercer lions want Leonard to chomp his duck friend Marianne, Leonard goes through a moment of sadness and identity questioning. But together Leonard and Marianne create a lovely little poem showing there’s more than one way to be a lion. A great read for little people figuring out who they want to be. And a really lovely bedtime story. By @ed_vere, who wrote/illustrated another family favorite Max the Brave. Suggested for 3-7 year olds. 🦁 🦆 #EdVere #HowToBeALion #MaxTheBrave #KidsBooks #PictureBooks #BedtimeStory #KidsBookstagram #RaisingReaders #Reading #PreschoolReading #KidsBook #PictureBookOfTheDay #PictureBookRecommendations #KidsBooksWeLove
If you're looking for more enjoyable family connec If you're looking for more enjoyable family connections this year, Our Table by @peterhreynolds is the book for you. This is the story of Violet, who had a magic table that disappeared as her family stopped spending time together. They were watching tv or their phones and not gathering around the table like they used to. So Violet, a kid (not even a big kid!) finds a way to get everyone off their screens by engaging them in the things they love. We loved how Violet identified something that she wanted and found a creative solution. Way to problem solve Violet! Of course, our family loves anything by Peter H. Reynolds. Say Something, The Dot, I Am Human (and all the other I Am books) are favorites and in constant rotation. Our Table was a great bedtime read for this preschool fam! Would be good for 3-7 year olds. Also great for siblings and nontraditional families! #LinkInBio . . . #OurTable #PeterHReynolds #KidsBooks #PictureBook #KidsRead #BooksForKids #Reading #AmReading #ReadWithKids #ChildrensBooks #ChildrensBooksIllustration #KidsBookstagram #PictureBookstagram #BooksWeLove #bookish #parents #PictureBooks #LACountyLibrary
Do you follow Santa through NORAD every year? We d Do you follow Santa through NORAD every year? We do, and I had no idea it was all started from a typo! The Night Santa Got Lost: How NORAD Saved Christmas is one of my favorite new holiday traditions. This book was unexpectedly emotional! It’s a beautiful tribute to the armed services all over the world. We leaned heavily into how all the soldiers and pilots and everyone else came to help Santa and all the kids in all the countries. What I love most is the historical info at the end. Did you know that NORAD came about when Sears misprinted a phone number for Santa, mistakenly sending kids to speak with the Army? By the end of the day the Colonel on duty had started “tracking” Santa to give the callers updates on his jolly whereabouts, and NORAD was born! Such a cool story! We loved this one. #LinkInBio Written by Michael Keane, illustrated by Michael Garland. #TheNightSantaGotLost #HowNORADsavedChristmas #HolidayBooks #NORAD #ChristmasBooks #Santa #PictureBooks #KidsBooks #BooksForKids #PictureBook #ChristmasBooks #HolidayBooksForKids #HolidayReading #LAparents #LAmom #momLife #RaisingLittles #ChristmasCheer #HolidaySeason #LosAngeles #Reading #BooksBooksBooks #ArmedServices #ThankYou
Get this holiday book! It will make your family gi Get this holiday book! It will make your family giggle and bring the joy of the season right on home! #LinkInBio, or check your library. A Tuba Christmas is about Ava, who lives in a family of musicians. They want her to play the piano or the flute, but Ava wants to play the tuba! And she does, even when kids at school make fun of her and when it’s heavy and when she’s not great at it. But with some practice and a great music teacher she ends up having an uproariously fun experience. We were cheering along! A winner of a holiday book, with a great message about making your own choices and finding people who support you. Recommend for the 3-7 crowd. By Helen Wilbur, illustrated by @maryreavesuhles. Published by @sleepingbearpress #ATubaChristmas #HolidayBooks #KidsBooks #HelenWilbur #MaryReavesUhles #SleepingBearPress #booksForKids #LAparents #LAmoms #BedtimeStory #kidsRead #ChildrensBooks #ChristmasBooks #stories #ReadWithKids #WhatWeRead #KidsInstruments #TubaForKids #AmReading #HolidayBooks #PictureBooks #FunnyBookFriday #Parenting #ReadAloud
“Everybody needs help sometimes.” 👈 We’v “Everybody needs help sometimes.” 👈 We’ve had a sick kiddo for more than a week, and I am grateful that we could afford healthcare and healthy food and the things he needed to recover. It hasn’t always been that way. I’ve been so broke that I ate watered down ice cream for dinner. Everyone falls on tough times. With a food/gratitude centered holiday just around the corner, it’s important for us to deepen our conversations about giving back. Wow, this book answered that call. This bright and engaging picture book helps our littles understand the rainbow of feelings around receiving help from a food pantry, and how we all have something to give. Even a crayon drawing can change someone’s day. I love the inclusive characters. And… there’s just a warm, welcoming feeling that comes off the pages. You know it’s a winner when your kid asks to read it multiple times! Saturday At The Food Pantry is written by @dianeon3, illustrated by @sweetbeyond, and published by @albertwhitman. We are in a place to give back right now and I am so grateful. If you’re in that place too, please consider paying it forward. If you need some inspiration, I am humbled by the work being done to support moms and babies through @harvesthomela. Please consider supporting them. #SaturdayAtTheFoodPantry #DianeONeill #BrigidaMagro #PictureBook #FoodInsecurity #FoodPantry #GiveBack #KidsBooks #PictureBooks #BooksForKids #DiversityMatters #DiverseBooks #FoodSecurity #FoodPantry #Thanksgiving #LAmoms #BrizidaMagro #WhatWeRead #BooksAboutPoverty #ThisBookMatters #readersOfIG #Kidsbookstgram #kidsbookstagrammer #PictureBookRecommendation #HarvestHome #Parenting
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