Children's Book Reviews
for Kids of All Sizes

skip to the Children's Book Reviews * Dr. Seuss book reviews * Caldecott Medal reviews * Newbery Medal reviews * More book awards * Books as therapy/books for issues * Classics * 20th century best-sellers * African-American * Native American * Multicultural books * Christian * Recent best-sellers * NY Times Best Illustrated Books * Mysteries * Science * Science Fiction * Poetry * Holiday and occasion books Most Recent Reviews * Blowing Bubbles * Once I Ate a Pie * The Last Princess: The Story of Princess Ka’iulani of Hawai’i Guess what? We're looking for more children's book reviewers Children's book reviews by age Ages 0-3 Ages 3-5 Ages 5-8 Age guidelines are a ROUGH measure for younger children. A book at a 1st grade reading level can be read TO a 2 year old! Ages 8-11 Teen and Young Adult Classic Children's Literature   Authors Looking to have your children's book reviewed?

Note from Steve Barancik:

For a long time, this site only had the few children's book reviews I'd found time to write...

Then I put out word that the site was looking for a book reviewer. And then the perfect one walked in the (virtual) door.

And then in walked a second. And a third. Suddenly I'm swimming in children's book reviews!

These people don't just meet my highest expectations; they exceed them. I think you'll agree when you read their work.

P.J. Rooks (PJR) is mom to little Claire. Thus, she's our specialist in books for young children. Here's P.J.'s bio.

P.J. has a special interest in books that promote emotional and intellectual intelligence and awareness. And by the way: P.J. only reviews books that she recommends!

Suzanne Holland (SH) has been a kindergarten teacher for nine years, indulging her love of writing with humorous (but informational!) web updates for the moms and dads of her students.

Her kids' books specialty is younger children, but she also brings us a love of elementary books, especially biographies, history, mysteries, and Christian, as well as science and nature. You'll almost sense the children gathered on the floor around her feet as you read her children's book reviews!

Read Suzanne Holland's bio.

Sarah Denslow (SD) is a recent college graduate (Ivy League! Honors degree in English Literature!) who now teaches preschool. She enjoys fantasy/magical books aimed at older kids, and of course picture books.

When reading her children's book reviews, know that she prefers books that encourage good values and behavior. Sarah also does a fair amount of writing for herself. Ask her about her 60 page paper on Beowulf!

Read Sarah Denslow's bio.

Ramona Davis (RD) is a poet, an essayist, and a writer of fiction. She owned a publishing company, organizes and teaches writing workshops, and owns a professional editing service. She volunteers as an adult literacy tutor as well.

Ramona has a degree in Creative Writing and credits her parents with her love of books and reading.

Read Ramona Davis's bio.

Dimitrios Sokolakis (DS) lives and works in Athens, Greece as a managerial employee. That’s probably the happy ending after a BA degree in Business Studies and an MBA from two different UK Universities. During his spare time, Dimitrios and his wife love to escape from reality by coming up with beautiful children’s stories, getting help from their lovely daughters’ unlimited imagination.

Read Dimitrios Sokolakis's bio.

Natasha Withers (NW) is an only child whose mom knew to load her up with books books books to help fill the time! As a college student, Natasha rediscovered her love of children's books (and creative writing). She's working on her own book series, and she does everything she can to keep her younger cousins as excited about reading as she is.

Read Natasha Withers' bio.

Jane Finch (JF) has been an English Family Law practitioner and a homeschooling mom. She resides in Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom. She likes books that strike a wholesome note.

An author herself, Jane specializes in UK children's book reviews and Christian children's books as well.

Read Jane Finch's bio.

Known for her essays and poetry, Suzanne Edison (SEE) now treats us to her children's book reviews. With backgrounds in psychotherapy and education, Suzanne aims to focus on poetry for children of all ages, nature, graphic fiction/non-fiction, non-religious spirituality, adoption, and anti-bias.

Read Suzanne Edison's bio.

Monica Friedman (MF) is a born writer, with the credits, the MFA, and the scarring to prove it. She's also got a tremendous sense of humor.

Read Monica Friedman's bio.

Karen Nelson (KN)

Karen is a stay at home mom with three kids, a Vet Tech degree from North Dakota State University, and a certificate in Medical Transcription.

Karen enjoys crafts, gardening, cooking, and reading. And that includes reading to her children, of course!

Read Karen Nelson's bio.

Isabella Thompson (IT) is a former homeschooling mother of four avid readers and holds high standards for the books she lets into her life. She "relish[es] books with love and compassion as the main theme and those that portray characters living true to themselves and influencing others to do likewise."

Read Isabella Thompson's bio.

Sherri Trudgian (ST) is a mother, grandmother and the author of the Psalms for Kidz series.

Sherri knows kids are "giant sponges," and she wants to make sure they soak up the good stuff. She reviews both secular and Christian children's books.

Read Sherri Trudgian's bio.

Tamara Splingaerd (TS) wants to be Eloise, but she's going to have to settle for reviewing Eloise. She's lived just about everywhere, but the one thing she always brings with her is her children's book library.

Blessed with a great sense of humor, she reviews from a parent's perspective - a parent who knows the kids always win. Her love of children's literature and her desire to write them mean we'll probably be reviewing her books before too long.

Read Tamara Splingaerd's bio.

Susan Syddall (SS) is a teacher with a Masters and a homeschooling mom of two in Australia. She's taught in both Australia and Hong Kong, she's set up a preschool, and the "book bag" she takes with her and the boys to the library is actually a box on wheels!

Read Susan Syddall's bio.

Rosalyne Bowmile (RB) is an artist who brings a background as a daycare director and degrees in both Sociology and Children's Media to the mix. She has a particular interest in children's novels (she blogs about them!). She hails from Toronto, Canada, and seems to find a lot of great British books we don't hear enough about.

Read Rosalyne Bowmile's bio.

Steve Barancik (SB) is the creator of this site and the author of the Children's Behavior Books. He is prouder than you can know that his site has attracted such a tremendous set of reviewers.

Steve believes that there's no better predictor of a child's future success than the degree of that child's interest in reading. That's why this site is devoted to helping parents keep their children interested!

Read Steve Barancik's ridiculously long bio.

Other Children's Book Reviewers:

• Carla Marie Boulianne (CB)
• Sarah Dempsey (DEMP)
• Billy Dickerson (BD)
• Tracey Fortkamp (TF)
• Leah Gray (LG)
• Ramona Heikel (RH)
• J. Anne Huss (JAH)
• Jessica McCarl (JM)
• Elizabeth Markoff (EM)
• Kimi McDiarmid (KM)
• L.D. Rafey (LDR)

How we bring you the best children's book reviews

Each children's book review you read on the site contains links to Amazon.com. When you buy a book through that link, our terrific reviewers make a little money, and you don't pay a penny more than you would have if you had surfed to Amazon directly.

Of course, we're big fans of libraries too. No matter where you live, we recommend WorldCat.org for finding books at the library nearest you.

Also, I'm a big fan of BookCloseOuts.com. They don't have every book, but the prices on the books they do have will blow you away. There's no better way to start an instant children's book library than paying a visit.

Finally, did you ever think a children's book might help your child overcome a problem behavior? It can. Learn more about my Child Behavior eBooks.

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Children's Book Reviews (with reviewer's initials) Ages 0-3 4 books that explain "how" PJR 5 books that teach compassion PJR Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? SB Caterpillar Dance SD The Chocolate-Covered-Cookie Tantrum PJR Dear Zoo SD Everyone Poops SB The Little Rabbit Who Liked to Say MOO SB Max's Breakfast MF Not Afraid of Dogs PJR While You Were Sleeping ST Will You Still Love Me? ST Ages 3-5 2 books about dogs PJR 5 books about compassion PJR 3 zany books picturing food PJR 4 alphabet books SH 5 books about starting school SH Back into Mommy's Tummy PJR Birds SD The Carrot Seed SEE Chicken Big DS A Crash Course for Molly PJR The Day We Danced in Underpants ST A Day with No Crayons SD Everywhere the Cow Says "Moo!" PJR Flip, Flap, Fly! ST How Smoolie Became a Shy-entist PJR I'm Big Enough TS I Like Cats MF Inside, Outside, Upside Down JF Kid Tea ST The Learning to Get Along series PJR The Llama Llama books SB LMNO Peas IT Mama's Wild Child/Papa's Wild Child PJR The Minerva Louise books PJR Mouse Paint SD My Little Sister, Doris JF Oh, I Am So Embarrassed! PJR One Naked Baby ST One of Each SD Our Tree Named Steve PJR Parsley Rabbit's Book about Books SS Pirates and Princesses KN A Pocket Full of Kisses DS Puddle's Big Step DS The Purple Balloon SB Round Trip SH Sheep in a Jeep SB Swim, Little Wombat, SWIM! JF That's Not Funny PJR Who Is Driving SD Yuck! That's Not a Monster! SS Ages 5-8 4 fractured fairy tales SH And to Think That We Thought That We'd Never Be Friends PJR Angels on a Pin PJR Anook the Snow Princess DS Apple Trouble! KN The "Arthur" books PJR Astronaut Handbook PJR A Bargain for Frances TS Beetle McGrady Eats Bugs PJR Blowing Bubbles SB Blueberry Girl NW A Boat Full of Animals SB The Boy Who Was Followed Home SD Captain Abdul's Pirate School SH Charlie Hits It Big KN Chase Danger, Super Spy SB Chicka Chicka Boom Boom SB Chickerella SB Christopher Nibble DS The Circus Ship ST Clever Cat SB The Curious Garden IT The Day They Parachuted Cats on Borneo PJR Diary of a Worm SB The Duchess of Whimsy ST The Eagle and the Wren SB Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct SB Ella's Big Chance: A Jazz-Age Cinderella SD The Emperor's Egg SH The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat DS The Fish Who Cried Wolf SB Frankly, Frannie RH The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes DS The Goat Lady SH Go, Dog. Go! SB Go-Go-Go! PJR Go, Huckle, Go! (Richard Scarry Schoolhouse Reader) SS Going to the Zoo SD Goodnight Goon PJR Green Wilma SB Grumblebunny MF Half a World Away PJR Hansel and Gretel MF How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? SD How to Heal a Broken Wing SH I Don't Want to Go ST I Went to the Party in Kalamazoo SB Instructions NW Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-This-World Moon-Pie Adventure PJR The Junie B. Jones books SB Just Another Ordinary Day SS Just Dog DS King Hugo's Huge Ego ST Ladybug Girl SB Leaf Man SD LaRue for Mayor: Letters from the Campaign Trail SB Last to Finish – A Story about the Smartest Boy in Math Class DS The Legend of the Golden Snail IT The Leprechaun in the Basement SH The Life of a Baby Bee SB The Life and Times of Lilly the Lash Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse SB The Little Brute Family DM The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear SD Llama Llama Mad at Mama PJR The Loathsome Dragon MF Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes SH The Magic Fish DS The Magic Tree House books PJR Mama Went to Jail for the Vote PJR Man Gave Names to All the Animals SD Mary Louise Loses Her Manners PJR Mermaid Sister TS Miss Nelson Is Missing SD Mister Seahorse SB Mungo and the Dinosaur Island SS The My First Little House (on the Prairie) books PJR The Night Before First Grade DS No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons) PJR Once I Ate a Pie MF Only Tadpoles Have Tails JF Other Goose SB The Patch ST The Piggy in the Puddle SD Pigsty JM Quiet Bunny ST The Quiltmaker's Gift SH The Rose and the Lily SB Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie SB Sam and The Jungle Band SB Serious Trouble SB Seven for a Secret JF Someone's Afraid of the Dark! DS Some Things Are Scary MF The Tale of Eartha the Sea Turtle SB There's an Alligator Under My Bed SD There's No Such Thing as a Dragon SD The Three Little Pigs SD The Three Silly Billies SS Topsy-Turvy Bedtime SB Totally Bored Boris DS Two Frogs JF The Ugly Vegetables PJR An Undone Fairy Tale SB Wait! No Paint! SS Way out in the Desert MF We Can Get Along JM Weird Parents MF What Are You So Grumpy About? SB Who's Been Here? A Tale in Tracks SD Wings of Icarus JF The Wonky Donkey SS Words Are Not for Hurting SH Yes We Can! JF You Got a Boogie SB You're a Good Sport, Miss Malarkey SB Ages 8-11 100 Cupboards RD Alex and the Ironic Gentleman SD Artemis Fowl NW d'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths MF Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring SEE Beezus and Ramona RH Behold...the Dragons! MF The Boy Who Drew Cats PJR Captain Underpants PJR Cautionary Tales for Children MF Coraline RB Dancing Home EM Darth Paper Strikes Back MF Diary of a Wimpy Kid SB The Dreamer IT Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat DEMP The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict SD The Ghost of Greyfriar's Bobby MF Grandmothers' Stories PJR The Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Book 1 - The Capture MF The Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Book 2 - The Journey MF The Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Book 3 - The Rescue MF The Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Book 4 - The Siege MF The Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Book 5 - The Shattering MF The Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Book 6 - The Burning MF The Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Book 7 - The Hatchling MF The Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Book 8 - The Outcast MF The Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Book 9 - The First Collier MF The Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Book 10 - The Coming of Hoole MF The Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Book 11 - To Be a King MF The Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Book 12 - The Golden Tree MF The Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Book 13 - The River of Wind MF The Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Book 14 - Exile MF The Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Book 15 - The War of the Ember MF Hank the Cowdog: The Case of the Blazing Sky EM The Heart of Cool MF The Hero Beowulf MF Karma Bites SB Knightley Academy RD MF Lucy and the Green Man MF The Magic of Finkleton RD Mozart in the Future SB Mummy Math RH The Mysterious Benedict Society SD The Name of This Book Is Secret MF Percy Jackson and the Olympians series SD The Rebellious Alphabet MF Return to Finkleton RD The Secret Series SD A Series of Unfortunate Events SD Sewing a Friendship SB Sewing a Friendship 2 SB Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland RH The Strange Case of Origami Yoda MF The Taking Tree MF Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos SD Toby Alone TF The Trolls SD The Ugly Truth (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #5) MF The Way We Work SB Wolf Brother RB Wonder Workers! How They Perform the Impossible PJR The Yggyssey MF Teen and Young Adult 13 Little Blue Envelopes RD Book of a Thousand Days SD The Borribles LG Dealing with Dragons KM Delirium TF Divergent TF Elegance of the Hedgehog LDR Endymion Spring SD Forever... RD From What I Remember... SB The Girl Who Could Fly KM Goblin Secrets MF Hands Up RB Little Boy Blue MF The Magic Circle MF Matched IT Maze Runner TF Mockingjay IT A Monster Calls RB Okay for Now SEE Over Sea, Under Stone SD The Perks of Being a Wallflower MF Pirates to the End Shiver TF The Silenced TF Solace of the Road RB Son of the Mob KM So You Want to Be a Wizard RD Stolen IT The Two Princesses of Bamarre KM The Warrior Heir DEMP What My Mother Doesn't Know MF The Wish List NW Classic and Award-Winning Children's Books How to Eat Fried Worms RD The Jungle Book JF The Lonely Doll SH The Phantom Tollbooth EM

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