OTTO AND THE STORY TREE by Vivien Mildenberger Everyone needs purpose in life. Everyone needs connection. OTTO is no different. OTTO is a grumpy old stork. He would somewhat remind you of Dicken's Scrooge in his mannerisms. The thing is he's let everything in his life go because as he says, "what's the point? One day he notices a little seed on the floor. For some reason, OTTO begins to tell the little seed about all the amazing things he's done and seen in his many years. The little seed begins to grow, and Otto lets it be. The sprout grows bigger and bigger until it is an enormous tree growing out of the roof of his house. The touching part of the book is the connection the tree helps to provide for Otto. Unbeknownst to him at first, little animals were settling into the branches of the tree to hear his stories. As he wraps up his story one night, a small voice comes down from a branch begging him not to stop, and so he continues. OTTO has found his purpose, and his connection. This book is touchingly sweet. There are multiple ways to view this story. 1. The blessing of our elders and the benefit of them speaking into our lives with their knowledge, wisdom, and memories. 2. Realizing that no matter our age, everyone needs purpose and connection in life. It's how we are wired. It's important that we help that happen for our kids, teens, and ourselves in a variety of ways. A simple picture book has me evaluating things we have been a part of and asking myself about the value of their purpose and connection. You never know where a book will take you! Also, I love the illustrations in this book. The grays, blacks, and dark blues at the start of the story evolve into pages with peach tones, light blue, and green punctuations. I love the swirly texture created by a variety of media that gives the text a deeper level of meaning.

THE LAST DRAGON ON MARS by Scott R.eintgen Take a cup of sci-fi and add a splash of fantasy. Sprinkle in a pinch of Greek mythology and top off with a trace of dystopian flair. Mix it all together and pour into a rectangular pan to set. Check back in an indefinite amount of time. If you followed your recipe correctly, The Last Dragon on Mars is what you will see.  Every planet, every moon, every star is inhabited by a dragon. These dragons are borderline "god-like presences" on their planet, star, or moon. Earth was inhabited by the dragon,Gaia,(bring in our Greek Mythology - Gaia is considered the mother of earth - of all life) who gave up her life sacrificially to make Earth a habitable place for humans. When the room began to run out on Earth, humans looked to expand to Mars. But Ares, the Dragon of Mars, had no desire to give up his life to make it livable. A war ensued, and Ares was killed. As he died, he cursed Mars causing the living conditions to degrade with each passing year. Enter in present day and Lunar Jones. Lunar Jones is a 13-year-old living in a relocation center (orphanage). Survival is dependent on salvaging and selling valuable goods left over from the Mars war left buried in the sand. When a salvage hunt turns into a race for life and death, Lunar stumbles on a secret hidden in Mars' underground depths that could mean the saving of the planet for the human race. HEADS UP- This book is squeaky clean in language and relationship areas. However, it does allude to some Eastern Mysticism. There is reference to meditation to create internal peace and a oneness between the planets and their dragons creating life.

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING by J.R.R. Tolkien The Fellowship of the Ring is a story of burden, responsibility, courage, friendship, and the ongoing fight between good and evil. Themes worth reading, pondering and discussing fill the pages. Every one of us, at some point, carries a burden in life like Frodo - something that we bear until its finality, its destruction. Quests like this require trusted sojourners around us - protectors, leaders, wise council and loyal friendship. If a reader looks close enough, they may be able to find themselves within the characters. Are they carrying a burden like Frodo? Are they a loyal and trusted friend like Sam? Are they a protector like Aragorn? Life can feel like its full of mountains, Orcs, Saurons and Ringwraiths, but it also consists of Rivendells, Lothloriens, Galadriels and Elronds - places of rest, refreshment and wisdom gathering. Recently, I read through The Fellowship of the Ring with a group of high schoolers. As always there were those that loved the quest and the elements of fantasy that surround it and those that weren't crazy about Tolkien's wordy manner. (I encouraged them to focus on the main thread of the book and divorce from their mind the extra explanations on everything that caused them to sometimes get muddled in the mire themselves.). However, the self application that can occur when viewing our lives through the story causes us to think on a higher level. One that helps us see that no matter where we are, there is hope of getting through. HEADS UP- There are moments of magic in the book.

MANDY by Julie Andrews Edwards Often when we think of Julie Andrews we think of her roles in movies such as The Sound of Music and Princess Diaries. However, she has authored a few books as well. This particular one is a bit of a cross between The Secret Garden and Gone Away Lake. Mandy is a 10-year-old orphan girl that desperately wants a place of her own. One day she breaks the rules and climbs over the orchard wall and begins to explore the wooded area next door. Imagine her surprise when she stumbles upon an abandoned cabin. Even though it doesn't belong to her and she's breaking the rules, she begins to tidy the place up, plant a little garden, and make it her own. Secrets like this are impossible to keep secret forever though, and thankfully for Mandy, her secret is revealed in the nick of time. HEADS UP- Mandy does lie to keep the cottage a secret. She takes things from the orphanage to furnish her little cottage with. One curse word is used - d*****. One G** is used as well.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, CURIOUS GEORGE by N. Di Angelo in the style of H.A. and Margret Rey I know it's the day before Valentine's Day, but that means there's just enough time left to slide one more book in for the holiday! One of you great members mentioned that this book was being enjoyed in your home! Well, just like I mentioned with Little Critter, my kids grew up on Curious George. How could I pass that up? And just like with The Little Critter Valentine's book, when my daughter opened the shipping box and saw Curious George, out it came and upstairs to bed it went with her to read before she fell asleep. Illustrated in the similar H.A. and Margret Rey style and full of fold out flaps, this book is a fun nod to the original Curious George. I will say that while George does get into some scrapes due to his curiosity, it is a bit tamer than the original monkey who painted on the wall of an apartment, called the fire department, swallowed a puzzle piece, and more. Still, it's great fun and a good addition to our Valentine's book collection!

ALL THE BLUES IN THE SKY by Renee Watson 2026 Winner of the Newbery Medal I'm going to step out on a limb here and say this would not have been my pick for the Newbery Medal. I have struggled a bit back and forth with what I'm going to say, but this book is very heavy with grief and loss, and in a world that constantly seems heavy, I would have preferred a breath of fresh air for the Newbery Medal. There is a definite place for this book, and that maybe would have included a Newbery Honor instead. All the Blues in the Sky starts off with the statement, " I didn't know best friends could die." It's Sage's 13th birthday, and her best friend is hit by a drunk driver while crossing the street. The book tells the story of Sage's journey as she navigates all of her grief: the guilt she feels, all of the things she and her best friend would have been doing, but the biggest part focuses on the grief group she attends and the relationships she builds there. The grief group is made up of 5 girls: Sage, Ebony whose father died unexpectedly from a heart attack, Zay whose grandmother died peacefully in her sleep after being in hospice, Ana whose twin sister passed away from leukemia, and DD's brother who was "murdered by the police." (There are some pages dedicated to this topic.) SPOILER ALERT It takes a lot of time understandably to work through all of the grief, but by the end of the book, Sage begins to realize that she has formed friendships with a couple of the girls from the grief group and that it's okay. They're new and different and won't replace her friendship that she lost. Just when it feels like things are starting to move forward, Sage learns that her beloved aunt has incurable cancer. The ultimate lesson that Sage learns is that if she lives (because death can be very unexpected and can happen often) and has children someday, she will teach them it's okay to cry, to love deeply, and to "feel it all."

THE LADYBUG PARTY (BOOK 17 in the Sophie Mouse series) by Poppy Green. Illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell I am continuing to grow my Sophie Mouse collection. Even though I don't have kids in the early chapter book years anymore, these books have a place in my collection for all the youngsters that come and visit! These precious early chapter books continue to be a favorite of mine for young readers. In the most recent book that I read, The Ladybug Party, Sophie is helping a friend prepare a welcome home party for her grandmother. When Sophie decides she doesn't need to write down the things she's responsible for, she ends up making mistakes and getting a few of the party details mixed up. It might take a little extra work, but Sophie has a plan that should make things right. These books are darling with good character building situations engrained into the stories! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

BEHIND THE BADGE: ANSWERING THE CALL TO SERVE ON AMERICA'S HOMEFRONT by Johnny Joey Jones Johnny Joey Jones takes us behind the scenes to get an understanding about what it means to be a first responder in today's world. Exposing us to a wide variety of jobs in the emergency response field, we get to hear first hand from the men and women about what brought them into the job roles they have chosen and what life looks like day in and day out while on the clock. The good things, the bad things, the immense stresses, the rewards: all are opened up and exposed. Some of the jobs represented in the book are firefighter, game warden, deputy, police sergeant, swat sniper, border patrol, sheriff and more. Reading these stories helps to reinforce a respect for the men and women that are committed each day to going out to serve and protect. HEADS UP- I did GREEN LIGHT this book with CAUTION. There are several parts that are not easy to read about with what these men and women deal with. The stories are not overly gruesome with detail but situations are tough and death is harsh. There are a couple of stories with language. Two contain f-bombs. One story is rough with language. However, most of the stories are profanity free.

THE WINTER ROSE by Melanie Dobson The Winter Rose is a gorgeously written Christian historical fiction story following two points in history. The first thread is set in 1943 where American Grace Tonquin is desperately trying to rescue Jewish children from the Nazis and get them out of France. The second thread is set in Oregon in 2003. Addie Hoult is trying to find members of the Tonquin family to help a man, Charlie, who has become a father figure to her. He urgently needs a bone marrow transplant to save his life from a genetic disease that is destroying his body. The problem is Charlie won't tell Addie anything about his past. There are secrets and guilt there that he would rather take to his grave than reveal. Addie refuses to accept this and sets out to find the answers and hopefully healing for the man that was once a teenager that made his way across the mountains of France in an attempt to begin a new life. HEADS UP- There is a point in the story that you find out that adultery happened in a relationship. There are no details given to the relationship. It just brings understanding to why one of the main characters is dealing with a lot of pain in their life. There is also a point where you think a rape may occur, but it is stopped.

USBORNE'S ILLUSTRATED STORIES FROM CHINA Retold by Rosie Dickins and ANDREW Prentice. Illustrated by Li Weiding I have often talked about how in my upper elementary years I really loved to read tales from other countries. There was a series that our local library had, and I often would have one of the books in my pile to take home. I loved getting a taste of other cultures this way. Understanding how that culture lived, what they valued, a bit of family relationships, what they ate, experiencing their folktales, being exposed to geographical elements from the land are all pieces that show up in these stories. Illustrated Tales From China is no different. This particular edition features 13 stories from all over China. The introduction in the book explains that these stories were told sometimes with the purpose of entertainment, sometimes to teach a lesson or impart a bit of wisdom, sometimes to honor a Chinese holiday, etc. Each story is paired with beautiful illustrations created by Li Weiding who was a well known Chinese artist and professor. They are rich in color done in the traditional Chinese watercolor style. Overall, this is a great edition. HEADS UP- As would be expected, there is magic in some of the stories. There are also references to religious aspects/beliefs of the Chinese people. One story in particular, The Monkey King, mentions some interactions with demons.

LIGHT AND AIR by Mindy Nichols Wendell  This was a very clear choice to add to my TOP PICKS of 2026 collection! LIGHT AND AIR is a beautifully written historical fiction book about a family who deals with the effects of tuberculosis during a time when there was very little to fight against it. The moving story is set in 1935 against the backdrop of rural western New York at a sanatorium called J.N. Adam Tuberculosis Hospital which really existed. Very little was known about how to fight the disease that attacked the lungs and caused a harsh cough that often produced blood. What was known was that lots of time spent in the sunshine along with cool air to breathe made a difference for many suffering from the illness. Both Halle and her mother are diagnosed with the dreaded disease. They are both quickly sent off to J.N. Adam Tuberculosis Hospital to try and recover from the physically wasting disease that steals the breath and strength of those afflicted by it. Separated at the hospital, Halle is put in a building that houses children while her mother is placed in a building designed for the care of adults. Daily subjected to the bright sunshine and cool air temperatures, Halle slowly begins to recover, but for some reason her mother does not. Halle thinks she might know the reason why and begins to formulate a plan to help her out. HEADS UP- This story is extremely heartwarming, but there is a lot of sadness as well. I don't want to spoil anything, but tuberculosis at this time in history was not an easy disease to beat.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, LITTLE CRITTER by Mercer Mayer My kids all grew up reading the hilarious Little Critter books. We spent hours laughing over the funny things he got himself into but recognizing the reality of some of them! They are great! This year, I added the Valentine's Day book to our collection. As soon as my 7th grade daughter saw it in the book order box I received, she scooped it up and it went to bed with her to read before falling asleep. There is such a sweet innocence with this little guy who tries his hardest to do his best, and you just have to love the humorous results! Be sure and look on the pages for the spider and mouse that accompany him everywhere! We love spotting them in the pictures!