Media Matters

 Book by Peter Brown. This was a charming story of a robot who is shipwrecked on an island and over time becomes a part of the natural community there. Life on the island could be seen as a metaphor for mortal life. Mortality is hard on everyone; we are bound to get dings and dents and dirtied. But we are also meant to learn and grow and change. And our purpose is to help people. Short chapters would make this a great read aloud for ages 8+. It does have a cliffhanger ending, so have book #2 (“The Wild Robot Escapes”) ready. The Wild Robot Escapes is just as charming as the first, and it has a very satisfying ending with closure as a duology. NOTE: The 3rd installment in the series (“The Wild Robot Protects”) wasn’t terrible; it just felt completely unnecessary. Book 2 has a very satisfying ending and that is where I would recommend readers stop. This book’s plot was boring and felt more preachy even though it’s difficult to say exactly what the message was. Humans are bad, nature ...

 Picture book by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros. I loved this book as a way to introduce the idea of a refugee and treating people with kindness and welcome. It’s really well done!

 Board book by Caroline Jayne Church. Rhythmic rhymes, sweet illustrations, and a great message make this a perfect gift for a new big brother or sister.

 Picture book by Jane Whittingham. Each page introduces a photo of a baby animal moving, and a photo of a child moving in a similar way. A great way to learn baby animal names and get some wiggles out!

 Board book by Ruth A. Musgrave I love how they used beautiful pictures of the natural world to teach basic subtraction! Really well done nonfiction for preschoolers.

 Board book by Sue Williams. This is VERY similar to “Brown Bear, Brown Bear”. In this one, there is no teacher at the end, and the illustrations are a bit more involved (but in a good way). A fantastic read aloud!

 Picture book by Chris Haughton Reminiscent of “Are You My Mother”, this tale of an owlet searching for its mom is fun. Pictures are a bit more muted, so better for a toddler than a baby.