William's Winter Nap by Linda Ashman - OPTIONAL

Ashman, Linda  William’s Winter Nap  Illustrated by Chuck Groenink  PICTURE BOOK  Disney Hyperion, 2017.  $17.99  Content: G.  

William is getting ready to snuggle in for a nice long nap.  As he is about to go to sleep, a squirrel taps on the window and asks if William has room for him.  William lets the squirrel in, and not long after a porcupine, badger, and raccoon.  But when a bear comes, the animals disagree on whether or not there is enough room.  Eventually they let the bear in because it is cold and they all sleep soundly.  

The illustrations in this book are adorable and the story line is predictable which can be fun for younger readers.  I read a similar book recently called The Lumberjack’s Beard and it was more entertaining, but this is a good going to bed story.  It is written as a rhyme which makes for a fun read-aloud.  

PREK, EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson. 

Rain by Linda Ashman - OPTIONAL

Ashman, Linda Rain, illustrated by Christian Robinson.  Houghton Mifflin, 2013.  $17.  Content: G.  PICTURE BOOK.  

A little boy and grumpy old man head out separately into a wet, windy day, with very different attitudes and behaviors.  When the boy reaches out with kindness and is at first rebuffed, the old man finally realizes that he is creating his own bad day and is finally able to return some happiness.  

I think this book needs to be read by grumpy people more than it needs to be read by little kids.  But the message of kindness despite rejection is still a good lesson to learn.  Robinson’s drawings are child-like without being too childish and are a good compliment to the text.  

Pre-K, EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL.  Cindy, Library Teacher

All We Know by Linda Ashman, illustrated by Jane Dyer - OPTIONAL

Ashman, Linda.  All We Know, illustrated by Jane Dyer.  Picture Book.  Harper, 2016.  $17.99.  Content: G.

Beautiful water color pictures combined with simple rhymes makes this an attractive book.  There is not a narrative, rather several examples of things, seasons, and people that “just know” things.  For example, seeds know when to sprout and tadpoles just know how to become frogs.  No one taught the mother how to love her son, she just knew. 

Sweet, simple, and sentimental. 

Pre-K-OPTIONAL.  Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS. 

Rock-A-Bye-Romp by Linda Ashman- OPTIONAL

Ashman, Linda. Rock-A-Bye Romp, PICTURE BOOK. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2016. This book follows the journey of a baby as it starts with the familiar nursery song, Rock a Bye Baby. Baby falls from the tree into a nest. Onto a pig and into a barn. This goes on until baby finds his way home to his mother’s arms. The pictures are somewhat unique in this book, which was really the only appeal for me. I wasn’t as interested in the strange rhyming text. PRE-K, K-3- OPTIONAL. Reviewed by Shay, High School Librarian

The Crown of Rosemund by Michele Ashman Bell - OPTIONAL

The Crown of Rosemund by Michele Ashman Bell, 256 pages. Covenant Communications, 2021. $17.

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Princess Rosemund is fifteen years old when she becomes an orphan. Taken to a small village where Sir Drake can’t kill her as well, Rose lives as Silas with her late-father’s most trusted advisor. And so Rose trains and waits in hiding until the day she’s ready to lead a revolution and take back her throne.

Rose has the difficult task of hiding who she is while becoming a princess worthy to fill her beloved parents’ shoes. I love watching her gain confidence in the transition because we all go through a struggle in trying to become the best we can be. Unfortunately, I found the climax, where they actually put the plan to take back the castle into action, confusing and hard to follow at points. I was disappointed by the anti-climatic feeling the confusion invited, but I still enjoyed the story overall. The mature content rating is for mention of rape, and the violence rating is for battle scene gore and mention of suicide.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen