Reviews : )

 Poetry Unbound edited by Pádraig Ó Tuama (Adult Nonfiction - Poetry)

Prior to reading this anthology, I hadn’t heard of Pádraig Ó Tuama or his podcast. I was thrilled by the poetry he selected for this anthology and found myself even enjoying his commentary. At the beginning Pádraig Ó Tuama writes, “... every time a poet writes a poem, they give a shade of themselves a voice.” This is one of those rare books where I was placing sticky notes on the commentary as much as I was specific lines of poetry and favorite poems. My favorite poems from this collection are “Worm” by Gail McConnell and “Why You Missed that Day You Were Absent from Fourth Grade” by Brad Aaron Modlin.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain (Adult Fiction)

Heartbreaking but oh so hopeful and sweet. Albert, a postman who lives a lonely and fearful life, loses his only companion, his cat, Gracie. He realizes he can no longer continue living without friendship, connection, and answers to what happened to his long lost love, George. 

He discovers so much on his journey to find George - friends, people who need him as much he needs them, and most importantly, he discovers himself. His journey to feel comfortable and proud openly embracing himself is at times incredibly painful. But there’s so much hope. 

At first his progress feels slow as he is mired in grief over losing Gracie. Then he just takes off in a whirlwind of happiness and self-acceptance, and the reader knows that whether he finds George or not, Albert is going to be just fine. Included in the back are conversations Matt Cain had with real people who inspired Albert’s story. These stories are incredibly tough to read but bring so much depth and thoughtfulness to Albert’s story, in addition to awareness of those who really lived Albert’s life. 

Mrs. Peanuckle's Bug Alphabet by Mrs. Peanuckle and illustrated by Jessie Ford (Board Book)

After reading Mrs. Peanuckle's Ocean Alphabet, I've been scooping up all the books in this series and reading them with extreme excitement. I love them! The Bug Alphabet is at the top of my favorites list and includes beautiful illustrations (Check out the Elephant Hawk-Moth!) and delightful facts like how some people eat bugs like grasshoppers and yellow mealworms (Not me though!). I was also overjoyed to see the rhino beetle, which is one of my favorite beetles.

Mrs. Peanuckle's Flower Alphabet by Mrs. Peanuckle (Board Book)

Delightful, informative, and beautifully illustrated. My favorite flower from this book is yarrow, because "it has lots of funny names: little feather, nosebleed plant, old man's pepper, seven years love, and woundwart."

Darwin's Super-pooping Worm Spectacular by Polly Owen and illustrated by Gwen Millward (Nonfiction Picture Book)

If the title, "Darwin's Super-pooping Worm Spectacular" doesn't make you laugh out loud, reading about Darwin's obsession with worms is guaranteed to bring you much laughter. Weird, utterly captivating, and hilarious are three words that came to mind while reading this. Darwin knows worms must have a superpower, and his journey to figure out their superpower is a wild ride that involves playing music for worms, offering them strange things to eat, and enthusiastic worm narrators who provide a lot of helpful worm commentary.