After the birth of my son, I experienced an unexpected gift: being introduced to the dazzling universe of children’s picture books. My family hefts a bulging bag of kids’ books from the library almost every week, and to my amazement I have found many of these works to be enchanting, poignant, hilarious and heartbreaking – and often clear-eyed in approaching very challenging topics.

Here, I review books that I’ve read repeatedly with my child in hopes that they expand his worldview, shape his character and ignite his imagination. I assure you that every book I review offers genuine substance.

I have worked in the journalism and marketing fields for more than 15 years. I cherish and value the power of language, which is why I personally craft each of these reviews myself, offering my heartfelt opinion as a mother and a bona fide human being, without any use of AI.