Kai’vier Roars Into Preschool by Desiree Dusablon
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Kai’vier’s tummy is doing flips. It’s his first day of preschool—and he’s not so sure he’s ready.
What if no one wants to play? What if he misses home too much?

But with his favorite stuffed lion by his side, Kai’vier learns something powerful:
Bravery doesn’t mean you’re not scared. It means you try anyway.

From tearful goodbyes to roaring new hellos, Kai’vier Roars into Preschool turns first-day fears into fearless fun. Packed with imagination, heart, and gentle encouragement, this joyful story helps children walk into school feeling seen, supported, and strong.

Growing up isn’t as easy as it sounds sometimes, but there are good things to look forward to with every change.

This picture book included some fantastic descriptions of what anxiety physically and emotionally feels like for preschoolers. They might not always know what that word means at first, but worrying about whether the other kids will want to play with you or having a nervous stomach can be very relatable. It was nice to have multiple examples of what anxiety can be like as well as some ideas for coping for it.

I would have liked to see a scene included that showed more information about how Kai’vier’s mom said goodbye to him when she dropped him off at preschool. This can be a scary transition for little ones, so I was surprised by the fact that he was suddenly meeting his teacher and classmates without his mom saying goodbye or telling him when she’d be back.

It was fun to see the wide variety of activities the main character and his new friends did on the first day of preschool. It covered everything from playing outside to sitting in a circle to hear a story. Not every kid will necessarily be a big fan of every option, of course, but when there are so many different ways to learn and have fun there’s bound to be something for everyone eventually. That’s an important idea to share with little ones who wonder what they’ll do all day and if their favorite hobby might be on the schedule.

Kai’vier Roars Into Preschool was a cute read.

The Schoolyard Raccoon by Shana Hollowell
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

In a forest behind an elementary school lives a mischievous raccoon. Every night, after the teachers and students go home, he searches for items that were left behind at school in hopes to bring something special home. A cute story that is set in rhyme and has an underlining message about not giving up.

What happens to a school when all of the students, teachers, and staff members in them go home for the night?

The world looks different after dark, even in familiar places. Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that showed what might happen when the moon is shining brightly over a playground and all of the children who played there hours ago are now safely home and in bed. They were such gentle and playful takes on the subject, and I would have happily kept reading about this topic for dozens of pages to come.

It would have been helpful to have a better explanation for why Victor the raccoon explored the schoolyard every night. The one that was shared didn’t quite make sense to me due to how much it changed the themes of this picture book. The first half and the second half were both interesting, but they never quite meshed together for me as a reader. It was almost like reading two different stories. While I liked both of them, I needed a better explanation of how they were meant to fit together.

With that being said, I did enjoy the humor of the last few scenes. They played around with the reader’s assumptions of what a raccoon would probably be looking for on a playground after dark and kept me interested as I finished that final scene. It wasn’t something I was expecting to find, but it definitely did amuse me.

The Schoolyard Raccoon made me smile.

Sally Mitts And The Land Of Imagination by Shain Stodt
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

It all begins when Sally spies shoes that are walking – without any feet! Led to a mysterious red door, she enters a fantastical world where the imagination holds sway – where what you can imagine, you can do! Paint the sky in bold new colors. Play on the ceiling. Fly an airplane through the stars! Anything is possible if you believe in yourself.

Come with Sally and her new friends, Clair the opera-singing hare and Jack the floating snail, as they explore wonders and challenges: A hungry fog monster who saps dreams away. A rainbow lake where the joyful Gollyphants live, their raucous dancing making the waves shimmer and shake. Meet a snobbish mole, the Big Word Lummox, who rouses Jack’s competitive energy – with hilarious results!

Nothing is too much for Sally to handle!

Without sharing spoilers, the characters faced a villain that was large and seemed hard to defeat. My favorite scene was when they figured out a possible way to defeat him. It was such a sweet way to introduce some conflict into this tale and remind little ones that there are many ways to cope with things that seem a little scary at first.

I would have loved to see more attention paid to explaining why Sally’s previous family never seemed to search for her very hard or what her new family was like. These are such important aspects of any pet’s life that it surprised me to see them glossed over. This is something I’m saying as a reader who loves this series and hopes it will continue to be published for a long time yet. Sally is a wonderful little cat, but there are important pieces of her story that I think should be filled in.

With that being said, I enjoyed the focus on developing a strong imagination. Thinking deeply about things, no matter whether they’re serious or maybe a little silly, is a fantastic way to pass the time. There is definitely something to be said for learning to amuse oneself quietly without relying on any outside distractions to make it fun. That is a skill that everyone should have.

This is the second picture book in a series that is best read in order.

Sally Mitts And The Land Of Imagination was cute.