Sprinkles’ reviews – Page 4

The Book Bunnies review the books of 2023

At the end of last year, we decided to try something new and New-Year-ish and talk about all the books we had read through 2022. This year, we continue this new tradition and take a look at our reviews for 2023.

[2023 saw the bunnies read and review many books, both new and classic. You can find a full list here.]

The book bunnies review the books of 2023.

Sprinkles: Again, it is probably easiest for me to go over my reviews first, because as usual, I reviewed much fewer books than the two of you. I did enjoy all the books I reviewed though.

First, in October, I reviewed two children’s books about the mathematician Emmy Noether. This was right after the time I saw the one-woman play about her life, so I was very excited to talk about Noether and her life. I think my favorite among the two was Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of, written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Kari Rust, and published in 2020. Rust’s illustrations are cute and sharp at the same time, and the cartoonish detractors of Noether are shown humorously while the severity of Noether’s challenges is not minimized. The math and physics connections of her work are explained with precise terms in what is still a totally comprehensible language, and the illustrations support these descriptions. All in all, I thought this was a neat book to introduce young people to Noether and her life.

Sprinkles is posing with Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of, written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Kari Rust. — Sprinkles is posing with *Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of*, written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Kari Rust.

Then in November, I reviewed Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost and Susan Jeffers, a beautiful picture book that takes the reader along for a ride through the woods of Robert Frost’s famous poem. I love this book and I love the poem, so it all worked out.

Sprinkles is posing with Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers. — Sprinkles is posing with *Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening*, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers.

By the way I’d love to review more poetry books for young bunnies, so if any of our readers know of any, please send us your suggestions.

Finally in late 2023, I also reviewed a book called My Unfurling by Lisa May Bennett. This was a different kind of book, engaging with rather adult themes, so I felt it would not necessarily fit our blog, but Nicole Pyles was kind enough to have me write a guest post for her blog, World of My Imagination.

Marshmallow: I also reviewed a book with some mature content this year. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel is a graphic novel, a growing-up story of sorts, but it deals with a lot of challenging issues, more so than your average growing-up story.

S: True. I also just finished reading this book, and you are right, I agree, the book has a lot of mature content. You also read a handful of books directed at students older than yourself.

M: Yes, true. I reread How to Be a High School Superstar and How to Become a Straight-A Student, both by Cal Newport. I thought maybe I could get some good ideas as the new school year got going.

S: Makes sense to me. Caramel, you also read about school this year.

Caramel: Well, but mine is all fiction. I began to read the Spy School books.

M: Those are great books!

C: Yes, they are.

S: You have gone through the series rather fast, haven’t you?

C: Yep.

S: I know there are two more books in the series that you need to review, but so far, you reviewed all of the first nine books. Which one is your favorite?

C: It is hard to say. They are all so good!

S: Say you were traveling and needed to take only one with you. Which one would you take?

C: I’m not sure. Can Marshmallow take one too?

S: Sure.

C: Then I’d take Evil Spy School and Spy School At Sea. Wait, no. I’d take Spy School: British Invasion and Spy School Revolution.

S: I can see it is not easy to decide.

C: No, it is not.

Some of Caramel's favorite Spy School books. — Some of Caramel’s favorite Spy School books.

S: So was Spy School the most fun series you read this year?

C: Well, I did not really read a lot of other series this year. But I did read the Wayside School books, and those were fun too. Still Spy School books might be more fun.

S: I see. What else did you read this year that you liked?

C: I also read the new Wild Robot book, The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown, and the The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate. I liked both of those very much.

Two of Caramel's favorites this year were Wild Robot Protects and The One and Only Bob. — Two of Caramel’s favorites this year were Wild Robot Protects and The One and Only Bob.

S: Among the books you read this year, I think my favorite was Robot Dreams by Sara Varon.

C: I liked that book a lot, too. Though it was kind of a sad book. I wish it had been happier.

S: I know Caramel. How about you Marshmallow? What were some of your favorites from this year?

M: Probably my favorite for this year was Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. I thought it was very moving and all around a great book. I also really enjoyed reading And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I mean, I did not find it very comfortable as I was reading it because it got very tense, but once I was done, I could see that it was extremely well constructed.

S: She is good, isn’t she?

M: Yep. She is a classic, you could say!

One of Marshmallow's favorites this year was Agatha Christie's And then There Were None. — One of Marshmallow’s favorites this year was Agatha Christie’s And then There Were None.

Another of Marshmallow's favorites this year was Our Missing Hearts bf Celeste Ng. — One of Marshmallow’s favorites this year was Agatha Christie’s And then There Were None.

S: You also read a few other classics this year, right?

M: Yes. I read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and Lord of the Flies by William Golding. They were both very good. I can see why they became classics.

S: Agreed!

M: I also read The Adventures of Tintin: The Calculus Affair by Hergé, Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie, The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume, which are also classics to an extent.

S: How did you like those books?

M: I liked them alright, but they were not my favorites. I mean, I was glad to have read them, but there were other books I liked more this year.

S: I see. You did read mostly fiction again this year. But you did read a few works of nonfiction. Which ones of those did you like?

M: Well, besides Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, I read another autobiographical graphic novel, Dare to Disappoint by Özge Samancı. I also read The Murder of Emmett Till by Karlos K. Hill and David Dodson and Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith, which were both historical graphic novels. Last but not the least, I read and reviewed Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia by Gary Russell and The Secret Life of a Snowflake by Kenneth Libbrecht.

S: This might be the most fiction you have ever reviewed till now!

M: It really might. And I liked all of these books.

S: That sounds like a good year to me!

Some of Marshmallow's favorite nonfiction books this year. — Some of Marshmallow’s favorite nonfiction books this year.

S: How about you Caramel? Which nonfiction books did you like most?

C: Well, this year I read and reviewed The Cult of LEGO by John Baichtal and Joe Meno, Star Wars: Complete Vehicles – New Edition, Easy Aircraft Origami by Jayson Merrill, Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles by Landry Q. Walker, Animated Science: Periodic Table by Shiho Pate and John Farndon, Invented by Animals by Christiane Dorion and Gosia Herba, Make Your Own Press-Out Spaceships by David Hawcock, Weird But True! 350 Outrageous Facts (Book 6) by National Geographic Kids, and The Big Book of Amazing LEGO Creations With Bricks You Already Have by Sarah Dees. And they were all really really good.

Some of Caramel's favorite nonfiction books this year. — Some of Caramel’s favorite nonfiction books this year.

S: I can see your pattern. Star Wars books, books about making planes and spaceships, books about animals and other facts, and books about LEGOs.

C: Yep. I guess I am that transparent.

S: It is not a bad idea to know what you like. But you also read two books that were sort of borderline between fiction and nonfiction. I am referring to How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion by Daniel H. Wilson and Oliver’s Great Big Universe by Jorge Cham.

C: Yes, those are also very factful books. But if we are looking at factful books, we have to include Narwhalicorn and Jelly and A Super Scary Narwhalloween by Ben Clanton, too.

S: You are right. How could I forget the Narwhal and Jelly books!

C: I don’t know Sprinkles. Maybe you are getting tired.

S: Maybe I am. We have been talking about books for a while now. And it is getting late. So shall we wrap up this wrap-up of the year?

M: Yes. I am getting really hungry!

S: Okay, let us do that then. All in all, this was a really good year with lots and lots of good books, wasn’t it?

C: Yep.

M: Definitely! And we will continue to read and review many many more in the new year!

S: But we are taking off for January, like we have been doing every year. We should definitely mention that.

C: But we will be back!

M: In February. With many more great book reviews!

S: So happy new year!

C: And stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

The book bunnies, and new friend Red, wish all bunnies around the world a happy new year in 2024, with lots of good books and many friends, old and new!

Sprinkles reviews Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost and Susan Jeffers

Readers have already seen several books reviewed on this blog which had poetry as a significant theme. See, for example, Marshmallow’s reviews of How to Find What You’re Not Looking For by Veera Hiranandani and Starfish by Lisa Fipps. However, we have only reviewed one full book of poetry so far (A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein); that is, if we do not count the humorous BrainJuice American History: Fresh Squeezed! by Carol Diggory Shields. Today, we finally begin to remedy this situation. Below, Sprinkles writes about a book that the book bunnies household read together many times with much joy: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, an illustrated children’s book presenting the famed poem of Robert Frost with the same name, published first exactly a hundred years ago, in 1923.

[If you have any recommendations of poetry books and such for young ones, please let us know. Sprinkles is planning to put together a more extensive post on poetry in the near future, and your input would be much appreciated.]

Sprinkles reviews Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers. — Sprinkles reviews *Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening*, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers.

A lot of people read or hear about the American poet Robert Frost some time in their school years. And, originally published in 1923, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” might be his most famous poem; it is so famous that it has its own Wikipedia entry! Especially the last stanza:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

has inspired and held the imagination of many people since then.

The simple words and sentences used through the poem make it quite accessible, and the iambic tetrameter (where each line of the poem is made up of four syllable-pairs with one emphasized and the other not) as well as the simple rhyme scheme used (AABA BBCB CCDC DDDD) make it melodic and easy to recite. So it is a natural choice for the text of a children’s book. The book I am writing about today is just that: Frost’s poem makes up the whole text, and the illustrations by Susan Jeffers complete the rest.

First published in 1978, the book uses a two-page spread for more or less every pair of lines from the poem. So you often get a full picture for each complete sentence of the poem.

Sprinkles is reading Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers. Here she is looking at the two-page spread where the narrator of the poem is saying, "But I have promises to keep." — Sprinkles is reading *Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening*, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers. Here she is looking at the two-page spread where the narrator of the poem is saying, “But I have promises to keep.”

The pictures, illustrated by the established illustrator Susan Jeffers, are mostly black and white, with only a few color touches on each. The sparse coloring directs our attention to the quiet and serene whiteness of the snowy woods. The way the poem is spread out through the pages allows us to read it more slowly and savor it.

The poem is lovely, and it is a joy to share it with young bunnies. In today’s busy world, we often miss out on finding those moments of joy in little things, like reading a well-worn poem with a young one.

Some might like to hear the poet read it himself:

Robert Frost reads “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” – from YouTube.

I also like this version, read by Susan Sarandon: https://vimeo.com/172768932. Someone uploaded a version to Youtube, too:

Susan Sarandon reads “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” – from YouTube.

Sarandon reads the poem most exquisitely. And at the end of this video there are a few children describing what they think poetry is. So it is definitely worth a watch.

Incidentally, this second video was created as part of a larger project focusing on introducing young ones to classical poetry. You can find some more information about it here: http://www.amyschatzproductions.com/classical-baby-im-grown-up-now-the-poetry-show. Another one of my favorites from this series is “How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, read, I think, by Gwyneth Paltrow:

“How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, read, I think, by Gwyneth Paltrow – from YouTube.

No matter how much I like these videos however, I still prefer reading poetry together with little ones myself. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers, gave me many opportunities to snuggle with one of my little bunnies and read it together. My copy was secondhand at least, and it was already somewhat worn out when I held it in my paws for the first time. The book has led to many joyful times nonetheless. I encourage all other adult bunnies who love poetry to find ways of sharing it with your little ones.

Sprinkles encourages all adult bunnies who love poetry to check out books like Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers, which can help some of our favorite poems come to life for our little ones. And she would love to hear any recommendations of poetry books and such for young ones if you have any. She is hoping to put together a more extensive post on poetry in the near future, and your input would be much appreciated. — Sprinkles encourages all adult bunnies who love poetry to check out books like *Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening*, written by Robert Frost and illustrated by Susan Jeffers, which can help some of our favorite poems come to life for our little ones. And she would love to hear any recommendations of poetry books and such for young ones if you have any. She is hoping to put together a more extensive post on poetry in the near future, and your input would be much appreciated.

Sprinkles reviews children’s books about Emmy Noether

Sprinkles has recently seen the one-woman play Diving Into Math with Emmy Noether, performed expertly by Anita Zieher. When she saw the play, she was in the middle of writing a joint review of two recent biographies on Emmy Noether for the newsletter of the Association for Women in Mathematics: Proving it Her Way: Emmy Noether, A Life in Mathematics, by David E. Rowe and Mechthild Koreuber, and Emmy Noether – Mathematician Extraordinaire by David E. Rowe, published in 2020 and 2021, respectively. The play impacted her deeply, and so she began to wonder if there were any good books about Emmy Noether written for children. This post is the outcome of her resulting explorations.

Sprinkles reviews two children's books about Emmy Noether: Beautiful Symmetry: The Story of Emmy Noether, written by Jessica Christianson and illustrated by Brittany Goris, and Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You've Never Heard Of, written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Kari Rust.

Today I am writing to share with you some of my thoughts on reading two children’s books about Emmy Noether (1882-1935), who just happens to be one of the greatest mathematicians of the twentieth century. After having reviewed a whole bunch of children’s books about Ada Lovelace, I expected that Noether’s life must also have been depicted in several children’s books, given the importance of her work to modern mathematics and physics.

Emmy Noether’s life is also intrinsically interesting: though filled with sorrows and frustrations, and all sorts of challenges due to her gender (being a woman) and ethnicity (being a German Jew during the rise of Nazism before World War II), Noether’s life was also jam-packed with good friendships, great creative accomplishments, and according to the one-woman play Diving into Math with Emmy Noether performed by Anita Zieher, plenty of delicious pudding. [In case you are interested, here is a trailer for the play:

Trailer for Diving into Math with Emmy Noether, via YouTube.]

Especially after seeing Diving Into Math, I was convinced that Noether’s story would be appealing not only to an adult general audience of curious readers but also to a great many young readers. So I began to look around for books intended for a young audience.

Surprisingly I could find only two books: Beautiful Symmetry: The Story of Emmy Noether, written by Jessica Christianson and illustrated by Brittany Goris, and Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of, written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Kari Rust. Both books are interesting and could be appealing to young readers, though I believe they have somewhat different strengths.

Sprinkles is posing with Beautiful Symmetry: The Story of Emmy Noether, written by Jessica Christianson and illustrated by Brittany Goris. — Sprinkles is posing with *Beautiful Symmetry: The Story of Emmy Noether*, written by Jessica Christianson and illustrated by Brittany Goris.

The first of the pair, Beautiful Symmetry: The Story of Emmy Noether, written by Jessica Christianson and illustrated by Brittany Goris, was published in 2017. In softcover paperback, the book is large format. The bold, striking page design which alternately reminded me of political posters and The Powerpuff Girls, and the large font used throughout might make the book more appealing to younger bunnies. The story of Emmy Noether’s life is told in the book in broad strokes, and that might also help with the younger crowd.

Beautiful Symmetry is visually very appealing and symmetry abounds throughout the book, adding to the theme and encouraging the reader to associate Noether’s life and accomplishments with the visual experience of symmetry. The end of the book has a short section on Emmy Noether’s mathematical work as well as a few simple math puzzles for the young readers who might want to explore math on their own a bit now that they have presumably gotten all inspired by the story they just read. I liked and appreciated each of these features.

Sprinkles is reading Beautiful Symmetry: The Story of Emmy Noether, written by Jessica Christianson and illustrated by Brittany Goris. — Sprinkles is reading *Beautiful Symmetry: The Story of Emmy Noether*, written by Jessica Christianson and illustrated by Brittany Goris.

Unfortunately, one occasionally finds a few factual errors here and there. For example, it was not a simple university official but the great mathematician David Hilbert who defended Emmy Noether in Göttingen, and he did not mention a locker room; rather he said “After all, we are a university, not a bathhouse.” (Well, he said it in German, so his exact words were “Meine Herren, der Senat ist doch keine Badeanstalt.”) Here is another example: Emmy Noether eventually did find a position at Bryn Mawr College, but despite what we read in Beautiful Symmetry, she never became the math department head there. (For more on Noether’s time at Bryn Mawr, see, for example, “A Refugee Scholar from Nazi Germany: Emmy Noether and Bryn Mawr College” by Qinna Shen.) These and a couple other small errors (including an embarrassing typo on the front cover) make me a bit wary to encourage readers to use this book as a reference for a book report.

For a book report, a much better reference would be Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of, written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Kari Rust, and published in 2020. This book is well researched and according to the acknowledgments, had some fact-checking assistance from the Perimeter Institute. So in terms of facts, including the math and physics connections of Noether’s work, this book is a lot more reliable.

Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of was published in 2020, and the title is reminiscent of a 2012 New York Times article on Noether, “The Mighty Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of” by Natalie Angier. But that essay, though very well written, made an unfounded claim that Noether published articles using men’s names. (Beautiful Symmetry also makes this unfounded claim, so perhaps Angier’s article led to some misunderstandings that were propagated. See this discussion for more details on the claim.) Becker’s book does not fall into such oversimplifications. And the story of Emmy Noether does not need such tropes. It is fascinating on its own with no need for embellishments.

Rust’s illustrations are cute and sharp at the same time, and the cartoonish detractors of Noether are shown humorously while the severity of Noether’s challenges is not minimized. The math and physics connections of her work are explained with precise terms in what is still a totally comprehensible language, and the illustrations support these descriptions. The book manages to distill into simple language some relatively abstract and advanced mathematical ideas, and somehow still retains a entertaining quality. The reader cannot help but root for Emmy, and laugh triumphantly each time she embarrasses her detractors.

Sprinkles is reading Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You've Never Heard Of, written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Kari Rust. — Sprinkles is reading *Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of*, written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Kari Rust.

All in all, I enjoyed reading Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of, and would definitely recommend it to any young person interested in learning about what a mathematician does. Similarly the book would work well to introduce young bunnies to a most creative and impactful woman scientist, whose name is unfortunately not as well known as some others. There is a significant amount of math in the book, too, for those who want it, though the reader who does not want to dive too deep into those pools can easily avoid the more technical bits (left to a separate section at the very end) and enjoy and appreciate the rest of Emmy Noether’s story completely.

To be honest, I did enjoy reading both books, and despite the factual errors of Beautiful Symmetry, I would recommend either book to young readers. If one is looking for complete factual accuracy of course, I’d suggest sticking with The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of, or perhaps even jumping over to the other side and looking into some of the more standard biographies, written for adult consumption. Proving It Her Way by David E. Rowe was published in 2020 to accompany the play Diving into Math with Emmy Noether I started this review with. Rowe is a historian of mathematics, but this book was intended for a general audience. As such, I think it could be a great next step for anyone interested in learning more about this creative mind who found so much joy in mathematics, abstract ideas, and good intellectual companions.

Sprinkles encourages all young bunnies to learn more about Emmy Noether by exploring one of the two children's books about Emmy Noether she reviewed here: Beautiful Symmetry: The Story of Emmy Noether, written by Jessica Christianson and illustrated by Brittany Goris, and Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You've Never Heard Of, written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Kari Rust. — Sprinkles encourages all young bunnies to learn more about Emmy Noether by exploring one of the two children’s books about Emmy Noether she reviewed here: *Beautiful Symmetry: The Story of Emmy Noether*, written by Jessica Christianson and illustrated by Brittany Goris, and *Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of*, written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Kari Rust.

The Book Bunnies review the books of 2022

As this year’s last Saturday falls on December 31, New Year’s Eve, we thought we would try something new and New-Year-ish and talk about all the books we have read this year.

[2022 saw the bunnies read and review many books, both new and classic. You can find a full list here.]

The book bunnies review the books of 2022.

Sprinkles: So it is easiest for me to go over my posts for the year because I only wrote two. I wrote one on Children’s books about babies and where they come from on October 22, 2022, and another on Mathematical biographies for children (the Mathematical Lives series) by Robert Black on April 30, 2022.

I enjoyed all the mathematical biography I read. I’d recommend each and every one of the six books most strongly. And I have to say my favorite children’s book about babies and where they come from is still the first one I read myself when I was a young bunny: Where Did I Come From? The Facts of Life Without Any Nonsense and With Illustrations, written by Peter Mayle, illustrated by Arthur Robins, and designed by Paul Walter.

Sprinkles reviewed Where Did I Come From? The Facts of Life Without Any Nonsense and With Illustrations, written by Peter Mayle, illustrated by Arthur Robins, and designed by Paul Walter on October 22, 2022. — Sprinkles reviewed *Where Did I Come From? The Facts of Life Without Any Nonsense and With Illustrations*, written by Peter Mayle, illustrated by Arthur Robins, and designed by Paul Walter on October 22, 2022.

But that book was published in 1973 and does show its age. So if I were to pick something more recent, I’d go with What Makes A Baby? written by Cory Silverberg and illustrated by Fiona Smyth, or It’s NOT The Stork: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Families, and Friends, written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley, for younger bunnies, and I’d pick It’s SO Amazing: A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families, written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley, for older ones.

Marshmallow: I reviewed a book by the team that created that What Makes a Baby? book you are talking about: You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender, Puberty, and Other Thingsby Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth. That could also be a good option I think.

Sprinkles: I agree. I think that was one of the few nonfiction books you reviewed this year.

Marshmallow: I also reviewed Marley Dias Gets It Done And So Can You! by Marley Dias on April 9, 2022, The English GI by Jonathan Sandler and Brian Bicknell on November 26, 2022, and Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit on December 17, 2022. Those three were also all nonfiction. but you are right that I mainly read and reviewed fiction this year.

Sprinkles: Caramel likes and reviews nonfiction a lot more I think. What were some of your nonfiction favorites this year Caramel?

Caramel: I reviewed so many! I reviewed Opposites Abstract by Mo Willems on March 16, 2022; Pangolins by Lisa Fanton on October 12, 2022; Robot by Roger Bridgman on November 2, 2022; Sea Bunnies by Kelly Hargrave on November 16, 2022; Hot Lava! Fiery Facts About Volcanoes by Alice Fewery on November 23, 2022; Glow Animals by K.C. Kelley on December 7, 2022; and 5000 Awesome Facts (About Animals) by National Geographic Kids on December 21, 2022.

Sprinkles: Yes, and there is clearly a pattern. You love animals and you read about animals; you like robots, and you read about robots. So I’d guess that Pangolins was your favorite animal book?

Caramel: Probably. As you know, they are my favorite animals. But 5000 Awesome Facts (About Animals) by National Geographic Kids was also pretty awesome because it had so many facts! Unfortunately they did not have too much about pangolins though…

Sprinkles: They did have a two-page spread on 100 Hard-Core Facts About Animals With Armor.

Caramel: Yes, true. And there are so many more animals in that book!

Sprinkles: And the Robot book: would you say that that was one of your favorites this year?

Caramel: Yep.

Some of Caramel’s favorite nonfiction books from 2022: from left to right: *5000 Awesome Facts (About Animals)* by National Geographic Kids, *Robot* by Roger Bridgman, and *Pangolins* by Lisa Fanton.

Caramel: And the Wild Robot books by Peter Brown, The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes were two of my favorite fiction books!

Sprinkles: You also read and reviewed most of the Wings of Fire books this year.

Caramel: Yes, I should not forget those. Wings of Fire is still my favorite book series.

Sprinkles: Having read all fifteen now, do you have a favorite among them?

Caramel: Well, I read the Legends books, too, so there are more than fifteen actually.

Sprinkles: Yes, true, you reviewed Darkstalker on September 14, and Dragonslayer on September 21. Do you have a favorite among those?

Caramel: Among the Legends I think I like the Darkstalker a bit more, but they are all pretty awesome. And among the original fifteen, I cannot choose one.

Sprinkles: So how about choosing one per five books? For the Dragonet Prophesy, which is your favorite?

Caramel: The fifth: The Brightest Night.

Sprinkles: For the Jade Mountain arc?

Caramel: The sixth: Moon Rising.

Sprinkles: How about the last arc?

Caramel: Probably the fourteenth: The Dangerous Gift. But I still read and reread all fifteen of them.

Sprinkles: I know. The books are still all over the house. I think you really like Tui Sutherland and her imaginary worlds. You and I both read and enjoyed Tui Sutherland’s shorter series, The Menagerie, that she wrote with her sister.

Caramel: Yes, that is true. I did not want to read them first, but after you finished them all, you sort of made me. I did not want to get out of the Wings of Fire world at first.

Sprinkles: But you did enjoy them in the end.

Caramel: Yep.

Sprinkles: That happens! So Marshmallow, let us talk about the fiction you have read this year.

Marshmallow: I reviewed a couple series this year. I read and reviewed the Magnus Chase books by Rick Riordan: The Sword of Summer, The Hammer of Thor, and The Ship of the Dead. I also began reading the Miss Peregrine books by Ransom Riggs. And it was fun to get back to Soman Chainani’s School for Good and Evil universe again: I first read and reviewed Rise of the School for Good and Evil and then went back and reread the book that started them all: School for Good and Evil. And I read and reviewed a new FunJungle book too: Bear Bottom by Stuart Gibbs. I loved each of these books.

Sprinkles: And you read a few classics this year, too.

Marshmallow: Yes. I read and reviewed Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes on October 1, 2022; Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell on October 8, 2022; and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens on October 29, 2022. Nineteen Eighty-Four was the one that affected me most.

Sprinkles: I remember reading that book and I felt the same way.

In 2022, Marshmallow read and reviewed three classics: from left to right, *Flowers for Algernon* by Daniel Keyes, *Nineteen Eighty-Four* by George Orwell, and *Great Expectations* by Charles Dickens.

Sprinkles: How about the other fiction you read? Can you share some of your highlights?

Marshmallow: I read and reviewed Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan on April 2, 2022; I think it is a really well-written book, though a bit sad.

Sprinkles: So this was overall a good year with lots of good books, right?

Caramel: Yes, I think so!

Marshmallow: I agree! And we are going to read and review a lot more next year!

Caramel: But we take January off.

Sprinkles: Yes, we should mention that. And what else do you all want to say to your readers?

Marshmallow: Happy new year!

Caramel: And see you in February 2023 for more book bunny reviews!

The book bunnies wish all bunnies around the world a happy new year and lots of good books in 2023!