What would Ula read?

Miami's Future on the Shores of Climate Catastrophe 3 out of 5 🌟 A memoir of an environmental activist I usually start my reviews with a short description of a book and this is a part I struggled the most while reading this title. What is it about? Each chapter tackles a different issue, either about social justice or environmental matters. The book is all over the place: from selling houses with a 30-year mortgage on sinking parcels, through shrinking Everglades and endangered households of native inhabitants, to redlining and violence towards black residents. Plus huge pythons and one octopus in the garage.  Summarizing, 'Disposable City' is about everything that is wrong with the world today with a special focus on Miami, Florida. What I turned me off the most was that the whole book is written as a memoir. A highly detailed day-to-day journal about the author's life. It even includes a whole breakfast menu of one of the hotels. If a book can have ADD (...

4 out of 5 🌟 The ultimate feel-good book Jessica Sanders wrote an ultimate feel-good-book with tips on how to feel great in our body and how to cheer yourself up when feeling a little down.  The book is encouraging to seek help if needed and providing helpful addresses and advice. It teaches you to love your body with all its strengths and flaws and reminds you of all cool and beautiful things people can archive because of their bodies. The most important lesson the book carries is to listen to your body and act the way you feel, without good and bad answers. 'Love Your Body' empowers readers to trust their intuition and best judgment to practice self-care. Use your body to live your life in whatever way you choose and know that you are always worthy of love and respect. 'Love Your Body' also shows importance or one's mind and feelings and learn how to start your journey on the self-love path. The watercolor illustrations that decorate this book are adora...

4 out of 5 🌟Folklore feast Stories about mermaids or other sea-people are as old as the World's history of sailing. From beautiful young ladies rescuing sailors to blood-thirst water monsters waiting to kill them, mermaids look different in various parts of the globe. 'The Mermaid Atlas' is a short illustrated research about merfolks around the world. The book presents each continent and its sea-people on a big map and provides descriptions to each water tribe. Every page is decorated with illustrations by Miren Asiain Lora showing the details of mermaid's appearance. What I liked the most was the information the book provided. Each type of mermaid is described with quite a lot of details, including history, legends, appearance, and more if available. Additionally, the book breaks down the mermen lifestyle, where they live, what they eat, and how good they're with magic. Also, presents all the actual facts like seamen presence in mythology, historical encount...

4.5 out of 5 🌟Charming mixture of magic and adventure Just after a few pages into 'Dalya and the Magic Bottle' I knew that book is exceptional. I started reading it with my son and cannot stop after he was already long asleep. It reminded me of a feeling when I was reading 'Harry Potter' for the first time. The novel is captivating and magical, a true fairytale. I enjoyed almost everything about this title. It's an international adventure that takes place in Istanbul, Turkey with squad goals like in ‘Wizard of Oz’ and mysterious events reminding me of ‘Alice in Wonderland’.  The story is about a young girl from Ohio who arrived in Istambul with her Dad to meet their relatives and spend summer in an old family house. Both the Turkish mansion and her family share a secret that will lead her into a magical journey. Did I mention I loved the story? It's packed with action, cliffhangers, plot twists, and adorable characters. Even if is full of old clich...

3 out of 5 🌟Get ready for an in-depth riddles' history This book was different from what I thought. I was looking for some fun, quick read about the famous riddles and the history behind them but I wasn't prepared for the rather elaborated analysis of riddles for the given time period. For me 'The Curious History of the Riddle' was just tedious, I guess I don't like enigmas enough.  What I did like about this publication are clear and accessible chapters, the book is divided by the eras from ancient puzzles to pop-cultural references, plus an extra chapter about visual riddles (probably my favorite). Text is broken into smaller chunks, with a lot of riddles in-between, quotes, and images that make reading more pleasant. At the end of each chapter, it's just a bunch of riddles related to the section, and - most importantly - a full list of answers at the end. Overall, 'The Curious History of the Riddles' is a work for hardcore enigma's fans, wh...

4 out of 5 🌟Detailed and uplifting Non-fiction books and stories about various true crime and tragedies were always popular. There's something captivating about reading about all the horrible events in history from the safety of our own reading nook. And even if homicides are way too scary for me, I'd love to read about the brave people who made history by saving lives. 'Catastrophes and Heroes' is a work about man-made disasters that could be avoided and about saviors who put their lives in jeopardy for others. The book focuses on less known events, mostly skipped by the history books. Each story includes sections with an overview of the event (full of testimonies of eyewitnesses) , choices, and circumstances that lead to the tragedy, also information about victims, and heroes.  Jerry Borrowman made w humongous work researching information for his book. Each story is so in-dept, it felt like being an eyewitness myself. 'Catastrophes and Heroes' show also...

Little People, Big Dreams   is a series of short books for children about extraordinary people who change the way we’re looking at the world now. It’s an enjoyable piece of non-fiction kids’ literature to savor along with your tiny humans. I love biographies of people who dared to be different, and these short books are one of my favorites. Each book in the series is illustrated by different artists with their unique style that even non-art-savvy like me can appreciate.  'Greta Thunberg'  is decorated by Anke Weckmann and her  pictures put a smile on my face reminding me of 'Pippi Longstocking' book I read as a child. The read is appropriate for 1–2G readers or read-along with parents for younger ones. It's informative and compelling for both adults and children. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and feelings are my own.

5 out of 5 🌟 Fast-paced non-fiction political thriller The modern history of Flint, Michigan isn’t an easy one. Once modern metropolis with high-profit automotive business and progressive citizens, the city was a prospering and vital part of the Midwest. The global financial crisis in 2008 struck Fling really hard — people lost their jobs and crime rates rose. Later the town received national attention due to the water pollution disaster to eventually become almost a synonym of a fallen city. ‘Poisoned Water’ is an account of Flint City people and they struggle to have normal lives during the water crisis. How they fiercely fought to make their concerns be heard even after Flint officials constantly dismissed them. The narrative starts just after the financial crisis and explains city financial troubles and the origins of that water catastrophe.  First things first: This is not a middle-grade book! Not even a Young Adult one, it’s non-fiction about greedy official...

5 out of 5 🌟 Nature Science at its best Glow in the Dark is a series of books about dark and light and 'Nature's Light Spectacular' is the newest addition to the series. The work is about twelve different light phenomena that can be seen around the world. Each chapter (case study) describes a place where it was observed, how to see it by themselves and a short and sweet explanation of the events causing it. 'Nature's Light Spectacular' describes Nature wonders like the solar eclipse, polar lights or Glowworm Caves. The chapters are fairly brief and text is divided into colorful and easy to read segments what makes it more accessible for younger readers. Although the sections are short, a lot of scientific explanations live in between colorful illustrations, this is definitely a science book where even adults can learn something new.  The most amazing thing about 'Nature's Light Spectacular' are gorgeous illustrations. Every page is a tr...

5 out of 5 🌟 Playful and charming biography Little People, Big Dreams  are short books for children about exceptional people who shaped our world. They're enjoyable pieces of non-fiction to enjoy by children. I love biographies of people who dared to be different, and these short books are one of my favorites. What I especially like about the series ‘ Little People, Big Dreams’  are simple and friendly illustrations to make children feel it was truly made for them. 'Jean-Michel Basquiat' was illustrated by Luciano Lozano who did a great job creating playful and charming cartoonish artworks.   I love reading about new things along with my son and the l ife of Jean-Michel Basquiat was a learning curve for both of us.  Even if this short book is destined for children, it contains a lot of information concentrated on an encyclopedic-style page at the end. Most importantly, everything is put in a simple and small kids-friendly way that also speaks to ...

The ‘Austin’ book is very short and there's a bit less information than in other books in the series. It tells about the city’s monuments, famous places and types of food you need to try while in Austin. Also, it tells about worth-seen events and activities to try. Overall, it’s a good work to engage children's curiosity about the city. ‘Little Cities’ is a series of board books for the youngest readers about the major US cities. The books focus on the main tourist attractions and landmarks. Illustrations are informative and simple, reminds me of infographics in educational pamphlets. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

3 out of 5 🌟Interesting story with gorgeous artwork Moving to L.A. sounded for Daphne like a dream come true. She was going to spend more time with her boyfriend who also moved her and live her best life. Just before the move, she broke up with her best friend who was trying to bring her down. But, as always, nothing went as she has planned... Ghosted in L.A. vol.1 was a fun read with a captivating plot and oh, amazing graphics! I enjoyed every square of Siobhan Keenan art, perfect mixture, and cute and cartoonish style. I was also really appreciated in the first part of the novel but the further read was more disappointing. Daphne as a character is a wishy-washy pushover who could date a total jerk just because 'he's cute'. In the era of strong female role model characters, she looks like someone who needs help to discover her voice. Also, the dialogs were lukewarm and boring, and some scenes ended in the middle of a conversation (or I just didn't get them). ...

‘Little Cities’ is a series of board books for the youngest readers about the major US cities. The books focus on the main tourist attractions and landmarks. Illustrations are informative and simple, reminds me of infographics in educational pamphlets. The ‘Boston’ book is brief but full of knowledge that fitted into ten pages, it tells about great city’s monuments, famous places, historical events that happened in Boston and what food is the city famous for. It’s a good read to engage children's curiosity about the city. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

5 out of 5 🌟 Educational and nicely illustrated Little People, Big Dreams  are short books for children about exceptional people who shaped our world. They're enjoyable pieces of non-fiction to enjoy by children. I love biographies of people who dared to be different, and these short books are one of my favorites. What I especially like about the series ‘ Little People, Big Dreams’  are simple and friendly illustrations to make children feel it was truly made for them. Graphics to 'Jesse Owens' were made by Anna Katharina Jensen and they're fit perfectly amid the spirit of the first half of the XXth century with their sepia warm colors. The biography is highly educational and besides Jesse Owens' history, it touches problems of segregation and racism in the United States and in the World. It should be read along with children to help them explain the struggles Jesse Owens had because of his skin color. I love the most in 'Little People, Big Dreams...

by Angela McAllister 4 out of 5 🌟Detailed stories with brilliant illustrations ‘A World Full of Dickens Stories’  are kids-friendly versions of Dickens' novels including these most famous like 'The Tale of Two Cities', 'The Christmas Story' or 'Oliver Twist' and the ones I didn't hear of before - 'The Old Curiosity Shop' and 'Nicholas Nickleby' and a couple more. Overall, is a good selection of his work that focuses on children and young adults as the central characters. Each story is generously decorated with brilliant illustrations by Jannicke Hansen.  The book combines eight of Charles Dickens' novels that are compressed to about 15-page short stories which at times makes histories hard to follow with action jumps and a variety of personalities. To help the reader to keep up with all the characters, each work starts with an introduction page where all story cast is listed with a brief description and their portrait. Ve...

by DK ‘Little Cities’ is a series of board books for the youngest readers about the major US cities. The books focus on the main tourist attractions and landmarks. Illustrations are informative and simple, reminds me of infographics in educational pamphlets. The ‘Chicago’ book is brief but full of knowledge that fitted into ten pages, it tells about great city’s monuments, famous places and what food is Chicago famous for. It’s a good work to engage children's curiosity about the city. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

by Ingrid Laguna 4.5 out of 5 🌟A wonderful and emotional story about hope ‘Songbird’ is a name Jamila was called by her best friend Mina back in Baghdad, Iraq. Now she is in Australia, a new country away from her friends and family, speaking a foreign language she doesn’t fully understand. Jamila is trying hard to succeed in school and fit in among her peers despite all difficulties. Singing is her way to escape from troubles, allowing her to be happy and careless again. Jamila’s life is hardly resembling all other middle-grade stories, telling about fear, war, and longing for a missing family member whose whereabouts are unknown. Her experience shows the everyday struggle of thousands of children that often goes unnoticed by colleagues and teachers. The story was captivating and deeply emotional, I felt Jamila's pain when she struggles to communicate and was missing her loved ones abroad. My personal experience as an immigrant is very different from hers but I know ...

5 out of 5 🌟 Adorable illustrations for a short & sweet story Little People, Big Dreams  is a series of short books for children about extraordinary people who change the way we’re looking at the world now. It’s an enjoyable piece of non-fiction kids’ literature to savor along with your tiny humans. I love biographies of people who dared to be different, and these short books are one of my favorites. I must admit, as a person born and raised in Europe, I didn’t know much about Dolly Parton's history and early years. Hence the book was enjoyed by the whole family and we all learned about Dolly’s life and listen to her songs together. What a great family bonding evening! What I really liked about the series ‘ Little People, Big Dreams’  are simple and friendly illustrations to make children feel it was truly made for them. While younger children can be engaged in ‘show-and-tell’ activities, the older ones can try their drawing skills and make their own Dolly. D...