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Read It Now on NetGalley!
Take your NetGalley shelf to the South Pole this week with a sneak peek at a forthcoming title featuring another member of your favorite penguin clan. NEVILLE’S GREAT ESCAPE finds this risk-taker, created by Sean E. Avery and published by Walker Books Australia, may have been eaten by a whale! Or has he? Whether your collection serves fans of Frank’s Red Hat, or will just be meeting the gang here, they will enjoy the humor, gentle thrills, and clever plotting both picture books serve.
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Our Latest Article
- Reviewer Spotlight: Melissa Taylor
One in an occasional set of interviews with the reviewers who provide critical insights about new books from our client publishers.
Melissa Taylor, M.Ed., is a former teacher and literacy trainer as well as a mother of two, blogger, children’s book expert, freelance writer, and author consultant. She created and writes the popular blog Imagination Soup and recently launched Imagination Soup Consulting. Her picture book, Tova’s Sweet Solution, is being published by Red Comet Press in April 2026.
How did you get started reviewing titles?
I transitioned from teaching to freelance writing and wrote regularly for a local magazine called Colorado Parent. I saw a pile of children’s books in my editor’s office and asked her if I could review them. That’s when I started writing a book review blog for that magazine. This developed my writing chops, and soon, I began writing reviews for my own website, Imagination Soup, which was originally a children’s activities blog.
What is your favorite genre to review?
I love all well written, well paced, rereadable books. That said, lately, I’m loving the incredible wealth of nonfiction books. But for favorite take-me-away, can’t-put-down reads, I’m a fantasy girl, especially if there are dragons.
Who is your ideal audience for your reviews/writing?
Parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians.
Tell us a bit about the process from reading a book to deciding to review/write about it.
I read every picture book that publishers send me. If it makes me feel something, the writing is exceptional, it’s rereadable, and/or the story is unique in some way, it goes in the YES pile. If it’s “meh”, meaning the kid has no agency, there’s too much text, it’s not a kid-friendly topic, or didactic, it goes into the NO pile.
I also read every early reader and chapter book, and I’m picky about these books, too. Having been a teacher, I’m particularly concerned about books that are marketed as early readers or chapter books, but have complex text and are not beginning-reader-friendly. Those are automatic NOs.
For middle grade, if a book is well written, holds my attention, makes me feel something, entertains, educates, or inspires me, and I think people should buy it (versus check it out from the library), that’s when I will share a review with my readers.
How do the children in your life influence your choices?
My oldest didn’t love reading for many years. She’s neurodiverse and getting her to read was hard work, but of course, worth it. This experience, plus my teaching experiences, has helped me to help other parents and teachers. We used to read to her at meal times because it was the only time she would sit still! With my other daughter, we read aloud to her until she was in 8th grade, and our book conversations were frequent and rich, informing my thinking about books. In addition, I love hearing what any kid likes to read, and what their friends like to read, too, so I’m that silly adult whose first question to a kid is, “What is your favorite book right now?”
If your perfect book existed, what would it include?
I don’t think there’s a perfect book, but there are perfect books for certain people at certain times.
What is your favorite holiday or tradition, and why?
We do non-traditional Thanksgiving meals because my kids don’t like turkey. This year, we had a chicken curry, which was a delicious choice, picked by my youngest. I like creating our own traditions!
Do you have a favorite library or bookstore memory to share?
As a child, we rode our bikes to the library every week. My mom would bring a cardboard box strapped to the back of her bike so we could fill the box with books. We didn’t have a television, so our free time was always spent reading, and we would read the entire box of books within the week. My goal was to read every book in the library. I’m still working on it. 🙂
What other book reviewers influence your reading choices?
I love that there is room for many reviewers because we often have different tastes. In fact. I don’t always agree with many other reviewers’ best book picks, but I like that they might give me a perspective that I hadn’t thought of before.
