If You Went To The Bottom Of The Ocean by Brooke McIntyre and Gordy Wright - ADVISABLE

If You Went To The Bottom Of The Ocean by Brooke McIntyre, illustrated by Gordy Wright. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Chronicle Books, 2026. $20. 9781797226514

BUYING ADVISORY:  EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

Come along on a submarine mission that takes you past reefs, beyond the shore sea floor, down through the sunlight layer, the twilight layer, the midnight zone, and all the way seven miles down to the bottom of the ocean.  Along the way, learn about many types of fish at each depth, and the mysterious sea life that dwells in the deepest depths.  Find out how interconnected the ocean's ecosystems are.

McIntyre has created a thrilling adventure for children to explore the depths of the ocean and the sea life that dwells there.  Wright beautifully captures the sea with gouache and watercolor illustrations.  I liked the fold-out poster and backmatter with even more scientific facts.

PGPowers

Teacher Jitters by Julie Danneberg, illustrated by Judy Love - ADVISABLE

Teacher Jitters by Julie Danneberg, illustrated by Judy Love. PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2025. $18. 9781623544348

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Mrs. Hartwell announces to the class that she won't be at school tomorrow.  She tells her class that she is taking a class for teachers and that she is nervous.  The class tells her that they get nervous too.  The class talks about some of the things Mrs. Hartwell should do when she feels anxious.  The students decide to write encouraging notes for their teacher to read if she gets nervous. 

Teacher Jitters is great for helping both children and adults learn to prepare for anxieties and how to self regulate.  Love's illustrations are well done and expressive.

PGPowers

Dinosaurs in Trucks Because Hey, Why Not? by Sandra Boynton - OPTIONAL

Dinosaurs in Trucks Because Hey, Why Not? by Sandra Boynton. BOARD BOOK. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 2024. $4. 9780316574662

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Dinosaurs and trucks, what a great combination!  If dinos had trucks, which ones would they like best?  Maybe Stegosaurus would like a tow truck?  Or Brontosaurus would drive a delivery truck?  Read this book to find out!

Dinosaurs in Trucks Because Hey, Why Not? will appeal to preschoolers that love both dinosaurs and trucks.  This is a board book with very bright primary colors.  The text is shown in several different colors.  

Tracie, Elementary School Librarian

Dive-The Story of Breathing Underwater by Chris Gall - ADVISABLE

Dive-The Story of Breathing Underwater by Chris Gall. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, 2024. $18. 9781250823953

BUYING ADVISORY:  EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Have you ever wondered what happens to your body as you dive?  Or who were the first people to try diving?  What about who invented the system that divers use now?  Find these answers and more in Dive-The Story of Breathing Underwater. 

Dive-The Story of Breathing Underwater tells the history of diving through text and realistic illustrations.  My favorite part was the use of actual experiments that students could try at home that explain the concepts talked about in this book.  Dive is also a nominee for the 2026 Utah Beehive Book Award.

Many ethnicities are represented in this book.

Tracie, Elementary School Librarian

I'm not Scary...I'm just a Dinosaur! by Ben Lerwill and Erica Salcedo - ADVISABLE

I'm not Scary...I'm just a Dinosaur! by Ben Lerwill, illustrated by Erica Salcedo. PICTURE BOOK. NON-FICTION Quarto, 2025. $19 97818360025 $12 

BUYING ADVISORY: PRE-K - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

For anyone who thinks dinosaurs are totally scary, this book will show that dinosaurs developed unique ways to survive and thrive. 

The art is bright and colorful and just right for young children. In addition to the informational text, which is easily understood, there are actions and questions for young listeners to answer or act out, which makes this interactive. Great introduction to dinosaurs for small fry. 

Michelle in the Middle

Nunu and the Sea by Isabella Kung - OPTIONAL

Nunu and the Sea by Isabella Kung. PICTURE BOOK Knopf (Random House), 2025. $19 9780593812723  

PRE-K, EL (K-3)- OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Nunu is a little girl with big emotions: emotions so big she feels like she has to navigate their uncharted waters before she can find her way back home. 

The art is beautiful. Though the story is simple, its message that we can build and create again even when things go wrong is a good reminder for anyone struggling with overwhelming emotions. 

Nunu is Chinese. 

Michelle in the Middle

The Bakery Dragon and the Fairy Cake by Devin Elle Kurtz - ADVISABLE

The Bakery Dragon and the Fairy Cake by Devin Elle Kurtz. PICTURE BOOK Knopf (Random House), 2025 $19.00 9780593710999 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Ember, The Bakery Dragon is now an established bread maker, making golden loaves of deliciousness for his fellow dragons. Beatrice trusts him so much she even leaves him in charge of the bakery when she has far away deliveries. But when Princess Turnip comes by with an unusual request, the Bakery Dragon starts to doubt his skills. He's a bread maker and the princess wants a cake. 

I can see using this in a classroom as it is a terrific story that demonstrates a growth mindset. The ingredients illustrated in the endpapers are clever, and I am entranced with the gorgeous golden colors in Kurtz's illustrations. A child will spend more time looking at the illustrations than reading the text. I loved it. 

Lisa Librarian 

Giddy Up, Unicorn by Dani Gomez - OPTIONAL

Giddy Up, Unicorn by Dani Gomez. PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2024. $18. 9781623544850

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

A little girl, Emma, loves unicorns. She draws unicorns and collects stuffed unicorns. Emma's dad reads her unicorn stories every night. Emma and her dad even dress up like unicorns for Halloween! As Emma gets older, she loses interest in unicorns. What will her dad do as Emma finds new interests?

Giddy Up, Unicorn is a sweet book about a dad supporting a daughter's interest and also what happens when a daughter grows up and her interests change. The text per page is minimal and the illustrations are very engaging. Emma and her dad cue white.

Tracie, Elementary School Librarian 

Saving Piku by James Sellick and Craig Shuttlewood - ADVISABLE

Saving Piku by James Sellick and Craig Shuttlewood. PICTURE BOOK. New Frontier Publishing (Lerner), 2025. $19. 9781916790971

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

The penguin moms are away fishing while the dads and chicks are on land. When an enormous beast of a storm kicks up, little Piku is almost frozen to death. It is only with the help and shared warmth of all of the other penguins that Piku might be saved.

Sellick takes what could be very distressing and turns it into a lovely story about community and helping. I could do without the big labels on the cover (“friendship over fear” “dealing with feeling”) - the book conveys the emotion without needing to be labelled.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

I’m Thankful for Nature by Lindsey Sagar - ADVISABLE

I’m Thankful for Nature by Lindsey Sagar. BOARD BOOK. Kane Miller, 2023. $9. 9781684645602

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

A variety of children talk about the many seasons and beautiful flora that they love. The thankful books are a sweet way to get little ones to talk about what they are personally thankful for.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

I, Rock: a Geology Tale by Katie Slivensky and Steph Stilwell - ADVISABLE

I, Rock: a Geology Tale by Katie Slivensky and Steph Stilwell. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Beach Lane (Simon), 2025. $20. 9781665940368

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Rock teaches us not just about the different kinds of rocks and crystals, but also takes us through his own millenial long journey - through earth’s mantle to the crust and through different phases of its existence. 

90% of Slivensky’s book is excellent - it is 100% interesting to look at and very clear and engaging. My Earth Science teachers (7th grade) did have a couple of little problems - early on (1.8 billion years) it shows the continents and the plates as we know them today. Several pages later (325 million years) it shows a supercontinent, which we assume is Pangea; we feel it would have been clearer if those two things were reversed. The other detail was the page showing, as it said, erosion - the little rock rolling down the hill. The teachers had a great debate about whether the definition is actual for weathering, not erosion - but the rock bouncing is showing erosion. That’s my teachers’ two cents. Otherwise, they still want to the book so that they can use it in their teaching.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

Snow Problem and Other Stories by Greg Pizzoli - OPTIONAL

Snow Problem and Other Stories (Earl and Worm) by Greg Pizzoli, 69 pages. CHAPTER BOOK. Knopf (Random), 2025. $11. 9780593649749

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

It’s Earl’s birthday and Worm has surprises for him. Unfortunately, something seems to go wrong during each phase of the plan. Worm is definitely the Eeyore of the pair - Worm sees everything through a negative lens. Thankfully Earl is patient and forgiving.

While I agree that friends don’t have to match, I don’t know why one has to be negative to the other’s positive. They can be different in some other way.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS