Little Hare Finds a Gift by Oleksandr Shatokhin - OPTIONAL

Little Hare Finds a Gift by Oleksandr Shatokhin. BOARD BOOK. Red Comet Press, 2026. $9. 9781636552071

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Little Hare was sleeping soundly when she was awakened by a giant present falling on her house. She stumbles onto Santa Claus who needs some help cleaning up the spilled presents.

Sweet, but not compelling. This is a board book reprint of the original picture book from 2023.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Suki Cat: Firefighter by Grace Holub - ADVISABLE

Suki Cat: Firefighter by Grace Holub. BOARD BOOK. Nosy Crow, 2026. $10. 9798887772431

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Suki cat is off to fight fires today. Help her drive the engine, slide down the pole and other things on her journey.

5 sliders and tabs will withstand a lot of abuse. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

A Family of Readers by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Gabbie Benda - ADVISABLE

A Family of Readers by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Gabbie Benda. PICTURE BOOK Charlesbridge/Imagine, 2026. $18. 9781623546472 

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

The public library can be a busy place, so from the moment the family arrives there's always something going on. Old men reading the newspaper, women in a book club, cooks and mechanics discussing their latest project, even a group of actors who have come to put on a show for pre-schoolers. The family finds a quiet place just perfect for them. 

Told in verse, I found this story delightful. It's just like my local library with so much going on no matter when you arrive. I love how all the things somehow floated back to the family and their needs. I'm not sure kids will love this as much as I do but for a librarian, this was a perfect read. Buying a copy for myself and a couple of friends, too. The family was white, but the library was full of a mix of cultures and races. 

Lisa Librarian 

Sound Explorers Space Adventure by Anna Claybourne and Teo Georgiev - ESSENTIAL

Sound Explorers Space Adventure by Anna Claybourne and Teo Georgiev. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Quarto Publishing, 2026. $20. 9781805702757

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3), EL - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

You cannot hear sounds in space because there is no air for the sound waves to travel. Sometimes, sound from space can be collected due to some atmosphere or air in an astronaut's helmet. Other space sounds are created from data from telescopes or space probes which computers interpret into sound. This is known as sonification. You can hear the sounds of the following space bodies: shooting stars, satellites, whistlers, zapping of space rocks, solar sun bursts,  comets, Saturn's aurora, asteroids, and pulsars. 

This battery operated book comes with sound dots that emit the sounds in space. These sounds bring space to life. The information pages that accompany the sounds are informative and astounding. The  bright illustrations depict the galaxy clearly so young children can understand. All ages will enjoy reading and learning from this book.

MOMMAC

Snowfall by Park Sun-jung - ADVISABLE

Snowfall by Park Sun-jung. PICTURE BOOK. Floris Books, 2026. $19. 9781835750049

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, El (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Little snowflakes are drifting to earth.

The anthropomorphized snowflakes in this wordless picture book are so sweet. Together with the evening colors, I felt the sleepiness that could come with slowly looking over each page. Probably more for home use than school use, however.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

How to Scare a Mouse and a Bear by Ross Collins - OPTIONAL

How to Scare a Mouse and a Bear by Ross Collins. PICTURE BOOK. Nosy Crow, 2026. $19. 9798887771731

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Mouse and Bear are trying to scare each other for Halloween. 

This time I didn’t find the rhyming really helping the scary factor of the book.  It was too sing-songy and cheerful. The illustrations are still spot on.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

What a Small Cat Needs by Natalia Shaloshvili, translated from Russian by Lena Traer - optIONAL

What a Small Cat Needs by Natalia Shaloshvili, translated from Russian by Lena Traer. PICTURE BOOK Enchanted Lion, 2026. $18. 9781592704774 

BUYING ADVISORY: PRE-K, EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

There are a lot of things a small cat needs - eyes and ears and a tail and the ability to catch food and a place to live, but there is so much more than just those basics. 

What a sweet story - not a conflict resolution so much as a long description of a sweet cat and how it gets by. Maybe not for everyone, there's not a lot of story to it. 

Lisa Librarian

Haircut Day with Dad by Monica Mikai - ADVISABLE

Haircut Day with Dad by Monica Mikai. PICTURE BOOK. Crown Books (Random House), 2026. $19. 9798217027545

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

A young boy is so excited to go to the barber shop with his father.  It is a special time for the two of them to bond and take care of themselves.  As they wait their turn, the boy takes in the sights and sounds of the barber shop. The father tells the boy that barbers are magic because they create a new you.

Haircut Day with Dad encompasses the joy of fathers and sons spending time together.  It shows that it doesn't matter what you do, the important part is being together. Mikai turns a mundane event into a special and exciting one.  Haircut Day with Dad is a celebration of black culture and love between a father and a son. Miaki also wrote a book about mothers and daughters called Wash Day with Mama.

The boy and his dad are black.

Tracie, Elementary School Librarian

On Our Bikes by Dan Saks and Joao Fazenda - OPTIONAL

On Our Bikes by Dan Saks and Joao Fazenda. PICTURE BOOK. Rise X (Penguin Workshop), 2026. $19. 9798217142798

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

A community finds joy in riding bicycles, from young kids on big wheels to adults pulling trailers. The book is a colorful celebration of the outdoors, fresh air, caring for the earth, and building relationships. Young kids gain independence and confidence and learn to navigate their neighborhood alongside family and friends. Ultimately, the book captures the magic of a childhood day spent outside with friends, biking adventures, and the plan to repeat it all the next day.

The rhyming prose would be a fun read-aloud for younger kids with short rhyming verses and vibrant illustrations. I like the throwback to a time when kids would take off with neighborhood friends on bicycles and not come home until dinnertime. The nostalgia for a simpler time when neighbors all knew each other brings to mind a community bike bus where adults and kids all ride together just for the joy of it. The book's viewpoint is pretty young, which is the only reason why I didn't rate it higher, but it is a fun and joyous book. A diverse community is portrayed, all coming together for a shared ride.

Heather Robinson 

Today We'll Be Eaten by Alan Barillaro - ADVISABLE

Today We'll Be Eaten by Alan Barillaro. PICTURE BOOK. Rocky Pond Books (Penguin), 2026. $20. 9798217004362

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

Ladybug and dragonfly are on their way home when a storm unexpectedly sends them in a new direction. Helpless to change their course, they learn to see things through a new perspective, facing their fears and finding new friends, if only for the moment.

The simple story has a humorous element where the main characters' worst fears, being eaten, do not actually come to pass, but instead, they find their winding way is filled with surprising new thoughts and views on the world. Barillaro's beautiful illustrations add whimsy to the life-and-death situation the bugs find themselves in. The main characters are resigned to their fate, but when it doesn't happen, they see the world around them that they never took the time to notice before. There is humor and depth behind the simple story, but the bugs also show resilience when life doesn't happen as they thought it would.

Heather Robinson 

I Could Be Eaten by a Shark by Marcela Ferreira and Mark Chambers - ADVISABLE

I Could Be Eaten by a Shark by Marcela Ferreira and Mark Chambers. PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2026 (First US publication). $19. 9781623547691

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Louie and his grandfather visit the beach and Louie sees a shark. From that moment, his thoughts are consumed by sharks and he is convinced that one day, a shark will eat him. His grandfather tries to help him overcome this fear in various ways, but nothing seems to help him stop worrying about being eaten by a shark. With bonus shark facts, after paying a visit to the library, Louie must find a way to live with his anxiety.

This book is bright and fun, and even though Louie's fear is mostly unfounded, the author and illustrator portray this with humor and compassion. Likewise, Louie's grandfather never makes fun of Louie, but helps him find ways to deal with his fears so that he can live his best life. A fun ending helps to show kids dealing with anxiety that they are not alone and lots of people live with anxiety every day. Louie and his grandfather present white.

Heather Robinson 

Awe! by Chana Stiefel and Susan Gal - ESSENTIAL

Awe! by Chana Stiefel and Susan Gal. PICTURE BOOK. Scholastic Press, 2026. $20. 9781546150350

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Whether they are exploring nature, helping a friend, building a community, or just being in their backyard, wonder is everywhere, and this book explores all the ways we can feel awe in our lives, and more importantly, that it is essential to seek out those moments. Stiefel uses amazing artwork and rhyming verse to teach kids how "awe" feels.

Gal has gorgeously illustrated it, portraying natural wonders like the Grand Canyon and the Northern Lights, but it also suggests that we can find awe in small quiet moments too. This book is joyful to read and each time I look at the artwork I see new things. This book would be a lovely read-aloud, encouraging kids to put down their screens and look for the awe-inspiring moments around them. Multiple ethnicities are portrayed as well as kids with disabilities and people in all shapes and sizes.

Heather Robinson