Something Good by Kenneth Kraegel. - ADVISABLE

Something Good by Kenneth Kraegel. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2025. $18. 9781536229448

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

APPEALS TO: MANY

Nothing good is happening. She wakes up with a chicken on her head, finds worms in her cereal, and the terrible day just keeps coming. Then a pair of magical socks just might turn her day into something good.

I loved the ridiculous, terrible things that kept happening. The text was delightful and the illustrations were fun; there were hidden smiley and frowny faces in the grass. The character learns to share the good she finds and be kind. 

The main character has light skin and dark hair, her friend is Black

Rachel, elementary school librarian 

Beep, Beep, Beep, Trunk-or-Treat! by Tracie Schneider and Sarah Rebar - OPTIONAL

Beep, Beep, Beep, Trunk-or-Treat! by Tracie Schneider and Sarah Rebar. INTERACTIVE BOARD BOOK. Penguin, AUGUST 2026. $10. 9798217140657

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

An ode to the new classic Trunk-or-Treat.  Simple flaps are liftable to see the candy each trunk presents. Super simple in design and execution. You might have to worry about your little ones getting their candy wishlists ready!

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

It's a Mom by Abby Cooper and Eliana Gutierrez - ADVISABLE

It's a Mom by Abby Cooper and Eliana Gutierrez PICTURE BOOK Charlesbridge/Imagine, 2026 $18 9781623546427 

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

A new mom has arrived! She needs all sorts of special care, like baths, and food and you need to play with her. Having a new mom is a HUGE responsibility.

Directed to the baby, this darling how-to guide has all the feels and all the things the baby needs to take care of their new mom. The illustrations are cute and funny. What a nice twist on the caring for a new baby books. While it is fun for the new big brother or sister, it would also make a great gift. The illustrations are of varying moms of different races and cultures (and even one male presenting mom!) 

Lisa Librarian 

Sleepover Night! by Candice Ransom and Ashley Evans - ADVISABLE

Sleepover Night! by Candice Ransom and Ashley Evans. LEVELED READER (Step 1). Random House Children's Books, 2025. $6. 9780593807798

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

A brother and sister are going to their cousins' house for a sleepover. After games, ice cream, blanket forts, and a move, will the boy be able to fall asleep?

Kids will like the simple, rhyming text of this level 1 early reader. The illustrations were colorful and engaging.

The characters are Black. 

Rachel, elementary school librarian

The Bats on the Bus by Alison Jackson and Scott Magoon - ESSENTIAL

The Bats on the Bus by Alison Jackson and Scott Magoon. PICTURE BOOK. Little Brown, JULY 2026. $19. 9780316584180

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

APPEALS TO: MANY

Meet a variety of Halloween creatures and monsters as they all take a ride on the bus.

Yes!  Jackson and Magoon give us a worthy follow-up to the traditional “The Wheels on the Bus”. I had so much fun reading.  You’ll be surprised by how many creatures there are - way more verses than you can remember of the original.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Our World by the Numbers by Steve Jenkins - ADVISABLE

Our World by the Numbers by Steve Jenkins. 162 pages. NON-FICTION HarperCollins, 2024 $25.00 9780063315716 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

Steve Jenkins brings us another fascinating non-fiction picture book. The World is told in infographics, describing The Solar System, the Earth, Earth's History (including millions of years from now), what happens in just one day (including extinctions, birthrates, and energy use) Earth's creatures, Natural Disasters, and the Future of the Earth. 

There is so much information! Mostly captioned pictures, but they tell so much. This is the kind of book you'll have out on a display in your library for kids to open to any page. I was thoroughly intrigued. It flows in a natural way, so someone reading from cover to cover will not feel like they are skipping all over the place. Backmatter includes a glossary and a bibliography. 

Lisa Librarian

The World Entire: A True Story of an Extraordinary World War II Rescue by Elizabeth Brown and Melissa Castrillón - ADVISABLE

The World Entire: A True Story of an Extraordinary World War II Rescue by Elizabeth Brown and Melissa Castrillón.  NON-FICTION, PICTURE BOOK Chronicle, 2025. $20. 9781452170985 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

Aristides de Sousa Mendes was a Portuguese diplomat who saved thousands of people fleeing France during WWII. In less than a month, Mendes issued thousands of visas against his government's wishes, saving refugees fleeing the Nazis in France, and allowing them to enter into Portugal. 

The back matter gives more details including that his visas saved Salvador Dali, H.A. and Margret Rey - who created Curious George, and countless others whose lives are just as important, and that it came with a great price to his family who lost everything because of his actions - he knew it was worth it. This is a magnificent story - I had no idea! The picture book itself is a standard length for a non-fiction and would work as a read aloud in the classroom. Back matter includes and authors note, timeline, bibliography and source notes. 

Lisa Librarian  

How do you Jew? A Celebration of Jews Around the World by Suzy Ultman - OPTIONAL

How do you Jew? A Celebration of Jews Around the World (My First Books of Jewish Culture) by Suzy Ultman. BOARD BOOK Penguin, 2026. $10. 9780593751978 

BUYING ADVISORY: PRE-K - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

Jews have many different traditions, and live in so many places. They eat Challah on Shabbat like Australian Jews, or they might eat Dabo on Shabbat like some Ethiopian Jews. They have different wedding traditions that vary by where they live, as well as Passover traditions, and Chanukah traditions. How do you Jew? 

This darling board book focuses on 4 different traditions and shows how they may be celebrated differently depending on where you live. I love the illustrations, especially the first one, which shows 25 different Jewish faces. A fun board book for a Jewish child. 

Lisa Librarian 

The Fire Breathing Duckling (Toon level 2) by Frank Cammuso - ADVISABLE

The Fire Breathing Duckling (Toon level 2) by Frank Cammuso. 40 pages. EARLY READER, GRAPHIC NOVEL Toon (Astra/Boyds Mill), 2025. $14. 9781662665332 

Content: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

When an unusual egg appears in a duck's nest, she is determined to raise it with her other ducklings. But when it realizes it can't swim, a bluebird tries to help it find its family. It's not an oinking or a mooing duckling, so what could it be? 

A darling retelling of the ugly duckling for a modern audience. The baby dragon is adorable. These early-reader graphic novels are perfect for emerging readers. 

Lisa Librarian  

Billy and the Hole by Jessica Goecke - ADVISABLE

Billy and the Hole by Jessica Goecke. PICTURE BOOK. Flamingo Books (Penguin), AUGUST 2026. $19. 9780593695234

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

Billy goes to sit by his favorite tree with his best stuffed friend Cosmo.  Billy tossed in his apple to see how deep the hole was, then he heard a cold hard voice that said it preferred red apples. Billy picked some red apples from a neighbor's tree and threw them in.  As the hole asks Billy for more things, Billy will have to decide if he will comply.

Billy and the Hole is a darkly humorous story about a toxic friendship, and that people should set boundaries and overcome peer pressure.  Gooecke's illustrations are darkly beautiful.

PGPowers

Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme by Betsy Bird and Andrea Tsurumi. - ADVISABLE

Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme by Betsy Bird and Andrea Tsurumi. PICTURE BOOK Union Square, 2025. $19. 9781454960461 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

The weasel "pops" himself into the end of a bunch of popular nursery rhymes, much to the dismay of Mother Goose. 

I had to laugh at all the different ways this silly weasel could pop. Do children still know nursery rhymes? They won't need to, but the humor and surprise is better if they do, so they can fully enjoy Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme. 

Lisa Librarian  

What Fish are Saying: Strange Sounds in the Ocean by Kirsten Pendreigh and Katie Melrose - ADVISABLE

What Fish are Saying: Strange Sounds in the Ocean by Kirsten Pendreigh and Katie Melrose. NON-FICTION, PICTURE BOOK Sourcebooks, 2025. $19. 9781464218965 

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

With underwater microphones, scientists have discovered that fish make sounds! It's pretty noisy down there. Some fish click their bones together, some squeeze their swim bladder, others pop, chirp, bark or burp and we don't know how. Some fish even fart. Scientists have learned a lot of new things about fish because of these microphones. 

Written in verse - well, rhyming couplets, I thought it would be silly, but it wasn't. It's very well written, none of the rhymes seemed forced and the book is very informative. The illustrations are cute, the fish are illustrations without looking like photographs of actual fish, which makes this books very accessible. Back matter includes links to hear the fish for yourself - which I listened to and my life changed. Crab have teeth inside their bodies that make clicking sounds. What???? This is a great book. 

Lisa Librarian