Wednesday, September 30, 2026

FrankenKitty by Maudie Powell-Tuck and Mini Grey - ADVISABLE

FrankenKitty by Maudie Powell-Tuck and Mini Grey. PICTURE BOOK. Tiger Tales, 2026. $19. 9781664300972

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

The inventor has created a FrankenKitty and now he is blaming every spooky happening and every slimy thing on the kitty - unfair! 

Check out the gorgeous endpapers. And a neat little twist right at the end. Whether you want to blame Kitty or defend him, you will have lots of Halloween creepy things to gaze at on every page.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS


Here a Creak, There a Shriek! by Kelly Conroy and Nikolas Ilic. - ESSENTIAL

Here a Creak, There a Shriek! by Kelly Conroy and Nikolas Ilic. PICTURE BOOK. Tiger Tales, 2026. $19. 9781664300965

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

APPEALS TO: MANY

The children are headed to the barn on Old MacSpooky’s Farm.  Before they can celebrate, they have several obstacles to bypass.

So much fun!  The author took care to match the words and rhymes to the original song  I will have to work on a spookier voice, however, when I read this one aloud.  My absolute new favorite Halloween remake!

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS



Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Ghost Goes Boo! illustrated by Mitch Miller - OPTIONAL

Ghost Goes Boo! illustrated by Mitch Miller. BOARD BOOK. Tiger Tales, 2026. $10. 9781664352384

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Meet five familiar sights of Halloween and hear their sounds in this board book.

I know my grandchildren will delight in pushing the buttons to make the sounds.  Parents - there is an on/off switch on the back! The words are simple, but it is the sounds that carry the weight.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS



Peek-a-Boo Halloween by Selina Wood and Damien Barlow - ESSENTIAL

Peek-a-Boo Halloween by Selina Wood and Damien Barlow. BOARD BOOK. Tiger Tales, 2026. $10. 9781664352094

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Pull the tabs and find a goal and the picture with some counting to do for each page of the board book. Both sides of each tab are put to use, plus the pages have some see-thru elements. A fun one to pair read.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS



Monday, September 28, 2026

Enchanted Forest (A Roll of the Dice) by Lauren DeGraaf - ADVISABLE

Enchanted Forest (A Roll of the Dice) by Lauren DeGraaf. INTERACTIVE PICTURE BOOK. Magic Cat, 2026. $23. 9781917044516

BUYING ADVISORY: EL GIFT - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Briar has called to be a hero and find the Jewel of Everlasting Life and save everything living in the Enchanted Forest. But she needs our help to find her way. Spread out the map, grab the dice, and help her along the way.

Because you need to cut out the map and the Briar figurine, I can’t recommend this for a school library, unless you already check out board games or puzzles to your students.  But it would make a great gift for young ones in a family that likes role-playing games and Dungeons and Dragons.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS



Dragon Post by Emma Yarlett - ADVISABLE

Dragon Post by Emma Yarlett. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick, 2026. $18. 9781536251937

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Alex found a dragon and now he is trying to find anyone to help him with its care and feeding. 

I love that Alex decided to write letters for help instead of calling, texting, or emailing. Because the book does include letters that could be lost, you will have to cross your fingers (and maybe keep copies of the letters on hand to replace them if lost). 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS


Sunday, September 27, 2026

William Shakespears by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Andrea Stegmaier - ADVISABLE

William Shakespeare (Little People, Big Dreams) by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Andrea Stegmaier. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHY. Frances Lincoln (Quarto), 2026. $16. 9781805701675

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

Vegara give us a succinct, but measured look at the life of Shakespeare. I am always amazed at how well she distills the lives she writes about. Were I a 1st or 2nd grade teacher, I would pair this with other books in the series about authors. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS



Busy Little Fingers Move by Martine Perrin - ADVISABLE

Busy Little Fingers Move by Martine Perrin. BOARD BOOK. Post Wave, 2026. $11. 9798895091524

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

Using colors and instructions, a little one moves their fingers in different ways on the pages.

While the back says it is for ages 10 months and up, a ten month old will need a lot of help to figure out what the book wants them to do. I do like that it works on coordination skills.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS



Saturday, September 26, 2026

Hello Baby Elephant by Ekaterina Trukhan - ADVISABLE

Hello Baby Elephant by Ekaterina Trukhan. BOARD BOOK. Nosy Crow, 2026. $10. 9798887772592

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Five pull tabs on five pages have a little one counting animals up to five, with a little surprise ending.

Cute illustrations and sturdy tabs - I would have to try really hard to bend them, which means my grandson will also have a hard time! 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS



Old Macdonald Had a Farm - OPTIONAL

Old Macdonald Had a Farm. BOARD BOOK. Flowerpot Press, 2024. $7. 9781486730223

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

The simple board book gives the reader one verse of the Old Macdonald song. The cut-out tabs give other ideas for other animal based verses.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS


Friday, September 25, 2026

Witch (Slide and Peek) by Hector Dexet - ADVISABLE

Witch (Slide and Peek) by Hector Dexet. BOARD BOOK. Post Wave, 2026. $13. 9798895091029

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

The witch has great Halloween surprises planned for all of her friends.

Wow! Dext packs a lot of sliding interaction into this board book.  Every slider has something - on the front and the back.  That’s not as common as you might think for pull-tabs! 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS



Claire & the Cathedral by Pam Fong - ESSENTIAL

Claire & the Cathedral by Pam Fong. PICTURE BOOK. Greenwillow Books (Harper), 2026. $16. 9780063360006

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Claire and her mother tour a cathedral on a rainy day.  Claire couldn't be more bored.  As Claire's mother looks through the cathedral, Claire mopes.  Then she sees a stained glass window that is breathtakingly colorful.  She starts to see and hear the beauty that is all around her.  

Claire and the Cathedral is an enchanting wordless book.  The illustrations are intricately drawn in black and white.  Splashes of color are purposefully placed throughout the book.  Claire and the Cathedral would provoke a great discussion as to why wordless books can be so powerful.

Claire is around 5 or 6 and presumably white.

Tracie, Elementary School Librarian



Welcome to Kiss the Book Jr.!

Welcome! Kiss the Book Jr. is for board books, picture books, early readers, and chapter books.  Also, any novels and non-fiction that we ag...