Me & the Magic Cube written by Daniel Fehr, illustrated by Golden Cosmos - ADVISABLE

Me & the Magic Cube written by Daniel Fehr, illustrated by Golden Cosmos. PICTURE BOOK. NorthSouth Books (NordSüd Verlag), 2025.  $20.  9780735845732

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SOME

One day a child finds a colorful cube in a dusty, forgotten box and with their friends, dives down the rabbit hole of fun facts about what the cube is, who invented it, and all the ways you can move it.

If you’ve ever spent time trying to solve a Rubik’s cube, you need to read this book to learn the history. Ernő Rubik invented his Magic Cube in the early 70s and sold hundreds of millions of puzzles. The author does a great job of switching between the history and the math of the puzzle and the story of the three friends playing with the toy, trying to figure it out. The text itself is quite dense, as it covers a lot of material, but the illustrations are so interesting. They feel retro themselves, a sort of callback to the picture books of the 70s. I think this would highly appeal to a small group of students.

Kiera, ELA teacher, #bookswithbeddes

Have You Ever Seen a Ghost? by Daniel Kwan & Julia Pott, illustrated by Sean Lewis - OPTIONAL

Have You Ever Seen a Ghost? by Daniel Kwan & Julia Pott, illustrated by Sean Lewis. PICTURE BOOK Atheneum (Simon and Schuster), 2026. $20. 9781665956925 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

There's a ghost in the house and they need your help. They are going to a party and want your advice about a lot of different things, maybe even about whether or not to go to the party. 

I feel like there were some great ideas for illustrations and for hiding a ghost in a picture, but then the authors had to figure out the text to accommodate. This story is way more complicated than I expected for a picture book, and it expects a lot of the reader's perception. Asking them if they can see a ghost and there's not really something to look for to actually find where in the picture the ghost might be, can be frustrating. (The cover picture is not typical of where to find the ghost) It was a lot - that said, the illustrations are clever and fun, but it just wasn't for me. 

Lisa Librarian  

My Dear Sea written and illustrated by André Carrilho - ADVISABLE

My Dear Sea written and illustrated by André Carrilho. PICTURE BOOK. Blue Dot Kids Press, 2025. $19.  9798989858835

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SEVERAL

On a visit to the beach, our first-person narrator shares their experiences and respect for the sea. From playing games on the beach, to exploring tide pools and the fisherman’s wharf, the reader gets to see the many facets of the ocean and why it is so important.

This is a love letter to the sea and young readers are going to love getting lost in all of the illustrations. I thought the illustrations were so interesting & unusual. The book is a translation of a Portuguese-language text, so some of the phrasing is a little odd. But overall, it will speak to all your kids that want to become marine biologists some day (which is way more than you think it is).

Kiera, ELA teacher, #bookswithbeddes

It’s Alive (Night Frights) by Joe McGee and Teo Skaffa. - ADVISABLE

 It’s Alive (Night Frights) by Joe McGee and Teo Skaffa. EARLY READER Level 3. Simon, 2026. $19 (hc), $6 (pb). 9781665984898

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

Max and Raven buy some beautiful sidewalk chalk with their allowances. When their drawings come to life, however, even the butterfly becomes something menacing. How can the siblings defeat the monsters and save their town?

Think of these as beginner R.L. Stine books. Kids who like creepy things will have a nice time moving up to chapter books by starting here. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Uh-Oh, Hugo! written by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrated by Jay Fleck - ADVISABLE

Uh-Oh, Hugo! written by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrated by Jay Fleck.  PICTURE BOOK. Flamingo Books, Penguin Random House, 2026.  $19.  9798217039203

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: MANY

Hugo is just a little puppy, ready to start his perfect day of adventuring. After a series of unfortunate events, Hugo comes back home tired, stinky, and muddy. Did he have a perfect day after all? You bet he did!

Hugo is the reason why I don’t do dogs. They get into everything and become a muddy, stinky mess. But for someone who loves dogs and/or has a pug, they would love this book. As far as teaching with this book, there are lots of examples of onomatopoeia in the book that can be fun to reinforce how writers use sound words to show action in the story.

Kiera, ELA teacher, #bookswithbeddes

To Knit a Ghost by Z.B. Asterplume and Heather Brockman Lee - ADVISABLE

To Knit a Ghost by Z.B. Asterplume and Heather Brockman Lee. PICTURE BOOK Random House, 2026. $19. 9798217025671 

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

There is so much for the little witch to do before she can knit a ghost. First, her supplies and a cup of tea, a comfy chair, and some stretching - be sure to feed the cat and feed herself. At last, she can knit a ghost! But are the real ghosts helping or hindering? 

I loved this! Illustrator Brockman Lee has incorporated photographs of yard and knitting, and everything is accurate. The details in the illustrations are clever and worth looking for - her knitting instruction book says it includes a potion for getting cat hair out - I need that! 10yo AJ read it too and was thoroughly delighted; the cat added to the funny illustrations. Includes basic instructions on how to cast on and how to knit. When I finish this review, I'm grabbing my needles and finding some yarn and knitting a ghost for myself. 

Lisa Librarian 

When Tad Kicked Vlad written by Julian Gough, illustrated by Ross Collins - ADVISABLE

When Tad Kicked Vlad written by Julian Gough, illustrated by Ross Collins.  PICTURE BOOK. Faber & Faber Limited, 2026.  $19.  9780571380237

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: MANY

Birthday boy Tad gets upset and kicks his best friend Vlad, which sets off a chain reaction of the "kick that goes around the world". When the kick comes back to Tad at his next birthday, he escalates things with a fart to the face...setting off another chain reaction. At his next birthday, Tad has to decide if he going to escalate things further (what's worse than a fart??), or is he going to break the cycle?

I thought this was a very funny story about consequences and how our actions impact other people. Obviously it is super hyperbolic, but young readers will enjoy the humorous illustrations, and at the same time, hopefully think about how to react in moments of anger and how to channel those feelings into more positive behaviors. Some teachers might be worried about the physical violence depicted - there are a lot of kicks and farts on page - but I think most kids would like it. 

Kiera, ELA teacher, #bookswithbeddes 

Giggling Ghosts by Fiz Osborne and Tim Budgen - OPTIONAL

Giggling Ghosts by Fiz Osborne and Tim Budgen. PICTURE BOOK. Simon and Schuster, 2026. $13. 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

The little ghosts are rested and ready to head out for a night of haunting. They can’t help giggling every time they scare something. 

A little annoying, but also the ghosts are so dang cute, I couldn’t help liking it.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

It Won't Be Forever written by John Dougherty, illustrated by Thomas Docherty - ADVISABLE

It Won't Be Forever written by John Dougherty, illustrated by Thomas Docherty.  PICTURE BOOK. Frances Lincoln Children’s Books (The Quarto Group), 2026.  $19.  9780711296657

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SEVERAL

A fox cub named Vixie has separation anxiety from her father when he tells her he has to go away for a while. She finds out that she is capable of surviving, even while missing her father.

The story is a gentle lesson addressing separation anxiety during a temporary absence. It’s not as weighty as a book about grief might be, but I think it still has a proper place in classroom libraries as young minds learn how to navigate complex emotions.

Kiera, ELA teacher, #bookswithbeddes

School Spirits by Charlotte Gunnufson and Rebecca Crane - NO

School Spirits by Charlotte Gunnufson and Rebecca Crane. PICTURE BOOK. Atheneum (Simon), 2026. $20. 9781665964517

BUYING ADVISORY: NOT RECOMMENDED

On the first day of school you worry about a lot of things, but not that school is haunted.  When you find proof what should you do?  Gather your friends and train the ghosts to be respectful and helpful.

I just don’t understand this book at all. Someone please explain. I don't know why you would worry that your school is haunted on a perfectly ordinary day, nor do I then understand how you and your friends are going to train the ghosts to keep things clean and play with all of the kids.  The rhyming text, trying to make everything feel light and cherry doesn’t help either.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Calm Your Roar Like a Dinosaur by Colleen Patterson and Brenda S. Miles, illustrated by John Joseph - ESSENTIAL

Calm Your Roar Like a Dinosaur by Colleen Patterson and Brenda S. Miles, illustrated by John Joseph.  PICTURE BOOK. Magination Press, 2025.  $19.  9781433844652

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: MANY

A young triceratops is frustrated and furious, so their fellow dinosaurs show them how to relax every part of themselves to “calm the roar” and find their center once again.

I really loved this book. It teaches young readers how to self-regulate using the Progressive Muscle Relaxation technique to tighten & relax different parts of the body, helping them to calm down and de-stress. The brightly colored dinosaurs teaching the young triceratops were so well-drawn, and made the point perfectly. I think it would be a great book for any counselor’s or school’s wellness center library shelf. Super cute story and message.

Kiera, ELA teacher, #bookswithbeddes

  

The Haunted Goldfish (Night Frights) by Joe McGee and Teo Skaffa - ADVISABLE

The Haunted Goldfish (Night Frights) by Joe McGee and Teo Skaffa. EARLY READER Level 3. Simon, 2026. $19 (hc), $6 (pb). 9781665984928

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

When Victor’s goldfish Doris dies, he gives her a watery farewell flush.  That night, however, the toilet bowl runs over and floods the house.  Victor knows that Doris has come back to haunt him, but his parents do not believe.

If you have young students who like creepy things, they will enjoy the Night Frights series. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS