Welcome to the Nighttime Train by Louise Fitzgerald and Margarita Kukhtina - ESSENTIAL

Welcome to the Nighttime Train by Louise Fitzgerald and Margarita Kukhtina. PICTURE BOOK. Nosy Crow Inc., 2025. $18. 9798887772059

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

APPEALS TO: MANY

The Nighttime train is here to pick up children at bedtime. The first stop is Pajamaville. The second stop is Toothbrush Town. Then, on to Library Land, and the train finishes at Starlight Skies in their own beds. 

Fitzgerald creates a joy filled book about going to bed. She uses Onomatopoeia and Alliteration to enrich and create flow of the story. The illustrations are cute animals that look like stuffed toys that could represent any child. A read aloud audio book is attached with a QR code on the back cover. The speech of the performer carries on at a good pace, with clear wording, but feels a little monotonous compared to the excitement of the storyline. The one part of the read aloud that was irritating happened when the reader finished the sentence on another page after a ""turn the page"" bell had rung. " Any child could see themselves in this book.

MOMMAC 

The Girl Who Was Too Big for the Page by Geena Davis - ADVISABLE

The Girl Who Was Too Big for the Page by Geena Davis. PICTURE BOOK. Philomel Books (Penguin), 2025. $19. 9780593463963

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

APPEALS TO: SOME

Follow Sheila, who at the beginning of the book is just a baby and still crawling. As each year passes, Sheila gets one year older. She goes on adventures with her family- so big that they don't fit on the pages in the book. But after one summer, Sheila comes back to school and she is a lot taller than her friends. Her head doesn't even fit on the page! At first, Sheila is upset that she is so different from her friends. Sheila realizes that she doesn't need to change herself, she will always fit somewhere in the world.

I liked the idea of this plot, but it didn't draw me in. The theme of being yourself and that it's ok to be different is great. My 7 year old daughter thought it was a fun story, but not one she would want to reread.

Reviewer: A. Criswell, English Language Arts teacher 

Diary of a Bee by Stepanka Sekaninova and Linh Dao - OPTIONAL

Diary of a Bee by Stepanka Sekaninova and Linh Dao. Translated by Mark Worthington. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. B4U Publishing for Albatros, 2025. $17. 9788000074467

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

APPEALS TO: SOME

The 37-day life of Matilda, a worker bee, is spent feeding larva, collecting pollen, cleaning and protecting the hive, and doing other worker bee tasks. Matilda explains how a hive works including the different bees and their jobs. I appreciated the cute illustrations and that the text was geared toward a young audience. 

That said, I didn't love all the ways the bees were anthropomorphized. In one instance, Matilda's drone friend, Thomas is excited for his ""wedding flight."" He is described as the youngest bee who is flying off with a group of drones to mate with the queen. Matilda hopes he will come back, because the bees that mate with the queen will die. Thomas does come back and is disappointed because he couldn't finish his task. Kids probably won't read too much into this, but as an adult, it seemed a bit odd to give a bee characteristics of a young boy and use that bee to teach how drones mate with the queen.

Rachel, elementary school librarian 

Katherine Johnson by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Jemma Skidmore - ADVISABLE

Katherine Johnson by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Jemma Skidmore. NON-FICTION BIOGRAPHY PICTURE BOOK. Frances Lincoln (Quarto), 2025. $16. 9781836001775

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Kathrine loves learning and has always had a talent for math. She graduated high school at 14 and was the first Black woman at her university. Katherine Johnson led a team of mathematicians at NASA and helped send people into space. Kathrine's story is one of following your dreams and never giving up.

I loved the illustrations and simple text of this biographical picture book. This would make a great addition to any school, classroom, or public library.

Rachel, elementary school librarian 

Llama Llama a Gift for Mama by Anna Dewdney and JT Morrow - ESSENTIAL

Llama Llama a Gift for Mama by Anna Dewdney and JT Morrow. PICTURE BOOK. Viking Books (Penguin), 2025. $16. 9780593353264

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Christmas is coming and Llama llama wants to get the perfect gift for his mom. He makes her a fancy ornament, but then accidentally drops and breaks it. What is Llama llama going to do now? His Grandmas said that spending time with her would be the best gift, but Llama llama isn't convinced. After repeatedly asking his mom what she would like, he begins to think it is hopeless. Llama llama learns that not all gifts are things that can be unwrapped and Christmas is saved.

My daughter and I enjoyed this book because of the familiar characters. It taught a good lesson that not all gifts are the same. We liked how to show that spending time with a loved one can be the best gift of all.

Reviewer: A. Criswell, English Language Arts teacher 

Here Come the Aunties! by Cynthia Leitich Smith and Aphelandra - ADVISABLE

Here Come the Aunties! by Cynthia Leitich Smith and Aphelandra. PICTURE BOOK. Harper Collins Children's Books, 2026. $18. 9780063374690

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

A young boy is so lucky to have many aunties in his life. From biological aunts to friends, neighbors and community members,the boy and his family are loved by so many! Aunties teach him at school, go fishing and make moccasins for him. Is it possible to have too many aunties?

Leitich Smith celebrates the boy's indigenous heritage. She goes through all the seasons and all that the aunties do for the boy and his family. There are only a few sentences on each page and the pages are colorful. Here Comes the Aunties is a beautiful dedication to Indigenous culture. The boy and his family are indigenous but it does not identify which tribe.

Tracie, Elementary School Librarian 

Do You Really Know Flamingos? by Brandon Todd - OPTIONAL

Do You Really Know Flamingos? by Brandon Todd. PICTURE BOOK. Dial Books (Penguin), 2026. $20. 9798217114672

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Frank Armadillo believes he is an explorer extraordinaire. He comes upon a group of "pretty princess" birds. One of the birds introduces herself as a flamingo. Frank and the bird have a conversation about what flamingos are and what they do.

While the premise of the book invites curiosity in the reader, the question/answer format of the story is dull reading. The illustrations provide the best narrative.

MOMMAC 

Aya Has Never Seen a Bear by Gerelchimeg Blackcrane and Jiu'er - ESSENTIAL

Aya Has Never Seen a Bear by Gerelchimeg Blackcrane and Jiu'er. PICTURE BOOK. Greystone Books, 2026. $21. 9781778403064

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Aya lives with her grandparents in northern China. They are part of an indigenous tribe by the name of Oroqen. Since Aya has never seen a bear, she and her grandfather set out to look for some. Her grandfather knows just where to find them. They see many other animals along the way and respect the wildlife like all Oroqen.

Just the beautiful illustrations make this book worth the read! The translated story holds one's attention as Aya introduces us to her culture. This story provides a great way to introduce children to indigenous peoples of other countries. The author includes other notes about the tribe at the end of the book.

MOMMAC 

Sign Your ABCs with Sesame Street by Nicole Gabor and Emily Harris - ESSENTIAL

Sign Your ABCs with Sesame Street by Nicole Gabor and Emily Harris. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Lerner, 2026. $10 (pb). 9798765684658

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

APPEALS TO: MANY

American Sign Language is a visible way to communicate. Each letter of the alphabet has a hand shape. There are also hand shapes for words. The book continues with sesame street characters signing the alphabet and sharing about themselves. Then, children are prompted to sign their name. Gabor created a book that Sesame Street fans will love. All the favorite characters get to take part in teaching sign language. One cute technique used is having the characters talk about themselves as they blend the word on the next page into their chat.

MOMMAC 

Llama llama Graduation Day by Anna Dewdney and JT Morrow - ESSENTIAL

Llama Llama Graduation Day by Anna Dewdney and JT Morrow. PICTURE BOOK. Viking Books (Penguin), 2026. $19. 9780593353233

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

It is graduation day, and everyone is excited! Everyone, except Llama llama. As the teacher lines up students for one last picture, Llama llama starts to feel sick. Llama starts thinking about all of the parts of school that he will miss. No more morning meetings or seeing his friends. But, his teacher reminds him of all of the skills that he has learned at school this year. Llama can do and accomplish anything. Just wait until next year! My daughter and I liked this book because of the familiar characters.

This Llama llama book reads like the rest of Dewdney's books. The plot is easy to follow and it addresses a lot of common fears that young students might face at the end of a school year.

Reviewer: A. Criswell, English Language teacher 

April's Journey by Annamaria Piccione, Luis Amavisca and Francesc Rovira - ESSENTIAL

April's Journey by Annamaria Piccione, Luis Amavisca and Francesc Rovira. PICTURE BOOK. NubeOcho, 2026. $18. 9788410406803

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

April, a young girl, has nowhere to go after the bombing. Everything was destroyed and people have left. All she has is her backpack and her stuffed rabbit Coco. She has to find a new home and journeys through inclement weather and harsh conditions. Along her way, she finds Julio, a boy who also has a backpack and a stuffed bear named Nina. Together, they build a raft and eventually find a place that welcomes them into a new home.

I liked this book because of the mystery behind the bombing and the conflicts that the young characters are facing. It is just vague enough that this situation could be applied to a lot of different times in history. As the author wrote, "it is a story to spark conversation about something that should never happen."

Reviewer: A. Criswell, English Language Arts teacher 

The Shy Book by Howard Pearlstein and James Munro - ESSENTIAL

The Shy Book by Howard Pearlstein and James Munro. PICTURE BOOK. Red Comet Press, 2026. $17. 9781636551883

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

APPEALS TO: MANY

This book happens to be very shy. It is worried that the reader will think that the book is silly, or even boring. The book then realizes that a good strategy to start conversations is to ask others questions about themselves. This story has an important theme of perseverance, and that it is ok to be shy.

I liked Pearlstein’s story because it addressed a lot of common reasons why kids might be shy. He normalizes the fears, reactions, and gives solutions as well. Munro’s illustrations were cute and the text was engaging.

Reviewer: A. Criswell, English Language Arts teacher