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
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
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
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
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
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
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: MANY
Poppy is so excited to sleep over at G-Pa and Mimi's house for the first time ever. She'll bake bread and gather pinecones and read all the books her mother used to read. But Home isn't excited. While Poppy is on her big adventure, Home misses Poppy and feels hollow and Echoey. Mom and Dad miss Poppy. Will Poppy start to miss Home too?
Homesick's heartfelt take on a child's first sleepover is very innovative by representing the house as a person with feelings. I enjoyed the yellow colors showing excitement in the illustrations, and the blue showing sadness.
PGPowers
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Encyclopedia of Fungi is a reference book that introduces readers to over 300 diverse fungal species from around the globe. It highlights weird, colorful, and unique organisms ranging from glowing toadstools and giant puffballs to zombie fungi. It also includes helpful tips, a glossary, and an index for young nature explorers.
Howard makes this reference very interesting for those who want to know more about the different kinds of mushrooms, and which ones are poisonous. Niumim's gouache illustrations are beautiful, graphic, and interesting.
PGPowers
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SOME
How much do you know about Johnny Appleseed? Did you know that he was so much more than a person who planted many apple seeds? In Seed by Seed, a brief and interesting history is given of Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman. Johnny lived by example in five ways. Those ways are explored in Seed by Seed by actual events in his life.
I really loved this book! From the interesting facts about his life to the beautiful lessons we can learn from Johnny, Seed by Seed is very inspirational and interesting! The illustrations have many details and remind me of the art found in Jan Brett's books. In the back of the book, crafts and a recipe are suggested to celebrate Johnny's birthday (Sep 26). Even though this book was written years ago, I think that it will still appeal to students today.
Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman is white.
Tracie, Elementary School Librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - SEVERAL
APPEALS TO: ADVISABLE
Have you ever heard of a cow wandering around at night? This cow makes a secret plan to go on an adventure at night. She meets many interesting people and creatures, even aliens! Will the cow ever return to the farm?
I thought this book was hilarious! I think students would enjoy it because the text shows that the cow does not know what is going on but the students can infer from the pictures what is going on. The illustrations are very simple but funny. Would make a great read aloud for younger grades!
Tracie, Elementary School Librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SOME
Henry's family loves plants and gardening. Henry struggles to help plants grow even when he follows his mom's instructions perfectly. Henry's mom becomes sick with a serious illness. Can Henry find a way to care for the garden and have hope while his mom is away?
Joseph tells a beautiful story about having hope when life is difficult. The illustrations are eye-catching and vibrant. The text is limited to a few sentences per page. Planting Hope handles the topic of an ill parent in a very gentle and kid friendly way.
Henry is an early elementary aged boy between 1st and 3rd grade. Henry and his parents are black.
Tracie, Elementary School Librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Pops and Big Ma start cooking early for the big family feast. Relatives travel from miles away to gather together. Once everyone arrives, aunts, uncles, and cousins all pitch in to help prepare the meal. Family favorites fill the table, and the kitchen buzzes with activity. There is plenty of chaos, laughter, and love as everyone comes together to share a delicious meal and enjoy each other's company.
The fun chaos of a family holiday meal is beautifully depicted in this story. The illustrations are especially wonderful, filled with bold colors, expressive characters, and a sense of constant movement that brings the bustling family gathering to life.
The characters are Black.
Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian
