Bunny in Disguise by Cynthia Platt and Josh Cleland - OPTIONAL

Bunny in Disguise by Cynthia Platt and  Josh Cleland. PICTURE BOOK. Harper, 2026. $13. 9780063483033

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

The Easter Bunny has lost its way to the Egg Hunt. The children must help him arrive on time to hide the eggs and save the day.

Cleland’s illustrations are a lot of fun to pore over. The iambic octameter rhyming text is a bear to read out loud, though. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Go Tell it: How James Baldwin Became a Writer by Quartez Harris, art by Gordon C. James - ADVISABLE

Go Tell it: How James Baldwin Became a Writer by Quartez Harris, art by Gordon C. James. BIOGRAPHY, PICTURE BOOK Little, Brown, 2025. $19. 9780316483933 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

James Baldwin loved to read and to write his own stories. His stepfather was a minister and didn't like that James was reading anything other than the Bible. But he had caring teachers who appreciated his work and gave him experiences in the arts. He tried preaching for a while, but was a very different minister than his stepfather, so he went out on his own, supporting himself and writing his version of the Harlem he loved. 

Last year there was another James Baldwin picture book biography given a CSK honor, and I can't help but compare. I like these illustrations much better, especially the words incorporated into the pictures - as though James sees everything as a story. Realistic and full of feeling - I can sense James' frustration and see his pride in both the text and the pictures. All in all a better biography, I think this will be more likely to be read. James and his family are African American 

Lisa Librarian 

Seven Million Steps by Derrick Barnes and Christian Gregory, illustrated by Frank Morrison. - NO

Seven Million Steps by Derrick Barnes and Christian Gregory,  illustrated by Frank Morrison. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Amistad (Harper), 2026. $20. 9780063357525

BUYING ADVISORY: NOT RECOMMENDED

In 1976 Dick Gregory ran from California to New York to bring awareness to the plight of poor, hungry people around the country. 

Barnes and Gregory wrote the book in an odd second person voice that made the story feel remote and impersonal. I couldn’t find my way into the story.

Gregory is Black.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Filo's Butterflies by Litea Fuata and Myo Yim. - ADVISABLE

Filo's Butterflies by Litea Fuata and Myo Yim. PICTURE BOOK Bright Light, 2025. $19. 9781761214974 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Filo has butterflies in his tummy. He is going to dance at his auntie's wedding. His dad tells him everyone has butterflies their first time. But as the wedding progresses and it gets closer to the dance time, Filo's butterflies get worse. 

I really liked this story - I loved that his father acknowledged the butterflies and told him it was normal. Filo is brave and excited and doesn't try to not dance. A great lesson in grit. Filo is Samoan 

Lisa Librarian 

When Cherry Blossoms Fall by Katrina Goldsaito and Yas Imamura - ADVISABLE

When Cherry Blossoms Fall by Katrina Goldsaito, illustrated by Yas Imamura. PICTURE BOOK. Little Brown and Company, 2026. $19. 9780316281126

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Yuna, a young Japanese girl, visits her grandmother in winter.  Yuna climbs into the old cherry tree and wants to know when the cherry tree will bloom.  Her grandmother introduces her to the concept of "mono-no-aware."  When the cherry tree is in full bloom, it becomes more beautiful because it will soon be gone.  Yuna realizes the full meaning when something happens to her grandmother.

Goldsaito gives us a profound story that teaches concepts of nature, patience, and awareness of the bittersweet, temporary nature of life.  Imamura's illustrations are beautiful.

PGPowers

Woods & Words: The Story of Poet Mary Oliver by Sara Holly Ackerman and Naoko Stoop - OPTIONAL

Woods & Words: The Story of Poet Mary Oliver by Sara Holly Ackerman, illustrated by Naoko Stoop. BIOGRAPHY, PICTURE BOOK Beach Lane (Simon), 2025 $20. 9781665921855 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

Mary Oliver preferred the peacefulness of the outdoors to the classroom and would often sit on the back of a river writing. Mary wrote about nature - there were poems in everything she saw. She had trouble getting her poems published because they weren't fancy. Mary Oliver's poems were well loved. 

A nice biography, but I don't see a lot of kid appeal. Like her poetry, this picture book biography isn't fancy or pretentious, so I suppose it makes a fitting tribute, but there's not a lot of plot to keep a young reader engaged. Mary Oliver is white. 

Lisa Librarian 

102 by Matthew Cordell - ADVISABLE

102 by Matthew Cordell. PICTURE BOOK. Little, Brown, and Company, 2026. $19. 9780316580953

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

George lives at 102 Greenbriar Drive.  One day, he is sent home from school with a fever of 102, and he sees his mother catch a mouse scurrying across the kitchen floor.  His mother wants to get rid of it, but he wants to keep it in a cage.  That night, at 102 A.M. a cricket motions for George to follow it.  As he hops off the bed, he shrinks down to mouse size.  He follows the cricket through the wall and into a tiny mouse kitchen at the base of an oak tree where he discovers the meaning of his quest.

102 is imaginative and very sweet.  The story explores the values of curiosity, kindness, and generosity.  I enjoyed Cordell's unique colored pencil style of illustration.

PGPowers

Kaho'olawe: The True Story of an Island and her People by Kamalani Hurley and Harinani Orme - ADVISABLE

Kaho'olawe: The True Story of an Island and her People by Kamalani Hurley and Harinani Orme. NON-FICTION, PICTURE BOOK Millbrook Press (Lerner), 2025. $20. 9798765605011 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

Kanaloa Kahoʻolawe is a small island near Maui. Hawaiians feel it is sacred. During WWII it was bombed during Pearl Harbor and eventually turned into a military training zone. By the 1960's the Hawaiian's started trying to get it back. This was not easy, and the island was badly damaged. 

I had no idea! I'm flabergasted that this is a thing - so much environmental destruction - to the reef, the fresh water supply, the native plants and animals! A combination of historical and environmental information, this would be a great share for a science class. The people and the island are Hawaiian 

Lisa Librarian 

Three Weeks in the Rainforest by Jennifer Swanson - ADVISABLE

Three Weeks in the Rainforest by Jennifer Swanson. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2025. $21. 9781623543167

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

Three Weeks in the Rainforest follows the Field Museum's Rapid Inventory 30 team in Columbia as they race to gather data over three short weeks in the field.  Biologists trek through mud and rain, counting every animal and plant they see.  Social scientists visit villages, speaking with people about their goals for the land.  Based on this evidence, the team makes a case of conservation.  So far their teams have helped conserve almost 30 million acres of Amazon rainforest.

Swanson gives us a glimpse into real-life fieldwork in the rainforest.  This is not a detailed book about animals and plants that live in the rainforest. I liked the pictures of the scenery and the animals they were able to capture.

PGPowers

The Invisible Parade by Leigh Bardugo and John Picacio - ESSENTIAL

The Invisible Parade by Leigh Bardugo, illustrated by John Picacio. PICTURE BOOK Little, Brown, 2025. $20. 9780316295703 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Cala is not looking forward to the party on Dia de los Muertos. She misses her grandfather terribly and doesn't want to go to the cemetery. Once there, she loses sight of her family, and instead, meets a ghost on horseback - the ghost has a terrible cold. Cala offers her mother to make him some soup, but as they are looking for her, they meet a skeleton on a horse of bones who is hungry, and he is invited along. Will Cala find her family or continue to be delayed by these spirits of the dead? It seems Cala has some lessons to learn from them. 

Leigh Bardugo writes an amazing story, but oh the illustrations! Wow! Cala (and the reader) are taken to a fiery magical experience, including a ride with Death himself. I loved the lessons about being sick and poor and caring for others, and how she can keep her grandfather's memory alive in a better way. Highly recommended! The family is Hispanic. 

Lisa Librarian Yes 

The Last Last by Wendy J. Whittingham - ADVISABLE

The Last Last by Wendy J. Whittingham. PICTURE BOOK. Groundwood Books, 2025. $19. 9781773068657

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

A young Jamaican girl's family is packing all their things.  She is nervous that they are leaving their island home.  On her final day, she takes in the final sights and smells.  She wants to remember all of it.  She takes a last swim in the ocean and finds a beautiful shell to take with her.  Her family flies to a big city in Canada.  She is still worried about her new home until she hears something outside her window.

The Last Last deals with the bittersweet experience of immigration, honoring memories of home while looking forward to new adventures.  I liked Whittingham's use of vibrant colors in her illustrations.

PGPowers

The Keeper of Stories by Caroline Kusin Pritchard and Selina Alko - ADVISABLE

The Keeper of Stories by Caroline Kusin Pritchard, illustrated by Selina Alko. NON-FICTION, PICTURE BOOK Simon and Schuster, 2025. $20. 9781665914970 

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

In 1966, a fire started in the upper floors of New York's Jewish Theological Seminary library. This library contained old and rare books, newspapers, and magazines, some from the Middle Ages. While the firefighters made great efforts to protect the books from the flames and the water used to fight the fire, thousands were destroyed in the blaze, and 170,000 books were water-damaged and had to be dried. The community all pitched in to help, but how do you dry all that paper? 

My heart was breaking to read about the loss of ancient books, including a Torah. The story is well written, with a great author's note, photographs of the library, and the damage caused by the fire. There's a list of sources and even a link to an interview with the head librarian who worked there at the time. I so would like a copy for my library; however, it's tall - too tall for my shelves. 

Lisa Librarian