Too Many Golems by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Maya Shleifer - ADVISABLE

Too Many Golems by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Maya Shleifer. PICTURE BOOK. Chronicle Books, 2024. $19. 9781797212142

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Absalom, Abi, for short, took a scroll from the synagogue basement and hung it in his room. His plan was to use it for Hebrew practice. Once he began reciting the words that he thought were words of joy, he realized that he was actually summoning monsters! Ten huge golems appeared to help him! Abi remembered his manners and began trying to make them feel at home. In return, the golems helped Abi learn Hebrew for his bar mitzvah.

I liked how this book taught you about Jewish culture and tradition. You are able to learn about bar mitzvahs. It was surprising that the golems were actually nice monsters. I didn't find it especially engaging or plot driven though.

A. Criswell, English Language Arts teacher 

Wacky Witches and Their Peculiar Familiars by April Suddendorf - ADVISABLE

Wacky Witches and Their Peculiar Familiars by April Suddendorf. PICTURE BOOK. North South, 2023. $20. 978073585480

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

APPEALS TO: SOME

The witch introduces us to her varied witchy friends and their menagerie of familiars. Each familiar and each witch is unique and interesting to behold.

I enjoyed the variety of witches and familiars.  Suddendorf (also the translator) uses a few hefty vocabulary words that young readers will need some help defining.  The only thing I don’t understand is why she ended her book on a negative note - send a big diss out about cats.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Life After Whale by Lynn Brunelle and Jason Chin - ESSENTIAL

Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall by Lynn Brunelle, illustrated by Jason Chin. NON-FICTION, PICTURE BOOK Neal Porter (Holiday House), 2024 $19. 9780823452286 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

A blue whale leaves for nearly 100 years, but when it dies, it sinks to the bottom of the ocean and becomes an ecosystem of its own, feeding and providing for the sea life for another 100 years or more. 

Oh, Jason Chin's illustrations are gorgeous! Lynn Brunelle's text, which tells the story of 1 blue whale, is accessible, engaging, and just enough. There is occasional italicized text with more information as needed. Backmatter includes a bibliography, online sources and other books about whales. 

Lisa Librarian 

Under the Table by Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman - ADVISABLE

Under the Table by Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2023. $19. 9781536231519

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

When Elsie yells that there is something gray under the table - she’s right - an elephant!  And then the next day a kangaroo and her joey and then there are two penguins in the refrigerator! What should the family do?  Round everyone up and go on a seaside vacation, of course!

Ahlberg and Ingman gives us a book to foster imagination and delight us - no lesson needed. Silly and wondrous - fun times that recreate what an imaginative girl might pantomime with her stuffed animals, with savvy parents playing along.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Mixed-Up Farm Animals by Spencer Wilson - ADVISABLE

Mixed-Up Farm Animals by Spencer Wilson. BOARD BOOK. Boxer Books (Union Square), 2024. $13. 9781915801197

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Mix and match 11 barnyard animals is this cute board book. What sound does a chicken/sheep make? Or a cow/cat? 

Foster imagination and silliness.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Secret Gardens of Frances Hodgson Burnett by Angelica Shirley Carpenter and Helena Perez Garcia - ADVISABLE

The Secret Gardens of Frances Hodgson Burnett by Angelica Shirley Carpenter, illustrated by Helena Perez Garcia. BIOGRAPHY, PICTURE BOOK Bushel & Peck, 2024. $19. 9781638191506 

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Young Fanny Hodgson had a wonderful imagination that helped her through hard times as a child. When her family moved from Manchester England to America (so her brothers could find work) 15yo Fanny made her own job, as a teacher. Soon she began writing and selling her stories and by the time she was 19, she was supporting her family. Frances Hodgson Burnett was one of the most beloved authors of the 20th century and many of her novels like The Little Princess and The Secret Garden are still popular today.

The cover is striking as it has a large keyhole revealing the title. It's so clever, but I worry other books will catch on it on the shelf. We will see how it holds up. Carpenter's story is engaging and Perez Garcia's illustrations fill the pages. I especially loved her beautiful depictions of Fanny's gardens. Includes a lot of back matter including a more detailed biography, timeline, her books with their publication dates as well as a bibliography and a letter from Burnett's great-great grandaughter about cultivating your own imagination. 

Lisa Librarian

Clever Crow by Chris Butterworth and Olivia Lomenech Gill - ADVISABLE

Clever Crow by Chris Butterworth, illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill. Candlewick, 2024. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. $19. 9781536235425

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

Learn a bit about what makes crows the same and also different from other types of birds.

Butterworth gives us a short, but still interesting, look at the types of birds within the crow family (I had no idea that the blue jay is a crow!). I love the end papers - eggs at the front and birds at the back.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Sparkle! Sparkle! I’m a Unicorn by Jo Lodge - ADVISABLE

Sparkle! Sparkle! I’m a Unicorn by Jo Lodge. BOARD BOOK. Boxer Books (Union Square), 2022. $10. 9781914912368

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Four magical creatures show off their magical natures in Lodge’s interactive board book.

Sturdy tabs for swishing, puffing, sparkling, and flipping each creature. Fun for imaginative play.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Whales to the Rescue by Adrienne Mason and Kim Smith - ADVISABLE

Whales to the Rescue: How Whales Help Engineer the Planet by Adrienne Mason, illustrated by Kim Smith. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Kids Can Press, 2022. $19. 9781525305375

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

APPEALS TO: SOME

A fascinating, fact-filled book about how helpful and necessary whales are to planet Earth. Complete with a table of contents, glossary, and index, this book would be a fantastic resource for students doing research or students simply wanting to learn more about oceans, whales and ecosystems. The book is text heavy, making it perfect for upper elementary or middle school students, but has gorgeous, detailed illustrations that support the text and make the book enjoyable for younger children as well.

I learned quite a few facts that I didn't know before reading this book! There's a lot of text but the book is written in a simple-to-understand way and I never felt bored or anxious to be done with the book as I read. While I was a little squeamish reading the detailed bits about whale waste (did you know a fin whale pees 257 gallons a day!?), I'm confident that students will be utterly fascinated and morbidly delighted by the sections titled "Living on Sunshine" and "A Poop Pump".

Angie Campbell - EL Librarian

Trucky Roads by Lulu Miller, illustrated by Hui Skipp - ESSENTIAL

Trucky Roads by Lulu Miller, illustrated by Hui Skipp. PICTURE BOOK. Simon and Schuster, 2024. $19. 9781665919173

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

APPEALS TO: MANY

Trucky Roads is here to introduce you to some many different kinds of trucks - even the trucks in your dreams

Skipp’s whimsical illustrations compliment the imaginings and realities of the many kinds of trucks Miller talks about within the pages. Any truck-loving child will have a grand time poring over these pages and then probably go out with their own truck collection and recreate a few and create some others of their own.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Bizzy Bear: Amusement Park by Benji Davies - ADVISABLE

Bizzy Bear: Amusement Park by Benji Davies. BOARD BOOK. Candlewick, 2022. $9. 9781536229806

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Bizzy Bear is headed off to the amusement park. Come along!

Another fun Bizzy Bear interactive board book. Look at all of the different options and choose a couple your baby would like best.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

This Book is Definitely Not Cursed by Megan Woodward and Risa Rodil - OPTIONAL

This Book is Definitely Not Cursed by Megan Woodward, illustrated by Risa Rodil. PICTURE BOOK. Aladdin (Simon), 2024. $19. 9781665927987

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

APPEALS TO: SOME

The monster inside the book has tricked you into reading it and now you are cursed! You must follow all of the steps exactly, or you will be cursed forever.

10/10 on the silliness scale. Will open up a discussion on what a curse is and whether they are real, however. For a middle school or high school teacher it might be a good way to start a talk about urban legends and supposed curses. Otherwise you can lean into the silliness of it all.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS