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

Calm Your Roar Like a Dinosaur by Colleen A. Patterson and Brenda S. Miles, illustrated by John Joseph. PICTURE BOOK. Magination Press, 2025. $22. 9781433844652

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

APPEALS TO: MANY

Little Dinosaur is frustrated and ready to roar. The adult dinosaur teaches the little to take deep breaths and stretch every part of his body. The roar becomes less and less.

Patterson's book, full of charming dinosaur characters, is absolutely a necessary item in a library. Patterson and Miles are child psychologists who are facilitating the teaching of relaxation and mindfulness to parents and their children. The instructions are simple and the illustrations powerful.

MOMMAC 

Elena Camps by Juana Medina - OPTIONAL

Elena Camps by Juana Medina. EARLY READER. Candlewick, 2025. $11. 9781536216424

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Elena the elephant is sure that she can put up her tent without any directions or help. Elena is amusing with antics as she tries to set up the tent. I’m glad she found a friend to help her succeed. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

On the Go: Touch and Feel First Vehicles - OPTIONAL

On the Go: Touch and Feel First Vehicles, illustrations by Mini Magique Studio. BOARD BOOK. Happy Yaak (Quarto), 2025. $10. 9781836002932 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

10 different vehicles for little hands to touch. The tractor is my favorite texture. The illustrations are pretty basic, with cute faces. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

Ocean (My Colorful Quiz) by Nastja Holtfreter - OPTIONAL

Ocean (My Colorful Quiz) by Nastja Holtfreter. BOARD BOOK. Kane Miller, 2022. $7. 9781684643967 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

The names of the creatures and the quiz part of the book are not something that a board book child can accomplish without help and guidance. They may enjoy just gazing at the illustrations.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

Eat Like a Bear by April Pulley Sayre and Steve Jenkins - ADVISABLE

Eat Like a Bear by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Steve Jenkins. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Beach Lane Books (Simon), 2025. $19. 9781665952217

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

"Eat Like a Bear" follows a female brown bear through the months between hibernations to show the wide range of her diet. The text is a repetitive stanza that describes how the bear must forage and hunt to find the different plants, insects, and animals to feed herself.

Sayre has mastered saying little but describing much. Jenkins’s  illustrations match this type of poetry with more texture than detail. Since the book only hints at the scientific details, Sayre includes a couple of pages explaining the contents in more depth and adds her bibliographic sources at the end. Young children will find this book an interesting window into the life of brown bears.

J. Smith, Teacher Librarian

How To Be Romance with Bluey and Bingo - NO

How To Be Romance with Bluey and Bingo by Penguin Young Readers. BOARD BOOK. Penguin, 2024. $10. 9780593755105

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - NOT RECOMMENDED

Bluey and Bingo are practicing the art of romance. They need to clean themselves up, fix their hair, and do their nails. They finish up by eating at a fancy restaurant. 

This is a thumbs down book. First of all, why would you write a book about romance for a 1-3 year old? Secondly, they do not even use correct English. Here is the sentence: "And there is nothing more romance than eating in a fancy restaurant". Maybe it's part of the dog thing, but not ok in my book.

MOMMAC

Smelly Peggy by Helen Stephens - ADVISABLE

Smelly Peggy by Helen Stephens. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2024. $18. 9781536235722

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Peggy is a little rescue dog adopted by Pie and her family. Peggy is a good dog, but she is still a dog, so she loves to give slobbery kisses, steal underwear, roll in stinky poops, and at the very end, let a stinky dog fart. Even though Peggy is a smelly dog, her family still loves her.

"Smelly Peggy" is a great discussion point for all young children who love puppies. The text asks questions of the readers which children would love to respond to with stories about their own puppies and all the naughty things they have done. The watercolor and crayon illustrations are big and bright and relatable.

Pie is a little red-haired girl living with her mom and dad near the beach. Peggy is their rescue dog.

J. Smith, Teacher Librarian

The Only Monster by Matt Coyne and Brendan Kearney - ESSENTIAL

The Only Monster by Matt Coyne, illustrated by Brendan Kearney. PICTURE BOOK. Frances Lincoln (Quarto), 2025. $19. 9780711298774

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Little Monster loves her family, but on the first day of school she saw families of multiple children.  She wondered why she was the only  monster in her home. It made her sad and alone on school photo day to see all the siblings taking photos together. When her dad noticed she was sad, he asked her why. Her dad wisely answered her.

Coyne’s adorably rhymed and illustrated book will wow children and parents. The bright illustrations and creative monsters will keep a child looking across the pages. The message that an only child can feel assured by the love of their family and  friends empowers them. 

MOMMAC

Hope in a Jar by Deborah Marcero - ESSENTIAL

Hope in a Jar by Deborah Marcero. PICTURE BOOK. G. P. Putnam's Sons (Penguin), 2025. $19. 9780593696699

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Llewellyn is a small bunny with big dreams. He discovers that having friends, Veera and Jaxx, to share wishes with is even better than wishing alone. Together these small bunnies hope for good things, experiences, and achievements. When a storm comes and wipes out their collection of dreams, how can they keep going? They learn that working together keeps their hopes alive.

Marcero’s  illustrations  are unique in appearance and help create a soft and safe emotion surrounding the wishes and hopes. I believe she has written an allegory about life itself. We all have wishes and dreams that won't come true and we all face times of hardship and despair, but with love from others we can keep hope alive and remain open to the opportunities around us.

The three little bunnies are different colors; Llewellyn is a boy and the other two are unspecified.

J. Smith, Teacher Librarian

With Dad by Richard Jackson, illustrated by Brian Floca - ADVISABLE

With Dad by Richard Jackson, illustrated by Brian Floca. BIOGRAPHY PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick, 2024. $19. 9780823444953

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Riding in an old red jeep, Richard and his father take off for a fishing trip in Michigan. His dad lets him drive down a country road while sitting in his lap . They build a tent and fire pit and then head for the stream to fish. Richard is sad when his dad catches two fish, but that all changes when he a last snags his own. They enjoy their evening together eating the fish and watching the sky. Later that year, Richard wishes his father could do the trip again as he misses his presence since he has gone to war.

Richard Jackson, a well-known editor and author tells the sweet memory he had of an ordinary day with his extraordinary father. Floca's beautiful watercolor illustrations emote feelings of family love and joy. The first person narrative draws one into the moment. Both adults and children will relate to this tale of belonging. 

MOMMAC

Green Papayas by Nhung N. Tran-Davies and Gillian Newland - ESSENTIAL

Green Papayas by Nhung N. Tran-Davies, illustrated by Gillian Newland. BIOGRAPHY PICTURE BOOK. Red Deer Press, 2023. $22. 9780889955608

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Oma does not know our names anymore. She is old and sick. But, Oma used to live in a land far away where there are green papayas. Her family was poor and she could not go to school, but she read when she could. She grew up and had six children and then war came. She loved her children enough to carry them away. 

Tran-Davies tells a tremendous personal story of love and sacrifice. It is her voice in this story within a story. It is not poetry, but the wording is beautiful enough to be poetry. The oriental style of illustration by Newland  could not be more beautiful. 

The main characters are Vietnamese refugees. 

MOMMAC

Frank and Bean and the Stinky Feet Monster by Jamie Michalak and Bob Kolar - ESSENTIAL

Frank and Bean and the Stinky Feet Monster by Jamie Michalak, illustrated by Bob Kolar. EARLY READER. Candlewick Press, 2023. $17. 9781536225464

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Frank and Bean are on the trail of the stinky feet monster. Bean doesn't believe in the stinky feet monster. They are both afraid of what they might find. Along the way, Bean runs into a black and white animal that sprays him with stink, but it wasn't the stinky feet monster. They finally find the monster and he is selling stinky cheese, but is that the smell that scares everyone away?

Children will love the adorably illustrated Frank and Bean. It's just the type of silly adventure that will make them laugh. The sentences are short and many words are repeated, which  makes this a great early reader. 

MOMMAC